Antinuclear

Australian company Lynas wants Malaysia to take its radioactive wastes

 Alarm bells were raised when a report in April questioned how Lynas was going to dispose the waste material from the plant ……

there are questions as to why Lynas did not build the plant in Australia instead if it did not pose any danger to the environment and the people? 

Baffling Perak can think of 2nd rare earth project when Japan radiation still fresh, The Star (Malaysia)  – By B.K. Sidhu   29 April 11, IT is baffling that Perak can even think of accommodating a second rare earth project when the horrors of radiation in Japan are still fresh on the people’s minds and there was a major disaster involving a rare earth plant in the state just a decade ago.

Didn’t those in power in Perak realise that as even the controversial Gebeng rare earth plant undertaken by Australian miner Lynas Corp has been heavily criticised…….perhaps it is the lure of gains that has overshadowed the danger of housing such a plant that got the Perak state government’s unit to ink a preliminary agreement with a Hong Kong company to build the plant in Bukit Merah. ……  the first such plant, the Asia Rare Earth plant in Bukit Merah under Mitsubishi Chemicals was closed down in 1992 after years of protests from citizens. The massive clean-up was only completed recently.

What is the consideration given to the people, the community and the environment? Perak has a lot of explaining to do.

As far as Gebeng in concerned, it is home to a US$220mil rare earth refinery currently under construction by Lynas……. The story of Lynas setting foot inMalaysia dated back to 2006…… The plant only resumed construction in early 2010 and completion is expected in the middle of this year.

For some time this project was out of public scrutiny but since late last year, residents in the area have started to complain. Their main grouse is over the plant’s waste product – Iron Phospho Gypsum – which contains thorium. Thorium is a radioactive chemical element.

Alarm bells were raised when a report in April questioned how Lynas was going to dispose the waste material from the plant ……

there are questions as to why Lynas did not build the plant in Australia instead if it did not pose any danger to the environment and the people? Also, why the decision to attract such kinds of investments into the country and whether proper disclosures were indeed made from the onset?

When the people are not told, consulted or educated over a particular issue or project, then there is a gap in information and people will react…… If Lynas’ Gebeng plant gets the green light, so be it, but this whole episode points to the lack of timely disclosures and transparency…… http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/4/29/business/8576520&sec=business

April 29, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, secrets and lies, Western Australia | secrets and lies