Despite the government's bravado about the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) being the country's economic powerhouse, one important question still gets an elusive answer: Has the EEC fulfilled its promise of protecting the environment?
The environmental concern is valid. Take the Eastern Seaboard, for example -- the location of heavy industry as well as the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate. It ranks as the country's oldest and largest petrochemical refinery hub yet it has witnessed a number of serious environmental concerns, such as air pollution, industrial waste and untreated wastewater.
