The Mineral Bill now awaits the signature of HM the King to become a new law.

Opponents, however, say the bill will benefit the mining companies rather than protect rights of the people and it will cause increased conflict between the mines and local people across the country.

Opponents also questioned the timing of the law, which comes as the deadline for the closure of gold mines nears.

The Cabinet previously in May announced that gold mines across the country to halt operations by the end of this year after a series of protests and claims that two gold mines polluted the environment and made people living nearby sick from heavy metals and cyanide contamination.

Lertsak Khamkongsak, coordinator of the Eco-Culture Study Group, said he was concerned that under Article 105 of the bill, a metallurgy licence would no longer be a problem for the Akara mine in Phichit to continue operating beyond the mine closure deadline.

“Article 105 indicates that under the new law, mine companies with valid mining concessions can [operate] without a metallurgy licence, because the bill allows the mining concession to cover the metallurgy allowance and the mine companies do not have to apply for many licences,” Lertsak said.

“This will unlock the problem of a metallurgy licence that expired for Akara Resources, as their concession is still valid until 2028.”

Sor Rattanamanee, a lawyer from the Community Resource Centre Sor Rattanamanee Polkla, also said the new bill would benefit Tungkum’s gold mine in Loei, as the company could use the legal mechanism in the new bill to reopen the mine.

“Right now, Tungkum mine cannot operate because the company is still unable to get permission from local authorities to use land in a preserved forest for the mining operation,” Sor Rattanamanee said.

“However, if Tungkum revokes their concession and applies for a concession again to the Primary Industries and Mines Department, they can easily get all permissions that are needed to open the gold mine as a result of the one-stop service policy in the new bill.”

As well as the mining issue, Lertsak warned that the bill contained serious legal gaps that would allow mining companies to escape the current tight procedures to apply for mining concessions and open mines.

“Article 49 of this bill divides the mine into three categories according to its size. The different categories have different required procedures when applying for a mining concession.

“For the smallest mine category with a total area less than 100 rai, the mine operator can apply directly to the local agency and no Environmental Impact Assessment is required,” he said.

He warned that corrupt operators may use this to benefit their mining proposal by applying for many small mining concessions rather than one big concession covering the whole area of their mine.

Sor Rattanamanee said that from now on people would have to be more cautious, as it would be easier for mining companies to open new mines and conflicts between mines and local people may increase and intensify in the future.

But Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Trang, Songkhla and Phatthalung are still suffering.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department chief Chatchai Phromlert said yesterday that as well as damaging vast areas of farmland, the floods have also ruined 1,565 roads, 129 bridges, 65 water pipes and 59 check dams.

In Surat Thani, where about 120,000 residents were affected and four villagers killed in 17 districts, officials were still monitoring the situation at water retention areas in Phunphin, Phrasaeng and Khian Sa, he said.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, where about 300,000 residents were affected in 23 districts and eight people killed, Pak Phanang, Tha Sala and Hua Sai which have retained floodwater draining into sea, were still being monitored.

In Trang, where 40,680 residents were affected in eight districts, only Muang and Kantang were still being monitored.

In Songkhla, some 81,319 residents were affected, with two killed and 455 evacuated from homes in 10 districts. Four districts along Songkhla Lake –Ranot, Singha Nakhon, Krasae Sin and Sathing Phra – remained inundated.

In Phatthalung, some 85,393 residents were affected, with two killed and 26 families fleeing their homes in 11 districts. Five districts – Muang, Khuan Khanun, Bang Kaew, Pak Phayun, and Khao Chaison – were still under water, he said.

Chatchai cited a weather report that a moderate northeast monsoon would continue to bring rain to the South and waves in the Gulf and Andaman Sea would be 2-metres high, so officials would monitor updates and join related agencies in aiding the affected people.

Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn led a team yesterday to visit Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Chalerm Phrakiat district hospital, where floods have started to recede.

He said many hospitals in the region were flooded and measures would be implemented later to prevent further problems. He also urged officials to take care of flood victims who develop water-borne illnesses, especially Athlete’s foot.

Chalerm Phrakiat was taking the runoff from Ron Phibun and Cha-uat districts. This had caused high flood levels that would take a month to drain.

In Trang province, flood barriers on three spots on the Trang River in Muang district burst earlier this week, sending torrents into nearby communities.

Tambon Nong Trud Administrative Organisation president Sombat Polprayoon said a 20-metre hole in Ban Pakman Moo 2 had grown to 60 metres and floods affected 783 homes in nine villages, as well as damaging 5,000 rai of farmlands.

A 100-metre long breach opposite the river in Tambon Na Ta Luang’s Ban Pa Mak also damaged dozens of nearby homes and led to a power cut and evacuation to higher grounds, he said.

In related development, 1,000 flood relief bags, granted by His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, were delivered to flood victims in Surat Thani’s Phunphin district yesterday afternoon, while another 1,000 bags were delivered to affected residents in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Hua Sai district.

The British Broadcasting Corporation’s local office has not received any notification from the police or government agencies regarding an investigation into the lese majeste case, said the source, who requested anonymity.

“If [authorities] send an official letter or ask for cooperation, we hope to establish cooperation with them,” the source told The Nation yesterday.

