Rob Brentnall, ein Kanadier, der eine Zeit lang in Kirgisistan war um in der Kumtor-Goldmine zu arbeiten (immerhin eine der größten Goldminen der Welt), hat ein paar Eindrücke aus seiner Zeit in einem kurzen Artikel zusammengefasst:

“I’m on my way home after working at a gold mine in Kyrgyzstan for the second time in a little over a month and pondering over how fortunate we are to be living in Canada. The Kyrgyz people are very amiable, walking through the mine site camp to breakfast I would normally incur 40 to 50 handshakes. The Kumtor goldmine is the only major employer in the republic; wages at the mine for the “nationals” are around $1000 per month. For this, the employees work 14, 13 – 14 hour days without a break isolated 4000 meters above sea level and for the majority of the workers, a 7 hour bus ride away from home in Bishkek. The wages sound very low and working conditions harsh, but compared to the rest of the Kyrgyz people, they are very fortunate. The average wage in the capital is $200 – $300 per month. To rent a very dilapidated 500 sq ft, high rise apartment costs $220 a month, so many people commute into the city. Most of the vehicles on the road are at least ten years old. The car of choice appears to be Mercedes (Kyrgyzstan is a dumping ground for vehicles that have failed emission controls in Western Europe) with plenty of 30 to 40 year old Lada’s running around as taxis. The cost of borrowing is a real problem; the normal rate of interest is 25% whether the loan is for a car or a home. A South Korean bank has just started to offer loans at 15% for long term employees at the Kumtor mine which is still inhibitively high.”

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