Tension was high yesterday morning as more than 400 police officers, soldiers and Volunteer Defence Corps troops guarded the meeting at the Tambon Khao Luang Administrative Organisation and declared the area a restricted zone.

The Rak Ban Kerd activists group had gathered at the venue demanding to participate in the meeting.

However, Samai Pakme, chief of the administrative organisation, announced at 12pm that the meeting had been cancelled due to the absence of key members – and that the next meeting of the body would be held in May.

Ranong Gongsan, a member of the Rak Ban Kerd group, said that protesters were still worried that the licence extension would be discussed and approved at the next meeting.

“We are trying to protest gold-mine operations in the area, and object to the proposal to extend the forestland used for gold mining, which causes severe environmental and health impacts on the local people, but we have been told that we have no right to participate in making a decision on this issue,” Ranong said.

“We fear that the issue will be raised again, as they [the authorities] are clearly on the gold-mine’s side and they really want the mine to operate,” she added.

The issue of extending the permission for Thung Kham Co to use land in Khok Phulek National Forest had originally been postponed from a meeting last Thursday, which was also called off because of the protest.

Atmosphere at protest very tense

Ranong said the atmosphere at yesterday’s demonstration was very tense, because more than 400 police officers and soldiers had been deployed to guard the meeting venue and declared the area a restricted zone.

“I and around 100 of the locals had entered the Tambon Khao Luang Administrative Organisation office yesterday [Monday] to wait for the meeting, as we knew they would not allow us to come in today,” she explained.

“The officers also threatened that unless we left the meeting area, they would arrest us for violating the Public Gathering Act,” she said.

Lawyer Sor Rattanamanee Polkla from The Community Resource Centre commented that restricting the public from the meeting venue was unjust, as it was a public place that people were free to enter.