IN THE NEWS: Isranews features the upcoming landmark court hearing of the Phichit Villagers

This is the English translation of the article originally published on the Isranews website, dated 17 March 2026.

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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 provinces. The lawsuit was filed against Akara Resources PLC, the operator of the Chatree Gold Mine, demanding compensation for villagers who have clear evidence of being affected in terms of health, environment, and way of life by gold mining operations over the past two decades.

The complaint can be summarized as follows: The plaintiffs allege that the defendant's (Akara Resources PLC) mining operations caused the dispersion of toxic heavy metal dust outside the mine area via wind. The operations also caused vibrations from rock blasting and leakages of toxic cyanide stored in the tailings storage facility. Other heavy metals, such as arsenic, manganese, and iron, spread into the plaintiffs' agricultural areas and affected community members living around canals and reservoirs.

When the plaintiffs and group members used water from the canals for agriculture, it resulted in the accumulation of toxins in agricultural produce, such as rice and corn. Furthermore, consuming rice and food from these water sources contaminated with cyanide, arsenic, and manganese caused the plaintiffs and group members to fall ill, causing harm to their lives, bodies, health, and mental well-being.

The plaintiffs, therefore, request the court to compel the defendant to pay compensation to the plaintiffs and group members for: medical expenses for toxic substances in the body, physical health impairment, mental health impairment, living expenses, and the loss of benefits from using natural resources.

This lawsuit is the first environmental class action in Thailand. The judgment from the Civil Court’s Environmental Litigation Division in this case will set a new precedent for environmental cases. This comes after Kingsgate Consolidated Limited (Australia), the parent company of Akara Resources PLC, recently withdrew its international arbitration claim against the Thai government, ending a dispute over the Akara gold mine that lasted over 8 years.

Emilie Palamy Pradichit, founder and executive director of the Manushya Foundation, a human rights organization, stated: "The Thai government and the multinational corporation may have settled their dispute, but the people living with the impacts of this gold mine are still waiting for justice." She added that "This verdict will determine whether communities affected by large corporations can access remedy, or if corporate interests will prevail over their rights."

Previously, the Manushya Foundation, together with communities in Phichit and Phetchabun, submitted a petition to the United Nations (UN) to document the human rights violations faced by the communities. Subsequently, UN human rights experts sent official communications to the Thai government, the Australian government, and the companies involved, including Akara Resources PLC and its parent company, Kingsgate Consolidated.

Later, Akara Resources PLC submitted a 60-page report to the UN to contest the allegations of environmental damage. In response, the Manushya Foundation published a fact-checking report presenting evidence from the community and public records to counter the company's claims https://www.manushyafoundation.org/lies-gold-and-injustice.