Another Lynas-like project in the making in Pengerang, Johor?

Pakatan Rakyat had a dialogue with the residents of Pengerang over the RM60.6 billion Refinery and Petroleum Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang, Johor.

The project involves 22,500 acres of land area to be acquired by the government.

That includes acquiring 18 burial sites (11 Muslim burial sites and 7 non Muslim), 11 surau, 6 mosques, 3 temples, 3 Chinese medium schools, 5 national schools and 5 Islamic religious schools besides the affected dwelling places of the residents.

The refinery is expected to operate by the end of 2016.  It has the capacity to process 300,000 barrels of crude oil a day, to produce into petroleum products such as petrol, jet fuel and diesel.

National petroleum company, PETRONAS, a GLC, will be looking for strategic partners to participate in this bold venture.

According to Hassan Karim (PKR Deputy Chief), contracting companies like Dialog Group Bhd, Kencana Petroleum and KNM Group Bhd, who enjoyed strong ties with UMNO, will benefit significantly from the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) of the proposed RAPID project.

Datuk Chua Jui Meng, Johor PKR Chief, went to great length to emphasize the environmental and health impact on local residents.

The mission tons of sulphur dioxide and other poisonous gas into the air daily will cause acid rain pollution on the sea and land.

Prolong inhalation of polluted air causes nose, colon cancer and leukemia, as evidenced by 26 refinery personnel suffering from one of cancerous diseases in a refinery in Singapore.  These personnel had worked in the refinery plant for 15 years and 20 have since died of cancer.