About 150 farmers from 19 provinces gathered in front of Government House on Monday to submit a letter to the government, demanding that it identify those responsible for the spread of blackchin tilapia fish and support affected farmers.
The letter was handed over by Panya Toktong, the leader of the group, to Pansak Charoen, a specialist at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday afternoon.
It presented four key demands: the establishment of an independent committee to identify those responsible for the fish spread within 30 days; swift provision of financial relief to farmers and those affected; the creation of committees to eradicate the fish and restore ecosystems, with a goal of eliminating the species by 2026; and legal action against those found responsible for the spread to ensure they pay compensation for the damage caused.
The group also visited parliament, where they submitted additional letters to the committee on political development, public participation, human rights, freedom and consumer protection, urging faster action to address the issue and mitigate its impacts.
The submission of the letters came after the group submitted one to Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) at the CP Tower building on Silom Road in the morning, calling on the company to take responsibility.
The letter demanded that the CP Group and Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) strictly adhere to biosecurity laws regarding the import of alien species.
It also called for CPF to allocate a portion of its recent 7.3-billion-baht profit to help mitigate the damage caused by the spread of the fish and other environmental issues, such as PM2.5 pollution.
In addition, it stressed that CPF, as a major public company, should engage in positive dialogue with critics rather than using legal action to silence opposition.
The letter was received by a CP Group representative and will be presented at the upcoming meeting of the company's board.
According to Department of Fisheries director-general Bancha Sukkaew, the situation regarding the spread of the invasive fish has improved significantly.
Data from last month showed that the number of affected provinces had fallen from 19 to 17, with some provinces showing a minimal presence.
