Malaysia arrests 31 people for suspected illegal rare earths mining

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian authorities have arrested 31 people, including 21 foreigners, for suspected illegal rare earths mining in the western state of Perak, state media cited police as saying.

The arrests come as Malaysia looks to ban exports of rare earth raw materials, widely used in semiconductor chips, electric vehicles and military equipment, to avoid exploitation and loss of resources.

The arrests were made in two raids starting Dec 8 and included 16 Chinese nationals, four Myanmar citizens, and a Vietnamese woman, Perak police chief Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said, according to a Bernama report late on Wednesday (Dec 13).

All were accused of illegal mining of ore deposits containing non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE) at the Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve in Perak, and are expected to be charged under Malaysia's forestry laws, Bernama said.

The foreigners involved did not have valid travel documents, and investigations have also been opened under the immigration act, Mohd Yusri was quoted as saying.

Malaysia is home to just a fraction of the world's rare earth reserves, with an estimated 30,000 metric tons, data from the United States Geological Survey in 2019 showed. China is the biggest source with an estimated 44 million tons of reserves.

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