Successively, Vale Malaysia Minerals Corporation purchased the Teluk Rubiah forest for the construction of an iron ore processing facility. The plant is located on a 450-acre site which was originally a Permanent Forest Reserve, but the state government re-gazetted it to an ‘Industrial Zone’. Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman, Secretary of the Perak Environmental Association, said that the area is classified as an ‘Environmentally Sensitive Area Class 11’ and is only suitable for small eco-tourism projects but not for industrial use. The Perak Department of Wildlife and National Parks said that the area is rich in flora and fauna and protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The site is surrounded by nature and regenerating natural primary forest whilst the bird life and mammals are protected by national and international laws. Teluk Rubiah, where the plant is sited, was once a traditional Malay fishing village and Malay reserve land.

This forest was once part of the Teluk Muroh Forest Reserve. In the 1980s, a parcel of the forest was given for the development of the Teluk Rubiah Golf Resort, but this project never took off. After some years the property was sold to Vale and the status of the land was changed from residential/tourism to industrial development, in order to accommodate the Brazilian mining giant’s plans for an iron ore stockyard and distribution center. 

Due to the construction of the Maritime Terminal, many lands are no longer accessible to the local communities. For example, the nearby Outward-Bound School has alleged that part of the jungle is inaccessible to its teams. Other education and training institutions are also banned from entering the area. Neighbors and environmental groups have joined together in their condemnations with claims that the ecosystem of the area, formerly gazetted as a forest reserve, would be destabilized.

This prompted public protests as the local community feared that the whole forest would be cleared, and they would lose this wild site. A “Say No To Vale” campaign was launched in 2013, and involves many local organizations which are organizing protests to oppose the impacts of Vale industrial project in the area. These also involve other local movements, like the one concerning the protection of the nearby Teluk Muroh Reserve. 

Local organizations belonging to the Say No To Vale campaign include Selamatkan Teluk Rubiah Manjung (Save Teluk Rubiah Manjung); Selamatkan Pantai Warisan Teluk Muroh (Save Teluk Muroh). Also, environmental local NGOs have supported the campaign, launching an online petition on AVAAZ for the protection of the local sea-life. Local turtles are in fact seriously at risk, as a consequence of Vale's steel processing factory sited on the coast. 

The construction of the Teluk Rubiah Maritim Terminal requested an investment of 1,37 billion dollars. The is no information regarding the investment of the iron ore processing facility project in the surrounded area.