Chinese gold miners abused and raped Ghanaians, says online report

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Local workers at a Chinese-run gold mine in Ghana in this undated photo. SCMP Pictures

Published: 11:53am, 6 Jun 2013Updated: 4:05pm, 6 Jun 2013

Chinese gold miners arrested this week in a raid in Ghana have been accused of raping and abusing locals.

A first-person account making the allegations emerged on China’s social media on Thursday after some web users speculated that Ghana police had mistreated the miners amid a crackdown.

It follows state media reports that 124 Chinese gold prospectors suspected of illegal mining in the west African country were detained by local police. A majority of the workers are from Shanglin, Guangxi province.

The Chinese embassy in Ghana said no Chinese citizens detained were injured, but confusion and anger intensified among the Chinese online community after rumours claimed that Chinese-owned factories were burned down and several Chinese workers were killed during the raid.

Many say the diary - headlined “Insults and discrimination towards the locals are spreading like a plague [in Ghana]” - has offered a rare glimpse into the feud between Chinese workers and locals.

“I wouldn’t be surprised If one day, anti-Chinese incidents happen here in Ghana,” wrote the author at the beginning of his article. The writer, who has lived in Ghana and is not identified as a miner, wanted to stay anonymous, said a friend who spoke to the South China Morning Post.

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