The military has helped a petroleum company bypassing proper environmental assessment procedures and NHRC’s orders to halt the petroleum exploration process in the Northeast and threatened the villagers who opposed the exploration with martial law.
About 40 armed police and military officers on Friday morning assisted Apico (Korat) Limited, a US-based oil and gas exploration company, to move oil drilling equipments into a potential oil field called ‘Dongmoon’ in Kranuan District of the northeastern province of Khon Kaen.
About 40 police officers guarding the main road to the potential oilfield in Kranuan District of the northeastern province of Khon Kaen on Friday.
In January, the villagers collected names and submitted petition to Khon Kaen Administrative Court in an attempt to stop the drilling operation. Although the court has not reached verdict yet, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently issued a statement to halt the project in the meantime.
Apico Company’s convoy entering the village on Friday with the help of the authority.
The operation was carried on all day and the company was able to move some drilling equipments into the field.
On the same night, about 20 police and military officers from Khon Kaen Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) came to talk to the village leaders and local environmental conservation group and threatened that they will use the martial law if the villagers obstruct the company’s operations because the Department of Mineral Fuels has permitted the company to explore field since Wednesday.
Police and plain-clothed military officers came to talk to the village leaders and environmental conservation group on Friday night.