KUANTAN, Malaysia, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Thousands rallied in the Malaysian state of Pahang on Sunday, calling on the government to overturn its approval for Australian miner Lynas Corp to operate a rare earths processing plant located in Prime Minister Najib Razak's base.
The rally -- led by environmental activists and opposition politicians -- attracted around 5,000 people to Pahang's state capital of Kuantan wearing green t-shirts and chanting slogans alleging the $200 million plant could leach radioactive waste into the environment.
Kuantan is about 25 kilometres (15.6 miles) from the plant.
Shares in Lynas jumped after it received a temporary operating licence approval in February, easing speculation the licence could be rejected in the face of opposition from political parties and local residents ahead of national elections expected within months.
But since the approval, a legal challenge launched in Malaysia threatens to delay one the world's few new major sources of rare earths aimed at alleviating China's stranglehold on global markets and putting further pressure on Najib to reconsider the plant.
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