A Malaysian man was fined for illegally mining sand, according to the Malay Mail.
In 2023, Chang Chee Onn reportedly instructed his crew to move sand from protected land north of Kuala Lumpur in the Raub district.
According to the report, the 67-year-old was fined 100,000 Malaysian ringgits ($23,731.70) and had to forfeit two trucks and an excavator. He later settled with the court, having pleaded for leniency following the scheme, which was designed to help support his wife and child.
Illegal sand mining has become a booming business. Sand is a primary ingredient in glass and cement production. It's also needed for the silicon that's vital to the production of phones, computers, and solar panels.
Sand mining in Southeast Asia has been impacted by demand in Singapore. The low-lying country has been trying to increase its landmass in the face of rising sea levels. This has sparked destructive illegal mining across the region, including a corruption scandal in Malaysia that led the government to seize the equivalent of $1.4 million.
While sand may seem like an abundant resource, overzealous mining is destroying ecosystems and accelerating coastal erosion. That erosion can reduce protection against storm surges, which are becoming all the more frequent.
Many jurisdictions have proposed or enacted bans on sand mining in light of its environmental importance, including the Philippines. Others, such as Indonesia, have lifted bans in order to capitalize on the economic opportunity. While sand supplies are naturally replenished and could support commercial operations, that pace is often outstripped by harvesters.
"Sustainable sand mining is only possible if the quantities that are extracted are less than the quantities that are being replaced through the natural processes," Conservation Action Trust trustee Debi Goenka said, per The ASEAN Post. "Since this varies from month to month and depends on the currents and tidal factors, this is a tricky process and most sand miners do not bother to try and maintain a balance."
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