Bangkok Post
Container test finds no traces of toxic cargo
Investigators could start looking inside
Tests for radioactive substances in sea sponge samples taken from a cargo container found on the seabed off Chon Buri's Sattahip district have returned negative results.
The results suggest it is probably safe to open the container to see if there are human skeletons inside as suspected.
The tests were implemented by the Justice Ministry team investigating the containers.
The sea sponge samples were tested by the Office of Atoms for Peace in response to concerns the container - and others in surrounding waters - might be filled with toxic substances that could cause serious damage if opened.
The tests found no radioactive substances, Thai News Agency quoted Central Institute of Forensic Science director Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan as saying.
The samples were taken from a container dropped into the sea off Juang island in tambon Samaesarn. Divers found it on May 15 after local fishermen reported to authorities they had discovered containers in the area and also human skulls.
Their discovery prompted families of those who disappeared during the 1992 Black May bloody street protests to call for the containers to be investigated to see if they contain human remains of the missing protesters.
Earlier tests of the sponge on the first container revealed it had been in the water about 20 years, or before the protests demanding the resignation of then prime minister Suchinda Kraprayoon.
The government decided not to open the container until it has enough information from experts to ensure the researchers' safety.
The Pollution Control Department has opposed opening it under water as it fears hazardous chemicals inside could damage the marine environment.
Khunying Porntip said the team had found the container's base was made of rotted wood, which made a safe salvage impractical.
The best option would be to insert a device equipped with a camera into the container to see what it was holding, she said.
Container could be opened in June
Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) director Porntip Rojanasunan said she will send a report on the process of unlocking the 3m x 6m cargo container on the seabed off Chon Buri's Sattahip district to Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga on Monday.
Human remains were reportedly found along the container, and many victims of the Black May 1992 were rumoured to be inside it.Dr Porntip said the task was not easy since the container was buried deep in the seabed, and it would require many divers and tools which would be provided by the Royal Thai Navy.
She said private companies also offered to provide underwater cameras and other gears for this operation.
"It can be carried out in June if everything goes according to plan," the CIFS chief said.
Officials were also checking whether human skulls and other objects can pass through the hole found in the container, she said.
Bangkok Post
Dept fights to stop opening of container
Toxic contamination of environment feared
The Pollution Control Department is opposing attempts to open at sea a mysterious container many believe contains the skeletons of victims of the 1992 Black May uprising.
The department is worried the container could contain toxic chemicals which could cause serious damage to the surrounding environment.
The authorities will decide today what to do with the container.
Department chief Supat Wangwongwatana yesterday insisted the container should be hauled from the sea and inspected on land.
If the container does contain toxic waste or dangerous chemicals, legal action would be taken against the wrongdoers under the Basel Convention, which prohibits the transboundary discharge of toxic waste, he said.
The department's files show there have been six cases of toxic waste dumped on Thai territory since 2001, mostly from Britain, the Netherlands and Japan. Most of the waste comprised tyres, batteries and electronic goods. All had been returned to the country of origin.
The container was located on Friday off Juang island in the Samaesarn area of Sattahip district, Chon Buri. Local fishermen say there are up to seven containers lying in nearby waters.
Central Institute of Forensic Science director Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, who is in charge of the investigating team, said officials would make a final decision today on whether to go ahead with an investigation into the suspicious container and its cargo.
She said the container would not be salvaged because of the high cost. Other means were being looked at to remove public doubts about what is inside.
"The Justice Ministry will work with the Customs Department and other agencies concerned to find the best solution," she said.
Marine experts say the coral found near the container on Friday was about 20 years old.
This would appear to bring into question the speculation that dead victims of the 1992 Black May crackdown on protesters opposing the unelected prime ministership of Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon were stored inside the containers. It added weight to the theory that the container was dumped into the sea by a ship.
Before the container was discovered, fishermen claimed to have found skulls and other human bones in the area.
Marine expert Thorn Thamrongnawasawat, an adviser to the investigating team, said it was important to clear up the public's doubts.
"Our main purpose is to find out what is inside," Mr Thorn said.
"We have a lot of equipment and technology so we can use it to get the answer. If it is chemical waste, another challenge for the country is how to prevent this kind of problem. How can we save our marine territory from illegal waste discharge?"
He suggested a hole be drilled in the side of the container small enough to prevent any chemical discharge but big enough for a computer-guided cameras to be passed into the container to take photos.
Port Authority of Thailand director-general Sunida Skulratana aid the agency was checking whether the container was among those with chemical waste that were denied entry into Thailand over the past 20 to 30 years.
The May Heroes Relatives Group has lobbied the government to open the container to find out what is inside.
Group leader Adul Khieoboriboon yesterday led 20 members to army headquarters to ask army chief Anupong Paojinda to find the people who disappeared during the Black May uprising.
The bloodshed took place when demonstrators took to the streets in Bangkok to oppose Gen Suchinda and his government.
Gen Suchinda also wants the government to examine the container to end rumours of skeletons of demonstrators killed during the military crackdown being hidden inside.
"We have found a hole in the container through which groupers swim in and out," Central Institute of Forensic Science director Porntip Rojanasunan revealed yesterday.
Skulls discovered
She said she would today have a meeting with representatives from the Customs Department, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), marine archaeologists and noted marine biologist Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat to discuss possible means of checking what's inside the container and where the container came from.
"Representatives from underwatercamera companies will attend the meeting too," Porntip said. Porntip has been assigned to investigate the containers after rumours spread that the bodies of those who died in the Black May incident were inside. Chon Buri's Samaesan district chief Pramote Towsakul said local people had in the past discovered human skulls in sunken containers but were too scared to report to the police.
Porntip's team has already located one of the containers. After examining the size of the barnacles attached to the container, officials say it has probably been on the seabed for more than 20 years.
This prompted Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to point out that the mysterious container could not be related to the Black May incident, which took place 17 years ago.
In 1992, prodemocracy street protesters in Bangkok faced a violent crackdown from which many never reāļturned home.
Port Authority of Thailand acting director Sunida Sakulrattana said her agency was poring over old files to identify a company found carrying containers of industrial waste into Thailand's seas about two or three decades ago.
"Officials turned a ship away for carrying industrial waste into Thailand without permission. Now, we have to find out whether the ship secretly dropped the containers on its way out," Sunida said.
Customs Department director general Utid Tamwatin said if officials could see the serial number of the container, they would be able to identify its contents and origin.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Committee of the May 1992 Heroes' Relatives, Adul Khiewboriboon, has submitted a letter urging the army to return the remains of protesters.
He said three generals should know where the remains are located. "The three generals were involved in the Black May incident. They should know the answer."
The sea's secrets
The public is anxiously waiting to hear what is inside mysterious containers found on the seabed off Chon Buri's Sattahip district.
So far, rumours include:
The remains of prodemocracy protesters killed during the Black May incident 17 years ago
The remains of humantrafficking victims
Toxic or industrial waste
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