Nghe An: Illegal quartz ore 'mine' raid in Vietnam - Laos border area

Information about illegal mining in Thanh Son commune was sent to the authorities by local people at the end of May 2019. After reviewing through various channels, the report was determined to be well-founded. The illegal mining site is located in Bay Nha area, Nhan Can village, Thanh Son commune.

Bay Nha area, Nhan Can village, Thanh Son commune. The gaps between the mountains and forests are where "mineral bandits" exploit quartz ore. Photo: NPV

Together with the working group of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, we secretly approached the mining area on the morning of June 4 and determined that this was a large-scale, organized group of ore thieves operating over a very large area.

When the task force arrived at the scene, the "mineral thieves" were using two excavators to mine and dig up ore from underground.

Masses of quartz ore were lifted out of the ground by "mineral thieves" using excavators. Photo: NPV

Also at the scene, there were many rocks of all sizes, some blocks up to several meters.³, lying around waiting for transport. Checking this type of ore, the officers of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment determined that it was quartz, a type of ore with very high economic value, about 5-6 times higher than white stone.

Quartz here has many types with different qualities. There are clear, pure types... Photo: NPV

...there is a type of quartz that is similar to Quy Hop white stone. Photo: NPV

When approaching the "mineral bandits", they denied that they were mining quartz but were renovating a garden for a household in Thanh Son commune. After that, these people walked away and used their phones to talk to someone with the attitude of "calling for help".

The quartz mining area is located near the Vietnam - Laos border. Photo: Google Maps

Identify this as a large-scale, organized violation,and the time of committing the act has been long, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment staff requested the authorities of Thanh Son commune and Thanh Chuong district to come to the scene to inspect and jointly make a record of the violation, and at the same time organize the temporary detention of the illegal mining equipment.

Thanh Son Commune Police talk about the "mineral bandits" at the scene with a member of the working group. Photo: NPV

According to Thanh Son Commune Police, the illegal mining of stone ores began more than a year ago, around April 2018. The mining area is state-owned forestry land allocated to the people for use. Knowing that there was ore in this area, the mining group spent money to buy land from the people, then organized the mining... The commune government organized an inspection to determine that the mining group did not have any documents proving that the State had granted them the right to exploit minerals.

Thanh Son Commune Police Chief Lo Van Mao said that there are 5-6 large trucks with a capacity of 40-50 tons, bearing Dong Anh license plates, regularly transporting ore out of the mining area. Because the trucks are heavy and travel frequently for a long time, the commune's roads are degraded, severely damaged, and unsafe for traffic, so people are upset and have opinions.

Due to the heavy trucks transporting quartz ore, the roads in Thanh Son commune have been seriously degraded. Photo: NPV

Mr. Lo Van Mao said: “They only stop mining when it rains, otherwise they operate continuously. Every day, on average, about 10 trucks transport ore out of Thanh Son…”. He also said that the commune police were powerless even though they had worked with other organizations to inspect and expel them.

Thanh Son Commune authorities also confirmed that the information from the Commune Police was correct, and they were also powerless against the “mineral bandits”. Together with the Commune Police Chief Lo Van Mao, the Chairman of Thanh Son Commune People’s Committee, Mr. Lu Van Duong, said that he had reported this situation to his superiors…

The working group and relevant parties made a record at the scene. Photo: NPV

The information of the representative of the government and the Thanh Son Commune Police was recorded by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment officers and included in the minutes made at 12:00 on June 4, 2019. "This is a serious violation of the law..." - the Department of Natural Resources and Environment officer affirmed.