Event Chronology

Date Event
1. 22 January 2008 • Approval of Manufacturing License
2. April 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to mainstream media.
3. May 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to Bomba Gebeng.
4. June 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to mainstream media.
5. 20 July 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to chief and senior editors.
6. 21 July 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to East Coast reporters.
7. 21 July 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to Head of Government Departments in Pahang.

8. 22 July 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to Chief Minister and Exco Members.

9. 23 July 2009 • Public briefing on Lynas Project.
10. 29 July 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to All ADUN and MP Pahang.
11. August 2009 • Briefing on Lynas Project to Kuantan Port Staff.
12. February 2010 • Briefing on Lynas Project to MCA Pahang.
13. 10 March 2011 • MP Kuantan, YB Fuziah Salleh had raised the issue.
13. 11 March 2011 • Fukushima nuclear reactor incident.
14. March/April • The local residents objected the Lynas project in Gebeng, Kuantan after the incident.

• Several groups including NGOs have started their campaign with a message "Stop Lynas Save Malaysia".

15. 5 April 2011 • Briefing session with Exco Pahang.

16. 5&6 April 2011 • Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Pahang (PKNP) initiated public dialogue session together with Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB), Nuclear Department and Department of Environment (DOE) to explain the facts of Lynas Project. 

• However, it was not well received by the local residents, who continue to demand the Government to stop Lynas project.

17. 11 April 2011 • AELB initiated series of briefing sessions in AELB HQ, KL.

18. 13 April 2011 • A meeting was held on 13 April 2011 chaired by Y. Bhg. Dato’ Tam When Wah, Director General of the Public Complaints Bureau. AELB, DOE and Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) had briefed the meeting on the technical aspects of the Lynas project. 

19. 20 April 2001 • YAB MB Pahang during his winding-up the debates on the motion of thanks on the royal address in the Pahang State Assembly stated that the Ministry of International Trade and Industry was responsible in bringing in Lynas Corporation to construct the rare earth processing plant in the Gebeng industrial park.

20. 22 April 2011 • Media Conference by YB Menteri MITI and YAB MB Pahang.

• Announce the establishment of an Independent Panel of International Experts to review the health and safety aspects of the Lynas Project.

• The Panel to complete its job in a month and to report the findings to the Government.

21. 23 April 2011 • YB Menteri visited Lynas site and found that the plant is 40% completed.

22. 6 May 2011 • IAEA agreed to assemble panel to review, conclude and provide independent expert opinion on compliance with relevant International Safety Standards and Good Practices; and on safety, particularly, radiation safety.

• To preserve impartiality, will not include individuals whose participation may lead to conflict of interests, viz. Malaysian, Chinese or Australian nationals. 

• Tentative Schedule: 
o Selection by 7 May. 
o Review meeting to take place from 29 May - 3 June. 
o Presentation of the main findings and initial recommendations at the close of mission in Malaysia by 3 June. 
o Completion of draft report by 30 June. 
o Publication of the final report – recommended to be open publication.

23. 13 May 2011 • Media statement on the appointment of the Independent Panel of International Experts. The Panel is scheduled to visit Malaysia from 29 May – 3 June 2011.

Facts that the opposition deliberately spin on Lynas

This is an ordinary usual application like all foreign investment I believe...therefore no such thing as hiding behind or cover up.....the government will know what to do if indeed it is not good for the health of the people and the PM has said it that the health of the people cannot be compromise...his words are trustworthy and not like what Anwar promises....that I say he is a more honorable man and keep with his words spoken out...

So long as Lynas comply with the requirement in respect of treating the waste to a level which is international accepted it is a good project which can help the country with its GDP growth....the 12 years free tax etc is an incentive for them to bring in the investment and I say it is still acceptable as 12 years later it will bring in a lots of taxes to the coffer of the government....it also give employment as well and all this is what the country needs to create income for its people....let’s wait for the report and we judge from there...if indeed poisonous then they need to comply with the international acceptance in respect of waste etc...otherwise NO LICENSE to operate and the whole investment is gone to waste....the government then is not blame for their failure to get the operating license and their lose which will affect the country's image if it is exploited ....LOOK AT IT FROM THIS ANGLE not from the angle of hatred and revenge which PR is doing...

There are conditions attached where if they don't comply they cannot get the license to operate....this is the trump card of the government...without the license the whole set up is useless ....hold on to this and let them comply ....I agree the government cannot rule with the iron hand and must be seen reasonable to investors.

‎"BEWARE OF "the Pahang Don't Need Hazardous" project wall ...... it is politically motivated...be careful and don't be exploited without you noticing....those behind are from the opposition politically parties tactic out to bring down the government of the day by creating issues after issues ...they failed in their many attempts ....Justice for Anwar, TBH , and Altantuya which all are exposed .... see who is behind this you will know...it is no other but the spin queen of the PKR rep…her/their intention is to divert attention about the Sodomy case of their god send leader which the court had found to be the Mr. Y.....now they are using this issue to create unrest by the people to safe their god send leader.....if indeed you want to see that the people of Kuantan are safe then wait for the expert report and then act if indeed it is a danger to the people's health BUT NOT BLINDLY.....don't get yourself against the law and land yourself in jail as unscrupulous people will ask you to riot under the pretext of this Lynas matter ......TAKE NOTE..AND DON'T BE TAKEN FOR A RIDE AT YOUR EXPENSE...

