MP claims govt shielding ‘certain firm’ over blackchin infestation
People’s Party member points out that CPF was the only company given a permit to import the fish, which has been destroying the Thai ecosystem
An opposition party MP on Thursday accused certain government agencies of helping a giant private company to escape legal action over the blackchin tilapia infestation, which is damaging the Thai ecosystem.
People’s Party MP Nattacha Boonchaiinsawat, deputy chair of the special House committee in charge of tackling the invasion, made this allegation without naming any names.
However, it was widely understood that he was referring to Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), which was the only company that had been allowed by the Fisheries Department to import 2,000 blackchin tilapia from Ghana in 2010.
In September, the House panel had spoken up about a “certain” firm that was allowed to import the alien species before it infested Thai waters in 79 districts of 19 provinces, threatening the ecological system.
Though the panel did not name CPF, the company has repeatedly denied it is to blame for the infestation, saying all its 2,000 fish had been destroyed. Instead, it blamed the importers of aquarium fish for the invasion.
Nattacha said relevant state agencies had refrained from taking legal action against the company, even though it is being held responsible for the invasion by academics and experts.
Instead, he said, government agencies were trying to help this company by spreading false news that the crisis had been more or less solved. However, the MP said he learned at a seminar held by BioThai and other NGO partners in Songkhla that the infestation in the South had worsened.
Nattacha also called on the government to set blackchin disaster zones, so it can speed up paying compensation to affected farmers and fishermen in the 19 provinces.
