Enviromental group Himpunan Hijau plans a "massive" occupation of Balok and Gebeng next month to ramp up its protest against the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp).
The group's steering committee announced the ‘Occupy Balok-Gebeng 24 Hours' event in a statement yesterday.
Balok and Gebeng are located near the Lynas plant.
"The massive event will kick off at noon, 23rd June 2012 in Balok and end at noon, 24th June 2012 in Gebeng.
"We
expect Malaysians from all corners of the country to converge in
Balok-Gebeng to kick Lynas out and reiterate our strongest commitment to
uphold environment justice in our beloved country," read the statement.The event, said the organisation, is part of their ongoing commitment to see Australian rare earth miner Lynas and its refining operations out of Malaysia.
"We will not allow an oppressive foreign corporate coloniser to come into our country and harm our children.
"As we've said before, in the event that Lynas still has some breath left after 428 (the Bersih and anti-Lynas joint rally), then we shall return and finish them off in Kuantan," stressed the group.
'Blind, deaf and heartless'
Himpunan Hijau stressed that the ‘occupy' protest is necessary as authorities continue to display total disregard and ignorance of people's wishes.
"They
have continued to be blind, deaf and heartless. The people are also
extremely angered by the continued ridiculous charade by the
government."The group also condemned the recently conducted PSC into Lynas as a mere gimmick to drag the Lynas' issue and bulldoze the project through.
The group, along with others, have mounted a campaign calling for the government and Lynas not to go ahead with plans to operate an advanced materials refinery in Gebeng, Kuantan.
With the spectre of the Asian Rare Earth plant environmental fiasco in Bukit Merah Perak, the groups fear that the Lynas plant may bring similar problems.
The debacle in Bukit Merah saw the area around the ARE plant and nearby waste disposal facility contaminated with radiation and scores of workers and residents exposed to health risks.
Lynas however have maintained that its operations are safe and pose no danger to the inhabitants and the environs of Gebeng.
The only ones who are blind, deaf and heartless are the anti-lynas protesters who refuse to listen to international scientists, refuse to see the monitoring and don't care about others in their selfish crusade to destroy the non-chinese rare earth factory. They have repeatedly said, we don't care if the lamp is safe, "we just don't want it".
ReplyDeleteagree, with you. the more I read about the anti-lynas group, the more I think they are funded by the Chinese rare earth interests. I hope the next protest has the lowest participation as Malaysians become more aware that lynas company is not an enemy but a benefit that will create amazing opportunities for them.
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