The Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry has given an assurance that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between a China company and the Perak state government is for the exploration of rare earth minerals, not to mine them.

This comes as environmental groups and Pakatan Harapan MPs have come forth to oppose the move, citing public health concerns.

In a statement today, the ministry noted their views and stressed that the project would not involve radioactive materials.

“The ministry would like to stress that the MoU will allow for studies to be conducted to determine whether there are rare earth minerals in the state (Perak) and will not involve any form of mining to extract the minerals.

“We are still at the preliminary stage of the MoU, which entails using expertise from China to determine if there is any rare earth potential in Perak, especially ion absorption clay, which does not contain thorium or uranium residues,” it said.

“The ministry supports any cooperation with external parties that are able to positively impact the growth of the Malaysian economy in a sustainable way, and which does not adversely impact the environment and people’s well-being,” it added.

The Perak state government’s Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) signed an MoU with Chinalco GXNF Rare Earth Development Co Ltd on Nov 16 to “systematically explore rare earth elements” in the state.

MBI previously assured that it is working closely with the ministry on the project to prevent a repeat of the Bukit Merah radioactive disaster.

Back in 1992, Mitsubishi Chemicals subsidiary, Asian Rare Earth closed down its rare earth plant after radioactive leaks resulted in serious radioactive poisoning of residents living in Bukit Merah, Perak.

The company later offered compensation to residents, without accepting liability for the cancer cases in the area.