Unesco concerned over highway through forest

"The committee has expressed its concerns in writing," Chalermsak Wanichsom-bat, director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Depart-ment, said yesterday.

Just back from a meeting with the Unesco committee in Christchurch, New Zealand, Chalermsak said the committee was worried the lane expansion on Highway 304 would affect the biodiversity of the world heritage site.

The forest complex is home to globally threatened and endangered mammal, bird and reptile species that are recognised as being of outstanding universal value.

Spanning 230km between Ta Phraya National Park on the Cambodian border in the east and Khao Yai National Park in the west, the site contains more than 800 fauna species, including 112 mammals, 392 birds and 200 reptiles and amphibians.

The Unesco committee has also asked Thailand to build an ecological corridor inside the forest complex.

Chalermsak said the ecological corridor can be a form of tunnel or elevated road allowing animals to walk conveniently.

"We are now required to submit environmental-impact assessments on the traffic-lane expansion plan and the ecological-corridor plan by February next year," he said.

He said he was going to discuss the lane expansion with authorities, including the Highways Department, before the end of next week.

On Cambodia's plan to seek world heritage status for the ancient Hindu shrine of Preah Vihear, Chalermsak said the Foreign Ministry would have to explain to the international community that the Thai government was not against the plan but just wanted to clearly discuss relevant issues with Cambodia.

"We are seen as opposing the plan," he said.

The shrine lies on Cambodia's northwest border with Thailand. While the International Court of Justice rules that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia, it is accessible from Thailand only.