Bangkok: During this period of political transition, Panudej Kermali, chairman of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, views one of the most worrying issues as "in neutrality" within government agencies. Political instability causes civil servants to hesitate in taking action, waiting for policy directives from the new leadership, even though many issues concerning natural resources and the environment are urgent and cannot wait.
According to Thai News Agency, the problem of chemical and heavy metal contamination in major northern rivers, such as the Kok and Sai rivers, is a clear example of an ongoing issue. Mr. Phanudet points out that government data and academic data (such as from Mae Fah Luang University) often contradict each other. While villagers are experiencing neurological symptoms and arsenic levels in their hair are as high as 17.78%, government agencies state that the levels are manageable.
A key solution is for the government to take decisive action at the international policy level, as domestic agencies alone cannot manage transboundary mining issues. Furthermore, if the government continues to ignore the problem, civil society groups may need to learn from the "Kliti Lower Village case" and sue government agencies for negligence in order to achieve genuine environmental restoration and public health care.
The problem of wild elephants straying outside protected forest areas is a crisis that has expanded from the eastern region to other areas such as Nam Nao and Kaeng Krachan. Mr. Phanudet suggests that simply waiting to receive compensation is no longer sufficient. What the government needs to do is manage 'buffer zones' and review land policies.
A major concern is the overlap of agricultural land (land allocated under the Land Reform Act) with protected forest areas, leading to direct confrontation between humans and wildlife. The government should expedite the process of returning watershed areas from the Land Reform Act back to the Forestry Department for conflict management and long-term natural disaster prevention.
Mr. Panudej acknowledged that the civil service system is currently weakened due to political interference. A key proposal is the creation of a fair career path within the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, to ensure that executives possess expertise relevant to their fields. For example, heads of marine parks should have genuine knowledge of marine ecosystems, rather than being transferred based on cronyism.
The new government must take immediate action. This includes stopping contradictory policies, such as making international promises to protect forests while simultaneously building dams in World Heritage sites, and shifting the focus from GDP figures to the well-being of people and natural resources. Moreover, initial investments should be directed towards ecosystem restoration as a cost-effective measure against natural disasters.
"We still have hope, but the government must be clear and sincere in preserving the natural resources that are essential to the lives of all Thais," Mr. Panudech concluded.