On comparisons between Lynas and Bukit Merah

I refer to the above article dated June 12, 2019 (“Lynas poses risk of another 80’s radioactive tragedy, says green group”).

We thank you for your interest in the Lynas Malaysia business. However, we do need to address misleading claims made about Lynas in this article. The Malaysian community deserves the truth, not a bunch of unsupported allegations.

1. The anti-Lynas activist quoted in the article refers to Asian Rare Earth at Bukit Merah. This is misleading. The Pakatan Harapan government’s Executive Review Committee report states there are: “significant differences between the raw materials and residues produced by Asian Rare Earth (ARE) and LAMP [Lynas Advanced Materials Plant]”.
2. The activist alleges Lynas is “in violation of a licensing regulation requiring it to dispose of radioactive waste within a year of its production”. This is false. The Executive Review Committee confirmed in December 2018 that Lynas is compliant with relevant regulations and residue storage facilities are operated in a proper manner. In addition, there is no requirement to dispose of residues within one year of production.
3. The article states Lynas has “more than one billion tonnes of waste aged more than 180 days”. This is false.
4. The activist suggests Lynas may “flout” Malaysian law. This is false. Lynas is a lawful company and the Executive Review Committee confirmed in December 2018 that Lynas is complaint with applicable regulations and the residue storage facilities are properly managed.

We invite you to contact us prior to publishing any further articles in relation to Lynas Malaysia, so that we can provide you with accurate information about our operations. In addition, we would appreciate publication of this letter in order to correct the issues raised above in relation to your earlier article.

Mashal Ahmad is managing director and vice-president (Malaysia) of Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd. - FMT