Thailand

Activists in the southern Thai province of Satun have for years protested against plans to open a quarry in the limestone mountain Khao Toh Krang.

“Rock reserves are proposed by local authorities to serve the demands of infrastructure and other development in each province,” Nirun says. So, we ask UNESCO to consider the whole province to be a geopark.” In the meantime, since late 2019, Thailand has been awaiting recognition of a new and even bigger proposed global geopark: a site covering 20 double cuesta-ridged mountains on the Khorat Plateau and boasting an abundance of fossils, including those of dinosaurs. “I really want the locals to exercise their power under the new mineral act, which is considered the most progressive law we have in centuries.” “We washed and ate in the mosque, then rushed out to those we expected would help us. Within a year, the quarry had shut down due to constant protests and other disputes. The petition for the concession was filed in a village in Kuan Don district. So, all of these have to face the blasting noise and the asbestos dust that one day will bring us all cancer.” He says Thailand has done its best to protect and promote the geopark, regardless of the two designated quarrying sites within its borders. The rich nature of the mountain. The company has still not formally submitted the revised EIA to the government, and resistance to the project remains. It was this discovery that triggered the move to register the area with UNESCO.