The Perak anti-radiation committee will be holding a gathering to show solidarity for Himpunan Hijau 2.0 near the abandoned Asian Rare Earth (ARE) refinery site in Bukit Merah, near Ipoh, Perak.

The one-hour gathering will be held at 11am on Feb 26, concurrent with the rally against the Lynas Advance Materials Plant (Lamp) in Gebeng, near Kuantan, Pahang.

NONE “Since we’re in Perak, it is very hard for us to go there (to Gebeng). So we will be gathering outside the ARE (Asian Rare Earth) to show our support,” committee chairperson Hew Yun Tat told Malaysiakini when contacted on Wednesday.

The ARE site - now closed for two decades - was the centre of one of the largest radioactive clean-up operations in Southeast Asia.

Although the factory has been long-abandoned, local residents claim that they still suffer from after-effects of the site’s radiation , that include leukaemia and birth defects.

ARE, set up to extract rare earth from tin tailings, is often raised by anti-Lynas campaigners as a cautionary tale for the plant’s potential health hazards.

Kuantan MP expects permit

Meanwhile in Kuantan, local MP Fuziah Salleh, who has been at the frontlines of the anti-Lynas campaign,said she expects a permit for Himpunan Hijau 2.0 since the Pahang menteri besar has told the media that the authorities will not stop it.

NONE “We look forward to a peaceful rally against Lynas in the light of a broader policy framework in the context of sustainable development, on Feb 26, and I hereby expect the MB of Pahang to do his utmost best in ensuring cooperation from local authorities as well as from the police.” she said in a statement on Tuesday.

Pahang MB Adnan Yaakob was reported by Star to have said he welcomes the anti-Lynas demonstration, calling the expected turnout of 20,000 “too little”.

“I also want to join. Maybe I will go and say ‘hello’ to the demonstrators on that day,” the pro-government English daily quoted him saying.

The rally will be held at Padang MPK1 in Kuantan, Pahang, from 9.30am until noon.

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