Enforcing the Public Health Act.

[Vatman]

Which department is responsible for enforcing the Public Health Act BE2535?

Royal Thai Police or some other department?

 

[Sheryl]

Certainly not the Police except insofar as it pertains to criminla acts.

 

It would help to know which aspect of that lengthy act you refer to as different entities are responsible for monitoring compliance of different aspects. 

 

There are also some consumer advocacy groups, but that due is specific to specific sorts of issues.

[Vatman]

                     Section 25 of the Public Health Act under Chapter 5 `Sources of Nuisance`.

Quote-- `In the event of an occurance that may cause annoyance to residents in the neighbouring area or expose persons to the following, it shall be a source of nuisance:

(4) any action which causes odor, light, ray noise, heat, toxic matter, vibration, dust; powder, soot, ash, or any other, to the extent that causes impairment or may be harmful to health.`

 

The `source of nuisance` in my case is the manufacture of charcoal by a neighbour in an open pit behind his house. His house backs on to a small river - I live across that river maybe 200 metres from the charcoal pit in a house I had built 22 years ago. The charcoal he then leaves in sacks for sale on the road outside his house. If it were a few times a year for his own use but it isn`t, it`s almost constant. As soon as one batch is finished he starts another. This man is making a business at the expense of the health of his neighbours. My wife has spoken to the charcoal man `it`s my land, I can do what I like`. She has also spoken to the Kamnan who lives close by but as usual he just sent one of his lackeys to talk to the man with no result.

Now if I could get enforcement of the abovementioned section of the Public Health Act I could start breathing relatively clean air again.

8 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Certainly not the Police except insofar as it pertains to criminla acts.

 

It would help to know which aspect of that lengthy act you refer to as different entities are responsible for monitoring compliance of different aspects. 

 

There are also some consumer advocacy groups, but that due is specific to specific sorts of issues.

 

[Sheryl]

Unfortunately for this  I can't hold out too much hope. To do anything you have to make the case that burning charcoal 200 meters away " causes impairment or may be harmful to health".

 

There are far more egregious toxic exposures taking place in Thailand without official action. Unless you can demonstrate that there is direct harm resulting, I doubt police would be re4sponsive to a complaint.

 

Frankly your best recourse would be to find a neighbor or local official willing to act as intermediary and to have a specific remedy to propose that doesn't involve  ceasing charcoal production altogether  - for example, if he is currently using an open pit, switching to a brick oven thing with a chimney.

[Vatman]

I had a similar problem some 10 years ago with a neighbour making charcoal (for his own use) on land next to our house. Among other inducements I offered to supply him with free charcoal, free gas, but he was so cantankerous he was impossible to deal with. Then I found out he didn`t own the land, it was owned by his sister-in-law. I made her an offer she couldn`t refuse & bought the land for my wife but I had no pleasure watching this old man pull down his hovel & move to the other end of the village. Why couldn`t he just be reasonable?

Concerning the immediate problem of my commercial charcoal maker- I am told this man is the village pariah & would be impossible to negotiate with & besides I think nobody has the right to pollute the air that other people have to breathe whether it be from an open pit, oven, with a chimney or without. I`ve lived in Thailand long enough to realise that this is not an easy problem to solve but I will endeavour to get this toxic stink stopped because there are children involved. There must be more than a dozen children living within the affected area. You`d think their parents might say something but being poor & uneducated & timid of authority they are easily walked over. I understand there is a District Health Officer in every large town- someone I shall try to track down.

I will perservere.

11 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Unfortunately for this  I can't hold out too much hope. To do anything you have to make the case that burning charcoal 200 meters away " causes impairment or may be harmful to health".

 

There are far more egregious toxic exposures taking place in Thailand without official action. Unless you can demonstrate that there is direct harm resulting, I doubt police would be re4sponsive to a complaint.

 

Frankly your best recourse would be to find a neighbor or local official willing to act as intermediary and to have a specific remedy to propose that doesn't involve  ceasing charcoal production altogether  - for example, if he is currently using an open pit, switching to a brick oven thing with a chimney.

 

Thank you for your reply.