Pengerang RM60bil land grab: Protesters want referendum

JOHOR BARU-The organisers of the Himpunan Hijau rally in Pengerang, Johor, on Sunday morning issued an eight-point declaration calling for, among others, a referendum on the RM60 billion petrochemical project there, Sin Chew Daily reported yesterday.

Thousands of people in green t-shirts from all over the country converged on the fishing village to lend support to local residents

who are against the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project nearby.

The organisers put the crowd at 8,000 but police, who mobilised about 100 personnel for crowd control, put the figure at 3,000.

Other points of the declaration call for:

sustainable development that benefits the local residents and reject industrial policies that bring only short-term economic benefits;

rejection of forcible acquisition of land from the local residents without due consideration of their livelihood;

unconditional preservation of cemetery plots and protection of the century-old development history and social inheritance legacy in Pengerang;

rejection of toxic industries to protect marine ecosystem and mangroves and ensure a clean environment for future generations;

Parliament to set up a parliamentary commission to inquire into the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment of Rapid as well as engagement of an independent and reputable environment auditor to reassess the environment impact of the mega project;

amendment of the Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 1978 for the adoption of PM2.5 (particulate matter of 2.5 micrometre or less in size) rule for stricter control of air quality;

> amendment of Section 3.1 (C) of the Land Acquisition Act 1960 to stop the abuse of power by the authorities to satisfy the interests of private entities.

-thesundaily