Australian rare earth company Lynas has denied claims it will begin shipping rare earth ore to the controversial Lynas Advanced Material Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, Pahang by the end of this month.

In a statement to Malaysiakini , the company said such claims are "factually inaccurate" because no imports can be made without mandatory approval from the authorities.

NONE "There are some statements made today to the media that are factually inaccurate and misleading, and Lynas needs to clarify this.

"Lynas has no intention to export any rare earth ore to Kuantan, Malaysia and under no circumstances would do so without the requisite approvals in this case, the pre-operational licence for the Lamp," it said.

This follows a claim made by PKR-Kuantan parliamentarian Fuziah Salleh in a press conference at the parliament lobby today.

"The allegation made by MP Fuziah Salleh is factually incorrect, ill informed, misleading and damaging - about Lynas and the regulators. The MPs latest claim casts doubt on her integrity," it said.

Authorities 'met' last week

Earlier, Fuziah had told reporters that  Lynas is expected to begin shipping the ore from Port Weld,  Australia by the end of this month. 

She claimed that the matter was discussed by the Health, Safety and Environment Committee meeting with Kuantan Port Authorities, Kuantan Port Consortium and the Land Occupants of Kuantan Port area last week.

According to Fuziah, the ore shipment will commence although Lynas has yet to satisfy the 11 recommendations put forth by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) panel.

IAEA had insisted on the recommendations being satisfied before the Malaysian government issued  the operational licence to the company.

Among the key recommendations Lynas needs to fulfill pertain to the submission of documents on a permanent waste disposal plan, a plant decommissioning plan and the intensification of communication with affected parties to demonstrate how it will ensure the radiological safety of the public and the environment.

NONE Fuziah claims this contradicts the government’s previous assurance that “Lynas will only be given the nod to operate once it fulfills all the recommendations”.

Referring to a report in The Star , Fuziah, quoting the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB), said that the local regulatory body had received the long-term waste management plan from Lynas but has yet to analyse it.

 “The plan will not be made public as I do not consider it submitted until we make sure it is in accordance with international standards,” AELB director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan had said.

“Lynas Corp must not be allowed to bully us Malaysian, neither the citizens nor the authorities. They have been behaving as if ' ini negara dia punya ',” said Fuziah.

“If Lynas were to build this refinery in Australia, they will have to follow very stringent public consultation procedures. They will never get away with operating a refinery in a site such as where Lamp is situated in Gebeng,” she added.

Will not be cowed by legal threats

The government had approved the construction of the RM700 million plant in Kuantan and granted the company a 12-year tax exemption.

Fuziah, who had lodged a complaint with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) accusing Lynas of having committed “corporate fraud”, also faced a legal suit threat .

However, the vocal MP said she will “not be bullied” by such intimidation and challenged Lynas to publicly argue their case.

“We will meet you in court because the truth is on our side,” Fuziah’s lawyer R Sivarasa, who is also the Subang MP, had said.

Lynas had earlier denied Fuziah’s claim it had committed corporate fraud or that it had reneged on its commitments to engage with the public over the Lamp refinery.

The company said claims to the contrary are “factually wrong”, and asserted that it has been in compliance with the disclosure obligations issued it by the AELB as part of the conditions to allow Lamp to operate.