Mangrove affords natural protection

Published in The Star on 22 December 2007

WE refer to “Wrath of nature” (The Star, Dec 20) which has an alarming sentence at the beginning of the story: Mother Nature is fighting back.

Half of our country is affected by floods as the year ends. To date, the floods have claimed 29 lives. Last year, the Government spent RM1bil on flood aid.

Our Prime Minister is right to say that Malaysians must consider the effects of climate change, which might bring about heavier rainfall. It is also true that we really need to review all existing development plans and to come out with a long-term measure to overcome the perennial problem of flooding.

Unplanned development is the main cause of the serious environment degradation and it always exacerbates the consequences of natural disasters. If we blame climate change today, we also need to look at what we have done in facing the challenges of climate change.

Unfortunately, in the Sungai Pulai estuary, in south Johor, we are going to witness the destruction of 2,255 acres of pristine mangrove forest, equivalent to 913 soccer fields.

Instead of preserving a natural flood barrier, this gift from Mother Nature is to give way to petrochemical and maritime industries.

Taking the example of Sungai Johor, where heavy development and significant loss of mangroves are significant, its water retention capacity has been greatly reduced, which probably worsened the flooding in Kota Tinggi.

To prevent a similar catastrophe at Sungai Pulai, which might affect Pontian and Gelang Patah districts, we should ask ourselves whether such mega development would exceed the carrying capacity of the river.

Is it worth the short-term economic gains or paying the price for environmental cause, human lives and properties loss in the long run?

The pursuit of economic growth should not be at the expense of the mangrove areas around Sungei Pulai, which is so crucial to prevent coastal erosion and provide protection from strong winds and waves to 11,000 people living in 38 villages.

The area also has the largest sea grass bed and the densest seahorse population in the country, as well as dugong population, and has become such a unique natural heritage, we cannot afford to lose.

THING SIEW SHUEN,
Secretary,
Save Our Seahorses (SOS) Action Committee.

What the hell are they doing?

Read here:

PLEASE UMNO, TELL ME THIS IS NOT TRUE.

NGOs have also stopped cooperating with the UMNO run Bilik Gerakan after a very sad and disgusting incident. Staffers from different NGOs had accompanied some of the food and other flood aid from the Bilik Gerakan to some villages. At one particular badly hit area, people of all races, i.e. Chinese, Indians and Malays, lined up to get the food. However, the UMNO 'volunteers' informed the people very crudely that the food and other flood aid was only for the Malays. The Indians and Chinese did not get any. The staffers from the NGOs which included Indians, Chinese and Malays were shocked and left in disgust.

In another estate area with almost 600 Indian flood victims, the UMNO 'volunteers' delivered just one sack of rice to be shared by 600 Indian estate workers and their children. The sack of rice was left at a flood relief centre located in a Tamil primary school near the estate. Then the estate workers were asked to initial a list acknowledging that they had received a complete set of flood supplies (rice, oil, canned food, sugar, salt, bottled water and blankets). Obviously the remaining supplies had been hijacked by the UMNO 'volunteers' and sold off for cash elsewhere.

Many of the Indian estate women became hysterical and screamed how 600 people were going to share one bag of rice. The next day when other volunteers went to the same Tamil school, the Indian women screamed at them and said 'Melayu jangan mari tolong lagi'.

In other places the aid was given to UMNO members only. Other Malays, especially known Pas supporters, were denied aid. These stories are not being made up. They are first hand reports from Pahang that were told to us by flood relief workers themselves. (NST, STAR, not allowed to print these reports....you had no reporters on ground zero?)

In another area, about 250 Orang Asli were promised 50kg bags of rice. This was clearly a false promise because most of the rice was delivered in 5kg or 10kg bags. The rice destined for the 250 Orang Asli was despatched by the Bilik Gerakan but it never reached the Orang Asli. When the UMNO ADUN from the area visited the Orang Asli the next day and inquired if they had all 'sudah makan', they jeered him and said 'awak semua penipu'. Again the rice had been hijacked by the UMNO 'volunteers' and siphoned off elsewhere.

