Gold miner goes ahead with legal action against schoolgirl, 15

The company’s official, who asked not to be named, told The Nation by phone yesterday that the case against the schoolgirl was still at the preliminary stage.
The company still needs permission from the Loei centre as well as opinions from other people. This case will require a lot of processes, but the media might be overreacting, he said.
In a statement on Tuesday, ThaiPBS urged the company to review its lawsuit against the girl. Thung Kham had already sued the TV station and other figures for compensation of some Bt50 million and a five-year ban, so the station called on it not to drag the girl into the dispute.
The station said it would cover the legal expenses for the girl if she were taken to court.
Thung Kham, which operates a gold mine in Loei’s Wang Saphung district, has been seeking permission from the centre to seek justice from Mathayom 4 student Wanpen Khunna.
Since the law requires those wishing to file a criminal complaint against a minor to obtain permission from a juvenile observation and protection centre first, the company on November 27 sought permission from the Loei centre.
The Loei centre summoned Wanpen and her parents for questioning on December 21 to determine if there were grounds for the firm to go after her legally.
Wanpen joined ThaiPBS’s camp from August 28-30, when she helped with the production of the TV report, which aired on September 1.