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.

Gunung Kanthan Sakyamuni monastery cave

An article in the Perak China Press about the ongoing attempts to save the Gua Dhamma Sakyamuni monastery at Gunung Kanthan, Perak. Gunung Kanthan is being quarried and the monastery has little protection. I was invited to visit the monastery and its caves in June 2013 and have been following the progress since. Cave register number Prk 47/09.

The article was published 13 Jan 2021. It is in Chinese, this is the online English translation :

Hundred-year "Sakyamuni Sacred Rock" hopes that the government approves it to stay in the original site

In order to ensure that the "Sacred Rock of Sakyamuni" in Kanthan Mountain's century-old Buddhist temple can be kept on the original site forever, the temple hopes that the government will assist and approve the temple on the premise of maintaining the country's multi-religious, cultural and ethnic harmony. Continue to stay at the original location.

Master Fashan, a representative of the "Sacred Rock of Sakyamuni", said that since the temple has been built for a century and has been supported by many believers at home and abroad, and Kanthan Mountain has a variety of rare species, it is necessary to retain it.

Venerable Fa Shan held a press conference today with the assistance of the director of the Perstate Public Service and Complaints Center of Barisan Nasional Rawai to seek assistance from the Perstate Government.

Master Fa Shan said that as early as 2013 to 2015, someone asked the temple to be relocated, but it was approved by the then state government to keep it on the original site. Unexpectedly, the same thing happened again in December 2020. Therefore, he hopes that the state government can extend its hand. But he declined to give more details.

He said that the temple called on the government to help solve the survival crisis of the temple based on five main reasons. That is, the temple is a centuries-old cave Buddhist holy site, a spiritual sanctuary for thousands of Buddhist monks and believers, and is built in a cave. The Buddha statues are the sacred symbol of Buddhism, the world's unparalleled meditation temple, and the rare animal and plant species that exist in Kanthan Mountain are priceless treasures of the country.

Rawai later pointed out at a press conference that he would assist the "Sakyamuni Rock of Sakyamuni" to reflect its appeal to the Minister of State of Perak, Datuk Sharani, and seek assistance from the state government to keep the temple on its original site.

--

There is also a video with the article. 

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Additional articles :

And an article in Ipoh Echo on 12 Jan, "Appeal to preserve monastery in Gunung Kanthan".

Sin Chew 12 Jan "Temple appeals / Sakyamuni sacred rock is facing crisis and hopes the government will keep this holy place forever".

Oriental Daily 12 Jan (in Chinese)

Suaraperak 12 Jan "Pengurusan kuil mohon gua Gunung Kanthan sebagai tempat ibadat penganut Buddha (The management of the temple requests the Gunung Kanthan cave as a place of worship for Buddhists) :
Malaysian management Dhamma Sakyakumi Caves Monastery hopes the cave area on Mount Kanthan, Chemor is recognized as a place of worship for Buddhists.
His representative, Dr. Chiong Sai Tin said, his party has sent an application to the state government and hopes it will be considered.
He said the cave area existed more than 100 years ago and became a place of meditation for thousands of Buddhists.
“In this cave there is a temple that is home to 15 monks.
"This is the second time we have applied to the state government after the first application in 2014," he told reporters here today.
Meanwhile, Perak Barisan Nasional Service and Complaints Center chief Mohd Ravi Abdullah said he would meet with Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad this week to discuss the issue.

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Pan Malaysia Cement began their attack on 14 Jan. They issued a media statement in English entitled “A tragedy waiting to happen – monastery built on volatile structure prone to limestone fall”. This was published in Perak Chinapress on 14 Jan, in an article "There is a potential risk of falling rocks in the Gongqiaoshan [Arch Bridge Mountain]. 

Gunung Kanthan media updates 2016 - 2020

I haven't posted anything on this blog about Gunung Kanthan since 2015 (apart from Tony Whitten's memorial) so thought I should do an update. However I have been putting some news on my Caves of Malaysia wwww : Archives 2020, Archives 2019, Archives 2018 Geopark, and Archives 2016.

11 July 2017, LafargeHolcim published an article, " LafargeHolcim accelerates biodiversity efforts in Southeast Asia". This is a general article, not directly related to Kanthan. 

2017 Lafarge study on snails at Kanthan.

2017 Rimba report on the snail study.

Zookeys report on the snail study.

In 2019 YTL acquired LafargeHolcim’s entire 51% stake in Lafarge Malaysia Bhd and LafargeHolcim exited the Malaysian market.

YTL website published a feature story "Kanthan Biodiversity Initiatives" on 20 Oct 2020. It says "YTL Cement continues to play its role in the biodiversity conservation by developing rehabilitation plans at the Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) Kanthan Quarry site located in Chemor, Perak.". It sounds good but I wonder if anything is actually being done. 

There is a really nice diagram about Gunung Kanthan, its quarrying, flora and fauna etc on Coogle -

YTL Executive Chairman's Letter to Stakeholders 2020 -
In the section BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION says "YTL Cement and Malayan Cement Berhad have continued to invest in conservation and biodiversity initiatives. These include preserving endemic species of flora and fauna in the limestone reserve of Gunung Kanthan and other karst outcrops.".

