A number of communities are preparing to take legal action against the cabinet in the wake of its approval late last year of a master plan for mining activity in the country, which they claim will destroy their living habitats and the environment.
Chutamas Srihattapadungkit, coordinator of the Project for Public Policy on Mineral Resources (PPM), said mining has become a challenging issue in many communities living near resource exploitation zones.
They have lodged complaints with civil society groups to highlight the risk of severe impacts on people’s health and the environment after the government approved the second edition of its mining activity master plan last November.
Ms Chutamas said the administration of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has a clear policy to promote and support potash mining in the northeastern region, especially in Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Sakon Nakhon and Udon Thani.
The region is regarded as the country’s major source of minerals for potash, which is used for making fertiliser. Rock mining is also a concern because limestone mountains are significant sources of water to feed farms, she said.
“If our environment is to be made better, it should not have any mining activity,” she said. “We are now collecting information to file a complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court, demanding the withdrawal of this mining zone from the plan,” she said.
The petition is expected to be filed with the court this month.
Pranom Somwong, from Protection International, said the mining plan goes against the government’s policy of building a low-carbon economy and its global commitment to save the world from warming temperatures.
Supaporn Malailoy, from the Enlaw Thai Foundation, said living in a clean environment is a basic right for all human beings.
The government should ensure people can live in areas without a deteriorating environment or activity that is harmful to their health, he said.
