Lindian Resources (ASX: LIN) hands Chinese pair over to police
Two Chinese nationals have been detained and charged with criminal trespass after they were discovered on the site of a major rare earths project in Africa controlled by Perth-headquartered Lindian Resources.
Security guards employed by Lindian apprehended the two Chinese men with two local guides at Lindian's Kangankunde rare earths project in Malawi.
The Chinese pair were handed over to police for questioning and charged. It is understood they were held in custody for 24 hours and then released on bail over the Easter break. They were due to appear in court on Tuesday.
The incident comes with the US and China trading blows over the supply of strategically important rare earths used in military applications and in key industries like renewables and technology.
Kangankunde is touted as one of the world's biggest high-grade rare earths deposits with low levels of impurities and radioactive minerals.
Lindian has estimated it will cost just $US40m to bring the fully–permitted project, about 90 kilometres north of the city of Blantyre, into production. The first stage has a mine life of 45 years based on current estimates of the ore body and Lindian is proposing low-cost dry processing given the low levels of thorium and uranium in the deposit.
An image captured by security at the Lindian Resources rare earths project in Malawi.
In an incident report seen by The Australian, Lindian security supervisor Remmie Maseketsa said the four men had been detained on Thursday in a forest area well inside the boundaries of the Kangankunde mining lease.
He said two of the men identified themselves as employees of a Chinese mining company. One of the Malawians was an interpreter and the other a mining consultant and long-time government employee.
Police inspected the site before charging the Chinese and confiscating their passports.
Mr Maseketsa said they had driven past 'no entry' signs and inside the Lindian-controlled perimeter.
The company employs 14 full-time security guards and has been on high alert after a similar incident involving unauthorised access by Chinese mining interests.
The Lindian security team has recommended installing boom gates at all roads leading into the lease area and stepping up patrols in the wake of the latest incursion.
In the previous incident, geological samples were taken and the people apprehended were charged, but left Malawi before facing court.
Lindian executive chairman Rob Martin spent the first week of March in Washington for talks about the future of the Kangankunde project.
'With the rising tensions between the US and China, we are not surprised with what occurred over the weekend,' he said.
'Kangankunde is one of the most strategic undeveloped rare earth assets in the world, with both countries understanding the significance of this project and what it will do when it comes online in 2026.
'The deposit has the potential to shift the balance of global supply and that makes it a potential disrupter to the current status quo.'
China dominates global rare earths supply and has imposed export restrictions as part of an escalating trade war with Donald Trump's White House. The bans apply to permanent magnets that contain heavy rare earths crucial in guided missiles and jet fighters as well as in robotics.
Mr Martin said Lindian took site safety and security extremely seriously: 'To find foreign nationals on an active unmapped haul road... is concerning,' he said.
'We applaud the Malawian government and the local authorities for their support and prompt action on this matter.'
Read related topics: ASXThe Nationals
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
Dorinda Cox accuses Greens of racism in scathing resignation letter
In a fiery resignation letter, ex-Greens senator Dorinda Cox has accused her former party of racism and ignoring serious claims she raised, including disputed allegations of an assault at Perth Airport by a party member. The senator also denied in her letter ever bullying others, contrary to reporting, adding she herself had suffered an "unremitting" campaign of bullying over the past 18 months. Senator Cox spectacularly defected to Labor last week after sitting as a Greens senator for the past four years. Announcing her move to Labor, Senator Cox said her values were more aligned with the government — though it prompted calls from Greens senators to hand back the seat and left party leader Larissa Waters "disappointed". The Greens revoked Senator Cox's membership last week, after her announcement. In a formal resignation letter, Senator Cox said she was no longer bound by confidentiality obligations, and could put on the record how the Greens had "failed [her] as its last First Nations MP, and continue to fail First Nations people". "In my experience, the Greens tolerate a culture that permits violence against First Nations women within its structures. In this respect, the party is deeply racist," she wrote. "My reports to the party and parliamentary workplace services range from being assaulted at Perth Airport by a party member, which was ignored (indeed, I was advised not to report it to police), to incidents involving my staff who were isolated by the state and other MPs offices." The Greens have disputed that account. Senator Cox and former ACT candidate Tjanara Goreng Goreng reportedly made complaints against each other to police in 2023 after an altercation at Perth Airport over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Dr Goreng Goreng denied those claims she harassed or assaulted the senator to The Guardian, and has been contacted by the ABC. The senator also named incidents of rumours being shared within Greens networks as examples of a "toxic culture", where the party had sought to quiet her rather than address issues. "Recently, my children were approached by a former staff member who had publicly made serious allegations about me at a Greens event. This type of mobbing made its way into 'moderated' online meeting chats and the widely circulated meeting minutes of the [Australian Greens First Nations Network]. "The Greens failed in their duty of care for my staff and me, and disregarded the reported and obvious impact of