The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, along with its relevant agencies, will step up integrated operations to enforce the moratorium over mining and bauxite exports in Kuantan, Pahang.

Its minister, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said the ministry would deploy officers from the Department of Environment, Department of Mineral and Geoscience, Department of Land and Mines, as well as with the help from the Civil Defence Force and Royal Malaysia Police, to further ensure the enforcement.

Wan Junaidi said all these agencies would be placed under one umbrella, as part of the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) initiative, to ensure that all mining and export activities were carried out in accordance with the existing laws and regulations.

"The ministry will take stern action by stepping up its law enforcement (part) so that all the agencies can enforce the moratorium. It is high time to further strengthen the integrated enforcement and galvanise manpower to overcome the issue,” he said in a statement issued in Putrajaya today.

Wan Junaidi said the ministry would also work closely with the Pahang government to enforce the moratorium on the mining and bauxite export activities in Kuantan.

He also said the ministry fully supported the action by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the arrests of 10 civil servants on suspicion of receiving bribes to protect illegal bauxite mining activities around Kuantan yesterday.

The arrests did not involve personnel of the agencies under the ministry, Wan Junaidi added.

- Bernama