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

Mr Suttipong Teppitak, Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) said in an interview that plans to build 4 more coal-fired power plants would emphasize public relations at the school level. This may create opposition in the community.

 

On 6 January, Mr Wira Sidam, an artisanal fisher of Village 7, Huai Yang Subdistrict, Thap Sakae District, Prachuab Khiri Khan Province, gave an interview to the media on this topic. Families get a daily income from inshore fishery. He has been able to send his 2 children to study without difficulty. In good weather conditions, he can earn 3,000-8,000 baht a day. But the impact of coal-fired power plants could lose him his profession, because his living is from the sea. At present, he takes his children fishing when they are free, since he wants to instil in them a love of their birthplace and to have the next generation take over stewardship of it.

 

If EGAT starts activities in schools he expects that serious divisions will arise in the school, because the group of parents who oppose the coal-fired power plant will not allow EGAT in to give information that is not suitable for their children and to use the school and its children as tools of EGAT.

 

Miss Anusara Chasuk, a Mathayom 6 (Grade 12) student in Thap Sakae Withayalai School, gave an interview to our reporter on this issue and said that most students at present have at present a good understanding of the problem of global warming from their studies and the news. Burning 12 million tonnes of coal a year in an EGAT coal-fired power plant in Thap Sakae will create a huge amount of carbon dioxide, and there is no technology to manage these emissions. So this will worsen then problem of global warming and make storms, epidemics and erosion worse.

 

Miss Anusara also said that in fact there was world-wide campaign to stop burning coal. But in Thailand we have EGAT wanting to use even more coal. If EGAT comes to tell them to love the environment, no student will believe them.

 

Thap Sakae District is famous for the best quality coconuts in Thailand, If EGAT builds a coal-fired power plant producing 4000 megawatts per year, Thap Sakae will instead have the reputation as the place that emits most carbon dioxide in Thailand to destroy the environment.

Source: 
<p>http://www.prachatai.com/05web/th/home/10794</p>

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