The cabinet has approved letting a southern development board draft a regional master plan, shifting the focus from the proposed Land Bridge megaproject to transport connectivity, economic development and public participation.
Deputy Transport Minister Siripong Angkasakulkiat said the proposal, submitted by the Transport Ministry, was approved by the cabinet after receiving the endorsement of Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. Mr Siripong will chair the board, which will study and set a new development direction for the South.
He said the board would not focus solely on the Land Bridge, but would instead consider the region's overall infrastructure needs, including deep-sea ports on the Andaman coast, such as Ranong port, and missing transport links connecting the North and Northeast to the South.
He said the Transport Ministry had also withdrawn an earlier proposal requiring environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures to be conducted under the previous framework, allowing future projects to be reconsidered under the new master plan.
Mr Siripong said no major infrastructure project, including the Land Bridge, would proceed without public consultation.
"Local communities would play a central role in determining whether projects should go ahead and, if so, where facilities such as deep-sea ports should be located to minimise impacts on mangrove forests and potential World Heritage areas," he said.
He also said southern development could not simply replicate the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) model because of the region's distinct geography and the prevalence of agricultural reform land, making it necessary to integrate industrial development with the agricultural sector.
The committee will include staff from the transport and interior ministries, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), chambers of commerce from both the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman coasts, and the SEC Watch civic group.
Local MPs will serve as advisers, while the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning will act as secretary.
Mr Siripong said the committee aims to complete the development study within one year.
Its first meeting is expected to take place during the cabinet's mobile meeting in Songkhla on Aug 31-Sept 1.
