This is the legacy of Indonesia’s mercury trade, a business intertwined with the lucrative and illegal production of gold. About a third is used in gold mining in Indonesia, she said, the rest smuggled overseas. By some estimates, Indonesia’s illicit small-scale gold miners produce as much as $5 billion a year. To extract gold, the miners mix liquid mercury with crushed ore. Gold in the ore binds with the mercury to produce an amalgam of the metals. The role of corrupt officials in the gold and mercury trade is widely recognised but seldom addressed by the government.

Source: bd News24 November 10, 2019 06:12 UTC