PM Srettha Thavisin, also Finance Minister, has called the company’s representatives in to discuss solutions to the missing waste without addressing possible wrongdoings as demanded by environmental advocates
The Ministry of Finance is found to hold a portion of shares of Bound and Beyond Plc, which is linked to the missing cadmium waste weighing over 13,000 tonnes allegedly taken out from its landfills in Tak province.
According to the company’s shareholder structure, the ministry was ranked as the third largest shareholder with 31.2 million shares, or 10.76% of the total shares, as of March 14, 2024. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin called the company’s representatives in to discuss solutions to the missing waste with them on Wednesday, and the company was quoted as saying by the PM that it had agreed to share responsibility with its trade counterpart, J and B Metal, Co., Ltd., to transfer the waste discovered in various locations including Bangkok back to its landfills in Tak. The deadline was set on April 30.
The amount of cadmium waste seized and reported by the Industrial Works Department (DIW) so far is 13,832 tonnes. Mr. Srettha also said the Tak Provincial Industrial Office was instructed to revoke the permit issued to Bound and Beyond for its cadmium waste transfer immediately, suggesting the company’s role in the case. A new panel to supervise the waste transfer and investigate into the incident has also been appointed, according to the PM.
“Every issue that people are concerned about, I will rush to solve it,” vowed Mr. Srettha in his post on Facebook.
The Ministry of Finance’s role, however, has not been mentioned at all, as well as possible wrongdoings. The company itself has not addressed its role clearly in the public either, according to two letters the company issued and submitted to inform the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) on Tuesday and Wednesday, or April 9 and 10, respectively, it tried to clear the issue, saying it had nothing to do the controversial cadmium waste management of J and B, except for the fact that it’s its trade counterpart for the cadmium waste. The second letter also emphasised that the company was aware of the public’s concern and would cooperate with the state agencies concerned in solving the problem.
Penchom Saetang, Director of the Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand (EARTH), has called on the government to not wrap up the case by simply transferring the waste back to its source. She said a thorough investigation needs to be undertaken so the wrongdoers will be taken to justice and the public can have the lesson learned together about hazardous waste management that needs a structural overhaul.
According to EARTH, Bound and Beyond is a now-defunct Padaeng Industry Plc, which ever claimed itself to be the sole zine extractor and producer in Southeast Asia. Padaeng was once accused of contaminating the stream of Mae Tao in Tak’s Measod district following mysterious sickness of several residents there and their cadmium contaminated rice and their rice fields, which were abandoned due to heavy contamination of cadmium for years. However, it eluded the accusation because no link of evidence was established and the case could not be concluded.
This time, Bound and Beyond brought the cadmium waste out of the landfills and sent it out so it cannot deny its responsibility, which is not limited to transferring back all the waste, but the damage done to the public, EARTH said.
“The discussion and agreement (between the PM and the company) to transfer the waste back just an attempt to solve the problem for the company, not for the public yet,” EARTH remarked, adding the ministry is its third largest shareholder and the PM must be mindful about conflict of interest.
The missing waste
As the DIW has been expanding its search for the missing waste so far, it’s reported at its meeting yesterday that the department has so far discovered 13,832 tonnes of cadmium waste from various locations.
The first location is J and B Metal’s factory in Tambon Bang Nam Jued in Muaeng Samut Sakhon district, which was first reported to have stored around 2,500 tonnes of cadmium waste. On Wednesday, the department’s cheif, Julapong Taweesri, went to inspect the factory and learned that it had actually stored over 3,000 tonnes of cadmium waste, not 2,500 tonnes as first reported, before a further 3,378 tonnes was found in the factory, suggesting J and B have stored 6,378 tonnes of cadmium waste in total.
Another 500 tonnes was found in a warehouse in Tambon Khlong Maduea, Krathum Ban district, of which its first 1,000 tonnes was transferred to another warehouse in Bang Nam Jued and earlier seized, almost the same time when around 4,900 tonnes, first reported at 7,000 tonnes, of cadmium waste was seized in the factory in Chon Buri province. Last but not least was the latest seizure of 150 tonnes of waste in an old equipment storage warehouse in Bang Sue district, Bangkok, on Wednesday.
So far, all factories and warehouses concerned have been declared closed to the public. Bangkok Governor Dr. Chadchart Sittipunt has instructed concerned officials to undertake intensive health checks on workers there and nearby, 22 in total. 17 garbage collectors of the BMA who work close to the warehouse have also had their health checked. No contamination in the environment has not been found so far except for the soil within the warehouse, according to the BMA.
The governor has instructed the officials to expand their search into all metal melting and coating plants in the city, which are reported to be over 250. Junk storage warehouses are also in the focus, he added.
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