PM takes full responsibility for Phichit’s Chatree gold mine decision

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha told the cabinet that he accepts sole responsibility and consequences for his decision to close down the Chatree gold mine in central Phichit province about three years ago. Phichit is located in central Thailand.

A cabinet source says the Industry Ministry briefed the cabinet on the arbitration process launched by Australian Kingsgate Consolidated, the parent company of Akara Resources. Ankara is the concessionaire of gold mining operations in Thailand under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement.

The Industry Ministry’s report proposed four options to settle the dispute: pay compensation to Akara for the closure and the end of mining operations, accept Akara’s proposal which might help reduce the amount of compensation, wait for a ruling from the arbitration panel and comply, or pay partial compensation and allow Akara to continue mining.

The source says most cabinet ministers disagreed with allowing the company to resume mining, but couldn’t decide on any of the proposed options. After an inconclusive discussion, the PM told the cabinet he would need time to consider the issue, but announced that he will take sole responsibility because he’s handled the case from the start.

The National Council for Peace and Order, led by the PM since 2014, issued an executive order to close gold mine on December 31, 2016, following protests from locals and environmental groups claiming that waste water discharged from the mine had poisoned the environment, affecting their health.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World