Reviewing illegal gold mining sites
From April 23, Lao Dong Newspaper has launched a series of investigative articles "Gold miners split hills, operating rampantly in the border area of Hue City", reflecting the situation of groups of subjects from many localities bringing machinery and hiring local people into the forest area of A Luoi 1 commune (Hue City) to organize illegal gold mining.
After many days of sticking to the forest, the group of reporters witnessed the hills being dug up and devastated with tunnels deep into the ground. Along streams such as Ru Rau, Bung stream (also known as Bun stream), the subjects set up camps, used machines to pump water, dig soil to scramble for gold. Wastewater from the mining site is discharged directly into the environment, causing the stream water to turn cloudy yellow and thick.
Dirty water flows downstream through the Ly Leng stream, mixing into the Dakrong River (Quang Tri province), causing the domestic water source of most people in La Lay commune to change color and be polluted. Before flowing to La Lay, mudwater also silted up irrigation canals in A Luoi 1 commune, seriously affecting agricultural production.
Immediately after the series of articles was published, Hue City Police directed the Police Department for Investigation of Corruption, Economic and Smuggling Crimes (PC03) to preside over and coordinate with A Luoi 1 Commune Police to urgently verify and clarify the information reported in the newspaper. At the same time, requesting commune and ward police with border forest areas to review all illegal gold mining points and report to superiors. If any omissions are made, the responsibility of the Commune and Ward Police Command will be considered.
The Department of Agriculture and Environment of Hue City also has a document requesting the People's Committee of A Luoi 1 commune to implement measures to protect unmined minerals in the area. It is proposed to organize inspections, sweeps, clear and terminate illegal mining activities. Propaganda and raising community awareness about resource protection are also set as urgent tasks.
A Luoi 1 Commune People's Committee believes that there are many difficulties in the work of pushing out gold miners, when the mining area is deep in the forest, the terrain is dangerous, moving is difficult, causing major obstacles for inspection and sweep work. According to the Commune People's Committee, the force is thin, the means are limited, while the subjects show signs of resistance and high vigilance.
Destroying camps and machinery of gold miners
On May 1st, Mr. Nguyen Duc Phu - Vice Chairman of A Luoi 1 Commune People's Committee said that in recent days, the locality has organized many large-scale sweeps at hotspots such as Bun stream and Ly Leng stream.
According to Mr. Phu, gold thieves operate sophisticatedly, often divided into 3-6 people, set up temporary camps in the deep forest, combined with manual exploitation with machinery. The main operating time is at night or early morning to avoid functional forces, and at the same time frequently change positions.
Inter-sectoral forces participating in the sweep including military, police, forest rangers, and militia with about 40 people simultaneously approached the scene. When functional forces were detected, the subjects left all the machinery and fled into the forest.
At Khe Bun, functional forces discovered and destroyed many equipment serving gold mining such as winches, generators, water pumps, electric motors, wood saws, batteries and a large number of water pipes. Many shacks and household items such as tarpaulins, plastic cans, pots and pans, solar panels, and fans were also dismantled and burned on the spot.
In Khe Bun, we discovered and destroyed 2 winches, 2 generators, 2 water pumps, 2 electric motors, 1 saw, 2 batteries and 200m of water pipes. In Khe Ly Leng, the forces burned and destroyed 2 camps and 30m of water pipes" - Mr. Phu said.
Thorough handling right at the scene is aimed at preventing the possibility of reuse and reducing the risk of recurrence of illegal activities.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Ho Van Ha - Commander of Hong Van Border Gate Border Guard Station (Command of Hue City Border Guard Command) said that the unit has strengthened patrols, inspections, and coordinated continuous sweeps in recent days. "The camps have basically been dismantled, and illegal gold mining activities have stopped. We will continue to maintain inspections to prevent recurrence," Mr. Ha said.
According to the People's Committee of A Luoi 1 commune, in the coming time, the local government will set up checkpoints at the road leading to the mineral forest area, strictly control people and vehicles entering and leaving. At the same time, resolutely handle and confiscate all illegal mining vehicles. Consider the responsibility of relevant organizations and individuals if this situation is prolonged.
