Bolikhamxay provincial authorities have denied social media reports of placer gold mining, saying the claims are inaccurate and based on misleading information.
On 23 June, Deputy Head of the Bolikhamxay Provincial Public Security, Khampheng Namphavanh, said the allegations centered on Lak 20 village in Khamkeut district, near the Vietnam border.
The claims stemmed from a 18 June Facebook post on the page “Baeng Pan Kkuam Hu Lod Lak,” translating to “Sharing Knowledge About Tow Trucks,” which included photos and videos purportedly showing active mining at the site.
Khampheng said “no mining is currently taking place at the location.”
He said the page deliberately spread old footage to provoke unrest and undermine public confidence in the government’s enforcement of the mining order. Khampheng also urged the public not to be misled by what he called deceptive content aimed at discrediting Party and government leadership.
Nationwide Mining Enforcement Intensifies
The clarification comes as neighboring Xieng Khouang Province cracks down on illegal gold mining.
On 20 June, Xieng Khouang authorities detained eight suspects, including six Vietnamese and two Lao nationals, in Mok district, seizing excavators, pickup trucks, and gold separation equipment, and transferred them to border military authorities.
In Savannakhet’s Phin and Sepon districts, authorities arrested 11 people, including six Vietnamese and five Lao nationals, between 20 and 23 May, confiscating excavators, motorized boats, trucks, water pumps, and generators, and recovering sixteen Vietnamese passports and more than one kilogram of mercury.
Xaysomboun authorities also arrested three individuals and confiscated heavy equipment at an illegal alluvial gold mining site in Nam Yon village, Anouvong district, on 31 May.
The crackdown is part of a nationwide campaign by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce against illegal mining and mineral smuggling.
New measures announced on 18 June direct authorities to step up inspections of mining sites and processing facilities.
