YOURSAY 'While it cannot be proven that exposure to radiation caused her child to be born mentally handicapped, it also cannot be proven that it did not.'

'Woman with disabled child was not ARE employee'

your say Ferdtan: Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) director-general Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, why are you so ignorant that you say that a contract worker cannot claim indemnity from his/her employer's client?

As Lai Kwan was working in Mitsubishi's Asian Rare Earth plant in Bukit Merah, she had a recourse against the company - the place of her employment even though she was not directly employed by the company.

That is why large international companies take up high insured-sum of insurance policy called 'Public Liability Insurance'. This is to reimburse any public, including contract workers, if they are hurt (due to the fault of the company) while in their premise.

For example, if you accidently fall and hurt yourself due to the negligence of the company for having an unsafe staircase, you can sue the company.

I wonder whether the limitation act applies in this case - maybe some lawyer should help her to sue Mitsubishi for compensation.

Lynn: Firstly, I think it is completely immaterial whether Lai Kwan was an employee of Mitsubishi or a subcontractor. The fact of the matter is she worked at the plant.

While it cannot be proven that exposure to radiation caused her child to be born mentally handicapped, it also cannot be proven that it did not. As such, why should people's lives be subject to unnecessary risks?

Democracy: He said Lynas (M) Sdn Bhd has been asked to provide information on the prevalence of radiation-linked cancers in the Gebeng area as an "incentive requirement".

The "he" here is none other than AELB director-general Raja Abdul Aziz. Can we trust him to take care of us?

If I am Lynas, I will give a higher finding of cancer in the area prior to the plant opening so that they can have a bigger margin to play with in future.

What is our Health Ministry or the local university doing? Wasting taxpayers' money on other less critical issues while hiring a foreign fox to take care of our local chicken?

Can't we get a more neutral party to carry out this study?

Wira: The government should be responsible for Lai Kwan and other affected victims' problem because they approved the factory that produced radioactive wastes and took little step to monitor and regulate it.

Mitsubishi's responsibility is not merely towards an employee. They should be held responsible for polluting the neighbourhood with radioactivity.

Go ask Mitsubishi to refresh themselves on the Minamata incident in Japan and ask them whether compensation was only paid to the employees of the polluting factory.

Blind Freddo: Malaysians, if you can prove beyond doubt that the activities of Lynas will actually affect your health, then I am all for closing the plant. But you can't do that.

All you are doing is going on hearsay and biased opinions, promoting hysteria and paranoia and every enviro-nutter in the world and every politician with something to gain is hopping on your bandwagon further promoting this totally subjective hysteria that you are peddling.

This is a technical issue and the decisions will be made on technical grounds, so just butt out unless you have something constructive to add to the debate

But it's perfectly alright if you drive like idiots and have one of the highest road death rates in the world. It's perfectly okay if you lead an indulgent lifestyle overeating and underexercising. It's perfectly alright if you smoke cigarettes.

You have got one of the highest incidences of breast cancer, diabetes and kidney disease in the world. Who are you going to blame for that?

But if there is the slightest suggestion that someone else's activities might possibly in a worst possible scenario increase the risk of you dying from the effects of radiations, then let's do what we always do - ban, ban, ban, especially if it means we can ban without thinking and without having the vaguest idea what we are talking about.

Onyourtoes: May I remind Blind Freddo that there is a thing called choice. If you want to kill yourself, that is your choice. So go ahead - smoke, overeat, drink, drive into ravine - I guess no one will miss you much.

But Lynas and ARE are impositions on our life. We have no choice. I think the people have genuine reason to protest given the history of opaqueness and dishonesty all round. You have no right to brand others hypocrites.

By the way, why don't you look at Singapore, even smoking is now prohibited in many places include open bus stop. And of course, there are laws against fast and reckless driving. Stringent and relentless enforcement is welcome, but can you stand it?

If we can't prove it is dangerous, can you prove it is safe? And who is going to be the victims here - you and your family? You want proof; wait till your deformed or retarded children are born.

Tell me, why must we have this project? If without this project, would Malaysia and its people starved to death?

Opah: "This is to safeguard the health of the residents, so that if there is a rise in prevalence in the future, they can take action against Lynas," said Raja Abdul Aziz.

In other words, Malaysians living near Lynas must die first before we can say the plant is unsafe, then we'll figure out what to do about it.

 

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