Die Lynas, But Don't Bother To Rest In Peace

Sometimes when time just flies past, it's hard to remember that the Bentong MP, Wong Tack, started out as an activist against Lynas, back in 2012 and even before that.

First they threatened to block Kuantan Port, then they protested a celebration of Australia Day.

If you're going to ask why all that was necessary, you have your answer HERE; brilliantly compiled by Walla.

All that protesting appears to be fruitful as Lynas could possibly be closed down.

The Australian Commissioner to Malaysia calls this closure a 'tragedy'. I know there are a lot of Malaysians who have migrated to Australia for a better life and now call Australia home, but seriously, Australia can go to hell.

Wong Tack does tell them so himself, though in not so many words. "The further threat by the High Commissioner that the closure of Lynas will result in a pullout of Australian investments in Malaysia is an insult to the intelligence and dignity of the Malaysian people."

Does Australia think they are so important to Malaysia? Seriously? Most of the time I don't even remember that Australia exists; they are that insignificant.

Lynas appears to be a welfare queen, on top of that:

a) They were given tax breaks for 12 years by the previoius regime
b) They have no plans to remove their radioactive waste out of Malaysia
c) They have not even paid up their security deposit of USD50mil.

This shows what levels of greed people can stoop to, firstly the previous Malaysian regime who approved everything without considering the needs of its own citizens, the Australian politicians and then finally corporate Australia for whom Malaysian lives do not matter.

Piss off Lynas, and take Australia with you.

Himpunan Hijau Is Focused

I am, as ever, proud of Himpunan Hijau. They are true patriots of Malaysia, and they are aware of how dangerous Lynas Corp is to this nation. They sacrificed their time and energy, braved security, and voiced out their dissatisfaction.

My only regret, from watching the video covering their protest in KiniTV, is that they were too soft in their approach. But what can I say? They are Malaysian.

Believe me, the rest of the world aren't anywhere as subtle as this when they protest an issue.

The Italians burn cars. The Egyptians blow up buildings. The Indonesians burn flags. The Irish throw molotov cocktails. The English loot electronic equipment stores. The Americans throw rocks.

Malaysians just gingerly push past security.

Ah well.

I am disgusted by Australia. Utterly repulsed by the fact that Lynas Corp was one of the main sponsors of the Australia Day function.

And shame on the politicians -- especially those from Pakatan Rakyat who merely boycotted the function instead of protesting alongside the environmentalists.

But that's not what makes my blood boil. This article in The Guardian does.

In the battle that is gripping my community this coming Australia Day, my fifth generation farming family and I are siding with the underdogs against Big Coal. Or rather, they’re siding with us. The forest which bears our family name, our farm and our community are all under threat of devastation from open-cut coal mining.

Coal miner Whitehaven is rolling in the bulldozers to clear thousands of hectares of the Leard State Forest at Maules Creek in northwest NSW. The company has approval to build a new 13m tonne per year open cut coal mine, the largest new mine in NSW.

Out here at Maules Creek, we face a make-or-break fight to defend the core things we value: our forest, land, water and air, our community, and our ability to farm the land. Having exhausted all official avenues, we are rising up as a community this Australia Day weekend and putting ourselves on the line to blockade the mine site.

The Maules Creek coal mine will drop the water table we depend on for our livelihood by five metres. It will dump thousands of tonnes of coal dust on surrounding farms each year. It has divided our once close community, and some environmentalists say the mine will damage the last remaining bushland left on the Liverpool Plains, a biodiversity hotspot with an important koala habitat.

Apparently the writer has issues with "Big Coal". And so he and his kith and kin are going to blockade the mine. "Putting ourselves on the line," he says. So they are physically protesting this invasion (I'll give them that), it seems.

Now coal-mining is nothing compared to rare-earth mining. NOTHING.

This little freak is having a whinge about pollution, deforestation and biodiversity.

But thanks to Lynas Corp, we have all those things to worry about, and ALSO the threat of deformed children, high risk of cancer, and all sorts of other diseases.

What is coal compared to radioactive rare earth? Seriously.

