Where exactly is Lynas’ waste disposal facility, asks MP

In February, Lynas’ licence was renewed for another three years till March 2023, with certain conditions.

PETALING JAYA: A DAP MP said Putrajaya must determine a suitable site for the Permanent Disposal Facility (PDF) for Lynas Malaysia to be built before allowing the rare earths plant to continue operating.

Wong Tack, a vocal critic of Lynas, claimed the public was still “in the dark” as to where the PDF — meant to manage waste — would be located.

Neither does the public know if suitability studies have been carried out at the selected site.

“Until today, the people are still in the dark as to where exactly this PDF is located. What happens if the site chosen is not suitable or is unacceptable to the people?” the Bentong MP said in a statement this evening.

He was responding to Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s statement that Lynas’ operating licence would be revoked if it did not develop a PDF by March 2021.

But Wong Tack pointed out that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in its 2011 mission report on Lynas, noted that the location for the PDF must be determined first.

And Lynas had to consult stakeholders on this.

“Unless all these issues are clearly ironed out, the government should not allow Lynas to generate more radioactive wastes on our land.”

Wong Tack also said the word “start” was meaningless, adding that such a “lenient, unclear and open-ended condition” was set just to accommodate Lynas and facilitate its continued operation in Malaysia.

It was not, he claimed, meant to protect the interests and safety of the people.

“What is more important is not when the construction of the PDF ‘starts’ but when the construction of the PDF will be completed and all toxic radioactive waste can be removed from the site and safely disposed of.”

In February, Lynas’ licence was renewed for another three years till March 2023.

It is, however, subject to several conditions, including developing its PDF within the first year from the date of the approval.

Lynas must also submit a work development plan for the construction of the PDF and report on its development status. - FMT