Villagers near gold mine seek police help

The Nation 23 September 2013

Residents of six villages in Baan Khao Lueng of Loei's Wang Saphung district called on the government yesterday to maintain peace and order after a group of some 20 armed and camouflaged men destroyed a barrier set up to protect the communities from the

“We demand that police bring the perpetrators to justice,” the residents said in a statement.

The villagers, calling themselves the Love Homeland Group, said in the statement that the firm, which has been in the area since 2006, had its mining operation suspended due to its adverse impact on the environment and the potentially fatal health hazard it posed to villagers.

Since the firm entered the area, villagers have also been pitted against one another, and have even taken their dispute to court, the statement said.

The firm was fined in 2007 after water sources were found to be contaminated.

In 2010, the governor led villagers in inspecting the dyke, and discovered leaks and traces of cyanide outside it. However nothing had been done about the health danger to villagers and the contamination of not just the water but also the soil and vegetables, they said.

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