In 2008, a U.S. expert in mining contamination had visited the area and concluded that the gold mine did not comply with international standards and could cause long-term contamination. The facility, only 200-300 m away from the village, uses the ‘carbon-in-leach’ method and consumes 400 tonnes of sodium cyanide a year.
In Kuala Lumpur, Hue sat up and took note. ”I searched on the Internet for cyanide in gold mining and found a lot of cases and accidents in many countries – even without spillages.”
Hue quickly relocated her son and her mother to Kuala Lumpur, while her father, a retired contractor-turned-smallholder, decided to remain in their village to tend to his plantation.
There was no turning back for Hue. “After I found that this project appeared harmful, I approached the secretary of the committee (opposing the gold mining operations).” She put her marketing experience to good use and proposed to the committee that it should print booklets for an awareness-raising campaign.
Hue, now 34, is vice-chairperson of the Pahang Raub Anti-Cyanide Gold Mining Committee and a key figure in Malaysia’s blossoming environmental movement.
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