Thai court orders suspension of 76 industrial projects

BANGKOK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - A Thai court on Tuesday ordered 76 industrial projects to temporarily suspend operations for an investigation into whether they operated legally at the nation's largest industrial estate.

The Central Administrative Court order followed complaints from environmental groups and locals against the state agencies and several ministers for failing to properly issue operating licences at the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate.

Companies operating there included top energy firm PTT PTT.BK, including PTT Chemical PTTC.BK, PTT Aromatics and Refinery PTTAR.BK, Siam Cement SCC.BK, Thailand's top industrial conglomerate, and utility Glow Energy GLOW.BK.

The value of the 76 projects is estimated at 330 billion baht ($9.8 billion), said an official at the state-run Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), one of eight defendants.

Under the latest constitution announced in 2007, companies must receive environmental impact assessment (EIA) and health impact assessment (HIA) approval for new industrial projects which could be harmful to people and the community.

Before 2007, industrial plants needed only EIA approval at Map Ta Phut in the eastern province of Rayong. Most companies complied with EIA rules but failed to abide by HIA requirements because the government had not yet set up an independent organisation to oversee the health impact, the IEAT said.

The IEAT official said it was considering filing a petition to the court. (Reporting by Khettiya Jittapong and Wilawan Pongpitak; editing by Jason Szep)