KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 6): Corruption has been detected in Pahang's bauxite mining and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has vowed to take action against those abusing their powers.

MACC said it had received complaints about pollution from uncontrolled bauxite mining in Pahang, where the waters off Kuantan turned red last week allegedly due to spillage of the ore used in making aluminium.

"Based on the complaints, MACC has found there are elements of corruption by certain quarters involved in bauxite mining activities.

"We view this seriously and will not hesitate to take action against those involved in corruption and abusing their powers under the MACC Act 2009," the commission said in a statement tonight.

Earlier today, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the state government had earned RM46.7 million in royalty from bauxite mining last year, compared with RM2.4 million in 2014.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced a three-month freeze on all bauxite mining activities in Pahang starting Jan 15, in order to resolve the pollution.

He said the moratorium would be extended indefinitely if the industry failed to "contain" the pollution problem within three months.

Wan Junaidi said he expected all bauxite stockpiles to be cleared and moved to an integrated stockpile centre within the three months, while new terms and conditions would be imposed for approved permits (APs).

The government would not be issuing new APs within the moratorium period unless the companies had existing contracts in the industry, he added.

He said companies that refused to clear their stockpiles within the moratorium period would have their APs withdrawn.

Rampant bauxite mining has been blamed for turning rivers and the shoreline off Kuantan, on the peninsula’s east coast, red after two days of heavy rain last week.

Since Kuantan ramped up its mining of bauxite for export to China last year, residents in the area have complained about pollution, caused by red dust from the mining activities and leakage from lorries transporting bauxite to the Kuantan port.

It was reported that in the first 11 months of 2015, Malaysia exported more than 20 million tonnes of bauxite to China, up nearly 700% from the previous year. In 2013, it only shipped around 162,000 tonnes.