Commemorating a trip to the gold mining area

(Baonghean) - Journalists are all filled with memories of their trips. Sometimes they were extremely happy, sometimes they were extremely sad, sometimes they were difficult and dangerous. I have also had some emotional trips, and the most memorable was the trip to the gold mines in Tuong Duong. I remember it not because of the happy, sad or difficult stories, but because through this trip, I realized that, if I only had the intelligence of a journalist, it would be difficult to write articles that accurately reflected the reality of life...

In mid-March 2013, Nghe An Newspaper received news that illegal gold mining was "heating up" in some communes of Tuong Duong district (Nghe An). The direction of the Editorial Board was to visit the gold mines to collect information, identify the causes and propose a solution. I am not unfamiliar with Tuong Duong land, but I have never been to a gold mine, so when I received the assignment, I was a bit worried...

Gold bandits often mine illegally in the mountains, forests, and streams. If they are not familiar with the area and do not understand Thai or Mong languages, they will be exposed. Moreover, I have heard many stories about chasing away gold bandits from acquaintances working in the field of mineral management, such as Kha Van Ot - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Tuong Duong district. That every time they "fight", the working group must have the participation of the police and the army. However, fights still broke out, and there were even gold bandits who were drug addicts who dared to hide in the forest and shoot "whiskers" at the working group... After much deliberation, I finally decided to propose to the Editorial Board to operate independently, find a local to guide them into the gold mine, and not work with the authorities to ensure that information about the working trip would not be leaked. The Editorial Board agreed to the request to try to do a good job, but above all, to ensure the lives of reporters.

Through an acquaintance, I was able to get a "scout" named T, a native of the North (Nam Dinh). T was over 40 years old, had dark skin, was short and stocky, wore Suzhou clothes, and wore high leather boots, looking quite wild. When I met T, I couldn't help but feel a little hesitant because of that "gangster" quality. Knowing what he meant, my acquaintance introduced him as a real "gangster" from Khe Bo, but his lifestyle was decent and, importantly, he knew every nook and cranny of the Tuong Duong mountains and forests, which could ensure that no bad incidents would happen. However, he told me privately: "I didn't tell him I was a journalist who wanted to enter the gold zone because I was afraid he would deny it. When he asked, I just kept saying, like, I wanted to find some beautiful trees to bring down to the lowlands, or buy some miniature mountains, then go down to visit the gold mine to see...".

Early the next morning, after only ten minutes of the journey, T said: “I see you don’t look like someone who searches for strange trees and rocks. Are you a mineral manager?”. Because I had been told, I just smiled and didn’t answer. For half a day, I wandered around Yen Thang area. Although the gold mining groups were operating openly and loudly, they were all Thai and Mong people, while I didn’t know the language so there was no way to infiltrate. Seeing my companion hesitantly looking down the two banks of the stream, T asked again: “Are you an environmental police officer?”. At this point, I had to tell T to stop for a meal and tell him the truth, that I was a journalist and was on a mission to infiltrate gold mines to get information about illegal gold mining and the causes of this situation.

After telling T that, I was very worried, because if he was offended and "cut the bridge", the matter would be over. Unexpectedly, T felt relieved, he excitedly said: "I'm a bit shy because I don't know what you do for a living. I was thinking that maybe this guy is a police officer asking to take me to work on a drug case in the gold mine area, or is looking for a wanted person or something, then it would be terrible...". Then T immediately arranged: "You just prepare and do it, but try to be discreet, don't let the gold mine people find out that you're a journalist. Just do it quietly, and let me take care of everything. I'll play the role of a Northerner who wants to rent the mine to mine gold. There are many people from Dai Tu, Thai Nguyen who own the mine, if you say that, they'll believe you right away, but if you speak up and they find out, it's "over"!".

