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Posts tagged Himpunan Hijau 2.0
Himpunan Hijau
1 year ago
by JohnShen
in News & Politics
Press Statement
By Himpunan Hijau
19 March 2012
Himpunan Hijau stressed that the setting-up of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on the Lynas issue is irrelevant and unnecessary.
“Instead, the committee wants the government to immediately cancel the Temporary Operating Licence (TOL). We also suggest that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) steps-in to investigate all the irregularities in the approval process.
“The PSC is a propaganda tool and a public relation exercise to deceive the people. It is thus an insult to our Parliament”, said Wong Tack, chairperson of the Himpunan Hijau Steering Committee.
Himpunan Hijau calls upon the government to stop this foolish act.
“We want all MPs to boycott the PSC and not to allow themselves to be reduced to the degrading status of being a mouthpiece of an oppressive foreign capitalist colonizer,” Wong Tack advises the parliamentarians.
“We also urge all NGOs not to participate in this process.
For more than a year, responsible citizens of Kuantan have shown the strongest objections on the Lynas project. Yet the authorities have continued to ignore and showed no concern. After all the recent ridiculous flip-flop statements by various ministers, another gimmick in the guise of a PSC is proposed with the false intention of gathering information and engaging the public.
“The setting-up of the PSC clearly shows that our various ministers including our Prime Minister have made conclusive statements that the plant is safe without facts and information.
“It also proves that the hasty approval of the project and the issuance of the Temporary Operating Licence was also not based on facts and information.
“The whole procedure is up-side down.
“It is now so clear that the entire government administration is no longer functioning. Those ministers and department directors who have failed in their duties must step down,” said Wong Tack.
Himpunan Hijau 3.0 is on 13 April!!!
1 year ago
Press Statement
By Himpunan Hijau
18 March 2012
Himpunan Hijau applauds anti-Lynas rally
Himpunan Hijau applauds the effort of the Solidariti SeMalaysia Anti-Lynas coalition in organising the April 13th nationwide rally to support our struggle.
Clement Chin, steering committee member of Himpunan Hijau said, “Their effort will without a doubt create significant mileage in promoting and accelerating the build-up to Himpunan Hijau 3.0.
“We hope more organisations or even individuals regardless of race, religion or political standings will all step forward to organise similar events or activities. We must know this is an issue of humanity.
“Come out, do something, be a part of and feel the momentum of Himpunan Hijau 3.0.
“The Himpunan Hijau steering committee will go into detailed discussion on Himpunan Hijau 3.0 with our associates on March 18th.
“As our chairperson Wong Tack has said before, only two elements will trigger Himpunan Hijau 3.0. The arrival of the raw materials from Australia or when our Prime Minister calls for election.
“We urged all Malaysians to be on alert and wait for the clarion call of Himpunan Hijau 3.0 from our chairperson Wong Tack.
“When that big day arrives, come all out with the emotions and anger of the highest intensity to yell in your loudest voice, Lynas must be out of Malaysia!
Press Statement on Himpunan Hijau 2.0
1 year ago
Press Statement
By WONG TACK
Chairperson, Himpunan Hijau
28 February 2012
Himpunan Hijau advises Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek to face the Lynas issue head-on instead of beating around the bush.
It is very clear that the root cause of the Lynas issue is political wrongdoings. Therefore, a wrong political decision must be resolved with the correct political action. The political situation in this country is such that many politicians are unwilling to speak out and act on an issue if it will adversely affect their personal interests and political agendas. We wish to remind that politicians are given the mandate to protect the wellbeing of the people and the nation. They must not take lightly nor continue to belittle the people on an issue which is of grave concern and closest to the people’s hearts. Therefore, for a leader with the backing of an established political machinery like MCA, Dr. Chua, instead of constantly trying to avoid handling the issue and conveniently trying to accuse the people of politicizing, should :
1) investigate whether someone opened the backdoor of this country and greased the path to allow a monster to slide into our country
2) investigate how a project of such magnitude which can cause massive pollutions can be approved within weeks and required only a PEIA, of which standard is no better than a high school report.
