'Mineral thieves' operate openly and without restraint.

Many people are asking, who is responsible for the blatant illegal mining that seriously affects people's lives and livelihoods, causing the loss of mineral resources?

Trucks carrying soil and sand lined up one after another on the road reserved for illegal sand trading.

LE BINH - TRAN DUY KHANH

WIDESPREAD ILLEGAL EXPLOITATION

On the morning of January 25th, a team of reporters from Thanh Nien Newspaper followed a dump truck (license plate 60R - 056.xx) for over 1 km, surrounded by fields, until they reached a sand mining site near the Dinh River lake. The truck then drove inside. About 15 minutes later, the truck emerged, its bed full of wet sand. The heavy vehicle rolled back onto the original dirt road, heading towards National Highway 1. Wherever the truck went, sand spilled all over the road.

As the dump truck approached National Highway 1, due to carrying too much sand and constantly spilling out, the male driver stopped, climbed onto the truck bed to compact the sand to the brim, then covered it with a tarpaulin and continued driving. Following this dump truck were two other dump trucks, license plates 86C - 180.xx and 60C - 690.xx.

Soil from the illegal mining site is being transported to a storage area.

LE BINH - TRAN DUY KHANH

At approximately 9:00 AM on the same day, the three aforementioned dump trucks arrived at the gate of the NA farm and pulled over to the side to allow a convoy of dump trucks (with license plates 60H - 102.xx, 60H - 020.xx, 86C - 180.xx, 86C - 136.xx, 60H - 116.xx, 60R - 069.xx) to enter. The letters PN were printed on the front of each of these dump trucks.

Dump trucks carrying soil and sand kick up clouds of dust, affecting the crops and fruit trees of local residents.

LE BINH - TRAN DUY KHANH

After the convoy of dump trucks transporting sand passed by, the gate of the aforementioned farm was closed, preventing any other vehicles from passing through. At the same time, a group of young men on motorbikes spotted and approached the Thanh Nien reporters, threatening them and demanding that they leave the area immediately and forbidding them from returning (?).

Vehicles transporting soil and sand are affecting the health and livelihoods of local people.

LE BINH - TRAN DUY KHANH

During our investigation, we were informed by local residents that the aforementioned road was opened by a group of illegal miners, solely for their own use in transporting sand out of the area. Locals attempting to use it would be threatened and driven away.

Upon reaching National Highway 1, the dump trucks with license plates numbered 60 turned left towards Dong Nai , while the rest turned right. We followed a dump truck with license plate 86C - 180.xx, loaded with sand, as it emerged from a dirt road within the mining area onto National Highway 1. When this truck reached the intersection of National Highway 1 and Alley No. 03 (the section leading to Nghia Hoa Industrial Cluster, Tan Nghia Town, Ham Tan District, Binh Thuan Province), the driver turned left and drove about 400 meters further to the PN construction materials yard, located on a plot of land approximately 5,000 m². At this point, we observed three large dump trucks with license plates 72C - 100.xx; 86C - 117.xx and 86C - 115.xx, along with two smaller trucks and two excavators, continuously transporting minerals and construction materials.

People are outraged because their livelihoods are being affected.

Between January 24th and 27th, we observed convoys of dump trucks and other trucks carrying fill soil from the sand mine for sale, which severely damaged two local roads. The spillage of sand from the trucks onto the roads, creating clouds of dust that affected the crops and fruit trees of local residents, caused them great frustration.

At 2 PM on January 25th, we observed a 6 m³ dump truck (license plate 86C - 149.xx) moving from National Highway 55 along a local road directly into the soil mine next to the Dinh River lake. About 20 minutes later, this truck, fully loaded with soil, emerged from the mine. The truck bed was not covered with a tarpaulin; each time it passed a pothole, mud and soil spilled from the truck bed onto the road, creating a cloud of dust.

Trucks carrying fill soil from the mine to be sold.

LE BINH - TRAN DUY KHANH

Following the vehicle for over 5 km to an empty plot of land, the male driver dumped all the soil and then left. According to our investigation, this area belongs to a local resident who needs to buy soil to raise their foundation. While the reporter was documenting the scene, a stranger, a man in his 40s, approached and threatened: "What are you doing here? Get out immediately!"

At 3 PM on the same day, a truck (license plate 86C - 149.xx) bearing the words "T.D Construction Materials," and two other trucks (license plates 86C - 118.xx and 86C - 139.xx) labeled "BT Construction Materials" were seen carrying fill soil about 20 cm higher than the truck bed, speeding along the local road from the quarry. Wherever these trucks went, they kicked up clouds of dust. Similarly, at the same time, on other local roads, dump trucks (license plates 86C - 116.xx and 86H-009.xx) also entered the quarry to collect fill soil, and by 4:10 PM, they were leaving to sell the soil in various areas of Tan Nghia town.

Mr. NVB (60 years old, residing in Tan Nghia Town) expressed his frustration, stating that his family has lived here for nearly 30 years. In recent years, dump trucks carrying soil and sand have been operating day and night on this residential road. This is a narrow residential road, yet hundreds of trucks of all types travel on it daily, mainly dump trucks carrying soil and sand from the PN Company's mine to National Highway 55. Wherever the trucks go, thick clouds of dust and smoke fill the air. Not only does this cause hardship for commuters, but many households living along the road have to keep their doors and windows closed all day to avoid the pollution.

Mr. B. added that the trucks transporting soil and sand are affecting the health and livelihoods of the people. The crops of the people along both sides of the road are covered in dust day and night to the point that they cannot grow. "My family has several acres of land planted with cashew and dragon fruit, but they can't flower or bear fruit. We have reported this to the local authorities many times, but the situation hasn't changed," Mr. B. complained.

( to be continued)

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