Agribusiness Leader Denies Allegations from Environmental Advocate Regarding Invasive Fish
PUBLISHED: 7 Sep 2024 at 15:33
The secretary-general of the BioThai Foundation is currently facing libel charges following statements he made regarding the spread of invasive blackchin tilapia fish and their connection to Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF).
A police summons has been issued for Witoon Lianchamroon to address the defamation complaint filed by CPF, as announced by BioThai on its social media. Mr. Witoon is required to report to the Rattanathibet police station on September 12 at 1 PM.
Mr. Witoon received the summons shortly after fishermen from Samut Songkhram province, in collaboration with the Lawyers Council, lodged a damages complaint against CPF. This summons marks the second notification issued to him and consists of minimal documentation, lacking specific details.
The information regarding the summons has been forwarded to the legal team of the non-governmental organization, which is represented by the Environmental Law Foundation (EnLaw).
At a recent seminar titled “Natural Disaster from Blackchin Tilapia,” Mr. Witoon alleged that CPF imported 2,000 blackchin tilapia from Ghana in 2010 for research purposes at its breeding center in Samut Songkhram. He claimed that CPF was the sole entity authorized by the Department of Fisheries to import these fish.
CPF later informed the department that the project was terminated after the majority of the imported fish perished within three weeks of arrival in Thailand. The company stated that the fish were disposed of according to regulations, and proper documentation was submitted to the department.
Despite this, reports indicate that the invasive fish have since proliferated in local waterways, leading to a decline in native fish populations.
CPF maintains that there is no link between the invasive fish and its earlier research project and emphasizes its commitment to addressing the ecological issues stemming from the invasive species.
During the seminar, Mr. Witoon criticized the government for its inaction against the organizations responsible for the spread of these invasive fish. He further commented at a forum in Bangkok that Thailand’s governance structure remains heavily centralized and intertwined with large corporations, which he believes ostracizes small business operators from the market.
