Lynas faces protests by Malaysians at Sydney Headquarters

Action Alert
Save Malaysia - Stop Lynas Committee (Malaysia) and Friends of the Earth (Australia)

Location: 56 Pitt Street, Sydney – outside Lynas corporate headquarters

Time: 1.00 to 2.00pm, Tuesday July 5th

Action: A large delegation of 12 people from Malaysia demand Sydney-based mining company cease construction of a toxic ‘rare earth’ plant with a theatrical action with signs and props to demonstrate the impacts of the Lynas plant.

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Photos, video and background information available on request.

A delegation of twelve Malaysians affected by the Lynas Advanced Material Plant have arrived in Sydney to begin a week-long tour to raise awareness in Australia, meet with politicians in Canberra, and directly challenge the Sydney-based company.

Lynas is currently constructing the world’s largest rare earth refinery in the industrial estate of Gebeng, near the Port of Kuantan, several kilometres from the South China Sea. 

The plant will produce 22,000 tonnes of rare earth oxides every year, leaving behind 230,000 tonnes of toxic waste enough to fill 126 Olympic-sized swimming pools every year. The solid waste contains heavy metals and other toxic substances.  It also contains 106 tonnes radioactive thorium and some uranium.

An estimated 700,000 people live within 30 kilometres of the plant.

Bun-Teet Tan, Chairperson of ‘Save Malaysia – Stop Lynas Committee’ says, “We have travelled here to bring home to the Australian public and Lynas corporation that the people of Kuantan do not want this refinery.  Our beautiful and peaceful city of Kuantan and the coastal villages and resorts will go into decline if the refinery goes ahead.”

Professor Dr Chee-Khoon Chan, an award-winning epidemiologist and health expert at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Malaya says, “I have researched on the health risks and implication of the refinery and it is not safe.”

Dr Ka-Kheng Tan is a chemical engineer with previous campaigning experience at Malaysia’s last toxic rare earth processing plant at Bukit Merah.  It was closed in 1992 and remains one of Asia’s largest radioactive waste cleanup sites. He was jailed without trial under Malaysian’s draconian Internal Security Act for nearly two years. 

Dr Tan says, “The Lynas refinery plan is creating another human rights problem in Malaysia.  I fear as opposition to the plant grows – and it is rapidly gaining momentum – that heavy handed ways will be deploy to stifle dissent.”

Holly Creenaune of Friends of the Earth Sydney says, “Lynas mine the ‘rare earth’ here in Australia, and plan to process the ore and dump the toxic waste on Malaysian communities.  From the proposed ‘refugee solution’ to radioactive waste, Malaysia is fast becoming Australia’s dumping ground.  Australians must put pressure on Lynas to stop construction of the Kuantan plant.”