Chinese-owned smelting plants raided for hazardous aluminium waste

Police raided two illegal aluminium smelting plants owned by a Chinese investor in the central provinces of Pathum Thani and Samut Sakhon on Sunday and Monday, August 11 and 12, after discovering potential negative impacts on human health and the ecosystem.

The raids on the two plants were carried out following the discovery of aluminium dross, a dangerous waste product from aluminium smelting, on a truck by the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Highway Police. The highway police requested the driver to present a permit for transporting the substance but the driver failed to provide the necessary documents.

ThaiRath reported that aluminium dross could contaminate the air and water sources near the industrial plants. Inhalation of dust from aluminium dross can cause respiratory issues in humans and animals, while its presence in water can harm aquatic life and degrade water quality. Air contaminated with aluminium dross could produce toxic dust, which is flammable.

The truck driver informed the police that he collected the large bags of aluminium dross from the Perm Poon Sub smelting plant in Nakhon Pathom and was en route to deliver the substance to another factory, the Taipao Aluminium smelting plant in Samut Sakhon Province.

The case was referred to the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division (GreenCop), and the team raided the first plant, Perm Poon Sub, in Nakhon Pathom on Sunday, August 11.

Owner absent

Officers discovered two warehouses built on a 9,600-square-metre plot of land, where a Thai man named Manot Kritsana identified himself as the caretaker.

Manot confessed to the police that the plant was owned by a Chinese investor. It operated as a smelter for aluminium dross from another plant in Samut Sakhon. Trucks would transport the dross to this factory twice daily, carrying 10 tonnes each time.

Inside the warehouses, officers found a total of 12,387 tonnes of aluminium dross stored in 8,258 large bags. The plant did not possess any operating licence and, due to the potential hazard, officers sealed the area for further investigation by specialists.

A second raid was conducted at the Taipao Aluminium smelting plant yesterday, August 12. Officers found 1,400 bags containing 2,100 tonnes of aluminium dross at the plant but no one was present at the scene. A Thai individual, who claimed to be the plant’s caretaker, later contacted the police, stating that a representative would meet the officers later.

Officers are now investigating to identify the Thai and Chinese nationals involved in the illegal operation of the two plants and have summoned them for possessing and processing hazardous substances without a permit.