31 people nabbed for unlicenced NR-REE mining in Perak

IPOH: A total of 31 people including foreigners have been arrested for allegedly mining non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE) activities in Hulu Perak.

Perak police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the arrests were made at separate locations around 3.30pm on Dec 8.

“The first arrest was made during a raid with the State Forestry Department at Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve. Twenty-eight individuals, including nine locals, were arrested.

“Following the raid, we made another two arrests at two separate locations in Gerik district where another three individuals were detained,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 13).

Comm Mohd Yusri said out of the 31 suspects, 29 were men and two were women.

“16 of the men are Chinese nationals, three men and one woman are from Myanmar, and one woman is from Vietnam. The rest were 10 local men.

“All the foreigners also didn’t have any legal travelling documents,” he said, adding that the suspects were aged 23 to 69.

“The local suspects are under remand for three days while the foreigners are being remanded for 14 days to help with the case,” he added.

“Based on our investigation, all suspects are involved in illegal mining. The case is being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) and Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (Act 155).

“The National Forestry Department is investigating offences under the National Forestry Act 1984 (Act 313),” he said.

Earlier Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad confirmed the arrest during a press conference. He said the arrest was made following a report lodged by the state government.

On Nov 29, Saarani announced that the state received RM21.1mil royalty since the pioneer NR-REE project started in January.

During the recent state assembly sitting on Dec 5, Saarani said the state is currently drafting steps and methods to stop the illegal exportation of the elements.