Some backgnd on the Asian Rare Earth factory
Black...@mts.rpi.edu
Asian Rare Earth (ARE), owned jointly by Mitsubishi
Chemicals and Malaysian investors, including the Islamic
Pilgrims Managements and Fund Board as a major share-
holder, began operation in 1982 processing rare elements
from tin tailings to produce thorium hydroxide, in the
course of which radioactive waste products are
generated. Initial plan call for the radioactive waste
to be dump near Parit, a malay village, but the site was
moved to Papan, a chinese settlement, by the time
production started. The waste product was deposited in
a rapidly cracking cement-lined trench not far from a
river tributary. When this was discovered, 16
organizations joined to form the Papan Support Group and
Perak Anti-Radioactive Committe (PARC), which together
sponsored radioactive measurements, a nationwide
petition, and eventually public demonstrations against
unsafe dump site. In response the dump site was moved
to a new location near Bukit Merah, another chinese
village.
Ref: Malaysian Politics
GordonP. Means (MacMaster University, Canada)
Oxford University Press
1991.
Strongly recommended. A very good book on the trends and
dynamics of contemporary Malaysian Politics in the 1970s
and 1980s. Lots of interesting references.
PS: Hey you guys in McMaster, perhaps you can get
Prof. Means to read this group and participate?
It would be refreshing to have an authority on
board.
-Black Swan
othman (EEE/Div 4)
: moved to Papan, a chinese settlement, by the time
: production started. The waste product was deposited in
: a rapidly cracking cement-lined trench not far from a
It did have cement-lined trench.
: river tributary. When this was discovered, 16
: organizations joined to form the Papan Support Group and
: Perak Anti-Radioactive Committe (PARC), which together
: sponsored radioactive measurements, a nationwide
: petition, and eventually public demonstrations against
: unsafe dump site. In response the dump site was moved
: to a new location near Bukit Merah, another chinese
: village.
I wonder if there will be less pollution if it were put in a Malay area.
From my experiece there will certainly be even more pollution because the
pressure groups are mostly chinese oriented. They don't give a damn about
other races.
The example was the pollution caused by the Mamut mines, near Mount Kinabalu,
a highly valuable tourist potential. There was not even any trench. The amount
of pollution is so much that the remaining one is as large as a small hill.
The rest of the pollution had been swept the the river killing a lot of fishes,
(maybe humans as well), and make the sourrounding miles of land barren for
hundreds of years.
Surprisingly the report was by a Japanese and the mine was operated by a
Japanese firm.
Although the State government got about 100 million from the mines, I do not
think it worth the destruction of prime land.
:
:
: Ref: Malaysian Politics
: GordonP. Means (MacMaster University, Canada)
: Oxford University Press
: 1991.
:
: Strongly recommended. A very good book on the trends and
: dynamics of contemporary Malaysian Politics in the 1970s
: and 1980s. Lots of interesting references.
:
:
: PS: Hey you guys in McMaster, perhaps you can get
: Prof. Means to read this group and participate?
: It would be refreshing to have an authority on
: board.
I encourage him to do so so that he can get a lot of inside information from
those who have no privilege to publish. Those official documents can be utterly
misleading. You must also interview ALL Malaysians of all races and states in
order to get a balanced view.
Imagine these authorities making a fundamental mistake as not knowing
What MALAYSIA is!
--
Othman bin Ahmad, School of EEE,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 2263.
Internet Email: eoa...@ntuix.ntu.ac.sg
Bitnet Email: eoa...@ntuvax.bitnet