By G Vinod | May 19, 2011 Free Malaysia Today
PETALING JAYA: Two Australian environmental groups believe that the Lynas rare earth mine in Kuantan would leave a toxic legacy for decades.
The environmental groups – Friends of the Earth Australia and the Conservation Council of Western Australia – said that by not revealing the data before embarking on the project in Kuantan, company has something to hide.
The groups in a joint statement said they want the Kuantan project stopped until the company reveals its environmental assessment data of the site. In its criticism against Lynas Corporation Limited, Friends of the Earth Australia spokesperson Natalie Lowrey said it was improper for Lynas to withhold details on how it plans to manage its radioactive components from public scrutiny.
“By not revealing the data before embarking on the project in Kuantan, it indicates they have something to hide. We believe the project would leave a toxic legacy for decades,” said Lowrey.
Conservation Council of Western Australia spokesperson Mia Pepper said Australians were also concerned as Lynas plans to ship its thorium to Malaysia via the Fremantle port in Western Australia.
“And the thorium will be transported through hessian bags, the same method used by Magellan to transport lead which caused lead contamination outside its shipping containers,” said Pepper.
In January, Magellan Metals, a base metal mining company in Western Australia, was forced to shut down temporarily after leaks of toxic lead were detected in rail containers at Fremantle port.
Malaysians are calling for the project to be stopped, highlighting concerns regarding a similar plant in Bukit Merah which closed in 1992 after years of public protests.
The Bukit Merah plant had been linked to eight leukemia cases with seven deaths so far. The plant operator, Mitsubishi Chemicals, is still running a massive RM300 million clean-up operation in the area.
Yesterday, Western Australia MP Lynn MacLaren had called on the State Transport Minister, Troy Buswell, to stop the shipment of Lynas’ Thorium deposits to Malaysia.
She said that the Malaysian rare earth project was currently being reviewed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) due to public concerns about radiation health and safety.