I am long-tailed Macaque, who wants to eat me?

Monkey export ban lifted

PUTRAJAYA: Monkeys can now be caught and exported and the authorities claim it is to please urban folk who have been complaining that the animals have been creating problems for them.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the Cabinet, at its meeting on June 27, agreed to lift the ban to export monkeys found in urban areas as the public had complained of having foodstuff stolen and being attacked by the animals.

However, he gave an assurance that there would not be "total elimination" of the long-tailed macaque from city areas and they would still be allowed to roam around as long as the numbers were "ideal."

Azmi said the human-monkey contact became more frequent after the animal's natural habitat was cleared to make way for development, including creating new residential areas.

He said a solution to the "confrontation" had to be sought.

"I realise we will be getting a lot of heat from other countries and even non-governmental organisations but this solution is necessary after other efforts have failed. We have tried transporting them to other areas as well as sterilising them but monkeys breed too quickly.

"Our main concern now is to ensure that only experts are allowed to catch the monkeys because we do not want them to be put under stress, abused or tortured. The other important point is that only monkeys found in cities can be caught and not those in their natural habitat," he told a press conference yesterday.

According to the Wildlife Department's statistics, there are 742,000 long-tailed macaques in the country, of which 258,000 are found in city areas, including Kuala Lumpur.

The Government, in 1984, had imposed a ban on the export of long-tailed macaques following a reduction in the monkey population and the ban stayed for 23 years until last month.

"I must stress that the long-tailed macaque is not a threatened species in Malaysia,'' Azmi said.

(BUT IT IS PROTECTED WILD ANIMALS in the Protection of Wild Life Act 1972!!)

Tanjong Bin development needs further study 救救海马，救救蒲莱河

The public and environmentalists have raised their concerns about the development of petrochemical and maritime industries at the Tanjung Bin, along Sungai Pulai Estuary in Pontian, Johor.

A preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment report was submitted by the project’s proponent Seaport Worldwide Sdn Bhd. The assessment was carried out by Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd.

I regret to say that some misleading, erroneous and inaccurate information has been found in the Preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment report. In this respect, the Department of Environment should direct Seaport Worldwide to submit a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report.

According to the preliminary EIA report, activities within the project site such as oil storage, ship building and repairing, grit blasting and heavy metal fabrication will be done at a wetlands area, which is adjacent to a Ramsar site. This development will impact enormously on the wetlands and affect the livelihood of the fishermen nearby.

(The Convention on Wetlands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.)

There will be a broad-scale clearing of 2,255 acres of mangrove forest which can be approximated to 913 soccer fields - this will disappear permanently from the global map.

We found that some conclusions in the preliminary EIA report have been merely assumed. For instance, the report states that ‘it is expected that the seagrass beds will regenerate themselves’ after the rivers are dredged.

In fact, the seagrass beds found at the river bank of Sungai Pulai are the most extensive seagrass beds in the country. There are at least 10 types of seagrass growing there which also serve as homes to various types of marine life on which local fishermen rely on.

The formation of seagrass beds take a long time. A bed requires specific conditions of water depth, water quality, sunlight, nutrients and much more. Who can ensure that after such heavy polluted industries, the seagrass beds will still be preserved?

Another serious error in the EIA report was the lack of consultation in its assessment. The seahorse species which are found in Sungai Pulai is of the Hippocampus Kuda variety and not the Hippocampus Denise. The latter are the smallest seahorses in the world which can only be found in deep water coral reefs.

Additionally, the report did not mention marine life such as the pipefish and dugongs which are listed in the Red List of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and which will be threatened by the development.

The preliminary EIA report also claims that there is a 500m buffer zone between the industrial site and the Ramsar site. It is doubted that with such a short distance between the industrial site and the wetlands area, how can the authorities ensure that the heavy industries will not destroy the Ramsar site?

Currently, there are five Ramsar sites in Malaysia. According to Ramsar convention, should there be any drastic changes in the ecological character of our lands as a result of industrial development, pollution or other human interference, Malaysia will be listed on the Montreux Record which indicates that we have failed in preserving our wetland heritage. This will certainly tarnish the image of our country.

Clearly, the Tanjung Bin preliminary EIA report is too simplistic and lacks professionalism. The Department of Environment should direct the developers to submit a detailed EIA report which should outline the full affect of development in the area.

