Kuantan parliamentarian Fuziah Salleh accused the government’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) of suppressing information on recommendations put forth by the international regulatory body on Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp).

Citing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) report, Fuziah said Lynas Corp, which is close to completing its rare earth refinery in Gebeng, Kuantan, was told to provide a better long-term waste management plan.
                    
NONE“In fact, the IAEA never said Lamp is safe. After IAEA came out with its report, there were certain amendments proposed for AELB to implement.

“However, AELB is using Section 41 (of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984), which relates to secrecy, to not make public the action that is being taken,” Fuziah said in a statement.

'Provide list of contractors'

According to her, the details that are being hushed are:

  • A new regulation under the Atomic Energy Licensing Act has been introduced on ‘management of radioactive waste’ specifically for Lynas. The regulation did not exist previoulsy as Lynas has always maintained that industrial waste from Lamp does not pose any danger.
  • In September, the AELB had already approved the amendment to the Rare Earth Oxide licence to import raw materials from Australia by Lynas into a licence to import/export radioactive materials.
  • Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Maximus Johnity Ongkili was forced to admit in the Dewan Rakyat on Nov 14 that Lamp’s waste is radioactive.
  • IAEA requested a long-term plan for waste management from Lamp, in particular, management of the water leach purification solids, which have a reading of 6 Bq|g, as it denotes radioactive waste.

Fuziah said Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob had called on Lynas Corp to provide a list of its contractors entrusted to construct the RM1.5 billion rare earth refinery.

Welcoming the move, the PKR parliamentarian also urged Adnan to force the state’s Environmental Department to make public its initial Environmental Impact Assessment of the plant in 2008.

The rare earth refinery, which is to manufacture products for use in high-technology goods such as hybrid cars and smartphones to bombs, is said to be 85 percent complete and touted to be the biggest in the world.