Guangxi protesters demand Beijing aid gold miners caught in Ghana

Hundreds of residents took to the streets of Shanglin county, Guangxi, yesterday to demand the central government help relatives in Ghana after a series of attacks and looting targeting Chinese gold miners.

Protesters began to gather outside the county government office building at 10am, holding placards and banners with slogans such as "Violent crackdown against Chinese in Ghana, Chinese nationals have been robbed" and "Lack of action by the Chinese embassy in Ghana".

Thousands plan to travel to the capital of the autonomous region, Nanning , today to protest outside the regional government building.

A protester from the town of Mingliang said: "We are devastated these days whenever we receive long-distance calls from our relatives in Ghana. Thousands of them are now in danger of being robbed and attacked by local gangsters, robbers and even armed policemen."

Ghanaian authorities have detained over 160 Chinese in a crackdown on illegal mining and Chinese have since become the target of looting and attacks by locals because they are known for their wealth from gold mining.

Most of the illegal gold prospectors in Ghana are Chinese - an estimated 50,000 of them, with most from Shanglin county.

Francis Palmdeti, head of public affairs for the Immigration Service in Ghana, said some of those detained held residential permits that had expired, Bloomberg reported. "Repatriation will start once the migrants or the Chinese embassy pays for transportation costs," he said.