Last week, the Primary Industries and Mines Department announced it would cooperate with the Internal Security Operations Command 4 to develop the mining industry and related industries in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, and parts of Songkhla to make use of resources, create jobs and boost local economies.
However, this plan has been strongly opposed by local activists. Mustarsheedeen Waba, coordinator of the Southernmost People’s Network of Community Rights and Environment Safeguards for Peace (Permatamas), said the authorities did not ask locals for consent to any proposals and people still did not have any information about the plan.
“We’re concerned that the mining operation in the deep South will have environmental impacts on the people, as we have seen the examples from other areas in the country, but what we worry the most about with this plan is it is solely driven by the authorities and there is entirely no attempt to get public consent,” he said.
“The fact ISOC 4 is openly supporting the Primary Industries and Mines Department to exploit the natural resources is very concerning, because if people suffer from impact of mining, the authorities will be blamed and it will only fuel the already severe Southern insurgency.”
According to Primary Industries and Mines Department deputy head Somboon Yindeeyoungyuen, the Internal Security Operations Command 4 will be responsible for tackling the problems that may affect the mining operation, facilitating the mining operators, and providing security to the businesses.
Mustarsheedeen said that due to this role of the ISOC 4, it will be hated by more people and widen the gap between local people and authorities, which will jeopardise efforts to bring peace to the deep South.
“The people will be victims of greed again. I think it will have larger impacts on the people compared to the Thepa coal-fired power plant, because mines will spring out across the region, especially the marginalised mountainous area, which is already hit badly by the insurgency,” he said.
Nuryahati Sa-mho from the Patani Human Rights Organisation Network also expressed her concern that the introduction of the mining industry in the deep South will add another factor to the conflict. “This is solely the government’s initiative and it is not what the people want. Right now the local people do not know anything about this plan and if the mines cause problems, the authorities will be blamed for it,” Nuryahati said.
Somboon Khamhang, secretary-general of the Non-Government Organisation Committee on Rural Development in the South, said the effort to expand mining in the deep South may be linked to other plans in the region such as the coal-fired power plants, the special economic zone, and land-bridge project.
“This is another effort by the authorities to transform the agricultural and tourism-based economies in the South into industry, which will affect the local people and environment severely,” Somboon said.
The Mines Department says the deep South has many potential mining sites for tin, kaolin, gold, quartz, glass sand, wolframite, and manganese. At present, there are 21 mining concessions in the area.