The organiser of the Raub Green Rally has been urged by Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai to propose instead a solution to solve the long-standing issue of the use of cyanide in gold mining activities by Raub Australian Gold Mine (RAGM) Sdn Bhd.

The rally would only build a momentum against the gold mining project in Bukit Koman, Pahang, and not solve the problem, Liow told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.

"The rally can only build momentum, but what is the solution? We want to know the solution. A protest rally cannot solve all the problems,

NONE "Instead of holding rally, we want to know the source of the problem and the cause of the illnesses, and then try to solve these," Liow said.

When told by a reporter that the residents of Bukit Koman in Raub want the gold mine closed, Liow response was, "Is the gold mine the source of the problem?"

The minister went on to say that the use of cyanide in gold mining activities was not something new, but the ministry would continue to monitor the situation and determine the cause of the illnesses among the people there.

Residents of Bukit Koman are scheduled to hold a mass protest rally against the continued use of cyanide in the gold mining activities of the RAGM in their neighbourhood.

Dubbed "Himpunan Hijau Raub" (Raub Green Rally), it is scheduled to be held at Dataran Raub on Sept 2.

'Don't politicise health issues'

On June 21, a residents' panel announced that a survey done on May 19 and 20 revealed that 78.1 percent of the residents in the surrounding areas of Bukit Koman were suffering health problems that are believed to be related to the use of cyanide by the gold mine.

NONE However, an investigation commissioned by the Health Ministry found no evidence to link any symptoms suffered by the people to the use of cyanide in the gold mine there.

Revealing more details today, Liow the investigation conducted by the ministry showed the situation in Bukit Koman to be "normal".

Acknowledging there was a big gap between the findings of the ministry and that of the residents, he said the ministry would conduct another study, as requested by the residents, to determine the cause of the illnesses.

He also called on the anti-cyanide group to furnish the related data and the names of the patients in order to solve the problem.

"Let us work together and please don't politicise health issues. It is very bad if you are doing this as it will only create more problems," Liow said, adding that neither the opposition nor NGOs should create panic among the people by politicising the issue.