Bentong MP Liow Tiong Lai has proposed that the rare earth Lynas Advanced Material Plant (Lamp) release updates periodically to prevent manipulation of information to the extent of

raising concern among the people.

 

The former health minister said this would demonstrate transparency and raise the confidence of the people in the project which certain quarters had claimed threatened the safety of the people.

NONE "Although the Lamp plant had undergone tight evaluation - for example having been studied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), controlled and monitored by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and scrutinised by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) - doubts still linger in the people's minds.

"They are not convinced of the safety and the economic benefits of the Lynas plant," he said when speaking during the debate on the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Liow said opposition political parties exploited the issue and raised concern among the people, especially those in Pahang.

NONE He said the information which should be released was on the status of implementation of all the 31 recommendations proposed by the PSC and the company's compliance in the matter.

The feedback from the independent consultant appointed by the AELB on the evaluation of the level of compliance with the stipulated regulations and standards, such as the AELB statements when providing the temporary operating licence to the company, he said.

"Lynas has started processing rare earth from the raw material imported from Australia. What is the AELB assessment of the processing? Is Lynas complying with the conditions pertaining to the handling of the rare earth residue and what is the opinion or report of AELB in this matter?" he said.

Liow's proposal drew a response from Liong Teck Meng (BN-Simpang Renggam) who suggested that the data on the radioactive reading be announced daily by AELB.

"The reading has to be updated daily. The reading should be not only from the plant area but also on the impact on the people in the locality," he said.

Radioactive wastes

Liow praised the AELB for reporting on its official website the data on its monitoring of the radiation in Gebeng and Kuantan, but suggested that the data be analysed and explained for better understanding by those who were less adept at reading graphs.

fauzi abdul rahman 121010 Fauzi Abdul Rahman (PKR-Indera Mahkota) intervened to urge the government to close the Lynas plant, saying it had not fulfilled the AELB condition to make available Permanent Disposal Facilities (PDF) within a period of 10 months.

"If such an important condition cannot be met, I urge the government to close the plant and not approve the full licence for it," he said.

Liow said the cabinet must always ensure transparency in the monitoring of the processing and handling of the residue.

Lynas should discard the residue outside Malaysia as stipulated and should officially inform what by-product was derived from the processing of the residue and who purchased it and for what purpose.

"All the data and reports should be monitored by the relevant government agencies and audited by the Lamp monitoring committee before the full operating licence is issued," he said.

He suggested that the monitoring committee set up by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry comprise independent members highly regarded by society.

"Agencies such as AELB, the Department of Environment and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health should report all aspects related to the plant operation to this committee," he said.

- Bernama