The gold mine operated by Tungkum Limited (TKL), received the operational licence in 2006. Villagers in the Na Nong Bong community in Loei province live less than 2.5 kilometers from the mine. Since 2006 they have filed complaints against the mine's license in the attempts to mitigate the contamination of their villages. The gold mine was accused of poisoning the villagers’ |
Loei villagers fight to stop the operation of Tungkum Ltd. gold mine; they built walls to block the road and denounced the contamination of water and land with cyanide, arsenic, and mercury
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Loei gold mine, Thailand |
| Country: | Thailand |
| State or province: | Loei Province |
| Location of conflict: | Wang Saphung district |
| Accuracy of location | MEDIUM (Regional level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Mineral Ores and Building Materials Extraction |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Mineral processing Mineral ore exploration Land acquisition conflicts |
| Specific commodities: | Gold |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | Gold mine operated by Tungkum Ltd. (TKL), a subsidiary of Tongkah Harbour PCL. |
| Project area: | 207 |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 3,000-4,000 |
| Start of the conflict: | 2006 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Tungkum Limited (TKL) from Thailand |
| Relevant government actors: | The Ministery of Health Wang Samphung District Officer Abhisit administration Gobernet cabinet resolution |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Network of Lecturers and Students for Society and the Environment Environmental activist group Ecological Alert and Recovery — Thailand (EARTH). http://earththailand.org/en/ International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/thailand/ Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group (KRBKG): a community-based group committed People Who Love Their Hometown (PWLTH): Na Nong Bong anti-mining group CIEE: Khon Kaen’s Development and Globalization The Human Rights Law Center for Society Servicios Universitarios Y Redes de Conocimientos en Oaxaca A.C. (SURCO) |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Indigenous groups or traditional communities International ejos Local ejos Women Na Nong Bong Community |
| Forms of mobilization: | Artistic and creative actions (eg guerilla theatre, murals) Blockades Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Creation of alternative reports/knowledge Development of alternative proposals Involvement of national and international NGOs Media based activism/alternative media Public campaigns Street protest/marches Children’s choir and singing songs about the story of the community and whay they are fighting for. The lyrics said ”The food is ours, we will protect our village, because we love our home”. They said “we want the mine to be shut down and the land restored” “we want to see this village have its old way of life back” |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Air pollution, Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Noise pollution, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Mine tailing spills Potential: Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Food insecurity (crop damage) |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Other environmental related diseases |
| Other Health impacts | There is a cyanide, arsenic, and mercury in people's blood |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Loss of livelihood, Specific impacts on women, Violations of human rights, Loss of landscape/sense of place, Increase in violence and crime Potential: Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures |
Outcome
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Criminalization of activists Court decision (victory for environmental justice) Strengthening of participation The expansion of mine licenses in the province was stopped |
| Development of alternatives: | To create a new law that includes people participation in order to determine their own future (villages/local people future) |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | The expansion of licenses in the province were paralized by the goverment and the mine operation was stopped. However the social, economical and environmental negative impacts of its operations continued in the area. The military have pressured the villagers not to make any move concerning the mine and environmental issues. "The military invoked martial law to force the villagers to stop a planned activity to raise environmental concerns. The military also confiscated a stereo belonging to the villagers"[9]. |
Sources & Materials
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Links to general newspaper articles, blogs or other websites |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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Meta information
| Contributor: | SM (ICTA-UAB) and Carros de Combate |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
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