PRACHIN BURI - Another foreign-run electronic waste plant has been shut down, reportedly after operating illegally for more than a year in a national reserved forest area in this eastern province.

The action has again prompted questions over why it took so long, as residents had complained repeatedly about the plant’s environmental impact for at least a month before the provincial office of the Ministry of Industry reported the raid on Friday.

The inspection took place on Thursday at a factory in Village 7 of tambon Krok Sombun in Si Maha Phot district. It followed a report from Forest Resource Management Office 9 confirming that the plant was located within the Khwae Rabom and Si Yat national reserved forests, according to the industry office.

The inspection, led by provincial governor Veerapan Dee-on, found that the factory was sorting, crushing and compacting scrap metal, electrical wires and electronic parts without the required permission, authorities said.

The factory was subsequently ordered to suspend operations, while materials, equipment and other items on the premises were seized and impounded as evidence for legal proceedings.

Mr Veerapan also ordered an investigation to verify the validity of the land title documents.

For local residents and activists, however, the action was a case of too little, too late — again.

Residents say the latest shutdown followed a familiar pattern, in which action was taken only after complaints became impossible to ignore.

Given that similar factories have previously been ordered to suspend operations, they questioned whether the plant would soon resume business and called for more details on how the seized materials and equipment would be handled.

Sumet Rianphongnam, leader of the Prachinburi Strong Network, locally known as “Prachinburi Khem Khaeng”, also questioned why an order from the governor was needed for the inspection and whether the industry office has direct responsibility for overseeing the factory.

Mr Sumet, who had previously called for investigations into the alleged encroachment and other sites, also raised concerns over possible conflicts of interest or vested interests involving Chinese investors.

Sumet Rianphongnam, leader of the Prachinburi Strong Network, has been speaking out about suspicious activities at industrial sites in his home province for more than eight years. (Photo: Sumet Rianphongnam Facebook)

At a press conference in Bangkok on Thursday, the Prachinburi Strong Network and other civil society groups alleged that a 2-million-baht bounty had been placed on Mr Sumet and fellow environmental campaigner Sunthorn Komkai.

The two have been investigating illegal industrial waste dumping in eastern Thailand, with a focus on the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

The conference participants urged police to investigate the alleged murder-for-hire plot and provide immediate protection for the two activists.

Waterway contamination risk

The illegal establishment of an electronic waste plant and the possible dumping of hazardous chemical waste pose a risk of contaminating groundwater and natural waterways, potentially causing serious impacts on the ecosystem, wildlife and public health across a wide area.

The Khwae Rabom and Si Yat national reserved forests are considered nationally important natural forest areas. They were designated under Ministerial Regulation No. 409 (1969).

They cover large areas of Sanam Chai Khet and Tha Takiap districts in Chachoengsao province, extending into Si Maha Phot in Prachin Buri.

The reserved forest currently covers around 700,000 to 850,000 rai (280,000 to 340,000 acres) and forms part of the Eastern Forest Complex, which spans five provinces: Chachoengsao, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, Rayong and Chon Buri.

The area concerned in this case is also the source of the Khwae Rabom and Khwae Si Yat rivers, which converge to form Khlong Tha Lat before flowing into the Bang Pakong River.

It is also home to the Khlong Si Yat reservoir, which has a capacity of 420 million cubic metres.

Some of the seized e-waste at the raided plant in Si Maha Phot district in Prachin Buri on Thursday. (Photo: Prachin Buri Provincial Industry Office)