Recently, the Government of Ghana carried out a large-scale action against illegal gold mining. As of June 5, Ghana had arrested 124 Chinese citizens suspected of illegal gold mining. Officials from Shanglin County of the Guangxi Autonomous Region said that the vast majority of the 124 people detained in Ghana are from Shanglin.
The people of Shanglin have a history of mining gold. Since 2006, many people from Shanglin have steadily gone to Ghana to engage in gold mining activities. According to incomplete official statistics, so far, the number of people who have gone to Ghana for gold mining is estimated at 12,000. [1]
Why did the Police in Ghana implement such a large scale arrest? Guangxi Shanglin County Propaganda Department chief Li Daoyong said that some clashes among the gold miners in Ghana could have been the trigger. In particular, since April of this year, there have been incidents in which Guangxi gold miners in Ghana killed fellow miners and shot and killed locals, causing discontent among the masses and problems with local security issues.[2]
Sources: China Security Times and People’s Daily, June 6, 2013
[1] http://kuaixun.stcn.com/2013/0606/10526531.shtml
[2] http://world.people.com.cn/n/2013/0606/c157278-21754499.html