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KINIGUIDE | Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor caused a stir last week when he announced the granting of a permit to explore the state’s rare earth resources.
He boasted that the mineral would not be radioactive and its extraction “would not involve any mining” and not a single tree would be felled.
Despite their assurances, environmentalists have raised concerns and asked for more details about Kedah’s rare earth ambitions.
The Penang Consumers Association (CAP) also highlighted the risks posed by the rare earth industry, including examples from China and Malaysia.
In this installment of KiniGuide, we take a look at Malaysia’s rare earth potential and how it maintains its ‘green’ credentials.
What happened?
On December 2, Sanusi announced that his government granted a permit to a company to carry out exploration work to find rare earth elements (REE) at an undisclosed location in Sik, Kedah.
He said that REEs are also found in Ulu Muda and Baling, Kedah and Lenggong, Perak.
With the permit, the company can only use hand tools and not machinery, and would have to declare its findings to the government.
He said the company is based in Kuala Lumpur and is partnering with a foreign firm, but did not mention the companies involved.
It should be noted that Kedah is not the first state to do so. Last year, Perak menteri besar Inc signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s rare earth development Chinalco GXNF to identify REE in the state …