Indeed, I was so lucky to have T. Not only did I know all the alleys and corners of Yen Thang, Yen Na, Yen Hoa, Yen Tinh communes... T also had extremely sharp ears, just hearing a small rustling sound like the chirping of crickets, he was sure to find a gold bandit nest using Dong Phong machines to illegally mine gold. Not only that, although he had been away from home for nearly 20 years, T's Northern accent was extremely sweet, and he could speak Thai, so no gold bandit seemed suspicious. On the gold fields of Bon village (Yen Na), Cha Lum (Yen Tinh)... T kept saying that he was looking to rent a field to do business, if anyone could help, he would let them work together, otherwise he would get a reward, or if the government had recently raided or expelled them?... On the gold fields, most of the locals were hired workers, so they told them all about the developments and how the local government responded. Even many local people in Yen Thang, Yen Na, Yen Hoa communes... enthusiastically told us which areas had been exploited many times and which areas had not been exploited yet. Methods for renting and buying back land from people and how to get information about the inspection journey of mineral exploitation inspection teams.

Through the information from here, it turns out that the long-standing problem of gold mining in Tuong Duong, in addition to the fact that people still have many difficulties and have no jobs, is also due to a number of local government officials condoning gold thieves. Some people with positions in the locality even "back" the gold mine owners. When the working group arrived, these people immediately reported to the gold mine to stop operating, but when the working group withdrew, everything was the same. In Bon village, when T asked if doing business like this would require paying taxes to the commune, the gold thieves said they had to pay monthly fees to the Village Management Board and the commune to mine in peace. In Yen Hoa commune, T asked to find a new gold mine, the locals said they needed to find Mr. L, a key official in this commune, would there be any difficulties? They laughed and said calmly: "If people can rent land to make gold, why can't you rent it?"

My "guide" was not only familiar with the gold mines, he also knew almost all the key leaders of the communes here. On the way, T clearly introduced which house belonged to which person, what brand of car he used, how much he spent... Then T took me to the Yen Thang commune headquarters, telling me to meet this person or that person and ask for information. And T's words were quite accurate, in Yen Thang commune, I met the Party Secretary of the commune. He quickly confirmed that illegal gold mining in the area was happening continuously; that the Party Committee had proposed a policy of completely banning it, but the government did not implement it... The secretary even called the Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune right in front of me to say: "Someone from the newspaper came to ask why illegal gold mining was happening. You direct the relevant forces to request the people to stop mining gold immediately!"

Illegal gold miners in groups in Tuong Duong (photo taken in March 2013).

After nearly 3 days of "hunting" around the gold fields, I had all the necessary materials to carry out the assigned topic. In the evening, when we said goodbye, we sat down to drink a cup of wine and asked about personal matters. T said that he had lived in Tuong Duong for over 20 years. He used to work in gold, smuggled wood, and sold antiques, but he was "unlucky" and spent all the money he made. "I'm lucky to be rich. I'm willing to work, but if I don't make any money, I have to accept it. Now I just work on some ornamental plants to support my wife and children...", T said. And he advised: "I used to be a gold bandit, so I understand very well what kind of people the people on the gold fields are. Most of them are poor. They are said to work in gold, but they are miserable, and their lives are not worth anything. If they are happy, they are only the owners of the fields and the people behind them. You can write whatever you want, but don't let people know that I took you to the gold fields, it's very tiring. But next time, when you pass by, remember to stop by and give me the newspaper with the article...".

Since then, I have been on business trips to Ky Son and Tuong Duong more than once, but have not had the opportunity to visit T. In June, when I went to write about young intellectuals, I was sitting on a bus passing Khe Bo and caught a glimpse of him trimming a banyan tree, shirtless. I called him to ask how he was doing and then asked him to postpone the article that had been published in the newspaper. On the phone, T laughed loudly: "My job and yours are a bit similar. I hunt for bonsai, you hunt for news. The work is endless, there is hardly any free time...". Then he said: "Remember to stop by sometime when you go up there." Now, every time I think of T, I remember his laugh, his dark skin, and his short, stocky figure. A person like him is truly precious!

Nhat Lan