Rare Pygmy Elephants Poisoned

Source: TheSunDaily.Com Jan 30, 2013

 

Ten endangered Borneo pygmy elephants were found to be poisoned according to the latest news. Wildlife authorities in Sabah have formed a task force to investigate the deaths... Investigate the cause or investigate the culprit that poisoned the elephants?

I already knew the answer...
1. Natural habitat of pygmy elephants lost to deforestation and human encroachment.
2. Human poisoned the elephants when they visit their former habitat.

Solution: Stop deforestation, logging, plantation and human encroachment.

Who said the elephants encroached into human territory?

When Forked Tongues rule...

Making a killing from palm oil

July 6, 2012

FMT LETTER: From Sean Whyte, via e-mial

If there was an Olympic event for shooting oneself in the foot the Malaysian palm oil industry would be able to provide any number of contenders. This week saw yet another MPOC public relations debacle. The MPOC released a ‘report’ which 100% contradicts scientific reports, the director of the Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah’s very own Minister for the Environment.

The MPOC’s report claims the palm oil industry does not harm wildlife or rainforests. While on the other hand on 27th January of this year in an article carried in the New Straits Times Sabah Wildlife director Dr Laurentius Ambu cited ‘the conversion of small patches of forests for oil palm planting was the main cause for the decline of the orangutan population in Lower Kinabatangan.’

He was at the same time quoted in The Star saying,”Today, Sabah is considered as being rich in wildlife but in actuality, much has been lost and what we are trying to do today is damage control, which is why we have prepared action plans for keystone species”. He should know.

Speaking at the same Sabah Wildlife Conservation Colloquium in January of this year Dr Marc Ancrenaz who has studied orangutans in Sabah for 10 years had this to say following the release of his report showing some 300 orangutans had ‘disappeared’ from Sabah since 2004, “As we speak, more islands of forests are created, more areas are opened, and these are privately owned. These are not protected areas but they do have a lot of orang utans. “Orangutans living in pockets of forests within plantations will not survive (in the long term).”

Prior to that ill-fated and controversial colloquium Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun, no less, said “Sabah is losing her flagship species.” Why?

Last but by no means least Dr Ancrenaz said in November 2011: “If oil palm companies want to contribute to orangutan conservation today, they have the opportunity to do so in the Lower Kinabatangan by stopping what little land conversion they are still planning to do,” he said.

All of which paints a totally different and much darker picture than the rosy one the MPOC would like us to believe. Who do you choose to believe?

In an attempt to seek some clarity and evidence to back up their multitude of imaginative claims I have written to Dr Yusof Basiron, CEO of The Malaysian Palm Oil Council. He has not yet replied.

I have also written to the journalist Alex Singleton. His web site offers advice etc with media issues, so I wanted to know if he was commissioned to write this so-called “investigative” report or was it in fact a sponsored PR project for the MPOC? He has not yet replied.

Just as worrying, given the compelling evidence of palm oil companies destroying endangered species and protected habitat is the total absence of any prosecutions. 300 orangutans killed in eight years and not so much as an arrest let alone a prosecution. Not forgetting countless other ‘protected’ species have also been sacrificed. So why no prosecutions?

According to the MPOC’s article the palm oil industry give “massive” funding to the Sabah Wildlife Department – the people who are supposed to enforce the law but seemingly do not. Might the absence of law enforcement have anything to do with the palm oil industry’s financial muscle? We can only wonder.

Surely a police force, even a wildlife protection one, which accepts large sums of money from anyone even suspected of committing criminal offences, leaves itself wide open to all kinds of allegations does it not? Attempts to solicit answers from the SWD and Minister Masidi Manjun concerning the absence of prosecutions have met with silence. Why? Again, we are left to our own imagination.

I would like to invite the Sabah Wildlife Department’s director Dr Laurentius Ambu to respond to this letter and answer the questions raised about the acceptance of money by the SWD and the apparent absence of prosecutions of anyone connected with palm oil industry or otherwise.

On numerous occasions in the past, I have made clear my own view on palm oil. For those with selective amnesia I repeat it here: I am not opposed to palm oil. But I do oppose with every cell in my body, as do millions of other people, the unsustainable way in which many palm oil companies ruthless and unsustainably conduct their business. And for the record, I do not solicit or receive any public, commercial or government support in any shape or form. I voluntarily do what I do because I care.

I can’t begin to imagine what it is like to go home at the end of the day knowing you are making a living from destroying rainforests and literally millions of irreplaceable animals. I often wonder if people in the palm oil industry have feelings or is market share and profit all that matters to you?

Now we read of the Malaysian palm oil industry’s intention to move into West Africa, home (at the moment) to gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and many other protected and unique species. What do you think will then happen to the forests and animals of Equatorial Africa?

When all the orangutans, tigers, elephants, rhinos and other protected species are gone, what will future generations think of those who could have prevented this environmental holocaust, but chose instead to pursue obscene amounts of money.

The point is, you can make money from palm oil without all this reckless and relentless destruction, if you choose to grow and harvest palm oil truly sustainably. Just look at Unilever’s environmental pledge; they know which side their bread is buttered.

The writer is CEO of Nature Alert ….supporting Malaysian NGO’s.

Foresters discover extinct raintree species in Sabah

March 7, 2011
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
Thestar

KOTA KINABALU: Foresters are excited about the discovery of three tropical raintree species that were thought to be extinct in Sabah.

