KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — Anti-Lynas groups will rally nationwide this Sunday to pressure Putrajaya to abort the controversial rare earths project in Pahang before the factory fires up operations this year.
An umbrella coalition against the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp), called Himpunan Hijau 2.0, has announced it will be gathering at the Kuantan city council field in the Pahang state capital to demonstrate their unhappiness with the RM2.5 billion project they say poses a health, safety and environment hazard.
The main rally in Kuantan will be held at Padang MPK 1 on Jalan Mahkota from 9.30am onwards. A simultaneous rally will take place at Maju Junction mall on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman here.
In Penang, the rally will be held at the Speaker’s Corner at the Esplanade in George Town from 6pm onwards, Himpunan Hijay 2.0 member organisations said at a news conference here today.
In Perak, it will be held at the former Asian Rare Earths (ARE) site in Bukit Merah, on the outskirts of Ipoh from 11am onwards.
In Sabah, the gathering place is to be the Tanjung Aru beach and will kick off from 4pm.
More than 20,000 people are expected to turn up at the Kuantan rally on February 26 to protest against Lamp’s trial run.
Lynas won a temporary operating licence from the national radiation regulator, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) on January 20.
The Sydney-based miner is looking to break China’s 90 per cent chokehold on the supply of rare earth metals needed to manufacture high-tech products such as smartphones, energy-efficient light bulbs and hybrid cars.
Lynas expects to generate some RM8 billion annually from its operations here.
8 comments