Villagers protest over shoddy new road

CHERNG TALAY: Some 60 villagers in Cherng Talay staged a protest this morning on Soi Masjid Langkao, complaining about the rapid deterioration of a new concrete road running through the village. The villagers accused unnamed officers of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) of acting without transparency in this and other construction projects in the tambon. During the protest, villagers painted messages on the road, including one that stated, “The OrBorTor is not sincere.” Aree Suriya, a Cherng Talay Village Committee member who joined the protest, told the Gazette, “The road was built just two months ago, but it’s already in a terrible condition. There are many potholes. “Although we are just villagers, we have the right to call for justice and for someone to check the officers’ actions,” K. Aree added. The Gazette was told that OrBorTor officers would be unable to give a response to the accusations until tomorrow, since they were busy meeting with the villagers.