KUALA LUMPUR: The moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang, which was set to expire on Dec 31, has been extended for another six months until June 30 next year, with some changes.
According to the natural resources and environment ministry, the cabinet made the decision for the extension after the announcement by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that it would withdraw its seizure order on the bauxite stockpile in Pahang.
On Dec 21, the MACC announced that it would withdraw its seizure order on the estimated 10 million tonnes of bauxite after the ministry. Department of Minerals and Geoscience (JMG) and the state government agreed to introduce new rules to crack down on illegal mining of bauxite.
According to the ministry’s statement today, the new rules will be implemented based on the input from the related agencies, including MACC, to improve monitoring of the clearance of bauxite for export purposes.
This includes thorough checks on every application for approved permit (AP) for bauxite, including the location and amount of stockpile which will be exported.
This will be based on the approval by the state government and technical analysis by the JMG, as well as amendments to the Mineral Development (Licensing) Regulations 2016 for the process of clearing the bauxite for export.
The statement said that with the withdrawal of the seizure order on bauxite stockpile, the ministry agreed to consider the application for the export of bauxite during the moratorium period under certain conditions.
These included clearing the bauxite stockpile at Kuantan Port and Kemaman in Terengganu.
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