Pahang MB proposed dumping Lynas’ radioactive waste in Sungai Lembing & threatened politicians for getting involved in the Stop Lynas campaign

 

Press statement of Stop Lynas Coaltion(SLC) & Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) on

March 7, 2012

Last night at a dinner function in Kantian, the Menteri Besar of Pahang Dato Seri Adnan Yaakub suggested to the Senator from Sungai Lembing that the Lynas radioactive waste should be dumped in the disused mine shafts in his valley resort town.

“The MB’s suggestion will ruin Sungai Lembing and returning it to its past post mining doom.  This inland valley has just managed to turn that around through a burgeoning tourism trade in recent years.“ Said Mr Tan Bun Teet of SMSL.

“The thousands of tourists who visit this lovely town each year will go elsewhere in the presence of a radioactive waste dump.  Imagine the loss of livelihoods and income for the local people?”Asked Mr tan

The Lynas rare earth refinery plant is at its final stage of construction at present.  Tests are still underway.  Early in February a temporary operating licence was issued to Lynas Malaysia on five conditions.  One of the conditions requires Lynas to secure a permanent disposal facility for its radioactive waste.  To date, no location has been formally announced.

Encik Andansura Rabu, Head of a community organisation to Stop Lynas known as BADAR (Badan Bertindak Anti Rare Earth Refinery) as well as Stop Lynas Coalition(SLC) remarked,

“Even if a permanent waste dump is found, what about the 500 tonnes of effluence and 100,000 cubic metre of waste gas that will be discharged into our river and the sea EVERY HOUR?”

“Communities in Balok live close to the plant – only a few kilometres away.  Some live along the Balok River and along the coast where Lynas’ waste water will flow into the South China Sea.  How will they live if their seafood and the sea become polluted?” Encik Rabu asked.

Additionally, Sungai Lembing is an important water catchment for Kuantan.  Ground water contamination and contamination of water supply are both highly likely in a wet tropical country like Malaysia.  The MB also warned local politicians against taking part in any Stop Lynas activities or they would face repercussions should the ruling Barisan National returns to power at the next election.

BADAR and SMSL called on the people of Pahang to voice their concerns and stand out for their rights to fight for a cleaner and safer future for their family and their country.

“We are appalled by the MB for making this ludicrous and damaging suggestion. Australia will be getting A$18 millions (or MYR55 millions) in taxes from Lynas each year.  All we will be getting in Pahang are Lynas’ toxic waste and pollution.  Dato Seri Adnan Yaakub is not fit to be Pahang’s Menteri Besar if he puts the need of a foreign company who pays no tax over the health and welfare of the state.” Concluded Mr Tan and Encik Rabu.

Western Australian NGO wants Lynas LAMP to back home!

Aussie NGO: Gebeng not part of Lynas’ blueprint

Stephanie Sta Maria | March 6, 2012 from Free Malaysia Today

【Audio record by Bersihkan Malaysia (Perth)】 Interviews following ANAWA / EDO submission of appeal to WA EPA today : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/28244409/Audio%20recordings/Stop%20Lynas-%20Save%20Malaysia.wav

ANAWA claims that Lynas' massive changes to its plan has resulted in its plant being built in Gebeng where laws are looser and labour is cheaper.

PETALING JAYA: The Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) has revealed that Lynas Corporation Ltd was supposed to build its plant in Western Australia and not Malaysia.

According to ANAWA, Lynas’ 14-year-old blueprint indicated that the Australian mining giant had orginally planned to build its processing plant in Meenar a decade ago. But until today there had been no signs of any development on the intended site.

ANAWA spokesperson Marcus Atkinson told FMT that the orginal approvals were given by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for Lynas to ship rare earth to buyers and confirmed that he had viewed these relevant documents firsthand.

However, he said that Lynas had since made numerous alterations to its operations to the point that its rare earth refinery had now landed in Malaysia.

“Instead of transporting processed rare earth, it is now shipping a concentrate which contains thorium and other radioactive material with more heavy metals,” he told FMT.

Atkinson admitted that they had been more focused on Lynas’ operations in Australia until the uproar in Malaysia reached their ears and they realised that Lynas’ had made “massive” changes to its plans.