3) engage an independent panel of experts to verify the claims and so-called scientific data provided by Lynas.
4) investigate whether someone directed the Director of AELB to issue the Temporary Operating Licence when full regulatory compliance have not been met . Explain the reasons and logic behind this issuance.
Same goes to the Ministers under Datuk Chua’s leadership especially Dato’ Liow Tiong Lai. As a responsible Minister of Health, he should establish a professional team to conduct an independent research in investigating the ill-impacts of the project on the health of the people. On the other hand, Dato’ Ng Yen Yen, as the Minister of Tourism, must fulfill the responsibility entrusted to her by carrying out an independent analysis of the impact of the project on the tourism industry in the nation particularly in Kuantan. These are the contributions and commitments that the people hope to see from the leaders of this nation. All these years, it was very easy for politicians to give promises and guarantees verbally and even on paper when they are in power.
The tragic and grievous experiences in Bukit Merah, Perak and Mamut copper mine, Sabah reveal the true consequences of these false promises. Both of these operations have closed down for years, whereby money has been made by certain quarters. But until this very moment, the communities of Bukit Merah and Mamut continue to suffer immensely. What has the government done for them? Any collective actions taken apart from pointing fingers? Any chance of finding solutions to reverse the severe damages and sufferings that have taken place? Who are there for the families who are suffering now? Anyone cares? Anyone???
With these real examples of toxic legacies, why are the people and the future generations of this nation being forced to take all these unnecessary, unreasonable and unacceptable risks again? Haven’t the people suffered enough? How much more suffering do those in power, out of greediness and selfishness, want to inflict on the people? Datuk Chua, as a prominent leader of this nation must understand the concept of global interconnectivity and realise that Lynas is not only an issue of the people of Kuantan. For the benefit of the nation, he must elevate his perspectives on environment concerns or global environmental movements.
Therefore, it is very crucial that Dato Chua exercises his political duty and moral responsibility. We are calling on him to stand up and provide the people with a truthful and brave decisive statement on this issue. The clarion call of Himpunan Hijau 3.0 has been activated. We call upon all concerned and responsible citizens of Malaysia to be on alert to respond by coming forward on the day of reckoning on stopping Lynas!
Himpunan Hijau 2.0 Press Statement
1 year ago
Press Statement
By WONG TACK
Chairperson, Himpunan Hijau
27 February 2012
HIMPUNAN HIJAU 3.0 IS ON!
Finally, we have received the first response from our Prime Minister. We feel encouraged but unfortunately, the answer was not what we are expecting. Therefore, we hereby confirmed that Himpunan Hijau 3.0 is on! We realized and strongly believed that in order to have a clean environment, we need a clean government. Thus, looking at the positive partnership of Himpunan Hijau and BERSIH 2.0, we will discuss with Bersih’s Steering Committee on the possibility of organising a joint green and yellow BERSIH 3.0.
Himpunan Hijau is extremely shocked that until today, our leaders are still very much ill-informed of the actual scientific facts and danger of the Lynas project. The people do not accept the position by taken by the government and Lynas.
Firstly, the proposition is wholly disputable because Lynas has not had any prior experience operating such a project. Nor does Lynas possess a pilot-scale plant which would generate an industry-proven data to corroborate these claims. More significantly, Lynas has not disclosed official testimonials which verify the authenticity of the data. Rare earth plant like this does not appear anywhere in this globe except in China. It is wholly unrealistic to accept their claims of zero risk to the people, which is either based on China’s experience or on an hypothetical basis. Thus, if a grassroot movement like Himpunan Hijau can engage experts and scientists to conduct thorough research to obtain the true facts of this issue, why can’t the government?
Our Prime Minister’s suggestion to dump the massive amount of radioactive waste far away from habitated area is totally senseless and unacceptable! This remark from the top leadership in this country is of grave concern to the people because it reflects a shallow understanding of the ecological system and blatant disrespect of natural environment. Every inch of our motherland is a precious natural asset to our nation. The landscape of the countryside is an ecologically sensitive system of forests, rivers and food production farmlands.
