The cool fish school returns...

Obsessed with gold

Wanting to feel the change on the top of Pu Phen, we decided to take a trip back into the forest to Yen Tinh commune, a remote commune of the border district of Tuong Duong. To find out, to see if Yen Tinh is really… quiet or not.

AccessQuietonce known as the most dangerous road in the Western region of Nghe An, both literally and figuratively, with many steep slopes, many sections of road lying precariously on high mountain slopes, below are deep abysses and many drug addicts unexpectedly... asking.

Previously, from Hoa Binh town (now Thach Giam town), following the only road along the Nam Non river, passing through the drug "capital" of Luong Minh, to the beginning of the upstream wharf, then turning downstream, meeting the Xieng Nua junction, continuing to turn north to enter Yen Tinh. Now, it is more convenient when the 534C route avoiding Luong Minh has been established, not to mention that from Xieng Nua to Yen Tinh, there is also an asphalt road running straight to the Ban Ve hydroelectric reservoir area in Huu Khuong commune.

The "gold thieves" shack was burned down recently. Photo: TD

Knowing that we were coming, Mr. Quang Van Dang - Secretary of the Party Committee of Yen Tinh commune had been waiting since early morning. Although he had just started working here not long ago, Mr. Dang had a thorough understanding of the streams, river sources and even the turbulent days in this land. Looking out from the center of the commune, Pu Phen peak appeared in the mist. As if reading our thoughts, Mr. Dang exclaimed, "Now I just hope that peace will always come to Yen Tinh land!"

It is no coincidence that for a long time, from the early 2010s to 2017, Yen Tinh became the "territory" of gold thieves. Roughly counted, there were 28 gold mines on the top of Pu Phen, 11 in the Yen Tinh area alone, some of which were only five to seven meters deep, but some of which went as deep as 800 meters into the mountain. Despite digging deep into the mountain, gold thieves did not erect anti-collapse pillars or take any protective measures. However, in order to exploit, the cave owners and the owners of the mines arranged a few generators to light up, install fans, and run the crushers and screeners.

Gold thieves are the thing that Yen Tinh people worry about the most in recent years. Photo: TD

At one point, hundreds of wind turbines stuck their black iron nozzles into the Cha Ha River, deep into the Pu Phen peak. The whole Yen Tinh was like a giant gold mining site. There were many with permits, but also many without - bandits. The sound of engines and stone crushers resounded loudly every day, echoing deep into the forest. The people of Yen Tinh could only silently look down at the muddy red Cha Ha River, their hearts filled with regret...

To understand the source of the disturbance in Yen Tinh about 10 years ago, it is necessary to know that in the early 2000s, a number of geological teams came to survey and explore the original gold in the Yen Na - Yen Tinh area. The geologists then identified the gold mineralization zones and delineated them according to the industrial indicators approved by the Mineral Reserves Assessment Council. According to the results of the geological survey, in the Na Khom area (Yen Na), two gold mineralization zones were discovered, with a length of 160m and 300m; in the Yen Hoa commune area, a gold ore body with a length of about 280m and an average thickness of 0.7m was discovered and recorded. Or in the Xieng Lip area (Yen Hoa), 4 gold-bearing quartz veins were recorded, forming a mineralization zone with a length of 80 - 2,000m and a width of 100 - 500m. Forecast results show that the total gold resources of Tuong Duong region reach about 2.21 tons.

After the "gold thieves" were driven away, Yen Tinh people went to Pu Phen mountain to farm. Photo: TD

When the results of these surveys and explorations were announced, along with the information that some households in Yen Na, Yen Tinh, and Yen Hoa communes found gold while working in the fields, it caused a stir."thirst" for goldin this area was pushed to the peak. In addition, some businesses were licensed to explore and exploit gold, but the number of legitimate businesses was small and the number of bandits who came to illegally dig was large, turning Yen Tinh into a battlefield without gunfire.

Mr. Lo Ba Dung - Secretary of Pa Ty village recounted that there were times when people flocked to Pu Phen to find gold as bustling as a festival. In addition to groups of people from the northern provinces such as Thai Nguyen, Lao Cai, Yen Bai who illegally mined, there were also a number of local people who followed, hoping to change their lives. But then, the gold was nowhere to be seen, but there were many regrettable tunnel collapses. Not far away, less than 10 years ago, Pay, a 5th grade student at Yen Tinh Primary School, followed his mother to the stream to pan for gold on a day off. After crawling into an old tunnel left by a group of gold thieves, unfortunately it collapsed, and Pay was buried beyond rescue.

