Thai villagers protest against idea for girl to apologize to gold-mining firm

[webfact]

LAWSUIT
Villagers protest against idea for girl to apologise to mining firm
Visarut Sankham
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- ABOUT 40 villagers gathered yesterday to show their support for a schoolgirl who was reportedly asked by a school director to apologise to a gold-mining firm that is threatening to sue her and the school.

The villagers gathered in Srisongkram Wittaya School in Loei's Wang Saphung district and defended the schoolgirl by tagging themselves with her nickname: "I am Ploy".

The director of Srisongkram Wittaya School, Jirasak Chaichanasap, told The Nation yesterday the villagers met at the school because they didn't want Ploy to apologise to the company.

The 15-year-old received a summons after the gold mining firm decided to file a libel suit against her in response to her appearance on a TV programme called "Citizen reporting" on Thai-PBS.

Jirasak said he received a call from the mining firm's law consultant on Monday, asking for the school to talk with the girl about her situation. He believed if the girl talked to the company, there would be a possibility for it to withdraw complaints against her.

"I didn't say or force the girl to apologise to the company, and I have no idea where the media came up with the word 'apologise'," he said.

The school director said he had told the villagers he would not get involved in the case anymore.

Meanwhile, the legal consultant for the gold mining company, who talked with the school director on Monday, told The Nation the call was their only one. The company believed the girl herself was not experienced enough to deliver a media message which included technical terms beyond her knowledge.

He said villagers had told him there were activists arranging a workshop or learning camp near the site and he thought they may have had a connection with the girl.

He said the company didn't want to sue the girl, it just wanted her to tell the truth about what had happened.

Patcharee Ritpro, the girl's class teacher, said the girl had not shown up for roll call yesterday. Many other students were also absent from New Year celebration events.

Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, a lawyer and coordinator from the Community Resource Centre, said the girl had been summonsed to present herself today but the court order was cancelled by police, who wanted more time to investigate the sensitive case.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Villagers-protest-against-idea-for-girl-to-apologi-30275876.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-30

[lujanit]

He said the company didn't want to sue the girl, it just wanted her to tell the truth about what had happened.

BS This about money versus no money

[shirtless]

What a joke Thailand is you cannot speak even if its the truth

[Bluespunk]

"He said the company didn't want to sue the girl, it just wanted her to tell the truth about what had happened."

The telling of the truth is the reason you are suing her.

You don't want the truth, you want convenient lies.

You want to silence debate and cover up the truth.

[z42]

If this isn't reason enough to ditch the defamation laws, or at the very least amend them, then I really don't know what is. It seems the only person who has told anything resembling the truth in this whole sorry situation is the 15 year old. It says a great deal about the integrity of the 'adults' involved here, especially their morality and ability to determine right from wrong

[Plutojames88]

Too late .

I have rang Australian Talk back about these A holes ...and share holders are going to be informed too.

Dragging these creeps over the coals will be a great pleasure.

The rotten creeps.

Picking on a child .

And we all know the facts on the matter.

The hopes are enough publicity will drive down their market value .

We're the story untrue its still bad going after a child.

But as its true it reeks of coward ness and is insidious .

I will go stick signs on the Thai embassy in Sydney too and call reporters to show up.

Filthy scum bags

Boycott the place

[NongKhaiKid]

How dare you say we are at fault even if we are as we are somebodies, you are a nobody so you should apologise to us.

[JAG]

How dare you say we are at fault even if we are as we are somebodies, you are a nobody so you should apologise to us.

A mindset, which is effectively driving the way in which those in power, untrammeled by any need to answer to the people, or anyone other than their own peers, are destroying the fabric of this lovely country.

The Khmer Rouge destroyed a society through ruthless ideology.I sometimes find myself wandering if the "elites" here are on track to achieve much the same result, through their greed and their obsession with "face"

[soalbundy]

This company knows no shame

[klauskunkel]

The company believed the girl herself was not experienced enough to deliver a media message which included technical terms beyond her knowledge.

she said: I used to swim in the river, but can't anymore.

which is extremely technical and beyond her experience.

[Acharn]

What a joke Thailand is you cannot speak even if its the truth

You can, you just have to have enough money to defend yourself in court. Truth is a defense against accusation of defamation (libel). Yes, under Thai law truth is a defense. The problem is you have to have resources to attend court and pay lawyers for years while the case wends its way slowly, slowly through the initial trial and the twenty appeals that follow. The mining company has plenty of money to spend on courts. The villagers, especially a high school girl, not so much. However, this situation exists in the United States just as much as it does here. I don't know enough to comment about other countries, but would expect them to be the same.

[Acharn]

How dare you say we are at fault even if we are as we are somebodies, you are a nobody so you should apologise to us.

A mindset, which is effectively driving the way in which those in power, untrammeled by any need to answer to the people, or anyone other than their own peers, are destroying the fabric of this lovely country.

