THAILAND: Court revokes order setting up rubber estate

Villagers in Muang district have won a long-running case in the Administrative Court, which revoked the order establishing the Lakchai Muang Yang industrial estate in their area, considering the fact that it would have serious impact on the environment and the way of life of local people.

The LK-Rubber Industrial City Hub was being developed by Bangkok-based Tribeca Enterprise Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of rubber firm Thai Hua group.

The court upheld a petition filed by the Stop Global Warming Association and 133 villagers of tambon Samnuk Thong against the chairman of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) and five associates for their failure to follow legal procedure on the establishment of an industrial estate and refusal to allow the public any input in the making of the decision.

The IEAT announced the establishment of the Lakchai Muang Yang industrial estate on 15 Dec 2011 and it was published in the Royal Gazette just a month later on 17 Jan 2012.

According to the company’s website, the company teamed up with the IEAT to develop 2,442 rai of rubber estate in Rayong with a target to become an eco-industrial complex.

Source: Daily “The Bangkok Post”, Bangkok; 9 Mar 2016
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)