LYNAS CORP MUST SHIFT WASTE DISPOSAL SITE, says PM

March 02, 2012

Najib said the waste storage site will be “far away” from Gebeng. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — Australian miner Lynas Corp has been told to relocate its waste disposal site away from its Gebeng rare earth refinery and local communities, said Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The prime minister said this did not mean that the rare earth project and its residue are harmful. Two days ago, Najib said the Lynas refinery was scientifically and factually safe.

But he said the directive was made after taking into consideration the psychological and emotional effects on the community.

“The location is still being determined but it is going to be far away. We have studied the Lynas project and we have come out with scientific evidence endorsed by local and international experts, that the Lynas plant and rare earth residue are safe.

“But we are also aware this issue have caused emotional and psychological concern among the people, and also that it has been politically exploited. Therefore, the government has decided to make this move,” Najib told reporters at Wakaf Mek Zainab in Kota Baru.

The government has been under pressure from groups, most recently Himpunan Hijau 2.0, to shut down the rare earth project over safety fears. But Putrajaya has stood its ground on the project that was first earmarked for Terengganu.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told the Sin Chew Daily yesterday that Lynas will have to send the waste back to Australia even though the Western Australian government has said it will not take back the residue from the ore mined from Mount Weld in the state.

Putrajaya has been adamant about the plant that will employ up to 400 workers. Lynas will also get a 12-year tax holiday for the facility.

Source: The Malaysian Insider

WHAT IS LYNAS??

Many people asking what is Lynas about? for the first i hear it, i also don't know what it mean.

So I went on Google and found that, “Oh, it’s about rare earth”.

Huh? What?

“Rare earth. You don’t know what’s rare earth?”

No?

“Dumbass”. And we continued drinking.

Later, we got home, watched a few episodes of Homeland (truly awesome series, btw) and now G has collapsed in bed.

For some reason, I’m still not ready to sleep. Probably has something to do with the couple of candy bars and a packet of pork scratchings I inhaled while watching TV. So I ended up googling “Lynas”.

The more I read what I read, the sicker I felt in my guts.

Why?

1. Lynas is basically an Australian company that’s building a $230 million rare earth processing plant in a location called Gebeng that’s about 30km from the town of Kuantan, Pahang. The project has been approved by our government.

2. So what is “rare earth”? From the little that I’ve read….oh, nothing much. Just a beautiful, politically correct name for natural occurring minerals that are RADIOACTIVE.

3. In a nutshell, what this Kuantan-based Lynas plant will do is remove radioactive elements from the rare earth minerals so that what’s left can be used in various industries, namely electronics.

4. When a part of something is removed, there will be waste. In the case of Lynas, radioactive elements will be removed from rare earth minerals resulting in a humongous amount of RADIOACTIVE waste; in the form of gas, liquid and solids.

5. Lynas is not sending the radioactive waste back to Australia, because the government of Australia forbids it. So yeap, it will be disposed in Malaysia.

6. Errrr…how will it be disposed?

7. Some said the radioactive waste will be dumped into the South China Sea. Some said it will be dumped on open ground just like what happened in Bukit Merah. Yeah, I know right, I also didn’t know that we actually had experienced radioactive disaster in our very own Malaysia too!

8. Then I immediately googled “How far does radiation spread?”. Basically, 50km radius is YOU ARE SCREWED ZONE.

9. And crap, it doesn’t stop spreading. The radioactive levels just get lesser as it gets further but THEY DON’T STOP.

10. Which means, although we are 260kms away from Lynas in the comfort of Klang Valley, we are all also at risk.

11. I have relatives in Mentakab and they are a pretty far 140kms away but for them to just be in the same negeri/state concerns me.

12. Our food sources, seafood sources, water sources….they are all at risk.

13. Let me put it this way, if the Japanese can fail to defend their own nuclear power plant, how much faith should I put into our government and in the Ozzies for ensuring a radioactive disaster-free life?

14. 5 years? 15? 25? 30 years is about the maximum and bloody hell, I should still be alive then, possibly with grandchildren.

15. Or not, cause exposure to radiation affects fertility.

I believe we should tell everyone we know what Lynas is. Read up about it. Speak out. Don’t ignore your gut feelings.

# – By the way, the Himpunan Hijau 2.0, a peaceful protest against Lynas plant is happening today at these locations:

And that’s what an average dumbass such as I, thinks about it.