Huge gold mine planned for Koh Phangan



KOH PHANGAN: -- On Tuesday morning officials announced that a massive gold reserve has been discovered not far from the surface in Koh Phangan.

Geologists, who originally came to the area working for an oil and gas company exploration into oil reserves in the Gulf five years ago, abandoned their posts after studying the type and formation of the rocks in the region.

gold mine in Koh PhanganThe team of five discovered the possibility of large gold reserves close to the site of the new airport, but found a far more exciting site in the south east of the island near the popular Haad Rin Beach. After five years of taking diamond drill core samples the geologists have been able to now pinpoint huge reserves of gold ore that will be extracted over the next five to ten years. Massive reserves of copper and tin are also expected to be extracted from the site.

Although the engineering company has yet to be named local authorities have estimated that around 35 tons of gold is expected to be extracted in a large open mine that will have dramatic consequences for tourism on the island due to the open pit mine planning to be dug. Open-pit mining differs greatly from extractive methods that require tunneling under the earth. Open-pit mines, often referred to as quarries are dug on benches, usually on four to six meter intervals that can go on for miles and can appear, once functional, as if a large meteorite has dropped into the area. The proposed mine in Phangan will cover the entire south east corner of the island wiping out a triangular area from Haad Yao to Baan Tai to Haad Rin.

A mine this size will effectively cease all tourism in the area, that to the south attracts thousands of people every month for the full moon party. A representative from the Ministry of Tourism and Spots told reporters that the five year gold extraction program will indeed have a great deal of impact on tourism in the area, however as part of the proposed clean up of the area the cancellation of the Haad Rin full moon party comes as a welcome relief. “The party has become a hot spot for crime and drugs and recently has been associated with a great deal of gun violence, we think that abolishing this kind of tourism can only have a positive effect on island’s reputation” said a spokesperson for the TAT. He went on to say, “The north part of the island will remain unaffected during mining and we hope that people will still come and use the more natural facilities the island has to offer and we will be promoting health breaks, detox packages and spa retreats”. On the subject of totally removing the popular Full Moon Party he said “well, we will not be getting rid of it entirely we will find another venue on the island to celebrate the full moon but it will certainly not be along the lines of the drugs and alcohol fueled parties that we have right now but will take on a more earth loving theme with candles, chanting and we hope yoga.

But before the mining can even start Haad Rin will undergo a massive change as a deep sea port is created to bring in the machinery needed to mine the gold as well as move the massive reserves from the island. Plans are now afoot to use the dredging to create a natural bridge from Samui to Koh PHangan linking the two islands and removing the need for Koh Phangan to have its own airport, a project that has caused controversy in the past.

Being labeled the richest gold vein outside of South Africa this discovery will bring untold changes. “The mining will bring about a huge amount of employment for local people, in a far more healthy industry than flogging buckets of bad quality booze to drunken kids on a beach once a month” one of the founding geologists told reporters in Bangkok, “this amount of gold can bring in billions of baht in revenue, far more than a few tourists rolling around the beach can. We are delighted to have been instrumental in the last five years of undercover exploration and are happy that we have had a direct involvement in the changing face of the Southern Thai Islands”.

What the locals and residents make of this new future for Koh Phangan remains to be seen. Environmentalists have been calling action against oil rigs for years but no one expected any gold to be discovered at all. Another area of the planned mine that is yet to be confirmed is the acquisition of the land on the proposed site. Early indications suggest that an age old ‘compulsory land purchase order law’ will be used with owners being forced to accept government prices for their land, it is unsure if they there will be a clause that allows them to repurchase the land at the end of the mining period.

-- Samui Times 2015-04-01

Is that gold mine in the picture the Sunrise Dam Gold Mine in Australia?

I have heard they have also been drilling for anything valuaable on Koh Tao, but so far have just found local scum.

This is the end for tourism on Panghan,the dust and noise from blasting and operating the mine,moving huge amounts of heavy equipment around,will affect the whole island,they will basically turn the south east of the island into a giant hole,no doubt the full moon party will move to one of the quieter northern beaches,with the attended development that goes with it,wrecking this peacefull, area of the island,a great shame,that is it it ever gets of the ground{tit],this proposed land bridge to Samui,seems like a thing of fantasy,it would be one of the largest engineering projects in the world and cost billions.

