Thai PM insists on national interest in new dam project

BANGKOK, September 25 (TNA) Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra insists that the new Mae Wong Dam has been planned for the national interest, but promising that her government will listen to opponents. Yingluck explained on Wednesday that the Mae Wong Dam Project in Nakhon Sawan province in the Lower Thai North is aimed at preventing floods but concerned parties need to consider its impacts on people living in the project site and those who may be in trouble without the dam. Yingluck promised that the construction of the dam will adhere to the balance of the environment. Regarding Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi's confirmation on the dam construction, the prime minister noted that the dam is considered necessary under her government's water management plan, but her administration will consider adverse impacts and find out solutions. According to the prime minister, the Thai Cabinet has already approved the Mae Wong Dam Project in principle, but before the construction begins, it needs another green light from the Cabinet. The Thai premier assured that her government will listen to public opinions and if there was any adverse impact on nearby communities, the project would be postponed until there was a solution. The prime minister asked opponents of the new dam project to discuss with her government's Water Management and Flood Prevention Commission (WMFPC) for an agreed move. (TNA)