MP Exposes Toxic E-Waste Smuggled as Fertilizer in Eastern Thailand

MP Boonrawi Yomjinda urged the Prime Minister to crack down on gray capital networks smuggling toxic electronic circuit board waste from China to produce fertilizer sold to farmers in Chonburi and Rayong, warning Thailand risks becoming the world's toxic dump and a cancer nation. Speaking in parliament on October 21, 2026, the party-list MP and Thai Sang Thai Party leader said he received complaints from residents about electronic waste secretly transported and buried in industrial estates across both provinces. Authorities recently raided E-Fong Industrial Ltd in Ban Bueng district, discovering 300 tons of shredded waste mixed with soil prepared for sale as fertilizer. In Phanat Nikhom district, Rayong, containers from China were found stacked to the roof at Rayong Industrial Ltd Warehouse 14. Boonrawi stated gray capital groups operate behind the scenes, causing severe damage in Chonburi and Rayong and turning Thailand into a global toxic waste dump. These networks exploit ports like Laem Chabang, falsifying customs declarations as metal scraps, recyclables, or iron scraps to deceive officials before transporting waste to Eastern region warehouses, creating an environmental and public health catastrophe. Communities endure toxic dust, foul odors, and heavy metal contamination — lead, cadmium, mercury — leaching into soil and groundwater, affecting agriculture and livelihoods. Most alarmingly, toxic waste residue is mixed with soil and sold as fertilizer to unsuspecting farmers. Investigation shows this has operated for years. When farmers use this fertilizer, dangerous toxins and carcinogens seep into soil, spread to water sources, destroy ecosystems, turn water discolored and foul-smelling — problems now emerging across multiple Eastern provinces. Consumers of contaminated water and agricultural products accumulate toxins, causing skin diseases, chronic illness, and cancer risk. Boonrawi demanded the Prime Minister and all relevant agencies launch integrated operations to investigate and arrest Chinese gray capital networks, prosecute, seize assets, and deport those involved, including influential figures behind them. He also called for strict controls on toxic imports and distribution to protect lives, property, and the environment, urging this be treated as a national agenda item because it affects all citizens, not just farmers, as carcinogens in soil could spread nationwide, turning Thailand into a cancer nation.