House panel to probe Chinese-owned factory after 7 workers killed

United Thai Nation Party MP Akkaradej Wongpithakroj, who chairs the House panel, said the panel included Rayong MPs, who would conduct a fact-finding probe into the deadly accident at the Sin Ker Yuan Company Limited in Rayong’s Pluak Daeng district.

At 4pm on Friday, a crane inside the compound of the factory collapsed while the workers were removing its base. One Chinese worker and six Myanmar workers were killed in the accident.

While rescue foundation officials were trying to move the bodies to a hospital, some 400 workers protested against the employer, demanding compensation of 5 million baht for the families of each slain worker.

The protest continued until 11.30pm when the employer agreed to pay a compensation of 1.6 million baht to each victim’s family.

On the following day, some 200 workers staged another protest to demand better welfare from the Social Security Fund. They ended the protest at 3pm after representatives of the Rayong social security office assured them that they would be entitled to welfare enjoyed by workers insured in the social security fund.

Akkaradej said he had heard it was not the first accident at the factory and that similar accidents had happened earlier.

He said the MPs would later present their findings to the House committee for consideration.

The chairman said the House panel was monitoring alleged law-breaking incidents by several firms from China after the panel was tipped that many Chinese-owned firms had violated Thai laws.

For example, Akkaradej said, the House panel was informed that several Chinese firms had carried out construction work without first seeking permits or engaged in businesses different from what they had registered for. Some of the firms also caused pollution, he said.

He said one Chinese firm allegedly had transported mineral waste in violation of the law and thus endangered the health of communities around the factory.

He said the owners of the firm in Chonburi province had been arrested for causing damage to the environment and two other Chinese firms in Samut Sakhon province were being probed.

In total, his House panel was investigating five or six Chinese firms and the panel would propose that the government revoke the investment visa for the firms found to have violated the law, he said.