For the first seven days of the floods, the Member of Parliament for Temerloh, YB Mohd Sarit bin Haji Yusoh (Tel. No. 03 - 77266005 and 03- 7726 4468, address: Pangkal Melati Sdn Bhd, No 18-1, Jalan Wan Kadir 4, Off Jalan Damansara Bypass, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail, 60000 Kuala Lumpur), Anwar Ibrahim's one-time political secretary who became a millionaire within a couple of years, was missing from Temerloh. He had not visited any of the flood affected areas. Flood victims put up a banner in the Temerloh area asking 'YB where are you?' This banner was later torn down by the Police. All this news was not reported by the mainstream media.

The Chinese MCA ADUN from Mentakab has been one of the few Wakil Rakyat doing the rounds diligently in the flood affected areas. The Malay UMNO ADUNs have made themselves scarce or helping themselves to the loot from the Bilik Gerakan.

Because of the dishonesty and outright stealing by the UMNO 'volunteers', flood victims are very angry and tensions have been high in the affected areas. The mainstream media have not reported that when Fu Ah Kiow, Deputy Internal Security Minister and MP for Kuantan, visited the affected areas, the flood victims screamed and threw stones at him. The Deputy Minister had to leave the scene in a hurry. (Just like Samy was booed off the stage in Penang.....MCA & MIC.....that's two down for a start .)

We have just gone thru two religious festivals Hari Raya Haji and Christmas and we are touted as a God fearing country who look askance at anything irreligious like necking, petting, holding hands in public, groping, close proximity, fornicating, incest, buggery, statutory rapes etc, etc, Now we have people in UMNO who rob the distressed of what is their due in such trying times.

YOU DACHING PARTY, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS? WHERE DID YOU HIRE THOSE GOONS FROM? YOU GUYS CAN RIP (rest in peace)? ME I WILL HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPING PEACEFULLY. PROBABLY I AM ABNORMAL. POSSIBLY.

Lesson learnt: Do not channel your donations to any political parties....they could channel it to their campaign. Give your donation in kind to the trustworthy:

The rape of the silent majority!!

A very good article written by Marina Mahathir :How Dare They Insult Us!! http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/2007/12/how-dare-they-insult-us.html

PM: Silent majority have spoken : we don't want demos

By ZULKIFLI ABD RAHMAN

PETALING JAYA: The silent majority of Malaysians have spoken up and they want a stop to street demonstrations which disrupt people's lives and cause disharmony among the country's multi-racial population .

Who are these "Silent majority"?

Global Solidarity

Press Statement by Thing Siew Shuen, Environmental Officer to DAP Secretary-General on 10.12.2007

We call for tough action to tackle climate change and express our solidarity with people all around the world who have been affected by global warming and climate injustice.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was recently awarded the Nobel peace prize, reported of “unequivocal” climate change already occurring and warned that man-made global warming could lead to abrupt or irreversible impacts. In this respect, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCC), which held in Bali from 3-14 December, has become an extremely vital event, because decisions taken in Bali can determine the fate of the planet, particularly the poor and the vulnerable.

In order to have better understanding on how international financial institutions (IFIs) such as the World Bank addresses climate change, and the impacts of different mitigation and adaptation measures to the planet and the people, we have participated in an International Conference on “Linking Global Finance, International Financial Institutions, and Debt to Energy and Climate Change” in Bali(5-7 Dec). We have also taken part in the Global Day of Action on Climate Change on 8 Dec to express our solidarity with people all around the world who have been affected by global warming and climate injustice.

The conference was organized by the Jubilee South - Asia/Pacific Movement on Debt & Development (JS-APMDD), in cooperation with : Friends of the Earth International, Greenpeace International, Oil Change International, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), WALHI – Indonesia, Koalisi Anti-Utang (KAU),International Forum for Indonesian Development (INFID), GARPU, KRUHA, GCAP SENCA.

We have signed the Bali Declaration on International Financial Institutions, Debt and Climate Change on December 8, 2007 in Sanur, Bali. The full contents of the declaration are as below:

“We, debt and development activists from different social movements and non-government organizations from Asia-Pacific join the growing calls of the international community to decisively address the paramount issue of climate change.

The climate crisis is the most blatantly repulsive result of a flawed development paradigm imposed on us by global institutions, northern governments and transnational corporations with the acquiescence and collaboration of our local elites and neo-liberal economic apologists

We assert that debt has been used not only as an instrument to dominate government and peoples of the South but also to finance projects and promote policies that have greatly contributed to the exacerbation and escalation of climate change.

