The judicial review of the Lynas temporary operating licence will be heard at the Kuantan High Court this coming Tuesday.
Date: 28 Aug 2012
Venue: Bandar Indera Mahkota Kuantan Court complex
Time: 9.00am
Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) spokesman Tan Bun Teet explains: We are appealing against the approval granted to Lynas of a temporary operating licence (TOL) for the rare earth refinery plant”.
“Since last March when we first heard of the Lynas project, we have sought advice from relevant experts. As responsible citizens, we have written to raise our concerns with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) and also the Prime Minister. None have addressed the issues we have raised,” says Tan.
The Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and the Mosti responded by imposing conditions on Lynas but did not suspend the TOL despite the risks to the environment, local economy, and human health.
Ismail Abu Bakar, another activist who had earlier appealed to Mosti to cancel the TOL, adds: “All we have seen so far are recommendations and conditions. How has the government and Lynas met the recommendations from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)? What has Lynas done to satisfy the government’s conditions? Where is the transparency which the IAEA has emphasized?”
He believes that not only will the livelihood of the residents in the area be affected but Kuantan would become a sad place if the Lynas plant starts to operate.
“The government has failed in its duty of care to protect us the rakyat and the environment upon which we rely on for our survival,” says Ismail.
Residents of Kuantan and concerned citizens from all over Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak, have voiced their strong opposition to the Lynas project over the last 18 months. The SMSL campaign has negatively impacted on Lynas’ share price which has dropped significantly to A$0.65.
“Our life has changed since we learnt of the Lynas rare earth project. How can we live in peace and do nothing when the government, especially the AELB, has failed to deal with the Bukit Merah rare earth plant properly and safely?” asks Ram, a Kuantan resident and SMSL volunteer.
Legal actions are being explored and prepared in Australia.
SMSL has the support of concerned Australians and civil society groups as well as the Environmental Defenders Office and other established law firms in Western Australia and Sydney.
Outstanding issues of the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP)
Lynas is the world’s biggest rare earth refinery plant.
Malaysia is a tiny country with a poor track record of handling pollution and radioactive materials.
Rare earth refining involves massive amounts of hazardous chemicals and substances, and produces an enormous amount of toxic and radioactive waste that can pollute our air, water and the land as well as our food chain.
Lynas has zero track record in the construction, operation and maintenance of a rare earth plant.
Lynas has zero track record in toxic radioactive waste management.
Lynas does not have a safe way to handle its mammoth amount of wastes. Lynas cannot ship the radioactive waste out of Malaysia because of international law and Australia has refused to take back Lynas’ waste. Which third country will want to accept Lynas’ radioactive waste?
Lynas has still not found a safe way to permanently store its radioactive waste. Where is Lynas’ waste recycling plant? Why should we allow Lynas to dump massive amount of hazardous waste tax free in Malaysia?
Lynas has proposed to recycle its gypsum waste but experience elsewhere has shown that by-products made from recycling contaminated gypsum are problematic:
? Contaminated gypsum used in new homes blamed for homeowners’ nightmare, checkhttp://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500690_162-4895737. html
? Gypsum contaminated with sulphur from the flue gas desulphurisation residue is a health hazard and it is corrosive,
http :// www . ehow . com / info _12009610_ adverse - effects - drywall . html
? Fertilisers from industrial gypsum waste are not safe and not legally permitted in Australia,http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/waste/residue/rwfaq. htm
Kuantan coast is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions in Malaysia
Who will want to spend their holiday next to the world’s largest rare earth refinery plant? The tourism and seafood industries employ more workers than Lynas with less occupational health and safety risks. Think about it.
Why should tax-paying citizens live in the shadow of Lynas’ pollution?
Why should we sacrifice so much for a foreign company which does not have to pay a single cent in taxes?
Why should we take the risk to suffer for the profit for an Australian company?
REMEMBER: the Department of Environment and the AELB only work from 9am to 5pm. Who will check LAMP chimney at night?
Who will test LAMP’s massive amount of contaminated water every hour? Who will check how LAMP will pollute our environment after a heavy downpour or a storm?
Who will test the seafood caught from the South China Sea outside the Balok River mouth? Who will test that the water we will be drinking is safe?
All the talk about round-the-clock monitoring and having radioactivity counter in different locations are gimmicks to fool the gullible. We all know Malaysia’s abysmally bad track record!
Lynas’ pollution is far harder, more massive and more complex to track than what our government is capable of dealing with. Our government has not even safely tackled the Bukit Merah ARE waste.
Victims of the Bukit Merah disaster are left to fend for themselves. No health research was carried out despite the high death toll and health issues. Now the government approved another rare earth plant ten times bigger.
– Press release by SMSL