Facts that people in Kuantan should know about Lynas which opposition didn’t tell

1. Opposition invoked "emotion and anger" to exploit the fear and phobia of nuclear radioactive after Japan’s Fukushima  whereby the incident involves a nuclear reactor unlike Lynas that involves a rare earth processing plant of allowable radioactive level.
2. Opposition leader in the State Assembly, Leong Ngah Ngah from DAP, when attending the briefings on the project for elected representatives in 2009, had also agreed to the construction of the project, and was reported by a Chinese daily as saying that the state government had managed to secure a huge investment from abroad.
3. PAS Hulu Langat Member of Parliament, Dr. Che Rusli who is also an expert on radioactivity had also confirmed that the project is not hazardous and within international management standards.
4. New York Times also wrote that the Lynas plant, which is being built in Gebeng, will house radiation sensors and the latest equipment in pollution control, besides featuring 12 acres of temporary storage pools that will be lined with dense plastic and sit atop nearly impermeable clay, to hold the slightly radioactive by-products until they can be carted away.
5. Japan is the world's biggest importer of rare earths. And China produces 97% of the world supply. At the height of the diplomatic fracas between China and Japan over a disputed island chain, Beijing used this precious metal to force Japan to come to their terms. This product is becoming an effective weapon.
6. China which produces 97% of the world's rare earth supply but only hold 30% of the world reserve had previously approved Lynas plan to set up the processing plant but the Chinese government had later imposed export limits on all final products as well as export taxes. This is double taxation. The Chinese government now controls and restricts export of all rare earth materials and also applies import and export taxes of up to 25% specifically for rare earths. Lynas was unwilling to invest in China and then have the export of final products controlled by the Chinese government.
7. Beijing pressured the Japanese technology firms who need rare earths to produce everything from smart phones to Toyota Motor Corp.’s prized hybrid automobile, the Prius. One day after the new customs procedures were introduced, Japan – which depends on China for nearly all of its rare earths – caved in to Beijing’s  demand in the fight, releasing the captain of a Chinese fishing boat that rammed two Japanese coast guard vessels near the uninhabited islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China.
8. Lynas has committed to place funds with the Malaysian government to ensure safe management of any remaining residue once the plant stops operations. 
9. Lynas Corp Ltd had received approvals to build a rare earth refinery in Australia and China but had picked Malaysia as the preferred location given its proximity to market, access to high quality chemicals, utilities and engineering skills. Kuantan Port is strategically located for trade. China’s port is far away and expensive in tax and Australia’s port is neither here nor there in any geographical location.
10. Lynas was granted a 12-year tax break due to their pioneer status such as Amoco and WR GRace.  Lynas will promote the influx of supporting industries ; i.e. furniture, chemical  product, steel and etc. Money will be trickle down to the community especially retailing and F&B.
11. Lynas has struck a deal with another company to turn the waste product into concrete. The low levels of thorium could be converted into safe byproducts such as cement aggregate for road construction. China is already doing this. (Rare earths contain low-levels of radioactive material)
12. If opposition successfully stop the Lynas plant, the world will lose their confidence in Malaysia as a nation that is incapable of making decisions based on international standards and laws. PM will lose his command and credibility as being unable to give security and confidence to the investors when faced with local political pressure.
13. Lynas site approval came from the International Trade and Industry ministry and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) and not the State Government of Pahang.
14. AELB is an international body which govern the conduct of all nuclear and atomic activities. It has an international radar screen which monitor all the radioactive plant site of which a country is a treaty to it including Malaysia. Malaysia as a signatory party has to followed the required international standard before approving any atomic or nuclear activities.
15. Malaysia is following in the footsteps of Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh which will be operating their first nuclear power plant by 2020. Although Bangladesh was comparatively less industrialised than Malaysia, it evertheless planned to have its nuclear power plant built by 2020.
16. The raw material processed at the Asian Rare Earth Plant in Bukit Merah which used tin mining tailings as its raw material is different from the one uses by Lynas as the former contained high levels of thorium, which was the source of high levels of radiation.
17. Under current regulations, the raw material processed at Bukit Merah could not be processed in Australia, Malaysia or China and by contrast, the Lynas raw material contained naturally low levels of thorium 50 times lower than the tin tailings used by Asian Rare Earth.
18. The employees will be exposed to just 10 per cent of the additional radiation an average person receives in their daily lives, which is less than the exposure to a person getting a medical or dental x-ray once a year (0.39 mSv/year). Referring to Nuklear Malaysia's report, each person receives an average of 2.4 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation from their natural surroundings annually. The Asian Rare Earth raw material was tin mining tailings which contained high level of thorium, 50 times higher than
19. the raw material that will be used at LAMP. On average, a Lynas worker will receive 2mSv/year (millisievert/ year) of radiation compared with 150 mSv/year received by those who smoke a pack of cigarettes daily or the 9 mSv/year absorbed by airline crew.
20. The radioactive element, thorium, in its raw material from Mount Weld was 50 times lower than those in Bukit Merah. At these levels, exposure to radiation is less than taking a flight on a commercial airline or using a mobile phone. It means you get more radiation exposure by taking a flight or using mobile phone.