Following recent instructions from Da Nang government, around 50 officers and men from the municipal Military High Command are joining forces with functional bodies in the city to conduct a three-day campaign to destroy illegal gold mines in sub-area No 39 of the Ca Nhong forest, Hoa Bac Commune, Hoa Vang District.

Officers and men from the municipal Military High Command and local functional bodies ready for their participation in the three-day campaign of destroying illegal gold mines

Hundreds of kilograms of industrial explosives are used for the gold mine demolishment operation, which runs until 21 March.

Under the tough drive, combat engineers have to dig into the tunnels to place the explosives. They then detonate them to close their mouths. and return the forest landscape.

Also, tents where gold miners stay to process the gold they illegally exploit, along with much equipment and tools used for unlawful mining activities are being destroyed.

Between 11 and 17 March,  the local relevant units filled up 27 tunnels used in the past for illegal gold mining in sub-areas No 27 and 29 of the Khe Duong forest in the same mountainous commune by using 624kg of explosives and 202 detonators.

After illegal gold mines collapse, the local authorities will keep a close eye on these sites to prevent the return of illegal gold miners.

Illegal mining has become a complex issue, especially the toxic chemicals utilised in the process, as they are a serious health hazard for the surrounding neighbourhood. Cyanide and mercury are amongst the toxic chemicals used by illegal diggers to filter gold, and they were discharged directly into the environment.

In reality, the gold mines had been manually dug into the mountainside and into the ground with many vertical tunnel sections.

The tunnels miners dig are mostly supported by bare rock alone, the stifling air inside making it hard to breathe and see despite the availability of flashlights.

Miners have to crawl through deep tunnels searching for luck. They usually work near deep trenches or on the edges of cliffs, making accidents more likely. When strangers appear, they immediately leave their camps and run up to the mountain's summit to hide.

According to a map, illegal gold mines needing destroying are located in the sub-area No 39 (right), about 10km from the Ca Nhong forest ranger station

A scene of an illegal gold panning site in the Ca Nhong forest area

A scene of an illegal gold mining site in the Ca Nhong forest area.

An illegal gold mining pit found in the Ca Nhong area

By HOANG HIEP – Translated by A.T