The Khmer Rouge destroyed a society through ruthless ideology.I sometimes find myself wandering if the "elites" here are on track to achieve much the same result, through their greed and their obsession with "face"

Excuse me, but the Khmer Rouge destroyed a society through hitting people on the head with a mattock when they didn't have enough bullets to do the job. Note, too, it was not only Khmer Rouge cadres who did the ghastly work.

[AlQaholic]

Thai logic dictates following regarding defamation:

If you speak ill of an entity publicly you are making an act of defamation. If what you speak is true, then it is even a more serious act of defamation, because of the simple reason that it is true, thus causing even more damage to the damaged party (the defamed)......

[CWMcMurray]

Good thing the defamation laws are so strong ... Otherwise how would huge multi-million dollar corporations ever be able to protect themselves from evil school girls..

[farmerjo]

Too late .

I have rang Australian Talk back about these A holes ...and share holders are going to be informed too.

Dragging these creeps over the coals will be a great pleasure.

The rotten creeps.

Picking on a child .

And we all know the facts on the matter.

The hopes are enough publicity will drive down their market value .

We're the story untrue its still bad going after a child.

But as its true it reeks of coward ness and is insidious .

I will go stick signs on the Thai embassy in Sydney too and call reporters to show up.

Filthy scum bags

Boycott the place

I admire your passion for some thing your not sure of whether is true or untrue.

[JOC]

They (the miners) should be ashamed to use a child in a game about money!!

Dictatorial behavior is gripping the country.....................Wonder why??

[soalbundy]

She could always turn this around,

'' I sincerely apologize for exposing the fact that you are polluting our village''

[aRobotnamedWAR]

DISGUSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIme to act thailand. ... they are not the government so you can do what you will. just fyi. think of it like the Human Search Engine. some things taste yummy when served cold.

[stickylies]

Thai learn in school: Person or entity BIG = shut mouth and subdue, smile, Wai, lick @$$, shiver, fear.

That girl bad! No play feudal game. No respect mediaeval Thai customs. She no know place in mediaeval society. She no good vely vely.

[ggt]

This just keeps getting for disgusting! Has anyone who does not work for the mining company...a qualified person...checked the damn water to see if it is indeed polluted?

Is this not what all the fuss is about? Forget the girl and check the water...this is a no-brainer...

A new low for stupidity...if that is possible...

[exalll]

Why do the media avoid naming the company? They name the school, the school's director, the girl's teacher. Obviously they should refrain from naming the girl because she is a minor, but the company's name ... ???

[Cpkt8]

With the power of media coverage and public protecting the girl, the truth will surface soon.

This didn't just happen in Thailand. Every part of the world. Rich and powerful vs poor and helpless.

[waldroj]

The miner against the minor!

Assuming they are not polluters (as alleged), what could have been a very positive PR coup for Thung Kham Ltd has turned into their worst nightmare.

Rather than proving to young Ploy that her accusations were incorrect, they instead chose to put everyone offside through their pathetic legal action.

The damage has now been done (to TKL's reputation), so the young activist should spare herself any further anguish and simply provide the token face-saving apology that TKL seem to be demanding.

Beyond that, the authorities need to take a particular interest in TKL's activities.

[oneday]

"...believed the girl herself was not experienced enough to deliver a media message which included technical terms beyond her knowledge..."

Patronizing turds. I bet she is more intelligent that all the officials at that mining company.

[JAG]

How dare you say we are at fault even if we are as we are somebodies, you are a nobody so you should apologise to us.

A mindset, which is effectively driving the way in which those in power, untrammeled by any need to answer to the people, or anyone other than their own peers, are destroying the fabric of this lovely country.

The Khmer Rouge destroyed a society through ruthless ideology.I sometimes find myself wandering if the "elites" here are on track to achieve much the same result, through their greed and their obsession with "face"

Excuse me, but the Khmer Rouge destroyed a society through hitting people on the head with a mattock when they didn't have enough bullets to do the job. Note, too, it was not only Khmer Rouge cadres who did the ghastly work.

I'm not disputing that. The result of their actions, driven by their ruthless ideology, is the parrallel I wonder about.

[thatguy]

http://www.prachatai.com/english/node/4461 (new mining act)

[MaxLee]

Those greedy mining companies would go over dead bodies, child or not,......

[billphillips]

"He said the company didn't want to sue the girl, it just wanted her to tell the truth about what had happened."

The telling of the truth is the reason you are suing her.

You don't want the truth, you want convenient lies.

You want to silence debate and cover up the truth.

I agree, it certainly seems that they want to silence the girl ... and warn off others!

[Krataiboy]

Are the three wise monkeys now running Thailand? Evil everywhere, but heaven help anyone seeing or hearing it who dares to speak about it.

If anybody is in need of attitude adjustment it is not the mass media, university students or a 15-year-old with the guts to express her outrage, but those corrupt and craven individuals and organisations seeking to defend the utterly indefensible.

[Krataiboy]

Are the three wise monkeys now running Thailand? Evil is all around, yet everyone is supposed not to see or hear it - and certainly not let on if they do.

If anyone needs "attitude adjustment" it is not university students, journalists or a 15-year-old child with the guts to speak her mind, but those individuals and organisations which seek to defend the indefensible.