Lynas is using Malaysia as a dumping ground, and because our avaricious politicians don't care about anything but lining their pockets, they have sold this great nation to the wolves.

Are our lives less meaningful than that of the Australians? Are we worthless? Are we inferior?

We are in serious threat of having really bad things happen to us. But why are we so apathetic?

Are we distracted by the cost of living, crime and the 'Allah' issue?

More Info About Rare Earth Refining In Malaysia

It turns out that the Germans have done some research on the rare-earth refining in Malaysia.

And as we suspected, it's not good news. An excerpt from the press release states:

The scientists at Oeko-Institute evaluate the detected deficiencies as very serious. Those deficiencies should have been already detected in the licensing process, when the application documents were being checked. However the operator received a construction license in 2008 and a temporary operating license in 2012.

You might be curious to know what Thorium is, if you've never heard of it.

Read the press release HERE.

Toxic Waste In Kuantan

RARE EARTH 17 Dec 2012
The Toxic Waste That's Not In Our Back Yard
By Wendy Bacon

Australian-owned company Lynas is quietly shipping rare earth to a processing plant in Malaysia - without a firm plan in place to dispose of dangerous radioactive waste.

If a manufacturing plant involving radioactive materials moved into your community, one of the first things you would ask is, "what’s going to happen to the waste?"

This is exactly how residents of Kuantan on Malaysia’s east coast reacted when the Australian company Lynas announced plans to build LAMP, the world’s biggest rare earth processing plant in their area.

Several years later, they have no clear answer. Indeed last week, while the plant that will use concentrate imported from Lynas’s rare earth mine at Mount Weld in Western Australia was finally ramping up for production, the Malaysian Government and the company were in direct conflict about what would happen to the waste.

On 8 November, after two years of delays caused by court challenges and inquiries, a halt on a temporary licence granted to protesting citizens in September was lifted. Five days later, Lynas secretly moved 100 containers of rare earth concentrate from a depot at Bilbra Lake and quietly shipped them through Fremantle Port. The containers were unloaded and delivered under police escort to the $800 million plant on 22 November.

Read the rest here: The Toxic Waste That's Not In Our Back Yard

Oh, and by the way, the three Kuantan residents have failed their bid to obtain a stay of the government’s decision to issue the temporary operating licence (TOL) to Lynas Malaysia.

The judges at the Court of Appeal upheld the Kuantan High Court decision as “correct in fact and in law" and have now ordered costs of RM20,000 to be paid by the residents.

Half was awarded to jointly to Lynas Malaysia and Lynas Corporation (the Australian side), and the rest to science, technology and innovation minister and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board.

That is Malaysian justice for you.

10,000 Or 20,000 -- Does It Matter?

Malaysians from all walks of life came out again, in support of Himpunan Hijau's protest against Lynas, the rare earth mining company from Australia.

The crowd was spectacular, and I don't think the organisers themselves expected such support.

TheSun reported a crowd of 10,000 but I have since learned to read into MSM reporting.

I hope the government is listening. We don't want Lynas.

Green Walk Participants Swell to 2,000 in KL

Participants swell to 2,000 as long march reaches KL

Lee Long Hui 5:26PM Nov 24, 2012

DAY 12 - GOMBAK The heavy downpour early this morning failed to dampen the spirit of the Himpunan Hijau marchers, who resumed their journey from the outskirt of Kuala Lumpur today as their numbers swelled to about 2,000 people.

It rained since 5am at Taman Rimba, Gombak, where the marchers set up camp the previous night. Nevertheless, the participants pressed on, armed with umbrellas, straw hats and rain coats.

The marchers kicked off their journey at 8.30am with about 500 people in tow, and the number soon multiplied with more joining in when the rain stopped three hours later.

According to Himpunan Hijau Facebook page, the marchers formed a 2km-long line as they walked towards the capital city.

Some vehicles which passed the marchers repeatedly blew their horn as a show of support.

The team reached the Karak Highway's Gombak toll plaza at around 11.30am after walking 10km, where they took a short break, occupying a small lane next to the toll.

They then continued their journey to their next stop - the former PAS headquarters at Taman Melewar, Gombak.

