Ambika Ahuja, Reuters 4 Dec 09;
BANGKOK (Reuters) - An environmental group whose legal challenge has forced dozens of major industrial projects to be suspended in Thailand said it would target another 181 plants that may not be complying with health and environment rules.
On Wednesday the Supreme Administrative Court halted most new projects at Map Ta Phut, Thailand's biggest industrial estate and the world's eighth-biggest petrochemicals hub, alarming investors and the government, which said the economy would suffer.
The case was brought to court by environmentalists, lawyers and local residents, spearheaded by legal activist Srisuwan Janya of the Stop Global Warming Association, a little-known lawyer who has received death threats since stepping up his campaign.
"We are looking into 181 other industrial projects ... that were approved but may have violated the same provision," Srisuwan said.
The group had submitted letters to the companies -- operators of steel, petrochemical and paper factories among other projects -- to request their compliance with legal provisions, he said.
"Most have conducted the environmental studies but haven't held public hearings. We are not asking them to suspend the projects. They can do these concurrently," Srisuwan said.
The group's argument is based on a clause in the 2007 constitution requiring companies to conduct environmental and health studies for projects that may be harmful, hold public consultations and seek opinions from independent experts.
Srisuwan, 42, said the authorities had failed to follow proper procedure according to the constitution in issuing operating licences at Map Ta Phut.
He said his group would not consider legal action until January, to give companies time to respond.
DEATH THREATS
The 181 projects are scattered around eastern and central Thai provinces at various industrial estates, Srisuwan said.
He said he had been collecting data on the Map Ta Phut estate for the past 10 years and had received death threats since he geared up the campaign in 2007, but had chosen to ignore them.
"I may be a villain for some industrialists, but I think I'm a hero for the residents of the area who are suffering severe consequences," he said.
"Carcinogenic substances are higher than safety levels, public ponds have a high level of toxic substances and kids are developing leukaemia. We had to find a way to fight."
The Map Ta Phut estate in eastern Rayong province has grown at a staggering rate over the past 13 years and a local environmental group claims more than 2,000 people have died of cancer related to pollution from the plants. Doctors have not said the projects are to blame.
The Supreme Administrative Court gave the green light to just 11 of 76 new plants on the estate.
The ruling to halt 65 projects worth an estimated $8 billion pending an investigation by a government-appointed commission stoked concern about legal certainty and government effectiveness in a country once seen as an attractive place to do business in.
Srisuwan said the government was stalling on plans to pass a law required to set up the independent body to oversee Health Impact Assessment tests and hold public hearings.
"Is it too much to ask for a higher standard for the kind of foreign investment we have in the country? Does it not matter that it's fuelling growth but killing people? Maybe it's a good thing we make it harder for irresponsible and harmful projects to go on?"
(Editing by Alan Raybould)
