Nation Thailand
Thai court orders blackchin tilapia containment to continue
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The Central Administrative Court on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) ordered fisheries authorities to continue containing the spread of blackchin tilapia and directed the interior minister to have Samut Songkhram declared a disaster area so affected communities can receive relief funding more quickly.
Key facts
- The disaster declaration would not extend to other affected provinces because the court found that the 54 plaintiffs neither lived nor worked in those areas.
- S.14/2567, brought against 18 state agencies, committees and officials
- Community representative Panya Tokthong previously said residents began finding the fish in Samut Songkhram’s canals, rivers and ponds in 2012, with the damage worsening in 2016 and 2017.
- The outbreak drew parliamentary scrutiny in 2024
- Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), which farmers have accused of causing the infestation and named in their civil lawsuit, acknowledged importing 2,000 blackchin tilapia from Ghana in December 2010 for research in Samut Songkhram
- CPF has said the research project ended in January 2011 after the fish became weak and died, and that all remaining stock was destroyed
Summary
The disaster declaration would not extend to other affected provinces because the court found that the 54 plaintiffs neither lived nor worked in those areas.
Lawyers representing the residents said they were preparing to appeal that restriction. The judgment is not yet final.