Waste management issues on the Thai political agenda
The Thai government only kicks into higher gear when certain issues are raised internationally. This turned out to be the case when Thailand was classified as a prostitution country by an English newspaper. The reaction of the police commander in Pattaya was almost hilarious, which would do well in a Thai Soap; according to him, prostitution did not occur in Thailand because it is prohibited.
Now following international reports of the garbage build-up on Koh Samui, the government has given national priority to waste management and scheduled a meeting next week.
Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda has responded to foreign news outlets reporting that more than 300.000 tons of rubbish has been collected at the resort town of Samui. The government will now devote more time to the waste problem in tourist destinations and plans to follow up soon by meeting with local authorities
The minister explained that garbage on Koh Samui is processed at a rate of 150 tons per day. That means with a simple calculation that this will take almost 2.000 days or almost 6 years. Apart from the daily supply of new waste!
But the Interior Ministry has also organized a meeting in Surat Thani next week to discuss further measures.
Which waste mountain will be on the agenda next time? The Thai government lacks a long-term vision on certain problems that are taking place in this country. How do we deal with waste? Separating – composting – recycling – incineration and the like.
The same applies to water management in this country. Not to mention the immigration offices in the country with their own “rules”.
In short, a vision and term planning have yet to be invented.
Chulalongkorn was way ahead of its time by shining a light in Europe. But this has hardly had a sequel. That is why this king is still remembered as the great progressive example for Thailand.
Turning your light on waste in Europe is not the best idea.
Europe sent its waste to China, until China no longer wanted it.
And if I'm not mistaken, China is the world's largest polluter of the Oceans with plastic waste.
It should therefore be clear where all our separately collected Dutch plastic waste ends up.
Koh Samui's garbage can get interesting.
Maybe someone will take a look at those incinerators that died after a month.
I wonder what they will find inside that building, apart from a lot of rubbish.
It is indeed a horror on Koh Samui the garbage is produced every day by tens of tons
dumped in nature, resulting in an enormous stench and millions of flies, depending on the wind.
A year 0f 4 ago there was suddenly a lot of attention from the TV with helicopters over the rubbish dumps
flew and photographed the scandalous mess with various camera crews.
We thought, ha, now something is finally going to happen, but we haven't heard anything until now.
Every month they cut down another piece of forest because they no longer have space and then know that
they had a waste incinerator 10 years ago but it broke down and for lack of
money never repaired.
You can tell me where that money from all those hundreds of thousands of tourists has gone, but I think so
I do know.
I just hope it will take effect.
In the end, they cut their own fingers if that keeps tourists away