Pornsawat Wathanakul, Greenland’s Bureau of Mining and Petroleum and True North Gems: The Smoking Gun of Collusion?
Introduction:
We now return back to Greenland, where the Inuits represented by the 16th August Union, continue in their negotiations with the Bureau of Mining and Petroleum (BMP). Despite the advent of the new home rule government, and the optimism presented in early posts, The BMP continue to deny Inuit small scale mining their right as indigenous people, under Article 32 of their Constitution. Until the discovery of valuable ruby by the Canadian mining company, True North Gems (TNG), Inuit were able to freely collect and sell stones from their ancestral land, which is communally owned.
Since I have been covering the story, Inuit’s have repeatedly accused the BMP with colluding with TNG against Inuit claims. Perhaps the smoking gun leads to Pornsawat Wathanakul.
Pornsawat Wathanakul is an academic who resides in Bangkok and is deeply involved in the Thai gemstone sector.
Both Greg Valerio and I have contacted Ms. Pornsawat Wathanakul several times, requesting her to comment on her services to the BMP, TNG and the Greenlandic police, but she does not respond. I would be pleased to post any response that could clarify this situation.
~ Marc Choyt, Publisher
Greg Valerio’s Letter Of Inquiry:
September 26, 2009
Dear Ms Wathankul,
I hope this email finds you well.
As you may know over the last few years the issue of The Greenland Ruby being branded as Apartheid Ruby, due to the Danish criminalization of indigenous small scale miners. This issue is receiving increasing media attention.
I have been personally involved in the case supporting the small scale miners and their campaign for equity, justice and their rights to mine their natural mineral deposits.
As the story has unfolded your name has continually emerged as being involved with this. Firstly, you were contracted by the Bureau for Minerals and Petroleum (BMP) to value confiscated ruby stock. Secondly, you worked in July 2008 with the BMP and Greenland Police in criminal investigations on illegally confiscated ruby stock. Third, you were employed by True North Gems to value their ruby stock and provide academic and technical assistance to their mining operation in Greenland.
I ask you to clarify the full nature of your professional relationship with True North Gems, the BMP and The Greenland Police. Specifically, please disclose payments made by these groups to yourself and against what services these fees were paid for.
Also, according to my sources, TNG’s ruby stock has been undervalued, and confiscated ruby stock has been overvalued by yourself? Is this true?
At the moment, an accusation of collusion can be made between the BMP, TNG and the Greenland (Danish) Prosecution Service to suppress, marginalize and to positively discriminate against the indigenous small scale miners of Greenland.
Your involvement with the three parties appears to confirm this accusation. I would therefore like to give you an opportunity to speak about this before this information goes public.
Many thanks for your time in this matter,
Greg Valerio
