Lynas Corporation chairman admits to the reality of environmental damage from rare earths processing
Lynas says US-led offensive against China unlikely to succeed, BY: BARRY FITZGERALD, The Australian March 15, 2012 “…….The executive chairman of Sydney-based Lynas, Nick Curtis, said yesterday China had “some complex and possibly legitimate argument about the environmental damage that rare earths was doing in China, and the consequent right it had to limit production through export quotas as a consequence of that”…. The key issue remained that the supply of rare earths was in structural deficit, as China was shrinking supply for environmental reasons, which were real, Mr Curtis said….
Lynas is part of the Western world’s plan to increase non-Chinese supplies of rare earths, a group of 17 elements increasingly used in magnets in hybrid car motors, compact fluorescent light bulbs, flatpanel displays, iPads and automotive catalytic converters. The $2 billion company, with the help of funding from Japan, has developed the Mt Weld rare earths mine in Western Australia and is close to completing a controversial finishing plant in Malaysia.
The Malaysian plant is dogged by local opposition because of radiation
fears…. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/lynas-says-us-led-offensive-against-china-unlikely-to-succeed/story-e6frg9df-1226299786618
Malaysia to ensure that Lynas is fully accountable for radioactive wastes and any mishap
AELB: AGC to ensure Lynas is legally liable. The Malaysian Insider 08-03-2012 By Yow Hong Chieh DENGKIL, March 8 — Lynas Corp’s letters of undertaking have been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for review to ensure the Australian miner can be held accountable in the event of a mishap. Continue reading
Malaysia might breach international law by sending Lynas’ radioactive wastes back to Australia
Science minister to hear appeal against Lynas licence, The Malaysian Insider, By Yow Hong Chieh, March 08, 2012 KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 — The science, technology and innovation minister will hear the appeal made by Save Malaysia Stop Lynas chairman Tan Boon Teet and five others to review the rare earth plant in Gebeng.
The appeal to review the decision by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) to grant Australian miner Lynas a temporary operating licence (TOL) was made under section 32 of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act.
AELB is supervised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation…… Several thousand anti-Lynas protestors thronged an opposition-backed rally led by Himpunan Hijau two weekends ago in the single largest protest yet against the rare earth refinery, which is expected to fire up operations later this year.
Critics of the refinery want government to halt its construction and direct AELB to reverse its decision to grant Lynas a TOL, which will let it embark on a two-year trial run. They alleged that the Australian miner has not given sufficient assurances on how it will handle the low-level radioactive waste that will be produced at the plant in Gebeng, Kuantan.
Putrajaya has been under pressure from anti-Lynas groups to shut down the rare earth project over safety concerns….. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told the Sin Chew Daily this week Lynas will have to send the waste produced at Gebeng back to Australia, even though the Western Australian government has said it will not accept any residue from ore mined from Mount Weld in the state.
But critics have charged that Malaysia risks breaching international laws if it ships Lynas Corp’s rare earth waste out of the country. The Sydney-based company maintains that waste from its rare earth refinery will not be harmful and can be recycled for “commercial applications”. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/science-ministry-to-hear-appeal-against-lynas-licence
Malaysia considering sending Lynas’ radioactive waste back to Western Australia
No decision yet on sending Lynas waste to Western Australia The Star, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR, 7 March 12, : The Cabinet has not decided on a proposal asking Lynas Corp rare earth waste material to be sent back to Western Australia, said Green Technology, Energy and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin.
He said Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore was entitled to his view that Australia would not accept responsibility for any waste produced by Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd. “Our Cabinet has not made a decision on the matter. Wait for it to be announced,” he said after the launch of the National Energy Security Conference 2012 yesterday.
Moore told the Australian parliament that the Western Australian government does not support the import and storage of other countries’ radioactive waste.
PKR MP Fuziah Salleh had proposed that the rare earth waste material for Lynas be returned to Australia. ….
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/29/nation/10825847&sec=nation
Lynas Corporation agrees to sending rare earths residue away from Malaysia
Lynas to send residue abroad if no suitable disposal site found in Malaysia The Star, Malaysia, By ONG HAN SEAN KUANTAN, March 6, 2012: Lynas Corp has already submitted a letter of undertaking to send its rare earth processing residue abroad if it cannot find a suitable waste disposal site in Malaysia. International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the move was taken as an assurance to the people’s psychological and emotional safety.
“Even though the Government is satisfied there will be no radioactive residue produced during the plant’s operation, we have ordered Lynas to guarantee and plan the provision of a permanent waste disposal facility far from human population as recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Failing which, Lynas has already expressed willingness to take the residue out of Malaysia,” said Mustapa in a joint statement with Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob here Tuesday.
