IPOH: Illegal mining of on-radioactive rare earth element (NR-REE) lanthanide resource has been detected in the Kenering sub-district, Gerik after the theft of this element was reported.
Without divulging the number of theft cases, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said many people were interested in producing the material with their methods and it was indeed an offence because any produce on this earth belongs to the state government.
"Even though the element was found underneath your house, on your land, you can't simply take it. We have procedures that need to be followed and mining leases that need to be obtained.
"I know that there are many people gathered in Hulu Perak, and I would like to remind them that they can't simply extract the material. This is a serious offence to anyone who tries to violate what has been announced by the federal government," he said.
Saarani said this at a press conference after attending the Free Food Assistance Programme under Tuisyen Cikgu Saarani at his office in Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here, today.
Asked if the state government had lodged police reports over the lanthanide theft, Saarani said they had done so and the case was being investigated by the police.
On May 23, last year, Saarani confirmed the discovery of lanthanide in the Hulu Perak area, which was found during tin ore extraction work.
He said lanthanide was a more valuable resource than tin as the rare earth element could be used for products such as smartphones, watches and electronics.
As of July this year, the NR-REE mining pilot project operations in the Kenering sub-district managed to generate almost RM16 million in royalties for the state government through the export of rare earth carbonate.
