Strong call against Australian company Lynas’ rare earths radioactive wastes in Malaysia
Lynas, ….. expects to bring in RM8 billion a year from 2013 that too tax-free, based on current prices.”……
Petition signed by 52000 residents protesting the building of the plant
By Aliran, on 12 November 2011, M N D’Cruz raises the alarm over the Lynas rare earth refinery near Kuantan and says it is the duty of every Pahang resident to oppose the plant……
The biggest question is ‘Why do we want this plant in Gebeng or for that matter anywhere in Malaysia’? Continue reading
Submission by Australian rare earths company Lynas rejected by Malaysia on safety concerns
Miti on Lynas plant: Safety is top priority, Free Malaysia Today Stephanie Sta Maria, | November 8, 2011, Lynas will not be allowed to operate its plant until it meets IAEA conditions. KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti) today clarified its stand on the controversial rare earth plant in Gebeng, saying the government would not allow Lynas Corporation Ltd to operate if it flouted the rules.
Miti secretary general Rebecca Sta Maria said safety was the ministry’s top priority.
Last week the government revealed that it had rejected Lynas’ submissions on safety requirements for the RM1.5 billion rare earth refinery. This followed reports by the Australian Associated Press that Lynas was expected to commence operations late this year and begin commercially supplying radiation-risk rare earth by next year. Continue reading
Australia’s Lynas company’s problems – share price, governance, Malaysia protests
It is interesting to keep an eye on Australia’ s Lynas corporation. For one thing, that devious old propaganda
merchant, Ziggy Switkowski is on Lynas’ board of directors. Wherever Ziggy is, spin will abound.
For another thing, Lynas is dedicated to make a mint out of rare earths processing in Malaysia. (nothing wrong with the idea – after, making a mint is the correct mission for a corporation – its only responsibility, unfortunately).
Still – the rare earths processing is fraught with danger. Both USA and China had to stop rare earths operations, due to very bad environmental pollution, though both are now starting again. China got away with it for ages, by putting the rare earths processing in a rural area, with an unsophisticated indigenous population. But Malaysia – that is a different situation, with a much more educated and urban population, who don’t want the pollution risk.
And now – Lynas has a couple of other problems – its plummeting share price, and some questions about corporate governance
Corporate governance guidelines outlined by the Australian Securities Exchange recommend that ”the role of chair and chief should not be exercised by the same individual”.
Lynas is expected to report a full-year loss before tax of $57 million today as it ramps up towards production. Shares in Lynas closed 17.5¢, or 14 per cent, lower at $1.105 – more than 60 per cent off its April high of $2.70.
Lynas shareholders demand that chairman steps down, The Age, Philip Wen, September 23, 2011 A VOCAL group of retail shareholders in rare-earths miner Lynas is seeking to remove mining entrepreneur Nick Curtis as chairman, citing concerns over ”risks to corporate governance”. Continue reading
Information about rare earths, but not much about their dangerous wastes
ABC radio conducted this informative interview on rare earths – but rather light-pedalled their radioactive waste problem – C.M.
The role of rare earths in your day to day life, ABC Radio 17 Sept 11, Philip Clark“……..the nature of some of these deposits is that they are quite complex. In essence they… as you mentioned, there’s lots of elements, particularly they’re present in small quantities. They’re in quite complex minerals, often in phosphate minerals; often they have uranium and thorium and other elements associated with them. That leads to complications in processing to some extent, but it also leads to regulatory issues, because around the world—in this country as well—there are jurisdictions that do not want or don’t allow at this stage, mining of uranium, even though that uranium might be a very, very small amount, as it generally is with these deposits.
I guess the other part of the processing—and it’s what’s really occurred I think in Malaysia recently—it is a complex… with so many elements and very complicated but manageable process route to get each of these elements out, and they’re very valuable, you do need to use sophisticated chemical processes and they need to be strictly and adequately policed……
Philip Clark: My guest is Peter Arden. He’s a scientist and resources analyst at Ord Minnett. We’re talking about rare earths. These are unusual minerals, but with big uses in electronics—television sets, mobile phones, batteries, powerful magnets, all use these materials and most of the world’s supply at the moment is controlled by China. Is there an opportunity for Australia here?
The processing of these minerals, though, is the key, isn’t it? That’s not straightforward, you need a processing plant, and extracting the actual rare earth from the mineral can be complex, can’t it?… in addition to the rare earths you generally find, as we’ve talked about, other elements—uranium and so on.
