Rayong fishermen have filed a civil lawsuit against PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC), seeking 400 million baht in damages relating to an oil spill which hit the province last year.
Crew on a fishing trawler relax at a port in Rayong’s Muang district after returning from a fishing trip in the Gulf of Thailand. Fishermen say they have caught fewer fish and marine life following last year’s oil spill. PATTARAPONG CHATPATTARASILL
They have also filed a separate case in the Rayong Administrative Court against the company, the provincial governor and five government agencies involved for failing to properly handle the spill.
"Money is not our priority. We want to create a precedent for future environmental cases," said Paibul Lekrat, one of the fishermen.
The 454 fishermen are also asking PTTGC to set up a fund and contribute 10% of its annual net profit to assist local villagers and restore the marine environment, said Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, a lawyer for the Community Resources Centre who is representing the group.
The lawsuit claims that each individual fisherman will lose between 300,000 and 3 million baht over the three-year period after the spill. About 40% of them have been forced to abandon their jobs and work as labourers after their catches dwindled.
The oil spill occurred on July 27 last year when a PTTGC pipeline ruptured near Rayong's Map Ta Phut, sending at least 50,000 litres of crude into the sea.
The oil spread to Ao Phrao beach on the popular resort island of Koh Samet and some parts of the Rayong coastline.
In the second case filed yesterday, the fishermen accused PTTGC, Rayong governor Vichit Chartpaisit, the Committee on the Prevention and Combating of Oil Pollution, the Marine Department, the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, and the Pollution Control Department (PCD) of failing to properly respond to the spill.
"The damage was caused by the company’s operation. But government agencies must also take responsibility as they could not control and manage the situation efficiently," said lawyer Ms Sor.
Suwan Nanthasarut, director of the Regional Environmental Office 13 which oversees Rayong, told fishermen on Thursday that the PCD was still monitoring pollution levels constantly.
PTTGC had proposed a 166-million-baht coral reef restoration project to the PCD, he said, which is due to end by 2017 and includes the hiring of environmental experts to survey the area and build the reef.
If damage is found during the study, Mr Suwan said, PTTGC will cover the necessary restoration costs. PTTGC has so far paid 30,000 baht to fisherman affected by the spill.
However, local fishermen have doubts about the project, questioning the transparency of the study and whether building an artificial reef would offer an effective solution to dwindling fish stocks.
“In the past year, little information concerning the oil spill has been given to us. We’ve been barred from participating with state agencies and the company to fix problems,” said Jeerasak Kongnarong.
“No one has come to ask us whether we have been affected."
On Tuesday, the business sector on Koh Samet also filed a civil suit seeking 350 million baht in damages from PTTGC.
Bowon Vongsinudom, chief executive of PTTGC, said the country’s largest petrochemical producer is ready to enter negotiations to settle remaining compensation disputes with villagers and business operators on Koh Samet.
However, he reiterated that the company has already completed payment of compensation claims.
Damages were paid to around 10,000 affected villagers and business operators within 10 months after the spill, with more than a billion baht spent on compensation and for rehabilitating the marine environment surrounding Koh Samet.
"Some of those affected were not satisfied with the amount we paid and have already filed complaints in court. As a listed company with shareholders, we cannot pay as much as some of them are demanding," Mr Bowon said.
He claimed global warming, rather than the oil spill, was the main cause of damage to coastal areas around Koh Samet.