Thai protesters win agreement for new reviews of coal plants

Protesters in the Thai capital seeking to stop construction of coal-fired power plants in the country's south have claimed victory, as the Energy Ministry agreed to order new assessments of the health and environmental impacts of the projects.
About three dozen demonstrators who had been holding a hunger strike ended their protest Tuesday after Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan met with them and agreed to suspend work on projects in the seaside provinces of Krabi and Songkhla until new reviews are done by neutral third parties.
Siri agreed to withdraw the previous Environmental Health Impact Assessments and undertake a broader review of whether the projects are suitable, and scrap the projects if their judgment is negative. Legal cases associated with the plants and the protests are to be dropped.