The following is not an anti-government post.
Lynas, an Australia company is building (target completion end-2011) a rare earth processing plant in Gebeng, Kuantan. The plant is likely to causesevere damages to environment and may leave behind canser causing waste products.
The raw material will be imported from Australia and output will be exported to oversea. The byproducts, waste left behind is slightly radioactive, and could potentially bring substantial damage to the environment and the health of the local community (which may include Kuantan, Chukai, Kemaman or Pekan).
Kuantan, and people of Pahang receive NO BENEFIT from the project (project has tax holiday for 12 years, require minimal labour), and what we get is a unwanted refinery (no one in the world want this - in fact, no rare earth refinery had been built outside China for the last 30 years, as it is highly damaging to environment and potentially cancer causing).
Malaysia’s last rare earth refinery in Bukit Merah was closed in 1992, after receiving numerous protests, often violent from local community who claim that the plant had resulted to increase in leukemia and birth defects.
For the people in Kuantan, Pekan, Kemanan and rest of Pahang, it is time to stand up against the project. We can’t just keep silent and continue to be ignorant.
For people outside these areas, think about this – What is the rare earth refinery, or the proposed nuclear facility is built behind your back yard, what will you do? Today, we are requesting your help to join us against this project.
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