Cleanup on Samet gets poor rating from judge

[Lite Beer]

OIL SPILL
Cleanup on Samet gets poor rating from judge
PONGPHON SARNSAMAK
THE SUNDAY NATION
RAYONG

RAYONG: -- Four days after the PTT Global Chemical oil spill reached Ao Phrao on Koh Samet last week, a 33-year-old judge from Surin suddenly decided to drive his car for seven hours straight overnight to the affected island to voluntarily take part in efforts to clean up the polluted beach and seawater.

"This is not a time to point a finger, but a time to help each other and find a way to handle this disastrous situation," Bodisorn "Dag" Tangpariyanon said.

Before his arrival last Wednesday morning, Dag had been monitoring news reports for three days via various channels, including social media, for updates on the beach-cleaning mission while no one knew how the accident happened. Seeing a lot of rumours spreading via social media, Dag asked his boss for three days leave and travelled to Koh Samet. He said he was inspired to do this by a documentary about an oil spill recovery effort in another country and he wanted to join the mission.

First thing he did when he got on Samet was to ride a rented motorcycle around the island to witness what was really happening with his own eyes.

"I found that most of beaches and seawater surrounding the island are not like the media reports. The beaches and seawater are clean and not tainted with slick. Visitors were still enjoy swimming in the sea and not panicking over the oil problem," he said.

Some street vendors told him that the atmosphere on the island was not so chaotic.

Ao Phrao was his last stop on a two-hour motorbike trip around the island and he was very surprised the moment he arrived at the scene of the crisis.

"When I arrived at Ao Phrao I could smell the oil. It was unbelievable," he said.

He immediately parked his motorcycle and rushed to the beach to join the thousands of workers cleaning the beach.

"They asked me which group I came with and I told them that I had no group. I had just come here by myself," he said.

The workers just gave him a white bio-protection suit, a pair of plastic boots and gloves, without teaching him how to use the suit and prevent him from being affected by the crude oil.

"The only thing that they gave me was a manual in English. I've just wondered how other volunteers or workers who cannot read English would understand the manual," he said.

Dag spent several hours with other volunteers and thousands of soldiers cleaning up the beach. They used buckets and shovels to remove the thick black oil.

"You can't stay there on the tainted beach for more than two hours - we could not breathe and be patient with the strong smell of the crude oil," he said.

"No one told us how long we could stay on the beach."

While working as a volunteer on the beach, he saw some PTTGC staff wasting their time walking around on the street behind and sitting inside the small pavilion in a nearby resort.

"Soldiers had to work hard but PTTGC's staff were just walking around," he said.

Moreover, he did not believe the clean-up was well organised, as there was no key commander to tell volunteers what to do and what kind of work volunteers needed to do.

At the end of the day, after finishing his volunteer work to clean the beach, he took his motorcycle and rode to another beach to take a break before coming back to meet up with other workers again

"There was still a fresh breeze at the other beach, and it was like the white sand on Sai Kaew beach. And they still have nice fruit here on this island," he said.

-- The Nation 2013-08-04

[anon467848]

This story is from 'The Nation' so it must be true...

[jaidam]

33 year old judge? A 7 hour drive is a form of torture in a 2CV, but quite enjoyable in an imported luxury car.

[bigbamboo]

This is not the time to point the finger, he said.

But he still did!

[NongKhaiKid]

33 year old judge? A 7 hour drive is a form of torture in a 2CV, but quite enjoyable in an imported luxury car.

A perhaps overwritten and dramatic story of heroism but the parts about lack of organisation are very believable

[chooka]

So will the beach be ready to open tomorrow (7 days) as promised for the Farang tourists? I am sure they are lined up in anticipation and just itching to dive into the water.

[noitom]

According to global observers and energy disaster experts, this Thai spill and spread of oil in the sea is very serious. According to reports, PTT seems to be ineffective at marshaling the necessary resources to clean it up. The ceo of PTT Chemical came down to view the damage and clean up effort and turned around and drove home because it looked in hand to him, according to other news reports.

[NongKhaiKid]

According to global observers and energy disaster experts, this Thai spill and spread of oil in the sea is very serious. According to reports, PTT seems to be ineffective at marshaling the necessary resources to clean it up. The ceo of PTT Chemical came down to view the damage and clean up effort and turned around and drove home because it looked in hand to him, according to other news reports.

Lots of concern at the highest levels. I wonder if the CEO bothered to get out of his car and higher up the PM didn't even bother to go.

