IPOH: The state government is investigating and monitoring the actions of certain parties illegally extracting non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE).
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said that the monitoring must be done because extracting NR-REE is not as tricky as tin mining, which requires dredgers.
"Since recently, there have been efforts and interest from certain parties to extract (NR-REE) illegally.
"We are researching and monitoring because we need to be careful so that what happened in another state before does not happen in Perak.
"Our concern is that things will spiral out of control (concerning NR-REE illegal mining). We are monitoring the methods and means used by those who try to do this illegal business," he said at the state assembly today.
The Kota Tampan assemblyman said this in answering the additional question by Mohd Fakhrudin Abd Aziz (Pas-Kamunting) on the measures that could be taken so that the NR-REE produce would not be stolen or taken out from the state.
On an additional question from Datuk Shahrul Zaman Yahya (BN-Rungkup), Saarani explained that the royalty rate charged to the promoters of the pilot mining project in Mukim Kenering, Gerik is 12 per cent of the selling price of NR-REE.
Saarani said in terms of the income obtained through the royalty, until September this year, the project promoter has cleared the royalty payment of RM21.12 million through the export of Rare Earth Carbonate (REC) to China.
He said that the local government, through the Gerik District Council, also collects revenue through fees related to the approval of the Planning Permit issued for the NR-REE mining activity.
The NR-REE Pilot Project in Kenering sub-district, Gerik, which is implemented in an area of 84.6 hectares, has started operations in October 2022 after obtaining the relevant legal approval from technical agencies and permission to operate from the state authorities.