Kratie authority bans gold mining operation
17 October 2018
The Kratie provincial department of mines and energy warned on Tuesday of legal action against O’droun villagers who illegally dug gold mines in Sambor district’s Kbal Damrey commune.

The warning came shortly after department director Sok Kirirath led a task force on a field visit to the commune and found cases of illegal gold mining in five locations.

Kirirath told The Post that each location had a machine for its gold mining operation. He said although the authority found them to be small-scale operations, it is a legal violation.

“We gave them a week. They have to remove all the equipment and tools used for illegal gold mining before October 23. We will take legal action if they resist,” he said.

Kirirath said after a mine collapse killed and injured five workers in September last year, the provincial court ordered Chinese-owned mining firm, Xing Yuan Kanng Yeak, and O’Droun villagers to stop gold mining operations in the area.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... -operation

Reasons for closing Kratie gold mines (so far) :
Water contamination.
newsworthy/contaminated-water-killing-k ... ld%20mines
Dangerous for workers.
newsworthy/two-gem-miners-killed-when-t ... 20collapse

The latest crackdown against local gold miners in Kratie coincides with the resumption of mining by a Chinese firm in the area.

Kratie cracks down on illegal mining
26 October 2018
Kratie provincial authorities on Wednesday cracked down on six illegal gold mining operations in Sambor district’s Kbal Domrey commune.

The operation involved provincial mine and energy officials, and police and military police who were led by deputy prosecutor Thuch Panhchak Santepheap.

Soum Sarith, Sambor district governor, said yesterday that he sent his officials to crack down on the illegal gold mining operations. He noted that people have been mining for gold illegally since the 1980s.

“About five years ago, six or seven miners died and the Ministry of Mines and Energy closed down an illegal gold mine in the area,” Mr Sarith said. “But people discreetly started mining for gold there again.”

He noted that only a Chinese company has a license to mine gold legally in the commune, but suddenly stopped its activities five years ago. Mr Sarith said the company, whose name he can’t remember, resumed operations recently.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50544205/k ... al-mining/

there are numerous gold mining shows on tv and everyone gets the fever after watching them...
toss in the chinese and the locals feel like they deserve a piece of the pie...
the color drives people into dangerous places and ruins most of them...
the cost of mining has surpassed the price of gold for the most part....it is a rough game to play.