'Probe suspicious activities at Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve'

 

Kedah Amanah chairperson Ismail Salleh has called for a thorough investigation into suspicious activities allegedly taking place at the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik, Kedah.

He said residents near Bukit Enggang claimed to have seen individuals believed to be foreigners entering and leaving the area, raising questions about whether the mining and exploration of rare earth elements (REE) were still taking place there.

“Therefore, a task force should be established to uncover various issues, including the alleged theft of REE in the land owned by Menteri Besar Kedah Incorporated (MBI Kedah).

“The matter, until now, has not been explained by the state government and caretaker Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor,” Ismail told a press conference yesterday.

On April 13, a total of 40 individuals, including 35 foreigners, were charged at the Sessions Court with trespassing into the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik last January.

Last October, the media reported that the Kedah government had recouped losses caused by the illegal mining of rare earth elements in Sik through the issuance of compounds to a Chinese national found responsible for the activity.

According to Sanusi, on Oct 11, the man paid a compound of RM500,000 for illegal mining and another RM130,000 for trespassing the Bukit Enggang forest reserve.

He said the state government was advised that the case should be compounded rather than taken to court as the maximum compound would go into state government coffers.

Caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor

Sanusi denied any involvement by MBI Kedah in any REE exploration and mining activities in the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve.

Last January, MBI Kedah signed a memorandum of understanding with Jangka Bakat Minerals Sdn Bhd and China’s Xiamen Tungsten Co Ltd on the exploration, technical assistance, and mining of REE in the state.

- Bernama