Thai court orders firm to pay villagers for mining damages

A Thai court ordered a mining firm on Tuesday to compensate nearly 400 villagers for health and environmental damages linked to its decades-long operations, awarding up to just over $6,000 per person. The case stems from long-running complaints against Akara Resources' gold mine in Thailand's central province of Phichit, where residents have alleged contamination of water sources and adverse health effects.

The court said 382 people had undergone health assessments as part of the class-action lawsuit, and ordered gold mine to make payments within one month or face possible asset seizures.