‘Rare earth plant will leave trail of poison’

MCLM president Haris Ibrahim questions the government for wanting to set up the factory despite documented evidence of the risks involved

PETALING JAYA: The rare earth industry will destroy the lives of people, wreck the environment and leave behind a trail of poison that will linger for billions of years, Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) president Haris Ibrahim said today.

He added that studies had revealed that people who lived in areas where rare earth industry plants are situated are exposed to health risks.

Early last month, the government has unveiled its plans to set up a rare earth mining and processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, jointly with Australian firm, Lynas Corporation Limited.

The plan has since been opposed by locals, environmentalist groups and Pakatan Rakyat.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh too has raised her concerns regarding the matter with Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakub.

Haris asked the government at what cost does it want to construct the Lynas rare earth plant in Kuantan.

“Why is the government putting economic gains above the lives of the people? Have our lives become so cheap that the government wants to go ahead with a deadly industry?”

Haris also said that studies made in Inner Mongolia showed disturbing results.

“According to a news report in UK’s Daily Mail, the villagers in Inner Mongolia, China, home to the bulk of the rare earth metals for the global market, claim that their teeth began to fall out, their hair turned white at an unusually young age, and they suffered from severe skin and respiratory diseases.

“Children were born with soft bones and cancer rates rocketed.”

He also quoted Greenpeace China toxicologist, Jamie Choi, as saying: “There’s not one step of the rare earth mining process that is not disastrous for the environment. Ores are being extracted by pumping acid into the ground, and then they are processed using more acid and chemicals.” - FMT