Showing posts with label Kanthan gua. Show all posts

27 April 2021

Gunung Kanthan media updates 2021

This is an ongoing list of media reports about the quarrying of Gunung Kanthan in Perak, Malaysia. The earlier blogs are 2013 , 2014 , 2015 , and 2016-2020.

Gunung Kanthan is being quarried by Lafarge Msia, who changed its name to Malayan Cement in 2019. And YTL acquired Lafarge Msia stake. But YTL still calls Kanthan the Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) Kanthan Quarry.

Reports from 2021 :

Ipoh Echo , 12 Jan
Appeal to Preserve Monastery in Gunung Kanthan [this was removed by the 14th]

Perak China Press , 13 Jan
Hundred-year "Sakyamuni Sacred Rock" hopes that the government approves it to stay in the original site

Perak China Press , 14 Jan
There is a potential risk of falling rocks in the Gongqiaoshan [Arch Bridge Mountain]
This included a media statement from Pan Malaysia Cement in English entitled “A tragedy waiting to happen – monastery built on volatile structure prone to limestone fall”.

Flora & Fauna International , 25 Jan
Mention of Kanthan trapdoor spider.

Sinar Harian , 5 Feb
Wartakan kawasan hutan batu kapur (Gazette the limestone forest area)
Gua Khantan, Chemor, has a spider habitat, namely Liphistius khantan, which is placed on the red list when the species is not found anywhere in the world.

Several videos on Youtube , 25 Apr
Published by the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery :

Gunung Kanthan: Saving Sacred Gunung Kanthan, Beauty with Treasure
Gunung Kanthan expedition
Gunung Kanthan: 100 Years History of Sakyamuni Caves Monastery
Gunung Kanthan: Save 100-Year Sakyamuni Caves Monastery

YTL/APMC took the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery to court on 1 Apr but as the monks didn't have a lawyer, they were granted an extension until 17 May. It seems that area C will be blasted, leaving just area D, where Gua Kanthan is -

Bernama , 26 May 2021

Perak state authorities urged to conserve two Kinta geosites

The Star , 27 May 2021

"NGOs urge Perak govt to fully commit towards preservation of two geoparks in Kinta Valley"

The Sun . 27 May 2021

"Perak state authorities urged to conserve two Kinta Geosites"

The Vibes , 31 May 2021

Century-old Sakyamuni Cave Monastery faces eviction.

This is a particularly good article as it details court orders and some history of past eviction notices etc.

The Vibes , 1 June 2021

"Money over heritage: Sakyamuni eviction threatens natural treasure, says preservationist!

The Vibes , 2 June 2021

"Sakyamuni reveals one-of-a-kind golden Buddha statue as it faces eviction"

Malaysiakini , 5 June 2021

Kuari Gunung Kanthan: Tiada syarikat dapat kontrak baru - Exco Perak (Gunung Kanthan Quarry: No company gets new contract - Perak Exco)

The Star , 5 June 2021

More tourism activities planned for geoparks in Perak, says state govt

The Vibes , 5 June 2021

Perak exco rubbishes claim on new Gunung Kanthan quarrying contracts

The Vibes , 5 June 2021

YTL subsidiary assures Gua Kanthan protection, says awarded lease in 1960

Bernama , 5 June 2021

No new contract for quarry activities at Gunung Kanthan - Perak Exco

The Sun , 5 June 2021

"More tourism activities planned for geoparks in Perak, says state govt"

The Sun , 6 June 2021

"Move to boost tourism at geoparks in Kinta district"

Bernama , 6 June 2021

Perak planning various tourism programmes for Kinta Valley Geopark

The Vibes , 8 June 2021

More quarrying will wipe out Gunung Kanthan’s endangered species, cry green groups

The Vibes , 14 June 2021

Quarrying fears at Gunung Kanthan geopark fuel anxiety at yet another cultural site

Getaran , 14 June 2021

Gunung Kanthan, Kenapa Sambung Kontrak Sebelum Dapatkan Ulasan Teknikal? - Gunung Kanthan, why continue the contract before getting technical reviews?

change.org

Save Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan

An online petition to save the monastery

The Vibes , 22 June 2021

For or against temples on limestone hills? It’s delicate environmental issue, say experts.

