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Gem miners ordered to halt excavation by gov’t

and | Publication date 23 August 2013 | 07:51 ICT

Gem miners ordered to halt excavation by gov’t

The Pailin provincial governor has ordered a gem-mining firm to stop excavating land in a conservation area, local officials said yesterday. According to Lim Bou, chief of Boya-kha commune in Pailin town, local authorities received the order after it came to light that a firm was illegally mining in the Samlaut Protected Area.

“The firm’s mining exploration causes bad pollution of water that affects villagers and the environment. [And] its [mining] licence has expired,” Bou said, reading from the letter.

The company, identified as Moro-dok Gem, according to Bou, had a valid mining licence that expired in June of this year.

The Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, the first organisation to implement a conservation program in the area, confirmed yesterday that it had observed the company’s actions. “They’ve entered the protected area,” CEO Stephan Bognar said.

The provincial governor could not be reached.

Contact authors: Phak Seangly and Kevin Ponniah

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