Operations at International Minerals Rio Blanco gold-silver project in Ecuador have been temporarily suspended
Company:
International Minerals Corp.
Title:
Operations at International Minerals Rio Blanco gold-silver project in Ecuador have been temporarily suspended
Text:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(Business Wire)--
International Minerals Corporation (TSX: IMZ)(SIX: IMZ) reports that operations
at its Rio Blanco gold-silver project in Ecuador have been temporarily suspended
and the IMZ work force has been removed after a group of protesters from the
local communities occupied the Company`s exploration camp.
The protest relates to issues concerning layoffs of the community workers at the
beginning of 2009 as a result of the suspension of all exploration activities in
Ecuador by all companies due the Mining Mandate issued in April 2008 by the
Ecuadorian government. Even though a new mining law was passed in January 2009,
the Rio Blanco project has been essentially inactive pending an official
notification from the government for the Company to re-start its activities.
There are no reported injuries at the Rio Blanco camp as a result of this
occupation of the camp, and drill core and critical data are all in a secure
off-site location. The Company is working with the local authorities and the
protesters to resolve this issue as soon as possible and will provide
information about developments as they arise.
The Rio Blanco gold-silver project is in the permitting stage of development as
an underground mining operation, pending clarification of the legislative
framework and regulations pertaining to the new mining law.
For additional information, contact Wendy Yang at (1) 303-357-4863
Internet Site: http://www.intlminerals.com
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(Business Wire)--
International Minerals Corporation (TSX: IMZ)(SIX: IMZ) reports that operations
at its Rio Blanco gold-silver project in Ecuador have been temporarily suspended
and the IMZ work force has been removed after a group of protesters from the
local communities occupied the Company`s exploration camp.
The protest relates to issues concerning layoffs of the community workers at the
beginning of 2009 as a result of the suspension of all exploration activities in
Ecuador by all companies due the Mining Mandate issued in April 2008 by the
Ecuadorian government. Even though a new mining law was passed in January 2009,
the Rio Blanco project has been essentially inactive pending an official
notification from the government for the Company to re-start its activities.
There are no reported injuries at the Rio Blanco camp as a result of this
occupation of the camp, and drill core and critical data are all in a secure
off-site location. The Company is working with the local authorities and the
protesters to resolve this issue as soon as possible and will provide
information about developments as they arise.
The Rio Blanco gold-silver project is in the permitting stage of development as
an underground mining operation, pending clarification of the legislative
framework and regulations pertaining to the new mining law.
For additional information, contact Wendy Yang at (1) 303-357-4863
Internet Site: http://www.intlminerals.com