Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has accused the BN of colluding with the rare earths industry for profit.

This is true as the shares of Australian miner Lynas Corporation soared after the Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) approved a temporary operating licence (TOL) for the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, Pahang, Lim said.

dap conference 080112 lim guan eng "Clearly, the irresponsible BN government is colluding with the industry interest groups at the expense of the health and welfare of the hundreds of thousands of innocent Malaysians," he said in a statement yesterday.

Lynas' shares soared by 20 percent on Thursday, soon after Malaysia on Feb 1 gave the green light for the controversial rare earths plant to be built, despite fears it could produce harmful radioactive wastes.

Lim questioned how the BN government could ensure safety and health standards of the project when even Australia, where the raw rare earth will be mined, was reluctant to have the project in its country.

"BN has an abysmal safety record for the government cannot even build a stadium without its roof collapsing or the roof of Parliament leaking," he said.

Lim said that under Pakatan Rakyat rule, projects such as Lamp would not be allowed to operate.

More protests in Kuantan today

Meanwhile, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) has condemned AELB's decision to approve the TOL, merely three days after the public review of Lynas' documents and submission of comments to AELB closed.

anti lynas gathering 111211 2 "The public review was a total charade, a sham and a false pretense in public consultation. It is just another public relations exercise for the Lynas project," SMSL chairperson Tan Bun Teet said in a press statement on Thursday.

Tan said the decision has left the anti-Lynas group with no other choice but to "embark on a nation-wide public campaign to vote the government out in the next general election".

Kuantan residents, he added, would gather at Teluk Cempedak beach between 5pm and 10pm today "to make a wish" in response to the AELB decision to approve the TOL.