The rare dipterocarp species, known locally as Keruing Jarang was found in the Siangau Forest Reserve, near the coastal town of Weston, about 100km from here.

The discovery was made during a survey of the area by a research team from the Forestry Department.

In a statement here yesterday, Sabah Forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan said the species Dipterocarpus lamellatus was last recorded at Beaufort Hill in 1955.

The only other record was from Labuan in 1951.

The island today is virtually devoid of any natural dry land forests, said Mannan.

“It is a very exciting development for us,” he added, saying the research team also encountered four other rare dipterocarps in the reserve.

The survey was part of a statewide inventory by the Forestry Department to determine the conservation status of dipterocarps in Sabah, he said.

Forest botanist John Sugau said that of the 267 species of dipterocarps known to exist on Borneo island, 183 were found in Sabah.

While some dipterocarps were common and widespread, others are rare and restricted in their distribution.

Keruing Jarang was only known to occur in the west coast of Sabah.

In the natural forest, the dipterocarps are large trees that form the upper canopy.

Dipterocarps such as kapur, keruing, seraya and selangan batu, make up the bulk of commercial timber from Sabah’s natural forests.

After many years of logging, the status of some of the rarer dipterocarps had become uncertain, said Mannan.

Environmentalists want Sabah to scrap coal plant

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani
August 19, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 – A Sabah-based enviromentalist group has told the government to call off the proposed Lahad Datu coal-fired power plant after the Department of Environment (DOE) rejected the project’s detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) report.

Green SURF (Sabah Unite to Re-Power the Future) spokeman Wong Tack said that the state must take stand after DOE’s rejection of the report.

“We thank the DOE for carrying out their duty without fear or favour. Now that a federal agency has made such a decision, we hope that the state government too will take a stand.

“We should all collectively chart a new path towards clean energy that helps create jobs. Going into alternatives to coal, including renewable energy is a solution for Sabah,” he said in a press statement.

Green SURF is a coalition of five NGOs including SEPA, WWF Malaysia, Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), Malaysian Nature Society and Partners of Community Organisations (PACOS).

The DOE recently rejected the DEIA for the proposed 300-megawatt coal-fried plant in Felda Sahabat because many important environmental parameters in the proposed project were not addressed in the report.

The Malaysian Insider had previously reported that an environmental impact assessment on the proposed power plant stated that its construction stands to raise surrounding sea temperature by four degrees Celcius as well as damaging the livelihoods of local fishermen.

According to documents made available to The Malaysian Insider, the power plant near Kampung Sinakut, Lahad Datu, will also result in the loss of a traditional seaweed farming area measuring 4km.

Wong added that DOE’s decision was important as the state government had rejected DEIA’s first proposed site in Silam.

“The decision by DOE speaks volumes as the State Government had in April 2008 rejected the DEIA for the first proposed site in Silam, also in Lahad Datu, on grounds that it would have negative environmental and health impacts.

“Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd’s proposal for a second site in Sandakan did not reach the DEIA level following strong objections from locals,” he said.

The 300MW plant worth more than RM1.3 billion was proposed to generate power supply to help spur development of the Palm Oil Industries Cluster (POIC) Lahad Datu.

The proposed power plant will have four power units, each having a net electrical output of 75MW, and will use the most widely-used method of burning coal to generate steam.

The documents made available to The Malaysian Insider also stated that the maximum total ash generation in the power plant is estimated at 49,000 tonnes per year.

The coal plant was initially proposed in Silam, near Lahad Datu, and Sandakan, but both were rejected by the state government following protests.

Lahad Datu is located within Tawau in eastern Sabah and occupies the peninsula on the north side of Darvel Bay. The district is also the gateway to the Danum Valley Conservation Area (160 km away), the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in the east (20km away), and Madai Caves in the south.

Source here

United Borneo natives demand justice and respect

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:46
By Roselind Jarrow
freemalaysiatoday.com

BAU: The Malaysian and Indonesian governments have been urged to ‘review all existing laws and regulations’ that undermine rights of Borneo’s indigenous peoples.

They were also asked to respect and recognise their rights to ensure the ‘full and effective participation’ of indigenous peoples in the respective countries' decision making process.

These were among the resolutions in the inaugural Krokong Declaration following a three-day Borneo Forests Conference attended by representatives from Sabah, Sarawak, West and East Kalimantan.

The conference was jointly organised by the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association, Borneo Resource Institute Malaysia, Building Initiative in Indigenous Heritage, Pascos Trust, Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara, Indonesia, and Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia.

The Krokong Declaration remindedto the two governments, who endorsed and adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), of their obligation to uphold the rights of the indigenous peoples.

It calls on the these two governments to:

Ensure the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples in all development policies, plans, assessments and implementation related to indigenous peoples subject to our Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

Impose a moratorium on development projects that have been identified to be implemented and planned in our territories that have violated our rights and do not have our FPIC.

Review all existing laws and regulations that undermine our rights as indigenous peoples.

Urge the governments of Malaysia and Indonesia to stop and investigate all forms of violence against our people, arising from all the common issues below.
What's the Krokong Declaration says:

“We, the indigenous peoples of Borneo, have very distinct cultures and relations to our land, territories and resources.

“We strive to maintain these distinct values through our Adat and norms that have been passed down to us from our ancestors for generations.

“We have lived and nurtured our traditional knowledge, innovations and practices since time immemorial, making us the true custodians of our land, territories and resources.

“We, the indigenous peoples of Borneo have suffered social injustices resulting from the imposition of development aggression on our lands, territories and resources. All these have been done without our free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).

