KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has been urged to enhance the management and supervision of Mount Tabai in Bau to curb illegal mining activities.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said Mount Tabai has been gazetted as a National Park area and stressed the need for stricter action by SFC.
“This incident (illegal mining) took place in an area that is already gazetted as a National Park. I have instructed the SFC to improve and tighten the management of the area to ensure this does not happen again.
“Although it has been gazetted, the facilities are not fully established yet, and this is something we are working on,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters following the recovery of the body of an Indonesian man, missing since Aug 13, at Mount Tabai after attending the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development, MUDeNR’s Creative and Innovation Group (KIK) Convention 2024 dinner at Imperial Hotel here on Thursday night.
The Deputy Premier said illegal gold mining continues to be a challenge in the area, as those involved attempt to dig in locations where they believe gold might be found.
“These activities are illegal. The vast size of the area makes it difficult to track where these individuals are entering from.
“But anyway, I have directed the SFC to come up with a management plan so that incidents like this will not be repeated ,” he said.
Asked about potential legal action against those involved in the illegal activities, Awang Tengah said that the situation is under investigation.
“We will have to wait for investigations to complete. Many agencies, including the police, are involved, so we will see what happens next,” he said.
On Thursday, the remains of 26-year-old Yoga Anggiska were retrieved at 3.56 pm by a team comprising firefighters, villagers, and his family members.
During the event, Awang Tengah highlighted the growing involvement of KIK Groups in the KIK MUDeNR convention, noting that the projects presented have been implemented with a significant positive impact.
“In a rapidly changing world, fostering creativity within the public service is crucial, as it has become a key trend in today’s competitive environment.
“This Creativity and Innovation Convention, as always, sets the stage for the prestigious Sarawak Civil Service Innovation Convention Awards (SCSiCA) Awards for 2024,” he said
The ceremony also included the signing of a memorandum of understanding (Mou) for Talent and Workforce Development in the Sarawak Mineral Industry between MUDeNR and the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS).
The MoU is aimed at promoting collaboration in strategic human resource development, enhancing training programmes and materials, and boosting Research and Development (R&D) to add value throughout the entire mineral-based industry chain.
