Paco has just arrived at the hotel in Freetown. He has visited the diamond mines in Koidu, which, as you already know, is 250 kms away from the capital city of Sierra Leone. He is tired, because, although the town is not very far, the trip has been exhausting. Can you believe it? He has missed the plane! He has even missed the hostess' words, "For safety reasons", for a while. He has felt less safe in the coach from Freetown to Koidu. What is more, he has spent five hours on the coach, "never again", he thinks.

Despite being exhausted, he has not gone to bed yet. He keeps on thinking about the old piece of news stuck on a post on his way to the mine he has read. Probably, he will never forget what the article said:

Sierra Leone police open fire on locals protesting mining practices, by Jade Heilmann*

Police in Eastern Sierra Leone have opened fire to disperse a group of demonstrators in the mining town of Koidu, where local residents say they have not been compensated for environmental damages from the mining. As Jade Heilmann reports several people were injured in the incident.

Dozens of young residents of the eastern Sierra Leone town of Koidu went into the mine to protest against the mining company. Sierra Leone police had to intervene and opened fire on the protesters.

Valnora Edwin is the director of Sierra Leone non-governmental organization, Campaign for Good Governance. She says the residents of the town adjacent to the mine complain the blasting has negatively impacted their daily lives.

"They are complaining that when they are doing the blasting it is affecting their school, it's affecting everyday activities because everyone has to go indoors, there are particles flying in the air, and that is also affecting their health," she said.

The residents are also complaining that the mining, which started in 2003, damages their plantations, their water supplies, and more generally, the environment. They want the mining company to pay to relocate them.

By VinothChandar C. Commons

Abu Brima, executive director of the Sierra Leone Network Movement for Justice and Development, has been an avid activist against the company's practices, which he says violate human rights. He explains the community has taken legal steps to try to change the mining company's practices.

"The community people have made a number of complains, and have written a lot of letters of complaints to the authorities", he said. "Unfortunately, they have used their heavy hands to clamp down on local communities on behalf of the mining company. Now there is a lot of panic and chaos in the whole of Koidu town," he said.

Koidu Holdings, a mining company, has changed ownership several times. The current majority stakeholder is Geneva-based mining group BSG.

They could not be reached for comment, but a March 2004 press release says the company is adhering to the standards and regulations of the Sierra Leone Government and international best practices.

The press release also states they have adhered to compensatory and relocation plans, but that new houses are being illegally built on land close to the mine.

* Adapted from Sierra Leone Police Open Fire on Locals Protesting Mining Practices.

The difficulty of the article Paco has read is similar to that of the texts used for PAU tests. Remember that you do not need to understand every single word in the text to be able to answer, for example, the following reading comprehension questions.

1. According to the text, have the local authorities of Koidu admitted the protesters were right? Explain your answer briefly.

2. According to the text, why have local residents protested? Explain your answer briefly.