Romania's gold stays in the hills
By Nick Thorpe
BBC News, Romania
A 10 year battle over a Romanian gold mine, which has divided the local community, has resulted in a Canadian company suing the Romanian state for blocking planning permission.
羅馬尼亞十年以來使得當地社區對立的金礦之爭，因而釀成加拿大一間公司對羅馬尼亞政府企圖凍結建築許可證提起了訴訟。
We were expecting gold, at least in the autumn leaves.
我們期待著看到黃澄澄的金子，不然至少也得看到在樹梢上轉為點點金黃的秋葉。
But when we arrived in the Apuseni Mountains the first snow of winter dusted the hilltops, and the beech woods on the steep slopes gave only a dull, red, distant glow.
但是，當我們抵達Apuseni(阿普塞尼)山脈時，冬季的第一場初雪已將山頂妝點得灰灰白白，陡峭山坡上的山毛櫸林隱約泛著微微的紅光。
Catalin Hosu and his team from the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation sweep us up a muddy track in their four-wheel drive.
一同來自Rosia Montana金礦公司的Catalin Hosu和他的團隊，用他們的四輪驅動車毫不費力的就把我們帶上了泥濘的小徑。
They are young and enthusiastic about the mine development, and they describe it as the best chance to tidy up the mess left by the past 2,000 years of mining here, and to bring prosperity to these valleys.
他們既年輕又對礦業的發展充滿熱情，他們形容這是個絕佳的契機，可一舉收拾過去兩千年來採礦所遺留下來的髒亂，並且為這些溪谷帶來繁榮。
"This project is definitely the only hope for this region," says Catalin's colleague, Horea Avram.
"這項工程對這個地區肯定是唯一的希望，" Catalin的同事Horea Avram說道。
In the failing grey afternoon light, we stand over a great brown-black pit. A few fir trees and an abandoned bulldozer perch forlornly around the fringes.
在愈趨暗淡的午後光線中，我們站在一大片泛著棕黑色的礦坑上方。幾株冷杉樹和一台棄置的推土機孤伶伶地棲身在礦坑的邊緣。
On the other side of the mountain, beneath an outcrop called the Raven's Beak, a dog barks somewhere near the church in the valley below.
在山的另一側是一處叫做Raven’s Beak的裸露礦脈，遠從其下方的溪谷接近教堂處，傳來陣陣狗叫聲。
All 380 homes and two churches in Corna village have to go, to make way for a tailings (residue) pond where waste from the mine, in a cyanide solution, will be stored.
這個名為Corna的村莊裡所有380幢住宅以及兩座教堂都必須要搬遷，空出地方好建一個尾礦池，用來存放經氰化液提煉剩下的廢棄物。
Heavy metal rivers
The first shock for any visitor here is the extent of the existing damage.
對任何一個造訪此地的遊客來說，頭一個令他們感到震驚的是目前遭到破壞的範圍。
The rivers run red with heavy metals: cadmium, zinc and iron already unlocked from these hills by the mines of the past.
許多河流都被重金屬染成了紅色，鎘、鋅還有鐵從幾座過去採礦的山丘上漸漸釋放出來。
The corporation has even bottled some of it for their publicity campaign. Rosia Red they call it.
這間公司還曾將這些水裝在瓶中以做為他們的宣傳活動。他們稱之為Rosia的紅。
"What keeps Rosia Red?" asks the label on the back.
"什麼讓Rosia常是這樣的紅? "身後的標語道出了這樣的問題。
"Anti-mining activists who want to stop a new, modern mine designed to strict EU standards, that would actually clean up the rivers of Rosia!"
"反採礦行動主義者要求停止新式現代化的採礦，而這種為了嚴格的歐盟標準所設計的採礦方式才真的會淨化Rosia河!"
The second shock is the sheer extent of the Gold Corporation's plans to change the landscape.
金礦公司的方案對大地景觀改變的幅度則是第二個叫人感到吃驚的事。
Cetate Hill will disappear altogether, like a bad tooth plucked from the mouth of the Carpathians, to be pulverised along with three of its neighbours.
整座Cetate山丘將完全消失，像一顆齲齒從Carpathians(喀爾巴阡)山的口中被拔了出來，連帶鄰近三座山丘也將被徹底被摧毀。
In exchange, Romania has been promised more than £1bn ($2bn) in economic benefits.
對羅馬尼亞來說則是保證換得了超過十億英磅的經濟利益。
Ancient conquerors spoke of enough gold here to pave a road all the way to Rome. You can still find it in faraway museums, punched with Caesar's proud head.
古代的征服者論及此地豐富的金含量足以鋪滿每一條通往羅馬的道路。至今你仍可在遠方的博物館中看到這些金子雕琢在凱撒傲然昂揚的頭上。
Gold Corporation geologists admit that the main seams have already been carted away, but say 300 tonnes are left in low concentrations.
金礦公司的地質學家承認主要礦層已經被開採得差不多了，但剩餘零星分佈的量則有300公噸。
That is why they need to grind up whole hills - 13 million tonnes of rock a year - to make the operation worthwhile.
這也是為什麼他們需要磨平整座山，一年一千三百萬公噸的岩石，使得整件工程是值得的。
Homes belonging to opponents of the project are easily identifiable by their yellow "This property is NOT for sale" signs, among the green, more frequent plaques on homes already bought by the company: "Property of Rosia Montana Gold Corporation."
從那些鮮黃色"資產不出售"的標誌，要區分出那些對這項工程持反對意見者的家是非常容易的，他們夾雜在越來越常出現的綠色飾板中，上頭寫著"Rosia Montana金礦公司所屬資產"，這些住宅都已經被公司給買走了。
Project master plan
Remus Cernus is hammering and sandpapering a window-frame in his carpenter's workshop when we arrive.
當我們抵達時，Remus Cernus正在他的木匠工坊裡一邊敲敲打打還一邊用砂紙磨著一組窗框。
There is a picture of the Madonna and Child on the wall, and his home - like the Orthodox Church in the village - is panelled with cherry, pine and beech woods from his hard-working hands.
牆上掛著一幅聖母聖子圖，他的家如同村裡東正教教堂一樣，鑲嵌著櫻桃木、松木以及山毛櫸的木頭，全是出自他那雙勤勉的手。
According to the project master plan, his house and workshop will disappear under the deep base of the tailings pond.
按照工程的總體規劃來看，他的家和工作坊看來都將消失在深深的尾礦池底。
"I do not want everything I've done here, the traces of my parents, my forefathers on this earth, the very mountains which God created to disappear," he says slowly.
"我不要讓我所做的一切、我父母親以及我的祖先在這片土地上留下的點點滴滴、以及這幾座上帝創造的山就這樣消失無蹤，"他一字一句慢慢的說。
And he speaks sadly of close relatives who were persuaded by the company to sell.
而且他傷感地提到自己一位要好的親戚被說服了將房產賣給公司。
Divided communities
It is a common theme among opponents of the mine: the divisive effect the corporation's activities have had on local communities, with offers of money or re-housing... and the freeze placed on any plans to improve local facilities on the grounds that the company will do everything in the future.
在對採礦持反對意見的人當中普遍持著一種理論:公司對當地社區進行的活動已經產生了一些分裂效應，無論是出錢或協助移往新居...以及任何被凍結了的工程，只要是能改善地面設施，公司在未來都很樂意去做。
On the slopes of Orla Hill, where his frozen land too should be ground up for gold, Eugen David is defiant.
在Orla Hill山腰上，Eugen David結冰了的土地也可能因為金礦的開採而整片被碾平。他打算違抗這一切。
"There are thousands of villages in Romania which are developing without gold," says the leading light of Alburnus Maior, the main opposition group. "Why should this one be different?"
"幾千座羅馬尼亞的村莊沒有金礦也照樣發展，" 主要反對團體Alburnus Maior的靈魂人物這樣說著。"為什麼這裡要有所不同呢? "
And anyway: "It's the Romanian state's responsibility to rehabilitate the landscape, not some Barbados company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange!" he mocks the corporation.
