Transporting large amounts of cadmium waste Returned to the landfill in Tak Province. It’s not the end of the problem. But it is the beginning of unfolding. black capital movement Doing business with toxic waste It will make Thailand a source of hazardous waste dumping until it becomes a “land of toxic waste.” What is behind this matter? You can follow it in the mission “See True” after going to the Huai Mae Tao River Basin, Mae Sot District, Tak Province. There was a cadmium leak that affected villagers in 3 sub-districts in Phra That Pha Daeng Subdistrict, Mae Tao Subdistrict, and Mae Tao Subdistrict. Mae Ku, Mae Sot District, Tak Province, numbering hundreds of people. became sick and died Because cadmium is mixed in the air, water, and food eaten, the cadmium phenomenon and toxic contaminants It may not only occur in the area of Tak Province. But it may happen in many other areas across the country. including near your home And one of them has a factory in Chonburi Province. Under the shadow of the gray Chinese capital It may be connected to Ifong Company Limited in Khlong Kiew Subdistrict, Ban Bueng District, Chonburi Province, which does not have a license to operate a factory. Have you ever found a big bag? Containing 4 thousand tons or 4 million kilograms of cadmium waste in warehouses at the beginning of the month Last April Shocked!! Mysterious object resembling cadmium. The smell of sulfur filled the air. The “See True” mission team received a signal from the police. Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division) to help establish the truth during the search of this factory in Chonburi Province. Electronic waste storage location Coming from many countries May contain large amounts of hazardous waste. The police began work to prepare to dismantle the chains on the factory doors. and try to negotiate to request entry and search inside A search warrant was properly served. But inside the factory, there was no indication that the key would be opened. Until finally, I had to break the key and hammer the key with a bang. And saw the area inside the factory, the factory fence, filled with many big bags stacked up. When breaking in from the factory gate, approximately 200 meters, they found a building. The air conditioner was left on. And there should be someone watching. When police entered the building, they found three Chinese people sitting inside. and another person talking on the phone There were also two Chinese nationals hiding in a white car. The police asked to check the passport and search the car, but the other Chinese person continued to talk on the phone non-stop. and this group of Chinese people Claims that he is not the owner of the factory. and not working in a factory But it’s just customers coming in to buy and sell garbage. But it’s incredible that the whole factory There will be only customers but no owners. or even just one worker working at all Even though the outside is locked and locked. While the police spoke with an interpreter who came to inquire about the search and confirm that there is a valid search warrant A search of the factory found that it did not have a license to operate a factory. That is an illegal factory, while Chawan, a good citizen, Chonburi MP from the Progressive Party confirmed that the owner of this factory is Chinese. The same network as Ifong Company in Khlong Kiew Subdistrict previously detected cadmium from walking around the side of the building. Found a mysterious object in a big bag. Hidden behind the factory It looks similar to the cadmium found earlier. and looks similar to black slag Each bag may weigh no less than 1,000 kilograms and contain no less than 20 bags, along with a sulfur-like odor. spread throughout the building electronic waste Melting it creates pollution. Highly dangerous, apart from things that look like mineral waste, there is also a lot of waste from electronic equipment, many of which look unfamiliar and probably don’t exist in Thailand. It is expected that it may be imported from abroad. to disassemble and melt To sell precious metals such as gold, brass, copper, which is a method for separating precious minerals from this waste. It has been strictly banned in China since 2017 because it creates pollution and is highly dangerous, causing the business of separating and melting toxic waste. Moved production base to Thailand in this factory. There is waste from electronic equipment mixed in. And this type of waste was found to have been in the news in 2018 when electronic waste was seized at Laem Chabang Port. After that, on the media page There was hardly any news of the arrest. Raids to inspect electronic waste again Even though the amount of imported waste of this type has skyrocketed many times over the past 5-6 years. There are some interesting numbers. This was before China banned the business of separating valuable minerals from waste. The amount of waste from electronic equipment imported into Thailand is approximately 2 million kilograms per year, but since 2018 after China banned the separation of minerals from waste. There is a container for transporting waste from a huge amount of electronic equipment. Heading to a Thai port. until there is a certain amount of waste imported per year Increased by approximately 3,000% or 30 times, said Dawan Chanthasaddee, coordinator of the network of people affected by industrial pollution. Under the Ecological Restoration Foundation’s plan, China uses Thailand as a recycling base for world garbage. And after recycling, take the valuable recycled items back to their country. And what Thailand gets is hazardous waste. It was left in a landfill in our country. This is the source of the problem. causing the discovery of cadmium residue It is in the waste melting factories in Samut Sakhon, Chonburi, and Bang Sue District, Bangkok. Many of the owners of this toxic waste melting business are Chinese, with Thai people facilitating them. Beneficial both with government policy politicians in parliament and local area owners allowing Chinese people to own factories To melt dangerous toxic waste in Thailand incredibly easily Follow along in the See True mission “What’s behind this?” from 7-10 May 2024 on Thairath News Show, Channel 32 at 9:00 p.m.
