Residents from three Central provinces have asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate Industry Minister Chakramon Phasukvanich's alleged role in a controversy over gold mines.
Wanphen Promrangsan leads villagers in lodging a petition with the NACC to probe Industry Minister Chakramon Phasukvanich for alleged ties to controversial gold-mining operations in Saraburi, Phichit and Phitsanulok. Tawatchai Kemgumnerd
Three residents from Saraburi, Phitsanulok and Phichit accused Mr Chakramon of holding shares in Akara Mining Co, Thailand's largest gold miner, which has explored areas in the provinces and is in the process of applying for a mining concession.
The three petitioners are Wanphen Phromrangsan of Saraburi; Suekanya Thirachaitdamrong from Phichit; and Arom Khamjing of Phitsanulok.
The residents are concerned that if the concession is approved, the mining operations could potentially pollute the environment and harm people's health. They are also worried there might be a conflict of interest.
The minister has since insisted he resigned from Akara Mining Co's board before becoming industry minister.
He is also no longer director of CIMB Thai Bank, which granted a loan for the company to conduct its mining business.
Though Mr Chakramon resigned from the firm, locals still do not trust him due to possible conflicts of interest. His ministerial post involves overseeing the mining industry, Ms Wanphen said.
Residents are at odds with Akara Mining Co, which has acquired large plots of land for mining. They doubt they will be treated fairly if they ask the minister to look into the conflict, she said.
Many villagers who have settled in areas allocated by the Agricultural Land Reform Office, which distributes farm plots to landless farmers, were reportedly forced off land marked as potential mining areas, Ms Wanphen said.
Back in April, she formally lodged a complaint against the firm with the NACC. Apart from seeking an investigation into the minister's conduct yesterday, she also asked if the commission had made progress in this case.
In Saraburi, more than 70,000 rai of land reportedly has potential for gold mining, according to Ms Wanphen.
Mr Chakramon said he was not concerned by the residents' dispute because he had resigned as a member of Akara Mining Co board before he was appointed industry minister.
The dispute was nothing new, he said, and mining licences were hard to come by.