“Now it involves Malaysia and our moral responsibility,” he said. “This is a complete change to the original project hence why we are urging the EPA to review Lynas’ approvals.”

ANAWA and Australia’s Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) lodged a referral with the EPA this morning calling on the latter to reopen the project and revisit Lynas’ “outdated” approvals.

Atkinson had yesterday raised deep concerns over the amount of radioactive material being transported from Mount Weld to Fremantle Port for export and called for stronger regulations to be put in place to ease the fears of the surrounding community.

He had also drawn attention to the fact that Lynas had sparked off Malaysia’s largest environmental campaign with its RM2.5 billion Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Gebeng, Kuantan.

The nationwide Himpunan Hijau 2.0 rally held on March 26 saw more than 15,000 people gathering to demand that Lynas be ousted from Kuantan.

Less stringent laws

Atkinson added that ANAWA and EDO strongly believed that Lynas had chosen to move its operations to Malaysia because of the heavy metals and radioactive waste involved in the processing.

“We believe Lynas picked Malaysia to save money and enable it to operate under less stringent laws,” he stated.

“The biggest concerns about the processing are the storage and waste management issues which are made more difficult in Gebeng which we understand to be wetlands.”

Asked if Lyns would be allowed to operate in the same manner and with the same liberty in Western Australia as in Gebeng, Atkinson firmly replied in the negative.

“There is no way it could operate the way it is in Malaysia over here,” he said. “Australia’s laws are much more stringent.”

Atkinson issued a further call for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to be scrutinised for downplaying the levels of radioactivity soon to be produced by Lynas’ operations.

“Just because the radioactive elements fall below the IAEA’s levels it doesn’t mean that the products don’t contain any radioactivity,” he pointed out.

EDO and its lawyers would also be issuing a letter to Lynas today urging it to stop any plans for the exportation of rare earth until the EPA reached a decision following the referral submission.

The EPA was expected to revert to ANAWA and EDO within 28 days on whether it would reopen the case or if Lynas’ current approvals were good enough.

“If they refuse to review the project then we will file a court case against it,” Atkinson promised.

Lynas’ letter of undertaking
Meanwhile in another development, International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed said today that Lynas had given the government a letter of undertaking to send its rare earth processing residue abroad if it cannot find a suitable waste disposal site in Malaysia.

The Star Online reported Mustapa as saying that 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,” he said in a joint statement with Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob in Kuantan.

The report also quoted the minister as saying that the Western Australia Resources Minister Norman Moore had confirmed on Feb 29 that the rare earth’s radiation level was very low.

“The fact is, the rare earth does not need to be controlled by Australia because it is not dangerous but in Malaysia, AELB is overseeing the project after considering the public’s opinion,” he added.

Mustapa said the government was urging Lynas to take extra care for the sake of the people, and not because of “threats by Himpunan Hijau” which had said it would hold another anti-Lynas rally if the government refuse to shut down the project.

Australian Residents to Block Lynas' Way

*Please visit www.StopLynas.org for more updates from the Australia side

Aussie NGOs say Lynas approvals outdated

Stephanie Sta Maria | March 5, 2012 from Free Malaysia Today

12 Malaysians from SMSL protested in front of Lynas HQ last year July 2011 at 56 Pitt Street, Sydney.

The NGOs want Lynas' approvals examined and calls for stringent safeguards to protect Australian residents along the radioactive materials transport route.

PETALING JAYA: The Lynas Corporation Ltd controversy is nowhere near an end in Malaysia but already the Australian mining giant is bracing itself for another altercation – this time in Australia.

Australia’s Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) today announced through a media statement that it will be lodging a referral tomorrow on behalf of the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia (ANAWA) to the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) on Lynas’ operations at Mount Weld.

According to ANAWA spokesperson, Marcus Atkinson, Lynas has made a number of changes to its procedures which have not gone through the appropriate approvals.

“Lynas are currently operating under approvals issued to them 14 years ago,” he stated. “There are major concerns about the amounts of radioactive materials being transported from Mt Weld through Fremantle Port.”

“Health and safety issues need to be thoroughly examined to ensure the best protection of those involved in the handling of this material.

