Lynas Advanced Material Plant had contravened the Preliminary Environment Impact Assessment (PEIA) by transporting poisonous liquid chloride with the purpose of exporting it overseas, PKR's Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said yesterday.

The chloride was in a lorry that met an accident in Lanchang en route from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur on March 28, which resulted in the chemical being splashed on the federal road.

Fuziah said that according to the PEIA report, Lynas was only allowed to export oxide, a finished rare earth product in the form of powder.

"The chloride was a semi-finished product and was in liquid form. What if the accident happened near a human settlement?" Fuziah queried at a press conference at the Parliament today.

She said the chloride was being ferried to Port Klang to be exported, even though Lynas does not have the permission to do so.

"Why Port Klang? Why not Kuantan Port if they want to do it?" she asked.

Serious questions

Fuziah said Lynas' breach of the PEIA would have never come to light had the accident not happened, and that this raises serious questions regarding the monitoring of Lynas' activities by the authorities.

Lynas Malaysia public relations and communications general manager Amin Abdullah had previously said that chemical was not classified as “hazardous to people or the environment”.

“It is not radioactive or dangerous,” he stressed.

Today, after reading the news report, he said: "The questions are more for the government or regulators for their response.
 
"We wish to inform (that) Lynas (has) complied with all national and international regulations and requirements imposed by the Malaysian government."

Residents living near the Lynas plant in Kuantan have long protested against the operations which produces radioactive waste.