Akra's employees seek clarity
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The employees of Akra Resources and its contractors, numbering about 6,000, submitted a petition to the Department of Primary Industries and Mines, seeking clarity on the postponement of a public hearing originally scheduled for today.
The employees referred to the department's letter to Phichit governor that ordered the postponement of the hearing on gold mining policy due to the opposition of a "significant number of people".
The employees said they were concerned that the postponement would result in a delay in a mining license to Akra, which owns Chatree mine in the province, and hence jeopardising their jobs. They insisted that they were residents living around the mine who were confident of the mine's safety regulations. They questioned if the opponents were really living around the mine.
They also urged the department to urgently hold a public hearing on the issue in three provinces - Phichit, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun.
