ANG THONG / CHAO PHRAYA FISH DEATHS

Interior warns governor to sort out pollution or be transferred

SUNTHORN PONGPAO

The Interior Ministry will punish Ang Thong's governor if he fails to sort out the recent pollution in the Chao Phraya river. During a meeting to solve the water pollution problem, Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Chansena threatened to transfer Ang Thong governor Wiboon Sa-nguanpong out of the province if he proves incapable of the task, according to a source at the meeting.

A joint committee on solving water pollution in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya provinces held a meeting yesterday to discuss solutions to the contamination.

The meeting was attended by Mr Banyat, Deputy Industry Minister Piyabutr Cholvijarn, representatives of the Department of Industrial Works, the Pollution Control Department, the Marine Department, and the Ang Thong and Ayutthaya governors.

The source said Mr Wiboon presented evidence at the meeting accusing a monosodium glutamate factory on Ayutthaya-Ang Thong road of encroaching on the river. The governor got the evidence from the Marine Department, the source said.

Fish farmers believe the factory caused the water pollution that led to massive deaths of fish in pens on March 12.

According to the source, Mr Piyabutr was dissatisfied with staff of the Industrial Works Department who failed to produce documents on KTMSG Co, the MSG producer, including a blueprint for its factory.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) sent a team of investigators to Ang Thong's Pa Mok district to look into the water pollution.

Villagers in Pa Mok, who suffered major losses in the river pollution earlier this month, accused KTMSG Co of discharging waste water into the Chao Phraya river.

Col Surasak na Lampang, the team leader, said they gathered plenty of information, which will be sent to the DSI to consider whether to treat the case as a special one and accept it for investigation.

Bangkok Post

Saturday March 31, 2007