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The activities of illegal miners are going on within Prestea in the Western Region and its surrounding communities which is brewing tension in the community.

Information gathered from Prestea indicate that majority of people who own concessions within the community are facing tough times dealing with the covetous  nature of the ‘so-called’ Small Scale Miners Association members who are allegedly frustrating legitimate concession owners.

There is an allegation that the Association, through the help and support from the Prestea District Police Commander is unduly taking over concessions that belong to other people who are not necessarily members of their Association.

Speaking to some people whose concessions have been encroached by the Association, they lamented that the situation is worrying since the small scale miners are destroying the land.

 “I am protecting my concession for the future. But I have seen that the Association had taken over and is mining on the concession without even having permit or ownership to the land. I have all documents to my concession and don’t understand why the Association and the Police Commander are bent on destroying my concession,” a concession owner said.

With their activities and its attendant effects on the land and the community as a whole, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, who was in the community caused the seizure of equipments and machines belonging to the Association members which were being used to mine.

However, this paper has gathered that, few days after the seizure of the machines, members of the Association have defied all orders from the Minister asking them to stop the illegal mining on those concessions.

In expressing their defiance which many people said was not in order, the leadership of Small Scale Miners Association in Prestea held a press conference accusing the Minister and the Minerals Commission of teaming up with legitimate concession owners to seize their equipments.

Information received as regards the clamp-down on illegal activities in Prestea, two persons Fosu and Lion who are known lead persons when it comes to Galamsey activities in the area were arrested but are currently on bail.

Meanwhile the arrest of Fosu and Lion as generated some confusion in the community with the youth especially, demonstrating against the decision by the minister and threatened to kill the owners of the concession on which they were operating before the arrest.

Concession owners are thus calling on the minister, minerals commission and the IGP to look into the activities of the Association and the Police in the community since their interference in matters such as the one at hand will inflate passion leading to severe fatalities.

They also called on the District Police Command to stay away from their lands.

A tour to Prestea has established that the Association members and other small scale miners in the area are using Mercury in extracting the gold small miners sell to prospective buyers who intend trade the precious mineral to gold companies.

Although government has not regulated the use of mercury by small scale miners, the Association continues to use it to the detriment of the people and the community.

However, EPA is on the ground educating miners on the harmful effects of mercury on their health.

Meanwhile, when this paper contacted the District Police Commander of Prestea DSP Timothy Dassa on the issue he debunked the allegations pointing out that the said area does not fall under Prestea but rather Axim area adding that most of the small scale miners are based in Prestea and when the concession owners seized their equipment’s the small scale miners came to block the road leading to the said area.

The Commander stressed that he and his team are not in bed with the Small Scale Miners Association.