We call on international financial institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other regional development banks, northern governments and their export credit agencies - TO STOP ALL FUNDING AND ALL PROGRAMS THAT HARM PEOPLES and the ENVIRONMENT.

We reject all IFI loans and “aid” supposedly for adaptation measures and renewable energies as hypocritical measures - when these same institutions continue to promote a development framework and pour several times more of their funds towards projects and policies that aggravate climate change.

We oppose carbon trading as a false solution that allows transnational corporations and rich countries to buy the right to pollute at the expense of impoverished peoples and countries. Worse, carbon trading has spawned new and despicable instruments to extract profits from pollution.

We demand the following:

• Redirection of existing dirty energy financing to adaptation and mitigation measures and energy efficiency projects as a form of reparation to the decades of ecological debt owed by the north to the south;

• Financing of renewable energies as one form of restitution for countless years of debt domination that hampered Southern countries capacity to develop alternative technologies and development strategies;

• The sovereign and democratic management and control of funds for mitigation, adaptation and the development of clean, safe and renewable energy; And for the World Bank, ADB and other similar institutions with a horrible track record to be kept from any form of control and inolvement over the disposal and use of these funds.

• Stop to all false solutions such as agro-fuels and carbon trading

• Rejection of all loans, aid and subsidies for fossil fuel extraction, dirty technologies and exploitation of natural resources that violate our national patrimony and the rights of indigenous peoples.

• An end to imposition of all conditionalities (e.g. privatization, liberalization and deregulation) by international financial institutions and northern governments through loans, aid and debt.

• Total and unconditional cancellation and repudiation of debts that have contribute to climate change, and all other illegitimate debts and “obligations” claimed from us by the north and lending institutions.”

民主行动党秘书长环境事务专员邓晓璇于2007年12月10日发表声明：

我们亟需坚定行动以应对气候变化，同时，对世界各地饱受全球变暖及气候不公义影响的人民，表示我们团结一致。

最近获颁诺贝尔和平奖的联合国跨政府气候变迁小组（IPCC）清楚地说明气候变化已是无可否认的事实，该小组也警告说人为因素造成的全球变暖将无可预测或无可逆转的影响。有鉴于此，在巴厘岛举行的联合国气候变化会议（12月3－14日）已经成为非常重要的活动，因为，在巴厘会议中所做的决定，将影响地球的命运，尤其是穷人及弱势群体的命运。

为了进一步了解国际金融机构比如世界银行如何面对气候变化，以及了解不同的减缓及适应举措将为地球及人民带来什么影响，我们参与了巴厘岛一项主题为“全球金融、国际财务机构及债务，与能源、气候变化的关联”（12月5－7日）。我们也参与了12月8日一项为气候变化而举行的全球行动日，以对世界各地饱受全球变暖及气候不公义影响的人民，表示我们团结一致。

上述会议由Jubilee South 主办。协办者包括：地球之友、绿色和平、Oil Change International, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR), WALHI – Indonesia, Koalisi Anti-Utang (KAU),International Forum for Indonesian Development (INFID), GARPU, KRUHA, GCAP SENCA.

我们于2007年12月8日，在巴厘岛沙奴尔针对国际财务机构、债务及气候变化签署了一项“巴厘宣言”。内容如下：

“我们，一群来自亚洲－太平洋地区不同社会运动及非政府组织的债务及发展运动人士，响应了国际社会日渐增加的呼声，果断地应对气候变化的主要课题。

全球机构、北方国家、跨国企业将缺陷重重的发展模式强加于我们，加上本地精英、新自由主义经济鼓吹者的默许及合作，导致气候危机公然成了最可憎的恶果。

我们坚持，债务不仅仅被利用为控制南方国家及人民的工具，也被用来资助及推广一些导致气候变化恶化的工程及政策。

我们促请国际金融机构如：世界货币基金组织、世界银行、亚洲发展银行及其它区域性发展银行、北方政府及他们的债务出口机构－停止所有为人民及环境带来伤害的财务资助及计划。

我们拒绝所有国际金融机构提供贷款及“财援”来资助虚伪的适应举措及可更新资源－这些机构也同时继续推广及灌入更加在那些造成气候变化的发展工程及政策。

我们反对碳交易（Carbon Trading），因为这项错误的方案允许跨国企业及富国牺牲穷国及穷人的利益，购买污染的权利。更糟的是，碳交易竟然成为一种从污染中谋利的新式及可耻的工具。

