Press
statement of Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL)
AELB lacks transparency despite
promising to adhere to IAEA recommendations
12th
October, 2012
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| AELB director-general Datuk Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan (far left) being heckled by SMSL demonstrators after a court hearing in Kuantan on October 10, 2012 |
Last June, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was invited by the Malaysian Government to provide an assessment of a particular phase of the licensing process for Lynas. The IAEA has made eleven recommendations which the Government and Lynas have publicly agreed to adhere to.
Mr Tan Bun Teet, a Kuantan resident and spokesperson for SMSL said “Both Lynas and the Malaysian Government have failed to live up to their promises to adhere to the IAEA recommendations to better inform the public and to be transparent in its licensing process. How then can we the people trust them in ensuring that the rare earth plant will be managed to a high standard?”
The IAEA has especially made 3 main public communications recommendations and an 11th recommendation was made to attempt to bind the Government to an action plan. However, apart from the initial publicity and public relation stunts, neither the Government nor Lynas has lived up to its promises.
“It is clear from the beginning that the Government has failed in its duty of care to consider the long term future and sustainable development of Malaysia. We the rakyat/citizens have no choice but to act and fight for our rights to protect our home and our future.” Remarked Haji Ismail Abu Bakar a Kuantan resident and a strong opponent to the Lynas project.
SMSL is concerned that Lynas has yet to come out with a safe long-term radioactive waste management plan for the rare earth plant and yet it has been issued the licence to import the ore and to dispose of its waste.
“The Government is once again putting the horse before the cart risking the hard-earned investment of the rakyat and their long-term well-being in this country for a company that pays no tax in Malaysia. This is unacceptable and we will fight till the end to stop this foolish decision. Lynas has no place in Malaysia.” Concluded Mr Tan.
This organisation is severly hurting Malaysias reputation for both business investment and Australian tourists. SMSL has made many misleading comments and some commentary has been very offensive to the Australian public. I accept wanting to make sure the processing plant is safe is valid but wanting it stopped even if everything is done to make it safe clearly shows the organisations motives.
ReplyDeleteLynas has not spared time, effort or expense and now has completed its processing plant (LAMP) in Gebeng, Malaysia. It has complied with all licence approval conditions and a Temporary Operating Licence (TOL) has been issued. It should now be processing concentrate, right?
ReplyDeleteWrong, it’s not. The TOL issue remains suspended, pending court action.
For the last 2 years, the project has been dogged by opposition from SMSL and Fuziah Salleh. This opposition has continued, even though independent experts, both within and without Malaysia, have given the project the green light. Their exhaustive examination has found the LAMP and its processes are world’s best practice. Opposition groups were given every opportunity to present their arguments which were found to be lacking credibility.
The scientific evidence of the LAMP’s safety was evident early on but SMSL continued to ignore all that and persisted in making their wild claims about nuclear catastrophes and dangerous environmental damage.
Lynas has complied fully with all approval conditions but now is forced to pay dearly for the delay. The discredited opposition has been allowed to continue far too long. When is enough enough?
SMSL have ignored the evidence from experts – they are plain ignorant.
SMSL have lied to the people of Malaysia – especially Kuantan – about the truth of their own warnings about the LAMP.
SMSL have opportunistically jumped on the post-Fukushima anti-nuclear bandwagon, equating the LAMP with that disaster and using their claims for political purposes.
SMSL actions are affecting many: the young people sponsored by Lynas; Lynas workers; the companies and their staff supplying materials to the local chemical industry. They are not attacking LYC in isolation – wider repercussions go much further then what appears on the surface.
SMSL knows it is delaying the inevitable. It needs to get on the side of “truth” and allow the people of Kuantan to reap the benefits that will come to their region.
SMSL has never acted in the country’s best interests. In time, when the people of Malaysia understand the real motivation, retribution will be fierce.
SMSL and Fuziah Salleh have rightly earned my contempt. I will have no sympathy for them when the people make them accountable for what they’ve done.
His Highness, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, in a rare intervention into public affairs, stated that many negative issues raised by certain parties, especially regarding the Lynas Rare Earth processing plant in Gebeng, are baseless and purely rhetoric.He said that those actions only hinder the progress of the state’s economic growth and summoned the people of Pahang to unite and together develop the state and improve the welfare of everyone.This is a very serious condemnation of SMSL for continuing their opposition to the plant when their claims have been found to be “baseless and purely rhetoric”. SMSL and Fuziah Salleh have done this purely for political purposes. Unfortunately for them, they’ve gone on with it too long.A comment such as this one from the Royal Family, so highly respected in Malaysia, is a death blow to SMSL and Fuziah Salleh. They will lose not only in court but in the upcoming election.
ReplyDeleteWOW, The ROYAL family condems SLSM. Fuziah will not be heard from again. Tans butt teet future is looking very BAD...
ReplyDelete