.JPG "Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks during a press conference at the Prime Ministeru00e2u20acu2122s Office in Putrajaya April 5, 2019. u00e2u20acu201d Picture by Miera Zulyana")
PUTRAJAYA, April 5 — Australian rare earth miner Lynas can continue operating its refinery in Gebeng, Pahang with additional conditions, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
He said the company must reduce the radioactive levels of the raw materials before bringing them into the country and export its waste from Malaysia.
“We have imposed an extra condition that it must take away the waste… they have given us a promise that in the future before sending raw material to Malaysia, they will clean it up first.
“They will crack it and decontaminate it in some way in regards to radioactivity,” said Dr Mahathir at a press conference here.
“So when the raw material comes here, the volume is less and the waste from that raw material is not dangerous to anybody,” said Dr Mahathir on the effect of cleaning process, which was described as “cracking”.
He said Lynas had also been opted to be sold or acquired by other companies.
“There are other companies willing to buy up and somehow or other acquire lynas,” he said.
On Wednesday, Australia’s environment minister Melissa Price said Malaysia had asked Australia to accept 450,000 metric tonnes of radioactive waste produced by Lynas here.
Dr Mahathir had the day before said the Cabinet would meet to decide the federal government’s stance on the management of Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s radioactive waste.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidates had in the last general election campaigned against Lynas and the Lynas Advanced Material Plant (LAMP) in Gebeng, Kuantan.
A special parliamentary caucus committee was formed by PH to monitor Lynas after it won the general election.
The Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry previously said Lynas must honour its pledge to remove its water leach purification residue in order for its operating licence to be renewed.
Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof, however, contradicted this on Monday by claiming there was no official stand on the matter.
