Lynas: What it actually means to the citizens of Malaysia

LynasCorp had recently set up a rare-earths processing plant in the country of Malaysia. This was met with unfavourable reactions. Certain influential people are using this to their advantage to gain trust and power in the wheel of politics. The real problem with this Lynas issue, however, is how the 'people in charge' are handling the issue.

First things first, as a science student, I had done some research on the hazards of this chemical plant. Surprisingly, the chemical plant is perfectly safe. (I'll get to that point later)

What's wrong with Lynas, however, are these:

• The decision to allow the plant to be built way back in 2008 without a public revelation
• Tax Exemption for 12 years. 12 years? Seriously? This is a radioactive material industrial plant worth billions of dollars. Why are we so kind?
• The Fine if anything goes wrong (RM50 mil.) is definitely too low compared to their profits (RM 8 bil. per year)

And these:

• The surrounding area's estate worth will experience a significant drop.
• Foreign investors might think twice due to the presence of radioactive waste threat. (disputable, but nobody expects the investors to have engineering/science degrees)
• 
  

Now that the nasty stuff is out of the way, lets take a closer look at the current state of argument. The youth of Malaysia are sadly misinformed by the hazards of the chemical plant (I blame Facebook and 9gag).

Most of them wish for the plant to be taken down an-

EDIT: This website/article explains everything that was here previously, only in a more solid fashion. Check it out. http://mynewshub.my/eng/2012/02/the-truth-about-lynas/

Sigh.

My point being, we shouldn't rush to join the mob just because of some text and a few rage images. Read about the problem, check the validity of the sources before making any decision.

I welcome any comments on this matter.

TL;DR: The chemical plant is fine. (as long as they follow the standards set by Malaysia)