Extra tailings discovered at premises of Bangkok firm owned by purchaser’s spouse
The proprietor of mishandled cadmium waste has postponed his assembly with police, whereas his spouse additionally faces costs after extra of the hazardous substance was discovered at an organization she owns in Bangkok.
Jetsada Kengroongruangchai, the director of J&B Steel Co, requested to postpone a gathering scheduled for Thursday to April 18 as he was upcountry, stated Pol Col Apisant Chaiyarat, chief of Sub-Division 5 of the Pure Assets and Atmosphere Crime Suppression.
Mr Jetsada promised to indicate up on April 18 and disclose the sourcing of cadmium tailings in his possession, Pol Col Apisant stated.
The waste originated in Tak province and was not alleged to have left there. However a few of it has since been present in Samut Sakhon and Chon Buri, with one other discovery made on Wednesday in Bangkok.
Pol Col Apisant quoted Mr Jetsada, 64, as saying that it’s potential that authorities have now found all of the waste they had been searching for.
Pol Maj Gen Watcharin Phusit, commander of the division, stated that police had initially been unable to contact Mr Jetsada after cadmium waste was discovered at his foundries in Samut Sakhon final week.
Police deliberate to press a number of costs regarding constructing management violations, public well being and unsafe substances, the commander stated.
On Wednesday police charged Mr Jetsada’s spouse, Wanna, with possessing hazardous substances with out permission. The 65-year-old girl owns LLT Steel Co on Pracharat Highway in Bang Sue district of Bangkok, the place discovered 150 tonnes of cadmium waste whereas delivering a summons to her husband there. The property was cordoned off and declared a harmful space.
In line with Pol Maj Gen Watcharin, the tailings had been saved in Bang Sue since December final 12 months and are believed to be among the many preliminary lot of about 15,000 tonnes acquired from a specifically geared up landfill operated by Sure and Past Plc in Tak province.
Mr Jetsada has homes in Bangkok, Chon Buri and Samut Sakhon. Officers have discovered about 12,500 tonnes of cadmium waste at numerous places within the three provinces.
Police say they’ve discovered paperwork indicating that Chinese language-owned firms had been shopping for the cadmium waste. Transactions was made in Chinese language foreign money and it was seemingly that the tailings had been destined for China.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday ordered authorities to make sure the cadmium tailings are transported again to Tak by the top of the month.
He additionally reportedly stated that the licence held by Sure and Past to move the fabric could be revoked.
Sure and Past is a SET-listed hospitality and lodge firm that started life as Padaeng Trade in 1981 and have become Southeast Asia’s largest zinc miner earlier than making a radical change in 2021 and renaming the enterprise.
The Ministry of Finance was an authentic investor in Padaeng and remains to be the third-largest shareholder in Sure and Past (BEYOND) with 10.76%, SET data present.
Hazardous mining waste and residues have been deposited in seven pits on the Tak website operated by Sure and Past in accordance with environmental affect evaluation (EIA) rules. One pit was efficiently closed in 2018.
In a press release to the SET on Wednesday, the corporate stated it entered right into a cadmium waste sale and buy settlement with J&B Steel on Could 30, 2023, and that the 2 firms are usually not associated in any manner.
”The corporate is conscious of the general public’s issues relating to the incident,” it stated, referring to the latest discoveries. “For that reason, the corporate is happy to cooperate with related authorities companies with a purpose to terminate or mitigate the incident to alleviate the general public’s issues.”
