05/25/2026
Inspecting the Loei Gold Mine: Nearly 3 Years After Dismantling Began, Villagers Still Fear Toxic Contamination
Since Genco (Environmental Conservation Management and Development Public Company Limited) won the auction to purchase the assets of Thung Kham Company on September 22, 2023, with conditions requiring the dismantling of all assets and disposal of waste from the site within a set timeframe, nearly two years and eight months have passed. Community members from the six mine-affected villages in Loei, organizing as Khon Rak Ban Kerd (KRBK), still have serious doubts about the dismantling process, and remain deeply concerned about toxic contamination remaining in the soil, community water sources, and agricultural produce.
This is the case even after Genco declared the work complete and invited relevant government agencies—including the Department of Primary Industries and Mines (DPIM), the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO), the Department of Industrial Works, the Pollution Control Department, the Legal Ex*****on Office, and Loei Province—to conduct an inspection and acceptance review on April 29–30.
"The dismantling process has dragged on for so long, and villagers have had to carry the burden throughout. We already fought so hard just to close the mine—enduring lawsuits, impacts, conflict, and having our human dignity stripped away," said Rotjana Kongsaen (Rote), of Khon Rak Ban Kerd.
When the mine finally closed, the community celebrated. People cheered with joy, hoping that peace would finally return to their villages. But once the dismantling process began, they wanted everything removed, including all waste and toxic contamination. These are things that should fall under the responsibility of government agencies to oversee and regulate. Instead, the burden has fallen on the villagers themselves to monitor, investigate, and demand that the relevant agencies fulfil their roles, duties, and legal obligations.
"According to procedure, after Genco completes the dismantling of all structures, an agency should come to inspect before accepting the work and then return the 10 million baht security deposit to Genco. This process is critically important and the responsible agencies must come and examine the facts. The Legal Ex*****on Office in particular, which has a legal duty at this stage, did not show up," said Rotjana.
On April 29, community representatives from KRBK, along with Genco staff and relevant government agencies including DPIM, ALRO, the Pollution Control Department, and the Regional Office of Basic Industries and Mines Region 2 (Udon Thani) jointly inspected all 15 designated dismantling sites inside the mine.
These included: 1. Flotation plant area 2. Maintenance building 3. Ball mill platform 4–8. Production buildings and laboratory 9. Cyanide storage building 10–11. Gold smelting building and ore storage building debris 12. Collection centre for items 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 11 13. Residential quarters and office 14. Ore storage building 15. Copper sludge pressing area.
However, KRBK found the dismantling to be incomplete at multiple points, and raised ongoing concerns that toxic contamination had not been adequately addressed. They called for additional inspections at 8 further sites: 1. Ore stockpile 2. Area beside the copper sludge pressing area 3. Soil pile in front of the ore storage building 4. Rock pile behind the ore storage building 5. Tailings pond dam crest 6. Soil pile beside the dam 7. Soil pile in a rubber plantation near the dam 8. Soil pile in the Huai Lek garden area.
"The dismantling process has gone on for nearly three years now. It should be done but it isn't. There are too many gaps. Right now, only the concrete structures remain — but we keep finding piles of soil at various points, both inside and outside the mine area, in places where they shouldn't be. Villagers believe these soil piles contain toxic substances."
KRBK added that after completing on-site inspections of all 15 TOR-designated sites and the 8 additional sites raised by the community, a joint inspection report was signed on April 30 by representatives from Genco, KRBK, and government agencies — documenting exactly what was found at each location.
"With our own eyes, any villager can see that Genco's dismantling is not complete. We found iron scraps, cement debris, and various soil piles we believe are still contaminated. Some points — including the cyanide storage area — were simply left as they are. We don't feel this can be called a proper return of the land.
Beyond this, government agencies must take their oversight responsibilities seriously and conduct rigorous checks for the villagers. We want there to be real standards — not a system that lets private companies do as they please while villagers are left carrying the burden, even after the mine has closed," said Rotjana.
Rotjana added that this area should serve as a national lesson: a gold mine permitted by the government—by DPIM, which repeatedly claimed this was "mining for the community"—has proven in reality that it cannot be done. The harm to villagers was visible from the very start of the process, and communities had to stand up and fight for themselves.
"We suffered from the moment the mine came into our community. When it closed, we thought we'd finally have peace. Then we entered the restoration process, and there is still no peace. Everything is still heavy. We feel like we've been fighting without end. Why, even after the mine is closed, are we still not free?" said Rotjana.
Throughout this process — from before the lawsuit was filed, through the final verdict, and into the enforcement stage — the Community Resource Centre Foundation (CRC) has served as the legal representative of the villagers, including at creditor meetings, with the authority to provide opinions on matters such as the sale of assets. Moving forward, CRC, as authorized representative, must also have a role in determining whether the inspection results are accepted, rejected, or require further remediation.
Titsart Sudsan (Lawyer Pe), lawyer for CRC, explained that in the Loei gold mine case, after the company ceased operations, the affected villagers, as creditors, filed claims for debt repayment. It was found that some assets remaining on the mine premises specifically factory-related structures had not yet been seized for auction. Villagers petitioned the Legal Ex*****on Department to seize and auction these assets, which were then sold as a package. Genco, as the buyer, agreed to the condition that they must remove and treat all waste from the factory they dismantled, leaving no toxic residue behind.
"Currently, after Genco notified that all factory assets had been dismantled and asked government agencies and creditors to come inspect what remains, this stage is only a preliminary check, it is not yet the formal acceptance of work. The agencies that attended must collect soil samples and inspect the site for any remaining toxic contamination that needs treatment. Villagers can also raise concerns about any areas where Genco's work appears incomplete. Everything observed during the site visit has been formally documented, noting which points require further action. The next step will be to bring all of this back to a creditor committee meeting," Lawyer Pe explained.
Titsart added that government agencies will compile their inspection findings and report back on which areas have not met the agreed conditions for disposal and treatment. For the formal acceptance, the community has proposed that it be conducted by the full provincial-level restoration committee that was previously established—comprising multiple relevant government departments, including the Provincial Governor, the Industry Department, and other Loei provincial authorities. The committee will need to conduct a formal acceptance inspection alongside the findings documented in this initial round, and the full results will need to be brought before the creditor committee meeting to address any remaining points of disagreement.
"Because this falls within a legal ex*****on process involving creditors, only creditors formally registered in the case file have the right to give opinions at the meeting. Villagers in the affected area can provide input as those who have been harmed, but the final decision on whether the work passes or not ultimately rests with the creditor committee meeting.
Additionally, Genco deposited a security bond with the Legal Ex*****on Department for this work. If everything is found to be in order, they can reclaim the deposit. But if villagers raise objections that conditions have been violated, it may be possible to request forfeiture of part or all of that bond," Lawyer Pe said.