Our Prime Minister must realize that the thousands of acres of land used for permanent disposal of toxic/ radioactive wastes will deprive our children and our children’s children for generations to come from getting near it for billions of years. This permanent radioactive polluting site will subject our whole nation to the risks of widespread contaminations and pollutions. So, how could our Prime Minister, at this highly crucial moment, still calls for a compromise and a search for a win-win situation? Can we allow our future generations to face this kind of unreasonable and unnecessary risks? Can we selfishly rob our children of their future?
We understand that our Prime Minister has inherited this issue from the previous administration. We understand that he may be facing pressure from certain groups with vested interest. However, we hope that he could step forward at this critical time and display his true leadership by making an honest and brave decisive decision for the people. We hope this decision will come before Himpunan Hijau 3.0. The action or inaction of the Prime Minister will be remembered for generations to come.
Himpunan Hijau 2.0 (Penang State)
1 year ago
Lynas Corporation company had build Rare Earth in Gebeng, Kuantan. If everything goes as planned, by September this year, the largest rare earth refinery in the worldcalled Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) will start operating in Gebeng Industrial Zone, some 25 km away from Kuantan town, home to almost half a million people. Lynas will import rare earth ores from Mount Weld in Australia to be processed in Gebeng. The finished products will be exported overseas while the radioactive waste dumped in Gebeng. This plant will cast a shadow over Kuantan town. Real estate price will plunge, residents who are able to relocate will flee and those who are not will be in constant fear of radiation exposure. As soon as operations begin, Lynas Advanced Materials plant will leave behind 28,000 tonnes of solid waste per year.
SOLID WASTE MATERIAL
3 types of waste from the cracking-separation plant:
Water Leached Purification (WLP)
• The residue from the water leach and neutralisation process
is a slightly acidic filter cake containing Fe2SO4, PO4, SO4
and lesser amount of Ca & Mg and insoluble oxides and
hydroxides of Al, Ca, Si, Mn and rare earths.
Flue Gas Desulphurization Residue (FGD)
• Lime will be used to remove SO2 from waste gas stream and
produce Ca2SO4 solid
Neutralization Underflow Residue (NUF)
• Produced from the neutralisation of a dilute sulfuric acid.
Himpunan Hijau 2.0 Rally!!
1 year ago
Himpunan Hijau 2.0
Date: 26 Feb 2012
Venue: Kuantan Padang MPK
Police have yet to decide whether to grant a permit to the Himpunan Hijau 2.0 rally planned here on Sunday. Kuantan OCPD ACP Mohd Jasmani Yusoff said police would meet organisers of the anti-Lynas rally Friday to discuss the matter. ”We have already sent them a letter telling them to meet with us on Wednesday. However, the meeting has been postponed to Friday. ”We will wait for them to come and see us to iron out details of their planned rally,” said ACP Mohd Jasmani said Thursday. It was reported that the organisers of the rally had claimed some 20,000 people would be present at 9.30am on Sunday to oppose the rare earth plant in Gebeng operated by Australia’s Lynas Corporation, which has been given a temporary operating licence (TOL).
Meanwhile, work has begun to fence off the MPK1 field where the rally is planned. Kuantan Municipal Council (MPK) president Datuk Zulkifli Yaacob said this was to facilitate upgrading of the field for the Sukma games in July. ”It has nothing to do with the rally. The upgrading work was supposed to be carried out earlier but I was told the contractor could only start today (Thursday),” he said when contacted. Zulkifli added that the field would stay fenced up until work was completed. Himpunan Hijau chairman Wong Tack condemned the action, saying it was being done to intimidate the public. ”How can it be a coincidence when our rally is just three days away? MPK is being unreasonable,” he said. Wong said the rally would go on either within the field or outside. ”I am giving MPK an ultimatum. Do not force us to take the rally to the streets.”