Fifteen kilometres and three and a half hours later, the crowd got there by late afternoon.

They were welcomed with food and drinks prepared by PAS members.

The marchers will stay overnight in the main hall of the building before making their final leg of their long march tomorrow.

Final 300 metres 'too much'

Speaking to the press at the toll plaza, Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack said the organisers decided to kick off today's journey half an hour earlier as the rain would slow down the marchers.

In respond to Kuala Lumpur City Hall's requirement for Himpunan Hijau to apply for permission to camp at Dataran Merdeka - the final destination - Wong (left) insisted that the marchers have the right to gather there.

"They should allow citizens to express their view. After all, that's the real meaning of 'merdeka'," he said, adding that the people are not afraid of potential harassment from the police when they finally get there.

The marchers are scheduled to arrive at the iconic Dataran at 4pm tomorrow, where they hope to hold a meeting with members of parliament the next day.

Wong has requested the parliamentarians to walk to Dataran from Parliament House to meet the marchers at 9am on Monday.

According to him, the final 300 metres would be "too much" for those who have already walked 300km over the past two weeks to get to Kuala Lumpur.

"In fact, 9am is considered late... they can see us at 9pm in the evening (on Sunday). That's a better time as the people can then rest and have a nice evening," he said.

 

The Green Walk -- Kuantan To KL

I've always had tremendous respect for people who stand up for what they believe in.

Wong Tack is one such man.

He has sworn to blockade the port to prevent rare earth coming in from Australia (gaining the attention of even New York Times), and now he has taken up a walk from his hometown in Kuantan to the parliament in KL.

It is no small feat. We are talking about 300KM, and given the Malaysian dependence on cars and the climate that we have, it is quite an extraordinary effort.

He has since been joined by about 80 others.

They are doing well so far.

“It is tiring, but spirits are high and everybody is sharing this energy. We are starting to recover from our initial injuries and our muscles are building up, we can continue stronger,” Wong told FMT.

At this point in time, I don't think it is merely the physical exertion that would be playing on their minds.

It's the mental, emotional and spiritual capacity to go on fighting against an enemy that is far stronger than they are.

An enemy that is very keen on making economical profits of epic proportions and holds strong political sway.

The question playing in their minds right now, would probably be, "Is it worth it?"

I beseech any Malaysian reading this right now, if there is any way you could contribute or give support to this effort, please do.

And share this page with your friends.

There Are Good Australians

From Malaysiakini:

Australians join Malaysians in opposing Lynas TOL

1:10PM Sep 13, 2012

Two members of the Western Australian Green Legislative Council have joined together with the large number of Malaysians who oppose the imminent shipment of radioactive ore from Mount Weld in Australia, to be processed at the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, Kuantan.

Lynn MacLaren from the South Metropolitan Region and Robin Chapple for the Mining and Pastoral region, in their joint statement, said the history of the Lamp plant has been fraught with difficulty and opposition from Malaysians.

“They are unwilling to be recipient of Australia's contaminated wastes and have consistently protested the plant in various gatherings of up to 15,000 people. Despite the widespread concerns on the plant and its disposal of its radioactive wastes, a two-year temporary licence has been issued,” they said.

Chapple further added this approval seems like the sanctioning of an Australian mining company making use of lax environmental controls and governance arrangements in a developing country.

“To my mind it has not gone through a rigorous environmental process and should not have been issued. This is a poor representation of Australian notions of ‘fair play’ and good corporate citizenship and one that it seems our state government is paying little mind to,” he said.

Rock On, Activists!

From New York Times:

KUALA LUMPUR — Activists who have waged a lengthy campaign against a rare earth refinery in Malaysia refused to back down Thursday after the authorities gave the Australian company behind the project the green light to proceed.

One group, Himpunan Hijau, has vowed to blockade the port in the Malaysian town of Kuantan, near the plant, if the company, Lynas, tries to import the raw earth materials from Australia.

"We are prepared to paralyze the whole port until the raw materials leave our port," said Wong Tack, chairman of the group. "The world will witness one of the biggest civil disobedience events in this nation."

