Residents of Bukit Goh, a city near Kuantan in Eastern Peninsular Malaysia, were given a jolt of excitement late last year when bauxite mining companies offered them between RM300,000 and RM800,000 (US$72,000 – $193,000) for every four hectares of their land that contained bauxite.  After mulling it over, about 200…

There’s a storm of controversy surrounding Malaysia’s recent rise as a major bauxite producer.  Bauxite mining has become a very profitable industry for the struggling country, but the pollution it creates is poisoning Malaysian citizens and ecosystems. About RM750 million (US$170.6 mil) has so far been generated from bauxite mining…