Residents display placards to protest against the construction of the Lynas earth plant, in Gebeng, during the “Green Gathering 2.0” event in Malaysia’s town of Kuantan, 250 km east of Kuala Lumpur yesterday

 
 
Thousands rallied yesterday in Malaysia in the biggest protest yet against an Australian miner’s rare earths plant, as the opposition vowed to shut down the facility if it came to power.
Australia’s Lynas has almost completed building the plant near the seaside town of Kuantan in eastern Pahang state to process rare earth ores imported from Australia.
China currently supplies about 95% of the world’s demand for rare earths, which are used in high-tech equipment from iPods to missiles and have seen prices soar in recent years.
Lynas hopes to begin operations within months, producing an initial 11,000 tonnes of rare earths a year and effectively breaking the Chinese stranglehold on the materials.
But more than 5,000 people, many wearing green and holding banners reading “Stop pollution, stop corruption, stop Lynas,” gathered in Kuantan to call for the plant to shut down.
They fear that radioactive waste it produces can seep into the ground and water, harming the environment and people’s health.
Lynas has insisted the plant is safe, and any radioactive waste it produces will only be low-level and not harmful to human health.
But opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who attended the rally, told protesters his coalition, which currently holds more than a third of parliament, would cancel the plant if it came to power in the next polls expected soon.
“We don’t want (this project) to sacrifice our culture and the safety of the children just because of a few corrupted leaders,” he was quoted by online news portal Malaysiakini as saying. His aide confirmed the comments.
Wong Teck, chairman of Himpunan Hijau 2.0, or Green Gathering, a coalition of NGOs that organised the rally, vowed more protests would follow if the government did not shut the plant immediately.
“From the rally today it is clear: We want Lynas out of here,” he said. “We are going to go all out all over the country. It is not going to stop here.”
Police often intervene at rallies in Malaysia but did not do so on this occasion, although they were on standby.
Lynas’ website was also hacked with a Malaysian flag and the slogan “Stop Lynas, Save Malaysia” replacing the usual site.
A Lynas representative could not immediately be reached for reaction. A Lynas advertorial in the New Straits Times daily yesterday said the company met “rigorous health, safety and environmental regulations.”
Lynas is receiving a 10-year tax break for the plant, and has said having it in Malaysia offers better economics than Australia. AFP