What date is it?

555 Thailand as gold hub south east asia (c:}

Really!!!!

35 tons of gold is a good trade off for the possible likely destruction of the entire eco system around these islands. unfuckin believable

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by dcutman

I was told diamonds not gold ?

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Is that gold mine in the picture the Sunrise Dam Gold Mine in Australia?

Maybe an early picture of the super pit at Kalgoorlie.

Just been out to hang up some washing and discovered a money tree. Should take the weight off my ATM use.

Well. Pattaya attracts a lot of scum. If all the goldiggers were to rush to Koh Phangan, I wouldn't mind ;-)

Unless it is being fast tracked by the Thai civil aviation department it should take up to 5 to 10 years , the drilling may be done but the treatment circuit, waste control, mining methods need to be thrashed out with company research and government authorization , the environment of this area should take precedence over anything else, that in itself should take a long time, it is not simply a straightforward procedure, from discovery to production in a country with due diligence it would take up to 10 years, the local people must have a say in the project whether they are in favour or not , along with training and employment. In mitigation and hind sight , it should be up and running by the end of the year or Easter 2016 at the latest.

Nigh swan!

NEWS FLASH

Tod Hoffman & Parker Schnabel spotted on Koh Phangan.

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by Basil B

If correct which is questionable due to today's date, whatever needs to be done to extract the ore, greed will dictate.

Think they already have started with that big factory platform – or whatever they have parked at the tip of Haad Rin – illuminated all night and seemed like hard working.

(Attached photo from today.)

Presume better go Full Moon Party on Friday night, as that may be the last one...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-pit_mining

What are these islands made from limestone, granite? Gold don't think so.

Anyway interesting news for the April 1.

Surely if they turn the island into a vast open pit mine it will become buoyant and float off on the tides?

Is it April already..?

Unless it is being fast tracked by the Thai civil aviation department it should take up to 5 to 10 years , the drilling may be done but the treatment circuit, waste control, mining methods need to be thrashed out with company research and government authorization , the environment of this area should take precedence over anything else, that in itself should take a long time, it is not simply a straightforward procedure, from discovery to production in a country with due diligence it would take up to 10 years, the local people must have a say in the project whether they are in favour or not , along with training and employment. In mitigation and hind sight , it should be up and running by the end of the year or Easter 2016 at the latest.

it will not much preparation, they will use the stone and rocks, which not contains minearals

for the natural bridge from Samui to KPG;

So no deponie needed,

and all other waste, the mining will be just on shore line,

sw just drop in the sea !

Will have superb effect that KPG will get the land back, which recent

were mwasured by land office in Samui and missed;

So thias project will have only good side effects,

beside ot that that fool moon parties will be renamed to

1st April parties !! 555555555555555

Cows will be jumping over the moon, next full moon party....

Come and watch that happen too!

and this ship KhunPer and I saw today, is dropping off the first excavating crew....

Edited April 1, 201511 yr by samuijimmy

April 1st ??

I am sure that the island's career gold diggers have long ago pocketed all the treasure that was there to get.

April 1st ??

Shhh. I want to hear more from the dummies.

If it's true the elephant and tiger disapear earlier then the expected 25 years wwf told

Years ago waiting in haaad rin peer students come to me and told about a planing oil platform , and want signature from tourists to bring in protests

Fantastic. Thailand will be rich at last. Let us rejoice. Thanks strip miner tycoons!

I imagine the same was said when Thailand approved development of their offshore oil and gas reserves. Seems that has actually proved beneficial to the country. Why is everyone so against Thailand developing and producing their natural resources? Is this not what all countries do?

Cows will be jumping over the moon, next full moon party....

Come and watch that happen too!

and this ship KhunPer and I saw today, is dropping off the first excavating crew....

–Yeah, but it left Haad Rin so fast, that it was way out before I got the steam heated up on my old camera – or maybe that is the second ship in my horizon...

My friends at Lomprayah says, they don’t mine – they are now already fully booked months ahead and can even charge overweight from passengers with gold mining accessories...

Even the Full Moon Party may turn into being a real gold mine when officially changing name to Full Klondyke Party – and then the infamous birds from the beer bars may become real gold diggers...