Gerekan president Koh Tsu Koon has reiterated that waste from the Lynas rare earths refinery in Gebeng, Pahang, must be shipped out of Malaysia.
This is unless the Australian mining giant has an appropriate plan to process the waste to ensure that public health is not affected.
According to a Sin Chew Daily report today, Koh noted that Lynas proposes to recycle the waste to reduce its radioactivity.
However, he reiterated that, should Lynas fail to submit a satisfactory solution that convinces the public, the refinery is not an acceptable project.
Koh reportedly said this when officiating the annual general meeting of Pahang Gerakan in Bentong yesterday.
He assured that the government will act in accordance with the people's wishes in ensuring that the waste is returned to Australia.
If Lynas cannot provide a specific solution, the government will definitely shut down the plant even if this requires the payment of compensation, he said.
In a related development, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas committee will file another suit in the Kuantan High Court this week to challenge the government's approval of the Lynas plant.
“This action has two purposes,” its chairperson Tan Bun Teet was quoted as saying by Sin Chew Daily .
“Apart from seeking a judicial review of the decision by science, technology and innovation minister (Maximus Ongkili) (to dismiss the appeal by Kuantan residents), we will also seek a freeze of Lynas' temporary operating licence issued by the Atomic Energy Licensing Board.”