Deep pits left by mining activities of the Thach Khe Iron Joint Stock Company.

Ha Tinh Province’s chairman Vo Trong Hai has submitted a written request to the Prime Minister. The province wants to stop the operation of not only the Thach Khe iron mine but also a steel refinery plant with a yearly capacity of 2 million tons per year for the Thach Khe Iron Joint Stock Company.

Ha Tinh authorities also asked agencies to complete a report on the project and submit it to the Politburo for approval to suspend the collection of mining rights fees from the Thach Khe Iron Joint Stock Company so that it can maintain operations during the period of closure.

Since 2011, the Thach Khe iron ore mine has halted operation but it has not closed completely.

Ha Tinh authorities have several times asked the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Secretariat of the Central Party Committee, the Prime Minister and relevant ministries to consider terminating this project.

The project has been paused for a long time but many problems have existed, affecting the lives of local residents.

Thach Khe iron mine is the largest iron mine in Southeast Asia with a reserve of about 544 million tons.

The iron ore mining and refining project is invested by Thach Khe Iron Joint Stock Company (TIC). It is located in five coastal communes in Thach Ha district, Ha Tinh province, including Thach Hai, Thach Khe, Dinh Ban, Thach Tri and Thach Lac.

The number of households directly affected by this project is 4,437, totaling 18,951 people. From 2008 to 2011, the investor mined 3,000 tons of ore.

However, as this mine is located close to the sea, with complicated hydrological conditions and high risks in the mining process, the project has to be suspended.

Thach Khe Iron Joint Stock Company owes taxes totaling over 520 billion VND, including 309 billion VND of mineral mining right fees, land rent of 25 billion VND, and a fine for late payment of 185 billion VND.

Thien Luong

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