Gold mine site faces probe

PHICHIT: The industry and health ministries have set up a joint committee to investigate the environment near a controversial gold mine and the health problems affecting people who live nearby.

The committee has been instructed to report directly to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang yesterday inspected the gold mine, operated by Akara Resources Plc, and nearby communities.

She said there were two groups of people in the area — those who supported the mine and those who opposed it.

They supplied different information about the mine’s operations and the impact on the communities nearby, she said.

As a result, the two ministries will have to study the causes of any problems, particularly environmental and health issues, and all facets of the mine’s operations.

The committee will be jointly chaired by the permanent secretaries of the two ministries and members will include experts from the Science and Technology Ministry and officials from the Interior Ministry.

The study is expected to be finished in one month and the findings submitted to Gen Prayut for further action, Ms Atchaka said.

During her visit to communities in the Khao Jed Luk district, she was met by about 200 locals who oppose the mine and handed a petition.

Suekanya Teerachartdamrong, a representative of the group, said the petition asked Ms Atchaka to arrange the relocation of affected people. The villagers also requested the mining operator be held responsible for the cost.

They also asked the government declare the affected areas around the mine a disaster zone and launch a rehabilitation programme.

Ms Suekanya told the minister the villagers wanted a representative on the joint committee.

Last November, Rangsit University and the Central Institute of Forensic Science examined 730 villagers living near the mine and found more than half had high levels of arsenic and manganese in their blood.

Pakorn Sukhum, Akara Resources’s chief executive officer, said the company was managing the mine correctly and transparently under the law and mining regulations.

He said the mine did not discharge waste or toxic substances into the environment.