Perak’s Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) expressed disappointment and objection regarding the decision of the state government to continue the rare earth mining project at Hulu Perak.
Pejuang’s leader, Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi stated that any decision needs to take into consideration the views and deep research by non-governmental organisations and experts of environmental conservation and public health.
“There have been extensive objections raised by many on the possible negative impacts of the mining methods on the environment,” he said via a statement on Monday.
“Pejuang Perak also questions how the mining operation can begin before the approval of the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) report?
“We appeal for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (SPRM) to conduct an investigation.
Mior Nor Haidir added that Pejuang Perak also sought an explanation from the state government as to whether the mining is safe for the environment and people.
“If it can endanger the environment and people, we are strictly against the decision.
On Saturday, it was reported in the media that the lanthanide mining operations, a type of rare earth in Hulu Perak, have yet to begin, as claimed by some parties.
Menteri Besar, Dato’ Seri Saarani Mohamad, was quoted as saying the satellite image of the area shows the preliminary work, such as making roads and catchment ponds.
He added that the image displayed is an old structure made for preliminary work to identify the presence of the material in the area.
Rosli
