Putting their life on the line for gold
Putting their life on the line for gold
By Ali Budiman
SANGON HAMLET, Yogyakarta (JP): Ever since gold was discovered
here in 1995, the village has been bustling with mining
activities.
For 24 hours a day, the buzzing sound of electrical dynamos
never ceases in the hamlet at the foot of the Menoreh mountain
range, some 49 km to the west of Yogyakarta.
"That's the sound of the dynamo working during the gold
extraction process," said Anwar Ashari, 40, a miner at the
unlicensed gold mining site.
Locals will take a big slab of stone and then break it into
pieces. Then with a ratio of 4 pails of stone, 2 pails of water
and 3 grams of mercury, the stone, water and mercury are put into
an iron tube in which there is a cylinder used to crush the stone
into powder. The tube will then be rotated by the dynamo.
The mercury will later separate the gold from the stone
powder. This process usually lasts between four and five hours.
Once it is completed, the tube will be refilled with the same
materials and the whole process starts all over again.
The outcome of the process -- gold liquid -- will be burned at
1,000 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes until it turns into silvery
crystals ready to be sold. This process takes place in the houses
of these gold miners not far from the mining site.
The presence of gold was first discovered by gold miners from
Tasikmalaya, West Java. The discovery changed the pattern of life
of the locals. The locals previously earned a living as farmers
and sugar palm tappers, but today some 40 percent of them, or
about 150 locals, earn a living from mining gold. They do this
after working on the farm or tapping sugar palms, between 9 a.m.
and 3 p.m.
Luck
Mining is done by digging into hills, using simple implements,
such as hoes, hammers and picks. In a day, a mining group of six
to eight people, can collect about 10 pails of excavated stone.
After the extraction process, for every four pails of stone, they
can get an average of 500 milligrams up to 1 gram of gold.
"However, the quantity of stone cannot be used as a standard
because the gold content varies. It is frequently the case that
after the process is completed, no gold is found. Our job depends
on luck. In a day we can get 2 grams, 5 grams, or even 10 grams
of gold. Very often, however, we get no gold at all for days on
end. On average, we get 1 gram of gold a day," said Amar, 46.
Saefudin, another gold miner, has the same story. He said that
he could earn quite handsomely, after deducting 10 percent for
the owner of the land on which the gold mining is conducted. Very
often, the miners use other people's plot of land. Then he must
set aside 20 percent of the gross income for the iron tubing and
another 2.4 percent for social funds. In a day he can earn
between Rp 10,000 and Rp 15,000. For the equipment, he has to
spend some Rp 4 million.
"If you are lucky, you can get back your Rp 4 million
overnight. However, if not, it will take months to break even,"
he said. Other gold miners like Wawan, Tugiyo, Karjo, Anwar
Anshari, all having a break, concurred.
"I don't think we need more capital because our income is
uncertain. We are afraid that we cannot return the loan. One
thing for sure, gold miners like us have never been known to go
bankrupt. The capital is small and we don't borrow from others,"
Anwar added.
They are very patient people. They will spend days on end in
search of gold, using their simple implements.
"We are sure as long we work hard, good fortune will
eventually come. This is our conviction because our income
depends on luck," said Saefudin, philosophizing about his job.
The risks
They are not insured against accidents. The gold they collect
is their own. No levies nor taxes are imposed on them. The only
payment they have to make is the portion to be given to the owner
of the land on which they conduct gold mining, or to the owner of
the implements. The amount is negotiable.
"We are responsible for our own safety. In case of an
accident, we cannot make any claim to anyone. We collect the
gold, earn the income and spend it ourselves," said Amar, who
seemed concerned about the safety risks.
Aware of the absence of insurance, they dig small cave-like
tunnels, only big enough to squat inside, for fear that if the
hole is bigger it may easily cave in. They provide piles in the
places where the tunnels have collapsed to ensure that there will
be no more digging there.
The villagers began to use electricity in 1996. They use a 10
watt lamp to illuminate the excavation area and also use an
electric pump to suck out water in the dug-out area. This way
they feel secure to conduct the excavation in the tunnel. They
believe each tunnel, about 15m to 50m deep, will be strong enough
for two years mining operation.
No license
The young and old local gold miners said they did gold mining
without a license. To them, obtaining a license is not feasible
considering the amount of income.
"I've heard the procedure to obtain a license is complicated
and we even have to go to Jakarta. The income from the mining
will not be big enough to cover the cost," said Anwar.
He said that his earnings from gold mining were only enough to
keep body and soul together. They cannot get rich yet from this
activity. So they are reluctant to apply for a license.
"We do gold mining only to be able to buy rice every day. Only
that," said Amar flatly.
They do not expect much from the regional administration: just
to allow them to carry on mining. They do not need financial aid
because they are afraid they cannot repay it.