People can say what they like but the truth is Malaysians are being suckered again, and more dangerously this time, when they may lose their health and lives.

If the Lynas rare earth project is as safe as its apologists claim, why does it need to shift the stuff all the way to Malaysia for processing?

Western Australia where the rare earth is located in Mt Weld is experiencing its greatest mining boom Australia has ever known.

So how come they are not shipping its gold and other minerals to Malaysia for processing even when the country is desperately short of skilled labour and China is also its foremost customer?

The truth is many Australians are dead against the nuclearisation of their country and any sort of dumping of radioactive waste.

Why the government has allowed the Lynas project to take place is against all sound logic.

I was having lunch recently in Australia and spotted a diner next to our table who proudly wore the now familiar black and yellow 'Save Malaysia - Stop Lynas' T-shirt.

"Where did you get the T-shirt?" I asked. And he was soon sitting beside our table telling us about his meeting with some Australian engineers who were shocked that the Lynas project was taking place in Malaysia and his sadness that many Malaysians are still ignorant of the huge risks.

He was just a concerned Malaysian with a pricked conscience and believed he had a duty to help those residents who can't help themselves against big business and a bad government decision.

If the authorities cannot stop a cement factory located in residential areas from polluting the surroundings what chance does it have of controlling an even riskier activity?

The tragic aftermath of the Bukit Merah fiasco is still evident and you would have thought the government would have learned a valuable lesson and been more considerate of the people's fears.

In Japan today the Japanese people have lost faith in their government's guarantees and suspect their food has been poisoned by the Fukushima nuclear fallout.

Japanese rice and seafood have high levels of radiation and the people are incredulous of government assurances.

"The government only tells us lies," one Japanese complained and we suffer. The truth is the Fukushima radioactive particles have all but poisoned the entire planet just like what Chernobyl did and today Russians are still suffering from its radioactive ramifications.

Something is drastically wrong when people are seen as opposing the government which ought to be at the forefront of protecting the people's welfare instead of taking sides with a company against them.

But in allowing Lynas to use Pahang for a high risk venture and a potential 'death site' for the environment and innocent residents nearby, it is playing Russian roulette with their lives and the country's environment.

Not many of us are scientific experts but we have common sense that counts in the end. Pure common sense dictates you can't have a high-risk industry without paying a high price.

It is too late when years later the government apologises for its mistakes when the corpses of victims pile up.

Why take the risk?

The risks far outweigh the benefits and the creation of jobs cannot be a valid reason. Malaysia should set the example of not allowing any high-risk industry to be established in the country.

Years ago even New Zealand took the unprecedented step of barring American nuclear warships from using its ports. The protest should not be politicised along party lines but be seen as a genuine people protest against a potential environmental Trojan Horse.

You can't aim to be a primary producing country yet endanger everything by having a high risk venture in your backyard. The Aussies must be laughing at Malaysians all the way to the bank.

They want to send all their undesirables from boat people to dangerous materials to Malaysia - the new dumping ground of Asia. Is Malaysia going to be the destination for all high-risk industries soon?

It is not about being alarmist or paranoid but being sensible and wise and considerate of the residents whose welfare should be of utmost concern, not the financial welfare of a foreign company.

The entire country is at risk not just the nearby residents.

Radioactive or dangerous chemicals industries have proven to have dire consequences should something go wrong and we have seen it happen in Russia, India, Japan and even in Malaysia.

The government has failed the people where Lynas is concerned. It has failed to explain why it thinks the health and lives of the people are worth the risk.

It is easy to say something is safe when you are not the one facing the ill-effects of something that goes wrong.

Perhaps it is why some government-connected goons are busy assaulting journalists and protestors in an unlawful effort to scare them off.

Do some politicians have a vested interest in the Lynas project? So why are they so defensive of Lynas?

I would even go to the extent of calling for a thorough investigation into the whole Lynas project from its approval process to all scientific considerations of safety and other factors and eventually the vital question of why Malaysia?

If more Malaysians are aware of the potential health and environmental risks the public outrage would be more intensive and widespread.

The cost and benefit to Malaysia especially for the environment and people is dismally disproportionate.

Is Malaysia being sold out by the authorities to foreign interests? Are vested interests reaping financial rewards at the expense of the environment and ordinary Malaysians, just as its rainforests are being ransacked for the benefit of politicians without conscience?

The anti-Lynas protests must also be taken to the Australian government and the Australian people and everyone who believes that the welfare of the environment and nearby residents far outweigh the financial adventures of any company.

I do not think anyone in his right mind wants to be anti-development but there are certain developments that by the nature of their operations pose such high risks to human and environmental health as to deserve the most stringent tests before they can be approved, if at all.

There is no gain for Malaysia except those who may directly or indirectly benefit from the Lynas project and there should be an inquiry into how the project was approved and on what rationale, I reiterate.

The principle of opposing the Lynas project is akin to protecting the country's sovereignty. Why is Malaysia being used as a test ground for high-risk foreign industries?

For the sake of the country the government should seriously ban all high-risk industries such as the Lynas project and focus on those economic activities that do not endanger the environment and the health of Malaysians.

Someone is making money at the expense of risking the health of the environment and Malaysian lives. "Save Malaysia - Stop Lynas" is the sensible cry.