New licence, same sagaA move by a subsidiary of Akara Resources -- a company whose parent firm, Kingsgate, engaged in a legal tussle that led to arbitration with the Thai government -- to seek a gold exploration licence on a vast land area has infuriated environmentalists and the public. A total of 24 new exploration licence requests have been submitted by a firm named Rich Phoom. The department's Phetchabun office last week posted an announcement on the company's request for a special licence. It said if people disagreed or opposed the company's exploration licence request, they could do so with the office. And there are solid grounds for concern that the operator and the Thai state may have reached a compromise over the Chatree saga.

Source: Bangkok Post September 15, 2020 22:41 UTC