Quarrying of Bukit Sagu & Bukit Tenggek, Pahang 2016

I first blogged about the quarrying of Bukit Sagu & Bukit Tenggek in Pahang in August 2014. The hills are being quarried by YTL. This quarrying is resulting in the extinction of some rare endemic snails.

On 30 June 2016 Mongabay published a very good piece "Cement company may have caused extinction of 3 snail species".

Cement company may have caused extinction of 3 snail species

30 June 2016 / Shreya Dasgupta

For more recent updates up to 2020, see my 2014 blog .

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.

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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

Another Perak limestone hill being quarried, near Lanno

In Feb 2015 I noticed the small hill immediately north of Gunung Pua was being quarried. This hill is unnamed, and is Prk 11 on my register and No 35 in the MNS 1991 report.

The hill used to be totally covered with vegetation. Now the quarried side is clearly visible from the old trunk road. On the east side is Gopeng Kalsium (GK). This whole area is being taken over by a huge industrial estate.

Here are some scenes from Google Earth over the years, you can see the increase in development in the area.

2015 view where the quarrying can clearly be seen on the right side

 

 

 

 

2 small caves have been revealed

Hill from east side

 

A video I posted on YouTube -

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I went back on 21 March and there wasn't much change, just a flatter top from 28 Feb -

Quarrying of Bukit Sagu & Bukit Tenggek, Pahang

Bukit Sagu in Pahang is being quarried by Pahang Cement / YTL. The neighbouring Bukit Tenggek is also being quarried. These 2 hills are among a group of 4 limestone hills located west of Kuantan, the others being Bukit Charas and Bukit Panching - the latter has been totally removed by quarrying. This is a GE image of the 4 hills in 2003, from south to north = Panching, Charas, Sagu, Tenggek -

Pahang Cement was established in 1995 as a 50:50 joint venture between the State Government of Pahang Darul Makmur and YTL Cement. The purpose of the joint venture was to build and operate the proposed integrated cement plant to be located in Bukit Sagu, Kuantan. The plant, the first of its kind in the Eastern Corridor, became operational in May 1998. YTL Cement acquired the remaining 50% of Pahang Cement in 2003. Pahang Cement Sdn Bhd (Pahang Cement) operates a state-of-the-art integrated cement plant in Bukit Sagu with the capacity to produce over 1.2 million tonnes of ordinary portland cement per annum. See more on YTL.

General view of the west side Bukit Sagu, with a large vertical opening on the left side -

View of Sagu from YTL plant -

and the YTL cement trucks waiting to take away the hill

View from the north end

1997 views -

 2003 GE -

The untouched southern end -

Bukit Tenggek in 2003 & 2011 -

2014 from west side -

 and 1997 view -

FLORA and FAUNA

Both hills have caves and are home to endemic flora and fauna. Of special interest, Bukit Tenggek is home to a snail, Hypselostoma elephas, listed on IUCN Red List as critically endangered. Another critically endangered endemic snail is Plectostoma tenggekensis. More on the snails on Red Orbit and Washington Post.
The hill is also home to Calciphilopteris alleniae, a fern known from only 5 limestone hills in the peninsula. Paraboea bakeri is an endemic species, it can be found only in small shaded populations on the limestone hills in two localities; Bukit Sagu and Bukit Tenggek, see FRIM report.
See more on Siputkuning blog.

ARCHAEOLOGY
These 2 hills are also archaeological sites. Gua Sagu was investigated briefly by Tweedie in 1935, he found pottery and stone implements. Then more recently in 1990 and 1991, staff from the Centre for Archaeological Research, USM and the Department of Museums and Antiquities, made excavations in Gua Sagu and Gua Tenggek. They found a lot of stone tools and some pottery/earthernware and food remains in Gua Sagu. Gua Tenggek revealed similar finds. They concluded that the sites were occupied during the Pleistocene around 14,000 years ago by a Palaeolithic group of people. See ref.

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UPDATE May 2015
IUCN published a report on global species and the snail Plectostoma sciaphilum that was found on Bukit Panching was mentioned. This hill has been completely quarried.

My photo of Bukit Panching taken 1993

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UPDATE 2016

Quarrying of Bukit Sagu & Bukit Tenggek, Pahang 2016

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UPDATE 2020

By 2019 both hills were almost completely destroyed and apparently by 2020 were gone. See Twitter .

So it looks like the endemic snail could be no more.

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© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Cement giants Lafarge and Holcim

Cement giants Lafarge and Holcim

There have been press reports earlier in 2014 that Holcim and Lafarge will merge. These are two of the world's cement giants. On April 7 2014 Holcim of Switzerland unveiled a deal to buy France's Lafarge, which would create the world's biggest cement maker, with $44 billion (26 billion pounds) of annual sales, and launch asset sales worldwide to steer it over antitrust hurdles. It will be known as LafargeHolcim.

Both these companies operate in southeast Asia. Both are destroying limestone hills.

