Academics urge Cabinet to reconsider ‘damaging’ draft plans for national minerals management

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation

 

 

A group of academics has urged the Cabinet to reconsider the draft national minerals management plans on the grounds that they contain many serious flaws, which they argue would cause wide-ranging damage to the country and citizens.

 

The Academics and People Network for Human Rights and Natural Resources Protection handed in a petition to the Cabinet and the prime minister at Government House on Tuesday, requesting reconsideration of the 20-year minerals management strategy and minerals management masterplan, which have already been approved by national minerals management policy committee and passed on to the Cabinet for consideration.

 

The petition – signed by 88 persons – highlights that the strategy and master plan are unlawful, lack proper public participation, and intentionally provide too much benefit for the mining companies, with the group warning that the overall plan would cause major damage to the people and the country if implemented.

 

According to the petition, these plans violate Articles 16 and 17 of the Minerals Act that require a database and survey of potential mining areas, which includes public participation, before drafting a master plan.

 

Moreover, the group points out that the draft plan also contains exceptions enabling the mining companies to not have to follow Articles 188 and 189 of the Act, with the exemption allowing them to open a mine without designating a buffer zone.

 

The petition also warns that when combining the minerals management masterplans with the new Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Bill, mine operators would be allowed to skip many necessary procedures, including environmental impact assessment and public participation for opening or expanding a mine, and that this would increase conflict in society and harm the interests of the people and the nation.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30334313

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-19

All the things they accused Kingsgate of before they closed their mine.

preparing for the oncoming battle

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A group of academics has urged the Cabinet to reconsider the draft national minerals management plans on the grounds that they contain many serious flaws,

variant of inmates running the asylum;

smart people are excluded from having a hand in crafting current govt policies 

No mention of the most important part of the plan. Confiscate all mines that are foreign

owned once they have built the infrastructure needed to make the mine profitable.

Then sell it for pennies on the dollar to friends and family.  

Edited December 20, 20178 yr by Ulic

On 12/19/2017 at 5:48 PM, snoop1130 said:

the strategy and master plan are unlawful, lack proper public participation, and intentionally provide too much benefit for the mining companies, with the group warning that the overall plan would cause major damage to the people and the country if implemented.

And least of all, unconstitutional:

• Section 43 A person and a community shall enjoy the right (2) to manage, maintain and utilize natural resources, environment, and biodiversity in a balanced and sustainable manner according to the procedure prescribed by law.
• Section 50 A person shall have the following duties: (8) to cooperate and support the conservation and protection of environment, natural resources, biodiversity, and cultural heritage
• Section 57 The State shall; (2) conserve, protect, maintain, restore, manage, and utilize or arrange for utilization of natural resources, environment, and biodiversity to attain benefits in a balanced and sustainable manner and shall allow the people and communities in the concerned localities to participate in and benefit from the implementation herein described as required by the law.

But as we've seen, Prayut isn't one to worry about constitutions.