Baan Chang Residents Battle for Rezoning

November 3, 2012

Many families in a Baan Chang industrial area are protesting a zoning change in their district from an industrial to a residential designation. A businessman wanted to buy their properties but then changed his mind. Residents want to escape the pollution and noise from nearby factories, but now feel trapped.

RAYONG-November 2, 2012[PDN]; a big group of Baan Chang residents met with authorities to protest a recent zoning change that will prevent them from selling their house lots to an interested business developer.

At the protest meeting were people from 23 local families living in the area of Asia Baan Chang industrial estate. They created a petition to oppose the city plan and joined together to make their case to the Eastern Industrial Estate.

Acting as the spokesperson for the agitated residents was Mr. Peera Phansathien, age 53, address 94/6 Moo 1 Amphur Baan Chang, Rayong province. The residents submitted the petition to Mrs. Sujin Pileuk, Assistant Administrator of Thailand Industrial Estate, who served as chairman of the meeting

The residents were complaining about the new rezoning by the city at the Eastern Industrial Estate. They are all individual landowners of their properties in the industrial zone, designated with a “violet” color coding. However, the new zoning changed their district into a “green” color, or a residential district that does not allow industrial businesses.

The residents said they want to sell their land to a business entrepreneur in the industrial estate, because they can no longer tolerate the noise, smell and air pollution from adjacent factories.

But the rezoning to a green district means their land is no longer desirable for the businessman, since he will not be able to use it for industrial purposes. The residents are petitioning to have the zoning restored back to its former designation, and are ready to fight further for justice.

Mr. Peera Phansathien said his affected fellow residents collectively own land totaling approximately 400 rais in area of Asia Baan Chang industrial estate. The people want to sell their land to the industrial business entrepreneur because they cannot endure so much ongoing pollution any more. But now they cannot sell it because the city plan has changed their zoning from a violet area to a green area.

“We have to request to get the previous city plan back, because if the city plan is the green area, there will be the forbidding in doing business on the land,” Mr. Peera said. “So we would like the related officers to revise about the direct impact to the people — and if they don’t do anything, we will fight further to get our rights back.”