'It's just maintenance work,' mining firm says amid Orang Asli uproar

Summary

• Redstar Capital Sdn Bhd dismisses claims they were in operation in Kampung Kelaik, saying they were just doing maintenance work.

• The official says the Minerals and Geoscience Department approved their maintenance works.

• Julice Chu also says they have yet to receive stop work order from DOE, which was confirmed by the latter.

Redstar Capital Sdn Bhd, one of the two iron ore mining companies at the centre of a dispute with the Orang Asli community in Kampung Kelaik, Kelantan, said they are just doing maintenance work at their dam.

This comes after the Orang Asli claimed to have evidence that the mining company is still operating in the area despite the government saying, on Dec 18, that the company was found not operating during inspections by the Environment Department (DOE).

“We don’t have any planned operations. What we are doing is maintenance of the dam.

“We have not started our machines. The JMG (Minerals and Geoscience Department) said we could carry out maintenance work.

“The villagers don’t know what (constitutes) our operations or maintenance,” the company’s administration manager Julice Chu told Malaysiakini today.

According to Malaysiakini’s checks previously, streams near the water source at the top of Bukit Tambun are dammed into water ponds.

The water ponds were used to provide clean water for the mining operations.

Still operational

Earlier today, Orang Asli villagers in Kampung Kelaik claimed Redstar Capital was still operating in the area despite Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad saying that the mine was not in operation.

Nik Nazmi’s ministry had also ordered a halt to the mining operations in the area.

In a police report filed by Kampung Kelaik Action Committee leader Ahak Uda yesterday, he said that the villagers had found that the Redstar Capital mine was still active on Dec 27 - nine days after the ministry said a stop work order was issued.

They had recorded video evidence of machinery working at the mine.

“Is the Kelantan Environment Department not monitoring?

“How could Nik Nazmi issue a statement that Redstar Capital had stopped operations when we have video evidence that it is still operating?

“Is the Kelantan DOE in cahoots with the mining company or did the minister get the wrong information?” Ahak asked.

‘No stop work order issued’

On that note, Chu mentioned that her company has yet to receive a stop work order from the DOE.

“Until today, I have not received any letter from DOE and only found out about (stop work order) through the news,” she added.

When contacted, Kelantan DOE director Aminordin Kamaruddin confirmed that a stop work order has yet to be issued to Redstar Capital, adding they have only issued a verbal instruction on the matter.

He also mentioned that during the two site visits made in December, the company was found not to be operating, adding the operations within a mining site were under the purview of the Mineral and Geoscience Department.

“Nevertheless, we have asked them to stop their work until we get the results of the water samples back.

“We are sampling for heavy metals mentioned in the Malaysiakini article including chromium and arsenic,” he told Malaysiakini.

Aminordin said DOE had to follow the procedure as Redstar Capital was operating with an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report.

“We have issued a stop work order to Aqua Orion Sdn Bhd because they were operating without an approved EIA report.

“However, for Redstar Capital, we will see if there are any violations to our standards and take the necessary action.

“We are concerned that if the company is asked to stop their work without basis - according to our (effluent) standards and a chemical analysis - we might end up being at fault,” he said.

Aminordin also confirmed Redstar Capital had been submitting water samples quarterly - from locations stipulated in the EIA report.

He said collecting water samples from rivers and their tailing ponds had been a challenge because of torrential rains but expected the results to be back.

“But since the Orang Asli villagers have lodged a police report, I will send my officers there to investigate,” he added.

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