Mondulkiri Authorities Launch Extensive Crackdown on Illegal Mining with 56 Sites Targeted

• 9 November 2024
• Local News
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In an intensive crackdown spanning just three days, from 3 to 5 November 2024, the Mondulkiri Provincial Department of Mines and Energy, together with other local authorities, successfully intervened at 56 locations identified for illegal mining operations across Mondulkiri province.

This major operation underscores Cambodia’s growing commitment to regulate mining activities and protect its natural resources, according to HE Ung Dipola, Director General of the General Department of Mineral Resources, who shared these updates in a press conference on 6 November 2024.

The authorities focused on Me Sam and Chong Plas commune within Keo Seima district, where they discovered 33 actively illegal mining sites, alongside 20 sites that had already been mined, and three that were found undisturbed. The crackdown is set to continue over the coming days to ensure that illegal mining activities in the region are fully dismantled.

HE Dipola confirmed that authorities have accurately documented the locations of the mines and identified the landowners associated with these unauthorised operations, with further legal measures, including judicial proceedings, expected shortly.

To reinforce its commitment to curbing illegal mining, the Ministry of Mines and Energy announced six key measures:

1. Engaging prosecutors in efforts to inspect and intervene in slum areas associated with illegal mining.
2. Partnering with the Department of Land to identify and take legal action against mine owners involved in unlawful activities.
3. Deploying dedicated enforcement teams in affected areas for six months to a year, aiming to prevent any resurgence of illegal operations.
4. Complete removal and rehabilitation of illegal mining sites to restore environmental conditions.
5. Working with stakeholders to control access to ammunition, explosives, and chemicals to reduce their use in illegal mining.
6. Creating a monitored communication network between provincial authorities and the Ministry to ensure swift preventative actions and sustainable oversight.

These new policies and the ongoing operation reflect the Cambodian government’s strengthened stance against illegal mining practices and its dedication to safeguarding both the environment and the integrity of the country’s natural resources. Further developments on the operation’s outcomes and legal actions will follow as the crackdown progresses.

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