So These Guns Captured From The Chinese, At Whom Were They Potentially Targeted?

It is almost “no news” now to hear that Chinese nationals, working in collaboration with Ghanaian galamseyers, have been arrested by one or the other of the Ghana Government's security agencies trying to stamp out galamsey and substitute it with a legitimate and regularised system of small-scale mining, carried out by vetted and expertly-trained miners.

What is upsetting is that despite the wide publicity given to the Government's efforts, galamsey continues unabated, and in its original form of Ghanaians working hand in hand with Chinese nationals. What stubbornness is this? And for how long will it be tolerated?

The most recent incident depicting the situation whereby the efforts of the Government of Ghana are completely ignored is described thus:

QUOTE:

Saturday, 8 December 2018 Source: dailyguideafrica.com

16 Chinese galamsey operators busted with guns

“Sixteen Chinese and 13 Ghanaians have been arrested in a forest reserve at the Amansie Central District of the Ashanti Region in a special operation to tackle illegal mining.

“The Excavator Evacuation Team of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining... carried out the special operation at 15 locations in the district in the heart of the Krobo (sometimes spelt as Kobro) Forest....The taskforce seized 30 excavators, four pick-ups, two caterpillars, 14 PUMP-ACTION GUNS, ONE M16 GUN, 200 [ROUNDS OF] LIVE AMMUNITION, five cutlasses and cash [totalling] GH¢45,000.

“The taskforce... also destroyed some chanfan machines that were being used by the ... ‘galamsey’ operators.

UNQUOTE

This means that the situation that occurred a year ago, has not changed at all. For when he spoke to the media on 7 December 2017, the Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, announced that Operation Vanguard had seized 301 ROUNDS OF AMUNITION since it was commissioned to fight illegal mining in country. The Minister specified, then, that QUOTE:

“28 varieties of arms, 301 rounds of various of ammunition and 143 explosives had been seized through Operation Vanguard." UNQUOTE

Since then, regular arms seizures have continued to occur, and it would not be impertinent to wonder whether the “territorial integrity” of Ghana is being safeguarded at all! The point is that even though when Ghanaians are caught with illicit weapons, it is a very serious matter indeed, arms in the hands of foreigners staying in any country should be regarded as close to “an act of war”.

For, of course, the foreigner owes no allegiance whatsoever -- whether legal or sentimental -- to the state of Ghana, and thereby threatens the security of the host country, if he or she is able to obtain and keep arms by secret means.

What is the background of the foreigner who possesses secret weapons in Ghana? Do we know?

Let us assume that he/she “merely” wants to protect a galamsey operation with the guns. But suppose GOVERNMENT POLICY proves to be an obstacle to his/her objective of carrying out galamsey operations, do we know to what extent he/she may go to eliminate those who make and try to enforce that POLICY?

If his Ghanaian collaborators tell him that a certain Minister, military or police officer, poses a serious danger to their gold-winning activities and the foreigner has adequate training to plan and execute an operation to eliminate the individual(s) considered to be an obstruction, what can we do about it? We shall only hear of the tragedy after it has HAPPENED..

The amount of weapons seized, and the inability of our security agencies to determine HOW the weapons got into the hands of the foreigners in a country where one must – ostensibly – obtain a licence before one can import, or own a weapon, is A MAJOR BREACH OF NATIONAL SECURITY.

We have been treating galamsey as if it were a “social aberration” of some sort, but it isn't.

Social aberration? Yes. Otherwise, why would we countenance the use of weapons in that enterprise, especially by foreigners?

Whenever a seizure of arms from the Chinese occurs, the question that comes readily to the lips of many bemused Ghanaians is this: WOULD THEY ALLOW GHANAIANS TO POSSESS AND DEPLOY WEAPONS IN CHINA? How many Chinese nationals have been prosecuted in our courts for illegal possession of arms? Is it not strange that arrested Chinese galamseyers are mainly prosecuted on the relatively minor "immigration" charge of residing in Ghana unlawfully? Who has been supplying them with "NON-RESIDENT IDENTITY CARDS"? Do our security agencies know?

The affairs of a nation must not be treated with sentimentality. We have very good relations with the Government of China, yes. But that does not mean that we can expect every Chinese national to harbour good intentions towards Ghana or its people. Certainly not where becoming rich through illegal mining of gold is concerned.

After all, there are over 1.2 billion people in China, and even if the Chinese Government wanted to vouch for the good faith of all its citizens, it would quite simply be incapable of physically doing so.

Indeed, the Chinese Government does not joke with its own national security. Here is some information about Chinese lawon the possesion of firearms

QUOTE: “FIREAMS have been tightly controlled in China ever since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Currently, the primary statute in regulating firearms is the Firearms-Control Law, which took effect on October 1, 1996. ...

The Firearms-Control Law generally PROHIBITS ANY PRIVATE POSSESSION OF FIREARMS IN CHINA, WITH EXTREMELY LIMITED EXCEPTIONS. Aside from firearms for military use, the Law categorizes firearms as those for official use and those for civilian use. Firearms for official use are strictly confined to the police, procuratorial personnel working on investigations, and customs personnel. In addition, guards and escort personnel working for important STATE DEFENCE enterprises, financial institutions, storehouses, and scientific research institutions may carry firearms if the firearms are necessary for the performance of their duties.

“Firearms for civilian use are permitted for specified “work units” in three areas: sports; hunting; and wildlife protection, breeding, and research. Individual hunters in hunting areas and herdsmen in pastoral areas may possess hunting rifles, which cannot be removed from those areas. The Criminal Law provides harsh penalties for gun-control violations. Illegal possession of firearms is punishable by police supervision, criminal detention, or fixed-term imprisonment for up to seven years. Illegally manufacturing, trading, transporting, mailing, or storing five military guns, five gunpowder-propelled non-military guns, ten other nonmilitary guns, fifty military bullets, five hundred nonmilitary bullets, three hand grenades, or any explosive devices that can cause serious damage is punishable by fixed-term imprisonment of NOT LESS THAN 10 YEARS, LIFE IMPRISONMENT OR DEATH .”UNQUOTE

That is the law in China. We can't do better than be guided by it, in our attempt to prevent Chinese nationals from defeating our Government's considered policy on galamsey.