Save Malaysia Stop Lynas is moving into a new phase of campaigning following the recent election of several representatives around Kuantan who have pledged to shut down the Lynas rare earth plant.
Save Malaysia Stop Lynas is moving into a new phase of campaigning to Stop Lynas following the recent successful election of two new members of Parliament and three State Assemblymen in the Kuantan region who have pledged to shut down the Lynas rare earth plant.
The overwhelming support from local communities wishing to have the hazardous plant shut down is evident. The convincing and comfortable majority each of the opposition candidates have won would not have been possible without the strong support, concerted election campaign and the hope as well as trust placed by the people.
Tan Bun Teet, a spokesperson for SMSL, said, “While the election frauds elsewhere are being investigated, SMSL is ready to embark on our post-election strategy keep the Stop Lynas momentum up. Firstly, we have contacted the newly elected representatives of the people seeking a meeting to work out ways to tackle the Lynas problem. We look forward to a strong working partnership.”
“At the very least we expect that there will be some level of transparency to pressure the government to do its job as a regulator and to shut down the plant if pollution and radioactive waste are not managed well,” he added.
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Lynas has announced to the international media that it has started production and yet there has not been any data or information from the government on how it has been monitoring or managing the pollution and the radioactive and toxic waste. A study commissioned by SMSL carried out by the highly reputable German scientific and engineering Oeko Institute revealed serious deficiencies in Lynas’ pollution and waste management. Oeko is committed to environmentally sustainable technology and has extensive experience tackling radioactive substances and toxic waste issues.
To date, Lynas has no safe solution to tackle its expected millions of tonnes of hazardous solid waste, one stream of which is contaminated with radioactive thorium and uranium. Its proposal to turn the waste into road building and construction materials as well as fertiliser is irresponsible and unacceptable. The whole of Malaysia may be exposed to Lynas’ hazards if the BN government gives it the go-ahead.
Another SMSL spokesperson, Ismail Abu Bakar said, “We will be stepping up our effort internationally to reveal the truth about the hazardous Lynas plant in Malaysia. So far all the so-called ‘experts’ presented by the government or Lynas are no experts in the rare earth processing or toxic waste management at all. We have been treated like fools when they should be taking maximum precaution in light of the massive pollution problems seen elsewhere from rare earth processing.”…
Lynas is an Australian Corporation depending on the international market to borrow money and to sell its products. To Lynas’ financial backers and especially its customers, its rare earth oxides will be processed with the highest environmental safeguards.
“Our future is at stake because the world’s biggest rare earth refinery plant is in our backyard. Our government has failed in its duty of care so far. AELB had earlier promise to monitor the project. Where are the data to date? The government has announced the formation of a monitoring committee as recommended by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lynas. How can this committee be independent and transparent when its spokesperson is from the University of Pahang, which will be getting grants from Lynas for its research?” asked Tan.
“We have said we will fight till the end to stop Lynas and we will stick to our promise to the people, to our families and the many generations to come who will stand to lose if we do nothing now,” concluded Tan.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
Maybe SMSL should apply the same level of concern to Malaysian companies and factories in other parts of Malaysia, its urban pollution generally and the gas areas to the north. For the record (a) the LAMP is run by a Malaysian subsidary of Lynas (not Australia who simply provide the raw input), (b) it uses international level technology and practices unlike the Chinese, and (c) Australia wanted the LAMP in Australia but Malaysia made a much stronger case and cash/land offer for it to be built there instead. The comment about the desert is pure ignorant mis-information – Australia already has many industrial plants and factories handling much worse materials than rare earths.
Put simply – the LAMP underpins Malaysias attempt to regain its technology manufacturing – because Malaysia is rapidly falling behind other SE Asian countries and frankly it is no wonder why.
Thanks to the Lynas example future international investors will look much less favourably upon Malaysian opportunities and probably look elsewehere. The losers will be the Malaysian people and Malaysia technological manufacturing industry.
The plant is in a heavy industrial area and is nothing like the Chinese plants. It is the most state of the art facility of its type in the world. The plant has passed every international standard and is the most monitored factory in Malaysia.
Opposition politicians used Lynas as a tool to whip BN, nothing more.
Why not use the info from the china rare earth website showing the destruction of the environment and the deleterious effect on its people. And their plant is in thinly populated area. It is so obvious that Australia with six times the land size still do not want such a plant in their own DESERT shows the danger it can have. Why scumno govt still want it in gebeng which is 20 from Kuantan is scary. This shows that the greet of the powers to be. Kuantan people must fight to keep out lynas .
You folks need this plant for your economy. You should work to keep it productive and safe. Just because the Chinese have a problem does not mean that you will. We have plants in the US and they are run safely. I wish we had more rare earths here.