Pattaya’s Koh Larn Island restaurant didn’t dump food waste, still gets fined

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Deputy Pattaya Mayors Ronakit Ekasingh and Manote Nongyai together with city officials inspect the spot where restaurant employees were caught on CCT camera dumping waste water into the sea.

Workers at a Koh Larn restaurant caught on video supposedly dumping food waste into the sea were, in fact, only pouring out fish-tank water, their employer said.

Apinan Chungreung, owner of the unidentified restaurant, said March 8 that the workers who poured out liquid from a 100-liter bucket were disposing of water from the tank where live blue crabs are kept on display. The water must be changed daily.

Thai internet warriors went into overdrive earlier when a video clip of the employees dumping the water went viral with unsubstantiated claims it was food waste.


Apinan Chanrueng (3rd left) admitted to the officials that his staff dumped waste water from a crab tank into the sea and said he was sorry. Health officials slapped him with a 2000 baht fine.

However, Apinan admitted the water was especially dirty as it did not get changed on time because the restaurant was so busy over the holidays.

Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome said March 8 that he had dispatched relevant authorities to track down the four workers and cite the restaurant for illegal dumping.

The Pattaya Public Health Department still fined the restaurant 2,000 baht for pouring out dirty water.

Apinan said he was sorry people got so upset after believing everything on Facebook was true.

Deputy Pattaya Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh inspected the restaurant and points to the water tank from which the dirty water was dumped into the sea.


The CCTV video clip showing the restaurant employees carrying a drum of dirty water to be dumped into the sea.