Give us the field or we take the street, say anti-Lynas group
The organisers of the anti-Lynas has vowed to go ahead with their Himpunan Hijau 2.0 mega rally on Sunday in Kuantan despite having their venue application rejected. Organising chairman Wong Tack revealed that the Kuantan Municipal Council had on Monday rejected their application to use the municipal field. He told a press conference at the PAS headquarters here, that the people will still gather despite the rejection and he would be filing an appeal against the local council’s decision.
“They have the choice to allow us to use the field or the streets,” he said. Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob had previously welcomed the gathering, saying that it was fully within the rights of Malaysians. The organisers claimed that the gathering would attract 20,000 people in their bid to oppose the rare earth plant operated by Australia’s Lynas Corporation in Gebeng, half an hour’s drive away from Kuantan.The plant had recently been given a temporarily operating licence, which critics claimed were approved without a detailed and transparent environmental impact assessment report.
Anti-Lynas groups condemn temporary licence
Anti-Lynas protest groups have strongly condemned the Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s (AELB) approval of a temporary operating licence (TOL) for the mining corporation’s rare earth refinery in Gebeng here. Stop Lynas Coalition chairman Andansura Rabu said he was shocked the licence was granted even though the permanent disposal facility (PDF) issue had yet to be solved. “One of AELB’s conditions was that the plans and location of the PDF must be disclosed within ten months of the TOL issuance. Why didn’t the Government and its agencies force Lynas to solve this issue before considering the approval?” he asked at a press conference here Thursday.AELB director-general Raja Datuk Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan said in a statement Wednesday that the licence could be suspended or cancelled while future applications would not be entertained if Lynas did not adhere to five conditions. The conditions include a US$50mil (RM152mil) deposit that Lynas must keep with the Government. Andansura added that AELB’s statement did not consider the R&D that would be performed by Lynas to recycle the waste.
“Pahang will become like a public toilet for Lynas. By imposing the deposit on them, it is as though Lynas has just been absolved of all responsibilities,” he said. Andansura said the coalition would proceed to file an injunction at the Kuala Lumpur High Court by Feb 13 to stop the plant from operating. Meanwhile, Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said that AELB’s condition that the residue should be returned to the source if necessary was irrational. “Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Norman Moore had already said that they will not accept the waste and it will belong to Malaysia. “The United Nations’ Basel Convention which declared that any radioactive material must be returned to its country of origin could not be enforced as well as it does not cover radioactive waste,” she said in a press statement.The Himpunan Hijau and Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas protest groups will hold press conferences later in the afternoon to respond to the TOL approval.
Himpunan Hijau sees red over no green light
Himpunan Hijau 2.0 organisers have vowed to press on with their anti-Lynas gathering this Sunday despite having their venue application rejected. Organising chairman Wong Tack said the Kuantan local council had on Monday rejected their request to use the municipal field. During a press conference at the PAS headquarters here yesterday, Wong said he would appeal against the local council’s decision. “Himpunan Hijau is shocked by the official reply from the local council on Feb 20 that our application cannot be considered’. “I give an assurance that at 9.30am on Sunday, the rakyat of Kuantan will assemble, no matter what,” said Wong, adding that no other reasons were given for the rejection in the letter signed by the mayor. He said the letter also stated that the organisers should first obtain a “letter of support or permit” from the police.
“They have the choice to allow us to use the field or the streets,” Wong said, adding that the police had written to the organisers for a meeting yesterday. The organisers claimed some 20,000 people would be present to oppose the rare earth plant operated by Australia’s Lynas Corporation in Gebeng, which has been given a temporary operating licence. The first Himpunan Hijau gathering was held in October at Taman Gelora beach. Meanwhile in Kuantan, residents filed an application for a judicial review on the temporary licence.The suit, which was filed on Friday, named Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the director-general of Environmental Quality at the Department of Environment and Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd as respondents. Stop Lynas Coalition chairman Andansura Rabu said they were seeking leave to apply for an order of prohibition to stop AELB from issuing any temporary or permanent licence to Lynas until it had submitted a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment report to the Environ-mental Quality director-general. He added that they were also seeking a stay order on the licence pending the determination of the proceedings.
