Ghana detains 124 Chinese for illegal gold mining
Source: Xinhua |
June 6, 2013, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Ghana Immigration Service said yesterday that it had detained 124 suspected illegal Chinese miners in Accra, the capital of the West African country.
Francis Palmdeti, the head of public affairs of the GIS, told Xinhua over the phone that the arrested Chinese were involved in illegal gold mining in the central region of Ashanti as well as in western and eastern regions.
Some of them had overstayed without legal documents.
The GIS is conducting further investigation to decide how many of them should be repatriated.
The Chinese Embassy in Ghana confirmed the arrests.
The embassy spokesperson, Yu Jie, said they have urged the Ghanaian government to ensure the legal rights of the arrested personnel and called for strong discipline for Ghana security agencies in enforcing laws.
"We have cautioned all the Chinese people in Ghana to strictly abide by the related laws and regulations and never to be misled by the unauthorized information on internet," Yu said. The embassy has been in touch with the Ghanaian government over the issue, he said.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated a high-powered inter-ministerial committee to deal with the menace of illegal mining in the country on May 14.
The committee has also been mandated to ensure that the activities of illegal small-scale miners are brought to a halt.
Ghana comes next to South Africa in terms of gold deposits, besides reserves of bauxite, diamond and manganese. Foreign firms are only allowed to work independently on large mines.
Francis Palmdeti, the head of public affairs of the GIS, told Xinhua over the phone that the arrested Chinese were involved in illegal gold mining in the central region of Ashanti as well as in western and eastern regions.
Some of them had overstayed without legal documents.
The GIS is conducting further investigation to decide how many of them should be repatriated.
The Chinese Embassy in Ghana confirmed the arrests.
The embassy spokesperson, Yu Jie, said they have urged the Ghanaian government to ensure the legal rights of the arrested personnel and called for strong discipline for Ghana security agencies in enforcing laws.
"We have cautioned all the Chinese people in Ghana to strictly abide by the related laws and regulations and never to be misled by the unauthorized information on internet," Yu said. The embassy has been in touch with the Ghanaian government over the issue, he said.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama inaugurated a high-powered inter-ministerial committee to deal with the menace of illegal mining in the country on May 14.
The committee has also been mandated to ensure that the activities of illegal small-scale miners are brought to a halt.
Ghana comes next to South Africa in terms of gold deposits, besides reserves of bauxite, diamond and manganese. Foreign firms are only allowed to work independently on large mines.
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