Serbian villagers stand up to Chinese mining company over environmental concerns

CREVELI, Serbia – “When they mine, it's like an earthquake,” said Vukasin Lazarevic, an 84-year-old former miner.

He said: “My wife is now sleeping in the kitchen and I am in the other room because the ceiling of the bedroom has cracked and we are afraid that he will kill us during the night.”

The Lazarevic family is part of a growing number of protesters from Krivelj, a village of about 700 people located a few kilometers from Bor, the city that includes a huge complex where copper and other metals are extracted and processed by the Chinese Zijin Mining Group.

A group of older villagers, like 80-year-old Ljubomir Radivojevic, are at the heart of a main road blockade preventing trucks and other vehicles from reaching the mine.

Local residents have long complained of pollution, contaminated drinking water, and other environmental damage caused by the sprawling operations, which the Chinese mining giant took over in 2018.

Frustrated after years of inaction by Serbian authorities on their concerns, Radivojevic and others took to the village streets in late January and blocked roads leading to the mines, effectively cutting off the site from supplies needed for its operations.

On February 13, Zijin said it had to suspend production at the mine due to the blockade.

But Radivojevic and others say their struggle is far from over, and they will continue to block the main road, setting the stage for a long-running fight over the future of their village and Zijin's expanding mining operations in eastern Serbia.

“[Krivelj] Increased activity at the mine and blasting to expand the site had damaged nearby property and weakened the village's infrastructure, Radivojevic told RFE/RL's Balkan affiliate.

Zijin entered Serbia in 2018 with Belgrade's backing when it paid $350 million to recapitalize failed RTB Bor, and pledged to invest $1.26 billion in the site over the next six years. Since then, the company has revived mining in the region and sought to open new sites with a $3.8 billion investment announced in September to expand copper mines as demand rises due to its value in the global energy transition away from fossil fuels.

A road leading to the open copper pit at Bor, which was acquired by Zijin in 2018. (File photo)

While Belgrade praised Zijin's role in revamping the country's mining industry and providing job opportunities in the Balkan country, grievances between the company and local residents grew.

In Crivelli, residents say roads have been turned into artificial roads to accommodate trucks and heavy machinery, leading to unsafe conditions on the roads. Locals also say soil, air and water pollution has harmed agricultural production, while the use of explosives to expand mines has damaged some residential buildings.

The protest continues

While residents see the temporary halt of operations announced by Zijin as a success, the blockade is set to continue while protesters call for government mediation to resolve the issue. So far, no talks have begun.

Krevelli resident Dragan Kosic says the mining company looked for alternative routes for its trucks amid the siege and even built a road by blocking the river's flow a few kilometers from the village. He added that local residents informed the Serbian authorities, who ordered the temporary road to be removed.

“They blocked the riverbed so they could pass,” Kosic said. “I can't build the most ordinary toilet – one meter by one meter – in my yard without a permit, but the Chinese can block the entire river.”

Zijin has repeatedly said it operates in accordance with all laws and regulations in Serbia, and claimed in a public statement that it is actively seeking dialogue with protest organizers, local authorities and the Serbian government “so that the road blockade can be resolved.” safely.”

Since coming to Serbia, Zijin has been fined for pollution violations, and in April 2021, the company was ordered to stop work at a copper mine after failing to follow environmental standards and build a wastewater treatment plant.

Facing public scrutiny, the Chinese company has engaged with disaffected communities by funding local sports teams in what activists and watchdog groups say is an attempt to repair its tarnished image.

Jasna Tomic, a resident who helped draft and submit a proposal to Žijin to resolve the situation, says the situation largely stems from decades of failed government efforts to move people from Krevelli. Residents have long complained about living near mines and authorities have discussed resettlement, but with Zijin activity increasing, villagers say they are feeling desperate.

Residents of Krivli take turns blocking the road leading to the mine, which is run by the Zijen Mining Group.

Ana Patrošić, who also drafted the proposal that protesters sent to Žijin in early February, says it focused mostly on creating commitments from the company and the government to compensate families in the village and develop a resettlement plan.

“With these requests, we were only drawing attention to previous disagreements, but since we had no one willing to deal with us, we had to express our discontent by putting up roadblocks,” she said. “People have realized that this is the only thing they have and that they need to fight for it with all available means.”

Find a solution

Crevelli has been surrounded by mines since the 1980s, and the village's vicinity is dotted with factories for processing mined ore and mining tailings – a mining waste dump – as well as quarries.

Because of these surroundings and the side effects associated with mining, the people of Crevelli several times asked the government to move them.

Lazarević, a former miner and long-time resident of the village, says he has been waiting for more than two decades for government action, and while he hopes Zijin's arrival will speed up the process, no progress has been made. “They promise us all kinds of things, but they do nothing,” he said.

Vukasin Lazarevic shows the cracks in the wall of his home's supply closet, which he says were caused by explosions from a nearby mine.

The Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy did not respond to RFE/RL's request for comment, but the government has repeatedly promised to relocate the villagers. In October, Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Gedović Handanović said a solution had been reached with Zijin and the villagers.

But villagers told RFE/RL that many of them had not even seen the resettlement plan and no agreement had been reached.

“[Right now] “It only exists on paper,” Lazarevic said.

Written by Reed Standish in Prague based on reporting by Branko Pesic in Serbia

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos