Rare earth in Kuantan…. what is it?

An Australian firm Lynas corporation plans to invest RM700 million in Kuantan. Sounds great for the people of Kuantan, sounds great that the government of Pahang is bringing in foreign investments and creating jobs for locals. BUT….. what is rare earth? WTH is it? Does the people in Pahang know what it is? Rare earth is a group of minerals used in making high technology electronics gadgets like mobile phones, televisions, and energy saving light bulbs. High tech…. would most people in Pahang know what it is? It is good that high tech gadgets use it…. but what most psople in Pahang dont know is that it is radioactive and this industry produces waste which are radioactive. RADIOACTIVE? Like the nuclear plants….. no in a much smaller scale. HARMLESS RADIOACTIVE? Is there such a thing? Why does the Australian company want to produce it in Pahang? Its because the Australians don’t want it down under. Australians are health conscious people…. they know that its bad for them and their environment. So is Kuantan the right place? Why is it so….. when we dont have any rare earth in Pahang? The rare earth are mined in China, will be shipped to Kuantan and processed using Western Intellect Property processing technology and Kuantan, Pahang will be the radioactive dumping ground. OMG! IAEA the International Atomic… what the heck…. is coming to analyze the effects of this industry to Kuantan. Is this the first kind of foreign investment in Malaysia? Noo…. There was a plant in Bukit Merah, Perak which is now closed down due to radiation cases. It took years and millions for the cleanup exercise. What kind of investment spillover effect did it bring to Perak? Besides radiation and unlivable conditions to Bukit Merah for years. Think twice, think of the people of Pahang first. That should be priority, not only just money coming in from foreign investors. Show proof of the technology used is better than in Bukit Merah and there is no pose of threat. Better still, have the waste by products be shipped off back to the originated country. Then only should the people of Pahang and the government say yes to these types of investment.

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