Industry ministry tightens its grip on factories

[Lite Beer]

Industry ministry tightens its grip on factories

BANGKOK: -- The Industry Ministry is tightening its grip on factories with tougher measures requiring them to detail their industrial waste management.

The movement came after news relating to improper disposal of industrial waste by factories surfaced and is increasingly harassing people living in their vicinities and also a threat to environment.

Under the tough measures to be implemented, factories are required to report the type and amount of waste created and name their waste disposal service provider, along with three main factory licencing procedures; the factory licence application, the issued licence and renewals of the licence.

Failure to conform to the rules faces factory closure or licence withdrawal.

Industry Ministry ‘s permanent secretary of Witoon Simachokedee said there have been several news reports over illegal waste disposal methods, especially around the eastern industrial area with hundreds of tons of solid and liquid waste which has a great impact on the environment and the well-being of people in nearby communities.

Lately industrial waste was also found to be dumped at the Praekasa landfill in Samut Prakan where a major fire broke out and took almost a week to put under control.

In wake of growing concern of illegal industrial waste disposal, he said the ministry now has established firmer measures to regulate waste disposal by the industrial sector. The measures are classified as follows:

1) Prior to the factory licencing phase – Factories applying for a licence, must notify authorities of the calculated amount of industrial waste created during the manufacturing process; and proposed methods of disposal, or the name of the waste disposal service provider.

2) Follow up phase – During the process of licences renewal, officials will check whether factories have followed the waste management methods proposed in the beginning or not. If a failure to act according to the plan is discovered, factory closure or licence withdrawal will be ordered.

Mr Witoon continued that release of hazardous industrial waste without control is not only wrong and unacceptable, it also shows a lack of social responsibility by certain factories.

The ministry, therefore, needs to come up with some strategies to prevent the environment from being further contaminated. He also requested collaboration from all manufacturers to help tackle the problem.

So far the Industry Ministry has issued licences to 1,843 industrial waste disposal factories. The comprise of 141 waste quality improvement factories, 1,256 segregating and landfill businesses and 446 recycling sites and others.

Maximum penalty for owners of factories and waste disposal facilities which fail to abide by the regulations is imprisonment of up to two-years.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/industry-ministry-tightens-grip-factories/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=industry-ministry-tightens-grip-factories

-- Thai PBS 2014-04-26

[noitom]

The Thais are "tightening their grip."

[PatOngo]

The Thais are "tightening their grip."

Too bad this does'nt cover reality in general.

[ChrisY1]

You have to smile....these headlines just keep rolling out daily...crackdown here...toughening there...strict control.....but sadly, nothing ever happens....!

Imagine a factory being closed down.....~400 employees.....all of a sudden out of work....just ain't gonna happen ...and the usual waste management system from the factory in question, will continue unabated.....although there would be some tea money to legalise everything of course!!

[Thai at Heart]

Oh right.

[clockman]

If talk, was effort. Thai people would be the most productive in the world!

[Thaiisnotrequired]

"Maximum penalty for owners of factories and waste disposal facilities which fail to abide by the regulations is imprisonment of up to two-years."

and it missed out, "or a 2,000 baht fine"...

What would encourage a factory to pay other than a little fine, as imprisonment ain't gonna happen, would be a 500,000 baht fine or 20 years imprisonment.

However, if you can kill a person with a car and get off scott free, why bother with a fine or threat of imprisonment? Industrial waste only kills the local environment and its evolution, or natural habitat of animals........... humans are little affected, so it is pertained.

Penalties for gross misconduct apply to all industries in Thailand, including the government itself, yet have miniscule value compared to damage done.

The problem here, with fines or terms of imprisonment, lies in the fact that the elite, including the elite BIB 555 and local law enforcers, are the exact culprits who own or have shares in such business.

The stink continues.

[Robby nz]

No you cynics, it is something that is needed and not only factories and industry but mining companies (heard of Klity Creek).

This is another example of a ministry actually doing something without the handbrake of a government to hold them back.

They don't have to worry about what MP's are involved with which company and having decisions questioned in the house or getting visits from MP's or possibly even some sort of intimidation.

Sure there will be corruption within every ministry but not having a government removes one (the top) level.

[espinoza]

In the civilised world every harmful substance bought by a company has to be accounted for, and also every harmful substance sold by any company has to be accounted for. In addition they actually enforce it. Not just bla bla bla like in Thailand.

[northernjohn]

You have to smile....these headlines just keep rolling out daily...crackdown here...toughening there...strict control.....but sadly, nothing ever happens....!

Imagine a factory being closed down.....~400 employees.....all of a sudden out of work....just ain't gonna happen ...and the usual waste management system from the factory in question, will continue unabated.....although there would be some tea money to legalise everything of course!!

You forgot that they are becoming the hub of.....................................

[Cow San Load]

You have to smile....these headlines just keep rolling out daily...crackdown here...toughening there...strict control.....but sadly, nothing ever happens....!

Imagine a factory being closed down.....~400 employees.....all of a sudden out of work....just ain't gonna happen ...and the usual waste management system from the factory in question, will continue unabated.....although there would be some tea money to legalise everything of course!!

You forgot that they are becoming the hub of.....................................

hub of announcements?

[BillyBobThai]

The problem with Thai laws is the lack of enforcement. Too much money changes hands.

[PaullyW]

I think the fact that these kind of stories get so few views and responses says it all.

country full of bs-ers

big talk, little everything else

[Valentine]

No you cynics, it is something that is needed and not only factories and industry but mining companies (heard of Klity Creek).

This is another example of a ministry actually doing something without the handbrake of a government to hold them back.

They don't have to worry about what MP's are involved with which company and having decisions questioned in the house or getting visits from MP's or possibly even some sort of intimidation.

Sure there will be corruption within every ministry but not having a government removes one (the top) level.

Surely you can understand why most posters are being so cynical. Anyone who has been here for more than a week will have heard this type of story before. I agree it is needed & long overdue but like everything else there are generally good laws in place but enforcement is another thing entirely.

[PaullyW]

No you cynics, it is something that is needed and not only factories and industry but mining companies (heard of Klity Creek).

This is another example of a ministry actually doing something without the handbrake of a government to hold them back.

They don't have to worry about what MP's are involved with which company and having decisions questioned in the house or getting visits from MP's or possibly even some sort of intimidation.

Sure there will be corruption within every ministry but not having a government removes one (the top) level.

Surely you can understand why most posters are being so cynical. Anyone who has been here for more than a week will have heard this type of story before. I agree it is needed & long overdue but like everything else there are generally good laws in place but enforcement is another thing entirely.

And to be clear, their having good laws in place is not a big achievement considering they employ lawyers to scour various western countries' legal frameworks (mostly a mix of UK/OZ and American law) to get fancy sounding laws on the books as it were

but, anyone in the know surely knows these muppets are neither law abiding or really understand the laws they have on their own books.

they can't even understand their own constitution

Edited April 27, 2014 by PaullyW

[marko kok prong]

Same as rice farmers paid next week,same as Tats stats,talk ,talk as the song goes"who needs action when you got words'.