Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Lies behind Lynas: an excellent letter from the founder of Malaysia's Green Party to the Australian High Commissioner

May 22, 2011
H.E. Miles Kupa
Australian High Commissioner
Australian High Commission
6 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng
50450 KUALA LUMPUR

Telephone: 2146 5555
Fax: 2141 5773


Your Excellency,

We, concerned citizens of Malaysia, are of the understanding that Lynas Corporation has made one or more payments to the Malaysian Government.

We suspect and fear that this has somewhat helped to fast track the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) approval process - without public knowledge and through a very loose Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) despite a complex and hazardous project.

Under Malaysia's Official Secrets Act, we will have little, if any, hope of getting any truth out of our Government, even though this matter is of utmost national interest.

In the interests of both Malaysia and Australia, both Lynas and our Government should be transparent about the approval process.

As Australia has been a strong advocate of good governance and is committed to stamping out corruption, we call upon your good Government to compel Lynas Corporation to adhere to its stated value of honesty and transparency to reveal the deal it has struck with the Malaysian Government and also to make all payment records public. This is of interest not only to all Malaysians but also to the Australian shareholders of Lynas Corporation.

We trust that the Australian Government is committed to protecting the good name of Australia and will not risk one corporation's headlong quest for profit, at the expense of the health of Malaysians and the local environment, to tarnish the good reputation of Australia.

We therefore urge the Australian Government to investigate Lynas Corporation for any possible wrongdoings in its dealings with the Malaysian Government. We were appalled and disgusted to learn that Lynas Corporation had offered a job to the soon-to-be-retired Director-General of the Malaysian Atomic Agency Licensing Board (AELB), Yang Berbahagia Datuk Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, by his own admission. I am sure you will agree with me that such an offer is tantamount to fair dinkum conflict of interest, collusion and corruption.

Thank you,

Azlan Adnan
Founder, Green Party of Malaysia

Correspondence Address:
Letter Box 20, Wisma Chartis
99 Jalan Ampang
50450 KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia
Fax: +603-7732 3300
Web: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6850526636
Email: harithabhoomi.malaysia@gmail.com




Please add YOUR voice to the SAVE MALAYSIA! STOP LYNAS! campaign by signing the petition and writing to the Australian High Commissioner, c.c.'ed to online and print media.

Thank you!

MEMORANDUM TO THE GOVERNMENT & PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA

Save Malaysia Committee
B-6 Taman Tunas Manja,
Jalan Air Putih, 25300 Kuantan.
Pahang Darul Makmur.

Date: 20/05/2011

HIS EXCELLENCY
AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER TO MALAYSIA
KUALA LUMPUR

Your Excellency,

RE: LYNAS ADVANCED MATERIAL PLANT (LAMP) NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN GEBENG, KUANTAN, MALAYSIA

We the residents of Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia are extremely concerned over the proposed construction and operation of the above plant.

It is common knowledge that:

1) LAMP will be processing rare earths oxide which contains Thorium.
2) Thorium is a known radioactive material.
3) The mineral monazite which contains the Thorium is mined at Mount Weld in Western Australia and will be shipped to Kuantan, through Freemantle Port for processing at LAMP.

As your country is the originator of this dangerous material it is only right that your country must take responsibility for its presence here in this country.

We are not convinced by the assurances of LAMP, (and others allied to their cause), that the LAMP is safe. If it truly were so, surely then your country should readily keep that industry within its borders, or at the very least, be prepared to take back the waste ( which contains the deadly thorium). But your country has flatly refused to take back their own waste. Source: The Star (12/04/2011, Pg. N.23)

Malaysians have had experience with Thorium, in the Bukit Merah plant in Ipoh, Perak. The consequences of that fiasco are still continuing. Children born deformed or retarded are still alive but unable to articulate their plight while some have lost their lives to cancer.

LAMP claims that their plant is totally different from that of Bukit Merah facility and that the levels of radioactivity is very low. But we remain unconvinced, nor are we prepared to experiment with our health and lives and those of our future generations.

We the residents of Kuantan, appeal to your higher values and call upon you , to do all that you can, to stop the shipment of this Thorium containing material from your country.

Surely, your country being a respectable member of the international community would not allow an International Convention to be flouted or circumvented.

Your Excellency, we the people of Kuantan do not want, in our midst LAMP and for that matter any other company that produces any form of radioactive material.

Your Excellency, does it not seem unconscionable to you that ore containing this radioactive material should be shipped 4000km from your country to Malaysia for the monetary gain of LAMP while the people of Kuantan are left to face the long term effects of the obnoxious waste?
This Thorium waste, as your Excellency would already know, is radioactive and has a ½ life of 14 billion years. Thus, for generations to come , we the people of Malaysia will be exposed to the risks of radioactive contaminations.

Your Excellency, this Movement, is inspired by the most lofty ideals - that of human lives and health. We are resolved to continue our struggle to safeguard our air, water and soil from LAMP’s (and others’) deadly wastes. The vast majority of Malaysians share our mission. We again exhort you, to do all that you can, within your power to stop the dangerous ore from leaving your own shores.

We trust you understand and share our concerns. Many Australians in fact, already do, as the Internet reveals.

Mr Robin Chapple, MLC, Member for the Mining and Pastoral Region is “deeply worried” as expressed in his media release dated 13/04/2011.

I annex a copy of the release downloaded from the internet, for your further reading.

I trust that you will act as a good citizen of the world, and of Australia in particular.

Yours sincerely,
Vincent Jiam
(Hand phone: 016 931 8081)
Chairperson, Save Malaysia Committee