Local Thai media reported that investigators from the Royal Thai Police’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) visited the BBC’s Thai office in Bangkok on Tuesday and found it closed, but police denied the reports.

The source said the BBC’s Thai staff members normally work remotely and rarely come to the office. The news agency would probably reach out to authorities to make its position clear on the matter if it does not hear from officials, the source added.

The controversial article widely shared on social media was translated from the original English version and published from the UK, the source said. None of the BBC’s Thailand-based staff members were involved in the article and the agency stood by its employees’ rights, the source added.

Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, more commonly known as “Pai Dao Din”, a student activist based in Khon Kaen, is charged with breaching Article 112 of the Penal Code on lese majeste and the Computer Crime Act. He has been released on bail.

“If the police want to interrogate concerned staff, they have to contact those based in the UK. Any police move against BBC’s Thai office would make the staff panic for no reason,” the source said.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj-General Chayapon Chatchaidej, acting chief of the Special Branch Police Division 4, said yesterday that the Khon Kaen police station was investigating the case in collaboration with the TCSD.

“The Khon Kaen investigators are collecting evidence. They also need help from the TCSD and certain organisations in areas that are beyond their capacity,” he said, referring to the TCSD’s visit to the BBC’s Bangkok office. If the investigators find enough evidence, they will press charges, he added.

A source at the British Embassy said it had not been notified of any moves by the Thai government against the BBC’s Thai office.

Earlier, a junta spokesperson said the government would “issue a letter” to the embassy.

Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said using technology could facilitate the election process and encourage the public to exercise a wider range of choices at the ballot box.

At the forum held by the Election Commission, Somchai said most electoral constituencies in the US used electronic machines to facilitate the casting and counting of votes, although constituencies often oversaw elections differently according to rules set by local authorities.

The technology was necessary because of the high level of public scrutiny of elected officials, who include high-level officials ranging from senators to senior judges, which voters choose simultaneously.

Voting ballots consequently usually involve many questions that take several minutes to complete, Somchai said, adding that technology enabled the vote tallies to be determined much faster.

Somchai introduced mobile applications to make August’s referendum easier for voters. He concluded that Thais might be able to have their voices heard in more decisions, whether in plebiscites or by selecting office holders, if more technology is adopted that allows voters to make multiple decisions in a single election.

Having observed the US election last month, he said many US polling companies had efficiently gathered information to conduct exit polls.

Exit polls were significant because they showed trends, providing a clearer picture and useful records for the public, he said.

“That was because poll-makers were allowed to ask voters right in front of voting booths,” he said. “I think restrictions in front of the booths in Thailand should be lifted so that such useful activities could be encouraged.”

Viboonpong Poonprasit, a political science lecturer from Thammasat University, said laws related to elections should be made comprehensible to the public in general.

“I admit that when I read the Thai complex version of the election system in the new charter draft, I get confused,” he said. “Thai elections come intermittently and they continue to lack strong grounding.”

He said regular, uninterrupted elections would help to foster a participation-oriented mindset in society.

“Unlike the US system, which is result-oriented, the Thai society is more feudalistic and we also don’t have a clear separation of powers,” he said. “But helping to sustain efficient elections could help public participation to continue.”

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam held a meeting with related agencies on Tuesday to discuss key national dates for next year, the source said, adding that it was resolved that December 5 would be proposed as “National Father’s Day” at the Cabinet meeting.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday fell on December 5 and was celebrated as National Father’s Day during his lifetime.

The meeting also decided that July 28, the birthday of His Majesty Maha Vajiralongkorn’s, and October 13, the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol, would also be marked as important dates, though no decision has been made on what these dates will be called or how they will be marked.

The meeting also did not decide if these dates would be marked as national holidays, and Wissanu will pass the proposal on to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who will then seek the King’s consideration. The proposal will then be submitted to the Cabinet before the dates are official announced and implemented, the source added.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam was assigned to supervise the Justice Ministry, seconded by Minister to the PM’s Office Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, according to a Cabinet resolution yesterday.

The Education Ministry, meanwhile, will have deputy education minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin as first acting minister and another deputy, General Surachet Chiawong, as second acting minister, the resolution said.

The appointments followed the abrupt resignation of General Paiboon Khumchaya and General Dapong Ratanasuwan, who had been in charge of the Justice and Education ministries respectively, to become members of the Privy Council following His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s appointment.

This led to speculation that there would be a major Cabinet reshuffle soon, particularly because Prayut has not filled the vacant ministerial post at the recently reorganised Digital Economy and Society Ministry.

The ministry is being temporarily supervised by Deputy Prime Minister Air Chief Marshal Prajin Juntong.

A reshuffle would be the fourth under Prayut’s rule since 2014. The last Cabinet reshuffle was in August last year, when the previous economic management team was replaced by the current team led by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.

But Prayut and other Cabinet members have remained tight-lipped over potential candidates to fill the vacant Justice, Education, and Digital Economy and Society portfolios.

Prayut said yesterday that the reshuffle list had not been finished and it would be implemented at an “appropriate time”.

It remained unclear whether the expected reshuffle would affect Somkid’s economic portfolio.