State Petroleum Agency 'Sorry' For Leaked Chemical
By Khaosod English


An explosion in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong province on 5 May 2012.

RAYONG — Thailand’s state petroleum enterprise apologised for leaking chemicals near a residential area in eastern Thailand - a year after an oil leak from the company's pipeline devastated an island in the same region.

“We would like to apologise for the incident,” said Anuthin Chuaipen, deputy manager of PTT Global Chemical, in reference to the chemical leak that occurred inside Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Rayong province over the weekend. PTT Global Chemical is a subsidiary of the state-owned PTT.

Residents close to the industrial park reported a "sulfur-like" smell in the area on 8 September, which many said irritated their nostrils and caused them to feel dizzy. The fume dissipated after a few hours, residents said.

Today, Mr. Anuthin admitted the smell was caused by an error during an operation to connect crude oil pipelines at a PTT station inside the industrial estate. The leak lasted for "15 minutes" before workers successfully resolved the issue, Mr. Anuthin said.

"PTT has dispatched safety and environment officials to the area to listen to those who were affected and provide assistance to them," Mr. Anuthin told reporters.

However, a number of residents said they would like to see stricter safety measures imposed over the industrial estate, which has been a source of environmental concern for years.

At least 65 industrial projects have been based in Map Ta Phut Estate since the park was founded in 1990. Numerous cheimcal leaks and contaminations have reportedly caused illnesses, including cancer, among residents in the region.

PTT Global Chemical is also currently embroiled in lawsuits over an oil leak from a PTT pipeline in the Gulf of Thailand in July 2013. The leak devastated some of Koh Samet’s pristine beaches and deterred many tourists from visiting the popular island.

Critics have accused PTT of using its influence over Thai media to minimise news coverage of the oil leak and the company’s refusal to compensate business owners on the island.

Source: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1410354035&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2014-09-11

In Thailand, saying sorry is all that you need to fix the environmental impact that this leak causes.

It's crazy they can so easily get away with anything they do

It would be nice if they said WHAT the leak was.

There's an old saying; "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission."

Thai SORRY = mai pen rai

It's not that different in other countries where the incumbent operators get away with their mistakes easier than foreign companies.

Just see how BP was grilled in the US, do you think they would have done the same with an American oil company?

....DESPICABLE...

typicle thai style''sorry crap''...................sawadee (no crap)

"Were sorry" NOW LEAVE US ALONE SO WE CAN TAKE A NAP!!!

Mai pen rai, never mind it ..

life is cheap, so are the compensations paid when an error is made...

(There is some speculation on my part based on the comments below)

It's difficult for me to understand why, even if just one of the people that were involved, why they didn't hire an attorney to investigate and request the chemical breakdown. Thailand does have strict documented rules and regulations for chemical hazards and safety. The attorney could have easily obtained Material Safety Data Sheet information to determine the associated risks, I.e., if the chemical is a Carcenigen and known to produce Cancer, etc...

As for me, only hearing a company make an "appoligy" to the affected neighborhood / public is an absolute insult to their intelligence. I say to those of this incident that believe they have been affected by chemical exposure, to hire a competent expert to investigate the associated risk that is posed to these individuals. Clearly some of these people had this chemical injested into their blood stream, possibly through their nasal passage while they kept inhaling.

If it's quite obvious that the people were overly exposed based on standard set-threshold values outlined in the MSDS , they should try and seek some form of compensation if deemed necessary, especially if the people that were exposed start showing unusual and unexpected medical conditions, such as dieing-off early. Just saying...

It's not that different in other countries where the incumbent operators get away with their mistakes easier than foreign companies.

Just see how BP was grilled in the US, do you think they would have done the same with an American oil company?

I agree with totally, but feel no sympathy at all for BP. BP's negligence, cover-up and lying, their responsibility for many human deaths, and the destruction of thousands of families lives, as well as the ruination of a big part of that gulf for the next 100? years, leads me to believe they got off quite easy.