Thursday, July 14, 2011

Malaysiakini - Anti-Lynas group ends trip with 'disappointment'

Jul 14, 11 8:18am

Kuantan-based Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) movement today expressed its disappointment with Lynas CEO Nicholas Curtis following a meeting with him at the rare earth mining company's headquarters in Australia.

NONEIn a statement, SMSL said the meeting yielded nothing new as Curtis (right) had merely repeated the points that were already aired through a public relations video on Youtube.

"He (Curtis) tried to justify Lynas' presence here (in Malaysia) by basing his argument entirely on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report," the group said.

A nine-member panel to review the RM700 million Lynas Gebeng plant in Pahang, set up by the government under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), had declared the plant 'safe'.

However, it listed 11 conditions for compliance by the government, state agency Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and Lynas, before the pre-operating licence is to be granted.

The anti-Lynas group had criticised the report, claiming that the scope of recommendations issue was too narrow.

Six-day trip to Australia

The meeting with Curtis was part of a six-day trip to Australia to gather support to prevent Lynas from operating its rare-earth refinery plant in Malaysia.

After concluding its trip on Monday, the group announced it has learnt of additional options at its disposal to aid its struggle to stop Lynas as well as to secure help from Australian parliamentarians.

"We had very fruitful discussions and we were promised that there will be follow-up actions on their part to bring forth the issue in the next sitting (of Parliament)," the group said.

SMSL added that despite all its efforts, an easier solution to this problem lies in the hands of voters.

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