A Viet Nam News Agency reporter said about 50 floating dredges were hunting for the precious mineral on three rivers running through Binh Gia, Huu Lung and Loc Binh.
„ Local leaders were determined to put an end to this practice ,“ said Nguyen Huu Chien, a representative of the provincial people’s committee .
Despite efforts to control the dredging, exploiters often operate at nights to escape attention.
Random checks reveal that most of the dredges do not have licences or if they do, they are just for sand exploitation.
Ten dredges have so far been fined between VND 20-30 million (US$950-1,400).
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Dredging Today Staff, July 30, 2012