[Bluespunk]

So will the beach be ready to open tomorrow (7 days) as promised for the Farang tourists? I am sure they are lined up in anticipation and just itching to dive into the water.

I think the itching will start after they get out of the water.

[lee b]

right

[doremifasol]

Best rating from me to all the volunteers, the anonymous people who tirelessly gave so much of themselves

to clean up this mess and expect nothing in return.

To all of you..........THANK YOU

Edited August 4, 2013 by doremifasol

[johnlandy]

This story is from 'The Nation' so it must be true...

Well they say that the camera does not lie (like people and newspapers) and you can see that the methods AND equipment being employed have not changed in the time since the pyramids were built. TiT

Edited August 4, 2013 by johnlandy

[sandrabbit]

According to global observers and energy disaster experts, this Thai spill and spread of oil in the sea is very serious. According to reports, PTT seems to be ineffective at marshaling the necessary resources to clean it up. The ceo of PTT Chemical came down to view the damage and clean up effort and turned around and drove home because it looked in hand to him, according to other news reports.

Lots of concern at the highest levels. I wonder if the CEO bothered to get out of his car and higher up the PM didn't even bother to go.

I heard last night that Yingluck did turn up yesterday, the Thai gossip mill said she did anyway.

[Bagwan]

Many Thais cannot keep their homes, particularly the kitchens, clean and tidy so I would assume that cleaning a beach well beyond their capabilities. I wonder where they are dumping all the spoil?

[BlackJack]

35000 liters of chemical dispursants

wow

how is that going to effect the seafood and sea life

how long before i can eat fish?

can the Nation please tell me

[Payboy]

He immediately parked his motorcycle.....

Gee, I hope he didn't have trouble finding a good spot in the shade. The Nation pays by the word, I think.

[chooka]

Many Thais cannot keep their homes, particularly the kitchens, clean and tidy so I would assume that cleaning a beach well beyond their capabilities. I wonder where they are dumping all the spoil?

You haven't met my wife then, she is obsessive compulsive I am sure. (She did live in Aust for 10 yrs tho)

[h90]

interesting that one beach can be complete full while the others keep clean.

Of course the currencies/wind is doing that, but still amazing, I wouldn't have thought so before.

[Lite Beer]

Removal of oil slick stain on Samet Island to be finished Sunday
By Digital Media

RAYONG, Aug 4 - Clean-up crews have been working to clear the crude oil slick staining Phrao Bay on Samet Island for the third consecutive day and that the operation to remove the oil tainted waste is expected to be completed on Sunday after oil leaked from a PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) offshore transmission pipeline last week.

Oil slick in the form of liquids and oil-tainted sand and waste are being transported from the beach in backhoes before the high tide Sunday afternoon could slow down the operation.

After the clean-up operation, several agencies will inspect and assess the impact on the environment.

PTT has sent divers to check coral reefs and ecology on the seabed. The Director General of the Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Manophat Huamuangkaew said that after the cleanup, rehabilitation would begin and the company that caused the oil slick should be responsible for any rehabilitation.

The Rayong province set up a committee to help local fishermen and local seafood sellers and restaurant owners affected by the oil spill.

About 600 entrepreneurs have so far registered for assistance from the government, as the oil slick has caused a tremendous drop in seafood sales and seafood restaurants along the Baan Phe area of Rayong. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-08-04

[chooka]

Won't they have to remove tonnes of sand because the oil would soak into it?

[Emdog]

More paper towels! They need the "quicker picker upper"!

[ginjag]

Many Thais cannot keep their homes, particularly the kitchens, clean and tidy so I would assume that cleaning a beach well beyond their capabilities. I wonder where they are dumping all the spoil?

You haven't met my wife then, she is obsessive compulsive I am sure. (She did live in Aust for 10 yrs tho)

Although bagwan did say MANY Thais, not your wife who could be in the minority. Many who clean up and sweap up do so without moving furniture, fridges-TVs--and look in most garden areas, this usually tells you who is clean and who is not.

I wondered why the instructions were in English for the beach clean ?? is it they have OR expect farrangs to be there and help ??? I know of plenty that are there to do just that---while PTT staff are sitting around drinking coffee???

