Protest shuts down Thai hearing on nuclear power

Bangkok, Feb 7: Thailand cancelled a public hearing on a new power production plan which would include the country's first nuclear plant after protesters turned up to attend today.

Managers of a Bangkok hotel where the hearing was to have been held asked Energy Ministry officials to cancel the meeting after 200 villagers travelled 300 km (190 miles) from the west coast province of Prachuab Khirikhan to attend.

''They don't have a big enough room to put these people in, which would have also annoyed its guests,'' senior ministry official Norkhun Sitthipong told reporters.

The villagers, whose protests in 2002 forced the government to cancel plans for two coal-powered plants there, said they wanted no power plant in the province and would go to every hearing.

''If you want to build them, go and build on your homeland,'' said one of the placards carried by protesters in green t-shirts carrying a picture of a leading environmentalist who was shot dead in 2004.

''Whenever there is a hearing, we all will go,'' said protest leader Jintana Gaewkao.

Thailand's latest plan to expand electricity production calls for 11 700-megawatt power plants, three of them coal powered and to be built in Prachuab Khirikhan.

It also seeks to lessen dependence on natural gas by using more coal, biofuels and nuclear power and buy more electricity from Laos, Myanmar and China.

A 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant was also an option.

Reuters