Thai employer, 5 workers arrested for illegal gold mining in Phichit
A Thai employer and five workers, including a Vietnamese national, were arrested for illegally digging for gold ore on Phanom Pha Mountain in Phichit’s Wang Sai Phun district on Friday.
The employer, identified only as 58-year-old Peeraboon, along with workers Boonyom (48), Somporn (45), Pattana (37), Sawad (63), and Duong (38) from Vietnam, face charges of forest destruction and possession of explosives without permission.
Police confiscated ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used for explosives, as well as more than 39 pieces of digging equipment as evidence. Peerapon reportedly admitted to being behind the illegal operation, in response to rising gold prices.
The suspects were taken to Wang Sai Phun Police Station for legal action, police said, adding that further investigation is underway to identify additional accomplices.
