Media Statement by Wong Tack, MP for Bentong on 4th August 2019.
Lynas’s toxic radioactive wastes is piling up on our soil day by day. As of May 18, 2019, there are 580,362 metric compared to 451,564 metric tonnes as announced by the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change on Dec 4, 2018.
It is confirmed that Lynas will renege on it’s own legally binding commitment to ship their waste out of Malaysia.
And yet the cabinet has decided, beyond all logic, to allow Lynas another six months to generate more radioactive wastes on our soil.
They have asked Lynas to look for a site to build their permanent radioactive waste TOMB (PDF). This was a requirement which Lynas should have fulfilled six years ago. On Feb 1, 2012, the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) had clearly told Lynas that they must submit the plan and LOCATION of the PDF within 10 months from the date of issuance of their Temporary Operating Licence (TOL), failing which their TOL will be suspended or revoked (http://www.aelb.gov.my/malay/dokumen/kenyataan-akhbar/01022012.pdf). Lynas never complied but yet their licence has been renewed twice.
Lynas is now suggesting disused mines to dump their wastes. The Managing Director of Lynas Malaysia, Mashal Ahmad even has the audacity to claim this will help to “rehabilitate” the mines in a “sustainable” way. Dumping radioactive waste in abandoned mines is akin to killing a rape victim. Instead of healing the piece of land, we are destroying it forever.
I appeal to the PH government to stop endorsing wrongdoings.
It’s time to exercise our duties and responsibilities to the people. It’s time to fulfill our promises to protect the wellbeing of our people and environment.
Stop the generation of more radioactive waste on our land, suspend Lynas’s licence immediately and then deal with the waste!
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