The inspections involved officials from the Mining Department, the Forestry Department, the Fire Brigade and the Police Department.

Some mineworkers ran away when the inspection team approached and left their mobile gold extracting machines behind.

Slg Naw Lawn, the administrator of Wa Ra Zup Village Tract, who was accompanying the inspectors told KNG News that two mobile gold extracting machines were removed from near Shahtu Zup village, but the miners operating them managed to escape.

He said: “There are many people working for small companies who are using rafts and mobile gold extracting machines and we cannot guarantee their safety, The only people we managed to arrest were some unregistered miners who were working close to the village.

The confiscated mobile gold extracting machines, which cost 4.5 million Kyats each, are being held at the Township Administration Offices.

This was the third surprise inspection, it took place because the authorities had read stories about the gold mining in the online press according to KNG News. All the inspections have resulted in arrests.

Despite frequent arrests of unregistered miners there are still over 60 large gold extracting machines on rafts and over 100 mobile gold extracting machines operating every day along the Namsam Stream near Wa Ra Zup Village. Mine workers said these operations are allowed to continue because they all pay tax to the State Government.

Residents in the area are worried about the impact of heavy gold mining on the main stream, which is deteriorating.

The waterway under a bridge in the middle of Shahtu Zup village has become blocked by debris thrown back into the river by the miners, which makes it hard for villagers to use the bridge.

Locals are also worried by the social impacts of drug dealing in the area, which has greatly increased as more miners come to the area.

The number of gold mining operations has substantially escalated since the Yazuna Company came to the Hukaung area in 2006 according to local residents.