what was occurring. The focus was solely on winning seats," she wrote. Ms Waters's office only learned of the complaint after being contacted by the ABC. In a statement, a Greens spokesperson disputed the claims by Senator Cox. "These claims are disappointing, unrepresentative of the support Senator Cox received and ignore the substantive work undertaken by the party to find a resolution to the complaints made both by and against Senator Cox, and to address the breakdown in her relationship with Greens' First Nations members," the spokesperson said. "The Greens are an anti-racism party, and pushing a senator to take complaints seriously is not bullying. "As the [Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission] and [Parliamentary Workplace Support Service] are the bodies created by parliament to address complaints from staff, they can continue to investigate ongoing matters. This is unchanged by the senator's decision to move to a party that continues to destroy First Nations cultural history through approving coal and gas projects." The ABC has been told former Greens leader Adam Bandt's office was closely involved in finding a resolution to the airport matter, but the other matters raised in Senator Cox's letter were unknown to the party and not understood to have been previously raised with the leader's office. Senator Cox suggested despite her internal struggles she had maintained her professionalism and loyalty to the party, but after the election lost confidence that her concerns would be addressed. The Greens senator apologised late last year after several bullying complaints in her office were reported in the Nine newspapers, citing "challenging conditions both political and personally", but added the reporting was missing context. In her letter, Senator Cox said, contrary to reporting, at the time of her leaving the Greens there were no "grievances" pending against her in the party's conflict resolution process and that none had been put to her during her time as a senator. "I have faced an unremitting campaign of bullying and dishonest claims over the last 18 months," Senator Cox said. Ex-Greens senator Lidia Thorpe claimed last week that she still had an active complaint against her former colleague that had sat unresolved for three years. A former staffer to Senator Cox told the ABC she was "deeply surprised" and "offended" by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's suggestion that complaints against Senator Cox had been dealt with. That staffer, who worked for Senator Cox for six weeks in 2024, said her brief time in the office had left her traumatised. Mr Albanese has repeatedly insisted the complaints have been examined and are in the past. An internal investigation by the WA Greens into complaints raised against Senator Cox has been dropped now that she has left the party. Senator Cox concluded her letter saying she was now free to do the role she was elected to do by the people of WA, and she remained focused on delivering "tangible outcomes for First Nations peoples and other Australians".
News.com.au
20 hours ago
- News.com.au
Caitlyn Bragger, 15, was killed in a crash that injured five other teens travelling in a 4WD when it rolled south of Perth
A 15-year-old girl who was killed in a 4WD that rolled on the weekend has been remembered as an angel who brought sunshine with her everywhere she went. Caitlyn Bragger, 15, was a passenger in a Toyota Landcruiser carrying five other teenagers when it rolled off Scarp Rd in Hoffman, 150km south of Perth, about 8pm on Saturday. Volunteer firefighters freed one of the passengers who was trapped in the wreckage. The 16-year old male driver and a 17-year-old male passenger were seriously injured in the crash and were rushed to Bunbury Hospital. Three other passengers were treated for minor injuries. The group had been camping nearby when the crash occurred with witnesses saying the car had been crushed like a tin can. 'It was scary to see,' one man said. Family friend Mekayla Cowcher paid tribute to the 15-year-old girl 'gone way too soon' and setup a fundraiser to help the family with funeral costs. She said Caitlyn's family were left broken, lost and confused. '(Caitlyn was) known for her kindness, unique sense of humour, and devotion to her family and friends,' she said. 'She bought a ray of sunshine everywhere she went, so outgoing and never left a dull moment in life. ' No one ever expects something like this to happen, you can't prepare yourself. 'We never expected to say goodbye to her beautiful soul so soon. 'Forever 15, forever in our memory and hearts. Our Angel In Heaven.' WA's road toll has reached 87 lives, the highest number of deaths in more than a decade. Premier Roger Cook told media it was an unacceptable figure that could be prevented it people did everything they could to keep themselves and others safe on the road. The premier said they were looking at what was working in other states and overseas and what technology was available to keep roads safer. 'That's why we've got our deep dive into our road safety measures at the moment, reviewing what else we can do as a government,' he said. Shadow Road Safety Minister Julie Freeman said it was a heartbreaking and unacceptable milestone. 'Regional road deaths continue to make up a disproportionate share of the toll,' she said. 'These are our communities. We're on the ground, we're working with regional organisations, and we need to be part of finding solutions. 'We need a coordinated, bipartisan effort to turn this around, because too many lives depend on it.'
Sky News AU
21 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Third Chinese researcher accused of smuggling crop-destroying fungus into the US
Strelmark President Hilary Fordwich has weighed in on a Chinese national being charged in an agroterrorism plot. A Chinese researcher has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle biological materials from Wuhan into the US and lying to federal agents about it. 'I think this is absolutely ghastly,' Ms Fordwich told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'There were also two other 'scientists' that have tried to smuggle fungi in their shoe soles. 'This is not the first incident.'
