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Senior MPs visit Phuket to assess COVID fallout and hear resident’s requests

Senior MPs visit Phuket to assess COVID fallout and hear resident’s requests

PHUKET: More than a hundred people gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (July 10) to share an array of requests and concerns with a delegation of senior MPs visiting from Bangkok.

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By The Phuket News

Saturday 11 July 2020 05:53 PM


 

MP Rangsiman Rome, who is spokesman of the House of Law, Justice and Human Rights committee, was joined by colleagues from the Move Forward Party and MP Sira Jenjaka to assess the economic fallout COVID-19 has had on Phuket in addition to other projects.

They convened at 10am yesterday at Phuket Provincial Hall and were met by over 100 people fielding various requests, including:

A request from Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA) to extend the current closing time for entertainment venues to 4.00 am. PEBA stated this would allow Phuket to revitalise the tourism sector and transform itself to be a self-governing municipal area like Pattaya City.

 Ao Kung Conservation Group requested the order to deny the construction of the marina port be sustained, largely due to concerns that it would have a detrimental effect on the community, particularly the devastating effect dredging a channel there may have on an aquatic field of corals nearby. The request comes after a successful order to deny the construction was granted in October 2018.

Kingkaew Community requested electrical wiring be installed into the community.

Residents in the Ban Koen community requested an upgrade on the existing wooden bridge that connects their community to crucial facilities such as hospitals. They claim the exisiting bridge is in a state of disrepair and not suitable for transporting bed sick patients and the elderly.

Hotel employees submitted a request claiming they had been unfairly dismissed after the COVID-19 situation and demanded their former employers provide severance payments.

 Severeal members of the Muang Mai community lobbied against the ongoing Ring Road construction project linking the Heroines Monument.

Representatives from Monsoon Garbage requested the provision of sustainable environmental management guidelines and also demanded more effort be made to conserve the hermit crab population on Phuket beaches.

 Members of the Phuket fishermen community requested to deny construction of a large shipyard project on 66 Rai at the Sirey Fishery site, claiming it would have a hugely negative effect on the local environment and community.

All requests and concerns would be heard and considered, said MP Rangsiman.

“We came down here to see the economic effect of COVID-19 and to also hear and assess other projects, to hear the key issues and problems facing Phuket’s residents,” he said.

“I reaffirm that the Commission on Law, Justice and Human Rights is based on the principle of working for and benefiting the people.”

“Many of the issues we heard today are able to be resolved at the provincial level,” he added.

“Complaints that involve issues at policy level are outside of the scope of this commission and need to be reviewed further and presented by the secretariat to the related commissions,” MP Rangsiman confirmed.

In the afternoon, the committee went to inspect the construction of the new Phuket Provincial Prison in Srisoonthorn, Thalang , being built at a cost of B789 million.

It is expected the prison will be completed and start receiving inmates in April next year.

Currently, Phuket Prison is beyond full capacity with as many as 2,786 inmates in a facility designed to hold only 1,434 so the new facility will be welcomed.

“Almost 82% of all prisoners here are involved in drug-related offenses,” MP Rangsiman said.

“Most of the prisoners are not originally Phuket natives,” he added.