Johor to start probe into sand smuggling claims

Nelson Benjamin, The Star 25 Jun 10;

JOHOR BARU: The state government will initiate its own probe into allegations that sand is being smuggled out of the country via Sungai Johor.

“We have nothing to hide,” said Local Government, Housing, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Ahmad Zahri Jamil.

The state, he said, had stationed staff from the Johor Baru Land and Mining office (PTG) at all Customs checkpoints since earlier this month, especially in Pasir Gudang, Tanjung Belungkur and Stulang Laut.

He also confirmed that the sand from Sg Johor needed to pass Singapore to reach its destination on the west side of the country if moved via pontoons.

Asked about the possibility that some of the sand could be diverted as the barges cross into Singapore waters, he insisted that all records were in order and the state’s jurisdiction was only within three nautical miles. Anything above that is within federal jurisdiction.

“I do not see how you can smuggle sand into Singapore as they are so strict when it comes to enforcement,” he told a press conference held with officers from various departments, including the PTG, yesterday.

Ahmad Zahri also said that sand mining in Sg Johor was for domestic use only and that it was being carried out by four companies and “an individual” over the past three years.

The companies involved within the Kota Tinggi area were Bidari Kekal Sdn Bhd, SSB Construction Sdn Bhd, AZY Sdn Bhd and Sovereign Earth Sdn Bhd.

He said the individual concession was given to Nor Hisham Mohd Ali under the PTG.

“They have been extracting sand as part of a project to deepen the Kota Tinggi river in 2007,” he said, adding that these companies were given approval to transport sand via lorries or pontoons. (One pontoon is equivalent to 150 lorry loads.)

“The sand is for domestic use. Johor does not export sand. So far, all our records indicate that everything is in order. All the sand from the east coast of the state is supplied to areas within the west coast, especially in Iskandar Malaysia,” he said.

“The Customs Department is tasked with ensuring all the barges that depart their designated areas reach the proper area with the same payload and quantity,” he said.

Asked if those involved in the sand mining operations included politicians or VIPs, Ahmad Zahri said: “That is getting personal. I cannot reveal even if I know.”

On whether Johor planned to stop sand mining at the end of the licensing period at the end of the year, he said the state received revenue from it and there was still demand for sand.

He noted that there was a case in March last year where the Maritime Enforcement Agency detained a barge with six Indonesians for trying to smuggle sand.

Since then, there had been no other cases.

Asked if the PTG had received complaints about sand smuggling, Ahmad Zahri said that all complaints had been investigated and no wrongdoing had been detected.

Smuggling of sand a security threat
The Star 25 Jun 10;

PETALING JAYA: The ease with which sand can be smuggled out of the country has raised concerns of border security here.

A security official said a proper investigation must be carried out to check the alleged rampant smuggling of sand into Singapore.

“This is a very serious matter as it concerns national security,” he said, adding that if sand could be easily smuggled out of the country, it could pose a security threat at the country’s exit and entry points.

The Star reported yesterday that sand worth millions of ringgit was being smuggled into Singapore via Sungai Johor.

Checks by the Starprobe team revealed sand-laden barges from Johor heading towards a private jetty in Pulau Punggol. Further checks showed that sand was also being smuggled by lorry-loads across the Causeway.

Observers said tonnes of sand were hidden underneath layers of bricks to avoid detection.

The smugglers also seem to be using the service of tontos.

“They seem to know when the authorities are going to conduct spot-checks.

“Once the tontos alert them, lorries will suddenly make a U-turn and go elsewhere.

“They wait by the roadside and resume journey only when the ‘coast is clear’,” said an observer.

Although Singapore had always maintained that it was only importing silica from Malaysia, and not sand, another official has called on Singapore to assist Malaysian officials to put a stop to the smuggling of sand from Johor and other states into the republic.

It has been widely reported that due to the rapid reclamation and construction needs in Singapore, Malaysian contractors could be colluding with their partners in Singapore to smuggle sand to the republic despite the ban on sand exports by Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia.

A check revealed that new sites where sand was being stockpiled include the coastal stretch of the Western Catchments area and the northeastern tip of the NSRCC Kranji Sanctuary Golf Course.

Sand thieves get inside help
The Star 25 Jun 10;

PETALING JAYA: The country has lost billions of ringgit worth of sand over the years with sand thieves, greedy contractors, corrupt officials, unethical politicians and daring smugglers working hand-in-glove.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations director Mustafar Ali, said sand smuggling activities could be halted if those entrusted with responsibilities conducted themselves diligently.

“How difficult is it to keep track of slow-moving barges carrying 5,000 tonnes of sand worth RM250,000? And how difficult is it to use the X-ray machines available at the Malaysia-Singapore border checkpoints to see if tonnes of sand are hidden inside lorries?” he asked.

Mustafar said MACC findings showed that the Government has been losing revenue amounting to about RM600mil for every lorry that makes about 3,000 trips a year, transporting sand to Singapore.

“That figure is for one lorry that can carry a 34-tonne load per trip. How many lorries are plying across the straits daily?

“For every two barges that transport a total 8,000 of tonnes of sand per day over a period of one year, the Malaysian Government loses RM144mil in revenue.

“Companies involved in the sand smuggling activities are earning hundreds of millions without having to pay royalty fees and taxes,” he said.

Mustafar said MACC had arrested 43 people, including 30 enforcement officers, between January and March this year to facilitate sand smuggling investigations, adding that illegal sand mining was rampant in Selangor, Johor, Perak and Pahang.

“We found that the enforcement officers took bribes ranging from RM500 to RM88,000. Six of the enforcement officers admitted that they were also bribed with sexual favours,” he said.

In January, two Customs officers and a Land and Mines officer were charged with accepting bribes in July 2009 as inducement not to take action against four lorries found to have smuggled sand to Singapore.

Mustafar also said that it was against the law to carry out sand mining activities at night.

“But the law is rarely enforced,” he added.

Sources from the Malaysia Maritime Enforce-ment Agency said most of the barges that left Johor had documents claiming the sand was to be delivered to Selangor.

“The barges had to ply international waters. More than 90% of the shipments never made it to Selangor,” said one source.

The Star reported yesterday that sand worth millions of ringgit was being illegally “floated” out of the country daily via Sungai Johor.


MP files motion on sand smuggling
The Star 25 Jun 10;

KUALA LUMPUR: An opposition MP has filed an emergency motion in the Dewan Rakyat, seeking for a debate on sand smuggling in the country.

Er Teck Hwa (DAP – Bakri), who filed the motion, said such activities were humiliating and had caused Malaysia to suffer huge losses.

“It is as though we are selling our land to another country,” he said. Such crimes indicated weak enforcement, he added.

Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia will decide on the the motion on Monday.

Agencies urged to jointly work against illegal sand mining
The Star 25 Jun 10;

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has called on all relevant agencies to join forces and dig deeper into illegal sand smuggling activities in the country.

MACC investigations director Mustafar Ali told The Star that illegal sand mining was rampant in Selangor, Johor, Perak and Pahang, with some enforcement officers admitting to accepting cash bribes and also sexual favours. He also said laws were rarely enforced.

Other developments:

● The Johor government is starting its own investigation and welcomes all quarters, including the media, to provide evidence to the agencies, following the Starprobe report on sand smuggling in Johor.

● An opposition MP has filed an emergency motion in Parliament to debate the sand smuggling activities in Sungai Johor.

● The ease with which sand is being smuggled out of Malaysia via the country’s exit points poses a security threat, say security officials.