The fury surrounding the protest against petroleum concessions has subsided, at least for now, following Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's decision to postpone the 21st round of bidding scheduled for March 16.
Gen Prayut made the call after a forum was held to allow opponents and supporters to try to resolve their differences last week. The forum took place two days after what would have been the last day for concession applications last Wednesday.
After strenuously insisting that the bidding must proceed on schedule, the Energy Ministry relented under heavy public pressure and moved the deadline a month forward. But that deadline will now be moved again, possibly by another three months or more, to allow the two sides to thrash out details of legal changes demanded by the opponents.
It may look like the forum has at least achieved the desired objective of calming the nerves of participants on both sides of the debate.
However, one aspect of the issue was conspicuously absent from the forum — the plight of the people in the concession areas and their right to have a say in the decision making that has a direct impact on their lives and livelihoods.
While the excitement went on in Bangkok, villagers in Ban Na Mun in Khon Kaen's Kranuan district were facing the darker side of oil and gas concessions.
The villagers were protesting against an attempt by American concession holder Apico (Khorat) to deliver exploratory drilling equipment to their concession area.
Apico was aided by an army of soldiers, policemen and men in hoods who were deployed to provide protection to a convoy of trucks carrying the equipment through the village.
They formed a double line along the village road while the villagers prostrated themselves in front of them to appeal to their humanity. Some villagers shed tears in frustration.
It was an abject sight to behold.
Kurujit Nakornthap, deputy permanent secretary of energy, criticised the villagers for obstructing the convoy even though, he said, the drilling site was not in their village.
He was only partially correct. While the drilling site is in the adjacent province of Kalasin, it is actually less than 2km from Ban Na Mun.
The villagers may lack knowledge to argue their case in technical terms. But they have learned enough about the negative impacts of oil and gas exploration and extraction to be seriously concerned.
They can cite an example of what happened in Ban Kham Phai of Kalasin's Muang district. There, gas drilling had caused toxic gases such as hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide to escape into the atmosphere, resulting in more than 200 villagers falling sick. Six of them were in serious enough condition to be admitted to hospital.
Villagers in Udon Thani also reported illnesses from an oil drilling site. Only 42 villagers who made claims received compensation of 3,000 baht each.
Way back in 1989, Ban Na Mun itself hosted an exploration site by Esso. The villagers claim that they suffered decreased farm production and water contamination as a result. They also say villagers in nearby oil and gas sites suffered similar ordeals.
The authorities seem to be out of their depth or simply uninterested in the villagers' plight or concerns. While the villagers claimed to be intimidated by the heavy presence of men in uniform, the commander of the local branch of the Internal Security Operations Command said his troops were there to protect the villagers.
What happened at Ban Na Mun is only the latest in a series of exploitations by successive governments of the nation's northeastern region.
Ironically, the region in the past had suffered from official negligence; that is, until its underground wealth was discovered. All of a sudden, what was once a barren, infertile region has become literally a golden land with two huge gold mines in operation and more planned for the future.
Oil and gas discoveries and prospects, of course, provide a golden opportunity for investors to rush in.
Also underground are huge deposits of potash, the exploitation of which is waiting in the wings.
All these exploitative endeavours — both those that have already taken place and those about to launch — have spawned grievances in plenty. And, true to form, most of the grievances either have fallen on deaf ears or been treated with disdain by authorities and developers.
In many cases, public-minded professionals and civic groups have to step in to provide assistance. Authorities often view these "outsiders" as if they are accessories to crime rather than someone providing much needed public service to disadvantaged citizens.
The social chasm created by the recent developmental rush will widen, with unpredictable consequences, as long as officials continue to view complaining villagers as obstructions to progress.
People recognise the need for development. But it must be the kind that causes minimum damage to the environment and disruption to people's lives as well as provides legitimate public goods.
Most importantly of all, citizens' voices must be heard and taken into account in the official decision-making process in a meaningful way.
Wasant Techawongtham is former news editor, Bangkok Post.