我们的诉求如下：

· 将现有污染能源财援转移至适应及减缓举措及有效能源计划，以便补偿这几十年来北方国家对南方国家所欠下的生态债务。

· 提供财援发展可更新能源，做为补偿几十年来被债务主导所破坏南方国家发展机能，让他们发展替代技术及发展政略。

· 在控制减缓、适应及发展干净、安全、可更新能源的基金方面，我们要求主权及民主行政管理权；至于世界银行、亚洲发展银行及其它类似拥有可恶记录的机构，应该被拒绝，不得再涉及任何上述基金的控制及使用。

· 停止任何错误方案，比如农业燃料（agro-fuels）及碳交易。

· 拒绝所有用来汲取化石能源、肮脏技术及剥削天然资源的贷款、援助及津贴，这已经破坏了国家遗产及原住民的权利。

· 停止任何由国际财务机构及北方国家通过贷款、援助及债务强加的条件（如：私营化、自由化及撤销管制）

· 全面、无条件地取消、撤消所有导致气候变化的债务，以及其它不合法债务及北方国家、借贷机构向我们索取的义务性债务。

MONKEY GRAVEYARD

BY REENA RAJ, Malaymail

A group of monkeys huddle in fear at a corner of the container, clinging to each other, trembling at the sight of humans.

FOR the past few nights, residents in Mont Kiara had been troubled by screams coming from a forested area near their condominium.

No one could figure out what it was until yesterday when one of the residents decided to check it out.

He found that the noises came from a high black metal container walled on all sides except one at the bottom where there were little bars. But it was the scene inside the container that shocked him.

THEY huddle in fear at the far corner of the metal container, trembling at the sight of humans.

Sprawled in front of them are carcasses, their rotting stench permeating the air.

This may sound like a scene from a gruesome horror film but in reality, this shocking scenario is set in the posh neighbourhood of Mont Kiara. A group of 18 monkeys are victims of a trap set within the compound of a condominium complex.

Residents of the condominium have been hearing screams the past few nights.

One of them, who wishes to be known as FJ, went to uncover the source of the noise yesterday. He found that the screams came from a black metal container, which he claimed to have seen 10 days ago.

The container, which was completely walled up, had but one opening with little bars at the bottom. Upon closer inspection, he was shocked to discover a group of monkeys huddled in the far corner.

A few other monkeys, including a baby, he claimed, were sprawled on the floor. “Five of them were dead — one appeared bloated.

There was a baby monkey lying still and gasping,” he claimed.

FJ claimed that upon seeing the monkeys in such a deplorable state, he placed bananas and bottles of water inside by pushing them through the bars at the bottom of the container.

Some of the monkeys, he claimed, took the food but only after he had moved away.

“I tried to unlock the container; there were several latches but they were secured,” claimed FJ, who then alerted the condominium’s security guards. When The Malay Mail visited the site yesterday, the guards were attempting to feed the monkeys.

Their efforts at unlocking the container were futile. When asked, the guards claimed that they had no knowledge of the container as the security company had started operations at the condominium on Friday.

The container has the Wildlife Department’s name and telephone number etched on the side. The container has a hole at the top for monkeys to fall in after being tempted by food inside. Upon entering the monkey trap, they are unable to climb out.

In the past, FJ claimed that the area had been plagued by monkeys rummaging through garbage bins, entering homes and causing damage.

“I understand the reason for such traps. If this really is the work of the Wildlife Department, then they must keep tabs on their operations.

“To my knowledge, it has been 10 days since the monkeys were trapped in the container and they haven’t eaten since then.

“It is cruel and inhumane treatment of animals,” he said. FJ claimed that the rotting carcasses have brought about an even bigger problem for the residents.

“Due to the decay, there are now rats and flies in the area, ” he claimed.

“I’d rather put up with the monkeys being a nuisance rather than have them die like this.”

Efforts to contact the Wildlife Department and the management of the condominium proved futile.

Klang Valley Streets: Tiger, tiger burning bright

2 December 2007

Only 500 tigers are estimated to be left in the wild in the entire world.

Mark Dec 16 on your calendar and join celebrity Tiger Ambassadors at Zoo Negara in a programme highlighting the conservation of the big cats.

