Controversial gold mine reopens

Back in action: An aerial shot showing the main pit of the Akara Resources’ Chatree gold mine in Phichit province. — AFP

A controversial gold mine in Thailand restarted operations, more than six years after the government forced it to close over health and environmental concerns.

The Chatree complex, which straddles three rural provinces in the kingdom’s north, had been dogged by legal disputes and protests by villagers who said it poisoned crops and livestock.