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forced to leave their abodes.” These words belong to Sanusi Sarae, a local 7.2 The EHIA report review process and risk mapping
fisherman in Teluk Patani who lives in the proposed project area. His view is shared The review process of the Environmental and Health Impact Assessment
by many others facing the same plight. (EHIA) report was started with an attempt to understand the structure of the report

The resolve of the EHIA Expert Review Committee on 17 August 2017 has from chapter 1 to 7. The community people were then divided into different reading
caused a collective suffering of the community peoples. But it did not take long for groups based on their interest, e.g. project site selection and site conditions, types
suffering to be transformed into power and inspiration for those who chose not to of power plant projects (types of coal, transportation, chemicals, water usage,
surrender or become the victims of development. They started the process to pollution management, etc.) marine ecosystem, beaches, mangrove forests, moving
review the EHIA report in detail, especially the parts that would have an impact of households, agriculture, and community participation. They would then verify if
on the communities. the information put in the report was correct following which a “risk map” was drawn
using the Teluk Patani community map superimposed by the coal-fired power plant
project plan layout.
7. The Community Health Impact Assessment (CHIA)
Process The exercise revealed the positional plotting of key functional structures like

The Community Health Impact Assessment (CHIA) is part of the Health the bridges for the transportation of coal, pumping pipes, sewers, coal storage
Impact Assessment (HIA) process according to an announcement made by the buildings, ash ponds, drainages and how these structures would affect the existing
National Health Commission. It focuses on enabling communities to gather natural formations like coral reef ranges and fishing equipment of locals. The risk
information related to the possible impacts and support their negotiation in the mapping suggested that the long-established fishing grounds for seabass, shellfish
decision-making process. This will lead to development that is good for communities and krill will be disturbed by big pumping pipes that draw seawater as a coolant.
and resonate with the principles of sustainable development. It is a six-step process The community people also undertook surveys of canals in the mangrove forests
that involves: 1) identifying the community values, 2) understanding the impact of to look at points where the used water will be released through the Tu Yong canal.
the project on the communities, 3) understanding the community’s rights and They found that the waterway connects to Pattani through a network of mangrove
participation in the public policy-making process, 4) impact assessment, 5) moving forests used by people in the past to commute. It is now used for local fishing and
to the decision-making process, and 6) monitoring and evaluation. therefore houses fishing gears.

7.1 Using the community map to identify values and community 7.3 The anticipation of the project’s impact on the communities
impact scenarios. The community people carried out impact assessment by themselves and
The community people started by drawing the community map to identify the applied the framework and indicators used by the consultant company.
intrinsic values of Teluk Patani i.e. ecology, the way of life, culture and use of The risk map enabled the local people to conclude on their concerns about
resources. It was evident that the range of people that will be potentially affected the project’s impact in three key points: 1) displacement of community people, 2)
by the Thepha Coal-Fired Power Plant project extends far beyond the communities impact on fishing and 3) impact on agriculture, e.g. local rice varieties, watermelon,
in the immediate vicinity of 5-kilometre radius from the plant site. mixed farming.

The project will have far-reaching implications for the lives of the people who As a result of this assessment, the communities anticipate that the proposed
rely upon Teluk Patani for their livelihoods. For example, Teluk Patani is an important Thepha Coal-Fired Power Plant will adversely impact the communities at the
fishing ground for local fishermen in the deep South, and a hub for the fisheries- highest level and in all aspects, as follows:
related local economy. The boats run in the bay, from Songkhla to Laem Tachie,
Pattani and beyond. Any ecological changes in this area causing depletion of 1) Change in the population structure
marine resources will not only affect the fishermen but also those making a living This will be caused by the influx of 3,500 workers. Such a sudden increase
out of fishing-related businesses. These include the shipyards, the boat builders of new faces in numbers greater than the people living in the Moo 4 area (project
and painters, sellers of fishing gears, fish markets, vendors and shopkeepers, ice site) will exert a high impact on the prevalent social structure. There are risks for
houses and shops, tea shops, seafood processing plants and lastly consumers. communicable diseases and new patterns of illnesses. Additionally, the introduction
All these actors lie interconnected in the same value chain and economic system of families of the migrants may bring in problems like infectious diseases, drug
as documented in the first paper called “Teluk Patani Darussalam, Land of Peace”. addiction and crimes.