On dangerous ground they steal

By Stephanie Sta Maria - Free Malaysia Today

FMT EXCLUSIVE TAIPING: Kampung Jelai was once just another traditional Malay village tucked in Batu Kurau, an half-hour drive from Taiping, Perak. The residents were kind and generous folks.

A decade ago, they extended their generosity to a man known only as KH who sought permission to begin sand-mining work in Sungai Jelai. Little did they know then that their consent would have severe repercussions.

The sand-mining operation was sub-contracted to an excavator for a period of 10 years. Throughout that time, both excavators and villagers co-existed peacefully. When the permit expired last month, the excavators packed their bags and left.

However, KH was not done with Sungai Jelai.

As the permit expiration date drew closer, he opened another mining site but this time without consulting the villagers or the relevant authorities. Not only was the operation illegal, it also flouted the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) guidelines.

The guidelines stipulated that a sand-mining site must be located at a distance of more than 200 metres away from small hydraulic structures like bridges. The illegal site is less than 100 metres from a bridge, which is situated in front of a school.

“The river bank has eroded drastically,” said Mohd Nor, who was part of the original excavating team. “The villagers have grown afraid of using it and fear for the lives of their children. They have complained to us but we are not involved with this other site so we can't do anything about it.”

Mohd Nor, who visited the area two weeks ago, noted that the river bank and the road were now level. According to him, that was a sure sign that the excavation was literally being carried out on dangerous ground.

“The residents made verbal reports to the state and district JPS but KH intimidated them from filing a formal, written report,” he added. “Since the authorities haven't taken action or visited the area to investigate, the excavation is brazenly carried out during the day. ”

'No report, no investigation'

Contacted by FMT, the JPS of Taiping and the JPS of Larut, Matang and Selama (the jurisdiction under which Kampung Jelai falls) denied any knowledge of the matter.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an officer from the public complaints department in the JPS of Larut, Matang and Selama said he had not heard of such complaints.

“I don't know why matters like this are forwarded to me when it is clearly the responsibility of the district engineer. These are the people on the ground, who know the real story,” he said.

When contacted, the engineer admitted that he had heard about the complaint but since there was no official report, nobody had looked into the matter.

“But I did mention (the complaint) to the Land Office,” he was quick to add. “It's up to them to lodge a report with the police for action to be taken. That's just how it's done.”

An official from JPS Taiping expressed nonchalance and even amusement over the issue.

“There are so many cases of illegal sand mining,” he said. “We hear about it all the time. It's nothing new and it's not going to stop. If this case is serious, it will be investigated eventually.”

In other words, KH has been given the green light to continue putting Kampung Jelai and its residents at risk.