POLICE BARRICADES MALAYSIAN’S GREEN WALKS PROTESTERS

Thirteen days after departing Kuantan, members of the Himpunan Hijau (Green Walk) movement protesting the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant in Kuantan have reached the capital and are now at police barricades on roads leading to Dataran Merdeka which is cordoned off.

Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam (right photo) has told them that police would not take any action as long as the barricade was not breached.

Meanwhile, volunteers have also formed a human chain to keep marchers from going any further. 

Himpunan hijau chairman Wong Tack (photo below) climbed on to a parked car and urged the country's "responsible" leaders to hear their woes.

He said they would stay there until Monday morniing but would not march to parliament.

NGO members and some Pakatan (opposition party) leaders joined the main group at Maju Junction Mall.
According to organisers, the group gathered at the Sentul market at about 1pm on Sunday before starting the last leg of their 300km march.

Organisers had originally planned to camp at Dataran Merdeka on Sunday night before heading to Parliament the next day to submit a memorandum against the commencement of the Lynas plant. 
The People's Green Coalition representative Dr Khim Pa said on Thursday they decided to change the route and invited MPs to listen to their woes and receive their memorandum at Dataran Merdeka.

The Kuantan High Court had on Nov 8 lifted the suspension of Lynas' temporary operating licence (TOL), paving the way for the plant to start operations. Justice Datuk Mariana Yahya fixed Nov 30 to set the date for judicial review for an interim injunction application on the TOL filed by three Kuantan residents.

Source: The Star 
 

In the mean time, the Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) group today said it was appalled by the cloud of secrecy surrounding the arrival of rare earth ore at the Kuantan Port yesterday.
In a statement, SMSL’s spokesman Steve Hang said that the shipment runs against Lynas Malaysia Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian government’s promise to be transparent on the matter.
Yesterday, about 100 containers of rare earth ore arrived at Kuantan Port and is scheduled to be sent for processing at the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) located in Gebeng, Pahang.
The shipment, which arrived at midnight, was guarded by heavy police escort.
Lynas confirmed that it would start its operations in the “coming days” despite an on-going legal battle in the court.

Source:  Free Malaysia Today