Smelter owner faces charges over cadmium waste

The Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division (NED) pressed four charges against the owner of J&B Metal Co, which owns a smelter in Samut Sakhon where some of the toxic cadmium tailings that were illegally transported from a pit in Tak were found earlier this month.

Pol Maj Gen Watcharin Phusit, NED commander, said Jetsada Kengrungruangchai, accompanied by his wife and lawyer, came to acknolwedge the charges at NED’s headquarters yesterday.

Mr Jetsada, also known as Sia Jade, was hit with charges including violating the Factory Act (1992) and unauthorised possesion of hazardous substances.

At the NED’s headquarters, Mr Jetsada told the press that he came to submit documents to show that he had permission to store the tailings, as well as the contract he made with Bound & Beyond, a cadmium waste warehouse in Tak, to purchase the tailings at 1.25 baht per kilogramme.

Mr Jetsada said the tailings were supposed to be processed at a smelter in Laos before being sold to Chinese buyers.

However, before the tailings were transferred to Laos, a Chinese trader, identified only as Zhang, contacted him to buy 5,000 tonnes of the tailings at 8.25 baht/kg, and arranged for trucks to move the tailings to Chon Buri, Mr Jetsada said. The Chinese trader was reselling the tailings to other buyers, according to Mr Jetsada.

Mr Jetsada said his tailings business was by the book.

Pol Maj Gen Watcharin said Mr Jetsada’s decision to resell the tailings violated the contract with Bound & Beyond, as the contract said that J&B Metal Co purchased the tailings with the intent to process it for disposal. He added that Samut Sakhon’s Industry Office will look into who granted the company the permit to store 13,800 tonnes of tailings at the smelter.

Regarding the plan to transport the tailings back to Tak on May 7, Industry Minister Pimphattra Wichaikul said a system to ensure the safety of the process is being set up.

Separately, Nutthapol Rangsitpol, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said he had a discussion on Wednesday with the Office of Public Sector AntiCorruption Commission (PACC) on ways to curb the trade of illegal industrial tailings.