Handphones riskier than Lynas ore, says Pahang MB

Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob is such a big joke!!!! - 1Christians

GENTING HIGHLANDS, May 28 — Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob today said concerns over Lynas Corp’s Gebeng refinery were exaggerated, claiming the public have more to fear from cell phones than the rare earths to be processed there.

“There is nothing really...handphones have more radiation,” the Pahang mentri besar said during an MCA retreat here today.

Adnan accused Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers, specifically PKR’s, of “creating fears” about safety issues and blowing the matter out of proportion.

“PKR is smart, they are using the nuclear issue in Japan, radiation... of course people are scared,” he said.
Adnan added that the federal government should have “nipped the problem in the bud” when the issue first arose, by countering PKR’s attacks against the plant’s construction.

“In Lynas, we made a mistake... to the point where MCA ever tried taking over the role of the opposition,” said Adnan.

The Pahang MB, however, refused to add anything further during a press conference later.
“I don’t want to prejudge anything... I advise that you do the same, don’t write about Lynas, let the independent panel evaluate,” he told reporters.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Liow Tiong Lai, who was also present during the press conference, repeatedly stated that the safety of Malaysians was of paramount importance, and that the Najib administration would not “compromise the safety of its people.”

Green groups here and in Australia have lobbied their respective governments to scupper the project ahead of Lynas Advanced Materials Plant LAMP’s September start date, citing the company’s opaque plans on waste storage and transport management between the Mount Weld mine in Western Australia and the Gebeng refinery.

The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has expressed “grave concern” that waste products could wreak harm on those living nearby.

The association, representing the country’s 13,000 doctors, stressed that the possible health risks presented by radiation from “extremely toxic” thorium outweighed the economic benefits from the project.

Lynas is among the world’s biggest suppliers of rare earths, a group of minerals vital in the manufacture of high technology goods that are ecologically friendly but create toxic by-products in the process.

The RM700 million LAMP is expected to be the world’s largest and most sophisticated upon completion.