Atkinson noted that Lynas has proposed the export of West Australian rare earths to a “controversial” processing plant in Malaysia.

He also observed that the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) has been facing delays due construction defects, and “strong local opposition”.

Atkinson made reference to the nationwide Himpunan Hijau 2.0 rally on Feb 26 in which 15,000 people gathered at the main venue in Kuantan to voice their opposition to the RM2.5 billion plant.

“The Lynas project has sparked Malaysia largest ever environmental campaign,” he pointed out.

In urging the EPA to take a serious look at the Mt Weld operations and the transportation of radioactive material to Fremantle Port, Atkinson also stated the need for “extremely stringent” safeguards to protect Fremantle residents and other communities on the transport routes.

“The approvals given 14 years ago need to be re-examined by the EPA and stronger regulations need to be put in place to ease the fears of the community,” he said.

“We have made many mistakes in the past with the transport of lead and other materials, and we need to ensure that the same mistakes are not made with rare earth products.”

 This unexpected development will add further strength to the voices of anti-Lynas groups in Malaysia and put further pressure on government authorities who approved the LAMP’s temporary operating licence on Feb 1.

Total Disappointment with PM Najib's Administration!

Who is most likely the Father of Toxic Nation for Malaysia ??

 Press statement of the joint press conference March 3, 2012

of Stop Lynas Coaltion(SLC) & Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) on

Lynas’ Radioactive Waste to be DUMPED in Pahang Tax Free while
Australia Gets A$18 million in Taxes

Yesterday Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s stated that Lynas must shift its waste away from its Gebeng plant to an isolated location ending speculation that it will be shipped out of the country.  At the same time, Bloomberg reported that Western Australia will be collecting A$18millions in taxes.

[see http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/307787/20120302/lynas-mt-weld-rare-earths-china-malaysia.htm]

“We want our PM to explain why we in Malaysia get NOT a single cent in taxes but have to accept Lynas’ radioactive waste?” queried Mr Andansura Rabu, Chairperson of SLC and Mr Tan Bun Teet, Chairperson of SMSL.

“Where are we going to dump the waste?  In Temerloh, in Pekan, in Maran or in our Taman Negara? “ added Mr Rabu and Mr Tan

According to the Long Term Radioactive Waste Management plan submitted by Lynas Malaysia in its application for the licence for its rare earth refinery (Also known as Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP)) in Gebeng, the waste will have to be stored in the state of Pahang.

Following the 15,000-strong Stop Lynas rally in Kuantan and other solidarity actions throughout Malaysia, a series of erratic and contradictory statements have been made by various cabinet ministers and the Director-General of the Atomic Energy Licensing Board Raja Abdul Aziz Adnan.

Health Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai on 29th Feb 2012 said Lynas is required to move its radioactive wastes outside of Kuantan and ship them back to Australia. The statement was made after a Cabinet discussion involving three ministers in charge of regulating the Lynas project – they included the Ministers of International Trade and Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment.

AELB’s Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan insisted that Lynas’s radioactive waste will not be radioactive any more once it has been treated by Lynas.  He implied that the Western Australia government can take back Lynas’ treated waste.  In reality, radioactivity cannot be rid of through any form of treatments.  It can only be transferred from one waste stream to another and from one kind of residue to another.  In the end it is still radioactive.

The Western Australian Government through the Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore has stated twice – once in answering to questions raised by Greens MP Robin Chapple in April last year, and when asked by journalist last week – that his Government would NOT accept any radioactive waste from another country including that generated by Lynas.

Malaysia’s suggestion has essentially contravened our commitment under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.  Malaysia is a signatory to the Convention which is legally binding. It is illegal under international law to transport hazardous waste like that from the Lynas plant across national boundaries.

“The Government’s erratic, confusing and factually incorrect statements are a clear indication that it has NO IDEA what to do with Lynas’ radioactive waste.  Why then do we issue the licence to Lynas?  What about rakyat’s health, our livelihoods and our future?” Added Mr Rabu

SLC and SMSL are disappointed that our Government has not heed the strong opposition expressed by local residents and the voices of dissent by Malaysians in general that we do not want the Lynas plant in our country.

