Rayong locals affected by pollution and flood from illegal land filling
Residents in the eastern province of Rayong are seeking justice after a 10-metre-high illegal land filling, allegedly developed by a Chinese investor, caused severe air pollution and flooded their homes with mud during recent rainfall.
Locals living in a housing development adjacent to the plot of land in Makham Khu sub-district, Nikhom Phatthana district, Rayong, raised the issue publicly, hoping that officials will intervene to restore their quality of life.
They told several news agencies that a business operator, believed to be a Chinese national, purchased an 80,000-square-metre plot of land next to their village in February and began filling half of the site in March.
Some residents told Thai PBS that they had seen a Chinese national visiting the land to oversee the project, which led them to believe that a Chinese investor was behind the operation.
More than 20 trucks transported soil from one half of the land to fill the portion adjacent to the road. The landfill work ran daily from 8am to 6am until the filled land became higher than their two-storey homes.
There were no signs or announcements from the business operator or authorities regarding the project. Locals endured more than a month of air pollution due to the dust generated by the landfill activity.
The most serious incident occurred on April 14, when mud and water from the site flooded into ten nearby homes. This prompted residents to come forward and demand justice before the situation worsens.
Sub-district Chief Krittin Meelarp told MGR Online that the landfill was carried out without proper authorisation. Government officials had only recently become aware of the project and had already filed a complaint against the landowner at Nikhom Phatthana Police Station.
Krittin also ordered the landowner to obtain a permit within seven days and submit a revised plan to lower the landfill height to mitigate its impact on the community.
Contrary to local belief, the owner of the land is not a Chinese national but a Thai citizen based in Bangkok. However, it was discovered that this landowner holds a 51% stake in a metal factory located in Sa Kaeo province, while the remaining 49% is owned by a Chinese national.
The Thai landowner also serves as a director and shareholder in five other companies involved in plastic product manufacturing, car spare parts retail, and recycling operations. It was suspected that the Thai national was acting as a nominee of a Chinese investor.
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