Sappers in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Ngai have used a large volume of dynamite to demolish gold pits created by illegal gold miners in Tay Tra District, following the approval of local authorities. This was the first time that provincial authorities had allowed explosives to be used to destroy illicit gold pits. Illicit gold-mining activities have become common in the district since 2012, especially in Ca Nhut Mountain, local authorities said. Last year, such activities took place on the top of the mountain, and the district government had to station forces in the area for months to prevent the illegal operations of many mining groups. However, soon after the forces withdrew from the mountain, illicit miners rushed in again to continue looking for gold. Earlier this month, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper correspondents returned to the area and found that many areas on the mountain had been devastated by illegal mining, which requires the use of a lot of machinery and equipment.

Sappers are pictured laying dynamite in a deep gold pit created by illegal miners in Tay Tra District, the central province of Quang Ngai. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Captain Kieu Hong Phuoc, from the Tay Tra military headquarters, told Tuoi Tre that many mining groups have used chemicals to extract gold from ore.

“It is very worrying that miners use cyanic and mercury for gold extraction. These two toxic substances may reach streams and pollute the natural water source in the district,” Captain Phuoc said. It is very dangerous, as locals usually use stream water for their cultivation and daily activities, the official said. Therefore, local authorities have proposed that the provincial People’s Committee allow sappers in Tay Tra to use explosives to destroy all illicit gold pits there, he added. On July 19, the provincial government issued a decision to approve the proposal, and four days later, a large volume of dynamite was used to demolish the facilities of illicit gold miners in two communes: Tra Quan, which includes the said mountain, and Tra Thanh. On July 21, about 300kg of dynamite were used in Tra Quan, said Senior Lieutenant Tra Ngoc Du, who led the sappers in Tay Tra.

Fumes rise from the illegal gold pits leveled by sappers with explosives. Photo: Tuoi Tre

However, the fight against illegal gold exploitation continues, as many miners have yet to leave the district and are hiding in forests nearby, waiting to continue their illegitimate activities after local forces withdraw, Sr. Lt. Du said

Many aggressive miners demolished the camps of sappers and other forces when the units left the two communes, the official added. The district police said they are tracking down the destroyers. Le Viet Chu, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, has issued a dispatch urging the Tay Tra District authorities and police officers to take all possible measures to eliminate the illegal gold mining.     “The Tay Tra People’s Committee has asked police to search for illegal miners who are hiding in forests. In the future, if gold mining activities happen in any commune, then the authorities of that commune must be held accountable,” said Hoang Nhu Lam, chairman of the committee.

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