Malaysia has said that it did not support rare earths mining in sensitive locations such as permanent forest reserves and water catchment areas. It has banned companies from exporting raw rare earths to prevent loss of resources. Refinery to handle both typesThe proposed refinery is expected to process both light and heavy rare earths, two Malaysian sources said. In August, Johari Abdul Ghani, Malaysia’s minister for natural resources, said China was prepared to provide technical and technological assistance in processing rare earths. A successful deal would make Malaysia one of the few countries with both Chinese and non-Chinese rare earths processing technology, Johari added.