Mr. Quang Van Dang - Secretary of the Party Committee of Yen Tinh commune in a remaining gold mine on the top of Pu Phen. Photo: TD

Leading us halfway up Pu Phen peak, Mr. Dang waved his arm and said that the gold smuggling problem started around the beginning of 2010 and then continued to smolder for the past few years. At that time, the district and commune organized many raids and spent a lot of effort. But there were times when the troops reached the site and only an empty shack remained. Machinery, food and the gold mining teams had all gone into the forest to hide, they dug holes to hide the machinery and covered them with trees to fool the authorities. Just a few days after the authorities withdrew, the gold smuggling gangs returned to their activities.

“A few months ago, we decided to burn down all the shacks and fill up some of the remaining gold mines, but there are some deep mines that cannot be filled yet. I am afraid that in a few days or a half a month, some group of gold thieves will come in and steal,” Mr. Dang worried. Just last year, Yen Tinh residents had to urgently submit a petition to the authorities to completely withdraw the licenses of gold mining enterprises in the area in particular and the Pu Phen peak area in particular. That is right, because if any enterprise is allowed to mine gold, Yen Tinh will be devastated again like before.

The fish are cool again.

Yen Tinh can be considered the gateway where streams flow from Pu Hoat peak to the South, including 3 large streams: Na Ngan, Soi stream flowing from Pu Huong and Lap stream flowing from Cam Muon side, all belonging to Que Phong district. After flowing to Nga My, it merges into Cha Ha stream flowing through Yen Tinh, Yen Na and then down to Yen Hoa.

The village conventions in Yen Tinh commune clearly stipulate the time of year when fresh fish can be caught. Photo: TD

At the time when the gold smuggling in Yen Tinh had not been eliminated, the environment in the streams and creeks here was seriously polluted. Especially in the process of digging, grinding, and panning for gold, many toxic chemicals were used by the mining groups, including mercury that was poured directly into the streams and creeks. Khe Cha Ha was severely damaged with many holes and ponds, and the water in Cha Ha was always murky, everyone was terrified and nothing could survive.

Then when the gold thieves were driven away, the stream water became clear and the fish were revived. Needless to say, the people of Yen Tinh were so happy to see the fish again.

Village elder Kha Van Vien of Pa Ty village could not help but exclaim, "There is nothing more joyful than seeing a fish swimming happily in the stream of my hometown after a long time. It is like a sign of peace."

In Thai, the name of the fish is “pa khinh”, this type of fish only lives in clean, flowing water and eats algae. Because it has no teeth, after it has caught a piece of algae, it has to turn over to break the algae off. Under the dry, golden sunlight of the winter in the remote border, in the Cha Ha stream with clear water that can see all the way to the bottom, schools of fish “glare” - turn over, showing off their sparkling white bellies, looking very pleasing to the eye.

Village elder Kha Van Vien, Pa Ty village, pensively watches the school of fish swimming in Cha Ha stream. Photo: TD

Since January 2021, after the return of the fish, the management boards of the villages where the streams and creeks flow have unanimously proposed to the People's Committee of the commune to put up signs prohibiting fishing. The villages also have regulations on when fishing is allowed and when conservation is required. These regulations have been disseminated to the villagers and added to the village covenant for implementation.

“A village charter is about 10 pages long, half of which is about how to preserve the fish,” said Mr. Quang Van Thuyet, Secretary of the Huoi Pai village Party Cell. After the policy was issued, the Yen Tinh commune Youth Union printed warning signs prohibiting fishing for fish and distributed them to the villages, so that the villages could place them in each area of ​​the stream that needed to be preserved. If any villagers violate the regulations, using nets, nets or electric shock to catch fish, they will be severely punished by the village management board. Of course, when the fish move out of the prohibited area, the villagers still have the right to catch them.

Mr. Quang Van Thuyet - Secretary of the Party Cell of Huoi Pai village by the sea prohibits fishing in all forms to protect the fish population. Photo: TD

“That said, when the commune and village officials came down to inform the people that the prohibition signs were not meant to be a complete ban, but to give the fish time to grow and develop. When they grow up, the village will choose a day to go down to the stream and catch fish. Understanding the significance of this action, the villagers were very unanimous,” said Quang Van Dang, Secretary of the Yen Tinh Commune Party Committee.

In addition to posting signs, the People's Committee of Yen Tinh commune has also notified the villages to propagate to households that households with houses close to the river or stream banks are not allowed to build sanitary facilities, allowing wastewater pipes to flow into the stream. The purpose is to make Cha Ha stream cleaner and cleaner.

Leaving Yen Tinh, I kept humming the lyrics of the song "Chieng Toong Love Story", this song was set to music from the poem of the same name by the multi-talented Party Secretary Quang Van Dang: "Who has ever heard, the legendary land/ Chieng Toong with Tao Khun Lu/ The love story has now turned into rivers and mountains/ Yen Tinh has changed, now the "golden husband" is gone/ Cha Ha stream bends to change into a new coat/ Clear/ Gentle/ The "Pa Khinh Luom" lute seems to call for Spring to come".