Thai court orders compensation and environmental rehabilitation in country’s first environmental class action lawsuit, setting a major precedent for corporate accountability in Thailand. BANGKOK, THAILAND | 24 March 2026 – After a decade-long wait, villagers from Phichit and Phetchabun provinces have secured a landmark victory. On 24 March, Thailand’s Ratchada Civil Court ordered Akara Resources to compensate nearly 400 community members for harms caused by its mining operati

This is what solidarity looks like! From Northeastern Thailand to its Central region, frontline communities come together to shift power: away from mining corporations that extract and contaminate water and land, and back to the people forced to live the harms. For over 20 years, the Phichit Villagers have fought for justice and remedy. On 24 March, they will finally hear the verdict. 📍 Join us LIVE on Manushya’s Facebook & Instagram, 24 March 8:15 AM as we report straight f

This is the English translation of the article originally published on the Isranews website, dated 17 March 2026. Civil Court sets March 24 to rule on villagers' lawsuit against Akara Resources over gold mine impacts. Isranews Agency (www.isranews.org) reports that on March 24, the Civil Court at Ratchada, Environmental Litigation Division (Court of First Instance), has scheduled the reading of the verdict in a case filed by over 300 villagers from Phichit and Phetchabun prov

Since the Chatree Gold Mine (largest gold mine in Thailand) opened in 2001, the Phichit villagers have suffered: 💧water contamination ⛑️ lifelong damages to their health 🌾 destruction of livelihoods Now after 20+ years of delay, they are seeking what they are owed. Join us on 24 March, 9:00 AM at the Ratchada Civil Court in Bangkok and support the Phichit Villagers in demanding: JUSTICE. ACCOUNTABILITY. REMEDY. NOW! 🔗 Sign the solidarity statement and learn more: bit.ly/St

Rasa was born on 2001, the same year Thailand’s largest gold mine was opened in her home province of Phichit. For 25 years, she watched as the environment and health of people in her hometown deteriorated. Today, she’s a movement lawyer with Manushya Foundation, standing alongside her community in the fight for justice and remedy after years of injustice. From daughter of Phichit to its defender ✊🏽 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙪𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙩 𝙑𝙞�

Thai translation available below For nearly 10 years, over 300 villagers from Phichit have fought for justice and sought remedy over serious environmental and health harms linked to the Chatree Gold Mine, the largest gold mine in Thailand, operated by Akara Resources and owned by Australia-based Kingsgate. This coming 24 March, the court will finally decide. This historic ruling could shape the future of corporate accountability and climate justice in Thailand. Here’s how you

For over two decades, Phichit villagers in Central Thailand have been fighting for one thing: justice for the long-lasting harms brought by operations of the largest mining company in the country to their communities and the environment. At this critical moment, just weeks before the Civil Court delivers its long-awaited verdict on 24 March, we at Manushya Foundation are proud to release a major new advocacy report and launch the #JusticeForPhichit — Remedy NOW Campaign. Beca

For years, defenders and communities in Laos 🇱🇦 have faced intensifying repression, including transnational repression, for speaking truth to power. Now? They are officially recognised! In August 2025, Manushya Foundation and Power by Keyboard submitted a bold report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, exposing systemic repression and rights violations in Laos. 🇺🇳 We didn’t just send a document. We went to Geneva ourselves. ✈️ Our Founder & Execut

On 19 December 2025, Manushya’s human rights lawyers stood together with the courageous women leaders from Phichit villages in a court-led mediation against Akara Resources, operator of the Chatree Gold Mine. The women Phichit villagers were clear: ➡️ they demand meaningful remedy for the decades-long harm brought by Chatree Gold Mine to villagers’ health and the environment ➡️ they insist on a judicial ruling rather than a settlement where Akara can escape accountability Med

👇 Read through the blog to better understand the challenges posed by TAFTA, and how trade and investment rules (Free Trade Agreements) protect corporate interests while exposing communities to mining expansion and long-term harm. ____ Following the termination of the TAFTA arbitration on 27 November, Kingsgate (Australian mining company) and Thai authorities celebrated ‘a new era of renewed cooperation to deliver long term value for Kingsgate’s shareholders and stakeholders’

Early this week, #Thailand took a key step as part of its accession process to the #OECD, by submitting a self-assessment report and analysing compliance of Thai laws with OECD standards. 🔗 Access our Briefer to learn more about Thailand’s accession process: bit.ly/KeyToOECD While Thailand portrays itself as a champion on responsible business conduct, we know too well the reality: exploited migrant workers, Indigenous Peoples evicted from their lands, rural communities suffe

For over 20 years, Phichit and Phetchabun villagers have lived with illness, contaminated water, and the daily fear of what the mine has done to their land and bodies. Since the mine reopened in 2023, the company has moved full speed ahead: boosting production, securing tax breaks, and turning record profits. At the same time, they launched glossy CSR projects and PR campaigns to paint themselves as “responsible”, while past harms faced by communities have remained unsolved.

For over 20 years, Phichit villagers have sought justice for the harms they suffered in relation to the activities of the Chatree Gold Mine in Central Thailand. Every step of the way, Thai authorities were bowing down to the 1% elite -  granting licences, approving expansion while ignoring villagers’ call for justice - putting profit over people.  Despite risks, including SLAPP cases, villagers never stop fighting for what is right - for their rights - petitioning authorities

Last 29-31 October, Neïla Mangin Maïza, Manushya Foundation’s Corporate Accountability and Climate Justice Advisor, joined the Building Solidarity, Advancing Accountability Across Asia's Global Supply Chains Conference in Seoul. Convened by KTNC Watch, Human Rights Now and TTNC Watch, the conference gathered civil society and experts from East and South East Asia to build solidarity and strategise how to fight corporate impunity. Over the years, companies based in Japan, Sout

For more than 20 years, Phichit villagers, in Central Thailand, have been fighting for justice against the Chatree Gold Mine’s pollution and human rights violations. They filed petitions, joined public hearings, brought class action lawsuits yet justice has never been delivered. When the mine reopened in 2023, despite all the evidence of contamination and harm, the villagers’ pain was ignored once again. That’s why, on 19 July 2024, Manushya Foundation and Phichit villagers t