“We have not been included in the decision making processes, thus we continue to be marginalised and discriminated regardless of our basic human and customary rights to land, territories and resources, as stated in state, national and international laws.

“We call upon our governments, Malaysia and Indonesia, who adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to fully uphold the rights contained in the declaration.

“We, the indigenous peoples of Borneo declare our solidarity and unity in declaring the Krokong Declaration to be respected and recognised towards its implementation in Malaysia and Indonesia.

“We are further united by the common threats that face us; mega dam projects, mining and other extractive industries, oil palm plantations, deforestation and forest degradation, and climate change on our island of Borneo. We recognise that these threats are faced by indigenous peoples in Malaysia and Indonesia as well as around the world.

“In Borneo, the development of mega dams has displaced and resulted in involuntary forced resettlement of indigenous peoples, causing losses of our customary land and source of livelihood, identity and culture.

“It will also contribute to climate change because of the emission of methane and carbon dioxide from forest clearing and from flooding of reservoir. Water-borne diseases like Malaria and Chikungunya happen more often in areas that surrounds the dam.

“The expansion of oil palm plantations is escalating in alarming and unprecedented proportions that destroy our customary land, territories and resources. This trend brings grave concern to us because it has adversely affected our social culture and livelihoods and unjustly deprived us of the very source of sustenance.

“Additionally, extractive industries such as mining and logging continue to encroach into our ancestral domains which have resulted in land and environmental quality degradation that further impoverish our people. All the extractive industries have contributed to climate change by emitting green house gases (GHGs).

“We are also adversely affected by climate change. Our rivers and land are drying, frequent occurrences of flash floods, unpredictable weather patterns and seasons that threaten our food security.

“Climate change mitigation schemes such as REDD can create potential threats to the ownership of our forests and our rights.

“All of the common issues above have increased the violation of our human rights in the form of intimidation, wrongful detention, criminalisation, killings, deployment of gangsters and the use of para-military force against Indigenous Peoples.

“Likewise, our traditional values, institutions, governance system and knowledge as well as cultural heritage are being eroded as a result of these,” the declaration says.
It also pledges that they work together as one people and one Borneo to respond to these threats in a united and systematic manner that will ensure the survival and dignity of the indigenous peoples.

“We therefore, will work for the establishment of the Borneo Indigenous Peoples Alliance (BIPA) as the expression of our united stand for life and dignity.”
The Krokong Declaration will be submitted to Malaysia and Indonesia as well as to the state and provisional governments. A copy will also be handed to the United Nations.

Postcards to the PM with a green message

Thu, 03 Jun 2010
By Michael Kaung
Source here

KOTA KINABALU: If all goes according to plan, the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya will be flooded with postcards, with an environmental message from Sabah.

Postcards to the Najib Tun Razak are the latest in a series of tactics being used by the Sabah anti-coal-fired power plant lobby to halt the construction of the controversial plant in the state.

Scores of visitors thronging the Kadazandusun Cultural Association compound during the weekend's Harvest Festival celebrations stopped by a booth set up the ground to view the postcards of a idyllic beach on the east coast of the state that may be destroyed in the name of development.

The postcards show scenes of the now pristine Dent peninsula and its tranquil waters on the east coast, which is part of the globally important Coral Triangle and where the proposed 300-megawatt plant is to be sited.

Green SURF (Sabah Re-Unite to Power the Future), a coalition of local environment groups, decided that a direct message to Najib from the people of Sabah was the best way to halt the project.

Staff of WWF-Malaysia, along with other coalition members -- Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa), Malaysia Nature Society and Partners of Community Organisations (Pacos) -- spent two days explaining the issue to visitors at the festival.

Green SURF officials said visitors asked a number of questions about the proposed plant and many signed the postcards, which are also available for download at http://www.postcards2pm.blogspot.com/.

Local entertainment celebrity Atama also dropped by the Green SURF booth and shared his views with fans on the perils of coal power, while DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang signed a petition asking the government to scrap the project.

The project called “Postcards2PM” is the brainchild of Sabah artist Yee I-Lann who wanted to do her bit for the environment now facing the threat of destruction from the impact of such a plant.

Yee took photographs of the site three years ago during a road trip and was struck by the beauty of the place.

"The Postcards2PM project was done on the spur of the moment as a way to reach out to the prime minister. I hope that if he sees the place about to be ruined, he may understand and put a stop to the coal plant.

"The prime minister is the only person who can do this," said Yee who was disappointed that the site chosen for the plant is along the most pristine coastline in Malaysia and just a hundred kilometres from the renowned Sipadan Island.

Stiff resistance

Darvel Bay, which environmentalists say will be hard hit by pollution from the plant, is the mainstay of the state's fisheries industry that is already tottering as foreign fishing fleets continue to deplete the state's marine resources.

The site near Kampung Sinakut is close to the ecologically sensitive Tabin wildlife reserve where the Borneo wild cat and leopard projects are being undertaken. Darvel Bay is said to be a rich source of food and the potential for seaweed farming is estimated at RM3 billion.

The power plant, the first in the state to run on coal, has met with stiff resistance.

Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd, which will manage the plant, has said that the east coast of Sabah would benefit from the project as it would provide reliable electricity supply to the area which, in turn, would attract investors.

The detailed EIA study of the proposed site is in progress and the final report is expected to be submitted soon.

Initially, the power plant was to be located in Silam but later the site was changed to Sandakan and finally to Lahad Datu.

