14 July, 2021

Kyrgyzstan to nationalize gold mine Kumtor

In May, it became clear that dark clouds had gathered over Centerra Gold Inc, a Canadian-registered company operating the high-altitude mine, 26 percent of which belongs to the Kyrgyz state.

In the early 1990s, it was hoped that a large gold mine in eastern Kyrgyzstan, near the Chinese border, would lift the newly independent country’s economy out of the shatters of Soviet central planning. But 30 years into its operation, Kumtor has for many come to symbolise some of the developing world’s greatest ills: corruption, environmental degradation and neocolonial greed.

First, a court ruled that the mine had committed environmental violations by dumping mining waste on glaciers, a move that caused their gradual erosion and cost the state $3bn. Soon after, the parliament backed a proposal of the special commission on Kumtor to introduce state management at the mine for three months. On May 14, President Sadyr Japarov approved the plan, which effectively brought the mine back into the state’s hands. Later, a number of high-profile politicians accused of financial crimes related to Kumtor were arrested.

In response, Centerra Gold initiated binding arbitration proceedings against the government for what they viewed as a violation of mutual agreements. Its Kyrgyz units – Kumtor Gold Co and Kumtor Operating Co – applied for bankruptcy in a US court and the company says it will seek compensation from the government.

“In 1994, after the Kyrgyz people gained independence and with your help, we began building the Kumtor Gold Mine with an initial life of 18 years. To this day, what we created together is something special that engineers from all over the world come to study,” Scott Perry, Centerra’s president and CEO, wrote in a statement.

“The seizure of the mine is based on false information and groundless allegations that undermine everything we have built together. We fear that the government’s unjustified action will put thousands of well-paying jobs and the businesses of hundreds of Kyrgyz suppliers at risk.”

被认为是“精英富集的来源”

一月份的总统大选后，塞特拉（Centerra）的压力增加了，在承诺全国复兴的竞选活动后，贾帕罗夫（Japarov）席卷了胜利。去年10月起义反对政治腐败和有争议的议会选举后，他被指定为裁定该国为临时总统兼总理，这是该国独立以来的第三次动荡。正是黄金使他掌权。

在赢得山体滑坡的几个月前，他被释放出监狱，在他对库姆托尔的一名抗议活动中，他因绑架当地官员而被判处11个半年徒刑。

自2013年以来，他一直是反对外国公司运动的主要人物，他指责利用吉尔吉斯斯坦的稀缺资源。他认为，该国的精英以牺牲人民和环境为代价。许多当地人分享了他的观点。

“Over 30 years of mining based economic model, the extraction of natural resources became perceived by the populations as another source of elite enrichment,” Asel Doolotkeldieva, a researcher in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek focused on the politics of resource extraction, told Al Jazeera.

“They believe that investors, together with the elite, seek to enrich themselves, plunge the resources and go away as soon as the resources are emptied.

“采掘业仅提供全国3％的就业机会。矿山正在被利用，资源被清空，政府越来越丰富，但是尽管有一些发展和慈善项目，但当地社区仍未直接影响他们的生活。”

At the same time, there are concerns over the environmental damage caused by the mine.

“废物被存储在冰川上，根据估计，在开发库姆托尔终点后，它将重18亿吨。它将留在那里并影响环境。冰川是库姆托河（Kumtor River）的水源之一，它流入塔拉加河（Taragai River），然后流向纳里河（Naryn River） - 中亚最大的跨性别河Syr Daria，”环境保护专家Kalia Moldogazieva告诉Al Jazeera。。

“我们已经对口语从th Kumtor项目e very beginning because it is located in the glacier zone. Glaciers melt due to global warming anyway and in Kumtor, they are additionally affected by the anthropogenic factors.”

Miner support for Japarov

In February 1995, Murat was not prepared for the job. The temperature was -45 degrees Celsius (-49 degrees Fahrenheit) when his feet first touched the mountain that was meant to be Kyrgyzstan’s pride. The dry freezing wind at 4,000 metres (13,123 feet) above the sea level made it hard to breathe.

“I have never seen anything like that before. We felt like we were on another planet,” said Murat, 59, who worked in Kumtor for eight years. “They [company bosses] invited us for dinner in a hall that looked like a restaurant. Then they gave us canned coke. It was the first time I saw it.”

他于2003年辞职，到那时，他设法在伊斯西克 - 库尔湖（Issyk-Kul Lake）建造了一所房子，贾帕罗夫（Japarov）来自那里，并为他的亲戚提供了多年的支持。穆拉特说，在库姆托的工作很努力，但该公司是公平的雇主。加班的时间是两倍，安全始终是优先事项，他很感激他能够使用最新的技术。

“We received medals every five years, clothes, gifts. They were good to us and at the time we were only thinking about ourselves, our families, money. Everyone wanted to get rich.”

但是随着时间的流逝，穆拉特改变了自己的观点。今天，他对贾帕罗夫总统的民族主义改革议程感到满意。

吉尔吉斯斯坦还没有为此做好准备。我们同意提取黄金的时间太早。我们的技术还不足以在寒冷中在山上高高运行。现在我们应该得到Japarov。我们已经完成了谎言。”

Murat shows pictures from his Kumtor years and a nostalgic mood takes him over. Soon after, he reaches out for a small book: poems to Japarov written by his supporters when he was still in prison.

“May Sadyr be released! He will get the work done! He was punished for no reason, if someone like him comes to power, he will clean our country of dirt.”

资料来源：aljazeera.com