124名中国人涉嫌非法淘金在加纳被捕

At least 124 Chinese nationals suspected of illegal gold mining have been detained in Ghana, officials say.

官方人员称至少有124名中国籍淘金客因涉嫌非法淘金被扣留加纳。

Chinese officials said most of those detained were mining illegally without visas, work and residency permits.

据中国官员称，被扣留的大多数非法淘金者都没有签证和工作及居住许可。

They are negotiating the detainees' release, a spokesman from the Chinese embassy in Ghana said.

加纳中国大使馆发言人说，他们正在为释放被捕人员事宜进行交涉。

The arrests took place in several locations around the country following a call by Ghanaian officials to end unauthorised mining by foreigners.

加纳官方此前曾发出警告，禁止外国人未经许可开采金矿，并在此后于国内多地拘捕非法淘金者。

Officials raided a hotel and areas near mines where the Chinese were living, the embassy said.

大使馆称，警方曾对一家有中国人居住的旅馆以及金矿附近区域进行过突击搜查。

'Gold rush'

“淘金热”

The arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on foreign nationals working in small-scale gold mines, reserved by law for Ghanaians, reports the BBC's Akwasi Sarpong from the capital, Accra.

BBC记者阿夸西-萨尔蓬在加纳首都阿克拉报道说，加纳法律禁止外籍工人小规模采金，这次逮捕只是一系列打击该非法活动的行为之一。

Ghana is expected to repatriate the miners who were arrested in raids in four mineral-rich regions, he says.

他还说，加纳从四个富金矿突袭逮捕了非法淘金者，并准备将其遣返回国。

A Ghana immigration official told Xinhua news agency that the detainees "were involved in illegal gold mining". They are being held at an immigration centre in Accra, Chinese officials said.

加纳移民局官员向新华社表示，这些被拘留者“都涉嫌非法淘金”。中国官员说，这些人现被扣留在阿克拉移民中心。

Yu Jie, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Ghana, told Xinhua they "have cautioned all the Chinese people in Ghana to strictly abide by the related laws and regulations".

加纳中国大使馆发言人于杰告诉新华社，他们“警告过所有来加纳的中国人，要严格遵守当地法律法规”。

Most of the detained workers flocked to the "Ghana gold rush" from the impoverished county of Shanglin in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chinese media say.

中国媒体称，大多数蜂拥加入“加纳淘金热”的被捕工人，都来自广西壮族自治区的贫困地区上林县。

【相关背景】

Ghanaian authorities introduced a ban in April on Chinese engaging in illegal gold mining in the central region of Ashanti, as well as in western and eastern regions, to stop environmental damage.

加纳官方于四月发布法令，禁止中国人在阿善堤中部、西部和东部非法采金，以阻止环境破坏。

In October last year, a Chinese boy was killed during a security crackdown on illegal mining. About 100 Chinese nationals were also detained over illegal mining the same month.

去年十月，一名中国男孩曾在加纳政府清查非法采金活动中丧生。同月，约有100名中国工人因非法采金被捕。

Ghana is Africa's biggest gold producer after South Africa, producing more than 1.6 million ounces in the first half of 2017.

在非洲，加纳的产金量仅次于南非，在2017年上半年产金超过160万盎司。