A GROUP calling itself Concern Citizen of Talensi in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region, has hinted of embarking on its long intended demonstration against Shaanxi Mining Company, after the 6th March Independence Day Celebration.
The group had earlier planned to embark on a demonstration on February 11 to get the public to support their call for the Shaanxi Mining Company to leave the Gbane mining community in the Talensi District.
They claimed Shaanxi was the cause of the many deaths in the Gbane area and should be made to leave.
Dozens of miners died recently at the Shaanxi mine.
The group had told the Police that they were to march from the Talensi to the Bolgatanga Municipality and end up presenting a petition to the Regional Minister, Paulina Abayage.
The Police advised against the distance to be covered, because the Service does not have the personnel that could walk and protect the protesters as they go through the close to 30 kilometer distance.
There was a misunderstanding over some conditions given by the Police, which the Police said compelled them to secure a court order against the demonstration, and as a result the anti-Shaanxi demonstration could not come off on February 11.
A statement by the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Osei Kwaku Ampofo Duku to the leaders of the group, warned them and the general public that the court order prohibits and restrained people from the Talensi District from embarking on a demonstration.
Even before a new date is set for their intended demonstration, some citizens of Talensi have distanced themselves from the “Concerned Citizens of Talensi”, saying the group does not represent the interest of the district nor the people of Gbane, but individual interests.
Others are of the view that Shaanxi should continue to operate and monitored to abide by all regulations in the sector.
They said the Chinese company should be made to engage more people and paid well and also be compelled to do more for the Gbane community, in the form of Cooperate Social Responsibility.
Others believe that the demonstration was at the behest of some few Small Scale mining concession owners and enterprises who want the Shaanxi Mining Company Limited to be pushed out so that they could take over their underground investment.
A Small Scale miner and a member of the Obuasi group in Gbane, Anthony Atia in an interview with the media, said he as well as the Obuasi mining group, were not part of the demonstration.
According to him, there were many Small Scale Mining groups in the area, whose activities may be harming the people of the Gbane area and the entire Talensi District.
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