Feature story - October 1, 2010
Maptaphut, Rayong, 1 October 2010 -- Greenpeace activists today blocked the gates of Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate’s Office and installed a Countdown Clock with the message “Time is running out” as part of a community protest, led by the Eastern People’s Network, to demand an end to dirty development and the pollution nightmare in Rayong Province, Thailand.
Calls on Thai PM to review dirty development policies
Maptaphut, Rayong, 1 October 2010 -- Greenpeace activists today blocked the gates of Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate’s Office and installed a Countdown Clock with the message “Time is running out” as part of a community protest, led by the Eastern People’s Network, to demand an end to dirty development and the pollution nightmare in Rayong Province, Thailand.
Meanwhile, the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior anchored outside the Map Ta Phut port limits and unfurled a large banner stating “Turn The Tide” on its mast in solidarity with the members of the Eastern People's Network who have gathered in front of the Rayong administration center. The protestors are demanding that the government comply with provision 67 of Thailand¹s constitution and extend the list of 11 harmful activities to 18 types of industrial projects as recommended by the four-party panel head by former prime minister Anand Panyarachun.
“Greenpeace has been at the forefront of investigating and exposing the pollution issues in Map Ta Phut since 2000, and has documented and borne witness to the steady poisoning of the area’s soil, water and air that has led to the current environmental and health disaster at Map Ta Phut,” said Tara Buakamsri, Thailand Country Representative for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
“We support the demands of the local and impacted communities for enforcement of the most stringent legal sanctions to stop the further deterioration of people’s health and Thailand’s environment. Any attempts to dilute national laws to encourage foreign investors for polluting industrial projects will be detrimental to the long term security and well being of Thai people,” he added.
The provision 67 of Thailand’s constitution stipulates that any project or activity which may seriously affect the quality of the environment, natural resources and biological diversity shall not be permitted, unless its impacts on the quality of the environment and on health of the people in the communities have been studied and evaluated and consultation with the public and interested parties have been organized, and opinions of an independent organization, consisting of representatives from private environmental and health organizations and from higher education institutions providing studies in the field of environment, natural resources or health, have been obtained prior to the operation of such project or activity.
Greenpeace is calling on the Government of Thailand to Turn The Tide of dirty development and invest in green development for a peaceful future:
- Increase investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies by ending all subsidies to fossil-fuels, nuclear projects and energy-intensive industries in Thailand;
- Clean up Chao Phraya river with clear timelines to reduce, restrict and ultimately eliminate discharges of toxic chemicals in all water sources of Thailand;
- Adopt national policies to promote sustainable agriculture practices in Thailand by banning genetically-engineered food crops and ending all subsidies to chemical pesticides and fertilizers in Thailand; and
- Implement strict measures to protect and stop further deforestation, as well as stop all development projects and policies that are potentially harmful to forest areas and biodiversity.
The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior is in Thailand for the first leg of the “Turn the Tide” tour of Southeast Asia. Greenpeace is calling on ASEAN member nations to support green investments and adopt low-carbon growth pathway for future development. The Tour marks 10 years of Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigns to protect forests, catalyze an Energy Revolution, promote sustainable agriculture, and stop water pollution in the region.