BANGKOK, 19 September 2019: Thailand foremost expert on marine conservation, Dr Thon Thamrongnawasawat, posted on Tuesday a damning photo of plastic pollution at a national park beach in Thailand.
A leading authority on marine conservation, Dr Thon spearheaded the campaign that closed Maya Beach to commercial tourism. The beach, which remains closed, is making a miraculous recovery. The bay will remain closed until at least 2021.
His latest Facebook Page post shows plastic trash piled high on a Thai beach. He said the photo came from personnel at a national marine park in Thailand.
“They were close to tears when they investigated the scene and took this photo, he explained to his Facebook friends.
Within hours the photo generated more than 14,000 comments prompting the university professor to call on all “Thais to act before the damage to the environment was irreversible.”
A deputy dean of Kasetsart University he noted: “Thailand is now shamed as the sixth-worst ocean polluter on the planet.”
Commenting on the photo, he said “this tragic image shows how we are destroying the ecosystem, and this will continue with plastic entering the food chain and becoming more severe issues every day.
“Lots of plastic junk accumulated in the sea for many years returns on the tide and the wind to hurt us,” he explained. “Please hurry up and create a Miracle”.
