The government does not care about the ongoing effort by Himpunan Hijau to collect one million signatures in its petition against the Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng, said Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Ewon Ebin.

NONE Asked would the government listen to appeal of one million people should Himpunan Hijau campaign reach its target, Ebin ( right ) answered briefly, "we don't care."

"We (the government) don't care... we don't care what they say. We just need to answer (to questions on Lynas) in Parliament," he said.

Ebin made the remarks during a press conference in Putrajaya today after meeting with South African Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom.

"I don't wish to talk about this (Lynas) today. I believe people will ask the same question in the coming Parliament session this September," he said.

Asked to comment about the act by Himpunan Hijau president Wong Tack, who had been staying at Dataran Merdeka since last Saturday for the signature drive, Ebin said this was under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry.

"Mosti will have our own meeting (on Lynas), and we will issue a statement later on," he added.

No disclosure of waste disposal facility location

It was reported that the contrary to the five conditions attached to the Temporary Operating Licence (TOL) issued to Lynas by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), then Mosti minister Maximus Ongkili had said there was no need for Lynas to disclose the location of its permanent disposal facility (PDF), so long as it can process the waste.

NONE Asked if the government is insisting on not disclosing the PDF location, Ebin maintained that he would only answer that in Parliament.

"If I answer now, somebody will pick up the story and this is not good for public perception," he said.

Ebin had previously told Parliament that Lynas had submitted its waste disposal plan to the government, albeit on the final day of the deadline accorded to the company.

The minister, however, did not disclose the location of the intended waste facility, merely saying that the ministry was still pouring over the plan.

This has led to the criticism from the opposition, including PKR Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, who said the disclosure of the PDF plan is one of the TOL conditions set by AELB in February last year.

Following Ebin’s statement that the government did not care about anti-Lynas campaign, the press decided to seek further clarification from the minister during a second press conference, held after his next function.

However, after waiting for two hours, Ebin merely declined comments, stating, “I don't want to talk more about this.”