The Lynas plant has had several regulatory and construction delays as opponents and local residents have held protests and taken legal action because of their concerns that the plant could produce harmful radiation. Lynas has denied that there will be any radiation hazards.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board of Malaysia said Wednesday that it had decided to issue Lynas a two-year, temporary operating license because the company met all technical and regulatory requirements.

Read the rest: Opponents of Malaysia Rare Earth Plant Promise to Protest

P.S. Do you still remember why this project is being pushed ahead in spite of all the public discontent? Now you know why.

Block Kuantan Port, Dammit!

Finally, someone with testicular fortitude is willing to teach the greedy UMNO politicians who have sold out the nation a lesson.

Environmental action group Himpunan Hijau has vowed to blockade Kuantan Port if Australian rare earths miner Lynas starts to ship ores into the country for processing at the controversial Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp).

"I will guarantee that their ore shipments will not slip past our blockade. We will mount the biggest civil disobedience event ever seen in the country and get all the groups together.

"The port of Kuantan will not be operational as long as the ore is there," vowed Himpunan Hijau chairperson Wong Tack.

Good on you, mate. You have my support.

The nerve of the politicians to bypass the courts and issue licenses!!

Shameless, greedy, profligate, avaricious bastards!

Lynas: Introspect Of Why

A CRANKSHAFT reader, Walla, has some valid concerns which he has kindly compiled for the benefit of all readers.

Some preliminary concerns on the project:

(a) where is the environmental impact assessment on the Gebeng refinery, especially with regards the disposal of the waste?

If the Australian government can make public to its citizens two environment impact assessment requirements for the Lynas mining operation where the rare earths are merely to be concentrated for final processing, why can't we have the environmental impact assessment requirement for the final processing phase where toxic waste and harmful byproducts will be deposited?

Ref: http://is.gd/lzD4zj and http://is.gd/7PoRXI

The government has suggested that the waste be shipped back to Australia. A moment's thought will tell you if Lynas is willing to ship it back to Australia, they would not have set up the plant in Malaysia in the first place.

Furthermore, the very fact the government can make that suggestion says as much it is not confident of defending any environmental impact assessment in its hand.

So we come to the next question:

(b) why did Lynas not set up the last segment of the refining process in its complex in Laverton Western Australia in the first place since that would have reduced their costs of having to pre-concentrate the ore, pack it, transport it by road and rail to their loading port, and ship it all the way across the ocean to Kuantan to be offloaded and transported to Gebeng to be processed whereupon ship back the rare products minus the waste to be sold and exported?

There can only be one answer. Yes, they don't want the waste in Australia. So what cause does Malaysia have to want it as well? Can anyone in the Malaysian Cabinet furnish a reasonable answer?

Which brings me to another matter:

(c) Pahang gets monsoonal floods. Gebeng is in Pahang. The Lynas plant is in Gebeng. The plant is being constructed on flat land open to floods (remember Thailand).

We can see for ourselves how flat and low-lying the site is:

http://is.gd/E6BdNa

In a bad case scenario, your conclusion then will be that our locals will be having their seafood impregnated with the sodium sulphide reagent used to concentrate the lanthanide ore that has come all the way from Mt Weld of Western Australia. That they will also be losing their hair and teeth at the same time cannot be entirely excluded.

So it remains to take one more step back on this matter:

(d) why all the rush?

Lynas is pushing the project through as quickly as possible. It is finalising its phase two expansion of its extraction plant where output is to be some 22,000 MT/year. In fact, 5,000 MT is ready to be shipped over.

Maybe the answer for the rush is geopolitical. Japan is 97% dependent on China for rare earth elements necessary for its high-tech products.

That was why the Japanese trading house SojiTz Corporation with the full and eager blessing of the Japanese government had pumped into Lynas Corporation USD325 million just in time to shore up the company after it had suffered ten years of financial distress including the collapse of one funding deal after it had acquired the Mt Weld rare earths mine at the height of the global financial crisis.

For that investment, Sojitz Corporation will get marketing rights to at least 8,500 MT of rare earths a year over 10 years and Lynas expects to corner at least 8% of the world's rare earth supply.