He said the Government had also announced the setting up of an independent monitoring panel to audit the plant’s construction as an additional measure. On the residue’s radiation monitoring, Mustapa said the plant had yet to start operation and the Government had not appoint independent experts to analyse the radiation level of the residues produced by the
plant….. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/3/6/nation/20120306154934&sec=nation
Australian uranium can go to India’s nuclear weapons: Australia doesn’t care
Indian weapons programme will not deter uranium sale: Australia THE HINDU, NARAYAN LAKSHMAN, 25 FEB 12, Commenting on its decision to allow uranium exports to India, the Australian government this week said that if India hypothetically diverted its domestic uranium into weapons uses following such exports that would be “very upsetting and very bad,” but that development nevertheless “would not alter the direction of the Australian government’s policy.”
Responding to a question from The Hindu on whether resistance to nuclear trade with India in certain international institutions was problematic for this policy decision by Australia, the country’s Ambassador to the United States, Kim Beazley, explained that Australian policy in this regard was driven by two considerations.
The first, Ambassador Beazley said during a media interaction organised by the National Press Club’s International Correspondents Committee, was a statement of principle: “Yes, we are prepared to sell uranium to India. Previously our position was [that we were] not prepared to sell uranium to India.”….The Ambassador also supplied details explaining why Australia had shifted its stance on the matter, outlining several broad issues.
First, Mr. Beazley noted, the Gillard administration believed that so long as Australia had a nuclear agreement with India that was similar to what the U.S. had, that relationship would be “roughly within fingertip-touching distance” of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
Second, he said, Australia “went down and signed that agreement with the Indians basically not because we need the sales. We sell enough uranium… So that’s not important to us. What is important to us is the character of the relationship we have with India, that’s why we made the changes.”
India had clearly conveyed to Australia that it “found us selling to the Chinese and us selling to the Russians and not selling to them to be something of an insult and that had to be dealt with.”
The Ambassador said that it had then become evident to their administration that Australia could not have the sort of relationship with India that it desired if it were operating on a basis that the Indians felt insulted by. “That policy had to change,” Mr. Beazley noted. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2931333.ece?homepage=true
Lynas’ radioactive waste: Malaysia doesn’t want it, Australia won’t take it back
How to dispose of the waste? MY Sin Chew Daily,, 2012-03-01 By LIM SUE GOAN, Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE, Four government departments have earlier recommended that Lynas should ship back waste material produced by the refinery plant to Australia. They have a certain representativeness as four departments account for 16% of the total 25 departments.
It was reported that the Cabinet has accepted the recommendation and required Lynas to ship back all waste material back to Western Australia. It is indeed a positive development, but is it feasible or just a wishful thinking?
Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore told the Parliament in April last year that the Australian Government would not accept responsibility for any waste produced by Lynas. Continue reading
Malaysian responses to the temporary licence given to Australian company Lynas
I think all Malaysians should know by now that the only thing that we can do to stop the corruption and abuse of power is to kick BN out and put in place a government which will care about the people and their wishes. The government elected must take into consideration the people’s desires and needs, and not just bulldoze their way through everything.
If BN insists on approving the Lynas project, then they should approve it to be built in Putrajaya. Why don’t they do that, since they said it’s safe? We can see that all BN cares about is money. They do not care one bit about the rakyat. We have to kick BN out and then hold Pakatan Rakyat to their promise to send back Lynas to Australia.
Soo Jin Hou: Scientific evidence? Prof Chan Chee Khoon has this to say: Lynas, AELB (Atomic Energy Licensing Board), and IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) have insisted that the expected levels of radiation exposure (for plant employees and for the general public) are well within the existing international norms of ‘safe thresholds’.
They have conveniently ignored the recent debates over the adequacy of existing quantitative risk models which are calibrated against external sources of irradiation (e.g. Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bomb blasts), and over the micro-dosimetry of internal emitters.
In the last 10 years, there has been much debate as to whether the radiation hazards from internal emitters have been underestimated by the existing risk models. A UK expert panel (2004,www.cerrie.org) could not arrive at a consensus, re: health risks of low-level exposure to internal emitters. In asserting that Lamp (Lynas Advanced Materials Plant) is unquestionably safe, Lynas and AELB have recklessly abandoned the precautionary principle and turned the Kuantan community into lab rats.
Gerard Samuel Vijayan: If the Lynas plant is so safe, then Najib should explain what happened in Bukit Merah and the cover-up by the Mahathir regime. Why not form an RCI (royal commission of inquiry) on Bukit Merah and call experts from the IAEA to testify as to what happened?
If it is so safe, why isn’t Lynas building the plant in Australia or any other Western country? Or go to Africa or South America instead. I also suggest that Najib and Rosmah Mansor buy a house next to the plant and live there. Why hide in Pekan or Kuala Lumpur?
