Nghe An: Reuniting with the escapees from the Quang Nam gold mines

(Baonghean.vn) - Five years ago, Mr. Lo Van Thin and Mr. Lo Van Long "escaped" from a gold mine in Quang Nam to return home to reunite with their families. Time has passed, but each time I recall it, I am still haunted.

The terrifying memories of the "gold digger"

After 5 years of returning to Tien Ky (Tan Ky), we had the opportunity to witness some changes in this remote commune. And more happily, we met again Mr. Thin and Mr. Long - people who were once physically tortured at a gold mine in Phuoc Son district (Quang Nam). Now their wounds have healed and they are healthier than before, they are now confidently attached to their homeland.

Mr. Lo Van Thin (far right) recounts the hard days of working at the gold mine in Phuoc Son district (Quang Nam). According to him, it was a life in "hell on earth".

Over a pot of green tea, with their neighbors, these two men recounted their miserable days in the wilderness. The story began when a man from the same village came to their house and invited them to work in Quang Nam with a high income, and gave them an advance of 1 million VND. Bui Tai, Mr. Thin, and Mr. Long left their hometown for the "promised land".

On the bus to the South Central region, in addition to the two people from Tien Ky commune, there were seven others from Dong Van commune (also in Tan Ky district). The bus ran for a day and a night, then stopped for lunch in Kham Duc town, Phuoc Son district (Quang Nam). At this time, Mr. Thin and Mr. Long were handed over to another owner. This owner said: "If anyone wants to call their family, call, there is no signal there."

Mr. Lo Van Long (in blue shirt) was once brutally beaten, leaving his body covered in bruises. Now his wounds have healed, he is no longer worried about his health and has found joy in his hometown.

The next day, everyone was taken by motorbike into the forest. Finally, the workers were taken to a gold mine deep in the forest. Here, Mr. Thin saw over 100 workers working in the gold mine. Some had been working for 5-6 years, while most had been working for 2-3 years.

The people working at the gold mine have to work hard day and night, even on rainy and windy days. The resting place is surrounded by tarpaulins about 7m high.²right in the middle of the gold mine. Cut off from the outside world, working in harsh conditions, and not receiving wages, many people fled.

And the "escapes"

But because the mountains and forests were wild and the terrain was unfamiliar, most of the “escapes” were unsuccessful. When they learned that someone had escaped, the bosses immediately sent people out to search and capture them. Whoever they caught was brutally beaten so that they would never dare to think of escaping again and also to deter the others.

Faced with that situation, Mr. Lo Van Thin and Mr. Lo Van Khoa (born in 1981, residing in Cha Hia village, Xieng My commune, Tuong Duong) discussed ways to escape. Late at night, the two quietly left the hut and went straight into the forest. They traveled for 3 days and 3 nights, when tired they climbed trees to sleep, when hungry they used knives to pick fruits and cut leaves to eat. When they arrived at an abandoned hut left by loggers, the two were exhausted.

After his "escape" from the gold mine in Phuoc Son, Mr. Lo Van Thin returned to his hometown to stick with his native fields, and his life has gradually stabilized. He said he never intended to leave his family and hometown to do business in a place where he had no idea what life was like.

Luckily, the two found some remaining salt there. Khoa mixed the salt with spring water to drink. When they regained their strength, the two continued on their journey. They found a path leading to a village of the Co Tu people and went into a house to ask for food.

The landlord named Son Xru cooked a simple meal for the two people who had lost their way, then asked for a truck to take them to the hydroelectric project to Kham Duc town. Mr. Thin and Mr. Khoa continued to ask around and walked for a day to reach a bus station on Highway 1A.

The car owner lent Mr. Thin his phone to call his family to inform them of the news and prepare the money, and wait at Dien Chau intersection (the intersection of National Highways 1A and 7A) to pay the fare and take him home. In a state of severe pain and mental confusion, Mr. Khoa had to follow Mr. Thin to his house for about 10 days before going back to Tuong Duong to go home.

Mr. Lo Van Long and his wife expanded the area of ​​​​planting milkweed to raise cattle, develop the buffalo herd, and increase their income. Like Mr. Thin, Mr. Long never intended to go far away to work.

Although he went to work at the same time as Mr. Thinh, Mr. Lo Van Long was too weak to do much work. The gold mine owners tried to cause trouble and had their henchmen beat him brutally. He was kicked into the gold pit many times, his whole body was swollen. Unable to escape with Mr. Thin and Mr. Khoa, Mr. Long was forced to stay at the gold mine and wait for an opportunity.

And luck came to Mr. Long when he met a person who specialized in bringing goods to sell at the gold mine. This person drew a map, showed him the way and showed him how to escape. Taking advantage of the rain, the guards were not paying attention, he crossed a large stream and hid in a forest. With the map in hand, he groped his way through the forest step by step, and after more than 2 days he finally found a residential area.

Here, Mr. Long was helped by the locals who created conditions for him to work for hire to earn money to return home. After nearly 2 weeks of working, resting and treating his wounds, Mr. Long earned enough money to buy a bus ticket home, leaving behind the terrifying days.

Serenity at home

Now, after 5 years of “escaping” from the gold mine, leaving the “hell on earth”, Mr. Lo Van Thin and Mr. Lo Van Long are still haunted. Every time someone mentions the word “Phuoc Son”, both of them feel goosebumps.

Returning to work and live on their homeland, Mr. Lo Van Thin and Lo Van Long are living a peaceful, serene life, far away from the days of witnessing the chaotic life at the gold mine.

Returning to his hometown, attached to the fields and alluvial land, although life is not yet prosperous, it can be considered stable. Mr. Thin is happy because his fields are promising a good harvest, the cassava fields have begun to flourish. Mr. Long is happy because his corn fields have firm seeds, and his buffaloes are fed with fat milkweed. And more importantly, his spirit is always happy and comfortable.

Cong Kien