[bornredi]

unfortunately this will take time, I worked as a volunteer during the Tampa bay massive oil spill, they never did clean it all up.Did not even come close, all the environmentalists said Tampa bay would die and all the fish were poisoned. But mother nature did clean it up, it took about a year for all the traces of oil were completely gone. Worked during the Valdez oil spill hauling out supplies to workers mopping up oil off rocks, they never got half of the oil due to accessibility, and the shore was all rocks. Workers spent 10 hours a day wiping rocks and every time they picked one up oil would seep up from the rock below. But mother nature cleaned it all up in about a year and there is no more oil from the spill. Oil is a natural byproduct of the earth and natural oil seeps account for most of the oil pollution in the oceans, microbes will eat the oil. And in a while no trace of this spill will be found. see attached link. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gulf-oil-eating-microbes-slide-show

[Greer]

I truly don't know what's going on in some peoples minds - probably nothing!

This guy has gone A LONG way out of his way and put in effort to help clean the beaches, and all we get from many TV posters are complaints and derision of his efforts.

What the hell has it got to do with the point of the story that he is a 33 year old judge - it's perfectly possible, but the point is that it is not specially relevant to the story, but more that it shows that even as a person in a senior position, he decided to muck in and help.

A damn site more than the bloody whingers and couch potatoes infesting TV who have nothing better to do but knock anyone who shows initiative!

Credit where it's due - well done to the "33 year old judge" - a credit to the people.

Edited August 4, 2013 by Greer

[CHANGOVER]

Credit where it's due - well done to the "33 year old judge" - a credit to the people.

If it's true I agree with you.

[Lite Beer]

OIL SPILL

Koh Samet recovery process kicked off
The Nation

KOH SAMET:-- As the cleanup is nearly completed, PTT Group has focused on the recovery process - starting with the classification of the affected into four groups.

Nattachart Charuchinda, PTT senior executive for downstream petroleum business, said that it was concluded at the August 3 meeting, that the affected would be put into four groups - resort operators, shops and restaurants, small vendors, and local residents.

"PTT Group once again would like to apologise for PTTGC’s oil leak incident. I wish to thank for cooperation from government officers and volunteers who have offered their best help in the cleanup at Ao Phrao," he said in a statement issued on Sunday.

The 24-hour real time rehabilitation efforts could be viewed at www.pttgcgroup.com and www.pttplc.com.

The oil leak on July 27 led to the spill to Koh Samet, a key tourist destination in Rayong province. Ao Phrao (Phrao Bay) was the most affected.

According to Nattachart, the cleanup at Ao Phrao is near completion. All oil waste would be shipped out of the island within today to the group’s refinery with help from the Royal Thai Navy. With help from the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, the waste would be segregated and handled accordingly to the Industrial Works Department’s standards.

Oil stain on rocks are being cleaned by high-pressure water injectors, to bring back the normal condition as soon as possible.

-- The Nation 2013-08-04

[MaxYakov]

This is not the time to point the finger, he said.

But he still did!

I'm sure he was referring to the cause of the spill, but not only that, it's his duty as a 'judge' to point his finger when all the evidence is in. The evidence seems to have been in w/r to the cleanup effort, yes? Give the guy a break. Did you volunteer to assist on Samet or would it have detracted from your keyboard time?

Edited August 4, 2013 by MaxYakov

[MaxLee]

Imagine if this were the oil,... which one would PTT likely to clean up, and which one not at all,... what do they see, from above???? Which one won't they see, nor would they care to see??

Edited August 4, 2013 by MaxLee

[Jim walker]

Very few people in Thailand are worried about the oil spill and or the environmental impact now or the future as far as most Thais are concerned the oil will all be gone in a few years and forgotten about because no one cares in Thailand unless it involves getting money for themselves.

[hellodolly]

I truly don't know what's going on in some peoples minds - probably nothing!

This guy has gone A LONG way out of his way and put in effort to help clean the beaches,

and all we get from many TV posters are complaints and derision of his efforts.

What the hell has it got to do with the point of the story that he is a 33 year old judge -

it's perfectly possible, but the point is that it is not specially relevant to the story,

but more that it shows that even as a person in a senior position, he decided to muck in and help.

A dam_n site more than the bloody whingers and couch potatoes

infesting TV who have nothing better to do but knock anyone who shows initiative!

Credit where it's due - well done to the "33 year old judge" - a credit to the people.

Just wanted to post this again.

Admittedly the Nation did add Drama which seems to be what attracts

a lot of people and they over look the moral and the information in the story.

Well done Judge

I have no plans of ever being in court

but if I happen to find myself there I want him as the judge.