Raub villagers protest potential cyanide use

Raub villagers protest potential cyanide use

Soon Li Tsin | Jan 24, 07 3:56pm

Some 3,000 residents of Kampung Baru Bukit Koman in Raub, Pahang, are questioning a state agency’s decision to allow the use of cyanide in a gold-mining operation in Bukit Koman. MCPX A statement released yesterday by the residents’ committee pointed out that serious health and environmental hazards are associated with the use of cyanide. They claimed that the Pahang Mineral and Geoscience Department had issued a letter of authority to the developer, Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd dated Aug 21, 2006 permitting cyanide use to mine gold. “We have been denied our rights because we weren’t given a chance to respond despite the fact that we’re the nearest residents to the project site,” the four-page statement reads. “We urge the government to scrutinise the developer’s Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment report in full and for this document to be released to residents and the public.” About 70 percent of the gold in Bukit Koman has been mined using the gravity separation process to date. The developer, with the help of a South African company at the Bukit Koman quarry, has since decided to switch to cyanide leaching which involves using electrolysis to extract the remaining fine gold particles. “We were shocked by the decision (which was made) without including us in the discussion. The only time when a meeting was arranged, it was a mere rubber stamp to say we were part of the decision making process,” the statement says. Contacted today, committee secretary Mustapha Hussin said the villagers are not against the mining operations, but the use of cyanide. “We are not sure if they will use it (cyanide) but we know they have the authority to. We’re only an ad hoc committee, we’re leaving it up to our state (elected) representative to resolve this after the Batu Talam by-election (on Sunday),” he said. He said cyanide use would affect the residents “whose kitchen is right next to the mine” as well as villages within a 2km radius. It would also pollute Jelai River and connecting rivers. Raub Australian Gold Mining Sdn Bhd chief executive Andrew Kam Tai Yeow was said to be abroad. His assistant, only identified as Liew, declined to comment on his behalf. The residents cited incidents elsewhere, including one in 2000 when a dam at a goldmine reprocessing facility in Romania released about 100,000 sq metres of wastewater contaminated with heavy metal sludge. Up to 120 tonnes of cyanide were released, polluting 400km of the Tisza and Danube rivers. from malaysiakini