Malaysian MP disputes radiation opinion of Lynas’ Australian employee on rare earths
Fuziah belittles radiation expert’s analysis, Free Malaysia Today, K Pragalath, September 14, 2011 The Kuantan MP replies to criticisms by Lynas-hired Nick Tsurikov. PETALING JAYA: Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh today shot back at radiation expert Nick Tsurikov, who has disputed statements she made recently regarding the dangers posed by the rare earth project in Gebeng, near Kuantan.
She criticised his analysis as “shallow” and questioned his standing as an independent expert, noting that he was hired by Lynas Corp, the Australian mining company that is setting up the Gebeng operations……
She also said Tsurikov, who is based in Australia, was unable to understand the seriousness of the situation….
Fuziah quoted reports alleging that Lynas was using China Standards GB9133-88 as a benchmark.“I mentioned that there are no rare earth refineries in operation outside China at the moment. Thus we do not have a benchmark. Neither do we have a best practice in rare earth refining.”
IAEA report on safety of Lynas rare earths will be slanted in favour of the company
“How can we monitor daily? The risks of human error are too high,” she said, pointing out that the half-life of thorium was 14 billion years…..Fuziah promised that if the report from the panel, which includes members of the IAEA, was as she anticipated, she will continue to bring the issue to a higher level and exert pressure on authorities.
No confidence in Lynas safety review’, Free Malaysia Today Tashny Sukumaran, June 20, 2011, The IAEA report on the Lynas Corp is bound to be slanted and the human factor will not be taken into account, says Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh. KUALA LUMPUR: Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh is already second guessing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) report on the Lynas Corp’s rare earth refinery in Gebeng, Pahang.
She said she has no confidence in the independent panel’s safety review of the RM300 million Lynas Corp rare earth refinery . “I can imagine the outcome will contain acknowledgement of safety concerns, but also on how this refinery can be made safe,” said Fuziah. Continue reading
Australian company faces Malaysian opposition to radioactive waste dumping
crucial questions remain unanswered especially regarding the safe disposal of radioactive waste…… officials from the nuclear watchdog would be
pro-nuclear and therefore fail to produce a fair assessment of the Lynas plant.
Calls for local and environmental groups to be represented in the monitoring team have also gone unheeded…’Whatever their findings, our final agenda – which is our ultimate goal – is to stop Lynas.’..
Malaysia’s new rare earth plant provokes radiation fears – Monsters and Critics, By Julia Yeow May 29, 2011, Kuala Lumpur – In the quiet town of Gebeng in Malaysia’s central state of Pahang, a new rare earth plant has evoked fears of radiation contamination as residents desperately seek to stop the construction of the world’s largest such refinery. Continue reading
Australian MP calls for ban on Lynas dumping radioactive wastes in Malaysia
“I also call upon the Transport Minister (Troy Buswell) to halt planned shipments of rare earth with radioactive Thorium 232 to Malaysia,”
Aussie MP: Don’t dump toxic by-products in Kuantan, Free Malaysia Today, G Vinod | May 18, 2011 An Australian MP has joined the chorus of calls to halt planned shipment of radioactive waste to Malaysia.
Australian company Lynas meets opposition to its rare earths plan
The Star Online, said that if Lynas claimed the residue from the plant would be safe, it should be shipped back to Australia. “Malaysia cannot afford to keep a health time bomb here and we do not know when it will explode,”
Protests threaten Lynas’s Malaysian rare-earths plant, The Australian, Sarah-Jane Tasker , April 26, 2011 RARE-EARTHS miner Lynas’s plans for a processing plant in Malaysia have been thrown into doubt as local authorities review the proposal in light of concerns about radiation pollution. Continue reading
Warning on radiation hazard of Whyalla rare earths processing
“there are hazards related to the processing of these rare earths, not the least of which is radiation.”.
Australian Greens sounds grave alarm on Whyalla rare earths processing in SA – International Business Times, By Ricky Roxas | September 27, 2010 Australian Greens sounds grave alarm on Whyalla rare earths processing in SAThe Australian Greens party voiced out its concerns on Monday that the South Australian government may be rushing too much on the proposed rare earths processing plant in Whyalla following the state’s move of giving major project status to the planned $1 billion rare earths facility by Arafura Resources Ltd (ASX: ARU). Continue reading
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 