Akara suffers setback in bid for new mine

PHETCHABUN: A sub-committee on the prevention of deforestation yesterday refused to consider a request by Akara Resources Pcl, a gold mining firm currently in a legal dispute with the government over alleged pollution caused by its operations, to conduct further limestone mining in the province.

The sub-committee deferment was based on a decision to comply with order 72/2559 issued previously by the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

The NCPO suspended Akara Resources’ gold mining operations in Phichit on Jan 1, 2017, and ordered officials to stop renewing and issuing licences for gold ore exploration and gold mining following public concerns over health and environmental issues.

In its latest request, Akara Resources sought permission for limestone rock mining operations on four tracts of forest land in Wang Pong district covering more than 170 rai.

A well-informed source said provincial governor Suebsak Iamwicharn, his legal advisers and the provincial prosecutors discussed the matter and concluded that the NCPO’s order is equal to the law and thus provincial authorities are not authorised to consider the request.

These officials deemed the deferment an appropriate course of action considering the ongoing legal dispute between the gold mining firm and the government.

Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd, the parent company of Akara Resources Pcl, started arbitration under the Australia-Thailand Free Trade Agreement to recover losses it claims to have suffered after the government suspended its gold mining operation.