Mine controlled by Sydney-based Kingsgate Consolidated limited and located 280km north of Bangkok

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

An Australian-controlled gold mine in central Thailand is facing fresh accusations of polluting local water supplies with villagers demanding a new investigation into the mine’s operations.

The Akara (Chatree) mine is controlled by Sydney-based Kingsgate Consolidated limited and located 280km north of Bangkok.

The accusations follow earlier charges by locals over pollution from its operations.

In January the mine was forced to temporarily cease activities after more than 200 villagers complained they had fallen ill due to arsenic and manganese contamination.

But a month later Thailand’s department of primary industries and mines gave it the all clear to reopen after separate laboratory tests were carried out on employees of the mine, as well as locals.

The company’s health checks on its 598 staff, verified by medical teaching institution, Mahidol University, cleared the company of its operations posing a health risk to local people.

But separate tests by the justice ministry’s central institute of forensic medicine found more than half of the 600 villagers living near the mine faced elevated levels of arsenic and manganese in their blood, with many falling ill.

Residents from seven central provinces filed fresh complaints alleging the mine’s release of toxins in local water sources led to hundreds of people in Phichit, Phitsanulok and Phetchabun provinces falling ill.

The residents also disputed mine management’s claims it adhered to international environmental management standards.

Local representatives called on the Thai government to address environmental problems due to gold mining, objecting to further mine concessions and ore mineral survey licences being issued.

They also called for bans on agreements allowing mineral surveys on land controlled by the military.

A director of the special case management centre at the department of special investigation Worranan Sirilum said it was still considering whether to proceed with an investigation over the villagers’ application.