Another mine found in days

KUALA PILAH: Just days after the state authorities uncovered what is believed to be illegal mining of rare earth elements (REE) in a Seri Menanti village, another mine has been found operating in Sg Muntoh in Jelebu near here.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the state Land and Mines Department had carried out a check after receiving a tip-off regarding the activity on Thursday.

“They decided to check out the site on the same night and discovered that the mine, which is also believed to have been operating illegally, is located on private land.

“We believe the activity had also encroached into government-owned land and investigations are ongoing,” he said.

The authorities have yet to establish the size of the area and no arrests were made during the raid.

Aminuddin expressed hope the public will continue to report such cases to the authorities.

He said this was important as these activities were carried out in remote places which were difficult to detect.

“We will continue to carry out operations to put a stop to such activities.

“Rewards will also be given to informants,” he said.

Aminuddin said REE mining was more profitable compared to sand or quarry mining and the operations area was also smaller.

On Wednesday, Aminuddin said the authorities uncovered an illegal REE mine in a village in Seri Menanti on May 16 following yet another tip-off.

They later found equipment used to mine REE on two lots of land in the area.

The mining method used was in-situ leaching, which does not need a large area to carry out.

However, Aminuddin did not state who owned the property.