Halt EEC plan, farmers say in petition to court

Facing eviction, B1.2m sought as redress

A group of farmers who face eviction from farmland they have rented have petitioned the Central Administrative Court to order the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Policy Committee to halt its plan. The farmers are faced with a removal due to a plan to build an industrial estate in Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong district.

Anti-Global Warming Association president Srisuwan Janya led 14 farmers from the eastern province to lodge a petition with the court yesterday.

Named as defendants in the petition are the EEC committee, the Chachoengsao governor, and the chief of tambon Khao Din administrative organisation in Chachoengsao.

In the petition, the farmers claimed that the committee had allowed a private company to buy about 3,000 rai of land to build an industrial estate for electric vehicle factories in compliance with the government’s flagship policy to promote the development of the EEC.

The construction project has affected farmers who have rented the land for farming, the group said.

The group said that the law governing the development of the EEC, which took effect this year, clearly stipulates that an environmental and health impact assessment (EHIA) study be carried out before any EEC-related development projects begin.

They said the private company had failed to conduct the study and had not sought the opinions of local residents.

Instead, the company sought permission from the tambon Khao Din administrative organisation to carry out land levelling work prior to construction. However, the company has not come up with measures to prevent impacts on surrounding communities, the farmers said.

The law requires an EHIA study to be conducted prior to any land levelling work. Also, private companies must seek permission from the EEC committee and Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning.

The company’s failure to do so violates the law, the group said, adding that the farmers who had rented the land have been protected by the law governing land rental for agriculture. The farmers have been living in the area for several generations, the group said.

Under the law, landowners who want to terminate land rental contracts must give tenants at least six years’ advance notice, the farmers said, adding that they had brought the matter to the attention of the provincial governor, but nothing had been done to address the problem.

In light of this, the group said it had decided to petition the court to order the EEC policy committee to halt any development plan in the area.

The farmers want the company to conduct the EIA studies and gather feedback from local residents first.

The 14 farmers have also demanded 1.2 million baht in compensation each, plus 7.5% interest, from the company.

Naree Sornprasit is among the farmers who have been affected by the construction project. She said her family had rented 60 rai of land for rice farming and paid an annual rent of 1,000-30,000 baht per rai.

A rental contract is renewed every three years. The current contract has two years left it before it expires, she said.