Chinese gold miners detained in crackdown by Ghana authorities

The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) on Wednesday said 124 suspected Chinese illegal miners had been detained in Accra, the capital of the West African country.

Francis Palmdeti, head of public affairs of the GIS, told Xinhua that the Chinese were involved in illegal gold mining in the central region of Ashanti, as well as in western and eastern regions. Representatives from the Chinese embassy in Ghana visited the detention house and found no injuries or casualties, said an embassy spokesperson, and that they will contact the mine owners to pay bail or negotiate with the Ghanaian government for a release, possibly this week.

Over 90 percent of the detained workers are from Shanglin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. While the Chinese foreign ministry requested that the Ghanaian government "offer humanitarian treatment to the detained workers," several Chinese workers in Ghana told the Global Times the government has been sending the military in a crackdown on illegal mining activities since May, and used force.

Zhou Jian, a worker from Shanglin, said the mine he had been working for was robbed and damaged during a government raid on Tuesday, and a group of "unidentified men" came with military guards and shot at Chinese hiding in the woods. "Some workers were injured and hospitalized, and I don't know if they're still alive," Zhou said.

Another worker, Li Yuan, said the guards started a hunt for Chinese workers hiding in Kumasi, where most mines with Chinese workers are located, searching hotels and blocking the way from the mines to the airport. Even some workers with legal work visas were robbed, and most of the mines have ceased operation and the workers have left, the workers said.

It is reported that there are 50,000 mine workers from Shanglin in Ghana.

Miners who talked to the Global Times Wednesday declined to answer questions about whether some were working without a work visa, or whether their mining activities had caused pollution.

The Chinese foreign ministry requested that the Ghanaian government properly handle the matter and guard the safety and interests of Chinese residents. The embassy has asked Chinese residents to abide by laws and regulations and seek job opportunities through legal means.