Background
Information
The
1,500-tonne incinerator, if not forestalled, will
begin operations in
2007. The country's first "state-of-the-art"
waste treatment plant using
gasification and ash-melting technology will cost
1.5 billion ringgit (about US$395 million) to
build and 200 million ringgit (about US$53 million)
for annual operating cost. Ebara, a major Japanese
incinerator maker and exporter, has won the award
to design and construct the facility. Chosen as
site of the giant waste incinerator is Broga,
"in a valley among beautiful hills, forest
and water catchment areas," in the state
of Selangor, Sections
of the Rakyat (the local term for "people")
and public interest groups have asked the government
to cancel the project, citing critical public
health, environmental, socio-economic and financial
risks. Since the proposal to build the burner
was made public, the Stop Broga/Semenyih Incinerator
Protem Action Committee and concerned groups have
spon nonstop
against it through successive memorandums, complaints,
press interviews and releases. Following the GAIA
Global Meeting in Penang, Maalysia, a GAIA delegation
comprising of activists from Japan, Philippines
and USA joined residents of Broga and Semenyih
in a packed out conference on 22 March 2003 against
waste incineration. In July this year, as part
of the Global Day of Action against Waste Incineration,
400 people took part in a protest assembly before
being asked to disperse by the police. Recently,
10 non-government organizations signed a memorandum
to the government entitled "Yes to
Zero Waste, No to Incinerator."
Instead
of responding to the issues they have raised,
Prime Minister
Mahathir chided residents and groups opposed to
the project for obstructing policies intended
for the "good" of Malaysia. Also, in
an obvious effort to influence and preempt the
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process
the Ministry of Housing and Local Government run
a two-week misleading advertising campaign promoting
the "zero emission" gasification technology.
The EIA report is now out for public review and
will get finalized soon.
Help:
Endorse Our Open Letter, E-Mail and Fax Dr. Mahathir
Now!
Please
sign our Open Letter to the Malaysian Prime Minister
and join our call for him to rethink his position,
listen to the Rakyat and cancel the controversial
project. The deadline for endorsement will be
on 19 September 2003.
Additionally,
we urge you to email or fax similar messages to
the Government of Malaysia. We hope to bombard
Dr. Mahathir's office with messages that will
hopefully sway him into changing his views - before
he finally steps down as Prime Minister of Malaysia
in late October 2003.
PM
Mahathir's E-Mail: ppm@pmo.gov.my
PM
Mahathir's Fax: +603 - 88883444
PM
Mahathir's Office Address:
Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister's Office
Federal Government Administration Center
Bangunan Perdana Putra
62502 Putrajaya
Malaysia
For
more information about the Broga incinerator,
please visit
www.no-incinerators.com
or contact the GAIA
Secretariat.
We
thank you in advance for joining us in this effort.
Best
wishes.
Manny
C. Calonzo
GAIA Secretariat
Unit 320, Eagle Court, 26 Matalino St., Quezon
City, Philippines
+632-9290376 (phone), +632-4364733 (fax)
manny.gaia@no-burn.org
www.no-burn.org |
