SIK: Illegal mining of rare earth elements (REE) has been detected at the Bukit Enggang forest feserve three months after the theft of these metals were reported.
Many are questioning whether the mining of Lanthanide, which fetches high prices, was done with permission from the state government. Residents also want to know if the theft of the metals is recurring.
The Kedah government had previously said that non-radioactive REE reserves in Kedah, which were mainly found in Sik and Ulu Muda, were estimated to be worth more than RM60 billion.
On Jan 10, Kedah Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) signed a memorandum of understanding with a local and foreign companies to conduct research, gather information and for sharing of expertise for the exploration of REE in the state.
Exploration work began soon after and it was conducted by an entity comprising highly-skilled foreign expertise.
Now, villagers in this area are questioning whether the MoU was truly limited to exploration activities , or if it had once again led to the illegal mining of REE.
HIDDEN ACTIVITIES
Former Jeneri assemblyman and community activist, Mahadzir Abd Hamid said villagers in Kampung Sungai Chong and Kampung Sungai Senam claimed to have seen lorries bringing various mining equipment to Bukit Enggang.
He said the activities were being kept hidden and it involved Compartments 13, 14 and 15 at the Bukit Enggang forest reserve, which is located about six kilometres from the two villages.
He said villagers were still reeling from the shock of the case of REE theft in October last year when a foreigner was compounded RM630,000.
"Prior to this, the Kedah Forestry Department seized all the stolen REE and machinery at the mining site. However, none of those machinery were seen to have come out of the site.
"Most of the equipment including pipes used for REE mining remain at the site. Residents can still see foreign workers around Bukit Enggang.
"Some people are worried that following a permission granted by the state government to conduct REE exploration, some quarters might abuse this permission to steal REE similar to what happened last year," said Mahadzir when met here recently.
He said the effects of illegal REE mining could be seen in the pollution at Sungai Senam, which was due to the chemical affluents from the extraction of REE.
"We urge the Department of Environment to conduct tests on the water quality at Sungai Senam, which is a source of water for nearby residents. I worry that there might be high concentrations of heavy metals in Sungai Senam, which flows into Sungai Jeneri and Sungai Muda which are both main intake points for clean water.
"The wellbeing and health of people living in Kedah, Penang and Perlis, who rely on these water resources, will be affected in the long run," he said.
Residents in the area are urging authorities to take action to prevent another case of REE theft.
FORCED TO PUT UP WITH DUST
Zulkefly Hassan, 54, from Kampung Sungai Chong claimed to have seen lorries ferrying equipment and chemicals believed to be used for REE extraction at a site which had been raided by the authorities last year.
"The chemicals might have been produced overseas, based on labels on the bags. Residents are dumbfounded by this. Even if research is being done, there should not be a need to bring in so much equipment and chemicals.
"I have seen lorries going in and out of the route to Bukit Enggang about 10 times. There are four-wheel drive vehicles driven by non-locals and they are going into the site more and more every day. They are probably mining REE, similar to what happened last year."
Zulkefly said villagers have been forced to put up with dust whenever heavy vehicles ply the uphill route to the forest reserve.
"I don't know how much longer we can put up with this. In the past incident, there was a lot of REE which was mined, and at that time, the lorries had gone in and out of the area to ferry the metal under the pretext of transporting fertiliser for durian trees.
"Recently, we have seen such vehicles ply the same route, but they were not transporting any equipment related to the durian farming project," he said.
Muhammad Mursyidi Morad, 71, urged the authorities to take strict action against the culprits because the residents' safety should be a top priority.
He said his house was located in front of the the main junction along the route heading towards Bukit Enggang.
"There had been accidents (near the junction) involving lorries ferrying REE last year. Those accidents led to us finding out about the illegal activity.
"The people's safety should be safeguarded. The lorries and other heavy vehicles are posing a danger to residents, especially children. I hope the illegal activity is stopped."