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Lynas review panel to hold public hearing session on Nov 11
Published:  Nov 5, 2018 4:22 PM
Updated: 9:02 AM
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The executive committee to review the operations of Australian mining company Lynas Corporation rare earth processing plant will be holding a public hearing session at Bukit Gambang Resort City at 9am on Nov 11.

In a statement, the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry said the public hearing session will be conducted to engage with all stakeholders, including Lynas Malaysia, NGOs, government agencies, environmental experts, public health experts, as well as radiation experts.

“The public is invited to personally hear explanations given by all stakeholders,” read the statement issued through the ministry's corporate communications unit.

Online pre-registration is required to attend the public hearing, which opens today and closes at midnight of Nov 9.

According to the ministry, participants are also required to be properly dressed and are forbidden from bringing any banners, posters, or other dangerous items. For those who are unable to attend, the proceeding will be streamed live on the ministry’s Facebook page.

Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL), an advocacy group against Lynas' rare earth processing plant in Kuantan, had last month said it was disappointed with the Pakatan Harapan government's decision to extend the Australian company's residue storage licence.

SMSL claimed that Lynas was producing toxic waste, but the company denied this, stating that the byproduct it produced was safely managed and can be "returned to the environment" through radioactivity dilution and dispersion.

Lynas' Malaysian operations have been under scrutiny by the country's new government over concerns that its six-year-old plant that processes rare earth used in industrial magnets is harmful to the environment.

Putrajaya has since set up an executive committee to review operations of the Lynas plant and gave it until the end of this month to submit a report with recommendations for the government.

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