Illegal mining continues at Bong Mieu Gold Mine

Many people have continued digging for gold illegally even after Bong Mieu Gold Mine in Quang Nam Province was shut down.

Many people have continued digging for gold illegally even after Bong Mieu Gold Mine in Quang Nam Province was shut down.

  

Illegal gold mines in Quang Nam

A few years ago, Bong Mieu Gold Mining Company Ltd was accused of selling gold at cheap prices to their mother company to evade taxes and were shut down. However, many people continued to go to the mine to illegally search for gold. The situation became even more complicated after the Tet Holiday.

The sound of the mining activities can be heard from far away. Dozens of tents were set up and the streams around the mining areas have already turned muddy. The miners dug up chemical tanks haphazardly and cut down trees for the mine. Gold mining gold may lead to erosion and landslides during the rainy season.

  

Streams around the mines became muddy

Upon seeing strangers, some miners ran into the forests while others stopped working and stayed in their tents.

According to a miner, he was hired to work after Tet for VND200,000 a day. They had to look out for the police and ran away as quickly as possible. Because of Covid-19, local work was scarce so he had to find other jobs to support his family.

Most of the employers are local people who previously worked at Bong Mieu Gold Mining Company.

Chairman of Phu Ninh People's Committee Huynh Xuan Chinh said they had built a plan to prevent illegal gold mining at Bong Mieu.

Lieutenant-Colonel Cao Van Linh, head of the police force in Tam Lanh Commune, said from December 2020 to March 2021, there have been seven raids to the illegal mines. They seized 10 generators, 27 tents and various equipment.

"Due to limited personnel and rough mountainous terrain, it's very hard to chase the runaway miners. We have to make sure that there's enough staff left for Covid-19 prevention work," Linh said.