Also allow the general public to have a say in the matter, as in the long run, it is the people’s children who will inherit these lands. And who is to say that they will want perished wetlands?

(This was published in Malaysiakini.com)

民主行动党秘书长环境事务专员邓晓璇于2007年8月10日在八打灵再也发表声明：

由于初阶环境评估报告出现误导性、错误的、不正确的资讯及结论，我们促请环境局指示柔佛州丹绒宾石油化学及海事工业发展商呈交详细环境报告（Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment）

我们接获来自公众的投诉，针对柔佛州丹绒宾石油化学及海事工业发展商Seaport Worldwide 私人有限公司所提呈的初级环境评估报告提出他们的看法。

由于上述重工业发展计划与国际世界湿地保护区毗邻，同时即将影响当地的渔民生计，因此，我们对于有关发展计划将产生的深远影响表示高度关注。

根据Hijau Sekitar私人有限公司为上述发展商所进行的环境评估，这项重工业发展计划将导致2255英亩（或913公顷）的湿地被砍伐。这意味着，将会有相等于近913个足球场那么大片的湿地将会从地图上消失。

我们注意到，有关环境评估报告出现一些未经专业研究的所得出的结论。例如：有关报告认为海草床在加深海床、河道工程时会自然生长回来。

事实上，蒲莱河岸、河口一带的海草床是全国海草最密集的地区，生长着至少10种海草，是各种各样海洋生物的温床，也是当地渔民渔获量的来源。

海草床的形成并非一朝一夕的事，它需经历一段很长的时期。它需要特定条件如：水温、浪潮、水质、阳光、营养等，谁能够确保在发展石油化学及海事工业等具污染记录的工业后，有关环境评估报告是否有任何缓减环境影响的方式，确保海草床能被完整地保留下来？

此外，上述环境评估报告中另一个严重错误，是将生长在蒲莱河一带的黄金海马（Hippocampus Kuda）的学名写成Hippocampus Denise，后者是一种世界上最小的海马，只能在深海珊瑚礁处才能见到，这项错误显示出有关环境评估过程并没有进行多方面的咨询。同时，有关报告也未列出其它已被国际自然与自然资源保护联盟（IUCN）列为受保护生物的海牛、海龙。

我们也置疑，用以发展重工业的湿地地段与国际湿地保护区之间的缓冲带仅仅相隔500公尺，有关当局如何保证在上述将排放重金属等污染物的工业不会对国际湿地保护区造成影响？

目前，我国共有5个湿地被列为国际湿地保护区。根地1971年国际湿地公约，若上述湿地的生态环境因科技发展、污染或人类活动而改变，我国将被列入蒙特列记录（Montreux Record）届时，我国将因湿地保护工作失败而名誉扫地。

有鉴于以上种种原因，我们认为上述初阶环境评估报告针对发展地段的生态环境所做的考察及所提出的环境影响减缓措施过于简单、草率、不专业，因此，我们促请环境局指示发展商及其环境顾问缴交一份“详细环境评估报告”，以允许公众针对其内容 进入深入的审核及讨论，让大家讨论我们是否要留下一片毁坏不堪的湿地给未来的孩子？

＃

Seahorse in Perils

The seahorses and the Pulai River Estuary need your help.

We would be grateful if you could take a couple of minutes of your busy schedule to log on to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/help-save-the-seahorse to sign up the online petition.

Your petitions could change the fate of the seahorse and the Pulai River Estuary.

Thank you very much for sharing your concern.

To know more about our activities, please go to our website:

Save Our Seahorse

What are they afraid of ?

Information minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin

Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister Najib

Minister of Education Hishammudin

Deputy Internal Security Minister Foo Ah Kiow

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Lim Keng Yik

Prime Minister's Department and de-facto Law Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz

Umno information bureau chief Muhammad Muhd Taib

记住这些人，
他们心里一定很害怕，所以才要对付网上那仅仅1 ％的政治部落格。

真话就是真话，就算只有1％的人在说，也是真话。真话不会因此对付了这1％的人就变谎言。

这些人不检讨自己的行政、政策，整天不务正业，
他们到底要把国家带去哪里？

Remember these people,
they are the one who threatened to use harsh laws to control bloggers.

