PCE 2000 - Perlis Caving Expedition

Interview with the ex-miners

     Lim Fook, aged 92, one of the oldest miners in Kaki Bukit has been in mining works for the past 40 years.  Lim is just like any other Chinese immigrants, came from China when he was 18 years old and worked in Kuala Kubu for a short period.  He moved to Kaki Bukit during his mid 20s upon hearing the tin-rich ore in that area with the hope of striking ‘gold’.

     The tin ore was recovered from the alluvium bound in the caves, miners would follow  the cave passages to reach the pocket of alluvium, sometime reaching a few hundred feet deep before hitting the bottom of passage.  Narrow passages would be blasted.  Wooden ladders and platforms would be built in vertical shafts.

     During the golden years of tin, 100 kati of tin ore can fetch RM70.  About 20 Malaysian owned companies were operating the mining works.  Sang Choi, one of the biggest mining company at one point in time employed about 300 workers,.  When asked how the tin ore were excavated from the caves, Lim said that there were about 70 – 80 ‘guli’  helped carried the tin down the hill.  The mining works were in 24 hours operations, 4 shifts a day.  Mining workers work for 6 hours per shift. 

     Sections of caves were mined based on surface boundaries.  Thus, sometimes a few companies would work in the same cave.  Even there were incidents where 2 caves were connected because of the mining works.

     During the tin price crash in 1980s, the mining works stopped temporary but were resumed in 1994 when the price of the tin rose.  However, the mining in Kaki Bukit ceased operations in 1997 as the local authority no longer renewed the mining license.

Reported by Min Er