aus pm stop lyc from exporting radioactive , page-2

PETALING JAYA: MCA Youth chief Wee Ka Siong today defended Semambu assemblyman Pang Tsu Ming over his opposition to the rare earth plant project in Gebeng, Kuantan.

Wee said that Pang was merely fulfilling his duties as a state assemblyman in voicing the concerns of the people over the project by Australian firm, Lynas Corporation Limited.
?He has the responsibility to convey the worries and views of the people he represents to the Pahang government. It does not mean that he is colluding with the opposition.
?Pang had even suggested that the government set up an independent body to study the implications of the rare earth refinery,? said Wee.

He said Pahang Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob who had criticised Pang for his stand should focus on the advice by professionals on the health, safety and environmental aspects of the plant.
He cautioned Adnan that any attempts to prolong the dispute would only play into the opposition?s hand that the government is unable to resolve the issue.
Wee?s comments comes following an incident in the Pahang state assembly on Tuesday where Adnan ticked off Pang for his objection to the plant.
Radioactive waste
Pang had proposed to the state assembly that the project be cancelled, and an angry Adnan chided him for opposing the project when it had the state government?s backing.
PKR?s Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh and non-government organisations are also concerned about the safety aspects of the project.
Pahang MCA leaders initially backed the project but when MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek voiced his concern recently, state MCA representatives took his cue and started echoing his views.
In the latest development to this controversial project, a Western Australian legislative council member has lent his support against the construction of the plant.

Plans for this US$230 million project, one of the world?s largest rare earth refineries, was first revealed in a New York Times report in early March.

The plant will process rare earth metals which will leave thousands of tons of low-level radioactive waste behind. The metals are crucial in the making of high technology products.

As many as 2,500 workers are rushing to complete the plant. If rare earth prices stay at current levels, the refinery will generate US$1.7 billion a year in exports, the newspaper said.