Wall blocking Loei mine to be demolished
Sopon Suwanrat, chief of Loei's Wang Saphung district, said yesterday that he had instructed Tambon Khao Luang Administration Organisation to demolish by Thursday a wall that protesters built on a road leading to the Thung Kham gold mine.
He said he had received an order from Loei governor, adding that the demolition job should be under the jurisdiction of the tambon administration organisation.
He said he had warned protest leaders that blocking a road was against the law and they should opt for other steps, such as taking the company to court. He said it would be ideal if the protesters demolished the wall themselves so they could escape punishment. Otherwise, the wall would be used as evidence of the protesters’ violation of law, which is punishable by six months in jail.
This is the third time that a wall has been built by the residents, who fear the mining and the company’s expansion plans will have a negative impact on them and the environment. The previous walls were demolished by an unknown group and then the mining company filed a lawsuit against 14 protest leaders for violating the firm’s rights by blocking the mine’s entrance.
Meanwhile, Samai Pakmee of the Rak Ban Kerd Group that led the protest yesterday confirmed that some 200 villagers had left for Bangkok on Sunday night and were planning to file a lawsuit at the Administrative Court.
They will sue four state agencies for negligence of duty in allowing the gold mine to affect local residents, Samai said.
