Anwar to head to Kuantan for major anti-Lynas protest

By Yow Hong Chieh

February 24, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — PKR confirmed today that its top leaders, led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will take part in this weekend’s Himpunan Hijau 2.0 anti-Lynas rally in Kuantan.

The party said in a statement it has also instructed PKR members in Pahang and other states to show up to pressure the government into aborting Lynas Corp’s rare earth plant in nearby Gebeng, which is expected to fire up later this year. PKR has also switched its retreat in Lumut this weekend to Kuantan to ensure its leadership attends the rally.

File photo of Kuantan folk signing a banner protesting against the building of the Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Sunday’s gathering will be the first major protest since the passage of the Peaceful Assembly Bill.

The main rally in Kuantan will be held at Padang MPK 1 in Jalan Mahkota from 9.30am onwards, with simultaneous rallies in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak and Sabah.

Organisers have vowed to press on with the mass rally despite the Kuantan Municipal Council rejecting their venue application earlier this week.

More than 20,000 people are expected to turn up at the rally to protest against the plant’s trial run following the Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s (AELB) award of a temporary operating licence (TOL) to Lynas on January 20.

The first Himpunan Hijau gathering, held in October at the Taman Gelora beach, attracted a 2,000-strong crowd.

Deeply concerned over the potential environmental impact of the plant, anti-Lynas groups have grown in force over the past year since news of the nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima, Japan hit global headlines.

Last week, 10 Pahang residents filed suit against the AELB and two others alleging that the regulator had issued the TOL for the RM2.5 billion rare earth plant in return for a cut of the firm’s income.

The suit, filed at the High Court here last Friday, seeks a court order to cancel AELB’s award of the TOL to Lynas.

The Australian miner is looking to break China’s 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.

Putrajaya announced on Wednesday it will form an independent monitoring unit to audit the construction of the plant to ensure compliance to standards imposed by regulators.

This follows allegations made in the New York Times that a key contractor for the rare earth plant pulled out over safety concerns.

The unit will be set up and run by four ministries — the International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Science and Technology Ministry, the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, and the Health Ministry.