News

For some, the old adage, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me," can be applied to the Klong Dan water treatment project saga.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment's plan to conduct a study into how to make best use of the project in Samut Prakan province, which was built in 1998 but never opened, has triggered worries it could end up as another "stupidity fee" for the state. It has also revived fears by locals that the plant, which they opposed years ago on environmental grounds, could once again pose a threat to the Gulf of Thailand.

Bangkok Post 16 August 2015 | Apinya Wipatayotin

B315m sought for waste water study

A 315-million-baht plan to conduct a new study for the controversial Klong Dan waste water treatment project has many top bureaucrats afraid of another failure, a senior government official said yesterday.

Bangkok Post 14 August 2015 | Apinya Wipatayotin

Repair bill, risk to coast ecology 'huge'

Residents living near the Klong Dan waste water treatment facility in tambon Klong Dan of Samut Prakan's Bang Bo district say they oppose the government's plan to dust off the suspended scandal-hit project.

Dawan Chantarahassadi, a key leader who opposed the project, said she and other residents would not take the decision lying down.

Bangkok Post 07 August 2015 | Apinya Wipatayotin

Consortium agrees to cut interest bill

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will find nine billion baht from its budget to pay the NVPSKG consortium, the contractor of the canned multi-billion-baht Klong Dan waste water treatment plant in Samut Prakan province, months after the Supreme Administrative Court ruled it to do so, a senior ministry official said yesterday.

Prachatai 25 March 2015 | Ecological Alert and Recovery - Thailand

More than 40 residents from Ban Laeng rural municipality, Rayong province travelled to Bangkok and submitted a human rights violation complaint to Dr. Niran Pitakwatchara, National Human Rights Commissioner. Residents were recently attacked and threatened by men who claimed to represent TPI Polene Public Company Limited, which plans to construct a plastic pellet storage facility near the source of public drinking water for 7 villages in Ban Laeng rural municipality, Rayong province.

The Nation 26 February 2015 | Chularat Saengpassa, Patinya

MORE THAN 100 people living near the Mae Moh power plant in Lampang province have finally won a 10-year-long battle against the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), with the Supreme Administrative Court awarding them a total of Bt25 million.

The Nation 11 Febuary 2015  

THE SUPREME Administrative Court yesterday ordered the Mae Moh lignite-fired power plant in Lampang province to minimise its harsh impact on the local environment and residents.

Myanmar Eleven News / The Nation 29 November 2014 | Phyo Zin

DAWEI – The residents of Khamaung Thwe village and civic organizations have denounced the exploitation of mineral resources by Karen National Union (KNU) and local entrepreneurs in the area. The village is located in the Myitta village tract in Dawei District.

The Nation 27 November 2014  

FIFTEEN people including two national politicians will be sued for huge damages caused by the corruption-plagued Klong Dan wastewater treatment project.

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) will take legal action against the 15 – two national politicians, three local politicians and 10 civil servants – at the suggestion of the Finance Ministry’s Comptroller General Department, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Nation 25 November 2014 | WASU VIPOOSANAPAT

Pollution Control Dept pushes to bring down compensation amount, which will rise by bt180m if not paid in 90 days

THE POLLUTION Control Department (PCD) is in negotiations with a joint-venture company that won a court battle for more than Bt9 billion in compensation over the now-cancelled, graft-plagued Klong Dan wastewater-treatment plant.