Himpunan Hijau today held a protest in front HSBC Malaysia’s headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, pressuring the bank to come clean over its business relationship with the Australian rare earths company Lynas Corporation.

Its chairperson Wong Tack led the protest with 15 member of the anti-Lynas group, all dressed in the iconic green T-shirts.

NONE In a protest gesture, Wong Tack, steering committee member Lee Chin Chen and group member Connie Chong, sheared a credit card each with a pair of scissors, urging the public to “cut business ties” with the bank.

They allege that the bank is doing busines with the company that is operating the controversial Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, Kuantan, that has raised environmental concerns.

More than 10 police personnel were spotted but they did not interrupt the event.

Speaking during a press conference later, Wong, who had just landed in the peninsula this afternoon from Sabah, said that the card he sheared belonged to his elder brother.

He said that his brother, who is also a teacher, passed him the card this morning when sending him to the airport.

“This morning, he sent me to the airport, he knew my purpose of flying here, so he pulled out his card and asked me to help him to cut it,” he said, adding that his brother will terminate his credit card account with the bank.

Meanwhile, Lee said that the card belonged to him and he will later terminate his account with the bank as well.

Himpunan Hijau had held a demonstration in front of the international bank’s branch at Jalan Mahkota, Kuantan on Christmas Day last year, over its involvement with Australia’s Lynas Corporation.

NONE Wong said that the reason for Himpunan Hijau to be at the event is due to dissatisfaction that the bank has kept mum on this issue.

“We questioned whether they have any business dealings with Lynas, and until this moment, the whole administration of HSBC is still keeping mum on the whole issue. That is very irresponsible,” he said.

He said that all businesses, whether in the country or abroad, should reveal their business relationship with Lynas.

“Particularly this bank which has been mentioned so much in their profile, talking about how much about they care for this world, talking about sustainability and respecting environmental limits,” he said.

Boycott campaign will be intensified

Wong said that this boycott campaign, launched by the group, “will continue to go on, and will be intensified”.

“We will come again and again. As I just said, the campaign will be intensified, and now we are still at the national level.

“We have also contacted other international NGOs to help us on this boycott campaign, so we will expand our boycott activity internationally,” he said, adding that Himpunan Hijau is mooting to send a ‘Chinese New Year gift’ to Lynas.

The bank’s head of communication and corporate sustainability Marlene Kaur however refused to comment on the protest.

“We have no comment on client issues,” she told Malaysiakini after the protest.

Lynas has consistently said that Lamp will achieve its target of ‘zero harm’ to the environment.

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