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Hearing on gold mines delayed
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION

VILLAGERS SAY TALKS JUST A FORMALITY THAT ALLOW MINING FIRMS TO EXPLOIT THEM

BANGKOK: -- THE PRIMARY Industries and Mines Department (DPIM) has postponed a public hearing on gold mines' concessions in 12 provinces because it says local communities still have insufficient information.

The original date for the public hearing was September 15 at Phichit's Tambon Khaojedluk Administrative Organisation and the second public hearing was intended to be at Lop Buri's Tambon Khok Tum Administrative Organisation on September 18.

They were to hear local opinions on the next round of gold mine concessions in 12 provinces - Pichit, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok, Lop Buri, Loei, Nakhon Sawan, Sara Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Surat Thani, Sa Kaew and Satun.

However, the new official letter from DPIM released on Tuesday announced a delay of the two public hearings until further notice.

DPIM Strategy Administration Division chief Wisanu Tubtieng said this delay announcement was mainly because of massive public opposition to the gold mine concession.

Wisanu said the public hearings were the third step to passing the concession proposal to the Cabinet, while the academics forum and operators' forum on the concessions had already passed successfully, the public hearing forum faced many objections from locals because they did not know the details.

"The information dissemination was done poorly on the local level. We let the Tambon Administrative

Organisations in the area of the gold mine proposal inform locals about the concessions, but we don't know how well each Tambon Administrative Organisation publicised the information," he said.

"Hence, public hearings have to be stalled until we improve communication with the locals."

The locals and academics said the public hearing processes were ugly and just a formality to allow mining companies to exploit the country's natural resources freely. They were not really listening to the peoples' voices.

Thiwa Tang-on from Chanthaburi stated that he had just realised his province was included in the 12 provinces on the next gold mine concession proposal earlier this month.

They only had a chance to discuss with other locals about the concession plan on Monday.

"We totally had no idea that the gold mine will operate in our province too, because we only heard the news about the gold mine from the Northern and North Eastern Region where the locals there were suffering from the gold mine pollution," Thiwa disclosed.

"We don't want the polluted mine to open in our province because Chanthaburi is based on agriculture and we don't want to suffer from the heavy metal leakage like in Phichit and Loei, so we are going to oppose the plan," he stated.

Mahasarakham University's environmental expert Chainarong Sretthachaua also pointed out that these public hearings were very ugly because the intention was to represent public voices in 12 provinces in just two forums. The people affected were not even invited to the hearings.

"These public hearings are just a stamp to pass the concession proposal, so they were held as quietly as possible and those who were to attend these forums were selected by the authorities," he said.

He said there were many lessons from cases where the people around the gold mine in Loei and Phichit suffered very much from the pollution. The authorities also turned a blind eye to their problems and further more suppressed the opposition in order to protect the gold mine interest.

"If the government really wanted to open the new gold mines, they should better solve the existing problems of the locals in Phichit and Loei, who were first to suffer from the gold mines," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Hearing-on-gold-mines-delayed-30268510.html


-- The Nation 2015-09-10

[BSJ]

There's a proposed gold mine on the hill above the village where I live. I am pretty sure that will bugger the water supply for the village and many of the farms close to the village. The villagers are not happy....and neither am I!

[FangFerang]

The delay was to make the public understand...(that their water will be poisoned, that people who protest the operations will be abused and threatened (like what happened just a couple months back))...and that the public will understand...

Or be sent to attitude adjustment camps.

"These public hearings are just a stamp to pass the concession proposal, so they were held as quietly as possible and those who were to attend these forums were selected by the authorities," he said.

I do not expect any comments from the junta cheerleaders -- like many stories, they have no words to stand by that can account for these events. Ahhhh....blissful intentional ignorance....the smug hiding place of hypocrites, sycophants, and lackeys worldwide. I can smell the history!

Edited September 10, 2015 by FangFerang

[chainarong]

One thing you don't want is the green tape along with the red tape stifling mining and indeed putting out false information, however the mining companies have a duty of care to the villagers and to assist them for improved services to their villages and this should include, but not confined to , better water supply , sewerage, environmental and power , they need not think that they can rip the guts out of everything and do nothing for the surrounding villagers, their community involvement is required.

[Balance]

"We don't want the polluted mine to open in our province because Chanthaburi is based on agriculture and we don't want to suffer from the heavy metal leakage like in Phichit and Loei, so we are going to oppose the plan," he stated.

And, guess what, we get an indefinite postponement so they can figure out a way to pollute the rivers and perhaps the aquifer with impunity and "no blame to anyone." Someone needs to put this travesty in the middle of the PM's desk with a glass of cyanide poisoned water. This is one issue that should be front and center. If the people running this strip mining operation don't know how to do it without poisoning everything in site then it should not be done; leave the gold in the ground. If they simply don't want to do what needs doing in difference to the bottom line, lock them all up for a year and then throw them out of the country, permanently.

[robblok]

The delay was to make the public understand...(that their water will be poisoned, that people who protest the operations will be abused and threatened (like what happened just a couple months back))...and that the public will understand...

Or be sent to attitude adjustment camps.

"These public hearings are just a stamp to pass the concession proposal, so they were held as quietly as possible and those who were to attend these forums were selected by the authorities," he said.

I do not expect any comments from the junta cheerleaders -- like many stories, they have no words to stand by that can account for these events. Ahhhh....blissful intentional ignorance....the smug hiding place of hypocrites, sycophants, and lackeys worldwide. I can smell the history!

I support the junta and find it as bad as you... You support the redshirts does that mean you supported the killing of the children too ?

Or is it possible that supporting a side without agreeing to everything they do ?