Well-organised rings linked to illegal mineral mining, says Forestry Dept D-G
KOTA BARU: Illegal mineral mining activities in Peninsular Malaysia are increasingly sophisticated and may involve well-organised syndicates.
This was revealed by Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department director-general Datuk Zahari Ibrahim.
He said investigations into recent cases, particularly in Kelantan and Pahang, suggest the existence of structured operations, some of which likely operate under the control of syndicates.
"Illegal mining on tenement land can occur either with or without syndicate involvement. However, several cases show clear signs of systematic operations, possibly coordinated by organised groups," he told the New Straits Times.
He said syndicate-linked mining typically involves heavy machinery such as excavators and gold sluices, 4WD vehicles, motorcycles, generators, water pumps, welding machines, and the bulk use of fuel supplies, including oil storage drums.
"There is also widespread use of foreign and local labour. We suspect the illegal miners are operating in hotspot areas that have approved mineral exploration licences, using these permits as a smokescreen to evade enforcement authorities.
"These individuals exploit the gaps in monitoring by disguising their illegal activities under the guise of legitimate exploration," Zahari said.
The department, he said, has adopted a multi-agency approach to combat illegal gold mining, especially in forest reserves.
He added that among the measures implemented were satellite image monitoring to detect changes in forested areas, with intelligence processed through the department's War Room.
Others are joint patrols and periodic monitoring of approved exploration sites with state-level enforcement agencies, including the police, the Minerals and Geoscience Department, the State Land and Mines Office, the Department of Environment and the Immigration Department.
"We also deploy advanced surveillance tools such as drones and the SMART Forestry Patrol application and install road barriers to restrict access to Permanent Forest Reserves," he added.
They have also set up permanent control checkpoints under the Integrated Khazanah Operations in critical areas.
Zahari reaffirmed the department's commitment to tackling illegal mining, emphasising that collaboration across agencies was vital to protecting the nation's forest reserves and natural resources.
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