Save Malaysia Stop Lynas press conference on 18th Oct 2011

*Save Malaysia Stop Lynas press conference on 18th Oct 2011*

Recently through facebook and press statements by our people’s representative YB Fuziah, questions were raised as to whether Lynas has begun their shipment of Rare Earth ores (REO) to the kuantan port . The relevant authorities and Lynas have come out with their own statements to deny the claim.

SMSL has also received calls by concerned citizens regarding the same. We did an investigation and we
wish to inform the public that

1. REO cannot be shipped into Kuantan port without a permit from AELB

2. It will be shipped from Freemantle in WA to Singapore for transshipment before it reaches Kuantan port.

3. It will be labeled as radioactive once it reaches Kuantan Port but will not be Considered as radioactive anywhere along the route.

4. It will come in containers and be carted away immediately from the ship to the factory once it reaches the port after it has received custom clearance.

The above clarifies how the REO will be shipped into Kuantan Port. To this date, AELB has yet to come out and openly admit that the required permit has been obtained by Lynas Malaysia. Therefore the claim by parties that REO will be here by end of this month can only be confirmed by AELB as they are instrumental in allowing the REO to be imported.

We hereby call upon AELB and MITI to reaffirm their claim that they have NOT given any licenses including the pre operating license to Lynas. Any preemptive moves by Lynas or covert attempts by AELB or MITI in this matter will be construed as a grave betrayal of the trust of the people. The whole of Gebeng , Balok, Kemaman and Kuantan residents shall hold the AELB and MITI wholly responsible!

MITI and AELB have openly admitted that they have received the submissions by Lynas on the RIA, decommissioning and long term waste management plans in July and they have openly claimed to have rejected these documents as inadequate or unsatisfactory as we were told when we met MITI and AELB on the 7th Oct 2011. If MITI and AELB were to make themselves more credible to the people here they will have to be more open, more transparent and willing to answer questions by the affected residents and provide all information on whatever matters that are related to the Lynas plant. The port authority briefing concerning the impending import of REO is merely a standard port operating procedure but without more detail info from the relevant authorities like AELB and MITI, the whole of Kuantan, Gabeng, Balok and Kemaman have been put on the jitters. This is totally unacceptable. We hereby strongly urge the AELB and MITI to come out and openly declare that non of the licenses as required to import the REO and the pre-operation of the plant have been granted or issued to Lynas Malaysia!

The Lynas issue has advanced to the stage where people are beginning to lose faith on the ability and intent of the government and regulating authorities to safeguard their interests. SMSL has taken the initiative to study the option of bringing the case to court and we have our legal experts currently studying the best option available before we act. We urge all residents to be patient as any legal recourse has to be taken in
full accordance to the country’s judicial system. Rest assured that when the time comes we shall act.

SMSL has come a long way since its inception in March. During the course of this short journey, we have in our main focus to stop the operation of Lynas Advance Materials organized activities that helped to bring awareness to the people here. In the midst of our enthusiasm to advance this cause, some of our
committee members or supporters might have inadvertently or without any malice offended parties and
individuals in our interactions with them. We hereby sincerely apologize to these parties and individuals for our mistakes and we hope such incidents will serve to keep us on guard at all times to be more circumspect of proper demeanors and protocols. We believe apologizing does not mean that we are totally wrong and others are totally right, it just means that we value our relationship more than our ego!

Tan Bun Teet