Mining
Industrial mining
Sand mining contracts cause serious concerns
Sand mining is conducted mainly at open pits, beaches, inland dunes or from the dredging of ocean and river beds. Sand is mined primarily to produce concrete for use in construction but this little-noticed and largely unregulated activity has serious costs because it damages rivers and ...
Jason Boken
Mining in the Mekong: Myanmar to outperform, Thailand to underperform
There is big opportunity, and and also big risk in the Mekong mining sector, according to recently published report. Fitch Solutions Macro Research’s industry analysis maintains the Mekong region will remain underdeveloped and dominated by domestic players in the coming years as foreign investment flows ...
Dramatic Photos Show How Sand Mining Threatens a Way of Life in Southeast Asia
Sand is a key ingredient in concrete, the essential building material of Vietnam’s fast-growing cities. Demand for it is surging—and that is wreaking havoc not only on Vietnam’s rivers, but also on the all-important Mekong Delta. Keep reading ...
Vince Beiser
Mining exploration set for region home to endangered river dolphins
Australian mining firm Medusa Mining has announced plans to begin exploration for gold, copper and oil in Kratie province’s Prek Kampi commune, about 35 kilometres west of a stretch of the Mekong River that is home to endangered river dolphins.Keep reading ...
Robin Spiess & Brendan O’Byrne
Boon turns bane: titanium mining in Bình Thuận
Bình Thuận Province has reaped enormous economic benefits from titanium mining, but the industry has also damaged the environment badly, degraded the lives of local residents. The southern province has the highest titanium reserves in the country at an estimated 599 million tonnes, or 92 per ...
MoIT rejects proposal to close mine
The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has rejected a proposal to shut down a major iron mine over concerns that it poses risks to the environment. The ministry said in a press statement that the proposal by the Ministry of Investment and Planning (MPI) to ...
Chinese traders prefer Hpakant over Mandalay gems market
Buyers from China have found it much easier to do business in the mines of Hpakant than in Mandalay’s Maha Aung Myay Gems Trading Centre, the city’s largest emporium which features more than 1000 shops, especially if they want to buy raw or uncut jades. “I have ...
Dầu Tiếng Reservoir sand mining suspended
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the provinces of Tây Ninh, Bình Dương and Bình Phước to suspend sand mining operations at Dầu Tiếng Reservoir, following an order from the Government. The ministry told officials to adjust planning for construction sites and ...
Cold-water fish a gold mine
Hoang Van Ta, 53, was the first person to farm salmon in his commune in the mountainous province of Lang Son in 2007. Now he earns as much as VND4-5 billion (US$180,000-$220,000) a year from salmon. Mau Son Commune, Loc Binh District is located about 170km ...
Coal miners owe the Indonesian government hundreds of millions of dollars
Indonesia is now one of the world’s largest exporters of coal, an industry that contributes around four percent of the country’s gross domestic product mostly through exports to China and India. Despite its massive size, however, observers are concerned that the sector’s actual contribution to ...