“Even if the Government can satisfactorily find a permanent disposal site, what about the 500 tonnes of contaminated run-off from the plant that will be drained into the Balok River and into the South China Sea EVERYDAY? What about the 100,000 cubic metre of waste gas EVERY HOUR that will be polluting our air?”concluded Mr Rabu and Mr Tan.

SLC and SMSL are giving the Government an ultimatum – either PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Administration stop the LAMP from operating in Malaysia or we will embark on a nation-wide campaign to vote this Government out.

                                                               Press Statement
                                           Himpunan Hijau Steering Committee
                                                                  3 March 2012

Najib has yet to hear the voices of the Rakyat!

The Prime Minister made a statement on 26th February 2012 that the disposal of toxic waste materials from the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) must be done at a remote location far away from the local community. 

This same statement was repeated by the Prime Minister yesterday. It is ironic that it was made even though the Himpunan Hijau Steering Committee has immediately responded to his earlier statement by clearly raising the concerns of the people.

Said Wong Tack, Chairperson of Himpunan Hijau Steering Committee, “This evidently shows that the PM is either still very much ill-informed of the concerns of the people or he has intentionally ignored the wishes of the people.” 

“If he is still ill-informed, then we would like to know who is preventing the voices and concerns of the people from reaching our PM.”

“Is there a vicious ploy by certain parties to cut-off the people from his leadership?”

“Whatever it is, we hope our Prime Minister did not make this error in judgement intentionally. This is because a leader who turns a deaf ear to the voices of his people and shows no concern for the opinions of the people will not remain in position for long”’ Wong Tack added. 

We hereby, wish to repeat one more time to our Prime Minister that his suggestion to dump the massive amount of radioactive waste far away from habitated area is totally senseless and unacceptable! His remark reflects a shallow understanding of the ecological system and blatant disrespect of natural environment. 

Every inch of our motherland is a precious natural asset to our nation. The landscape of our countryside is an ecologically sensitive system of forests, rivers and food production farmlands. 

Our Prime Minister must realize that the thousands of acres of land used for permanent disposal of toxic/ radioactive wastes will deprive our children and our children’s children for generations to come from getting near it for billions of years. This permanent radioactive polluting site will subject our whole nation to the risks of widespread contamination and pollutions.

Our Prime Minister must also know that the issue is not only limited to the management of the radioactive waste disposal. Every step of the processing of raw materials from cracking to leaching & purifications to separations to product finishing is highly hazardous and can cause severe irreversible harm to the environment and the wellbeing of the people. 

So, how could our Prime Minister, at this highly crucial moment, still calls for a compromise and a search for a win-win situation?

Urgent Employment of Full Time Lawyer

Global Action Required : Green Ban on Rare Earth Ore Exports to Malaysia

3000 people have already signed the petition, the campaign is growing so we are moving to Care2 so we can reach our goal of 50,000 signatures

 "We are the undersigned,

I call on Western Australian politicians to impose a Green Ban on the transportation and shipping of rare earth ore concentrate from the port of Fremantle to Kuantan, Malaysia.

I support the thousands of Malaysians who are opposing Australian rare earth miner, Lynas Corporation and their rare earth refinery in Kuantan. The Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) poses too many threats to the local community and surrounding environments ....."

Please click into the links below to sign the petitions if you are with us. URGENT!

1) to the Western Australian & Australian Federal Politicians

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ban-rare-earth-exports/

and also

2) to the Malaysia Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB)

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-lynas-save-malaysia/

Picture above features a march on street before reaching the Himpunan Hijau 2.0 venue last Sunday (Feb 26, 2012) in Kuantan which had successfully gathered more than 15,000 protestors to voice out loud againt Lynas' Malaysia rare earth refinery project in Kuantan.

http://observers.france24.com/content/20120301-radioactive-pollution-malaysians-australians-lynas-rare-earth-materials-plant-kuantan-waste-protesters

Malaysian Government Confusing Public on Lynas Issue

Press statement by Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) on 1^st March 2012

Government is Confused and is Misleading the Public in relation to the Lynas Rare Earth waste Management Problem

Recent statements by our ministers following the 15,000-strong Himpunan Hijau 2.0 peaceful assembly were erratic, inaccurate and misleading.

