JOHOR BARU: The government is set to enhance the safety, security and safeguarding aspects of radioactive materials with the amendment of the Atomic Energy Licensing Act 1984 (Act 304), which is currently being drafted.
Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) director general Hamrah Mohd Ali said the time has come for Malaysia to update its laws regarding the safe and peaceful use of atomic energy.
"Act 304 is more than 30 years old. Current global developments and the need to be up-to-date with the requirements of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) means that it is time for the act to be amended.
"The current act focuses more on the safety aspect of the use of atomic energy.
“The amendment will focus on the security and safeguarding aspects and will give us a clearer and more precise look at these two aspects," said Hamrah.
He said the technical element of the amendment has been hashed out, and is currently with the Attorney-General's Chambers for drafting.
"If everything goes according to plan, we hope the new law will be passed this year," said Hamrah.
He was speaking to the media after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between AELB and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.