Awg Tengah: SFC formulating plan to curb illegal gold mining at Bau’s Gunung Tabai

KUCHING (Aug 30): Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is formulating a management plan to curb illegal gold mining around the Gunung Tabai area in Bau.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said this step was taken following the tragic incident this month involving an Indonesian man, who was trapped and buried in an illegal gold mining pit there.

Awang Tengah said the incident occurred in an area gazetted as a national park, making it challenging to detect the entry routes of illegal miners due to the vastness of the area.

“In response, I have asked SFC to streamline and enhance the management of the area to prevent such incidents from happening again. I have directed SFC to develop a management plan,” he told reporters during a dinner and prize-giving ceremony for the Innovative and Creative Group Convention and Integrity Day here last night.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development acknowledged that although Gunung Tabai has been gazetted as a national park, the necessary facilities and infrastructure are still incomplete.

“Indeed, for now, even though it has been gazetted, the facilities and so forth are not yet complete, and we will work to address this,” he said.

On legal action against those behind the illegal mining, who are said to have purchased land for this purpose, Awang Tengah said joint investigations are ongoing.

“Many agencies are involved, including the police, so let’s wait and see what the outcome will be,” he said.

According to media reports, the victim became buried on Aug 13 but the police only received a missing person’s report on Aug 23 from the Indonesian Consulate General.

The search and rescue operation finally began on Aug 28 after a witness came forward to assist with the investigation.

Yesterday, searchers discovered a body believed to be that of the missing 26-year-old Yoga Anggiska.