Thousands of gulf fishermen will rally their boats to block access to an oil refinery this evening to demand compensation from the company responsible for two recent oil spills.
More than 2,000 people will take to the waters off the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in Rayong province to demand Star Petroleum Refining pay each of them THB360,000 (US$11,000) after they rejected a company settlement offer over two spills that damaged marine wildlife and local businesses. They plan to bar access by sea and land.
The total is based on the company paying them each THB1,000 per day for one year. Refinery compensation chief Wichai Chunhasomboon said it would only offer one-time payments of THB30,000 (US$920) to each fisherman.
As a result, the fishing groups demanded to talk with the company’s executives and warned that they would set blockade Rayong’s Pradu Bay.
The first oil spill first occurred in late January when an undersea pipeline burst offshore 20 kilometers southeast of Rayong, dumping 160,000 liters of crude into the gulf, damaging marine life and coral reefs.
Weeks later, another leak in the same area poured another 5,000 liters into the gulf, prompting the navy to help contain the situation.
As of February, it was reported that more than 8,000 people had been affected by the spills.
Star Petroleum promised to speed up payments, and many resort and restaurant owners and fishermen signed up for the compensation.
The company says it will take full responsibility to remove the oil from the gulf.
