Local fishermen from Samut Songkhram have filed a lawsuit at the Bangkok South Civil Court against Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), seeking over 2.4 billion baht in damages due to the uncontrolled spread of blackchin tilapia in the province.
Panya Tokthong, representing both the Upper Gulf of Thailand Preservation Network and the Mae Klong Community Lovers Network, spearheaded the lawsuit against CPF and its nine board members for the environmental harm caused by the invasive species on Thursday.
Tokthong noted that the lawsuit represents 1,400 local fishermen from the districts of Amphawa, Bang Khonthi, and Muang.
The legal claim alleges that CPF failed to contain the spread of blackchin tilapia, a species they introduced from Ghana in 2010 for breeding research at their Amphawa facility, which subsequently spread into nearby water bodies.
First observed in the Amphawa district in 2012, the species has since invaded multiple waterways across 13 provinces along the Gulf of Thailand coastline.
The fishermen demand that CPF take full responsibility for rehabilitating the impacted waterways, adhering to the “polluter pays” principle.
The sought-after compensation comprises two segments.
The initial claim involves a collective of local fish farmers, exceeding 1,000 members, seeking compensation for seven years of lost income, calculated at 10,000 baht per rai annually from 2017 to 2024.
Additionally, about 380 local fishermen are seeking compensation for lost income at a rate of 500 baht daily, totaling 182,500 baht each year for the same period.
Both groups also seek an additional 50,000 baht per person for infringements on their rights to natural resources.
The total compensation claimed by these groups amounts to approximately 2.48 billion baht.
Moreover, the Lawyers Council, representing 54 individual fish farmers and fishermen, has filed another lawsuit at the Central Administrative Court against 18 government agencies and their senior officials for failing to fulfill their obligations.
The lawsuit involves multiple government agencies, including the Department of Fisheries, the National Fisheries Policy Committee, and the Fisheries Safety and Biodiversity Committee.
Also named are the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, and the Marine and Coastal Resources Management Policy and Planning Committee.
Additionally, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the National Environment Board, the National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Committee, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Finance are part of this case.
These agencies are also requested to declare the impacted area a disaster zone to facilitate emergency funding and to expedite the compensation proceedings from CPF.
