Three Arrested in Laos for Illegally Mining Gold on Land Leased by Chinese Company
Authorities in Laos’ Luang Prabang province arrested three rural villagers for trespassing after they tried to mine gold on land granted in a concession to a Chinese company, RFA has learned.
The villagers, from Phapon village in Luang Prabang’s Pak Ou district, were initially detained by Chinese employees of the Thian Chin Huakjan-Lao mining company. The Lao authorities arrived later to take them in. They were accused of illegally mining gold on the concession land.
“Three Hmong people stole gold from the cave,” an employee of the company, who requested anonymity to speak freely, told RFA’s Lao Service Thursday, identifying the suspects as members of the large ethnic minority group.
RFA’s Lao Service
