Kyrgyz protesters demand compensation from Canadian gold miner
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 May 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kyrgyz protesters demand compensation from Canadian gold miner, 27 May 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/51b087e72f.html [accessed 15 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 27, 2013
SARUU, Kyrgyzstan – Citizens living close to Kyrgyzstan's biggest gold mine in the country's north are demanding compensation for environmental problems.
Some 200 protesters gathered in the village of Saruu near Kumtor mine on May 27, saying they want the mine's operator, Canada-based Centerra Gold Company, to build a hospital and a pharmacy providing local population with free medicine.
The protest comes three weeks after a Kyrgyz government commission started looking into potential environmental problems that could be caused by unstable waste heaps at Kumtor.
In February, the Kyrgyz parliament gave the government three months to renegotiate the terms of the 2009 contract on Kumtor.
The deal granted Centerra Gold a low tax rate that officials now say deprives Kyrgyzstan's budget of many millions of dollars.
Kyrgyzstan's political opposition has been demanding the nationalization of Kumtor.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