Sin Chew , 28 June 2021

Oriental Daily , 28 June 2021
The government is urged to intervene in the forced relocation of the Sakyamuni Buddha Temple in Gunung Kanthan

Mongabay , 30 June 2021

Monks and wildlife come under pressure from Malaysian cement company

The Star , 5 July 2021

Cave monastery near Chemor fears eviction

The Malaysian Insight , 6 July 2021

Perak’s Gunung Kanthan in danger of being reduced to rubble

Malay Mail , 14 July 2021

Perak MB promises to look into calls to preserve century-old cave temple , monastery on Gunung Kanthan

The Star , 14 July 2021

Make cave monastery a heritage site, authorities told

The Star , 16 July 2021

MB wants to settle Kanthan cave monastery matter amicably

The Vibes , 19 July 2021

Gunung Kanthan monastery eviction case slowed by NRP restrictions.

The Vibes , 12 Aug 2021

Gunung Kanthan needs govt protection to prevent its exploitation: CAP.

The Star , 13 Aug 2021

Good reasons to preserve Gunung Kanthan (letter)

Malay Mail , 15 Aug 2021

In Kinta Valley National Geopark, century-old cave monastery fighting for its survival as quarrying activities encroach

Sinar Harian , 4 Sept 2021

'Teliti semula kelulusan kegiatan kuari di Perak' (Review the approval of quarry activities in Perak)

The Star , 4 Sept 2021

Environmental activists want Perak govt not to extend land leases for quarries, mining sites in geoparks

Descent , June/July 2021, 280:19.

Peninsular Malaysia. Quarrying away Gunung Kanthan.

[Descent is a caving magazine published in the UK]

China Press , 6 Sept 2021

The Neolithic murals in Gua Kanthan are estimated to be 2500 to 4000 years old

Harian Metro , 6 Sept 2021

Lukisan dipercayai beribu tahun ditemukan di Gua Kanthan (Paintings believed to be thousands of years old found in Gua Kanthan)

Berita Harian , 7 Sept 2021

Lukisan gua dianggar berusia 4,000 tahun ditemui

Oriental Daily , 7 Sept 2021

Ancient rock paintings discovered in Gua Kanthan, but most of them are destroyed by modern graffiti

Sin Chew , 7 Sept 2021

Cave paintings - Gua Kanthan, thousand year old beautiful paintings, about 2500 to 4000 years of history

archive.org , Sept 2021

Gunung Kanthan 2500 years to 4000 years Rock Art Found - Sept 2021

The Star , 15 Sept 2021

Studies needed on Gua Kanthan drawings to determine origin

The Star , 10 Nov 2021

Ipoh High Court suggests cement company, cave temple settle eviction out of court

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I will add to this blog as new reports are published.

5 March 2015

Gunung Kanthan & Lafarge media reports 2015

For the last 2 years, I have been keeping a record of all the media reports concerning Lafarge quarrying Gunung Kanthan in Perak. I will continue this list in 2015.

See the list for 2014 and 2013.

--

The Star , 18 Feb
Expert: Little being done to protect hunted serow

The Star , 5 March
Lafarge’s encroachment into eco-sensitive areas causes alarm

The Star , 7 March
Working to conserve heritage

The Star , 11 March
Working towards biodiversity conservation

The Star , 4 June
Lafarge Kanthan expansion

9 August 2014

Pigeons at Gunung Kanthan

There are a lot of pigeons on the southeast end of Gunung Kanthan, especially in the area by the fish ponds and the Chinese temple. And the numbers of pigeons seem to be increasing.

Gunung Kanthan is the northernmost limestone hill in the Kinta Valley, Perak, Malaysia and is being quarried by Lafarge, (see the various blogs by searching the labels).

The floor around the base of the hill near the Zhi Nan Gong (red) temple is covered with pigeon guano and the stench is quite strong. There are also lots of feathers and eggs on the floor. Apart from the numerous pigeons here, there are also a lot roosting in and around the entrance to Gua Kanthan. The entrance slope into the cave is also covered with eggs and feathers and guano,

Pigeons, aka rock pigeons, roost on cliffs and rock ledges, so Gunung Kanthan is a natural home for them. I don't know why they are especially abundant on this hill.

On 8 August 2014 there was an interesting article in the Daily Mail (UK) about pigeons at a cave in Gibraltar, "Neanderthals loved roast pigeon! 70,000-year-old charred bones reveal barbecue bird was a favourite caveman delicacy".

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

8 February 2014

Gunung Kanthan 2014 media & www reports

In 2013 I made several posts about Gunung Kanthan and Gua Kanthan in Perak, Malaysia. This important hill and cave system are in danger of being quarried by Lafarge. The hill is important as it is home to several rare species of flora and fauna, and Gua Kanthan is a large cave with endemic cave fauna. There are other caves on the hill as well as several temples. See the posts by looking for keywords (Kanthan gua, Kanthan gunung, Lafarge, quarry, liphistius) in the 'labels' in the column on the right of the page.

