Protesters Demand Delay in Land Bridge Initiative

Campaign for Exclusion of Land Bridge Project from BJT's Policy Statement

, and ASMedia

2025 September 24 . 2:12 PM

2 min read

Protesters urge delay in Land Bridge initiative

Protesters Demand Delay in Land Bridge Initiative

In a recent visit to the Bhumjaithai Party headquarters in Bangkok, around 50 residents from several provinces expressed their concerns about the controversial Land Bridge project. The residents submitted a letter to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, voicing their apprehensions about the trillion-baht project that will affect provinces such as Rayong, Prachinburi, Ranong, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Surat Thani.

The activists, led by the People Network from the Southern and Eastern Region, have urged the Bhumjaithai Party to withdraw two draft proposals for a southern economic corridor, which includes the Land Bridge project. Their concerns extend to potential environmental damage, threats to land ownership, and negative impacts on local livelihoods.

Somboon Khamheng, coordinator of the People Network, stressed that the network's only condition was for the Land Bridge project to be omitted from the policy statement to parliament. They hope to avoid repeating the Eastern Economic Corridor's failures and believe that a short-term government should prioritize urgent issues such as border security, economic stimulus, and institutional reform.

Ari Krainara, a party representative, received the letter from the activists. If their demands are ignored, the activists have threatened to campaign against the party in both the South and the eastern region.

The Land Bridge project, led by the politician Pita Limjaroenrat, has been a contentious issue since its inception. The government he is responsible for was reformed in August 2024. The activists argue that the project poses a significant risk to the environment, local land ownership, and the livelihoods of the people in the affected provinces.

The activists also expressed their concerns about the potential failure of the southern economic corridor, which is part of the Land Bridge project. They believe that the government should focus on addressing immediate issues rather than pursuing long-term projects with uncertain outcomes.

The Prime Minister has yet to respond to the residents' concerns, and it remains to be seen how the Bhumjaithai Party will address the demands of the activists. The future of the Land Bridge project and the southern economic corridor hangs in the balance as the activists continue to advocate for their cause.