Gran Colombia Gold against illegal mining https://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/medellin/mineros-rechazan-solicitud-de-multinacional-de-operacion-militar-contra-mineria-ilegal-311914
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January 6, 2019, 05:37 pm
Controversy at the request of Gran Colombia Gold against illegal mining
The multinational called for military action against this phenomenon. Miners reject the proposal.
Members of the Mining Bureau of Segovia and Remedios (Antioquia) rejected the request of the multinational Gran Colombia Gold (GCG) to the National Government to make a police and military intervention in these municipalities, as well as Marmato (Caldas) against the illegal minery.
The multinational sent a letter to several national and departmental authorities in which it expressed its concern about the high incidence of illegal miners in territories in which the company has granted mining titles, especially in Marmato , Segovia and Remedios.
Signed by the CEO, Lombardo Paredes Arenas, the letter indicates that in these places the multinational has the exclusive rights over deposits of gold and silver, but that these are exploited by groups of illegal miners without permits and without titles."This represents a significant risk to themselves, our employees, the inhabitants and the environment in the surrounding areas and also endangers the physical integrity and infrastructure of the GCG mines," the letter reads.
In this regard, the Mining Bureau of Segovia and Remedios made a statement in which it indicated that the miners of these territories are not illegal, but ancestral and traditional and that a military intervention will only bring injustices to them.
"We must remind Mr. Paredes that those who are strangers in the territory are them (Gran Colombia Gold) as our roots in the territory forced them to recognize one of their first activities as an ancestral miners," said the mining representatives.
A similar statement was made by the Marmato miners: "Taking into account what was ordered by the Constitutional Court in the judgment SU 133 that ratifies the fundamental rights of small miners in the municipality and in which in none of its pages does it label them illegal, we believe it is an irresponsible attitude and tending to go over the norm and that could generate a conflict of incalculable magnitude ".For its part, the multinational complained in its letter that the Colombian government has left them unprotected, which has not been done with other multinationals in the country, which have been in identical circumstances. They mention cases of intervention in territories such as Buritic (West of Antioquia), where Continental Gold is present, to combat illegal mining. "We fear for the safety of our employees, as well as the environment of our operations," GCG said, adding that he also fears for the environmental damage caused by illegal mining.
In the case of Marmato, they said,the company's properties are largely invaded by illegal miners who operate more than 100 illegal mines, while in Segovia and Remedios they operate more than 200 mines illegally and produce more than 100,000 ounces of gold per year. On Tuesday, January 8, the Mining Bureau of Segovia and Remedios convened a meeting with associated and non-associated miners to discuss the issue. They also asked for a pronouncement from the municipal administrations, the councilors, the government of Antioquia and other authorities in this regard.
They assured that if a military intervention is accepted, only miners will be plundered, captured and affected, when they have always been dedicated to this work in a healthy manner and do not have the guarantees to do so.