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Continental Gold Inc. (TSX:CNL,OTCQX:CGOOF) announced that over the weekend, national and regional police authorities in Buritica, Colombia started a “significant operation to evict illegal miners from unsafe areas” near the company’s Veta Sur operations.
Continental Gold Inc. (TSX:CNL,OTCQX:CGOOF) announced that over the weekend, national and regional police authorities in Buritica, Colombia started a “significant operation to evict illegal miners from unsafe areas” near the company’s Veta Sur operations.
As quoted in the press release:
The National Mining Agency has ordered local authorities, with the participation of Continental as the legal title holder in the area, to formally close down those illegal operations as a preventative measure in light of the danger from potential landslides and the collapsing of tunnels in areas of illegal mining activity. A Security Council, led by the Buriticá Major and the regional police commander, is in the process of issuing the corresponding eviction orders to remove the miners from several illegal mines in the area. So far miners have been leaving their tunnels peacefully.
The Company’s operations are unaffected. The Company´s management and technical teams are on site ready to cooperate with the authorities in the orderly implementation of the government´s orders and to close down several illegal mines.
Leon Teicher, executive chairman of the board at Continental Gold, commented:
Illegal mining is endemic to areas with high-grade gold deposits in Colombia, as it has been throughout history elsewhere in the world. The Colombian government has declared “war on criminal mining” and is deploying its resources to control the activity in various parts of the country. Continental works in very close coordination with the authorities in its area of influence in that regard, as well as protecting our people and assets. Despite the regional emergency of this situation, we think it is a positive sign of the direction of the joint work between the Colombian government and the legitimate owners of titles, especially where projects of national strategic interest, such as Continental’s Buriticá Project, are being developed and operated.
Click here to read the full Continental Gold Inc. (TSX:CNL,OTCQX:CGOOF) press release.