One blog from Sept 2013 listed various web sites and media reports relating to Kanthan, see the blog here. For 2014, I will now continue this list here...............

The Star, 8 Feb 2014
Cement plant staff spruces up octogenarian's home

The Star, 8 Feb 2014
New flora and fauna species found

AsiaOne 8 Feb 2014 (reprinted from The Star)
New flora and fauna species found in Malaysia

WildSingapore blog , 8 Feb 2014 (taken from The Star)
Malaysia: new flora and fauna species found

The Star, 8 Feb 2014
Perak hills open to destruction, say experts

The Star, 9 Feb 2014
Conserve rest of Gunung Kanthan

The GreenReporter blog , 11 Feb 2014
(reprint of The Star 8 Feb)

The Star, 2 March 2014
FRIM comes under threat

(Among the media recognised by FRIM were The Star journalists Tan Cheng Li and Isabelle Lai for their respective reports last year on Merapoh, Pahang, and Gunung Kanthan, Perak)

The Star, 5 May 2014
Illegal use of limestone caves must be stopped, says Dr Zambry

(This rather one sided article was the result of a meeting with Lafarge and the Perak MB on 30 Apr)

Oriental Daily, 27 May 2014
Half year of research, endangered species found in Gunung Kanthan

Oriental Daily , 7 July 2014
(400 million years old Gunung Kanthan rare species found)

Sinar Harian , 28 May 2014
Jumpa spesies flora, fauna Gunung Kanthan

New Straits Times , 29 May 2014
Rare finds at Gunung Kanthan

The Star , 29 May 2014
‘Preserve all of Gunung Kanthan’

MNS blog 6 Jan 2014
Save Gunung Kanthan

Mongabay , 24 Aug 2014
Scientists name new endangered species after the company that will decide its fate

The Guardian , UK , 25 Aug 2014
A tiny, rare snail in Malaysia has big consequences for global cement giant

The Epoch Times, 26 Aug,
"Tiny Endangered Snail Named for Company".

CemNet.com 27 Aug,
"New species of snail discovered in Lafarge Malaysia limestone quarry".

Global Cement on 28 Aug,
"Future of Charopa lafargei snail in hands of Lafarge Malaysia".

Espandar Cement News ,
"Future of Charopa lafargei snail in hands of Lafarge Malaysia".

Novataxa BlogSpot on 24 Aug,
"[Mollusca • 2014] ‘Charopa’ lafargei • A New, presumed narrowly Endemic Species (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Charopidae) from Peninsular Malaysia".

The Star , 30 Aug 2014
New snail species found

Ipoh Echo, No 197, 16-30 Sept
New Snail Species Discovered In Kinta Valley Phytotaxa 177 (3) 29 Aug 2014
Three new species from Gunung Kanthan, a limestone tower karst in Perak, Malaysia.

Global Trees (Sept 2014)
Vatica kanthanensis

Malay Mail, 2 Sept
In Ipoh, rare snail named after cement giant is safe, says French quarry company

The Star , 12 Sept 2014
Bloom is of a new species of plant discovered on Gunung Kanthan

Descent , Oct/Nov 2014 , No 240
Snail slows quarrying

The Guardian , 17 Nov 2014
IUCNred list of endangered species. Red List: the world's most threatened species –interactive.

More than 22,000 species feature in conservationists’ ‘under threat’ list.

My blog page

The Guardian , 17 Nov 2014
Cement company blows up limestone hill and renders snail extinct

The Star , 22 Nov 2014
A Malaysian snail goes extinct with 22,000+ other species on the brink

The Star , 22 Dec 2014
Going, going, gone: Malaysia's wildlife loses battle against extinction

The Star , 30 Dec 2014
TheYearThatWas: Distressing environmental issues in Malaysia in 2014

Mongabay , 20 Dec 2014
Pictures: the top new animal discoveries of 2014 [Kanthan snail]

Cave & Karst Science , (BCRA) Dec 2014

An uncertain future for the plants of Gunung Kanthan, Perak, Malaysia

Lararge Sustainability Report 2014

19 September 2013

Kanthan and Lafarge media & web reports

The last few months have seen a lot of articles in the press and on websites about Gua Kanthan and Gunung Kanthan, since they are being threatened by quarrying from Lafarge.

Gunung Kanthan is one of the most, if not the most, important limestone hill in Perak, Malaysia, in terms of its biodiversity. It has endemic flora and fauna, some of which is listed on IUCN Red Lists. There are several caves in the hill, the biggest and most important being Gua Kanthan. The area of hill where Gua Kanthan is located is in danger of being quarried by Lafarge. This area is also occupied by cave temples.

