IPOH: People cannot simply extract non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE) on a whim, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
The Perak Mentri Besar said he understood that some people have gotten excited over the NR-REE but it is illegal to extract these without a licence.
"Whether it is (extracted) at forest reserves or private land, it is illegal to do so without a licence from the Mineral and Geoscience Department.
"I also know that a lot of people have wishful thinking, believing that such minerals can be found at their farms or estates," he said in a press conference after presenting laptops to students who did well in their SPM trial examinations during a Cikgu Saarani Tuition Programme Excellence Awards ceremony here on Wednesday (Dec 13).
Saarani had been asked to comment about some police arrests that have been made over the illegal extraction of NR-REE in the state.
"I was briefed by the police but I did not ask for details, as it is now a police case, and I cannot comment much," he added.
During the recent Perak state assembly sitting last week, Saarani had said that the state was working with the federal government on the best way to prevent theft or illegal mining of the NR-REE.
He had said that there were such illegal acts in Hulu Perak, and the extraction process was not difficult compared to mining other minerals.
Saarani said there needs to be a proper process to obtain the necessary licenses to mine for NR-REE.
"From our experience, it took about two years to get the approvals and planning done," he added.
On whether the NR-REE mining project could also be held in the southern region of Perak, Saarani said he has yet to get the official report from JMG on whether such an endeavour could happen.
"There are a lot of minerals that are valuable in Perak.
"If the extraction process is costly, then it would not be worth it," he said.
Separately, Saarani said a delegation from Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd (Geely) had visited Perak yesterday to follow up on their discussions over the development of the Automotive Hi-Tech Valley (AHTV) in Tanjong Malim.
"They came to present their master plan on how they want to invest in Tanjung Malim and how we can help expedite the project.
"We discussed land matters, utilities and the rules related to the district council," he said.
"Our response to them was that we will facilitate and ease the process so the investment, which is expected to start next year (2024) can progress," he added.
