Supreme Court orders lead mine firm to pay 36 million baht to Karen people in lower Klity creek community

[webfact]

Supreme Court orders lead mine firm to pay 36 million baht to Karen people in lower Klity creek community

By Thai PBS

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Supreme Court today upheld the sentence of the Appeals Court to order Lead Concentrate (Thailand) Co Ltd to pay 151 residents of lower Klity Karen community in Kanchanaburi province for guilty in contaminating their water supply stream that caused severe threat to environment and health.

 

The final verdict was rejoiced by a group of 14 representatives of the lower Klity creek community who came to the court room to hear the case which they brought up against the lead mine operator in October 2007 after suffering from the lead contamination.

 

Earlier in 2012, the Appeals Court ruled the company guilty and ordered it to pay compensation amounted to 36 million baht to the 151 residents affected, plus a 7.5% interest counting from 2003 when the case was first filed with the court.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/supreme-court-orders-lead-mine-firm-pay-36-million-baht-karen-people-lower-klity-creek-community/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2017-09-11

[bangrak]

36 million? Is this a joke? ...Divided among 151 plaintiffs, all the other villagers who were scared off from complaining are not sick and get 'nada'... And what about the huge damage caused to the environment? Or did the Thai instances responsible for the environment not consider this as a just cause and didn't file any complaint...? Bah, don't worry, this is about Karens and their kids being affected by saturnism, they're not really Thais anyway, want some more go-ood water from the river to drink boys and girls...?

Edited September 11, 2017 by bangrak

[inThailand]

Ordered to pay and actually getting paid are two different things. Let's see what happens.

 

 

[johng]

"Saturnism" had to look that up,almost as ancient as the Klity Creek case.

[webfact]

Kanchanaburi locals win Bt36m in decade-long mine pollution battle

By Supoj Kaewkasee 
Pumipong Jongsakun 
Yossaran Suphan 
The Nation

 

 

More than 150 people living near a now-deserted mine in Kanchanaburi province have won a decade-long battle against the mining firm.

 

The Supreme Court’s Environmental Division on Monday upheld the verdict in favour of the 151 plaintiffs suing Lead Concentrates (Thailand) Co. Ltd. for violating environmental laws. 

 

Due to the violation, the environment around the Klity Village has been polluted harming locals.

 

“The firm is ordered to pay Bt36.05 million in compensation to the plaintiffs. The annual interest rate of 7.5 per cent applies from the date this lawsuit is filed with the court,” Surapong Kongchantuk from the Lawyers Council of Thailand said. “The court also requires the firm to rehabilitate the polluted Klity Creek.” 

 

The lawsuit was filed with the court on October 19, 2007, after locals living near the creek saw clear adverse impacts from the mining operations that started in their hometown in 1967.

 

Initially, locals demanded Bt1 billion in compensation. However, they were content with the court’s ruling. 

 

“What we care most about is the rehabilitation of the Klity Creek,” Yaser Nasuansuwan said. 

 

Pinan Chotirosseranee, who heads Kanchanaburi’s women’s group, said she was happy after hearing the verdict. 

 

“We have been fighting against the pollution by the firm alongside locals for 19 years already. We hope the court ruling today will set a precedent in other pollution cases,” she said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30326393

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-11

[plachon]

This is a rare good news story on the Thai environment, at least in so far as the judgment and award of damages goes. That it should have taken this long to get the courts to decide on what was clearly negligence by the company when I first read about this case over 19 years ago, is of course deplorable, but it does open up some avenues of hope to other communities fighting similar battles across Thailand that it is worth persisting through the legal system and a measure of delayed justice can be found.

Now begins the battle of actually extracting the  damages from Lead Concentrates Co Ltd., which hopefully won't go bankrupt before the villagers receive the 36 M baht. 

[RichardColeman]

you just know a unscrupulous solicitor is about to leave with the wadded 36m baht cash suitcase

[nickcar]

36 million at 7.5% interest for nearly 15 years? Hmmm,

[William C F Pierce]

1 hour ago, nickcar said:

36 million at 7.5% interest for nearly 15 years? Hmmm,

With compound interest per year thats 114.5 Million Baht. About time Hill Tribes were treated as fairly as other Thai Citizens.

[bangrak]

32 minutes ago, William C F Pierce said:

With compound interest per year thats 114.5 Million Baht. About time Hill Tribes were treated as fairly as other Thai Citizens.

'As fairly as' which, alas, is still very far from 'fair' compared to rulings in 1st world countries in such dramatic environmental court cases..., and, your 'as fairly as other Thai citizens' could make one believe the (so-called) 'Thais' consider the members of Hill Tribes as some of their own, what is quite far from the truth of facts, alas again...

[bangrak]

'Funny', or rather, very, sad, IMO, such a topic does not attract more interest from TV readers, while some quite vain stuff does create storms here... Difference of values, I guess...

[bangrak]

6 hours ago, johng said:

"Saturnism" had to look that up,almost as ancient as the Klity Creek case.

Much older, and the reason why lead piping was, very, very, slowly replaced (costs money, you know, who cares about 'people'), in 1st world countries where there was a 'running water' network, after it was established that the consumption of lead particles absorbed while drinking (or cooking with) that water caused a disease, with irreversible consequences, named: saturnism. A huge and long fight it was to come to that point, with 'the usual suspects' (money, money) able to brake it off for many years...

[worgeordie]

The celebrations might be a bit premature,better to wait until they have

the actual money in their hand, the mining company could fold tomorrow.

 

regards worgeordie

[Thechook]

16 hours ago, bangrak said:

36 million? Is this a joke? ...Divided among 151 plaintiffs, all the other villagers who were scared off from complaining are not sick and get 'nada'... And what about the huge damage caused to the environment? Or did the Thai instances responsible for the environment not consider this as a just cause and didn't file any complaint...? Bah, don't worry, this is about Karens and their kids being affected by saturnism, they're not really Thais anyway, want some more go-ood water from the river to drink boys and girls...?

Plus 7.5% interest on the 36 mil over ten years.  The lawyers will probably take the major chunk of pie anyway.