Attapeu recently saw a group of people carrying out illegal mining activities involving extracting, buying, and selling minerals.
In the third province administration meeting, the Director of the provincial Energy and Mines Department, Mr. Vithaya Phommachanh discussed the situation.
He said that even after receiving countless warnings and detentions, the individuals continue to engage in these unauthorized activities.
According to Mr. Vithaya, illegal mining of minerals usually involved cooperation between villagers in the area. Such activities are also being conducted around the border of Laos and Vietnam, where the area is full of steep mountains and rough roads, making it challenging for authorities to scope out the area, especially during the rainy season.
Furthermore, the people involved often stop in their tracks when they notice cops nearby and they continue carrying on with their activities once the police leave the scene.
The director said that measures are being taken to nab the criminals and for the past nine months in 2022, the implementation of the protection and development of geology and minerals in Attapeu have been under systematic management, especially projects involving in exploration and investigation.
