"Govt prepares to defend gold mine" 31 December 2017

THE GOVERNMENT has appointed a legal team to defend the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s suspension of an Australian-owned gold mining operation in the northern province of Phichit before a proposed international arbitration committee.

The suspension order was issued…on the grounds that the operation had caused environmental and health problems to residents in the area. Australia’s Kingsgate Consolidated, which owns Akara Resources, later accused the Thai government of violating the Thai-Australia Free Trade Agreement for failing to follow the proper procedure when it shut down the gold mine.

However, Pasu Lahachun, permanent secretary of the Industry Ministry, said the order was lawful and legitimate because it was aimed at protecting the environment and residents’ quality of life and was in accordance with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

…The Thai government still hoped the conflict would be resolved in an amicable way if Kingsgate Consolidated abided by Thai laws on environmental and public health protection.