Bokeo district, Ratanakkiri province – When 25-year-old Kat Khem was found dead two months ago, the Tampuon hilltribe community of Ting Trom village was mystified.
Hours before dawn, Kat Khem’s 2-month-old daughter had cried in hunger, and the child’s grandmother roused herself from bed, wondering why her daughter hadn’t responded.
The family was bewildered when they found Kat Khem had died in the middle of the night without explanation.
When 5-year-old Kong Mo died a month later with fever, the 27 families of Ting Trom village blamed the industrial gem mining operation that was established near their village late last year and has destroyed the village stream.
“In our tradition, you are not allowed to block the stream or the spirits get angry,” village Chief Pleun Veuk said on Friday afternoon.
To blame for the spirits’ anger, villagers say, are the activities of the Ratannak Chorpon Co Ltd, which has been mining the area under an exploratory license since last year. Environmental groups claim such licenses are a way for companies to conduct full-blown mining operations without paying taxes.
Just 50 meters from the village, piles of dirt and rock have been tossed into what was once the village stream. Large craters have been dug, and a large swath of trees that ran for hundreds of meters along the course of the stream have been cleared.
Local villagers living in the area have dug and sifted the stream for gems by hand for centuries, the villagers said. Practicing the Tampuon traditions, the villagers honor the water and forest spirits with ceremonies and, they said, are provided with sustenance and life in return.
But when the company arrived last year with huge earth moving machinery and documentation saying that they had permission to explore the area for gems, the villagers said there was little they could do.
“I cannot protest against them because they say they have permission from the province,” Pleun Veuk said, adding that he appealed to district and commune officials without success.
When the company blocked the stream and people began to die, the villagers knew the spirits were angry.
The day Kong Mo died, the boy had taken a bath in a pool of water that was still fed by what was left of the stream, said his father, Plet Kong.
“We are angered by this,” he said as he looked down at the pool of water. “The forest here has a spirit.”
Ratannak Chorpon General Manager Chou Sarada said Sunday that while the company was recently granted a license to conduct full mining operations, he had suspended operations temporarily to decide whether to continue or not.
Although the company can make up to $2,000 per day selling the gems the company finds near Ting Trom village, the operation is not as profitable as mining in Pailin was several years ago.
“The business cannot make a profit because there is no water,” he said, although he downplayed damage to the local environment.
“We only cut small trees,” he said.
At the site Friday, several workers sat in the shade of a crudely built shack.
While the workers confirmed the operation had been suspended, they said it was only until parts could be brought from Thailand for the sifting machine, which was broken.
The workers said neither they nor the operation was responsible for the villagers’ deaths.
“I think the child died of tetanus,” said one worker who asked not to be identified. “When they deliver a baby, they do the traditional way and never go to the hospital.”
Hem Vanthan, director of the provincial industry, mine and energy department, said that the company was given a full license by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy two months ago and that the exploratory phase ended this month.
He said that the license was good for three years and that the company will now have to start paying taxes and will be held accountable for any damage it does to the environment.
Hem Vanthan said that he’d never heard of the two deaths but that he planned to launch an investigation.
Klong Ry, chief of Ting Chak commune, where the mining operation is located, said he has complained twice to district and provincial officials but has not received a reply.
Klong Ry scoffed at suggestions that the operation is in, or was ever in, an exploration phase.
“Every time we go to ask about the mining, they say it is exploration,” he said. “But look, it is not a test. It is a business, and they are collecting gems.”
As a Tampuon, Klong Ry said he too was worried about the water spirits and the villagers’ health.
“The villagers are getting sick because they block the water,” he said. “It damages the daily lives of the people. It is not normal damage.”
