KHON RAK BAN KERD GROUP
Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group (KRBKG), which translates as “People who love their home”, is a community-based group working to address environmental rights violations arising from the negative impacts of the open-pit copper-gold mine in Thailand’s Loei province..[1]
Judicial harassment against members of the Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group[edit]
2016[edit]
Tungkum Limited (TKL), a subsidiary of mining company and property developer Tongkah Harbour Public Company Limited[2], filed a civil defamation lawsuit in 2016 against six KRBKG members[3]. The six core KRBKG members are living in communities near the open-pit copper-gold mine where Tungkum operated and erected signs last year at the Na Nong Bong village entrance gate and along the main road in the village, calling for the closure of the controversial mine and rehabilitation of the local environment.[4] On March 10, the company dropped a separate criminal defamation complaint against Mr. Suraphan Rujichaiwat, who was accused of harming the company’s reputation by posting on Facebook a petition letter demanding an investigation into the legality of the mining concession and the transport of ore from the mine site.[5]
On March 30, 2016, the Loei Provincial Court dismissed the mining company's civil defamation lawsuit brought by the mining company. Tungkum Ltd. was seeking 50 million Thai Baht (EUR 1,274,000) in compensation from the six KRBKG members for alleged damage to the company’s reputation.[6] Tungkum has brought at least 19 criminal and civil lawsuits against 33 members of the KRBKG and other villagers in the past seven years, including the case dismissed on MArch 30th, 2016. Through these lawsuits, the company has sought a total of 320 million Thai Baht (EUR 8,156,000) from villagers who opposed the mine.[7]
2017[edit]
In July 2017, after leading local residents in demonstrating against a Tambon Administrative Organisation (TAO) meeting held to authorize the use of national preserved-forest land and Agricultural Land Reform Office land for gold mining, seven female KRBKG members were sued for allegedly violating the Public Assembly Act and disrupting the officers’ work in an official place. Loei’s Provincial Office of Attorney approved a lawsuit against Wiron Rujichaiwat, Lamplern Ruangrit, Mon Khunna, Pornthip Hongchai, Ranong Kongsaen, Bunraeng Srithong and Suphat Khunna for violation of the Act, on the grounds that they led the protest against Khao Luang TAO’s meeting on May 16 and caused it to be cancelled[8]
On 19 April 2018, the Loei Provincial Court acquitted the seven women human rights defenders.[9] The court dismissed all allegations against the defendants, arguing that the activists' gathering could not be considered protest since they were invited to the TAO meeting. On the accusation about threatening a member of the Khao Luang Administrative Organisation, while the court was given conflicting testimonies by witnesses, but the court ruled that the activists had calmly participated in the meeting and there was no sign of an intention to cause violence.[10]
References[edit]
- ↑ Front Line Defenders https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/khon-rak-ban-kerd-group. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Tongkah Harbour Public Company Limited". 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ↑ "Thailand: Judicial harassment against members of the Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group for opposing gold mine / March 31, 2016 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT". www.omct.org. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ↑ Ibid
- ↑ "Judicial harassment against members of the Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group". Worldwide Movement for Human Rights (in français). Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ↑ "Thailand: Judicial harassment against members of the Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group for opposing gold mine / March 31, 2016 / Urgent Interventions / Human rights defenders / OMCT". www.omct.org. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ↑ "Judicial harassment against members of the Khon Rak Ban Kerd Group". Worldwide Movement for Human Rights (in français). Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ↑ "Seven female activists sued after leading protest against Loei gold-mining plan - The Nation". The Nation. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- ↑ Front Line Defenders https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/environmental-rights-group-charged-holding-peaceful-gathering-against-mining-activities. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Court acquits seven female activists in case over campaign against gold mining company - The Nation". The Nation. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
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