Threats of radioactive poisoning are no laughing matter, four films to be released on Thursday will attempt to use humour in the lobby against the Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng, Pahang.

NONE Dubbed ‘Survival Guide Untuk Kampong Radioactive', the four films are produced by four filmmakers, one of them Tan Chui Mui, who hails from Sungai Ular, which is adjacent to Gebeng.

In a statement today, the four filmmakers said that they were using humour instead of a "didactic or preachy" approach

"(We) feel that the rare earth issue has become clouded by strong emotions and divided Malaysians into two extreme groups: One fervently in favour of the plant and the other fiercely opposing it.

"More importantly, a third and very large group exists - Malaysians who know nothing about any of this."

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Is it worth the risk?'

The aim of the short films, the group says, is not to change the minds of supporters or critics of the rare earth plant but intended to encourage nationwide discussion.

NONE "So that, eventually, as a people, we will arrive at the truth and decide if the benefits of having a rare earth plant in Malaysia are worth the risks to the substantial population living in its vicinity."

The group added that little was known of Gebeng and the 700,000 people who live within its 30km radius.

"The least we can do is to lend them our voice, so that their lives are given the same amount of protection as the rest of us."

Tan's short film is a documentary about a pregnant woman who was working at the now closed rare earth plant in Bukit Merah, Perak, while his colleagues are putting up comedies set in a worst-case scenario of a village contaminated with radiation.

Once completed, the plant will produce one third of the world' rare earth supply outside of China.

Opponents of the plant are also concerned about the storage of radioactive thorium-containing slurry the plant will produce as a byproduct and risks of leakages.