Rayong oil spill clean-up may violate law, environmentalists warn
Star Petroleum Refining (SPRC)'s move to dispose of oil from a 60-tonne spill in the Gulf of Thailand could violate the law, an environmental group said on Sunday.
Stop Global Warming Association president Srisuwan Janya issued the warning as he surveyed the oil slick on Rayong’s Mae Ram Phueng Beach.
The beach has been declared a disaster zone and closed to visitors as officials clean up the oil, which spilled from an undersea pipe belonging to SPRC earlier this week.
Srisuwan said local residents including tourism operators and fishermen have filed complaints about the spill with his association.
"Our survey found that SPRC and government agencies have launched a joint effort to collect waste oil on the beach," he explained. The waste oil has been earmarked for disposal at SPRC’s plant in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate.
However, this move could be illegal as spilled oil is considered hazardous waste that must be collected and disposed of according to Industry Ministry rules, Srisuwan said.
Meanwhile, government officials who aid SPRC’s operation may be charged with negligence under Criminal Code Section 157, which carries one to 10 years in jail and/or a fine of up to 20,000 baht.
He added that the association would wait for the clean-up operation to finish before collecting evidence to back claims for government compensation for residents affected by the incident.