Firstly our Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili was reported on 28^th February that waste water from the rare earth plant in the USA has been allowed to discharge directly into the drain.  Molycorp rare earth plant, the only operational plant in the USA was in fact closed down over ten YEARS ago for ground water pollution.  The newly revamped plant has mechanism in place to manage and contain all waste water in-house.  No waste water from the plant will be discharged into any waterways unlike the poorly designed Lynas plant in Gebeng which dump its contaminated water into the Balok River and the South China Sea.

Today, Dato’ Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister of Health reportedly suggested the Lynas’ radioactive waste be shipped back to Australia. Obviously he had not checked with the Australian Government.

The Western Australian Government through the Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore has stated twice – once in answering to questions raised by Greens MP Robin Chapple in April last year, and when asked by journalist last week – that his Government would NOT accept any radioactive waste from another country including that generated by Lynas.

Photograph taken during last year September'2011 theatrical street protest in front of Lynas Corp Perth Office in Australia -
Arms locked & Lie on road to block Lynas rare earth ore transportation to its Malaysia rare earth plant in Gebeng, Kuantan

“It is appalling that our Ministers are making such blatant unsubstantiated statements. They are misleading and confusing the public instead of assuming their duty of care to manage the Lynas problem with prudence.” said Mr Tan Bun Teet, Chairman of SMSL

Minister Liow’s suggestion has essentially contravened Malaysia’s commitment under the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.  It is illegal under international law to transport hazardous waste like that from the Lynas plant across national boundaries.

“It is an embarrassment in the eye of the international media and governments because through the Lynas issue, Malaysia is now being watched and reported regularly around the world!  Malaysia’s governance standard has just been washed down the drain by our very own Ministers.” Added Mr Tan.

SMSL is disappointed and alarmed at the same time by the unprofessional manner in which our Ministers and senior bureaucrats have demonstrated in their inability to tackle the Lynas waste problems to date.

Raja Dato’ Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, the Director General of AELB  has more than once said that the waste produced by LAMP is so safe that you can ‘tabur’ (scatter) it around.

The Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Pahang has claimed that the radioactivity of the waste is no more than that posed by smoking a cigarette or the use of our hand phones, quoting directly from Lynas’ statements.

“AELB is a regulator and the MB is in charge of Pahang’s state affairs. These are supposedly highly responsible positions.  Yet we have people in these positions making such careless and irresponsible statements instead of doing their duty to take care of the country and the state.”  Remarked SMSL Vice Chairman Haji Ismail Abu Bakar.

“It is unfortunate and unacceptable that rakyat and Malaysian tax payers will suffer as a result.  Worse, the state and the country’s future and our economy will also be jeopardised by the bad decision of the current Government.” He added.

Last Sunday’s rally is only a test run for many citizens. The Stop Lynas campaign has gone national in a big way.  The Government’s poor response and irresponsible remarks will only inflamed the situation further.

Mr Tan clarified,

“We are preparing for the legal action.  We want it strong and tight to withstand the scrutiny of the court, the Government and Lynas’ legal team.”

“Lynas will probably pull its next publicity stunt by bringing in its rare earth concentrate to salvage its falling stock in the share market.  SMSL, Kuantan residents and our fellow Malaysians are ready.  We said we would block the ore getting to the plant, and we will.  Now that we know we will not be alone!” Concluded Mr Tan and Haji Ismail.

You'll Never Walk Alone ! - part 2

Thank you for the contribution of ideas and poster designs or any kind in media or finance which can strengthen our movement. 

Please feel free to contact us via email to SaveMalaysia2011@gmail.com or ring our hotline when necessary. 

Below are some infographics which can help others to understand the Lynas issue easily.

Besides, here are somemore useful links :
1. Lynas - Things Malaysians Should Know http://imag.com.my/readstory.php?id=606 

2. Will Malaysians Get Cancer for Your iPhone or Prius?

http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/02/rare-earths-lynas-bukit-merah-malaysia

3. Radioactive Fallout From iPhones and Flat-Screen TVs?

http://motherjones.com/environment/2012/02/rare-earths-lynas-malaysia 

Infograhics : 

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