Muhyiddin says not sure if OK given for rare earth plant
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider
PUTRAJAYA, March 15 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today he is not sure if approval has been granted for a rare earth refining plant in Kuantan, just days after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said safeguards are in place to prevent a repeat of the radioactive waste problem involving a now-shuttered plant near Ipoh.
The deputy prime minister also pointed out that the government was aware there were concerns regarding public safety.
He said that relevant agencies would ensure every condition was met before a decision was made about the plant.
“We understand that the residents are concern but there are certain conditions that must be met like the safety and the environment. So the relevant agencies must study before a decision is made. Whether it has been approved or not, I am not sure,” he told reporters at a press conference here.
Australian mining company Lynas Corporation is building the world’s biggest rare earth refinery in Najib’s home state, raising fears of a repeat of the radiation pollution in Bukit Merah, Perak that has been linked to at least eight leukaemia cases in the local community there.
The Star reported on Saturday that Lynas has been issued a pre-operating licence in Gebeng.
The Asian Rare Earth plant in Bukit Merah is now the subject of a quiet US$100 million (RM303 million) cleanup exercise by Mitsubishi Chemical which shut down the facility nearly two decades ago.
The New York Times reported this week that the refinery in Gebeng, just 70km north of Najib’s Pekan constituency, will be the first such plant outside China in nearly three decades.
Environmental hazards have made other countries wary of rare earth processing, leaving China to control 95 per cent of global supply of rare earth metals.
The metals are crucial to high technology products such as the Apple iPhone, Toyota Prius and Boeing’s smart bombs.