Also note that the main processing unit are the rotary kilns in the Gebeng plant. They are supplied by Toyo-Thai.

It therefore seems this Lynas plant in Gebeng has nothing to do with Malaysian interests. After all, the planned headcount is only some 300 locals, and the value-add to our trade figures will be marginal since we won't own the final product. Only Japan and Australia will own the final product. Malaysia will only be the dumping ground, and like Malawi the other country where Lynas has an operation, probably the two M's will be left with the dishwater.

Maybe Lynas just went through the list of countries starting from A down to L, and then when it reached M, Malawi and Malaysia said "yes". The question is - why did everyone else say "no"? If Japan was so eager for the Lynas supply to proceed, why not have the refining on Japanese soil if it has been assured to be safe?

In the end, Japan will get another source of rare earths for its high technology, Australia will gain traction from the US as a new world source of rare earths, Lynas Corporation will see its share price rise in value, its shareholders will disdain their usual lobsters for caviar, and the citizens of Malaysia, especially those who live and work in the vicinity of Lynas Malaysia will get:

Note the photos of the Gebeng plant. It's not high-tech at all. More like, you know, something for Syabas or Alam Flora. Say, radioactive sewage?

The government of this country owes the rakyat of Malaysia a full restitution on the matter.

Together with all the other issues like the NPC, Felda and 1Care, this Lynas issue will sink BN in the forthcoming GE13.

Himpunan Hijau 2.0 -- How Many Were There?

It's safe to say that there were at least 5000 in Kuantan.

And in KL, the numbers were massive. Any KL blogger's site would be testament to that.

Lynas is an easy issue -- it's about pure unadulterated greed of politicians and using Malaysia as a dumping ground for toxic waste that even Australia wouldn't put up with.

It's about time we begin to agree on other issues like race and religion as well.

Now You Know Why .....

... Lynas is being stubbornly hailed as a necessity in terms of job opportunities etc, in spite of the danger it poses.

Because Dr M's son Mokhzani holds a significant share in Lynas!

PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has an ulterior motive for supporting the Lynas rare earth project, claimed an NGO.

“Mahathir’s eldest son Mokhzani Mahathir, the CEO of Kencana Petroleum has a large stake in the Lynas rare earth refinery project, said the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL).

Its spokesperson, Steven Hang, said: “Kencana Torsco Sdn Bhd is a subsidiary of Kencana Petroleum that won lucrative contracts from Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

“Kencana Torsco is involved the design, fabrication, lining, supply, installation, and commissioning of carbon steel and stainless steel tanks worth RM9.1 million for the project.”

Hang made this claims based on facts obtained from Bloomberg Businessweek, a US-based business website portal.

Read the rest here: ‘Dr M has vested interest in Lynas’

Construction Flaws In Lynas Refinery

I don't want to sidetrack from the main issue in these past few weeks, but I thought there may be some of you out there (especially those in Kuantan) who might be interested in this article from the New York Times.

Of main concern is this: The Fear of a Toxic Rerun

But the construction and design may have serious flaws, according to the engineers, who also provided memos, e-mail messages and photos from Lynas and its contractors. The engineers said they felt a professional duty to voice their safety concerns, but insisted on anonymity to avoid the risk of becoming industry outcasts.

The problems they detail include structural cracks, air pockets and leaks in many of the concrete shells for 70 containment tanks, some of which are larger than double-decker buses. Ore mined deep in the Australian desert and shipped to Malaysia would be mixed with powerful acids to make a slightly radioactive slurry that would be pumped through the tanks, with operating temperatures of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

The engineers also say that almost all of the steel piping ordered for the plant is made from standard steel, which they describe as not suited for the corrosive, abrasive slurry. Rare earth refineries in other countries make heavy use of costlier stainless steel or steel piping with ceramic or rubber liners.

This sounds like a serious hazard.

Memorandum Against Lynas Handed Over To Aussie High Commission

Folks were at KLCC at 2:30pm. About 500 of them.

So were the police and FRU.

But somehow, the protesters managed to make their way to the Australian High Commission.

