Fishermen reel in CPF with 2.4 billion baht ‘tilapia’ suit

Local fishermen in Samut Songkhram filed a lawsuit with Bangkok South Civil Court against Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), seeking over 2.4 billion baht (US$71.6 million) in compensation for damages caused by the uncontrolled spread of blackchin tilapia in the province.

Panya Tokthong, a member of the Upper Gulf of Thailand Preservation Network and Mae Klong Community Lovers Network, led the group to file the lawsuit against CPF and its nine board members. The group represents 1,400 local fishermen from Amphawa, Bang Khonthi, and Mueang districts.

The lawsuit accuses CPF of negligence in preventing the blackchin tilapia fish, imported from Ghana in 2010 for breeding research at its development centre in Amphawa district, from invading local waterways. The invasive species was first reported in the Amphawa district in 2012 and has since spread to multiple waterways across 13 provinces on the Gulf of Thailand coast, according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs demand that CPF rehabilitate the affected waterways at their own expense, invoking the polluter pays principle.

The compensation sought is divided into two parts. The first part is claimed by a network of over 1,000 local fish farmers, seeking to recover annual income losses at a rate of 10,000 baht (US$300) per rai for seven years (2017 to 2024).

The second part is claimed by about 380 local fishermen, seeking compensation for lost income at a rate of 500 baht per day, or 182,500 baht (US$5,444) per year, for seven years from 2017.

Both groups are also demanding an additional 50,000 baht (US$1,500) per person for the violation of their rights to a natural resource. The total compensation demanded amounts to approximately 2.48 billion baht (US$74 million).

Additionally, the Lawyers Council, representing 54 individual fish farmers and fishermen, has filed a lawsuit with the Central Administrative Court against 18 government agencies and their top officials for neglecting their duties.

The agencies include the Department of Fisheries, the National Fisheries Policy Committee, the Fisheries Safety and Biodiversity Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Policy and Planning Committee, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the National Environment Board, the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Finance, reported Bangkok Post.

The plaintiffs have also requested that the affected area be declared a disaster zone to enable the release of emergency funds and to pursue compensation from CPF.