<div> <div>A court has dismissed defamation charges filed by a gold mining company against local activists, ruling that the defendants deserve the right to reveal useful information to the public.&nbsp;</div> </div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><img alt="" src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1496/26774976615_16c5597e79_o_d.jpg" /></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div> <div>On 9 November 2016, the Bangkok Criminal Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Akara Resources Public Company Ltd against Somlak Hutanuwat and Thanyarat Si </div></div>

<p dir="ltr">Military and police officers intimidated a key anti-mine leader in northern Thailand, telling her not submit a petition against a gold mining operator.</p> <p><a href="http://manager.co.th/Local/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9590000021828">The Manager Online</a>, reported that on Tuesday at 7 pm, 1 March 2016, 20 military, police, and other officers visited Tanyarat Sintathammatat, key leader of an anti-mine activist group in the lower northern province of Phichit.</p>

<div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Villagers from northeastern Loei Province have urged the military junta to allow villagers' participation in solving a conflict with a mine operator after the military junta intervened and tried to solve the issue without local participation.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>The villagers in six villages in the province have been protesting against mining firms that set up operations to extract resources from the area for the past few years. </div></div>