There are only 1% of the bloggers harping on political issues in Malaysia.

What are they afraid of ?

Listen to people's frustration and criticisms .
Review all the outdated policies and mismanagement in your administration,
Stop oppressing Press freedom and Freedom of Speech!

No Debate on Islamic State?

As reported by Bernama, the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak proclaimed on 16th July that “We have never, never been secular... we are an Islamic state.”

Subsequently, as reported in Malaysiakini, the Internal Security Ministry has confirmed that they have given a directive to all mainstream media not to publish any news on the issue of Malaysia being an Islamic state.

Publications Control & Al-Quran Texts Unit senior officer Che Din Yusof said, “Yes, we have given the directive to all mainstream newspapers. Islam is a sensitive issue. They cannot publish any news on whether the country is secular or Islam.”

However, he said newpapers can still publish statements from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak on the country being an Islamic state.

“Reaction from political parties and the public cannot be published especially the negative reactions,” he said.

In light of the seriousness of the above two major development on a 'democratic', multi-racial and multi-cultural Malaysia, and the reluctance of other BN component parties to pick up the gauntlet, the DAP is organising a public forum to discuss the above issues:

Panel of Distinguished Speakers

• Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader
• Ambiga Sreenevasan, Malaysia Bar Council President
• Malik Imtiaz, Human Rights Lawyer
• Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, PKR Treasurer
• Rev Dr Hermen Shastri, General Secretary, Council of Churches*
• Lim Guan Eng, Secretary-General to DAP

* To be confirmed

Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
Date: 25th July 2007 (Wednesday)
Time: 7.30 pm

If you feel strongly about the above issues, please bring friends and turn up in full force! Please forward this post to all concerned parties.

Has the BN government learnt its lessons?

Press Statement by Thing Siew Shuen, Environmental Officer To DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng on 13.7.2007

Public Interest Requires BN To Reveal The Amount Of Compensation Paid For Scrapping The Broga incinerator project And Whether Datuk Ong Ka Ting Would Fully Apologise To Malaysians for such an expensive lesson in poor planning and bad governance.

Public interest requires BN to reveal the amount of compensation paid for scrapping the Broga incinerator project and whether Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Ong Ka Ting would fully apologise to Malaysians for such an expensive lesson in poor planning and bad governance.

DAP is happy over the victory of the Broga No-incinerator movement which was initiated by brave and consistent Broga people 5 years ago. Although the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib has denied their efforts, Broga people's courage in fighting for the right to a clean and safe livelihood is a shining example for other disadvantageous groups who are also fighting to reclaim their environment and livelihood.

After all the efforts to impose the RM1.52 mega incinerator project in Broga has failed, has the BN government learnt the expensive lessons from the price that they have to pay due to the lack of transparency, consultation and participation in decision-making? Furthermore, people are still kept in dark about the real reason of scrapping the project and why was a company chosen which has a bad reputation for safety tax evasion and corruption in Japan? Why was the site chosen when guidelines clearly provided that it should not be within 50km of populated areas?

When Najib told us that the project is scrapped due to the high capital and maintenance costs, it is absurd that such statement only be made to the public after the government has granted the contract to the contractor.

A news report said that government is in the process of negotiations with Japanese firm Ebara Corp, the contractor for the incinerator project, and its local partner, Hartasuma Sdn Bhd. How much is the compensation again, will be given to the contractors for the cancellation?

In the last 5 years, the government has tried everything to defend for their decision or protect the interest of foreign investor. They tried to convince people through news reports. Media were ordered to keep shut on the No-incinerator campaign, RM3.5million was spent on advertisements to promote incinerator, a series of scaremongering tactics have been used to oppress the local people and attempts to thwart the dissemination of information. Work was done on technical drawings, surveys and procurement arrangements; a little bit work has been done at the construction site which is very near to a water catchments area and a gazetted forest reserve near Broga.

Why now only the government realizes that the Broga incinerator system, which would cost more than RM1.5bil, was so expensive to maintain that no district council or municipality would be able to afford it? Why can't the government do a proper study and planning prior to all the hardship and suffering which has brought to the people?

