Quang Nam authorities to destroy illegal gold mines in Song Thanh National Park
The team will carry out a field survey and make plans to destroy the illegal mines completely to protect the environment and restore the ecosystem and order in the national park.
A large land at Song Thanh National Park has been turned upside down as the miners illegally came to exploit gold. The working conditions are dangerous. Most of the mines were built haphazardly and look like they can collapse at any time.
Before Tet Holiday, Song Thanh National Park Management Board worked with the border guards and the police to chase away 100 illegal miners. They also destroyed 50 tents and equipment.
Even after Tet, they continued carrying out inspections. The authorities found a large number of people had set up six tents just 1 km away from the mining area so they were asked to move out of the national park immediately.
Dinh Van Hong, director of Song Thanh National Park, said 63 mines had been found.
They have planned to use dynamite to destroy 17 mines first. The rest of the mines would be destroyed shortly afterwards. The police and border guards will help with the plan.
Ho Quang Buu, vice chairman of Quang Nam People's Committee, agreed with the plans, saying that the illegal mines had badly affected the streams and order in the national park.
On December 23, 2020, Quang Nam People's Committee officially announced the decision to turn Song Thanh Nature Reserve into Song Thanh National Park. This is the first national park in Quang Nam and is one of the biggest special-use forests in Vietnam.
It covers 76,000ha, spreading across 12 communes in Nam Giang and Phuoc Son districts near the Lao-Vietnam border. There are 899 plants, 23 endemic species and 49 species on Vietnam’s Red List. It has 130 species of birds, 168 species of reptiles and amphibians.
It has recently been damaged by illegal logging and mining.
