Over 300 take Akara to court, demand compensation
MORE than 300 people have filed a class-action lawsuit against against Akara Resources Public Co Ltd, each demanding about Bt1.5 million in compensation for adverse impacts allegedly caused by the firm’s gold mine.
The compensation claims covered health impacts, including medical treatment, and lost opportunities for locals to access natural resources in the mine’s neighbourhood. Those who filed the petition live in Phichit and Phetchabun provinces.
Their lawyer, Somchai Ameen, said lab tests showed these people had an unusually high amount of metals in their blood.
The petition was filed with the environmental section of the Civil Court yesterday.
The plaintiffs also want the court to order Akara Resources to allocate Bt50 million to the Environmental Rehabilitation Fund.
The Civil Court will decide whether to accept the lawsuit on July 8.
Cherdsak Utha-Aroon, the external affairs manager of Akara Resources, said his firm was not concerned about this legal move because it was confident that its operations had not caused harm to anyone.
“We strictly follow Thai law and conform to EHIA [environmental and health impact assessment],” he said.
He added that through all these years the company’s operations, there has been no scientific evidence that their gold mine |had been the cause of any environmental or health contamination.
Cherdsak also hinted at the possibility of the firm taking legal action to protect its reputation.
