Suchart has reached a breaking point, ordering a special pollution control task force to raid a Rayong factory after a heated video surfaced showing a confrontation with officials. They were shocked to discover industrial waste mixed with circuit boards and over 1,000 tons of wire sheath scraps. The Pollution Control Department filed legal complaints, vowing to prosecute all offenses.
On 29 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Suchart Chomklin, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, directed the special pollution control task force to urgently inspect a factory in Rayong following the release of a video depicting a confrontation between individuals linked to the factory and officials, along with a network of volunteer environmental protection groups. This incident sparked widespread criticism on social media. He instructed a thorough fact-finding process and mandated strict legal action without exceptions against any wrongdoing to safeguard the environment and public health.
Today, Police Lieutenant General Itthiporn Photthong, Head of the Special Operations Task Force and Advisor to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, along with Dr. Jamlong Chuayrod, Deputy Head of the Task Force and Advisor to the Minister, led the pollution control task force together with officials from the Pollution Control Department. They coordinated with the Rayong Provincial Industry Office, the Rayong Provincial Natural Resources and Environment Office, Nikom Phatthana District, and Makham Khu Subdistrict Municipality to inspect Shin Hong Shin International Co., Ltd., located at 88/1, Moo 6, Makham Khu Subdistrict, Nikom Phatthana District, Rayong Province.
The inspection revealed that the company holds factory operation permits numbered 105 and 106 for sorting and shredding wires, dismantling old motors, and managing non-hazardous waste materials. However, it had not yet declared its operations as legally required. Although no operations were ongoing during the inspection, a large amount of unused materials was found piled outside the building, which has been seized by the Rayong Provincial Industry Office.
Crucially, officials found waste containing electronic circuit boards mixed with wire sheath scraps totaling over 1,000 tons. This waste qualifies as a type 3 hazardous substance under the Hazardous Substances Act B.E. 2535 (1992). Some of this waste beside the building had already been moved inside for storage.
The Pollution Control Department collected seven waste samples—six from outside the building and one from inside—for analysis using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) equipment. Preliminary results detected some heavy metal components categorized as type 3 hazardous substances.
Meanwhile, the Makham Khu Subdistrict Municipality has suspended the factory's hazardous business license (license form อภ.2) until the company can operate in full legal compliance. The Pollution Control Department has filed charges with the Nikom Phatthana Police Station against the company for possessing hazardous substances without authorization, to proceed with legal action.
The Pollution Control Department will continue collaborating with relevant agencies and the local volunteer environmental protection network to monitor the facts closely and enforce laws strictly. If further violations are found, legal proceedings will follow to prevent harm to the public and environment.
The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment reiterated a firm stance that environmental law enforcement must be serious and equitable. Any violations will be met with decisive legal action without exceptions.
