Text and image Jason Pinas
MOEROEKREEK — Several police units, supported by the National Army, started clearing gold camps near the Moeroekreek on Friday. The focus of the security services is mainly on the gold-rich area known as ’21 Bergi’. The site is located on one of the concessions of Zijin/Rosebel Gold Mines and has long become attractive to hundreds of oekemmangs or illegal gold diggers.
The True Time learns that the gold multinational has granted permission to local residents to mine gold on a small scale. However, the situation has become unsafe and confusing in recent weeks, because illegal gold seekers are moving into the mine.
“We are children of this area, na dya unu musu meki unu moni. We don’t bother anyone. Unu na grudgeoman“
Gold digger
Order restored
In order to restore order, the traditional authority of Matawai, after consultation with the government, has decided to temporarily suspend access to ’21 Bergi’ until matters have been properly mapped out. “We were forced to take this step. The reports we receive are not good. There is an unsafe situation and we can no longer allow it to continue like this,” says chief captain Wilson ‘Positief’ Willems. the True Time.
He took Friday, on behalf of granman Lesley Valentijn from the Matawai, pool height at the start of the evacuation. “I am satisfied with the course of events so far. The police are doing their job correctly and order has been restored,” the captain continues.
But the eviction is not accepted by everyone. “Why are they taking us away from here? What does the eviction actually entail?” complains a gold digger in conversation with the True Time. “We are children of this area, na dya unu musu meki unu moni. We don’t bother anyone. Unu na grudgeoman“, the lament continues. Every now and then the pork brawlers almost came to blows. There was also no shortage of swearing at the police units.
Weapons and tunnel
Willems points out that several things make the area unsafe. According to him, there are many illegal firearms in the hands of the oekemmangs, who shoot unnecessarily, especially in the evenings. “You are shocked by the shots you hear here. It seems like New Year’s Eve when bombels are fired; that’s exactly what it sounds like here with the firearms. That aggressive behavior is not good for anyone,” a villager supports the captain.
Willems also points out the tunnel system that the men use to search for gold. “They build a so-called tunnel that goes very deep into the ground. Efu a doti dati broko na wan bigi problema en unu leki traditional authority no wani a sani dati,” said the captain.
According to him, the tunnel system was the cause of the tragic mining disaster in November 2023, in which a total of fifteen gold seekers died. “We don’t want that again. Not everyone is happy, but we have to intervene,” the head captain emphasizes.
Registration
To get a good overview of the gold seekers staying at ’21 Bergi’, a mandatory registration of the pork hunters will soon be introduced. “We don’t want to make anyone miserable, but we are going to impose conditions,” Willems explains.
After the registration, which according to him will take a maximum of two weeks, the oekemmangs be allowed back into the area according to the new rules. In addition, security patrols will be carried out in the area to combat illegality.
