Protect rakyat, not Lynas
SCIENCE, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that Lynas must “start” the process of developing a permanent disposal facility (PDF) for its toxic, radioactive water leach purification (WLP) waste by March next year, failing which, the company’s operating licence will be revoked.
“Start” is meaningless. It appears that this sort of lenient, unclear and open-ended condition was set just to accommodate Lynas in order to facilitate its continued operations in the country. It is clearly not meant to protect the people’s safety and interests.
What’s more important is not when the construction of the PDF “starts”, but when it will be completed and all radioactive waste can be safely disposed of.
On August 15 last year, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board said the “construction of the PDF has to be expedited to minimise the risks posed by the pile of WLP waste, which has exceeded 580,000 tonnes, in the temporary residue storage facility, which is exposed to the threat of natural disasters, like massive floods”.
Regulation 21 of the Atomic Energy Licensing (Radioactive Waste Management) Regulations 2011 stipulates that radioactive waste must not be stored in areas prone to natural disasters.
The minister must exercise his duties to protect the people by ensuring that this law is enforced without further delay.
Until today, the people are still in the dark as to the exact location of the PDF site. We don’t know whether studies on the suitability of the location have been carried out. What happens if the site chosen is not suitable, or unacceptable to the people?
As clearly stated by the International Atomic Energy Agency in its 2011 mission report on Lynas, which the government claims the firm has complied with, the location of the PDF must be determined in consultation with stakeholders before Lynas is allowed to start operations.
Unless these issues are ironed out, the government should not allow Lynas to generate more radioactive waste in our land. – July 17, 2020.
* Wong Tack is Bentong MP
*********
kt notes: Wasn't it the PH government under the anti-environmental Mahathir who allowed Lynas to continue operations? Didn't Minister Kipas identify the PDF already?
so u dickhead just take over each other role?
ReplyDeleteAaahh finally after being caught a few times for misleading readers by paraphrasing the title and hijacking their blog......KT stops that sneaky tactic.....
ReplyDeleteBut KT still chooses to selectively highlight facts. He quotes Khairy as saying Lynas must start developing the PDF facility but fails to highlight it was PH that tightened the rules under which Lynas has to operate. Poor Khairy had to embark on a lengthy speech which avoided answering Yeo Bee Yin's direct question in parliament and use up time to stop follow-up questions by PKR's Fuziah.
Khairy Boh Lam Phar.....
In an Oxbridge debate: Cambridge 1-0 Oxford
QUOTE
You didn't answer my question, Yeo tells Khairy in Dewan Rakyat
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (BN-Rembau) was engaged in a lengthy answer in Parliament today when asked by former minister Yeo Bee Yin (Harapan-Bakri) if he agreed that the conditions for Lynas to continue operating its rare earth plant were now stricter than under BN’s rule. Instead of directly answering this aspect of Yeo’s question, Khairy chose to focus on whether or not there were any conditions under which Lynas could lose its licence.
UNQUOTE
When PH came into office on May 8, 2018, the mountain of Lynas waste was already existing. Lynas had already been operating for 6 years.
ReplyDeleteThat is how the man-made mountain came into being.
So Ktemoc don't try to twist the narrative as to responsibility.