rooster59 Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Measures needed for sea tragedy to lead to plastic clean-up By The Nation Ornvipa Rumroy The sea tragedy of Marium, the beloved orphaned female baby dugong of Thailand that died from eating plastic, reveals the awkward truth about the serious threat of ocean debris. The orphaned dugong was found by marine biologists in April in southern Thailand. She became an internet star after her caretakers released videos of her nuzzling up to human babysitters. A little later, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources had to post on their Facebook page that Marium was sick and refusing food. She died as August 17 began, aged eight months. An autopsy revealed that pieces of plastic blocked the young mammal’s intestines, which later became inflamed and caused gas in her digestive system, followed by blood infection and lung abscesses, which caused shock leading to death. Dugongs are listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List, as their population continues a slide caused by environmental threats including pollution, habitat destruction, fishing nets and hunting. After the death of Marium, officials announced a “Marium Project” with the goal of reducing ocean plastic in order to conserve the remaining dugong population in Thailand. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on August 20 called on all Thais to help the government achieve its goal of keeping the seas clean of plastic. “I regret not having visited Mariam as I heard her condition [after being washed ashore in late April] was improving, but then she fell sick,” the Prime Minister said. “It’s a real pity that Mariam’s stomach was found filled with plastic, which is the kind of garbage that takes 450 years to disintegrate.” Thon Thamrongnawasawat, the vice dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University, posted on his personal Facebook that he will propose that August 17 be declared Dugong Day in remembrance of Marium and to raise awareness of pollution in Thai waters. The Marium Project aimed to increase the dugong population by 50 per cent within a decade to 375 dugongs from the current estimated 275. Thorn said that 90 per cent of dugong deaths were caused by fishing gear. This project will become active first around Libong island and later expand to 11 other dugong habitats that boast abundant seagrass growth, including Phra Thong island, the Prasae River delta and Bandon Bay He said during a live Facebook interview with Suthichai Yoon that the national government already has the proper tools available, including a marine protected area law. The regulators just need more staff to be able to address the problems in all dugong habitats. Thorn suggested the government should focus on speeding up their measure to ban single-use plastic, which Prayut said would be in place for 2022. By the end of this year, Thailand will be free from producing three types of plastic – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastics – and from four other types of single-use plastics by 2022, under the Plastic Waste Management Road Map 2018-2030. While the government has begun efforts to raise awareness among Thai people, the private sector has launched promotion campaigns to decrease plastic waste and debris in Thailand. Nanyang Industry company cooperated with Trash hero – a sea waste-collecting volunteer group – to promote the KHYA project that uses sea debris, especially plastic and old shoes, as the key component of flip-fops. Recycled KHYA flip-fops use 5 kilograms of sea debris per pair. That campaign will end on August 23, with the company expecting approximately 200 pre-ordered purchases, which will decrease sea waste by about 1 tonne. As well, SCG Chemical has donated 20 garbage-collecting buoys to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources. The buoys will be installed in 13 provinces including Phetchaburi, Rayong, Samut Songkhram, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phang Nga, and Phuket for the pilot sea debris collecting project. However, after the announcement of the “Marium Project”, another dugong body was found in Krabi a day later – the 16th dead dugong found on the Andaman coast. Despite the beauty of Thailand’s sea, which attracts tourists from all over the world, this is the world’s sixth-largest contributor of plastic waste flowing to the oceans – at more than 1 million tonnes yearly. According to a Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment report, most marine waste comes from tourist areas and includes plastic water bottles, glass bottles and foam food containers. That is followed by fishery waste such as rope and nets, along with other kinds of waste such as plastic bags, water lids and cigarettes butts. There is also waste from various activities involving individual, household or industrial actions. These wastes are released into various waterways, from canals to rivers, and end up in the oceans. The huge volume of debris from Thailand highlights the poor waste management and environmental protection measures now in place. Inefficient waste management is the result of a series of causes acting together. Some say the biggest problem is people’s lack of awareness, resulting in 1.1 kilograms of waste being generated every day by each person in Thailand as they choose single-use plastics instead of bringing their own containers. Most plastic containers are made of non-degradable plastic which takes more than 450 years to break down. Some Thai people don’t see any personal benefit in household waste management and recycling, which is reflected in the lack of sorting of waste before it is put out. The majority of people still consider littering as the easiest way to get rid of waste. Moreover, the government’s lack of legal measures to reduce the amount of waste produced, such as prohibiting the use of plastic bags or putting a plastics tax on the manufacture and import of plastic packaging. Achieving a sustainable solution requires the cooperation of many parties. The solution includes a systems approach in order to change attitudes and behaviours at the individual level, such as improving sorting of household waste and using reusable containers to avoid throwing away plastic. Increasing the public’s awareness of the need to reduce and avoid using plastic is an approach to problem-solving that digs to the root of the problem. Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30375292 -- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-24 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazar Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Lazy dirty selfish Thais ( as we're in Thailand) is the cause with zero education and its not going to change anytime soon, local villagers couldnt give a <deleted> about where their rubbish goes and until the govt takes it seriously with large fines ( enforced) and down to head of village level nothing will change. Then on top of that they have to build places to deal with the <deleted> + make sure EVERY village has a rubbish collection service which mine only got about 2 years ago................even then some of the villagers refuse to pay the paltry 20 baht a month and still burn their junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazar Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 8 minutes ago, rooster59 said: horn said that 90 per cent of dugong deaths were caused by fishing gear. Thats your biggest killer and whilst your at it tell the "fishermen" to stop throwing their <deleted> everywhere also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardColeman Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 16 minutes ago, rooster59 said: Hate to think what the hospital have just removed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chazar Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 54 minutes ago, RichardColeman said: Hate to think what the hospital have just removed ! Well we know it wasn't grey matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 1 hour ago, rooster59 said: Some Thai people don’t see any personal benefit in household waste management and recycling, which is reflected in the lack of sorting of waste before it is put out. The majority of people still consider littering as the easiest way to get rid of waste. I'm glad this had been written by a Thai, so there's no chance of any claims of Thai-bashing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justgrazing Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 1 hour ago, rooster59 said: Recycled KHYA flip-fops use 5 kilograms of sea debris per pair. Blimey 5kg .. They sound more like diving boots than frip-frops .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Just now, Justgrazing said: Blimey 5kg .. They sound more like diving boots than frip-frops .. Perhaps just normal katoey size feet (only from what I've heard of course). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombat Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 1 minute ago, wombat said: Aw naw! We don't have to report to immigration with them do we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xonax Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 We can only blame the government of Thailand, who are not building proper waste and recycling plants. It doesnt help a hoot, to ask people to take action, when their garbage ends up in the same landfill anyway, only to be washed ashore by the next heavy rainfall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotchilli Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 4 hours ago, rooster59 said: Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on August 20 called on all Thais to help the government achieve its goal of keeping the seas clean of plastic. The people will do "diddly squat" about plastic use while it's available.... he has the power to change things! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowboat Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Throwing trash in the water is like a sport in Thailand. They have over crowded jails and a trash collecting problem. Civilized governments offer inmates for two days of work, one day knocked off your sentence. This is really embarrassing. “I regret not having visited Mariam....." A missed photo op, and I have an aqua marine colored suit just like this one that would have been perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadperfect Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Easy fix i got this one. Just ban thai fishing industry and the entire coast will once again be pristine. These fisherman are real trash dumpers. I see it every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotchilli Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 20 hours ago, rooster59 said: Measures needed for sea tragedy to lead to plastic clean-up Seems to be the only way to wake up officials to the reality of things is for a tragedy to happen.. but then we all know pro-activeness takes intelligence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AhFarangJa Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 I know I am repeating myself, and apologies for that, but one of the biggest problems I see is the greedy oil and plastic industry who seem to control so much. There are dozens of eco friendly sustainable products out there to replace plastic, Corn, Seaweed, Cassava, to name but three. These products are totally degradable, and can even be consumed by animals without any harm. Production of these could help farmers, provide jobs in manufacture, etc. However, and this is where the real problem lays, it will affect the profits of the oil giants and their cronies. Thailand is banning the plastic seal on bottles, a start at least, but why are we not going back to the old days of paper straws, wood spoons and forks, bamboo chopsticks, brown