Civic leaders in the lower southern region are calling for revisions to environmental impact regulations in the hope of making them friendlier towards locals and the environment.
Far from acting as a potential brake on the harsher impacts of development, the regulations enable industrialists to accelerate projects which activists deem harmful, they said.
They have made the call as the government steps up its push for development projects in southern border provinces including Pattani, Satun and Songkhla.
Locals say they fear their homes will be turned into another Map Ta Phut industrial estate.
"It seems the government is trying to transform the lower southern provinces into another industrial estate. We found several projects are being pushed there," said Supat Hasuwannakit, a director of Chana Hospital and a Songkhla native.
These projects include the 2,200 megawatt coal-fired power station in Songkhla's Thepa district near the boundary with Pattani.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been done and is under the scrutiny of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (Onep).
Local communities in Pattani have questioned the EIA procedure, saying they were not given a say even though the project is only 3km from their homes.
Sor Rattanamanee Polka, a lawyer for the Community Resource Centre, said problems concerning the EIA procedure appear in the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act.
She said an EIA has no expiry date, which means it can be used to push development projects years after it has been approved, even though the site and its surroundings change over the years.
Ms Sor Rattanamanee also said an EIA study can be repeatedly amended, as requested by Onep's expert committee who review the study, until it's approved.
If the expert committee has no comment to make on an EIA within 45 days, it is considered as having been approved.
This means EIAs are rarely rejected, she said, even when they provide incomplete information. Importantly, the committee members are mostly from government offices or agencies.
She suggested members should include civil representatives to guarantee public participation in EIA procedure.
"Locals believe the EIA law is a tool to protect their rights and ward off environmental impacts," said Ms Sor Rattanamanee who has helped local communities file legal cases where they think an EIA was faulty.
But their requests are often ignored.
The lawyer also raised a concern the EIA is being fast-tracked to push ahead state megaprojects.
She cited the Khao Khuha quarry in Songkhla's Rattaphum district where an EIA study was approved in the 1990s without residents being advised.
"We didn't know the quarry's EIA study had been approved when the business started in 1999," said Suwan Onrak, from a network protecting community rights formed by local protesters.
The mining operator was granted a 25-year concession although the mining area is located in a forest, which includes a mountain locals regard as holy.
He also claimed the EIA study provided false information as it claimed 11 households would be affected by mining activities when in fact over 300 were.
The quarry's operation was suspended after locals protested.
A resulting delay prompted the company to try and sue nine locals for damages amounting to 64 million baht. The court dismissed the case.
The locals launched a case at the Administration Court, demanding state agencies cancel the concession licence. The case was accepted by the court in January.
"The project will still go ahead with the same EIA. We've learned that unless EIA regulations are revised to guarantee true local participation, developers can take advantage," said Mr Suwan.