Titanium mining suspended after protests on Vietnam island
Published by MAC on 2006-09-01
Titanium mining suspended after protests on Vietnam island
1st September 2006
Reported by Dinh Phu, Cao Nguyen – Translated by An Dien
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=19539
Four titanium exploration companies on central Vietnam's Nhon Ly Island saw their operations halted Thursday after protests that their activities depleted groundwater and affected the environment.
The Binh Dinh province administration had licensed the four, Truong An Ltd. Co., Trung Viet Ltd. Co., Tien Phat Ltd. Co., and Tu Luc Ltd. Co., to mine for the substance on the Island.
But after hundreds of protestors stormed the four companies last week, condemning their large-scale excavations, Nguyen Van Thien, vice chairman of the province people's committee, called halt to their operations.
However, Thien said mining for titanium in the region, aimed at ultimately setting up an economic park on the island, had been okayed by the Vietnam government.
So, authorities would look for other locations to mine, he said.
Titanium is a strong, highly corrosion-resistant element that occurs widely in igneous rocks.
It is used to alloy aircraft metals because of its low weight, strength, and stability at high temperatures.
Locals protest as titanium mining takes toll on Vietnam island
23rd August 2006
Reported by Dinh Phu–Cao Nguyen – Translated by An Dien
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=19203
Residents of Nhon Ly island in central Vietnam's Binh Dinh province have protested for the past two days against titanium mining in their area.
Hundreds of protesters stormed local titanium exploration companies, demanding a halt to their operations as their mining had depleted water sources and severely polluted the environment.
The island was also threatened by landslides since the titanium miners had left vast open craters which were open to the sea.
The Binh Dinh province people's committee has allowed four companies to mine for the substance in Nhon Ly.
Titanium is a strong, low-density, highly corrosion-resistant, white metallic element that occurs widely in igneous rocks.
It is used to alloy aircraft metals for low weight, strength, and high-temperature stability.
Central province maps out titanium mining master plan
Vietnam Economic Review – Translated by Thanh Tuan
3rd August 2006
http://www.thanhniennews.com/business/?catid=2&newsid=18427
The central Thua Thien Hue province, home to the nation's largest titanium reserves, has recently ratified a master plan to exploit the valuable metal to 2015, the Vietnam Economic Review reports today.
The plan encompasses an area from the coastal sands in Dien Loc Commune to Chan May port with two large mines of Quang Ngan and Ke Sung-Vinh My.
Four other smaller mines would also be featured in the master plan, which will exploit a total of about 2.5 million tons of titanium over the next 10 years.
Because of its strength and light weight, titanium is used in metallic alloys and as a substitute for aluminum.
Alloyed with aluminum and vanadium, titanium is widely used in the making of aircraft, missiles and space capsules.
A commercial transport aircraft uses between 318 and 1134 kg of the metal.T