Four of the suspected Chinese galamseyers
A crackdown on illegal gold mining involving foreign workers has resulted in the arrest of six more Chinese nationals at several mine locations in the Western Region.
The Inter-Ministerial taskforce, in collaboration with small-scale miners’ taskforce, carried out the operation in communities in the Amanfi Central District where the foreigners were said to be engaged in the gold mining activity, despite the country’s laws frowning upon it.
Leader of the taskforce, Nana Twum Agyekum said the Chinese illegal miners were arrested deep in the Juabo and Dominase forest reserves where they had polluted a river and destroyed the environment in search of gold.
He bemoaned how the Chinese had become recalcitrant, cutting down trees and dredging river beds to the chagrin of the local people.
Peter Ayikey, Public Relations Officer of the small-scale miners’ taskforce, said now that the ban on small scale mining operations had been lifted, only those with proper documentation would be allowed to mine.
He warned illegal miners to desist from their activities or risk being arrested for prosecution.
The latest arrest brings to 29 the number of Chinese nationals arrested recently over galamsey operation inside forest reserves in the Ashanti and Western Regions.
Earlier this month, the taskforce arrested 16 Chinese and some 13 Ghanaians at the Krobo forest reserve in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region during a special operation to crackdown on illegal gold mining.
They were arrested at 15 gold mine locations across the district inside the forest, while 30 excavators, four pick-up vehicles, two caterpillars, 14 pump-action guns, one M16 gun, 200 live cartridges, five cutlasses, and a sum of GH¢45,000 were seized.
Later on, four more Chinese nationals were arrested in connection with illegal mining operations by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining at a mining site located deep inside the Diaso and Pamprama forest reserves in the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region.
And as if that was not enough, another three were arrested last Thursday at the outskirts of Manso-Aponapon in the newly created Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region during which some illegal miners, believed to be Ghanaians, pelted the security forces with stones in a bid to resist arrest.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi