Heavy metal tragedy still playing out at Klity Creek

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Heavy metal tragedy still playing out at Klity Creek

Karen villagers along the lead-contaminated waterway were recently awarded a cash settlement, but it can't wash away the environmental irresponsibility that has left one community member blinded and others sick and in fear for their unborn children

Published: 27 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: Spectrum

Ma Aung Seng's bamboo thatched-roof home has no running water, and the 50-year-old blind Karen woman has no money to buy bottled water as she can no longer work her rice fields. So when she needs water she normally asks her 16-year-old son to walk down to Klity Creek and fetch some to use for drinking, cooking and cleaning.

DRINK AND BE WARY: Klity Lang villagers still use the water in the creek although they fear it remains contaminated with lead.

But as the entire nation now knows, the water in Klity Creek has long been severely contaminated with high levels of lead, originally discharged from a factory operated by the Lead Concentrate Company. The company was ordered to close in 1998 and on Jan 10 this year the Supreme Administrative Court ordered the Pollution Control Department to pay nearly four million baht in compensation to 22 Karen villagers, ending a nine-year legal battle.

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DonAleman
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Discussion 3 : 29 Jan 2013 at 06.573
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Yes Ivan, throwing a bright light can force the guilty to do something. Yingluck, today, announced a 2 trillion Baht spending program and just a very tiny bit of that amount could creat new homes, proper medical attention and, where necessary, a pension for those who are too affected to work. Lead poisoning is permanent, with little effective treatment and the young will be most affected - shame, shame !
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ivan
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Discussion 2 : 27 Jan 2013 at 11.532
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my comment wasn´t finished´, the amount of words to be written each time is limited, I do not understand why, anyway I just wanted to say that I will translate this well written story to send the matter for the judgement of all Brazilian and eventually South American people, since news that usually come from Thailand only portray the Good and Beautiful side of the Kingdom, there must be a way to force the Thai government to pay attention and do something to help this people after so much suffering and injustice. The guilty must be punished not the innocent...I am disgusted and so will be others here...
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ivan
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Discussion 1 : 27 Jan 2013 at 11.431
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It is an amazing detailed report on an amazing injustice in amazing Thailand. It is hard to believe that any modern society, culture and people would allow and accept living along with their indigenous fellow countrymen and to witness their suffering for so long without standing up against it in a serious and decisive way. What else needs to be said, proven or written on this extreme form of torture on innocent people, is there a government and their respective social and health agencies that just allow this to go on and on :: are they not ashamed. where is their Buddhist spirit and morals, shame and shame on all those who are part of this.
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Heavy metal tragedy still playing out at Klity Creek | Bangkok Post: news