Galamsey Fight: “I Deported Almost 5000 Illegal Chinese Miners During My Time As President – John Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama stated in an interview that, his government deported over five thousand Chinese miners who operated illegally in the country.
According to John Dramani Mahama, Ghana and the Asian diplomatic ties were not affected by the deportation of the Chinese people he stressed.
He made this known as the fight against galamsey has returned to the national conversation in regards to the return of the deported Chinese illegal miner Aisha Huang.
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He claimed that he made the decision to deport the Chinese nationals without taking the two nations’ relations into account since Ghanaians residing in China will be held to the same standards of justice if they break the law.
“When I was president, we valued the relationship with China but if you are Ghanaian and you go to China, and you are involved in illegality, they do not say because of the good relationship they have with Ghana, they are going to let you go scot-free. You will face the law in China.
When I became president, I reported almost five thousand (5000) illegal Chinese miners. I didn’t say because of the good relationship we have with China so we should allow them to engage in this illicit activity. We collaborated with the Chinese Embassy and came and took their nationals away. It however didn’t destroy our relationship”
According to him, the National Patriotic Party has failed in the quest to fight illegal miners and small-scale mining in the country.
