Mill has permit pulled for forest fire

Employee arrested over Lampang blaze

The Royal Forest Department yesterday cancelled a permit given to a stone quarry in Lampang province after one of its employees was arrested for starting a fire which ravaged 109 rai of forest over the weekend.

The move is the first time the department has revoked a permit as a result of a forest fire, according to Cheewapap Cheewatham, director of the Forest Protection and Fire Control Bureau.

“Our investigation confirmed that the company was involved in an action which damaged the forest which is a breach of the agreement signed in exchange for use on the land,” Mr Cheewapap told media about the decision in relation to Silasin stone crushing mill.

The mill operator Silason had received a permit from the department allowing it to use 14 rai of public forest in Mae Ta district.

However, the department’s investigation confirmed that a fire over the weekend that extended over 95 rai of adjacent national forest reserve had begun on land where the mill was located.

A 68-year-old security guard working at the mill was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of starting the blaze outside his cottage which is situated within the mill’s grounds.

The man was quoted as telling local officials that he was attempting to clear weeds from the area around his home, which is outside the forest reserve, but the fire burned out of control.

He was charged with violating the

National Forest Act. If found guilty, he faces a jail term of 1-10 years and a fine of 20,000-200,000 baht.

The Silasin stone crushing mill is one of 61 such mills in Lampang province that now operate on 48,213 rai of land.

Mr Cheewapap said permit revocation will now be imposed on any operators in the area found to have caused forest fires.

They will also be required to cover the costs of extinguishing the blaze and remedying the ecological damage caused, he added.

Meanwhile, a fire in the Khao Bantad mountain range located on the ThaiCambodia border in Laem Klat in Trat province that has been raging since last Wednesday, is still showing no signs of dying out, according to local authorities.

The fire is said to have begun in a forest where landmines are believed to have been laid, making it harder for firefighters to extinguish the flames.

In Prachin Buri province another fire continues to burn in an area of Khao Yai National Park and which has so far destroyed 500 rai of forest.

That blaze began in a bamboo forest on Friday.