Farmers block Sino Gold White Mountain operations

Australian mining company Sino Gold was forced to halt its White Mountain operations in Jilin province after an access road was blocked by a group of farmers, The Age reported. Twenty farmers were protesting the alleged contamination of a local stream located 3.5 kilometers from the mining site. Sino Gold said it is taking a "non-confrontational" approach to resolving the problem, but said independent tests results proved the water was uncontaminated, and therefore refused any compensation to the farmers. "The company believes that it is not appropriate to pay compensation under these circumstances, especially as it may encourage other groups to pursue similar unsubstantiated claims," a company statement explained.