但無論以何種角度來看，他嘲諷這間公司: "使大地恢復原來的樣子是羅馬尼亞政府的責任，可不是什麼多倫多證交所巴貝多上市公司的事! "
Later we sit in his kitchen, tasting his cheese, washed down with fiery plum spirit.
後來，我們坐在他的廚房裡，嚐嚐他的乳酪、喝著非常烈的梅子酒。
Diana, his nine-year-old daughter, describes debates in school between "the Greenpeacers" - as some children call themselves - and the "Goldists".
Diana，他九歲的女兒形容在學校裡"綠色和平組織支持者"和"金礦主義者"間的爭論，一些孩子們這樣自稱。
And who is in the majority? "The Greenpeacers!" Diana says loyally, as her grandmother brings another pancake from the top of the wood-burning stove, and spreads it thickly with homemade rosehip jam.
而哪一邊是多數呢? "綠色和平組織支持者"Diana一臉忠誠地說，此時，她的祖母正替我們拿來另一盤薄煎餅，那是剛從燃燒著柴火的爐灶上取下來，並且還厚厚地塗上了一層自製的野玫瑰果醬。
Leaving Rosia Montana, we get our gold at last: a sudden flicker in the sky, where we were least expecting it, after sunset.
正當要離開Rosia Montana的時候，我們終於得到了我們的黃金，那是天空中乍現的落日餘暉，是我們在這裡最不期望能見到的。
It is -4C (25F) in the mountain pass above Ariesen. The snow is waist-deep among the fir trees at the roadside.
在Ariesen之上的登山步道目前只有零下四度。在路旁冷杉林中，積雪正及腰那麼深。
And there is proof of some non-mining investment in the area. The ski slope is preparing for its first visitors of the season.
滑雪坡道正準備迎接本季第一批觀光客，證明這個地區還是可以做無關礦業的投資。
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/default.stm
Published: 2007/11/10 11:29:24 GMT
© BBC MMVII
By Nick Thorpe
BBC News, Romania
A 10 year battle over a Romanian gold mine, which has divided the local community, has resulted in a Canadian company suing the Romanian state for blocking planning permission.
羅馬尼亞十年以來使得當地社區對立的金礦之爭，因而釀成加拿大一間公司對羅馬尼亞政府企圖凍結建築許可證提起了訴訟。
We were expecting gold, at least in the autumn leaves.
我們期待著看到黃澄澄的金子，不然至少也得看到在樹梢上轉為點點金黃的秋葉。
But when we arrived in the Apuseni Mountains the first snow of winter dusted the hilltops, and the beech woods on the steep slopes gave only a dull, red, distant glow.
但是，當我們抵達Apuseni(阿普塞尼)山脈時，冬季的第一場初雪已將山頂妝點得灰灰白白，陡峭山坡上的山毛櫸林隱約泛著微微的紅光。
Catalin Hosu and his team from the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation sweep us up a muddy track in their four-wheel drive.
一同來自Rosia Montana金礦公司的Catalin Hosu和他的團隊，用他們的四輪驅動車毫不費力的就把我們帶上了泥濘的小徑。
They are young and enthusiastic about the mine development, and they describe it as the best chance to tidy up the mess left by the past 2,000 years of mining here, and to bring prosperity to these valleys.
他們既年輕又對礦業的發展充滿熱情，他們形容這是個絕佳的契機，可一舉收拾過去兩千年來採礦所遺留下來的髒亂，並且為這些溪谷帶來繁榮。
"This project is definitely the only hope for this region," says Catalin's colleague, Horea Avram.
"這項工程對這個地區肯定是唯一的希望，" Catalin的同事Horea Avram說道。
In the failing grey afternoon light, we stand over a great brown-black pit. A few fir trees and an abandoned bulldozer perch forlornly around the fringes.
