The government has banned the export of natural sand in order to help conserve the material for domestic industrial consumption.
According to Deputy Government Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek, the decision was reached during a recent Cabinet meeting on Tuesday (31 Jan), during which the Commerce Ministry’s draft regulation on that matter was approved.
The regulation has been deemed essential for improving sand export control measures. It effectively bans the export of sand classified by the Customs Department as type 25.05, which is used widely in the glass, mirror and ceramic industries. This type of sand is commonly found on beaches and coastal areas.
The new regulation, however, allows for the movement of sand not exceeding 2 kilograms for the purpose of collecting specimens and research material. It can also be used as ballast to balance ships and extinguish a fire on vessels in accordance with the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. (NNT)
