Stop the ‘galamsey’ - China warns nationals

The Chinese Government has cautioned all its nationals in Ghana, especially those engaged in illegal small scale mining, to “strictly abide by the related laws and regulations".

The Spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Ghana, Yu Jie, issued the caution to the Chinese expatriates when he spoke to China’s Xinhua News Agency following the arrest of 124 Chinese nationals by Ghanaian Authorities.

The Chinese Officials in Ghana are negotiating the release of the arrested suspects.

Those arrested are suspected to be involved in illegal gold mining.

Hordes of Chinese are engaged in massive illegal mining activities in the West African country, which is the continent’s second biggest gold producer after South Africa.

Ghana’s President recently inaugurated an inter-ministerial taskforce to flush out Chinese illegal gold miners from the country.

The Chinese, intermittently engage in gunfights and bloody conflicts with their local hosts in fights over concessions.

The arrest of the Chinese has become a topical issue in the Chinese media which are reporting that most of the detained workers trooped to Ghana, the “El Dorado” of the Continent as described by the country’s President Mr. John Mahama, in a recent interview with the BBC while he was on a three-day visit in France, with the sole purpose of taking part in the “gold rush”.

Most of the Chinese engaged in illegal mining in Ghana are from the impoverished county of Shanglin in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, According to Chinese media.