i was wrong, page-2

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AELB keeps mum on Lynas decision
Stephanie Sta Maria | January 30, 2012

The board has dicussed the matter but has refused to hint at its decision.

UPDATED
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Atomic Energy Licencing Board (AELB) today discussed the issuance of a temporary operating licence for Lynas Corp, but has refrained from confirming whether it has come to a decision.

AELB director-general, Raja Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan, told FMT this evening that the “Lynas item on the agenda has been discussed”.

“If any decision is reached it will be announced via a media statement by the government,” he said when pressed for a definite response to the matter.

In a statement to FMT earlier today, Lynas had refused to speculate on the impending outcome of the AELB board meeting

A compilation of feedback from the public viewing of Lynas’ application permit was also submitted to the board today with the number of comments totalling 1,123.

According to Abdul Aziz, about 330 people had visited the AELB viewing centres in Selangor and Pahang.

“Every single comment has already been reviewed and taken under consideration,” he said.

“We have been consolidating and reviewing the comments from the very first day so there was no rushing through it.”

This assurance was in response to Kuantan MP, Fuziah Salleh, who expressed concerns that AELB would attempt to review three weeks’ worth of feedback in a mere four days.

Lynas had displayed its 300-page document for public viewing beginning Jan 3 and had collected public feedback on Jan 26.

Anti-Lynas groups and independent experts had slammed the document as being “shoddy and full of holes”, and warned that the lives of the residents in Gebeng would be at great risk if the controversial RM2.5-million facility was allowed to operate there.

“If AELB is serious about reviewing the public comments and protecting the people, then it will not grant Lynas this licence,” Fuziah said. “To do so would be outrageous and scandalous.”

Science, Technology and Innnovation Minister Maximus Ongkili, meanwhile, was reported to have said this morning that the government would issue a statement within the next few days on whether Lynas was granted its coveted licence.