Ratchaburi man arrested for digging soil near high-voltage poles

A businessman in Ratchaburi has been arrested for allegedly digging and selling soil near high-voltage electricity poles for almost ten years.

Natthawat (surname withheld), 41, was arrested by officers from the Environment Crime Suppression Division on Saturday, following a tip-off from local residents.

Residents of Moo 5 village in Tambon Huay Yang Tone, Ratchaburi’s Pak Thor district, asked police to investigate whether Natthawat’s soil mining business was violating the law, as excavation was being carried out close to high-voltage electricity poles.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand prohibits soil excavation within a 30-metre radius of high-voltage electricity poles and lines. However, Natthawat’s company had been excavating soil just 19 metres from the poles on his plot for nearly a decade.

He was charged with operating a factory without permission and excavating soil in a manner different from the terms of the permit he had received.