Thepha district

Geography

Neighboring districts are (from the east clockwise): Nong Chik and Khok Pho of Pattani province; Saba Yoi, Na Thawi, and Chana of Songkhla Province. To the north is the Gulf of Thailand.

Etymology

The name Thepha is a Thai language corruption of tiba, its original name, meaning 'arrive' in Malay.

History

Thepa was at first a fourth-class mueang and subordinate of mueang Phatthalung. The governor had to present a golden and silver tree to the governor of Phatthalung to pay its tribute. In the reign of King Rama II the town was transferred to Songkhla and elevated to a third-class mueang.

In 1901 as part of the thesaphiban administrative reforms the mueang was reduced to a district of Songkhla. The district office was in Ban Phra Phut (บ้านพระพุทธ), village two of Thepha Subdistrict. When, in 1932, the railway was built through the district, the office was moved to a more convenient location in Ban Tha Phru (บ้านท่าพรุ), village one of Thepha Subdistrict, close to the railway station, then named Tha Muang (ท่าม่วง). Subsequently, the station was renamed Thepha.

Administration

The district is divided into seven sub-districts (tambons), which are further subdivided into 65 villages (mubans). Thepha is a sub-district municipality, thesaban tambon, which covers parts of tambon Thepha. Lam Phlai a sub-district municipality covering the full tambon Lam Phlai. There are a further six tambon administrative organizations (TAO).

Economy

Manguwang Food Co. on 7 July 2019 opened its durian-processing factory in the district. The 700 million baht factory is a joint venture by Thai and Chinese investors. It will process durian from local orchards into freeze-dried products for shipment to China. Employing about 1,200 locals, the factory will buy 12,000 tonnes of durian annually, one-third of it from local orchards. In 2020 that figure is projected to rise to 20,000 tonnes.

Environment

The Pak Bang Sub-district of Thepha district is to be the site of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand's (EGAT) newest coal-fired generating plant, the largest of its kind in Thailand. This has raised environmental and health concerns among residents, aside from the eviction of 240 families, two mosques, two Muslim cemeteries, a religious school, and a Buddhist temple to make way for the 2,960 rai site. A public hearing in July 2015 on EGAT's plans to build the plant was ringed with razor wire to prevent opponents of the plan from gaining access to the hearing. The villagers of Pattani's Nong Chik district, who live some eight kilometres from the site, but who will also be affected by the power plant, were excluded from the hearings.

In August 2016, EGAT declared that construction of the plant would begin by May 2017 at the latest, in order to have it operational by April 2021, in accordance with EGAT's Power Development Plan, 2015. The major hurdle remaining is approval of the plant's EHIA for the power plant and coal transport pier. It must be vetted by the Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning Office (ONEP). Two previous submissions of the EHIA were rejected by ONEP as they "needed improvement". In addition, locals claim that only 700 rai (112 hectares) of the 2,962 rai needed for the plant are state-owned. More than 240 families, or 800 people, live on adjacent plots earmarked for the plant. Most of them have refused to relocate. When EGAT hosted a meeting for landowners willing to sell their land, only some 25 persons showed up. EGAT officials maintain that 95 percent of Pak Bang Sub-district residents welcomed the project and that those opposing it were outsiders.

On 17 August 2017, an expert committee of the Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning Office approved the 2,200-megawatt coal-fired power plant's EHIA, removing one of the last hurdles to the plant's construction. The EHIA's approval was met with renewed criticism. The Bangkok Post commented that, "These...assessments turn out to be just another rubber stamp for operators — in this case...EGAT...." A construction schedule has not yet been published.

References

References

1. (8 July 2019). "China puts B700m into durian plant". Bangkok Post.
2. (2015-10-30). "Songkhla project puts villagers' livelihoods at risk". Bangkok Post.
3. (2016-02-16). "Coal plant in Thepa 'would inflame the insurgency'". The Nation.
4. (2015-07-27). "Razor wire rings Thepha power plant hearing". Bangkok Post.
5. (2015-07-28). "Protesters shun power plant hearing". Bangkok Post.
6. (25 August 2016). "Egat insists on going ahead with Thepa plant". The Nation.
7. (28 August 2017). "Going full steam ahead". Bangkok Post.
8. (20 August 2017). "Power plant approval branded unjust". The Nation.