Anti-cyanide NGO raises funds to attend Kuantan rally

Bukit Koman villagers in Raub, Pahang have launched an online donation drive to  charter buses to attend next Sunday's Himpunan Hijau 2.0 rally in Kuantan.

Contacted yesterday, Bukit Koman Anti-cyanide Committee member Shirley Hue said they have so far collected RM1,870 out of the RM2,400 needed to rent the two buses for the roughly 120km journey to the Pahang capital.

Hue said that those who wish to contribute may do so through the committee's bank account .

"This trip will give the Bukit Koman residents confidence, knowing that they have the support of people outside the area, and even outside the state," she said.

About 80 residents are expected to take the bus to Kuantan to bolster the number of people rallying against the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, which is some 20km from Kuantan.

The Bukit Koman residents also participated in the first Himpunan Hijau rally on Oct 9 last year.

According to Hue, any excess contribution from the fund-raising effort would go to the group's legal fund.

Court battle against gold mine

Hue said both the Bukit Koman gold mine and Lamp were environmental issues of great concern to the people, but despite lengthy campaigns, the government had not been responsive.

They hoped to rally all environmental groups together to pressure the government into solving their problems.

Bukit Koman residents have been fighting a legal battle against a gold mine near their village, using sodium cyanide to extract gold.

They complain that the fumes from the mine cause them to choke, suffer giddiness, shortness of breath, irritation to the eyes and lungs, nausea and body rashes.

On Jan 11, they obtained leave from the Federal Court to challenge the Department of Environment's (DOE) decision to approve the mine's preliminary environmental impact assessment (PEIA).

They are also seeking a judicial review to challenge the DOE's decision to grant approval to Australia Mining Company to use cyanide in the gold mine.