Since April 2013 a lot has been published about this. I will list some of those sites here -

Mongabay July 22, 2013
Rare animal species and Buddhist monks in danger of losing their home to cement quarry
Read more at Mongabay .

IUCN Red List for Liphistius kanthan trapdoor spider - listed as critically endangered.

IUCN Red List for Paraboea vulpina - listed as vulnerable.

IUCN Red List for Capricornis sumatraensis , the Sumatran serow - listed as vulnerable.

The Sun April 17th 2013
'Save Kanthan Cave"

The Malay Mail April 18th 2013
'Stop Kanthan Cave rock blasting". [Reprinted on MNS www]

The Sun April 19th 2013
Conserve ecologically sensitive cave. [Reprinted on MNS www]

MNS Perak blog 19 Apr 2013
Green Alert: Kanthan Cave ceast to exist

NST 04 July 2013
QUARRYING: Gua Kanthan spider endangered

The Star July 4, 2013
Save endangered Gua Kanthan trapdoor spider

Sun 04 July 2013
Save the Kanthan spider now

Star 31 Aug 2013
Limestone hills and caves: Dead or alive?

MNS 02 Sept 2013 - [from Star 31 Aug]
Limestone hills and caves: Dead or alive?

NST Business Times 2 Sept 2013,
Lafarge expansion at Kanthan

MIDA e-News 4 Sept 2013 [from NST BT 2 Sept]
Lafarge on expansion drive

Nanyang 6 Sept 2013
Rare species going extinct

The Star 07 Sept 2013
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

The Star Property 07 Sept 2013
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

AsiaOne [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

Malaysian Digest [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
Lafarge Urged Not To Wipe Out 400 Million Year Old Gunung Kanthan

Wild Singapore [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

MNS [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan - The Star, 7th September 2013

NST 7 Sept 2013
Protection programme for Gua Kanthan

The Star Business 13 Sept 2013
Sustained demand for cement

The Star 14 Sept 2013
'Mountain must be quarried first'

Ipoh Echo 170, 16-31 July 2013
Liphistius Kanthan Needs to be Saved

Ipoh Echo 173, 1-15 Sept 2013
‘Quarry’s Response to Complaints’

Also posted on Lafarge press coverage, 16 Aug 2013

Lafarge press release , 6 Aug 2013
Preservng [sic] Biodiversity - A Key Component of Kanthan Quarry Scheme

Lafarge Malaysia to set up construction development lab by year-end,
Bernama 13 Aug 2013

Lafarge Malaysia to assist affordable housing growth 13 Aug 2013
World Cement

Lafarge Malaysia to set up construction development lab
Star Business 14 Aug 2013

Lafarge Malaysia to set up construction development lab
The Edge 14 Aug 3013

Lafarge massive expansion, 2 Sept 2013
Lafarge Embarks On Massive Expansion Plan

Malaysian Naturalist , Sept 2013
Conservation Management of Limestone Hills in Perak - Gunung Kanthan

China Press - 19 Sept 2013
(Quarry shifts to Zone C: Gunung Kanthan's precious resource threatened)

Sin Chew , 25 Sept 2013
(mining impacts temples. Land Office will take action)

Star , 28 Sept 2013
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research

MKS [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research. With comments.

Malaysia Sun [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research
Sin Chew , 29 Sept 2013 [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research

Big News Network [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research

Ipoh Echo No 176, 16-31 Oct 2013
Letter from Lafarge, "Lafarge Malaysia Berhad - Kanthan quarry development".

MNS letter to Lafarge , ' Stop all proposal to quarry the remaining Gunung Kanthan.'
This letter was sent to Lafarge in July, posted on MNS www in Dec.

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Petition by ForceOne to save the cave.

The petition was linked from UK Caving forum and also the Norwegian cavers forum.

The news was posted on the international site for cavers, CavingNews - 20 Sept,
Spectacular Malaysian Cave in Danger of Being Quarried

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For 2014 I have started a new blog of media reports. See the blog here.

4 July 2013

Liphistius kanthan trapdoor spider letters

In April 2013 I heard about the possible destruction of Gua Kanthan in June 2013. It seems that the quarry company, Lafarge Malaysia Berhad had asked the people living and farming in the area to move out.

Gua Kanthan is the largest known cave in Gunung Kanthan, which is near Chemor, north of Ipoh, in Perak, Malaysia. Many parts of the hill have already been quarried.

