Australian mining firm Emerald Resources announced yesterday that it was making positive progress towards full licensing and funding of its Okvau gold mine project in Mondulkiri province, with the licence expected as early as the next few weeks.

In a disclosure to the Australian Securities Exchange, the mining firm said it had made substantial progress on exploration activities and once the Ministry of Environment finished its final survey of the location, following a rezoning effort, the Mines Ministry was expected to grant the licence.

The news followed another announcement by the Mines Ministry that Mesco Gold was close to processing its first batch of gold next year, mined from its Ratanakkiri mine in the country’s northeast