Narumas, Chonburi MP from the Prachachon Party, urges Prime Minister Anutin to clarify the issue of expanding the EEC to Prachinburi after the EEC Secretary continues to push forward contrary to government assurances, calling for an official signed halt to the expansion.
On 7 Nov 2026 GMT+7, Narumas Piambandit, Chonburi MP for District 6 from the Prachachon Party, questioned the government's clarity regarding the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) expansion into Prachinburi. This follows the Prime Minister and assigned ministers previously assuring a halt to the consideration, but recently on 5 Nov, EEC Secretary Jula Sukmanop announced plans to continue pushing for Prachinburi's inclusion in the EEC, raising the question of who truly sets policy and speaks for the government.
Narumas noted that on 20 May 2026 GMT+7, the EEC Policy Committee (EECPC) approved in principle preparing to incorporate Prachinburi as the fourth province of the EEC before submitting to the Cabinet. Then, on 16 June 2026 GMT+7, the Cabinet resolved for Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to personally oversee the EEC and chair the EECPC, placing decisions on EEC expansion directly under his responsibility.
In August, the Prachinburi Strong Network submitted 11,207 petition signatures to the Government House and began protests from 17 August. On the first day of protests, Prachinburi MP for District 1 and the Deputy Governor informed demonstrators that the Prime Minister had instructed a halt to EEC considerations regarding Prachinburi.
Additionally, Suchart Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment and government representative appointed by the Prime Minister, publicly declared that "Prachinburi is not part of the EEC," affirming the government's commitment to development based on facts, academic data, and public participation.
However, Narumas observed that if the Prime Minister truly ordered a halt, the EEC Office should not be advancing the matter. If the EEC Secretary can still proceed, it may indicate no official halt order exists, and promises made to the public might be mere words to ease protest tensions.
Narumas added that what Prachinburi residents have demanded from the start is not just verbal assurances but official documentation confirming the cessation of EEC expansion into Prachinburi, which has yet to be provided.
Narumas therefore called on Minister Anutin, as EECPC chairman, to publicly clarify three points: 1. Whether the EECPC resolution on 20 May 2026 approving Prachinburi's inclusion has been officially revoked; 2. Under whose policy the EEC Secretary's 5 November interview was conducted; and 3. When the Prime Minister will sign official documents to halt the EEC expansion into Prachinburi as requested by the public.
"The government's credibility is not measured by words spoken when people gather at the city hall but by keeping those promises after the people have dispersed. If the government insists that Prachinburi is not part of the EEC, then it should confirm this with a signature, not by allowing subordinate agencies to contradict that position," Narumas said.