Kuching, March 12, 2012: Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian has said that the party will take up the issue on the Press Metal Sdn Bhd’s aluminium smelter plant in Mukah following numerous complaints from the surrounding villages.
“We have heard of complaints from the people residing at the nearby places.
“We will conduct investigation, and if we find that there are basis for their complaints, we may file a court injunction to stop the plant from operating,” he told reporters after chairing the party liaison committee meeting here on Saturday.
Baru said he had raised the issue on the concerns of the people residing near the plant at the November 2011 sitting of the State Legislative Assembly.
“I have asked for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the plant, and I believe the government has released the report last December,” he said, adding that he was keen to read the report on the aluminium plant.
Among the complaints that he had received were that trees and grass near the smelting plants had turned brown and died, fish had died and people were suffering from strange sicknesses.
He said he wanted to know whether these claims were true.
“If there is such a thing, then I think it is very serious where people are suffering from certain sicknesses, I think we should call for an investigation if there is any connection between the sicknesses and the smelting plant,” he added.
“We should find ways and means to find the redress, including injunction in court if there is such proof,” Baru said.
“Certainly we will go to the court if there is connection with the leakage,” Baru, who is a well-known native customary rights (NCR) land lawyer, said.
He said if he was not happy with the EIA Report, Sarawak PKR might consider assigning independent experts to conduct the EIA.
Baru, who is also the state assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan, said the DAP state assemblyman for Kidurong, Chiew Chiu Sing, had also raised the issue at the State Legislative Assembly sitting.
Press Metal, the first ever aluminium-smelting plant in Malaysia, started operation in 2009, with an initial production of 100,000 metric tonnes.
When in full operation, the plant is capable of producing 300,000 metric tonnes per annum .
No comments:
Post a Comment