ON THE RECORD

Official says hazardous waste concerns over Japan deal are under control

Rachada: Trade deal will reaffirm our rights

Concern about an influx of waste imports from Japan has been gaining public attention following campaigns led by environmentalists seeking to obstruct the free trade deal that Thailand and Japan are only steps away from sealing. Director-general of the Industrial Works Department Rachada Singalavanija talks about the issue and current problems in Thailand in his interview with Post reporter Achara Ashayagachat. How did the department get involved in the trade agreement? We were not involved [in the negotiations] from the beginning. [We only became involved] recently, since the waste issue became a public concern over the past few months.

Are concerns [about the waste issue] not justified?

The fact is that our laws might have some loopholes, resulting in the public concerns that hazardous waste will be easily imported.

But the negotiators have ensured that in talking with their Japanese counterparts, Thailand has not compromised our restrictions or environmental standards with Japan.

The agreement does not and cannot change Thailand's rights to implement or exercise environmental authority within the kingdom upon our law and our commitment to the Basel Convention. If anything, it reaffirms them.

What about the current situation in Thailand concerning hazardous waste?

The domestic situation is one thing, the import of waste is another. But we have to cooperate with other countries under the Basel Convention, to which Thailand and Japan are both signatories.

We have the capacity to deal with all the hazardous industrial waste. The incinerators, landfill sites and (waste) processors have the equipment and capability to handle the 1.5-1.6 million tonnes of waste produced [each year].

The control system functions on the condition that every party concerned is playing by the rules by filing documents of the waste's origin to the destination [processor]. This is called the manifest system, which relies on truth declaration. But like other headaches in Thailand, there are good guys and bad guys, therefore we have to solve it when the problem crops up.

The environmentalists' argument is that as the internal situation has yet to be properly regulated, Thailand should not risk adding further burden by allowing the easy and convenient import of waste into the country. Is that an argument worth listening to?

We already import waste products from ceramic and tableware production and we have regulations against the import of hazardous waste such as used tyres, plastic garbage, ash residue other than from the manufacture of iron and steel, radioactive and isotope equipment and so on.

If any problem occurs [after the free trade agreement's implementation], we can expedite our authority and Japan cannot intervene if the imported items are banned ones. So there should be no concern.

Is there any strong assurance for the public that responsible agencies are assertive enough to address the alarming problem of hazardous industrial waste?

The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Industry and my department met on Monday with the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Pollution Control Department. We are not benign authorities. The two ministries have agreed to work out a joint action plan such as more frequent joint surveillance, closer coordination and exchange of information between agencies [directly involved] and with other agencies such as the Customs Department, Land Transport Department, Highways Department and nationwide local administrative organisations.

What are the major problems at the operational level?

The Ministry of Industry has faced a hiring freeze, like other government agencies. Here there are 600 people compared to the 1,000 that were under the ministry a decade ago.

For the unit dealing with hazardous waste, there are only four people.

More can be added temporarily from other units but only up to a dozen at any one time.

By Bangkok Post On 5 Mar 2007

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