Death threats against environment rights defender Lertsak Kumkongsak

On 25 September 2020, environmental rights defenders of the Khao Lao Yai-Pha Jun Dai forest conservation group were able to successfully reclaim land from a mining project in the Nongbua Lamphu Province. The project had long been impacting the health and environment of the community. This struggle against the mining project, that has lasted over two decades has come with numerous death threats and killings of members of the group. Most recently, since early August 2020, there have been increasing death threats against one of the group’s advisors, Lertsak Kumkongsak.

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Khao Lao Yai-Pha Jun Dai Forest Conservation Group is an environmental rights defenders and community-based group that was formed to protect the environment of the Nongbua Lamphu Province. They have been in the forefront of the struggle against mining operations in the area that have been slowly destroying the natural resources and affecting the health of the community. Lertsak Kumkongsak is an environment rights defender, who has been involved in community-based campaigns against the mining industry in Thailand for more than 20 years. He is the coordinator of the Ecological and Cultural Study Group and advisor to the Campaign for Public Policy on Mineral Resources (PPM) and of the “People’s anti-mining network of Thailand”. He has worked with the Udon Thani Conservation Group against the Potash mining project, which the group has been fighting for more than 15 years.

On 25 September 2020, over 100 environment rights defenders of the Khao Lao Yai- Pha Jun Dai Community Forest Conservation Group reclaimed land from a mining project that has had a devastating impact on the community for over two decades. The group was able to reclaim the land after the mining project’s permit expired the previous day, on 24 September 2020. Earlier, on 4 September 2020, the group had reclaimed some of the land of which its forest utilization permits expired on 3 September 2020. Since early August 2020, members of the group have been occupying the entrance of the quarry mine situated in Dong Mafai Sub District, declaring their intent to permanently shut down the mining operation, for it’s negative impact on the community as well as for the lack of legal documents.

However, this win has come with intimidation and death threats against one of the group’s advisors, Lertsak Kumkongsak. Since early August, the defender has received several messages hinting that he is on ‘a hit list’. In addition, he has also received several verbal threats asking him to stop his protesting of the mining operations, failing which he will be killed. In the days leading up the group’s protest and reclaiming of the land, Lertsak Kumkongsak was approached by men carrying weapons on them. He has also been under constant surveillance by people believed to be connected with the mining project. These threats to the defender’s life are of grave concern, as between 1995-1999 four defenders from the community were killed for their opposition of the construction of the mine. On 26 September 2020, Lertsak Kumkongsak filed an official complaint with the Suwannakuha police on the threats to his life. The defender believes that the threats against him follow the same pattern as those received by the four human rights defenders before they were killed.

Front Line Defenders condemns the ongoing intimidation and death threats against environment rights defender Lertsak Kumkongsak, as it believes he is being targeted for his legitimate and peaceful work for the protection of human rights, specifically on environment rights in Thailand.