在愈趨暗淡的午後光線中，我們站在一大片泛著棕黑色的礦坑上方。幾株冷杉樹和一台棄置的推土機孤伶伶地棲身在礦坑的邊緣。
On the other side of the mountain, beneath an outcrop called the Raven's Beak, a dog barks somewhere near the church in the valley below.
在山的另一側是一處叫做Raven’s Beak的裸露礦脈，遠從其下方的溪谷接近教堂處，傳來陣陣狗叫聲。
All 380 homes and two churches in Corna village have to go, to make way for a tailings (residue) pond where waste from the mine, in a cyanide solution, will be stored.
這個名為Corna的村莊裡所有380幢住宅以及兩座教堂都必須要搬遷，空出地方好建一個尾礦池，用來存放經氰化液提煉剩下的廢棄物。
Heavy metal rivers
The first shock for any visitor here is the extent of the existing damage.
對任何一個造訪此地的遊客來說，頭一個令他們感到震驚的是目前遭到破壞的範圍。
The rivers run red with heavy metals: cadmium, zinc and iron already unlocked from these hills by the mines of the past.
許多河流都被重金屬染成了紅色，鎘、鋅還有鐵從幾座過去採礦的山丘上漸漸釋放出來。
The corporation has even bottled some of it for their publicity campaign. Rosia Red they call it.
這間公司還曾將這些水裝在瓶中以做為他們的宣傳活動。他們稱之為Rosia的紅。
"What keeps Rosia Red?" asks the label on the back.
"什麼讓Rosia常是這樣的紅? "身後的標語道出了這樣的問題。
"Anti-mining activists who want to stop a new, modern mine designed to strict EU standards, that would actually clean up the rivers of Rosia!"
"反採礦行動主義者要求停止新式現代化的採礦，而這種為了嚴格的歐盟標準所設計的採礦方式才真的會淨化Rosia河!"
The second shock is the sheer extent of the Gold Corporation's plans to change the landscape.
金礦公司的方案對大地景觀改變的幅度則是第二個叫人感到吃驚的事。
Cetate Hill will disappear altogether, like a bad tooth plucked from the mouth of the Carpathians, to be pulverised along with three of its neighbours.
整座Cetate山丘將完全消失，像一顆齲齒從Carpathians(喀爾巴阡)山的口中被拔了出來，連帶鄰近三座山丘也將被徹底被摧毀。
In exchange, Romania has been promised more than £1bn ($2bn) in economic benefits.
對羅馬尼亞來說則是保證換得了超過十億英磅的經濟利益。
Ancient conquerors spoke of enough gold here to pave a road all the way to Rome. You can still find it in faraway museums, punched with Caesar's proud head.
古代的征服者論及此地豐富的金含量足以鋪滿每一條通往羅馬的道路。至今你仍可在遠方的博物館中看到這些金子雕琢在凱撒傲然昂揚的頭上。
Gold Corporation geologists admit that the main seams have already been carted away, but say 300 tonnes are left in low concentrations.
金礦公司的地質學家承認主要礦層已經被開採得差不多了，但剩餘零星分佈的量則有300公噸。
That is why they need to grind up whole hills - 13 million tonnes of rock a year - to make the operation worthwhile.
這也是為什麼他們需要磨平整座山，一年一千三百萬公噸的岩石，使得整件工程是值得的。
Homes belonging to opponents of the project are easily identifiable by their yellow "This property is NOT for sale" signs, among the green, more frequent plaques on homes already bought by the company: "Property of Rosia Montana Gold Corporation."
從那些鮮黃色"資產不出售"的標誌，要區分出那些對這項工程持反對意見者的家是非常容易的，他們夾雜在越來越常出現的綠色飾板中，上頭寫著"Rosia Montana金礦公司所屬資產"，這些住宅都已經被公司給買走了。
Project master plan
Remus Cernus is hammering and sandpapering a window-frame in his carpenter's workshop when we arrive.
當我們抵達時，Remus Cernus正在他的木匠工坊裡一邊敲敲打打還一邊用砂紙磨著一組窗框。
There is a picture of the Madonna and Child on the wall, and his home - like the Orthodox Church in the village - is panelled with cherry, pine and beech woods from his hard-working hands.
