Wichit Police Deputy Chief Pol Lt Col Wutthiwat Liangboonjinda confirmed to The Phuket News that the blockade had been lifted and no one was injured in the incident.
“There were no fights or violence, only shouting,” Pol Lt Col Wutthiwat said. “Once both sides understood each other, the villagers lifted the blockade and everything returned to normal.”
The dispute began at about 8:45am today (Oct 14), when a villager was refused entry to ride across the company’s property to go fishing because he was not wearing a helmet, as required by company safety rules.
The man reportedly told others in his community that access had been denied altogether. Believing the company was blocking all public passage through the area, about five villagers gathered at the entrance and parked vehicles to block the company’s access road.
Company manager Netnapa Sakulsan reported the situation this morning to Wichit Police. Officers, led by Pol Lt Col Wutthiwat, arrived to mediate between the villagers and company staff.
After police clarified that the company’s rule applied only to wearing helmets for safety, not to denying public access, the villagers agreed to remove the blockade.
Pol Lt Col Wutthiwat confirmed that operations at Thai Sarco have since resumed to normal.