Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday conceded that the environmental crisis is an urgent agenda as Thailand must not hesitate to set up a management system to cope with to prevent eroded confidence among investors and the world community.

The premier made his statement when presiding at the signing ceremony of the memorandum of agreement on cooperation in tackling the environmental crisis in industrial areas.

Participants included the natural resources and environment minister, the industry minister, the education minister, the science and technology minister, the Federation of Thai Industries president, and the president of the Thai Professional Association in the United States and Canada.

Mr Abhisit said many communities had a negative attitude toward industrial development and growth.

“If all concerned parties join hands to prepare an approach to manage the environment and pollution systematically by adopting clean technology, I’m confident industry will play a key role in driving the country’s economic growth,” he said.

The premier said the investment suspensions in the Mab Ta Phut Industrial Estate due to a failure by many industrial operators to comply with the environmental protection regulation are of the public interest.

The government had stepped up efforts to addressing the problem as it believed the case would be a good lesson used to cope with other problems in the future, he added.

News item courtesy of www.mcot.net/EnglishNews