The High Commission asked the crowd to send representatives to hand over the memorandum.

At least that went well.

I hope Lynas takes our grievances seriously.

Lynas Must Reveal Details

From FRIENDS OF THE EARTH AUSTRALIA:

--------------------
Concerns are increasing in Malaysia over the construction of the rare earths processing facility at Kuantan. Four people were arrested opposing the development last weekend and over 1000 people demonstrated against the construction of the facility two weeks ago.

"Clearly the local residents are not happy at all about this development. It is clear that this problem is escalating, which in turn could threaten the viability of the project", said Ms Lowrey.

"We fear that the Malaysian Government may enforce harsh measures against protesters of which Lynas will be fully responsible."

There are a number of issues that the company must answer including release of a full environmental assessment for the site.

"Lynas has not made this information publicly available before embarking on the construction of the Kuantan site which could indicate that they have something to hide" said Ms Lowrey.

Mia Pepper, nuclear free campaigner, Conservation Council of Western Australia said "There are a lot of un-answered questions about the plans for radioactive waste disposal from this project, the secrecy is unacceptable and the dangers to health are all too familiar."

The Malaysian community is calling for the plant to be stopped, highlighting concerns regarding a similar Mitsubishi (Asian Rare Earth) plant located on the other side of the Malay Peninsula at Bukit Merah which closed in 1992 after years of sometimes violent demonstrations, several leukemia cases and a $100 million costly cleanup.

The rare earths project is also causing issues in Western Australia.

Ms Pepper said, "Radioactive thorium 232 will also be transported through Fremantle in hessian bags, the same method used by Magellan to transport lead which caused lead contamination outside shipping containers until Magellan was forced to shut down. It's not good enough for WA and it's not good enough for Malaysia."

--------------------

Please read the full article on the website - I think you'd be interested to know more.

I'm just glad that there are people - non-Malaysians - who care about the well-being of Malaysians.

Believe me, the Malaysian government really does not give a flying duck.

Lynas Walk Today!

The solidarity walk is today at 2:30pm from KLCC to the Australian
embassy.

Meanwhile, check out the intellectual prowess of readers of the
MCA-owned newspaper:

http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=35242

Why complain about Australia's Lynas?

Can anyone answer ahvincent?

Walk Against Lynas

To all Malaysians in KL,

Don't forget to lend your support to our fellow Malaysians from Kuantan in their fight against the controversial and hazardous rare earth processing plant.

Please mark your diary and be there in solidarity.

Date: Friday, May 20
Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Venue: Kuala Lumpur City Centre

For more information about this cause, please visit the Facebook page

Lynas - Go Back To Australia!!!

I have, in the past, stated that I am a firm believer of progress and development.

But a rare earth refinery plant is not my idea of progress. Not in a small town like Kuantan, in a small country like Malaysia. There are too many risks involved and not worth the perks.

Lynas is an Australian company based in Sydney. Most of the material comes from Mount Weld in Western Australia, the richest known deposit of Rare Earths in the world.

So why are they refining it in Malaysia, across the sea - far, far away? Why don't they just refine it in Australia?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: AUSTRALIA

Enclosed by giant rats, babykiller dingos, scorpions, and scorching desert is a whole lot of ... nothing.

That, in my opinion, is a fine place to build a refinery.

Sure, it will be grossly inconvenient to have to transport up the raw materials there, to convince people to go and work there, and to build the facilities to support the operations.

But at least any waste disposal in the middle of nowhere, in my opinion, would not be harmful to the people, not in the same magnitude that unmanaged waste would be in Kuantan.

You see, it is prestty clear to me, that at the end of the day, it is not about human safety. It is about profits. It costs far more to pay Australian labour than cheap Malaysian labour.

It would be more costly to transport materials into the middle of nowhere and build those facilities - even if it is safer for human beings.

If you ask me, I don't think the Australians would put up with those sort of risks. They are much firmer with their government than we are with ours. We have given our government too much leeway.

People, we need to protest this as strongly as we can. Lynas must never go into operations in Malaysia.

RELATED: Special Delivery

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