The Kedah government today denied an allegation by certain quarters that the discovery of the rare earth element in the state would be used as an excuse to engage in logging activities.
Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said there were no more trees to be logged in the area where the mineral is found.
“All areas in Kedah with logs have been approved (for logging) during the previous government (Pakatan Harapan). In the Ulu Muda area alone, there is 22,000 hectares of land that is in the process of obtaining a licence for logging, so there is no area and place for me to approve anymore," he told a press conference.
Meanwhile, Sanusi reiterated that the mineral extraction work would use a completely new technology, unlike gold, tin and bauxite mining activities.
On Wednesday, he said a local company based in Kuala Lumpur was awarded an approval permit to explore and extract the mineral deposits in the state estimated at RM60 billion.
Earlier, Sanusi launched the state-level Kembara Prihatin Negara 2020 programme at Wisma Darul Aman which was also attended by Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Siti Zailah Mohd Yusof.
- Bernama
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