The pitiful situation of two young girls who escaped from the gold mine

(Baonghean.vn) - Hearing the news about Lo Thi Xi's daughterEscape from the gold mine, Ms. Lo Me Tangin Bac Ly commune - Ky Son (Nghe An)just sat still like rice. She said she missed her child but because her family was so poor, she had to accept sending her 14 year old child to work in the gold mine.

It was with great difficulty that we reached Phia Kham 2 village. The village lies in a valley with winding slopes, one side is a cliff. Phia Kham 2 is like a small oasis, a forgotten tribe in the vast Nghe An region. This is one of 11 Khmu villages in the border commune of Bac Ly, Ky Son district (Nghe An). Most of the children here are naked. The older residents, seeing the appearance of strangers, crowded the house of Lo Thi Xi. Through the photo on the internet, almost the whole village recognized the familiar person.

The house with palm leaf roof, bamboo fence, and bamboo floor creaked with our footsteps. The house was deserted because Ms. Lo Me Tang and Mr. Lo Pho Tang, Xi's parents, were working in the fields nearby. A moment later, the mother appeared. After a long discussion with the villagers, the woman who looked like an old woman of 50 years old said that she was born in 1978, her husband, Mr. Lo Pho Tang, born in 1971, was working in the fields and would return at dusk.

When we asked her, she just sat still as if she couldn't communicate in Kinh. In the bamboo stilt house with holes big enough for an adult to fit through, there was nothing more valuable than a wooden bed in the outer room.

The dilapidated house where Lo Pho Tang's family lives.

Through the interpretation of Mr. Xeo Pho Dien, a medical officer of Phia Kham 2 village, Ms. Lo Me Tang said: My daughter just called to say she has arrived in Quang Binh. She will not arrive in Ky Son until tomorrow. The family is waiting every minute and every hour for her to return.

Xi is the second child in a family of six. The oldest is a little girl named Tang, the youngest is still a baby. Both Tang and Xi were working at a gold mine in Quang Nam, having escaped and been rescued by the police the day before.

Lo Me Tang and her children are waiting every hour for news of Lo Thi Xi.

The mother could not remember the year she got married, but she remembered that her oldest child was 15 years old and the second child was just over 14. Both had dropped out of school and had nothing to do at home, so they followed their friends to the gold mines two months ago.

The two children have not contacted their family for a month. Until the evening of April 26, Xi called to say that he had escaped from the gold mine and was "with the police in Kham Duc (in Phuoc Son district - Quang Nam - PV). I was very worried because I only had news of the younger brother, I could not call the older sister".

Hearing that Lo Thi Xi had escaped from the Quang Nam gold mine, everyone around the village came to visit and encourage her.

Speaking over the phone, Xi said: “I ran away because I was forced to work day and night. When I complained of being tired, they beat me.” The 14-year-old girl also said that there were about 100 other workers at the gold mine living in Bac Ly commune, aged between 13 and 20. Currently, she and another person, Moong Thi Sac (not Moong Thi Khat as reported), are being taken home by the police of Phuoc Son district (Quang Nam) to reunite with their families.

Compared to Lo Pho Tang's family, Moong Pho Que's family (Moong Thi Sac's father) was somewhat more well-off.

Mr. Moong Pho Que, a war invalid in Huoi Cang village (Bac Ly) said he also received a phone call from his daughter. Mr. Que said he was a retired commune official but could not persuade his teenage daughter to go find gold in a foreign land.

Two months ago, Moong Thi Sac, who was in the middle of 10th grade, ran away from home. Shortly after, she was persuaded by her friends to run away to the gold mine, and no one could stop her. The veteran said that when he heard that his son had run away from the gold mine and was rescued by the police, he felt very happy. Mr. Que said he would educate his son more carefully and consider this a lesson for his children.

Mr. Moong Pho Que said he was very happy that his son had returned.

According to information from the Commune Police, the situation of local workers leaving the area is very difficult to control, especially those who go to work at the gold mines in Quang Nam, which fluctuate frequently. According to the latest data from the Bac Ly Commune Police, there are currently 163 people working outside the area. They are called "people who go to work". Of these, 20 people are working at the gold mines in Quang Nam, 55 people have unknown places of work.

We will continue to update you on the incident.

Minh Khue - Bun My