Anti Gold Mine Villagers Demand for the Rehabilitation

EARTH 27 January 2017

BANGKOK: Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group visited the National Human Rights Commission Office to petition on the rehabilitation of the gold mine, and also appeal the Administrative Court on the case of withdrawal of Prathanabat.

In the morning at 9.00 am, Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group visited the National Human Rights Commission Office to petition on the rehabilitation of the gold mine. This follows the pursuant to the Announcement of the National Council for Peace and Order, which declared the suspension of gold mining operation and to implement the rehabilitation in 2017.

Subsequently at 10.00 am, Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group also visited the Administrative Court to appeal on the issue of the withdrawal of Prathanabat (mining license) of Thung Kham Company No. 26971/15558, 26972/15559, 26968/15574, 26969/15575 and 26970/15576, and also the withdrawal of metallurgical-processing license No.1/2552, and the renewal of the metallurgical-processing license No.1/2555 of Thung Kham Company.

This is the case that Mr Sarawut Promsopha and 588 villagers are the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit against Minister of Industry, the Director-General of the Department of Primary Industries and Mines, and Tungkum Company, a gold mine operator.

The villagers believe that the granting of these licenses did not comply with the law, and once the licenses were granted, its operations also did not comply with the law and have caused impacts to environment and communities. Therefore, these licenses must be revoked by concerned state agencies.

The villagers have filed the case to the Administrative Court since 2013 after the tailings dam of the mine collapsed in 2012, and subsequently the Department of Primary Industries and mines ordered the mining closure for rehabilitation for several months.

However, on 28 December 2016, the Administrative Court has dismissed the lawsuit, citing that the granting of these licenses has complied with the law, and the impacts cannot be proved that are resulted from the mining operation.

At that time, Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group were disappointed by the verdict and they come to make an appeal to the Court today.

Read more from Thai news:
- Thai PBS 27 January 2017 https://news.thaipbs.or.th/content/259848
- Prachatai 28 January 2017 www.prachatai.com/journal/2017/01/69807

Photo by Prachatai (www.prachatai.com)

Follow the villagers' movement at เหมืองแร่ เมืองเลย V2