The Thai junta has halted plans for a coal-fired power plant after protests by area residents.  It marks a rare reversal of policy in a country where the right to protest has been severely infringed.

The government approved the 800-megawatt power plant in Krabi on Friday, and construction was set to have begun next year.  But Krabi is a popular eco-tourism hub, which many visitors use as base camp for exploring the southern region's rain forests, limestone cliffs, and islands.  The military government is popular in the south, but money is even more popular and many feared a coal-fired plant will ruin the environment in a country where safety standards are poor and corruption is rampant - they want the junta to go with renewables to sate the south's energy requirements.

Protesters from the popular beach region began gathering outside government offices in Bangkok almost immediately after the decision was announced.  On Saturday, police arrested five protest leaders and released them on Sunday. 

But then the government admitted if hadn't properly taken into account the concerns of community members and the lack of public input in environmental impact studies.  The junta agreed to delay the plant while an Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (EHIA) is carried out.

"We informed the prime minister and he ordered the entire EHIA process to be improved and the public participation to be reset," said government spokesman Lieutenant General Sansern Kaewkamner.