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After the meeting in Vietnam in August 2006, the CASM-Asia programme again held the workshop in Bandung, the City of Flowers and provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia, in 27th – 29th November 2006, in order to find directions and actions for technological issues in artisanal/small-scale mining. The Workshop had been organized by CCOP and Geological Agency Indonesia with sponsorship from World Bank, Geological Survey of Japan, AIST, and Geological Agency Indonesia.

There were forty-one participants from CCOP Member Countries joining the workshop. Resources speakers were invited from Iwate Medical University Cyclotron Center; Institute for Geo-Resources and Environment, AIST (Japan); School of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi (India); Bugnosen Minerals Engineering (UK); NGO Consulting Group BEMM / Sans Frontiere Progres (Mongolia); RWTH Aachen University (Germany); Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, and representatives from UNIDO in Indonesia were also in attendance as observers.

At the workshop, ASM database and technological issues had been highlighted by each country representative. Keynote presentations were about latest understanding of epithermal gold mineralization, clay minerals, extraction of gold using halogen-containing organic system, environmental sampling for mercury study, application of PIXE to environmental studies, analysis of traditional versus alternative technologies, technical solutions for ASM etc. The participant also had gone through practical training on sample preparation for PIXE analysis. On the last day, the participant had visited the KUD Mekarjaya’s gold mine in Ceneam Sub-District, Tasikmalaya Regency, West Java Province, which is 150 km South East of Bandung, to have dialogue with miners, to get first hand information on technological issues of local ASM workers, to understand their modus operandi and to assist them in improving the technical, safety and health aspects of their small-scale mining operations.

The workshop ends with a conclusion that calls for CCOP member countries to facilitate more active ASM database implementation, joint development of new activities and more research on all aspects of ASM in the region.