KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — This weekend’s Himpunan Hijau 2.0 anti-Lynas rally in Kuantan will take place at Padang MPK 4 instead of Padang MPK 1, Fuziah Salleh said today.

The Kuantan MP also said the police have given their word to manage traffic and ensure the safety of all participants who take part in the mass rally on Sunday.

“I would like to assert that I put full trust in the PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police), in ensuring full safety of the participants as well as the safety of leaders present at Himpunan Hijau 2.0.

“The people should have no fear now that the police have given their word and understanding on the matter,” the PKR vice-president said in a statement following a meeting with Kuantan OCPD Jasmani Yusoff.

Sunday’s gathering will be the first major protest since the Peaceful Assembly Bill was gazetted last month.

The main rally in Kuantan will be held at Padang MPK 4 from 9.30am onwards, with simultaneous rallies in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Perak and Sabah.

PKR has confirmed that its top leaders, led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will take part in the demonstration.

More than 20,000 people are expected to turn up at the rally to protest against the Lynas plant’s trial run following the Atomic Energy Licensing Board’s (AELB) award of a temporary operating licence (TOL) to Lynas Corp on January 20.

Deeply concerned over the potential environmental impact of the plant, anti-Lynas groups have grown in force over the past year since news of the nuclear power plant crisis in Fukushima, Japan hit global headlines.

Last week, 10 Pahang residents filed a suit against the AELB and two others alleging that the regulator had issued the TOL for the RM2.5 billion rare earth plant in return for a cut of the firm’s top line income.

The suit, filed in the High Court here last Friday, seeks a court order to cancel AELB’s award of the TOL to Lynas.

The Australian miner is looking to break China’s chokehold on the supply of rare earth metals needed to manufacture high-tech products such as smartphones, energy-efficient light bulbs and hybrid cars.

Lynas expects to generate some RM8 billion annually from its operations here.

Putrajaya announced on Wednesday it will form an independent monitoring unit to audit the construction of the plant to ensure compliance to standards imposed by regulators.

This follows allegations made in the New York Times that a key contractor for the rare earth plant pulled out over safety concerns.

The unit will be set up and run by four ministries — the International Trade and Industry Ministry, the Science and Technology Ministry, the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry, and the Health Ministry.