A Malaysian parliamentary committee will hold a hearing on July 16 to discuss a $96 million rare earths supply deal signed between Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths and the U.S. Department of Defense earlier this year.
Details of the Deal
The hearing aims to ascertain details of the deal between Lynas and the Pentagon and whether it breached any local policies, said lawmaker Wong Chen, chair of a parliamentary select committee on international relations and trade.
Testimonies will be heard from Lynas representatives, Malaysian government officials as well as environmental groups and rights activists, Wong told reporters.
Its outcomes will be submitted as recommendations to shape Malaysia’s rare earths policy, as the country seeks investments to build its domestic industry, he added.
Wong was speaking after receiving a memorandum from about 50 protesters, including activists from Greenpeace and the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, who gathered outside parliament to call for greater transparency and accountability in the rare earths supply chain.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
