CityNews – Villagers in Omkoi District rallied at a public hearing which was held on September 27th to protest against the coal mining concession which will take place at Ban Gaberdin and Ban Khun, consuming 284 rai of land. The concession, which was just made public this year, was originally proposed in 2000 by the Department of Primary Industries and Mines. The issue emerged on social media in May and went viral.
According to a Kom Chad Luek report, villagers stated that in the past decades they were rarely informed of the matter. Villagers also question the environmental impact assessment which was reportedly completed in 2011 but contained signatures that are in conflict with the actual population.