The gunner is identified but his whereabouts are not clear. Other opposition leaders flee after receiving death threats from local mafia.

 

On Jan 26, Bang Saphan District Chief Thawatchai Ditsayanan said that the Provincial Court of Prachuab Khiri Khan had issued an arrest warrant for assistant village head Bamrung Sudsawat, 33, on charges of murder, illegal possession of firearms, and shooting in public.

 

Thawatchai said that Bamrung was one of the opponents against Sahaviriya's smelting plant project, and after the incident he had tried and failed to contact Bamrung, believing he had already fled from the area.

 

However, it was reported that the police had already arrested Bamrung and detained him in a safe house to avoid protests from villagers.

 

Chair of Mae Ramphueng conservation group Withoon Buaroi said that during the fatal clash on Jan 24 he did not see Bamrung among the opponents. He did not believe Bamrung did the shooting because Bamrung had never appeared aggressive. After the clash, about 7 leading opponents have fled from the area due to death threats from local mafia.

 

Withoon was also afraid for himself because there were people who would lose interest in preventing the land filling and drainage ditch digging, but he will fight on.

 

Sahaviriya claims to have video evidence of the shooting

 

Pairoj Mokdara of Sahaviriya Steel Group told reporters that on Jan 24 more than 100 members of the conservation group trespassed on the company's land, and provoked the workers. Stones and slingshots were thrown, and 20 gunshots were fired at the workers, killing Raksak Kongtrakul, one of the workers.

 

"The company videotaped the incident and gave the tape to the police. An arrest warrant is expected to be issued in a couple of days. I insist that the gunshots were not fired by the workers," Pairoj said.

 

House searched and registered guns found

 

The police went to search the house of Bamrung Sudsawat, and presented Bamrung's mother Supab Sudsawat, with the arrest warrant for Bamrung on a charge of premeditated murder. The police found and seized two 9 mm pistols and bullets. During the search, more and more conservation group members gathered at the house, so more police were called in to keep guard.

 

After that, the police took the pistols and bullets back to their headquarters, with about 20 conservation group members following them. Later, at the headquarters at Ban Don Samran School, a reporter from Nation Channel, who videotaped the search and followed the police, was intimidated by Pol Lt Col Woradet Suanklai. Even as he identified himself as a reporter showing his ID and reporter cards, and made a call to his editorial desk in Bangkok, the policeman refused to talk on the phone, and brushed away the camera when the reporter was trying to film. 

 

In the afternoon, Bamrung's relatives brought registration documents for the guns to show the police, but after verifying the documents, the police insisted on forwarding the guns and bullets to another police branch for inspection, and would return them later.

 

In the meantime, other conservation group members made phone calls to their fellow members, reporting that gunfire at the entrance road to the peat swamp forest with the intention of threatening them.

 

Supoj Songsiang, another leading member of the conservation group, said that the Sahaviriya Company's claim that they were digging drainage ditches to lessen flooding problems in Bang Saphan was just a pretext to proceed with the smelting plant construction ahead of the EIA approval. And if the Mae Ramphueng peat swamp adjacent to the construction site is declared as a registered wetland, degradation resulting from land filling and digging will make it hard for the EIA report to get approved. The company wants to rush the land preparation and finish it within 5 months to avoid flooding, because the site is a natural water catchment area.

 

"If Sahaviriya really and genuinely wants to help solving flooding problems in Bang Saphan, it, together with the provincial administrative organization, should clarify first how the catchment area of over 1,000-rai in Mae Ramphueng was leased to the company for its business, leading to degradation of the area, aggravating the flooding problems," Supoj said.

 

Harnnarong Yaowalert, member of National Economic and Social Advisory Council, said that a joint inspection with the National Human Rights Commission found that the Mae Ramphueng peat swamp forest was ecologically highly diverse, and was a natural catchment area. Sahaviriya was rushing to fill the land because the Land Filling Act does not require an EIA approval; a private company is only required to ask the Tambon Administrative Organization for approval, and make a plan to mitigate impacts on the local neighbourhood.

 

Wichit Kongpuwej, representative of Prachuab Pattana Development Co., affiliated to Sahaviriya Company, said that he was ready to join a public forum with the NHRC and NESAC, as well as the opponents. He expressed his doubts whether the opponents would stop opposing the project when the EIA report was eventually approved, or whether hey would just come up with new issues. He was confident in his company's pocesses and technology.

 

"The ditch digging is to prevent floods in Bang Saphan, and will take two months to finish. And at this stage there is no land filling as falsely alleged by some people," Wichit said.

 

Natural Resources Minister says Sahaviriya needs EIA approval first

 

Yongyuth Yuthavong, Natural Resources and Environment Minister, said that it was likely that there would be revenge, and the conflict would escalate. Sahaviriya, which is an outsider to the communities, should take into account the impacts on local livelihoods.

 

"Sahaviriya cannot just cite its documents; the EIA must be taken into account. As of now, the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning has yet to approve the report," the minister said.

 

Related news:

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Ministry inspectors visit site of smelting plant in Bang Saphan; land document found illegal and revoked

Thap Sakae villagers oppose EGAT plan to promote coal-fired power plant in school; fear process will cause divisions

Injured opponents of Sahaviriya's smelting plant complain with the National Human Rights Commission

Sahaviriya Steel Giant's Supporters Attack Conservation Group

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Conflict over Sahaviriya's planned smelting plant likely to escalate

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Translated by Ponglert Pongwanan