LYNAS NO LONGER VIEWED NEGATIVELY

Australian company claims it has proven its activities are not harmful

AUSTRALIAN rareearths miner and chemical processor Lynas is no longer viewed negatively by the public. Lynas chief executive Amanda Lacaze said the company’s employees were previously embarrassed to tell people that they worked with Lynas.

Now, people in Kuantan openly seek career opportunities with the world’s second largest producer of odd elements.

“In the past, many accusations were levelled at us in Malaysia.

“Some were quite hurtful, implying that we were uncaring and did not care about our impact on the people,” she said, when introducing the company’s new campaign, “Advancing Hand in Hand With You”.

The campaign includes a video on Lynas’s operations and employees, press advertising, selected industry publications and a 52-week Facebook poster campaign.

She said the campaign showed Lynas’s determination as a corporation to be lawful, transparent and to contribute positively to people’s lives, customers, and stakeholders.

“It’s important that people understand how we contribute to their lifestyles.

“We need to be transparent with the community, custo mers and stakeholders in our company.”

Lacaze noted that in the five years Lynas had been in Kuantan, there had been no increase in radiation, up to 20km from its plant in Gebeng.

Lacaze, 57, lives near the company’s plant to prove that Lynas’s operations have no adverse impact.

“In addition to our environmental commitments, we focus on developing quality customer relationships to deliver sustainable growth, best practice employment policies and ongoing engagement with our surrounding communities.

“Back then, Lynas was an easy target and there was a lot of misinformation. But after five years, we have data to prove that we are not harming the environment,” she said.

The campaign is also meant to promote the benefits of rare-earth technologies.

She pointed out that rare-earth metals were present in everyday life, even if people were not aware of it.

Essential in modern communication devices, rare-earth products are also used in electric cars, wind turbines and MRI scanners.

The Lynas plant in Kuantan processes rare-earth concentrate mined in Mount Weld, Western Australia, which is regarded as the world’s highest grade rare-earth mine.

The Atomic Energy Licensing Board and International Atomic Energy Agency have rated Lynas’s operations as intrinsically low-risk.

The issue of Lynas and its rareearth business was raised at the last general election, with the opposition making false claims about rare earth.

One claim was that the processing of rare earth would be disastrous for the public, especially those living near the plant.

PKR’s Fuziah Salleh made the issue her main agenda when campaigning for the Kuantan parliamentary seat in the 13th General Election.

Fuziah, who was PKR vice-president then, had promised that the opposition would shut down the plant if it won the election.

She retained the seat she first won in 2008.

Lynas was an easy target and there was a lot of misinformation.

But after five years, we have data to prove that we are not harming the environment.

AMANDA LACAZE

Lynas chief executive