News

The Asahi Shimbun 16 August 2017 | Masatoshi Toda and Masamitsu Oku

An international treaty that takes its name from the Japanese city that opened the eyes of the world to the devastating effects of mercury poisoning went into effect Aug. 16.

The U.N. Minamata Convention on Mercury is designed to control both the use and trade of mercury, especially in developing nations. As of Aug. 8, it had been ratified by 74 nations and regions.

"I want to tell people that the Minamata disease has not ended and mercury problems should be dealt with properly in all nations," Sakamoto said at an Aug. 16 news conference in Minamata. "I felt at one time about how much

Bangkok Post 16 August 2017

TAK - The operator of a waste-to-energy plant is threatening to sue the tambon Mae Ku municipal office in Mae Sot district for suspending its operation last month, saying it did not pollute the environment as alleged.

IPEN Press Release 15 August 2017

(Göteborg, Sweden) The Minamata Convention, the world’s first legally binding global agreement to reduce mercury pollution, becomes International law on Wednesday, August 16th, 2017. Environmental health leaders from IPEN (a global network of NGOs in over 100 countries combatting toxic pollutants) celebrate the historical global health and environmental treaty and call on world governments to take the next steps to ensure “no more Minamatas.”

The Isaan Record 09 August 2017 | Praveena Fernes and Molly Gurney

A new mining law comes into force this month. Many civil society groups worry that it will cutback people’s participation and expedite mining initiatives. Although mass extraction of resources might be beneficial to Thailand’s economy, the communities that are closest to the mines fear they will face health and environmental degradation.

The Nation 09 August 2017 | PRATCH RUJIVANAROM

Greenpeace reports hazardous PM2.5 levels at every air quality test site.

AIR POLLUTION in 14 provinces across Thailand is much higher than World Health Organisation (WHO) safe limits, Greenpeace revealed yesterday in a shock report.

Mekong Commons 05 August 2017 | Minari Tsuchikawa

Is the Dawei Special Economic Zone paving the way to environmental disaster?

The governments of Myanmar, Thailand and Japan are together investing to build a special economic zone (SEZ) covering 20,000 hectares (ha) in Dawei, a coastal town in Myanmar. The SEZ plans include an industrial estate and deep sea port to promote export-led industrialization. Project proponents hope to make Dawei the western gateway of the “southern economic corridor” promoted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). This corridor would link Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Thailand’s Italian-Thai Development (ITD) initiated the project in 2008, but it eventual

CBS News 31 July 2017

New research predicts that air pollution worsened by climate change will cost tens of thousands of lives if changes are not made.

The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, estimates that if current trends continue, climate change will be responsible for another 60,000 air pollution-related deaths globally in the year 2030. By 2100, that number could jump to 260,000. 

 

The Nation 29 July 2017 | PRATCH RUJIVANAROM

Human rights group says local opponents of potash project being kept in the dark.

LOCAL OPPONENTS to the opening of a new potash mine in Sakon Nakhon’s Wanon Niwat District were being monitored by the police and military, while many people were sued for their actions to protect the local environment, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says.

The Nation 27 July 2017 | PRATCH RUJIVANAROM

Four years after oil spill, situation has not returned to normal.

PEOPLE in Rayong, especially fishermen, are still suffering the consequences of a major oil spill in Rayong Bay four years ago, because fish have not returned. However, PTT Global Chemical PLC (PTTGC), which took control of the cleanup, insists that the marine ecosystem has recovered to its normal state.

25 July 2017 | The Nation  

Seven female activists from Loei province are being sued for allegedly violating the Public Assembly Act, after they led local residents in demonstrating against a Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) meeting held to authorise the use of national preserved-forest land and Agricultural Land Reform Office land for gold mining.