Those lobbying against the plant pointed out that its lucrative business links in high places have kept it on the government's agenda.

Speculation is also rife that contracts have been signed and that even money has changed hands.

Sabah & Sarawak don't even trust Peninsular

Well, this show that our Peninsular Wildlife caretakers are below par as compare to Sabah & Sarawak. I have the opportunity to visit some of the wildlife sanctuary and parks in Sabah and Sarawak and would agree 101% that Peninsular's parks are nothing compare to Sabah and Sarawak. So many failed wildlife parks were in Peninsular...and they still never learn the reasons. The one in Perak (Bukit Merah) is successful because it was a private company that run the centre. It would have failed if it was under the government's authority.
Want to know the reasons?
1. Corruption
2. Food for wildlife being hijacked
3. Lazy staff
4. Uncaring for wildlife

----------

March 21, 2010
Sabah, S'wak unwilling to send their orang utan to KL
By RINTOS MAIL

Star

KUCHING: Sarawak and Sabah are not willing to relocate their orang utan to a new sanctuary for the primate in Kuala Lumpur.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit said both states wanted their orang utan to stay where they were and, therefore, the government now had to look for orang utans from a small island in Perak.

He said the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) had allocated about 200 acres in Kepong to set up the new eco-tourism attraction that was similar to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre here and the Sepilok orang utan sanctuary in Sandakan.

“We are going to transfer some of the orang utan from the island in Perak since the population has increased and exceeded the island’s caring capacity, which makes it difficult for the primates to get enough food,” he said opening SK Siburan Baru Parent-Teacher Association’s annual general meeting here Sunday.

Dawos said the species in Perak, the Borneon orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus), was similar to that in Sarawak and Sabah.

He was not certain when the project would start.

However, he said the government would not go back on its plan because an orang utan sanctuary in Kuala Lumpur would be a big success as it would leave a lasting impression on visitors in line with the government’s intention to make eco-tourism a more prominent sector.

“I cannot ascertain when we can make it a reality. But this is a directive from the Prime Minister, which is why we must do it,” he said.

---------

Monday March 22, 2010
Questions over big ape sanctuary
Star

KUCHING: Mystery surrounds a proposed new orang utan sanctuary in Kuala Lumpur, which nobody seems to want.

Sarawak and Sabah are not willing to relocate their orang utan to the sanctuary, said Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit.

He said both states wanted their orang utan to stay where they were and therefore, the government now had to look for orang utans from a small island in Perak.

He said the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) had allocated about 200 acres in Kepong to set up the new eco-tourism attraction which was similar to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre here and the Sepilok orangutan sanctuary in Sandakan.

“We are going to transfer some of the orang utan from the island in Perak since the population there has increased and exceeded the island’s caring capacity which makes it difficult for the primates to get enough food,” he said after opening SK Siburan Baru Parent-Teacher Association’s annual general meeting here yesterday.

Dawos, who is a FRIM board member, said the species in Perak, the Borneon orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus), was similar to that in Sarawak and Sabah. He was not certain when the project would start.

However, he said the government would not go back on its plan because an orang utan sanctuary in Kuala Lumpur would be a big success and it would leave a lasting impression on visitors in line with the government’s intention to make eco-tourism a more prominent sector.

“I cannot ascertain when we can make it a reality. But we must do it,” he said.

FRIM director-genereal Datuk Dr Abd Latif Mohmod, however. said the institute had never requested for the setting up of an orang utan sanctuary.

“Orang utan conservation comes under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and Perhilitan. We are a forest research centre focusing on flora,” he said.

--------

Comment: FRIM DG was right. Forest research should only focus on flora. Botanic Gardens once had a mini zoo and kangaroo park but all the animals dead. Teluk Bahang Forestry Park had a mini zoo too, but all the animals dead. These were only two examples from Penang. Have they not learnt enough? Do we have enough animal experts to take care of the animals? Stupid policy maker! Stupid politician!

Sabahans - your doomsday is pending

And, Please CONTINUE voting for Barisan Najis, Ok?

------

Trepidation as Sabah dirty coal-fired power plant D-day looms
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:35
www.freemalaysiatoday.com

KOTA KINABALU: Amidst the scorching Sabah heat, dry rivers and raging wildfires, advocates of a greener, cleaner state face up to the burning likelihood that the government's final solution to the state's perennial electricity shortage could be the kiss of death to their efforts to preserve the environment.

The environment impact assessment (EIA) report of the proposed 300MW coal-fired power plant at Felda Tungku in Lahad Datu, is due to be out this month.

The state government, after initially dithering on approving the controversial plant, has finally succumbed to pressure from federal authorities responsible for the country's energy demands.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman rejected the coal power plant in 2008, but rapidly back-pedalled when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced that the controversial plant would be sited at Felda Tungku.

Electricity supply in the state comes directly under the federal government through power supplier Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), which in turn is controlled by the country's main power supplier, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).

SESB and TNB have long maintained that coal is the only option as a source of power supply on the east coast.

"Coal is the most economically viable fuel option for the east coast of Sabah, against other alternatives. Abundance supply of coal from nearby Kalimantan… will provide secured supply of coal at competitive price, thus ensuring continuous operation of the plant and optimum cost of supply/tariff," SESB said on its website.

But, the people residing there are unconvinced. They remain opposed because of fears that toxic coal pollutants will affect both their health and the environment.

The fishing communities along the pristine Darvel Bay, where the coal-fired plant will discharge millions of gallons of treated heated water, are fearful for their now abundant catch.

