KON TUM — The problem of illegal gold mining has aggravated in Ngọc Hồi District in Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

This is especially in areas adjacent to Sa Thầy District and in areas of forest plantation, which provides material for the southern Paper Material Ltd. Co., reported Vietnam News Agency.

Illegal gold exploiters have taken advantage of local resident’s farms and disguised in various forms, creating difficulties for competent authorities to inspect and handle illegal gold mining.

In late January, a working group from the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and the provincial environment police discovered an illegal gold mine tunnel at Nguyễn Văn Lý family’s passion fruit farm in the district’s Đăk Kan Commune. The tunnel is 1.5m in width and 1.1m in height and was carefully covered up.

Upon inspection, law enforcement forces arrested five miners from Đắk Tô and Đắk Glei districts. All the miners have been hired to work in the gold mine tunnel for 25 days.

Several machines, tools and nearly 10 tonnes of gold ores were also seized by the forces.

Obstacles that hindered the control of illegal mining were lack of regular coordination between the agencies concerned and the timely exchange of information, according to a representative from the law enforcement forces.

In addition to this, areas having mineral sources, which need to be protected, often have difficult terrain and are far from residential areas, thus limiting the patrolling capacity and inspection work.

To put an end to illegal gold mining, Trần Văn Chí, chairman of Ngọc Hồi District’s People’s Committee, said the district has been actively deploying measures such as setting up an inter-inspection from involved districts and the company’s forest management board to inspect illegal exploitation on adjacent areas and signing coordination regulations for the protection of natural resources in the areas.

The chairmen of communes and forest management board have been asked to bear the responsibility if illegal gold exploitation occurred, he said. — VNS