THE unity government is committed to combatting illegal mining in the country by strengthening the existing enforcement while establishing necessary standard operating procedures (SOPs), said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang.
Speaking to the media at the conclusion of the NGO@ Makerthon event, the Tanjug Malim MP however did not elaborate on when these SOPs would be introduced.
Chang was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof’s revelation yesterday that a total of 60 illegal mining sites were detected across the country with a majority of them reported to be in Kedah.
In fact, Fadillah also said that Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor himself had admitted this to be true during the national mineral council meeting yesterday (May 8).
Meanwhile, when quizzed about the government’s decision to grant Lynas a six-month extension to meet the licensing conditions for operating in the country, Chang noted that the specific condition was imposed despite appeals to remove it.
“The government only provides an extension period for cracking and leaching (C&L) operations until the end of the year by taking into account all aspects,” he remarked.
“Despite the fact that Lynas had appealed to remove four license conditions the government had imposed on it, it was not allowed.”
Previously, it was reported that the Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) had rejected Lynas’s application to drop four conditions related to water leach purification (WLP) residue management after July 2023, cracking and leaching (C&L) activities at Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) and the import of lanthanide concentrate from Australia.
With the decision, Lynas can no longer produce additional radioactive waste after July 2023. – May 9, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/ Kementerian Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi (MOSTI)
