IT was a pleasant surprise for Ahmad Fauzan Mohd Zain, 48, when he became the first person in Kelantan to receive the state’s first ever gold panning licence.
Sinar Harian reported that Ahmad Fauzan obtained the official document on Monday, officially authorising his prospecting activities.
“This is the first gold panning license in Kelantan with the number D1/2026,” he said.
Although delighted, he said that the guidelines on the gold panning licence fee were still vague.
“Initially, the Deputy Kelantan Menteri Besar announced that the licence fee was RM100 but it was actually RM20, consisting of a RM100 processing fee and a RM100 annual fee.”
Ahmad Fauzan explained that he also had to indicate the area intended for gold panning activities when applying for his licence.
He said that he chose the Jeli district area and was granted approval, with a map attached, allowing him to pan for gold at Sungai Tadoh (4km) and Sungai Pergau (2km).
A separate application is needed if he wanted to pan for gold in another district.
He added that he must carry his licence at all times while panning in the approved area.
> Many Malaysians who travel to Thailand for entertainment purposes test positive for methamphetamine or commonly known as syabu, “ice,” “sejuk” or “batu”.
National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh told Utusan Malaysia this after 411 individuals tested positive for drugs after returning from Thailand last year.
Of the total, Ruslin said 135 individuals tested positive for methamphetamine, 108 for ketamine, 74 for cannabis and 59 for benzodiazepines.
“In addition to that, 28 individuals tested positive for MDMA (ecstasy), five for opiates and two for ketum.
“The phenomenon of experimenting with drugs in the pursuit of entertainment is a very serious and critical issue, as it carries a high risk of developing into chronic addiction,” he said.
The above article is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with this ' >'sign, it denotes a separate news item.
