"Savannakhet Launches Operation Against Illegal Gold Mining, Logging", 27 May 2026

Savannakhet provincial authorities have dismantled illegal gold mining and logging operations across Phin and Sepon districts, seizing over 47,000 cubic meters of wood and heavy mining machinery that had caused severe damage to forests and rivers.

The operation, which ran from 20 to 23 May under Deputy Governor Khamphoui Sibounheuang, deployed 180 officials across eight sites, five in Sepon and three in Phin. Following the raids, authorities arrested eleven people, including six Vietnamese and five Lao nationals.

In Sepon district, officers confiscated excavators, motorized boats, trucks, water pumps, and generators. They also recovered sixteen Vietnamese passports and more than one kilogram of mercury, a toxic chemical used in gold extraction that can seriously contaminate rivers.

In Phin district, teams found illegal logging alongside mining activity, seizing 35 logs totaling over 47,000 cubic meters from near a national protected forest. Another site contained a large sand-dredging boat still under construction.

The worst damage occurred near Sopmi village along the Se Kok River, where mining had destroyed over a kilometer of riverbank, left multiple deep ponds, and cleared more than three hectares of riverside forest…

On 24 May, Provincial Governor Bounchom Oubonpaseuth inspected the seized equipment and instructed authorities to expedite prosecutions and permanently halt illegal mining and logging. All seized items and evidence are now held at four secure locations as investigations continue…