Friday 29 June 2012

Arresting Illegal Gold Miners & Loggers Can Only Be Good News For Ghana's Environmental Activists

The recent statement by  the  Chinese government,   asking for the arrest of Chinese nationals engaged in illegal activities in Africa -   such as illegal gold mining and logging -  seems to have somehow  empowered part of  Ghanaian officialdom.


An example of this new empowerment, is the recent  arrest of some Spanish citizens and their Ghanaian partner,  by the police at  Anyinam,  in Akyem Abuakwa.


That definitely is positive  change from past experience in the Eastern Region -  where   the most powerful individuals in the wealthy criminal syndicates that operate there,  were virtually untouchable.


They   raped  the natural environment in Akyem Abuakwa with ruthless abandon,  and destroyed  its natural heritage with complete impunity.


The devastation wrought by  the   selfish activities of  illegal gold miners and loggers, across  a vast swathe of the Ghanaian countryside,  in the forest-belt,  is scandalous and a national tragedy of apocalyptic proportions.


Alas, gold seems to trigger off the worst in  those driven mostly by unfathomable greed.  That confounded metal seems to evoke the worst   in so many in our country today - especially now its price has reached historically high and unprecedented  levels.


If officialdom  now feels  sufficiently  empowered to act to halt the many foreign criminals  and their Ghanaian collaborators - all of them  driven by avarice and who hitherto  disregarded our country's laws  and got away with it -  that can only be good news,  for all those patriotic  Ghanaian environmental activists,   who  care deeply about preserving what is left of Ghana's natural heritage.


Tel: 027 745 3109.


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