NGO chief slams 'explore rare-earth minerals' decision

An environmental NGO has taken a swipe at Putrajaya's decision to "explore rare-earth minerals, not mine them" in Perak.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman said the government should never compromise the environment for the sake of development. 

"It is just as bad to use our own tin tailings and to process them for rare-earth as you make radioactive particles more bioavailable," Meenakshi (photo) told Malaysiakini today.

"That was what the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) company did in Bukit Merah, Ipoh, from the mid-1980s to 1990s, and look where it took us," she said, adding: "How does keeping radioactive waste for generations not compromise the environment?" 

Yesterday, Health Department deputy minister, who is also Gopeng MP, Lee Boon Chye said the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Perak government and a China firm to explore rare-earth minerals in the state was a different situation compared with Lynas' rare-earth processing plant in Pahang.

Lee said Lynas was where Malaysia imports rare-earth and radiation, while the Perak case involves mining domestic soil where radiation already existed.

Before it seized power from BN in May last year, Pakatan Harapan leaders had campaigned aggressively against Lynas' plant in Gebeng, Kuantan, but the coalition is now blamed for not keeping its promise to remove the plant.

"How much development will it bring? We have also got to look into the extent that the environment is not compromised," Lee had said.

Meenakshi said Lee should be concerned about the health of the rakyat instead of worrying about development.

"Please meet the Bukit Merah community to see how much they have suffered," Meenakshi told Lee.

Today, Malaysiakini reported that the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry has given an assurance that the MoU signed with Chinalco GXNF Rare Earth Development was merely to undertake the exploration of rare-earth minerals in Perak, and not mining.

The ministry also noted that the project does not involve radioactive materials.

Yesterday, Meenakshi said Perak has not learnt the "tragic lessons" of the ARE plant that resulted in serious radioactive poisoning in the Bukit Merah community.

In the latest development, Mara's deal with Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd "to catalyse Malaysia's downstream rare-earth industrial, research and technological capabilities" has irked many environmental activists. - Mkini