Press statement of Save Malaysia Stop
Lynas (SMSL)
Experts
Opinions of the Lynas Rare Earth Refinery Project in Malaysia
24
November 2013
 |
| From left, Tan Bun Teet (chairperson of SMSL), Wong Tack (chairperson of Himpunan Hijau), Theivanai (Enviromental lawyer, Friends of the Earth, Malaysia), Gerhard Schmidt (Senior scientist in Oeko Institute, German), Dr. Yoshihiko Wada (PhD in Ecological Economics, Doshisha University, Japan), Dr. Peter Karamoskos (Nuclear Radiologist, Public representative in ARPANSA, Australia), Prof. Wang Guo Zheng (Senior scientist in China rare earth industry), Prof. Chan Chee Khoon (Epidemiology, Universiti Malaya) |
This morning, about 150
concerned Malaysians attended a seminar to gain an in-depth understanding of
the Lynas rare earth refinery project in Malaysia from imminent international
and local experts at the Mandarin Court Hotel. The experts have shared their knowledge of the
issue and expressed concerns for Malaysia.
Expensive Toxic Legacy in the Making
Gerhard Schmidt, a Senior Scientist
and a toxic and radioactive waste expert from the Oeko Institute in Germany has
done a thorough analysis and evaluation of Lynas’ waste and pollution blue
print. He said.
“In Europe, past mistakes have costed
the public a lot of money to clean up decades later till today, not counting
the health care costs that might have resulted from the hazards. The Malaysian
Government should take the scientific advice to require Lynas to manage its
waste and pollution to international best practice standards and not to leave
another expensive toxic legacy.”
SMSL has requested for meetings
with the two regulators – the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and the
Department of Environment (DoE) as well as for a plant visit at the Lynas plant
whilst our experts are around. The
government did not respond and Lynas wanted the visit to happen in December,
by which time the experts are gone.
Dr Peter Karamoskos, a
nuclear medicine physician and radiologist and the public representative on the
Radiation
Health
Committee of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency
(ARPANSA) explained to the audience how international radiation safety standards
are set and promoted. He commented,
“The International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) acknowledges that radioactive waste poses a threat to human
health and therefore must be managed properly in a scientifically sound manner. We cannot determine if a project is safe until there is
transparency both at the company and the governmental levels. In the case of Lynas, the lack of
transparency is a major problem. Malaysia really has to make sure its regulation is
implemented to prevent any runaway risk to the public for many generations to
come.”
Financing of a Toxic Project
The Lynas project was made
possible through finance provided by the Japanese Government through the Japan
Oil, Gas and Metal Corporation (JOGMEC). Professor Yoshihiko Wada from the Doshisha
University in Kyoto said,
“We have to work together to
fight the tyranny of economic supremacy that put profit above people and the
environment. We need to make the
Japanese Government more accountable for their financing. We have to make sure
that their investment is done in accordance with their own established ‘Environmental
and Social Guidelines.’[1].
“I
urge concerned Malaysians to use this leverage to exert political pressure on
the Japanese government. We can request
for formal inquiries that can be submitted through Members of the Diet (Parliamentarians),
as well as educating the mainstream media.”
He added.
Is a safe rare earth plant possible?
If Lynas is serious about its
corporate social responsibility and to live up to its ‘green’ image, the
findings and recommendations of the Oeko evaluation report should have prompted
the Australian company to change or at least initiate the following:
•
a completely new waste management concept to comply with international
best practice,
•
build new interim storages for their wastes with a really
thick liner underneath to prevent leaks,
•
a site for a Permanent Disposal Facility (PDF) with
excellent isolation conditions and nominated in consent with the then-affected
communities,
•
an additional cleaning stage for acids in their off-gas
treatment stage added.
Mr Schmidt remarked, “To my disappointment Lynas has
not done that and the Malaysian Government has not acted in its duty of care to
make Lynas do that in the interest of its citizens and the environment and for
the country’s long-term well beings.”
Mr Tan Bun
Teet from SMSL concluded
“Our
government kept claiming that the Lynas plant is scientifically safe. This is
why we have sought scientific input from credible and independent scientists
and professionals who can provide us with their opinion and views without
prejudice, fear or favour. We will
continue to campaign on the Lynas issue to build a safer Malaysia. This is just another step we have taken.”
For further comments or contact of
any of the experts, please contact SMSL hotline number 012 982 3302.
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