“The people of Lahad Datu and Seguntor had rejected the coal-fired plant and now the majority of Sabahans do not want it as well,” said Melanie Chia Ket Sui, an opposition politician, during a futile bid for an emergency motion to enable the State Legislative Assembly to debate the issue.

Unsubstantiated claims

The state government said Chia's claims were unsubstantiated.

Tungku assemblyman Suhaili Said (BN) has said that as far as he knew, his constituents had no issues with the plant being located in their area.

Credence to Chia's assertion, however, is supported by the fact that the proposed power plant has been relocated twice, from Silam in Lahad Datu initially and then from Seguntor in Sandakan before being fixed at Tungku after protests by residents.

Most are aware that coal burning is one of the main causes of acid rain, which damages buildings and can be detrimental to aquatic and plant life.

Environmental groups fighting for transparency on the issue are still smarting from anger after their proposals for alternate “clean” energy sources were repeatedly slapped down by the government.

They have already written off the pending report as a whitewash.

"They (the government) have already indicated that it will go ahead no matter what we say," the president of the Sabah Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), Wong Tack, said recently.

"They have no respect for the wishes of Sabahans. They will build the plant and it will be a disaster for the east coast.

"The government promised a second review of the terms and conditions of the EIA, but where is it? It is still the same.

"Last month, the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) people met (TNB) chairman (Tan Sri) Leo Moggie and he admitted to them that it (the proposed plant) will destroy the environment, but they would nevertheless go ahead," he said in a recent interview.

"He (Moggie) admitted that the proposed site is in an eco-sensitive area that could possibly affect the environment stretching from Darvel Bay to the pristine Danum Valley.

"They simply do not want to look at any other energy sources. They want coal and they will get it," said Wong.

He warned that Sepa and other environmental groups would not be standing by idly.

"Darvel Bay is a fixed deposit for Sabahans… for our children. We are not going to allow anyone to jeopardise the life of our future generations…"

Many unanswered questions


The anti-coal lobby has few prospects of success other than to threaten to help evict the government at the next election if it goes ahead with the plan.

"We have misgivings. What Sabahans must ask is, why? Why not use the plentiful natural gas we are blessed with or buy from Sarawak? They are willing to sell to us the surplus they have from Bakun. Brunei has grabbed their offer. Why not us?

"It is clean and cheaper in the long term. It also will not damage our environment. All we would have to do is extend the transmission lines to Lawas and the Sarawak grid, said Tawau's Sri Tanjung assemblyman Jimmy Wong.

"Why are they (the government) making excuses and pushing for the coal plant which will take years to build?

"They should consider this for the sake of keeping Sabah green, instead of rushing for coal.

"Every year, the government is getting about RM300 million of the RM1 billion from sales tax of palm oil from the east coast. About 30% comes from the Tawau area. You could say more than RM1 billion has been given by Tawau oil palm planters over the years.

"Yet while we have given the most we are suffering the most… and now they are forcing us to breathe polluted air when they put up this coal plant," he added.

A majority of Tawau's 500,000 population (excluding thousands of illegal immigrants) are against the plant, but are resigned to it after enduring decades of frequent power cuts akin to a third world nation.

Moggie argued that the proposed plant is a prudent choice and a way to diversify electricity generation sources.

"Hydropower is a potential (energy source). But if you develop hydropower, it also raises questions about the environment and inundation of areas. Coal supply compared to oil is more dependable, so in future coal will play an important part in our power generation diversification," Moggie said in an interview in 2006.

He said neither gas nor hydropower is available on the east coast of Sabah and biomass is a marginal way of obtaining power supply.

Therefore, he said, "coal is the most practical fuel source and that’s why we decided on it... it is not just us who is using coal but the world also is using it”.

SESB looked at a number of potential sites and identified a portion of state-owned Yayasan Sabah land where the abandoned Pacific Hardwood complex stood sandwiched by Darvel Bay and Silam Hill as the most logical (choice) in terms of its centralised position for a power plant.

The worry is that the state, while still considered one of the most environmentally friendly places in the world, is leaning towards unfriendly environmental policies that will lead to irreversible long-term damage to its unique eco-system.

For the state's environmentalists, doomsday is pending.

- FMT Staff

Coal is green - Truely Malaysia Boleh

January 16, 2010
Star
Minister: Coal is green?
By MUGUNTAN VANAR

KOTA KINABALU: Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui was surprised to hear of the Sarawak government’s decision to classify the exploitation of coal as a renewable energy project.

“It is news to me,” Chin told reporters when asked about criticism against the state government’s move to classify the mining of 1.156bil tonnes of coal reserves as renewable energy .

“I want to investigate further. I read about it but I do not know where such a classification came from,” added Chin, who had earlier witnessed the signing of a power purchase agreement between Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and SPR Energy Sdn Bhd.

Chin said the federal government did not consider coal a renewable energy and “believed that everyone knows that”.

On the proposed coal-fired power plant in Tungku in Sabah’s east coast Lahad Datu district, Chin said a detailed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report would be available in March.

He said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman had informed him that the state was waiting for the EIA report before deciding whether to allow the 300MW plant, which has drawn strong protests from environmentalists.

However, Chin said there was a need for the 300MW plant in the east coast of Sabah, which was currently relying on old diesel generator sets providing about 200MW power.

“We don’t have reliable supply. We need to have the 300MW plant ready to meet the electricity demands in the east coast,” he added.

