Bangkok: Farmers from 19 provinces affected by the spread of the black-chinned tilapia dumped two tons of black-chinned tilapia at Gate 5 of Government House to symbolically express their distress over the 13 years since the alien species spread through natural water sources. They also burned chili and salt to curse those who caused problems for the ecosystem and the aquaculture industry.
According to Thai News Agency, at 12:40 p.m., a group of protesters from the Aquatic Animal Farmers Network from 19 provinces who have been affected by the spread of the black-chinned tilapia fish poured 2 tons of black-chinned tilapia fish at Gate 5 of Government House to demand that the government urgently solve this problem according to the 4 demands that were proposed. However, they were not met and so they had to symbolically express their distress.
Police officers asked for cooperation not to gather within 50 meters of Government House. The protesters then performed a ritual of burning chili and salt to curse those who caused the spread of black chin tilapia in Thailand. Police officers then tightened the area and allowed the protesters to return to their camp in front of the United Nations.
Later, Mr. Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, MP for Bangkok from the Prachachon Party, as a representative of the opposition, traveled to receive the letter of demands. After that, the protest leaders stated that they may temporarily stop the rally to disperse and return to their hometowns and make an appointment to gather to follow up on the demands again.
The demands of the protesters who want the government to take urgent action are: to set up a committee to investigate and find the perpetrators who caused the spread of the black chin tilapia; eliminate black chin tilapia within 1 year; declaration of disaster area to pay compensation; and prosecute perpetrators of ecological disasters.
The protesters said that the problem of the spread of this invasive species has spread beyond what locals can solve on their own, and it has also affected the ecosystem in general. The government’s actions, which previously declared the problem a national agenda, have not been continuous. Most recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives used a budget of only 12 million baht to catch the black-chinned tilapia again, but there are still tens of millions of tons of black-chinned tilapia that have not been eliminated. It is just a case of burning a straw.
In the past, people have tried to rely on themselves by filing a lawsuit with the civil court, but it is only a class action lawsuit. When the process ends, it is expected to take at least 3-4 years, and the lawsuit is only filed against people in Samut Songkhram Province. However, there are people in 19 provinces who have been affected and have not taken any action. Regardless of whether the court rules that the private company must pay compensation or not, the scope of the lawsuit does not include the impact on the ecosystem and others. Representatives of people affected by the 19 provinces have come to gather and submit a letter to the Prime Minister since January 13, but have not yet received any response.