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Thailand probes multinational nominees for illegal e-waste imports

Thailand probes multinational nominees for illegal e-waste imports

Prachachat•Economy•28m ago

Reader Briefing

The Thai government is integrating five ministries to crack down on illegal electronic waste imports and the use of nominee companies to bypass laws.

  • •A committee chaired by Suphajee Suthumpun was appointed to integrate five ministries to solve the e-waste problem.
  • •Task forces inspected 752 out of 3,049 targeted factories between November 2-9, 2026, finding 375 in violation of the law.
  • •The Ministry of Industry is proposing a new Industrial Waste Management Act to increase penalties and establish an environmental fund.
  • •Authorities have shut down and revoked the license of an aluminum smelting plant in Chachoengsao for defying government orders.

Overview

  • •The government is targeting nominee companies used to smuggle electronic waste and industrial waste into Thailand via false declarations.
  • •Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Suphajee Suthumpun chairs a committee integrating the Ministries of Commerce, Finance, Natural Resources and Environment, Interior, and Industry.
  • •Between November 2-9, 2026, the Ministry of Industry inspected 752 factories, discovering 375 violations and issuing 470 administrative orders.
  • •The Ministry of Industry has ordered the immediate closure and license revocation of an aluminum smelting plant in Chachoengsao for violating official orders.
  • •Out of 350 e-waste management factories, 42 have been inspected, resulting in 25 administrative orders to stop violations and implement improvements.
  • •The Ministry of Industry aims to complete the inspection of all 3,049 factories by the end of 2026 or early 2027.
  • •Minister of Industry Varawut Silpa-archa and Permanent Secretary Passakorn Chairat are pushing for the Industrial Waste Management Act to close legal loopholes.
  • •The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is establishing criteria for importing scrap iron, aluminum, and copper to prevent hidden waste.

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Key Entities

Person

Suphajee Suthumpun(ศุภจี สุธรรมพันธุ์)ℹ️
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce who chairs the committee to solve electronic waste problems.
Varawut Silpa-archa(วราวุธ ศิลปอาชา)ℹ️
Minister of Industry who ordered the inspection of factories related to waste management.
Ponyot Klankrong(พรยศ กลั่นกรอง)
Director General of the Department of Industrial Works and secretary of the e-waste committee.
Raweewan Phuridej(รวีวรรณ ภูริเดช)
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Passakorn Chairat(ภาสกร ชัยรัตน์)
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry.

Organization

Ministry of Commerce(กระทรวงพาณิชย์)ℹ️
One of the five ministries integrated to solve the e-waste problem.
Ministry of Finance(กระทรวงการคลัง)ℹ️
One of the five ministries integrated to solve the e-waste problem.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment(กระทรวงทรัพยากรธรรมชาติและสิ่งแวดล้อม)ℹ️
One of the five ministries integrated to solve the e-waste problem and creator of the Traffy MNRE platform.
Ministry of Interior(กระทรวงมหาดไทย)ℹ️
One of the five ministries integrated to solve the e-waste problem.
Ministry of Industry(กระทรวงอุตสาหกรรม)ℹ️
One of the five ministries integrated to solve the e-waste problem, responsible for factory inspections.
Department of Industrial Works(กรมโรงงานอุตสาหกรรม)
The agency responsible for maintaining the list of factories and coordinating e-waste inspections.
Department of Special Investigation(กรมสอบสวนคดีพิเศษ)ℹ️
An agency coordinating with the Department of Industrial Works to prosecute special cases.
Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division(บก.ปทส.)
A police division coordinating with the Department of Industrial Works to prosecute offenders.

Place

Chachoengsao(ฉะเชิงเทรา)ℹ️
A pilot province where an aluminum smelting plant was closed and revoked.
Samut Prakan(สมุทรปราการ)ℹ️
A pilot province for factory inspections.
Rayong(ระยอง)ℹ️
A pilot province for factory inspections and waste monitoring.
Chonburi(ชลบุรี)ℹ️
An area in the East where task forces investigated pollution complaints.
Prachinburi(ปราจีนบุรี)ℹ️
An area in the East where task forces investigated pollution complaints.
Bangkok(กรุงเทพฯ)ℹ️
A region where factory inspections were conducted.

Law

Industrial Waste Management Act(พระราชบัญญัติจัดการกากอุตสาหกรรม พ.ศ. ....)
A draft law proposed to increase penalties and establish an environmental fund.

Policy

Traffy MNRE
A platform for receiving pollution and environmental complaints.