Chin said his ministry was also cooperating with the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry to harness empty fruit bunches at oil palm estates and develop green energy.

He said they were encouraging large oil palm plantations to generate renewable energy and sell it to SESB to overcome the power shortage.

National Shame - Curi in Sabah

June 15, 2009
Sabah Government silent over Tawau coral reefs mining incident – another ‘national shame’!
Source: http://advocateviews.blogspot.com

The Sabah Government,under the leadership of Datuk Musa Aman should be put under a microscope for being silent over the coral reef mining in Tawau,Sabah which is a "national shame".The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission must investigate,expose and prosecute these "day light robbers"of our national treasures and heritage.

IT’S RATHER sad and ashamed that just when the Sabah State Government is passionately encouraging Malaysians as well as people from all over the world to vote in one of our tourism icons - Sipadan Island, as one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature(pic), a group of unscrupulous Malaysians was busy mining coral reefs in Tawau.

This was reported in the Malaysiakini on Sunday, 14 June, 2009.Two(2)days have since passed,and no official statement has been issued by the State Government.Was it because this significant finding was exposed by the opposition or was it a "trivial matter',that didn't warrant public attention?Why is the State Government silent over this matter? Kudos to Tawau PKR Chief Datuk Kong Hong Ming(pic) and his source for exposing such a horrendous crime on nature and humanity. Had not for their courage in exposing this, the devastating destruction of our precious coral reefs in Tawau could still be continued.

What was mind-boggling was that such activities had been carried out right under the noses of the relevant authorities undetected for the past one decade.Surely the State Government with all it's ears and eyes on the ground,logistics and enforcement,can't be deaf,dumb or blind. I believe the relevant authorities have lots of explaining to do here especially if the claim by Kong that a report had been lodged by his source to the Environmental Protection Department in Tawau earlier, was true.Suffice it to say,that our politicians have the tendency to think and convinced themselves that we the rakyat are indeed morons.

I strongly urge the State Government and the relevant authorities to spare no effort and leave no stone unturned in investigating the matter and to take sternest action against the culprits as well as those who were in cahoots, regardless of who they are, even if it involves some very senior government officers or politicians. A clear and strong message must be sent to would-be perpetrators.

Failing which, I guess we would then loss whatever moral grounds there is to continue to ask people to vote in Sipadan as one of the new Seven Wonders of Nature since we failed to protect those coral reefs in Tawau which size of affected area is several hundred times larger than the one in Sipadan that was damaged by a steel barge in 2006, especially if the claim that the mining area about nine kilometres from the shore would encompass five acres.(picture left showing coral debris found at the processing site)

I wonder what’s the estimated cost of losses that incurred based on the economic value of the coral reefs that were destroyed by the unscrupulous miners?

Coral reefs are a valuable ecological and economic resource in Malaysia, estimated to worth some US$635 million (RM2.2 billion) per year, mainly from tourism and fisheries revenues, not taking into account of shoreline protection and their research potential.

And I hope our State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjuntoo would give his full and serious attention in investigating the matter and to give the people of Sabah a truthful explanation on what was going on that led to such a devastating incident that fit to be called a ‘national shame’.

Lets hope this time the State government would not attempt to hush-hush the issue like what it did with the Sipadan barge incident three years ago, where it was reliably learnt that the contractor involved, Kumpulan Surati Sdn Bhd was left off the hook with just a public apology and bearing the clean-up cost.

I also call on NGOs like Sabah Environment Protection Association (SEPA) to closely monitor the issue and to put pressure on the State Government to better protect our precious natural resources.

It’s rather unfortunate that once again, Malaysia, Sabah in particular is in the international limelight for the wrong reason.

Scrap Sandakan coal power plant plan

Sep 30, 08
Malaysiakini

Following a state-sponsored study tour to coal-fired power plants (CPP) in Kuching, Johor Baru, Perak and Selangor, a Sabah-based Anti-CPP action committee has returned even more fired-up in its objections against the proposed CPP project in Sandakan.

The four-day trip, in which 43 representatives from the Anti-CPP action committee and several other business, government and political bodies took part, was reportedly supported by the Sabah government in order to provide a clearer picture of the pros and cons of CPPs.

Action committee chairperson Stephen Wong, however, said the Sep 8-12 junket had only bolstered their resolve to reject the proposed 300MW CPP for Sandakan.

“After our visit to various coal power plants namely Sejingkat in Kuching Sarawak, Tanjung Bin in Johor Baru, Manjung in Perak, and Kapar in Selangor, we have doubts on the justification and reasoning to build a coal power plant in Sandakan,” he said in a statement today.

The reasons

Wong, who is also secretary-general of the Sandakan Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC), said the reasons the CPP project - which had originally been planned for Lahad Datu but was scrapped for public health and welfare and environmental reasons - should be rejected include:

- Coal is the dirtiest of all fossil fuels and coal dust will litter Sandakan and settle far and wide in the town and residential areas surrounding it;

- Large amount of heat will be released into the atmosphere when coal is burnt, therefore spelling the possibility of climate change for Sandakan in the form of hotter days in dry seasons and more rain in the wet seasons. This will have tremendous effect on our crop and forest habitats;

- Non-combustible substances produced when burning coal such as fly ash and bottom ash contain arsenic, will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing just 50 parts of such ash per billion parts of water. The waste also contains lead, cadmium and other heavy metals, and trace amounts of uranium;

- When burnt, the resulting haze from the burnt coal’s production of fly ash can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, lung cancer, heart attacks and premature death;