DO you know that tigers are going to get a field day at Zoo Negara on Dec 16?

It’s because on that day, Mycat is doing something to highlight the plight of these mighty cats of the jungle. Mycat stands for the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers and Dec 16 is the day it is conducting the urban outreach component of its nationwide awareness campaign.

The Race Against Time is a project by Mycat in collaboration with Zoo Negara with the goal of empowering Malaysians to become conservation advocates.

While wildlife enforcement efforts are intensified, there is an urgent need to target consumers and potential consumers of tigers and tiger-based products.

The three specific objectives of the programme are to:

* Raise awareness and concern among the public on the critical status of tigers and urgent need for action.
* Empower the public, especially young people, to take a proactive role towards efforts to reduce the trade in tigers and tigers’ prey.
* Encourage youths to take up careers in wildlife conservation.

The event will be launched by Tiger Ambassadors Ning Baizura, Vince Chong, Yasin Yahaya, Susan Lankester, Rina Omar, Aishah Sinclair, Xandria Ooi, Chelsia Ng, Maple Loo and Corinne Adrienne, who will also launch a number of tools to help these noble beasts.

Number one is the Tiger Crime Hotline which serves to enhance enforcement of wildlife laws and enable the public to report illegal activities to the authorities for timely action. It will be a special 24-hour hotline to report anything perceived as a possible crime against tigers and tigers’ prey.

Secondly, the signature campaign is for the urgent amendment of the Protection of Wildlife Act 1972, the main legislation for wildlife in Malaysia.

The 35-year-old Act needs a major facelift to fight today’s crime against wildlife. The signatures collected at the end of the campaign will be sent to the relevant government body for attention.

Mycat is the alliance of governmental and non-governmental organisations committed to saving the Malayan tiger. Its vision is the survival of wild tiger populations in Peninsular Malaysia.

Current Mycat partners are the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia, the Malaysian Nature Society, Traffic Southeast Asia, the Wildlife Conservation Society and WWF-Malaysia.

Rumour has it that there will also dazzling performances by Tiger Ambassadors Ning Baizura and Vince Chong on the day.

The Mycat Kids for Tigers 2008 calendar will be on sale during the event at RM10 each. The cover was produced using the creative artwork of the schoolchildren of SRJKC Kahang, Johor, during Mycats’ outreach programme there.

All proceeds from the calendar sale, as with all funds raised during the Race Against Time, will go towards Mycat’s campaign.

There will be Art Adventures (scheduled craft classes for kids) and Wild Encounters (scheduled behind-the-scenes zoo tour).

For more information, go to http://www.mns.org.my.

Know this...
* Tigers are endangered.
* Tigers are found only in Asia.
* Worldwide, just a century ago, there were 100,000 tigers.
* Today: There are less than 3,000 tigers.
* Three of nine tiger sub-species have gone extinct.
* Malaysia has one of the last remaining six, the Malayan tiger Panthera tigris jacksoni.
* In Malaysia: it is estimated there are only 500 tigers left.
Threats to tigers include:

Poaching

Almost every body part of the tiger is sought after for traditional medicines, “magic”, trophies, and exotic meat restaurants. In Malaysia, there are exotic meat restaurants which claim to serve tiger meat.

Depletion of prey species

People hunt important prey species such as deer and wild pig, affecting the amount of food available for tigers.

Habitat loss and fragmentation

For all kinds of development, forests are being cleared or reduced in size to small isolated pockets.

Human-tiger conflict

When people and tigers live too close too each other, conflict arises. Tigers may attack domestic livestock, or sometimes, accidentally attack people. When this happens, tigers have to be removed by the authorities, or are killed in retaliation by villagers.

What is needed from the public:

1. Greater concern and action to ensure the survival of the Malayan tiger.
2. People should take the following measures:
* Don’t patronise restaurants which claim to serve tiger meat.
* Don’t buy medicines which claim to be made from tiger parts.
* Don’t buy/eat deer or wild pig meat that has not been sourced legally.
* Report any suspected tiger crimes to the Tiger Crime Hotline.
* Sign the petition to urge the government to amend the Protection of Wildlife Act to ensure better protection for the tiger.

* Support Mycat and its campaign: Spread the message of “Tiger Parts Belong To Tigers” by buying T-shirts for RM25 each, and wearing them!