AFRICAN MAIL - Ghana has detained more than 124 Chinese nationals for their involvement in illegal gold mining after a raid which took place near gold mines where the Chinese were living, the Chinese embassy in Ghana said.
Ghana is Africa’s biggest gold producer after South Africa, producing more than 1.6 million ounces in the first half of 2012. The arrests made on its mine fields are part of an on-going crackdown on foreign nationals working illegally in small-scale gold mines, reserved by law for Ghanaians.
“We have cautioned all the Chinese people in Ghana to strictly abide by the related laws and regulations”, said Yu Jie, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Ghana.
The issue has been widely discussed in the Chinese media, with some miners reportedly saying they want to leave but face hefty fines. Majority of the detained workers are from the poor county of Shanglin in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chinese media say.
Chinese officials at the Chinese embassy are negotiating the release. They said most of the miners were detained for several reasons ranging from the immigrants expired residential permit, and without their visas.
In April, a ban was declared on Chinese immigrants engaging in illegal gold mining in the central region of Ashanti, as well as in western and eastern regions, to stop environmental damage.
The detained miners are being held at an immigration centre in Accra, and are awaiting deportation to China.
(Ventures Africa)
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