- Bituminous coal, in particular, contains mercury and, when burnt will be released into the atmosphere and contaminate fish and plants. Just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake is said to render the fish therein unsafe to eat;

- The burning of coal produces carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary cause of global warming and climate change. The proposed site is slated to produce 2,700,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of cutting down 121 million trees;

- Incomplete burning of coal will produce 720 tons of carbon monoxide (CO), which causes headaches and place additional stress on people with heart disease;

- The burning of coal will also release 10,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) per year, which causes acid rain and damages forests, lakes and buildings. Small airborne SO2 particles can penetrate into lungs;

- Even if SO2 is removed using the 'seawater desulfurization system', it will most probably be dumped into the sea. Both the marine life and fishermen of Sandakan Bay cannot afford to have toxic waste being poured into their waters;

- About 10,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxide (Nox) a year will also be produced by the burning of coal, which is the equivalent of that emitted by half-a-million late-model cars. NOx causes smog, leads to the incidence of lung inflamation, the burning of lung tissue and makes people more susceptible to respiratory illness;

- The large volumes of seawater used as coolant will be released into the shore environments, thereby increasing their temperatures;

- The injection of chlorine and dispersants into the intake seawater to prevent the growth of fouling organisms on the surface of the cooling systems will result in chlorination by-products which might potentially inhibit microbes that play ecologically important roles in coastal ecosystems.

State gov't's call

Reminding Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman that he had on April 2 said the Lahad Datu CPP proposal was scrapped so as not to "risk the welfare and health of the communities in the area as well as any adverse impact on the environment," Wong said it is for these same reasons that the proposed CPP for Sandakan be junked.

"Sandakan does not need the coal power plant as other means of electricity supply are available, such as gas, hydro, bio-mass, wind and solar (power).

"The present and future electricity grid system can be available to deliver electricity to Sandakan. Please keep Sandakan free from environmental pollution by adopting a green energy (policy)," he said.

The Sabah Department of Environment (DOE) was earlier reported to have said it would be the state government that would decide on the fate of the Sandakan CPP project.

Even if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval was obtained, the project may not be implemented, said DOE's principal assistant director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab earlier this month.

Pygmy elephant found dead

Saturday September 20, 2008
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
Staronline

KOTA KINABALU: A young Borneo pygmy elephant was found dead under mysterious circumstances close to the Kinabatangan Jungle Resort at Kampung Bilit in Sabah’s east coast.

Sabah Wildlife Department officer in charge of Kinabatangan, Roland Niun, said it was difficult to establish the cause of death as it was in a state of decomposition when they were alerted about it on Sept 2.

He said that the cause of death of the two-year old elephant remained unknown but it could possibly be due to poisoning.

Sabah Wildlife department director Laurentius Ambu said that the endangered Borneo pygmy elephant is protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997 in Sabah and unlawful killing of an elephant carries a fine of RM50,000 or a jail term of five years or both under Section 25 (3)(b).

The Asian elephant sub-species is only found in Sabah, although some roam in neighbouring Kalimantan in Indonesia’s Borneo.

This makes Sabah the sole custodian of a unique sub-species of elephant.

“Today, we estimate that there are fewer than 1,500 left in Sabah and we take their protection and survival very seriously,” Ambu add-ed.

The department recognises that conflict between elephants and humans does arise when an elephant happens to damage crops.

However, anyone who takes the law into their own hands and harms or kills an elephant will be arrested and prosecuted, he warned.

Sabah to conserve 78,000ha of mangrove, wildlife reserves

Friday July 18, 2008 MYT 3:45:57 PM
Staronline
By RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is permanently conserving wetlands and forests three times the size of Kuala Lumpur at a wildlife rich region on the state's east coast.

Sabah Forestry Department director Datuk Sam Mannan said the state cabinet approved the setting aside of some 78,000ha of mangrove and wildlife forest reserves in the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama region.

The cabinet made the move when giving its nod to the suggestion by the Borneon Biodiversity and Ecosystems Conservation Phase II programme to list the area as part of the global Ramsar Site Network.

Named after a place in Iran, Ramsar is an international convention on wetlands that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. It it was first established in 1971 and came into force in 1975.

Ramsar falls under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) and is managed by the Ramsar secretariat, which shares its headquarters with the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Switzerland.

Mannan said the area included were Trusan Kinabatangan, Kuala Segama-Maruap Mangrove Forest Reserves and Kulamba Wildlife Forest Reserve.

He said the site would be tabled and registered at the next “Conference of the Parties” (CoP10) to be held in South Korea in October. With that, Sabah would have the largest Ramsar Site in Malaysia, the others being five other areas ranging from 526ha to 6,610ha totalling 55,000ha in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.

“Sabah's proposed area represents the largest contiguous area of wetland forests in the country,” Mannan said, adding there were numerous benefits from listing the wetlands as a Ramsar site.

These include international prestige for achieving the gold standard in the conservation of wetlands of global importance, access to international assistance on the research of wetlands.

Other benefits include external funding for management activities such as forest management plan preparation, enhanced protection, bio-diversity assessments and increased access to expertise, he said.

“The listing will also further raise the profile of Sabah’s conservation efforts internationally and this is bound to have a multiplier effect on the state’s growing nature-based tourism industry,” Mannan said in thanking the Sabah cabinet led by Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman for the listing decision.

Dying To Be Rescued

Scenes of starvation and death greeted tourists who signed up for horse riding on the beach while enjoying their holiday in Sabah, Malaysia.

