Thursday, June 18, 2009

武吉公满 Bukit Koman

武吉公满新村 Merdekaview 照片)

I hailed from new village and have a special attachment and liking of new villages.

Now there is another village under threat.

- The whole village is filled with foul, pungent smell.
- The nearest house is separated by a road from a mine.
- Just two meters away from toxic chemicals.
- A leakage of this chemical will result a catastrophic disaster.
- Water pollution is another big concern (heavy metal).

Kampong Bukit Koman is a picturesque new village situated at Raub district, Pahang. 400 households are having peaceful and leisure lives. But due to rich in gold of its soils, it brings misfortune to the village.

In 1899, an Australian mining company was operating a gold mine in the area until 1963 when it ceased its operation. In 1997, the Department of Environment approved an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report submitted by Raub Australia Gold Mining Sdn Bhd and issued a permit to operate.

In October 2006, villages discovered the state government had quietly issued a license to the company to use Cyanide in its gold mining operation.

They appealed to local representatives, state assemblymen, member of parliament of the ruling parties, and even to the Mentri Besar to stop the operation which will endanger the health of villagers, but to no avail. All of them siding the company by saying all are legal, all are in line with the law, all are following the specifications, all are safe.

The villages has no choice but to form their own committee to take up the issue and save themselves. In March 2008, it filed an application for a judicial review at the High Court on the decision by the Director-General of Environment which approved the EIA for the mining operation in Bukit Koman.

After more than a year's waiting, the High Court ruled on 1/6/09 dismissed their application on grounds that the application was out of time (too late). They should have applied within the stipulated period of 40 days after the presentation of the EIA. The court also cannot force the company to make a DEIA now as the time frame had elapsed.

In February this year, after Chinese New Year, the company started its mining operation with Cyanide. The whole village filled with foul chemical smell, many villages feeling nausea, vomiting, headache and not feeling well. The village became a toxic place.

They have approached for help from Mentri Besar, MCA state and parliament representatives, including Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, former Minister Chan Kong Chai, and Ng Yen Yen, herself is the Member of Parliament of Raub and federal minister.

All of them are supporters of the mining company and insisting on the operation is safe. The villagers challenged them to come for a brief stay at the village to see and feel themselves. So far no taker, no response from them, not even set feet on the village. May be they are feeling safer and comfortable in their own shells.

From the way things moved, the media, especially newspapers, are restrained from wider coverage on this subject. So far none of the MCA ministers concerned (especially from Pahang) has not make any stand on this issue.

Looks like the villagers of Kampong Bukit Koman has to rely on themselves on this issue.

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我来自新村,所以对新村会有一份很特殊的亲切情怀。

现在,又有一个新村面对威胁。

- 全村弥漫着刺鼻的化学味。
- 与最近的屋子隔一条马路,就是矿场。
- 相距两公尺,与剧毒为邻。
- 任何泄漏,全村将有灾难之劫。
- 水源污染,更令人担心 (重金属)。

彭亨州劳勿县的武吉公满新村,环境优美,四百户人家生活悠闲安静,但因为此地“满地黄金”,土地含金量高,而遭受想象不到的浩劫。

在1899年,澳洲矿物公司就在此采金,直到1963年停产。在1997年,环境局根据一份评估报告,发准证允许一间本地澳资公司【 劳勿澳洲金矿私人有限公司】重开矿场。

村民是在2006年10月,才发现该公司静悄悄的获得州政府的批准,利用剧毒、臭名昭彰的山埃来开采金矿。

他们知道这种过时,危险的操作,对环境及村民的健康必有影响,所以马上就通过个管道,包括要求代议士,部长,甚至州务大臣的协助,停止这种采金法,但都没有效果。他们都好像站在金矿公司的一边,他们都说一切合法,一切符合标准,一切安全。

最后,他们成立自救委员会,上禀法庭,要求司法审核,以推翻环境局总监批准的【劳勿澳洲金矿有限公司】呈上的环境评估报告,不符合国家环境素质法令下的要求, 并要求该公司再呈上另一份详细的环境评估报告。经过一年的诉讼后,法庭在今年六月一日,推翻申请,理由是村民逾期申请司法审核。该环境评估报告是在1997年提出,至今已是十一年了。他们应该在法定的四十天内提出才有效。

在今年的农历新年过后,公司开始了采毒金的操作,整个村就弥漫了臭味,村民有呕吐 、失眠及头晕的现象。武吉公满就变成了一个毒村。

他们求助的对象有尊贵的州务大臣,马华国州议员,包括老来姣黄燕燕,她本身也是劳勿的国会议员及联邦部长。

他们(执政者,政客及部长)都说很安全,因为矿场运作都是符合规格及安全指南。但村民挑战黄燕燕及卫生部长廖中来,“ 请到本村小住几天 ”,不住也行,至少也亲身来看看吧!

但到今天都还没有反应。他(她)们也从未在这新村露面。

报章受限制,不可太过于报道这采矿新闻,代议士,包括廖中来部长,黄燕燕,前任部长陈广才,都避而远之,不敢正面发表立场。

武吉公满的村民只好自保了。

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