With most the legal challenges to the Maptaput industrial zone resolved, a new Rayong center set up shop this month to keep a close eye on the area’s factories.
Rayong Gov. Tawatchai Terdphaothai presided over the first meeting of the Maptaput Center for Environmental and Industrial Problems June 14. Attended by central and local government officials and community leaders, the board meeting laid out the mission of the center responsible for monitoring and overseeing the implantation of strict pollution-control measures mandated by the courts over the past two years.
Rayong Gov. Tawatchai Terdphaothai convenes the first meeting of the Maptaput Center for Environmental and Industrial Problems.
Tawatchai said the center will also watch factories to ensure they comply with environmental-impact assessment laws and serve as a forum for residents and business owners to meet and discuss concerns.
He said such a forum is essential for industry to understand the attitudes of residents regarding air and water pollution, health and education.
The center is not fully operational yet, however, as it is waiting on the Industry and Interior ministries to finalize guidelines on the board’s actual authority over such matters.