paper grocery bags, the list is endless. I despair sometimes at the type of planet we are going to leave to our descendants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 3 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said: I know I am repeating myself, and apologies for that, but one of the biggest problems I see is the greedy oil and plastic industry who seem to control so much. There are dozens of eco friendly sustainable products out there to replace plastic, Corn, Seaweed, Cassava, to name but three. These products are totally degradable, and can even be consumed by animals without any harm. Production of these could help farmers, provide jobs in manufacture, etc. However, and this is where the real problem lays, it will affect the profits of the oil giants and their cronies. Thailand is banning the plastic seal on bottles, a start at least, but why are we not going back to the old days of paper straws, wood spoons and forks, bamboo chopsticks, brown paper grocery bags, the list is endless. I despair sometimes at the type of planet we are going to leave to our descendants. Absolutely agree. I too have posted numerous video clips showing how cassava is being used to manufacture bags, instead of plastic. India appears to be getting into it in a big way, even Uganda is doing the same. I'm sure Thais wouldn't want to appear to 'lose face' to an African country - I only say that in the dim hope someone may be spurred on to do the same here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boonrawdcnx Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Sad that it took the death of a “Fish” as a Thai friend of mine called it - but Yeah let’s clean up the beaches and the sea because some dugong died - but never mind the millions of tourists who bring in billions who had to put up with filthy polluted water and beaches since years! One sometimes really wonders who sets the priorities in this country that gets weirder and weirder by the day! Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesofa Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 6 minutes ago, boonrawdcnx said: Sad that it took the death of a “Fish” as a Thai friend of mine called it - but Yeah let’s clean up the beaches and the sea because some dugong died - but never mind the millions of tourists who bring in billions who had to put up with filthy polluted water and beaches since years! One sometimes really wonders who sets the priorities in this country that gets weirder and weirder by the day! The priorities are: lip service and looking good for a photo opportunity. End. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargeezr Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Every year I have spent time in Pattaya, it seems that they have a general garbage issue. When that city gets serious with its garbage pickup, I will start to have a bit of hope that Garbage and plastic pollution will get dealt with better. Geezer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaZa9 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 On 8/24/2019 at 12:20 PM, Chazar said: Thats your biggest killer and whilst your at it tell the "fishermen" to stop throwing their <deleted> everywhere also. The fishermen and boat crews in Phuket are appalling polluters. Not only do they throw overboard every container they use , they dump paint pots and used engine oil , thousands of metres of line , from filament to hawser to net that gathers up and drowns turtles and wildlife....every broken float and basket and styrofoam broken box is tossed overboard. But worst of all - they pee in plastic bottles and toss them in as well. And it all ends on the beaches and in the mangroves... dozens a day , and nobody wants to pick them up and/or empty them. Even more difficult to comprehend , is when the tour boat crews jetison all those single shot plastic water cups - thousands a day ! These guys , constantly referred to as 'stakeholders' who are assumed to have a vested interest in a healthy sea ( and dont appear to really give a toss about it ) , need immediate and comprehensive re-education and they need it now ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mok199 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 The mindlessness shamelessness and lack of integrity leads to the action of a plastic bag, into another plastic bag ,yet another ...without a second thought..absolutely no guilt .I doubt their is another nation that abuses plastics on this level with this lack of careing..pathetic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luk AJ Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 The mindlessness shamelessness and lack of integrity leads to the action of a plastic bag, into another plastic bag ,yet another ...without a second thought..absolutely no guilt .I doubt their is another nation that abuses plastics on this level with this lack of careing..patheticIn my opinion, there is nothing wrong by using plastic bags,but it is wrong to throw them in the water. There are different options to recycle plastic. Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mok199 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 45 minutes ago, luk AJ said: In my opinion, there is nothing wrong by using plastic bags,but it is wrong to throw them in the water. There are different options to recycle plastic. Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app Not ''single use'' plastic ,used by street food vendors ,everyday, each thai mindlessly uses 8-10 single use plastic bags/day...this .must stop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youlike Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Thailand better deals with this issue asap before the EU will tell them to do it or stop buying fish from them. Just look at what they're doing to Brasil right now to stop the fires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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