It is easy for the Umno-BN elites to talk because when they get cancer they run to the US, UK or Australia for treatment using taxpayers’ money but we the ordinary rakyat must seek treatment in sub-standard government hospitals or just die because we cannot afford the treatment or expensive medication.
Why the unholy haste to have this plant built and operational in Gebeng? Just because money is going to be paid into the coffers of Umno and some royalty in Pahang, the rakyat must put their lives on the line?
Changeagent: If it is really as harmless as Najib puts it, why did the government only issue a temporary operating licence? They might as well issue a permanent one since they are so adamant that the plant does not pose any potential health risk to the local community…. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/190381
Thousands rally against Malaysian rare earths plant
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said his alliance would seek an emergency motion in Parliament to urge the government to cancel the project. He also pledged the opposition would scrap the plant if it wins national polls expected by June.
Malaysia’s last rare earth refinery by Japan’s Mitsubishi group, in northern Perak state, was closed in 1992 following protests and claims that it caused birth defects and leukemia among residents. It is one of Asia’s largest radioactive waste cleanup sites.
3,000 Malaysians rally against Australian-built rare earth plant amid radiation fears Washington Post, By Associated Press, February 25 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Some 3,000 Malaysians staged a protest Sunday against a rare earth refinery being built by Australian miner Lynas over fears of radioactive contamination.
It marked the largest rally against the $230 million plant in eastern Malaysia, and could pose a headache to the government ahead of national elections widely expected this year. Authorities recently granted Lynas a license to operate the first rare earths plant outside China in years. The plant in Pahang state has been the subject of heated protests over health and environmental risks posed by potential leaks of radioactive waste….. Continue reading
Malaysians asking questions about Lynas’ rare earths and radioactive wastes
The Lynas Advanced Material project will produce 20,000 tones of radioactive waste, which is 10 times more than the Asian Rare Earth factory in Bukit Merah.
1. Why didn’t Lynas set-up the rare earth plant near its source of extraction in Western Australia as it would have saved a huge amount of money in shipping costs?
2. Why didn’t Lynas obtain an approval from the authorities in Western Australia to set-up the plant?
3. Could the authorities in Western Australia be concerned about the possible radiation leaks, health hazards, birth defects, lead poisoning and other complications?
4. Shouldn’t this in itself raise a red flag with the Malaysian authorities?
Gov’t fails to learn from Bkt Merah tragedy http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2012/02/22/govt-fails-to-learn-from-bkt-merah-tragedy/ Free Malaysia Today February 22, 2012 Is the RM700 million in Lynas investment more important to the government than the lives of its citizens? By Charles Santiago Severe birth defects, eight leukemia cases over five years in a community of 11,000, tears and anguish of the poor people from a largely shoe-making community – these are not news headlines. Neither is it the plot of a movie.
These are the consequences of carelessly allowing the Asian Rare Earth factory to be built in Bukit Merah, Perak in 1982. When Mitsubishi Chemical started operating its rare earth factory, the villagers complained of choking sensation, pungent smell, coughs and colds. The community also saw a sharp rise in the cases of infant deaths, congenital disease, leukemia and lead poisoning. While US$100 million is estimated to be the clean-up cost of the factory and dump site, the
largest in the rare earth industry, it has not wiped out the memories and heartache of the villagers who lost their children and loved ones.
But 30 years later, the government has again allowed a rare earth factory to be set-up by Lynas Corporation Ltd in Gebeng, Kuantan. This means the government has waved the green flag with full knowledge of
the possible consequences and deadly effects. Continue reading
Australian uranium mining companies ripping off African countries?
IGF’s views follow remarks by Reserve Bank of Malawi Governor Perks Ligoya last December during which he protested the generous allowances the Malawi government provided to Australia’s Paladin Energy in the Kayelekera uranium mining deal in Karonga.
Mining deals worry industry grouping The Daily Times, 21 February 2012 Isaac Masingati An international mining industry grouping, Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF), says it is concerned with contracts between investors and governments especially in developing countries, saying they tend to be skewed in favour the investor.
IGF President Leonard Kalindekafe told the Business Times in Zomba on Friday that there was a concern among members of the grouping that some investors were taking advantage of governments’ lack of expertise to strike deals that bring little profits. “This is a big concern to the Forum because some bona fide countries are not able to realise full benefits from their minerals,” he said. Continue reading
Australian rare earths company Lynas – the Ugly Australian in court?
Lynas itself had admitted it had no prepared any such permanent waste storage facility
I cannot understand why Malaysia is prepared to tolerate the potential hazards to occur here from a plant which will give no substantial benefit of Malaysia because of the pioneer status granted to Lynas for 10 years
Lynas Corp failed to meet any of the conditions in its first proposals, according to the regulator.
Anti-Lynas groups are planning a mammoth rally in Kuantan on February 26 to pressure Putrajaya to terminate the project.
