lynas slams "factually wrong" rare earth claim

Lynas slams "factually wrong" rare earth claims

By Andrew Duffy on 18 October 2011

Lynas Corporation has denied that ore from its Mount Weld project in Western Australia will be shipped to Malaysia by the end of October.

According to Free Malaysia Today, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh last week discovered the Lynas plans after a monthly meeting between the Kuantan Port Authority and occupants of the Gebeng area.

Gebeng is the location of the planned Lynas rare earth processing plant.

Free Malaysia Today reports that Lynas denied the ore shipping allegations.

“The claim that Lynas will begin shipments of rare earth concentrates from Mount Weld to Kuantan by month’s end is factually wrong,” it said.

Lynas chairman Nicholas Curtis said the claims were part of a misleading public campaign against the company.

“These allegations are part of a campaign to deliberately distort the facts about Lynas,” he said.

“They create unnecessary fear in the local community for political purposes.”

The rare earth processing plant Lynas plans to operate in Malaysia has been a highly divisive issue in the country.

Locals fear the plant will cause unacceptable damage to their health and the environment.

Earlier this month a large number of people protested against the plant.

But Lynas has repeatedly sought to allay community fears over its developments.

It says a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated its processing plant as safe and within international standards.

The IAEA has stated Lynas must meet 11 of its recommendations before further licences can be granted and the company has committed to meeting the guidelines.