I was concerned both about the cave and its most important inhabitant, Liphistius kanthan. This trapdoor spider is endemic to the cave and is found nowhere else in the world. As with all the Malaysian Liphistius species, it is protected under the 2012 amendment of the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill.

On 2 July 2013 the spider was listed on the IUCN Red List as "critically endangered".

On 4 July I had letters published in the Malaysian newspapers :

The Sun Daily

Save the Kanthan spider now

Many parts of the hill are already being quarried and now there is a threat to the area of the hill with the cave.
Gua Kanthan is a spectacular river cave, nicknamed "The Cathedral" due to its large size. It is also home to an endemic trapdoor spider which is found nowhere else in the world.
Liphistius kanthan has now been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List. Critically Endangered is highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. The next level is Extinct.
Liphistius kanthan is also included on the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill (2012 amendment) as a protected species. Thus, all the Malaysian Liphistius are protected.
Let's hope that Lafarge is aware of this and will preserve the cave.
According to its website: "As a Group, we are committed to protecting in four main fronts: stop climate change; preservation of biodiversity; conservation of natural resources; and to develop innovative approaches that promote a better respect for the environment."
Liz Price
Kuala Lumpur

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NST

04 July 2013| last updated at 11:36PM

QUARRYING: Gua Kanthan spider endangered

I N April, the media published news about saving Gua Kanthan, which is in Gunung Kanthan, Perak.

This limestone cave is in danger of being quarried by Lafarge Malaysia Bhd.
Many parts of the hill are being quarried and now, there is a threat to the area of the hill that contains Gua Kanthan.
On May 5 last year, NST published an article, "Ipoh council to protect limestone hills", and Gunung Kanthan was one of the hills mentioned.
Gua Kanthan is a spectacular river cave, nicknamed "The Cathedral" because of its large size.
It is also home to an endemic trapdoor spider found nowhere else in the world.
This spider, Liphistius kanthan, has now been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
Critically endangered is the highest level of danger for living creatures. The next level is extinct.
Liphistius kanthan is also included in the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill (2012 amendment) as a protected species.
In fact, all the Malaysian Liphistius are protected, as well as their habitats.
Let us hope that the company quarrying the area is aware of this and will preserve the cave.
According to its website, it said: "As a group, we are committed to protecting in four main fronts: stop climate change; preservation of biodiversity; conservation of natural resources; and to develop innovative approaches that promote a better respect for the environment."
Let us hold them to that.

Liz Price, Kuala Lumpur

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The Star (which was the most censored/edited!!!)

Save endangered Gua Kanthan trapdoor spider

IN April there were media reports about “saving” Gua Kanthan in Perak.
Several parts of a limestone hill near Gua Kanthan are used as a quarry and now there are concerns that the area within the cave would be added to the existing quarry site.
Gua Kanthan is a spectacular river cave, nicknamed “The Cathedral” due to its large size.
It is also home to an endemic trapdoor spider which is found nowhere else in the world.
This spider, Liphistius kanthan, has now been listed as critically endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
Critically endangered is the highest level of danger for living creatures. The next level is extinct.
Liphistius kanthan is also included in the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill (2012 Amendment) as a protected species. In fact, all Malaysian Liphistius are protected.
We hope the quarry company at Gua Kanthan is aware about the rare trapdoor spider and will preserve the cave.

LIZ PRICE
Kuala Lumpur

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Let's hope Lafarge take note that the spider is critically endangered and is a protected species.

See more on Lafarge.

20 November 2011

Liphistius kanthan, trapdoor spider

Liphistius kanthan is a species of trapdoor spider and is only known in one location, a cave called Gua Kanthan in Perak, Malaysia.

There are a few species of cave dwelling trapdoor spiders known in Malaysia.

In Gua Kanthan they build their nests on the cave walls. The nests vary in size and shape.

These 2 nests are side by side

This door is slightly open

Gua Kanthan, Perak, Malaysia

Gua Kanthan is a large cave in Perak, Malaysia. It is located in Gunung Kanthan which is the northernmost limestone hill in the Kinta Valley.

I revisted the cave in Nov 2011 after an absence of 8 years. It was also my 8th visit to the cave.

The normal route up to the cave was "blocked" by water from the nearby pond so I found a different way up, via the abandoned temple up on the hill. This photos shows the temple in 1997

I managed to easily find the cave and Jan took this photo

The entrance is very impressive with some nice fluting.

The cave is also called Cathedral Cave due to its size. The main cave is a large single chamber with a river running through. However there is no need to get wet as the route through the main chamber is above the water level.
There is graffiti