lynas website hacked!!!!

PERTH: In a show of opposition to a near-complete rare earths processing plant in Malaysia, the website of Australian miner Lynas Corporation has been hacked.
WAtoday.com.au understands the miner’s website was brought down yesterday as reports emerged of more than 5,000 protesters converging on the seaside city of Kuantan, near the site of the controversial facility.
The Lynas website was still down today, with a message from the company advising: “We are currently experiencing some technical difficulties at the moment. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
A hacker, using the name “4z1? and claiming to be a Malaysian citizen, has taken credit for bringing the site down in a statement on a personal blog.
In a rough translation of 4z1's statement from Chinese into English, internal Malaysian race issues and fear of radiation from the plant were the explanation for the hacking.
It is understood Lynas’ internal systems have not been compromised because its website is hosted by an external provider.
A group of Kuantan residents have launched court proceedings against Malaysia’s Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the Malaysian Department of Environment and Lynas Malaysia over the plant, the company reported last Thursday.
The group has sought a review of the plant’s temporary operating licence granted by the AELB early this month and a halt to the commencement of operations, due in the coming weeks, while such a review is undertaken.
Although protesters claim there was no public consultation over the plant’s development, Lynas maintains it has continued a programme of consultation and adhered to the requirements of the Malaysian government’s regulatory authorities.
Rare earth is used in a wide variety of everyday items, from hybrid cars to mobile phones.
The plant would be used to process concentrate from the Mount Weld deposit in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, believed to be the largest of its kind in the world.
The company previously announced plans to transport the concentrate from Mount Weld to Malaysia via road and sea.
Lynas has maintained the Malaysian plant would be safe and adhere to international standards.
- Agencies