牆上掛著一幅聖母聖子圖，他的家如同村裡東正教教堂一樣，鑲嵌著櫻桃木、松木以及山毛櫸的木頭，全是出自他那雙勤勉的手。
According to the project master plan, his house and workshop will disappear under the deep base of the tailings pond.
按照工程的總體規劃來看，他的家和工作坊看來都將消失在深深的尾礦池底。
"I do not want everything I've done here, the traces of my parents, my forefathers on this earth, the very mountains which God created to disappear," he says slowly.
"我不要讓我所做的一切、我父母親以及我的祖先在這片土地上留下的點點滴滴、以及這幾座上帝創造的山就這樣消失無蹤，"他一字一句慢慢的說。
And he speaks sadly of close relatives who were persuaded by the company to sell.
而且他傷感地提到自己一位要好的親戚被說服了將房產賣給公司。
Divided communities
It is a common theme among opponents of the mine: the divisive effect the corporation's activities have had on local communities, with offers of money or re-housing... and the freeze placed on any plans to improve local facilities on the grounds that the company will do everything in the future.
在對採礦持反對意見的人當中普遍持著一種理論:公司對當地社區進行的活動已經產生了一些分裂效應，無論是出錢或協助移往新居...以及任何被凍結了的工程，只要是能改善地面設施，公司在未來都很樂意去做。
On the slopes of Orla Hill, where his frozen land too should be ground up for gold, Eugen David is defiant.
在Orla Hill山腰上，Eugen David結冰了的土地也可能因為金礦的開採而整片被碾平。他打算違抗這一切。
"There are thousands of villages in Romania which are developing without gold," says the leading light of Alburnus Maior, the main opposition group. "Why should this one be different?"
"幾千座羅馬尼亞的村莊沒有金礦也照樣發展，" 主要反對團體Alburnus Maior的靈魂人物這樣說著。"為什麼這裡要有所不同呢? "
And anyway: "It's the Romanian state's responsibility to rehabilitate the landscape, not some Barbados company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange!" he mocks the corporation.
但無論以何種角度來看，他嘲諷這間公司: "使大地恢復原來的樣子是羅馬尼亞政府的責任，可不是什麼多倫多證交所巴貝多上市公司的事! "
Later we sit in his kitchen, tasting his cheese, washed down with fiery plum spirit.
後來，我們坐在他的廚房裡，嚐嚐他的乳酪、喝著非常烈的梅子酒。
Diana, his nine-year-old daughter, describes debates in school between "the Greenpeacers" - as some children call themselves - and the "Goldists".
Diana，他九歲的女兒形容在學校裡"綠色和平組織支持者"和"金礦主義者"間的爭論，一些孩子們這樣自稱。
And who is in the majority? "The Greenpeacers!" Diana says loyally, as her grandmother brings another pancake from the top of the wood-burning stove, and spreads it thickly with homemade rosehip jam.
而哪一邊是多數呢? "綠色和平組織支持者"Diana一臉忠誠地說，此時，她的祖母正替我們拿來另一盤薄煎餅，那是剛從燃燒著柴火的爐灶上取下來，並且還厚厚地塗上了一層自製的野玫瑰果醬。
Leaving Rosia Montana, we get our gold at last: a sudden flicker in the sky, where we were least expecting it, after sunset.
正當要離開Rosia Montana的時候，我們終於得到了我們的黃金，那是天空中乍現的落日餘暉，是我們在這裡最不期望能見到的。
It is -4C (25F) in the mountain pass above Ariesen. The snow is waist-deep among the fir trees at the roadside.
在Ariesen之上的登山步道目前只有零下四度。在路旁冷杉林中，積雪正及腰那麼深。
And there is proof of some non-mining investment in the area. The ski slope is preparing for its first visitors of the season.
滑雪坡道正準備迎接本季第一批觀光客，證明這個地區還是可以做無關礦業的投資。
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/default.stm
Published: 2007/11/10 11:29:24 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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