Due to demands on existing systems of rubbish disposal and the failure of recycle campaign, it seems like the BN government has not given up their attempts to find another place for incinerator. DAP will not support mega incinerator projects that are costly, violate incinerator building guidelines, emit dioxins, other toxic chemicals as well as greenhouse gases. It is imperative for any democratic government to ensure that such projects are subject to public scrutiny and evaluation prior to their approval and implementation.

民主行动党秘书长环境事务专员邓晓璇于2007年7月13日在八打灵再也发表声明：

国阵应该基于公众利益，公布取消武来岸焚化炉计划后所做的赔偿；拿督斯里黄家定也应该向全体大马人道歉，因为差劲的规划及施政已经让马来西亚人付出昂贵的代价。

国阵应该基于公众利益，公布取消武来岸焚化炉计划后所做的赔偿；拿督斯里黄家定也应该向全体大马人道歉，因为差劲的规划及施政已经让马来西亚人付出昂贵的代价。

5年前，勇敢及坚强的武来岸人民地发起反焚化炉运动，行动党为这场人民运动所取得的胜利感到高兴。虽然副首相拿督斯里纳吉否认这是人民的胜利，但武来岸人民为清洁、安全环境而奋斗的勇气，对其他同是为环境及生活而斗争的弱势群体，是一个令人鼓舞的模范。

当国阵政府企图花费15亿2000万令吉，强行在武来岸建造大型焚化炉，最终却因政策决定缺乏透明度、咨询、人民参与而无法得逞，同时还必须付出昂贵的代价，国阵政府是否从中汲取教训？虽然事情告一段落，但人民依然不知道政府取消焚化炉的真正原因，许多问题依然没有答案，包括：为什么政府会发放工程给一个曾在日本面对逃税、贪污、污染环境指控日本公司？当建造指南说明焚化炉不得建在人口密集区的50公里内，为什么有关当局还会选择武来岸？

纳吉告诉我们政府取消焚化炉是因为成本及维修费太高，在发放工程给承包商后，才发表上述谈话是非常荒谬的。

新闻报道指出，政府正与承包这项工程的日本公司Ebara Corp及其本地合伙人Hartasuma Sdn Bhd洽谈赔偿额。这一次，政府又将因为取消工程付出多少赔偿额？

过去5年，国阵政府出尽法宝说服人民，为自己的决策辩护、保护外国投资者。媒体被下令不得报道武来岸反焚化炉运动，政府也花费350万令吉在报章上刊登广告宣扬焚化炉，政府也使用威逼利诱的手段，打压当地人民，阻止人民传播讯息。计划中焚化炉的建造地点靠近武来岸的集水区及森林保护区，其实已经动工，技术图测、调查及采购程序也已完成。

为什么政府到现在才发现耗资达15亿令吉的武来岸焚化炉计划非常昂贵，以致没有任何县、市政府有能力承担它的建筑及维修费？早知如此，何必当初，为什么政府不能一早进行研究及规划，而要让人民吃尽苦头、担忧受惊？

由于现有的废料处理制度先天不足，加上再循环运动失败，看来国阵政府还未放弃继续寻找适合的地点建造焚化炉。行动党在此声明，绝不会支持任何昂贵、违反建造条例、释放二恶英及其它有毒气体、温室气体的焚化炉计划。一个民主政府在进行类似发展项目时，在批准及执行前，必须让公开让公众进行审核及评估。

Climate change 'is ravaging Everest'

I have never been there, but it is melting.....

The Himalayas have warmed by almost one degree centigrade since the 70s - almost twice the global average rise in temperature - according to the UN environmental programme.

More than two-thirds (67%) of the glaciers in the mountain range are in retreat, and the melting snow and ice has created huge lakes, raising fears among scientists that they could overflow into each other in a cascade effect.

If this happened, thousands of people could be killed, while Nepal's agricultural industry - on which 80% of the population relies - would be devastated. The loss of the glaciers would also reduce water flow to major rivers such as the Ganges and the Indus.

Mr Hilary, who has twice reached Everest's summit, likened the effect of glacial lakes bursting their banks to the impact of an atomic bomb, saying it was "just catastrophic".

"It is like an atomic bomb has gone off," he said. "Everywhere is rubble. The floods of the past are unfortunately nothing compared with the size of what we are currently threatened with."

(More at Guardian Unlimited)