Govt considers ‘total ban’ on the import of e-waste

By THE NATION

 

 

THE GOVERNMENT is seriously considering an immediate ban on the import of electronic waste.

 

“We will determine if the use of Article 44 is necessary to enforce the ban,” Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-General Kongcheep Tantravanich said yesterday, referring to the decision by a reform committee that is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwon. 

 

Article 44 of the Constitution gives the chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the junta body, overwhelming power to issue such a diktat.

 

The issue of e-waste has caught the attention of the public since last month after police found a huge amount of e-waste imported into Thailand, which had not been disposed of in line with relevant laws.

 

 

Poor disposal increases the danger of hazardous substances from the waste leaking into the environment and endangering people’s health. 

 

Prawit said the problem of e-waste would be well under control if no more e-waste were imported. 

 

“But we will make sure we proceed in line with laws to impose the ban,” he said. 

 

Kongcheep said if normal laws did not allow the ban, relevant parties would discuss the possibility of invoking Article 44.

 

NCPO chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha has also been the prime minister during the past four years.

 

Licences suspended

 

Kongcheep said for the time being all plants found to have violated the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal would have their licences suspended. 

 

“Importers who have made false declarations regarding e-waste and plastic scrap will face legal action and their imported containers will be sent back,” he said. 

 

 

Kongcheep added that factories not disposing e-waste properly would face legal action and the waste would be sent to licensed plants that had proper disposal procedures.

 

According to him, all relevant authorities from now on will tighten up their operations and enforce laws strictly with regard to e-waste management. 

 

Deputy national police Commissioner Pol General Wirachai Songmetta revealed earlier this week that police had inspected 17 plants and found all of them had violated laws. 

 

“They are also from the same network,” he disclosed. “Their real owners are foreigners too.”

 

He said these plants would not be spared considering the damage they had caused to the country and Thai people. 

 

Wirachai vowed to pursue legal action against the offending plants to the end, amid rumours that the plants’ owners were now trying to lobby top police officials to get out of legal trouble.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30348233

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-21

26 minutes ago, webfact said:

Deputy national police Commissioner Pol General Wirachai Songmetta revealed earlier this week that police had inspected 17 plants and found all of them had violated laws. 

 

“They are also from the same network,” he disclosed. “Their real owners are foreigners too.”

 

“Their real owners are foreigners too.”

 

Ahh! Those pesky foreigners!

 

If only Thailand was able to licence their businesses, issue visas to their staff, monitor their plants' output for environmental compliance, review their books for tax purposes, check their staff for immigration matters, review their land purchase or usage, etc etc etc.

 

If only the Thai state had that ability!

 

It is sad to see the poor, helpless Thai state being abused by foreigners like this...

 

 

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

“We will determine if the use of Article 44 is necessary to enforce the ban,”

So says Prawit, the organ grinders monkey.

Good ole Article 44 to the rescue. But wait, it seems it was Article 44 that created the problem in the first place and opened the door for this garbage. 

I quote from a story yesterday:

"Now attention has turned to a 2016 junta order some say fueled the explosion of imported trash. The order, passed by the junta leader’s absolute power, allowed such factories to be built legally anywhere, regardless of existing zoning".

Seems the junta leader's Article 44 order in 2016 has backfired on him. And it appears the incompetent fools who should have been keeping a watchful eye on those authorised factories have failed in their job. Customs haven't helped by allowing the stuff in.

So now they are running around like headless chooks trying to undo the mess created in the first place by the PM and his famous Article 44. What a shambles! 

 

Doesn't Thailand have enough trash of its own - why import more?

The fact is, Thai's throw much more e-waste than they import from somewhere.

China has banned imported E-waste and shifting all their crap to other countries - like Thailand 

Why doesn't Thailand just turn round to China and say Eff off - you create most of it anyway you deal with your own E-waste yourself and other countries that want and are allowed to do  in Thailand - charge them a premium - (as long as properly disposed of) 

or again is it too much money and too many "influential people" (use that word loosely) 

"Bad Foreigner!!!"

"No Thai would do that!"

Stupid.

It is a hopeless idea because there is money involves along the line.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Govt considers ‘total ban’ on the import of e-waste

I agree Thailand is already No 1 of the waste, don't need more.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Article 44. . . .gives the chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the junta body, overwhelming power to issue such a diktat.

Hmmm... and isn't a "diktat" usually issued by a dictator or a ranking member of a dictatorship?  I rest my case.

2 hours ago, Farang99 said:

Doesn't Thailand have enough trash of its own - why import more?

Because the really smart ones are able to use it.  Metals are extracted, plastics can be manufactured back into floorboards and fillers, glass reused, But with corruption and no support from government and society we are all doomed. 

 

Too late part of the deal for the subs ,just a way to thank china for our new chinese Thai submarines, once or if they ever arrive, what decade? will never see a day out of dry dock ?

Edited June 21, 20188 yr by Mad mick
error

Considers? CONSIDERS?

 

If you can't recycle it, STOP with the importing NOW. Jeez, a lack of high order critical thinking! 

8 hours ago, phil2407 said:

China has banned imported E-waste and shifting all their crap to other countries - like Thailand 

Why doesn't Thailand just turn round to China and say Eff off - you create most of it anyway you deal with your own E-waste yourself and other countries that want and are allowed to do  in Thailand - charge them a premium - (as long as properly disposed of) 

or again is it too much money and too many "influential people" (use that word loosely) 

Yes, China has banned the import of E-waste and that's why it has start ending up in places like Thailand instead. BUT the E-waste here is not imported from China, it mostly comes from places like US, UK, EU and japan... as China has banned E-waste import!!!

If they are smart (but they ain't) they would make them to send the stuff back to where it came from and let them pay for that too.

20 hours ago, Mad mick said:

Too late part of the deal for the subs ,just a way to thank china for our new chinese Thai submarines, once or if they ever arrive, what decade? will never see a day out of dry dock ?

If they ever left harbour they would be lost at sea

59 minutes ago, Farang99 said:

If they ever left harbour they would be lost at sea

If only they can find the sea.