Holcim is active in southwest Vietnam, in the controversial Ha Tien / Hon Chong area. I say controversial as this area is important for its biodiversity. One important document (in English) is "Beleaguered Hills: managing the biodiversity of the remaining karst hills of Kien Giang, Vietnam , (various authors / sponsors) 2008.

See my blog on Hon Chong.and FFI blog on Holcim

Lafarge are of course in Malaysia, currently quarrying Gunung Kanthan in Perak. See labels on right column of this blog, also the 2014 press reports.

Lafarge recently merged its British operations with those of Anglo American to form LafargeTarmac. Holcim runs Britain's Aggregate Industries.

Surprisingly the LafargeHolcim merger is already on Wikipedia.

Gunung Pondok, Perak

Gunung Pondok is a large limestone hill in Perak. It sits right by the N-S highway at Padang Rengas, which is between Kuala Kangsar and Taiping. The hill was documented in 1874 by colonial visitors.

Today the hill is being heavily quarried and there is an associated cement plant. Initially it was the Perak Hanjoong Cement factory, then YTL Cement acquired a stake forming YTL/Hanjong Cement now it is YTL Cement Berhad.

YTL Cement operates 2 world-class Integrated Cement Plants in Pahang (Sagu) and Perak.

These photos are various views taken over the years, mostly from a car or bus window. The first 3 were taken in 2010 -

 These next photos show a similar view in 2006 and 2014, so not too much has changed on the front side that faces Padang Rengas -

2006

2014

However much of the quarrying is taking place on the back side, the side that can't be seen from the highway or the town -

2001

The end corner that is untouched, in 2007 & 2014

Over the years, several caves of archaeological interest have been found and documented.

Gunung Pondok register number Prk 55/01.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

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

Lafarge's destruction of Gunung Kanthan Jan 2014

First blog of the year and it is not good news. Lafarge seem to be continuing their relentless onslaught of destruction on Gunung Kanthan. They are heading for the area of hill where Gua Kanthan is located.

Despite Lafarge saying (in Sept 2013) they would not start work on area C until 15-20 months time, as they have first to build access roads up the hill to make it safe, they already seem to be heading towards C.

Area C is where the monastery cave is, Gua Dhamma Sakyamuni, as well as Gua Tokong Gufodong & Gua Sungai Gufodong. Area D is where Gua Kanthan and the other smaller caves are, also the Zhi Nan Gong temple. Lafarge can only access D from C. 

According to reports, Lafarge are busy building a ramp up the isolated piece of hill between B and C (at the northern end of C). Some people think this ramp is now leading into the swampy forest near C. Lafarge are working day and night, 7 days a week.

This area is particularly important as it is currently untouched limestone forest, and is home to many species of flora and fauna, several of which are on national and international lists as endangered species. The area is also hydrologically important.

Photos taken by helicopter camera show the current state of destruction. This photo was taken in Nov 2013 by Ong Poh Teck -

There is no sign yet of the report of the biodiversity study done by UM over the last 6+ months. Lafarge did tell us (MNS etc) that the report would be made available.

Perak State government does nothing. They gave Lafarge the permit to quarry the hill.

Gua Kanthan is a magnificent cave with a variety of cave fauna. The most important inhabitants are the trapdoor spiders, Liphistius kanthan. They are listed on IUCN Red List as critically endangered. All the cave creatures play a part in the cave ecosystem. Apart from this cave there are various other smaller caves.

Large mammals such as serow (mountain goats) and monkeys live on the hill. If the hill is destroyed these animals will have nowhere to go as the hill is already an island surrounded by a main road and smaller roads, industry, housing, farmed areas and plantations.

Lafarge claim they "are committed to the protection of the environment". But their claims seem to relate to areas AFTER they have been quarried. See this link that says -
"Develop a rehabilitation plan for all quarry sites that responds to the needs and expectations of our stakeholders and, where feasible, fosters wildlife habitat creation and contributes to the conservation of endangered species"

The species existing now can't be protected if the hill is destroyed.

Lafarge seem to have no conscience. They don't seem to care about making species extinct. This makes a mockery of what they claim on their website. Maybe they want to be known as the international company that has wiped out several Red Listed and Critically Endangered species.

[Note - I have not listed here the Gunung Kanthan flora and fauna that is endangered. This is intentional]

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Cement & clinker plant at Merapoh won't go ahead

The idea of a cement and clinker plant in Merapoh has existed since at least 1996. Merapoh is in northern Pahang in Malaysia and there are many limestone hills and caves - see my blogs on Merapoh.

In the past no one objected to the idea of the plant.  I have these press cuttings from 1996 -

 

There was a consortium of groups involved. Now the project is under ASN (Asn Cement Pte. Ltd.). And there is a lot of protest against the plant.


slide by MNS HQ Nov 2013

However following the meeting on 11th Nov 2013 at MNS HQ with Datuk Sharkar, the latter told us that the proposed cement plant has been cancelled.

This is excellent news and a great success to all those who helped in the fight against it.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

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.