A year on, anti-Lynas campaign goes to court http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/a-year-on-anti-lynas-campaign-goes-to-court The Malaysian Insider By Debra Chong , February 17, 2012 KUALA LUMPUR, — A nationwide campaign to stop Lynas heads into the courtroom with damaging allegations against the Australian rare earths producer and Malaysia’s regulators.
The court filing also accuses Lynas of economic imperialism and points out that until today it does not have a plan to permanently dispose of its waste, some which contain potentially harmful levels of radiation. Continue reading
Lynas Rare Earths company faces difficult regulations on radioactive waste disposal
Lynas must provide a detailed plan and location [ of long term radioactive waste facility] 10 months after the licence is issued or it will not be allowed to operate.”
the onus on Lynas to return the residue to Australia in the event that its plan to commercialise the residue fails.
However, Aziz refused to entertain probes on media reports that Australia will not be accepting any of the residue back into the country.
The Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) releases public feedback on LAMP, Free Malaysia Today, Stephanie Sta Maria | February 16, 2012 DENGKIL: In a move to fulfil the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) recommendation of public engagement over the Lynas Corp’s controversial rare earth refinery in Kuantan, the Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) has begun releasing snippets of feedback collected during the public viewing of Lynas’ application permit.
AELB and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti)approved Lynas’ application for a temporary operating licence (TOL) on Feb 1, just three days after the deadline for submission of public feedback.
Anti-Lynas groups slammed the decision as “hasty” and accused AELB and Mosti of completely disregarding public opinion…… Continue reading
‘Shonky fast-tracked approval’ for Australian company’s rare earths plant in Malaysia
Ire over Lynas ‘sham’ plant consultation, SMH, Vince Chadwick February 13, 2012 Groups opposed to a rare-earths refinement plant in Malaysia plan to appeal against the atomic regulator’s decision to grant Australian miner Lynas a temporary operating licence…
.. Ms Tansaid two separate appeals would be launched this week, one by locals in Kuantan and another in Kuala Lumpur. She said objections would centre on the ”shonky, fast-tracked approval process” in which the licensing board temporarily approved the plant less than a week after public consultations closed.
The president of the Malaysian Bar association, Lim Chee Wee, said last week, ”it beggars belief that [the licensing board] could have adequately and properly considered the 1123 public comments within merely two working days.
”The only natural conclusion is that the whole public consultation process is a sham and charade, ” he said…..
Lynas expects to begin refining rare earths shipped from its $100 million mine in Mount Weld, Western Australia, by the second quarter of this year. It hopes to recycle some waste to make building materials or fertiliser. In the case of iron phosphate gypsum, for which there are no commercial applications, the company said it can store waste safely
for up to 17 years.
Mr Lim said ”the granting of a 10-month period for Lynas to provide the plan and location of the [permanent disposal facility] borders on recklessness: by then, even if the terms of the licence remain unfulfilled and the licence is suspended or cancelled, substantial amounts of radioactive wastes would have been produced”…..
Ms Tan said the ecologically sensitive area near mangroves meant toxic runoff into the South China Sea could affect local fisherman. http://www.smh.com.au/business/ire-over-lynas-sham-plant-consultation-20120212-1sznp.html#ixzz1mIqXT47j
Lynas rare earths plant suits Malaysia’s politicians, not Malaysia’s people
Lynas plant a done deal from the start , malaysiakini, Feb 7, 2012 “……Manjit Bhatia: These protests against Lynas are very worthwhile. The Lynas project should never have been given the green light in the first place, let alone a temporary licence by the Umno-BN regime.
What’s really galling is that the regime went ahead with the latter despite Lynas failing to provide all of the mandatory guarantees needed. Worse, though: were there any public consultations about the project to start with? I feel the protests at Lynas aren’t big enough to put sufficient political pressure on the company to reconsider its operations…..
If the bulk of Malaysians do not join their Lynas protestors and stop the project dead in its tracks and soon, then you’ve lost the chance forever – unless Pakatan Rakyat wins government and scuttles the project entirely.
Although Malaysians have to cop a huge compensation bill to Lynas, it’ll be worth it. Just wear the fiscal pain for a decade.
Pemerhati: This is the price Malaysians pay for electing corrupt and greedy Umno thieves as their leaders……
CiViC: The concern now is exposing our people, our land to radioactive waste, radiation and pollution. This is not the people’s needs.
Thousands of people have protested, and still the dirty corrupt BN government pushes it through. And please don’t start with economic gains and such bull, there are no gains here since Lynas needs not pay tax, and the guarantee they have posted is not even enough to clean the plant itself, what more pollution beyond that…. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/188438
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20 September –National Day of Action in Melbourne on the International Day of Peace
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PETITION – To: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labor Government
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