Malaysia's bauxite mining windfall turns ugly

Kuala Lumpur

BAUXITE mining in Malaysia went on a tear after neighbouring Indonesia banned exports, transforming an industry that hardly existed until 2013 into China's biggest supplier.

In September alone, China bought a record 3.7 million tonnes of Malaysian aluminium-rich bauxite. It was a US$170.8 million windfall for the oil-palm covered hills in eastern Pahang state, where dozens of companies have rushed in, paying smallholder-farmers for their land to be dug up.