Lynas to continue operations, says Dr Mahathir

Updated 7 years ago · Published on 30 May 2019 5:36PM · 7 Comments

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the government will renew the licence for Lynas Corp to continue operations in Gebeng. – EPA file pic, May 30, 2019.

AUSTRALIAN rare earths miner Lynas Corp will be allowed to continue operations at its processing plant in Gebeng, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir today.

The government intends to renew the plant’s licence as it involved a large investment, Dr Mahathir said at a press conference in Tokyo which was broadcast on Facebook Live.

“We think we’ll have to renew the licence.

“We will allow Lynas to carry on, otherwise we are going to lose a big investment from Australia,” Dr Mahathir said at a press conference with the Foreign Correspondents Club.

Lynas’ licence is due for renewal in September but has been facing opposition over waste disposal issues.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change has been adamant that Lynas must remove and ship back waste stockpiles to Australia as a precondition to licence renewal, which Australia has rejected.

There are some 450,000 tonnes of radioactive waste accumulated at the plant since it began operations in late 2012.

Dr Mahathir today affirmed that Malaysia still wants Lynas to remove and take back its waste, and if Australia refused, “we are going to talk to them”, adding that an alternative might have to be found if the country still refused.

“If we fail, of course we need to do something with the material, maybe spread it around somewhere so as not to have concentrated radioactive material in one place,” he said.

Earlier this month, despite uncertainty over its licence, Lynas said it would continue with plans to build a permanent disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste from its Gebeng plant in Pahang.

It said Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board has approved its planning framework and site selection.

Lynas has faced consistent opposition from the ruling government’s Kuantan lawmaker Fuziah Salleh as well as green groups since it began operations, over fears of radioactive contamination in the environment. – May 30, 2019.

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Comments

  • ONE man's decision to allow when Ministry of Energy and Science is fighting tooth and nail over this plant. This is a real dictatorial leadership after many opposing to this plant for various health reasons. So Mahathir chooses this as money spinner over the HEALTH of many living in Gebeng and its surrounding. What has gone wrong with his earlier statements of many Najib's projects to shut down and now Mahathir is making a U-Turn. This is not convincing of Mahathir's rule of law.

    So you want to respect money more than the health?? Do you want this to happen like the Japanese plant at Bukit Merah brought so much ill health to the residents there, suffering from cancer and others over period of 10 years. Why not Mahathir run the country solo? You don't need a cabinet to decide because you're treating the Cabinet members as school children.

    Posted 7 years ago by Swaminaidu Venkatasamy · Reply

  • Perhaps its a tit-for-tat for Pahang not voting PH.

    Posted 7 years ago by Elyse Gim · Reply

    • What tit for tat? Who is the Agong now and from where?

      Posted 7 years ago by Swaminaidu Venkatasamy · Reply

  • Very disappointing decision of Dr Mahathir!

    Posted 7 years ago by Jordan Lee · Reply

    • Mahathir cares for money more than health hazardous Lynas Plant. I wonder if 'HEALTH IS WEALTH or WEALTH IS HEALTH'. Let's wait for Kuantan MPs and the people to speak for the Ministry for Energy and Science, Minister Mdm Yeo to answer. Her work, working so hard to prove Lynas is hazardous has been shelved in one minute by Mahathir in Japan. Why in Japan? Anything to do with Japanese?

      Posted 7 years ago by Swaminaidu Venkatasamy · Reply

  • Yes. We should also recall back the rubbish we returned to Canada and Australia as this also involves a lot of money. The waste from Lynas can be dumped to fill the Mines lake near Mahathirs house. The plastic waste can be dumped in the open space next to his house.

    Posted 7 years ago by No Gostan · Reply

    • Is this the CABINET decision? PKR and DAP fought so hard in those years against BN for bringing in Lynas. BN in disguise is ruling the country again under Mahathir. Is there a change of heart after Pahang Sultan has become Agong to have these U-Turns like ECRL? Lims and the gang of Anwar, Ambiga and many other NGOs who fought marching in Kuantan would care to speak now. It appears as if only 2 people are running the government > Mahathir and Daim while others are errand runners. Yeo's much research has been put in the dustbin.

      Posted 7 years ago by Swaminaidu Venkatasamy · Reply