The tourists had visited the Melinsung ranch located 20 mins South of Kota Kinabalu to sign up for the activity. What they found left them sickened. Starving and weak horses, some unable to stand, were kept in dirty paddocks and stables in and around the ranch. The horses had skin diseases, open wounds and infected sores, and there were reports of many dead and dying horses.

The tourists reported the distressing scenes to the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in June 2007. Photos of the sick animals, posted on a forum in New Zealand, also reached WSPA, which quickly contacted its member society, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Selangor, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to pressure the authorities to do something about the situation.

The SPCA reported the problem to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) in Sabah through the central DVS in Kuala Lumpur. The DVS enforces Malaysia’s animal protection law, and visited the horrific site in June 2007 (and a follow up visit January 2008), and decided it would simply monitor the case and work with the owner to improve the conditions of the horses. The owner of the Ranch is Datuk Abdul Ghani Rashid, ex-Mayor of Kota Kinabalu. When the DVS visited the ranch in June there were 70 horses. Now latest reports from SPCA Representative Sue Quek, state that “There are only around 30 left and animals are still suffering and dying.”

The SPCA was hoping the horses would be confiscated, and offered its help. But now SPCA officers say they’re devastated nothing appears to have been done, and the animals were apparently being offered for sale.

“SPCA has urged DVS Sabah to act quickly to alleviate the suffering of the pitiful horses and push for prosecution,” says Christine Chin, SPCA Selangor Chairman.

Sue Quek said: "The DVS has the power to confiscate animals from owners and to prosecute for animal cruelty under the CRUELTY TO ANIMALS (PREVENTION) ORDINANCE (Sabah Cap.31) 1968 law that says it is an offence to cause 'unnecessary suffering' to animals. In July 2007, the SPCA stood by with resources and skills to save these horses and rehabilitate them and send them on to loving caring homes. But our offer was not taken up."

“We heard in January 2008 that the horses were in a worse condition, more were dead and others that couldn’t stand were being sold for meat. We believe the DVS provided feed for the horses but it appears very little improvement in their condition has been achieved,” says Dawn Peacock, Member Society Manager for WSPA.

“We have heard that DVS Putrajaya visited the ranch recently and that DVS Sabah are in the process of removing the horses, but we have not received official confirmation from them. We hope that DVS Sabah will act to confiscate the remaining horses quickly, to prevent more horses from suffering and death – any more delays in action would result in a tragic loss of innocent lives. We certainly hope that DVS will prosecute the owner of the Ranch for causing unnecessary suffering.” continues Quek.

This case once again highlights the SPCA’s campaign to increase the penalty for persons found guilty of animal cruelty. The Animals Act 1953 states that a person guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animals will be fined RM200.00 or sent to prison for six months or both.
“A fine of RM 200, whilst princely in the 1950’s when the law was introduced, is paltry by today’s standards and is not a deterrent, even if it was charged for each animal in a case such as this. We have been lobbying the Government to increase the fine and jail sentence, and also impose lifetime-bans on pet ownership for persons found guilty of animal abuse,” Chin added.

"When people are cruel to animals they will be cruel to one another"- Herbert N. Casson

Call For ACTION

More Pictures & Story

Source: http: //www.spca.org.my/horse.htm

Sabah rethinks coal power plant

Star Online
Tuesday April 1, 2008
By RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is having second thoughts over a RM1.3bil controversial coal fired power plant in Silam in the state's east coast.

Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said Tuesday that the Cabinet will discuss the proposed 300-megawatt coal plant at its meeting here Wednesday.

He was referring the power plant project to the Cabinet in the wake of opposition from environmentalists and other concerned groups who fear that the pristine nature of the renowned Danum Valley and Darvel Bay would be polluted by it.

"Hopefully we will come to a decision so as to advise the parties concerned whether to go ahead with it. This is important given all the complaints we have received," he said Tuesday.

Earlier Musa witnessed the signing of a credit arrangement scheme between state-owned Sabah Development Bank Bhd, CIMB Investment Bank Bhd and AmInvestment Bank Bhd totalling more than RM1bil.

The power plant proposed to be sited at the abandoned 128.7ha seafront Pacific Hardwood integrated timber complex is a joint venture between Tenaga Nasional and Yayasan Sabah, which have formed Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd.

On Monday, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd with Lahad Datu Energy Sdn Bhd issued a notice seeking public comment on the project's detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) report.

In asking for the written comments on the report, the Department of Environment stated that the public could review the EIA report of Ecotone Environmental Management Sdn Bhd from March 31 until April 30 and forward opinions to the department before May 15.

Villagers and the business community in the Lahad Datu district as well as the Sabah Environment Action Committee (EAC) have been opposing the project since it came to their knowledge in 2006.

The EAC's Lahad Datu chairman Wong Tack said the coal plant project was an unnecessary risk. He added that there had been worldwide opposition to coal plants due to various concerns over emissions such as sulphur dioxide causing acid rain, soot particles causing poor visibility and respiratory problems and carbon dioxide contributing to global warming.

Wong said despite arguments that modern coal-fuelled power plants were cleaner than those a generation ago, the group felt there was however no environmental agency capable of enforcing mitigating measures.

He said alternative sources of power generation should be considered due to Sabah's abundance of natural gas, rivers, wind and oil palm waste.

Wong said power from the mammoth Bakun dam in Sarawak could also be tapped for enterprises within Lahad Datu's palm oil industrial cluster (POIC).