ALL ARE INVITED/SEMUA DIJEMPUT Press conference at Petaling Jaya on Haze issues Time and date:2.30 pm [25.6.2013] Venue: No.7D, Jalan Petaling Utama PJS 1/48 46150 Kuala Lumpur Purpose: MAP ,PRM and others concerned group/citizens will take legal action against Ministry of Environment and Health for failure/negligent to correct the annual hazardous haze in Malaysia. We have appointed a lawyer to issue a legal notice to the ministry concerned Yesterday MAP and PRM have made joint statements to Malaysiakini[though there are some mistake over certain name and positions in their reporting] giving an ultimatum to the Environment Minister G.Palanivel 48 hours to name the Malaysian companies responsible for causing the haze crisis or it will take legal action to court for negligence. Tomorrow the 48 hour ultimatum will be expired and we decided to give legal notice against the ministry concerned,.Our reasons are as follows:- The haze situation has reached dangerous levels recently. Emergencies have been declared and schools have been closed as a result of the toxic and harmful smog. From Malaysia Insider we have been informed 8 Malaysian related companies are involved for burning the forests in Indonesia which led to threat to the environment security and health security of the citizens of Malaysia. We demand the following information:- Whether the above information on the companies are Malaysian owned; Whether they actually responsible for the burnings and thus cause the present haze in Malaysia; Whether there are other Malaysian related companies responsible for this haze in Malaysia; What step the government should take against this Malaysian companies for this irresponsible act causing threat to the environment and health security to the citizens of Malaysia; How many persons especially children and elderly been hospitalized due to this haze problems; Why there are not enough stock of quality N97 masks in this country where in Singapore they have distribute freely to their citizens. This are several issues or information that we will demand from the government and if they failed to accede to our request within 3/5days[will confirm this tomorrow], we will take legal action as the next step course of action. Secretary General of MAP see Malaysiakini :- NGO MAP suing the Government for Haze Problem [23.6.2013] An NGO has given Environment Minister G Palanivel a 48-hour ultimatum to name the Malaysian companies involved in the ongoing haze crisis, or it will take the government to court for negligence. “We demand answers from Palanivel and give us the names of Malaysian companies involved in open burning in Sumatra. “We want him to be responsible on the safety, health and environment of Malaysians today,” said Memacu Arus Perjuangan (MAP) deputy president Ally Harzan Hashim (left) when met by Malaysiakini today. The group’s lawyer Ahmad Jufliz Faiza said that if the minister fails, the group intends to bring the government to court for negligence by failing its duty of care to Malaysian citizens. The clock for Palanivel starts at 4pm today, when the interview was held. MAP also wants Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam to disclose health-related statistics regarding the haze, such as the number of persons visiting hospitals for breathing difficulties, in order to raise awareness on the issue. Ally Harzan claims that he has surveyed hospitals in Kajang and found that 300 children and 200 senior citizens had sought treatments for respiratory illnesses. They also complained about government inaction over the haze and an apparent short-supply of N95 respirators. While many Malaysians are seen wearing surgical masks on the streets, it offers negligible protection against fine particles whereas a well-fitted N95 respirator can filter out even finer particles. Indonesian NGOs helping Another of MAP’s lawyers, Patrick Dass, questioned whether the government had vested interests in the companies involved, judging from its inaction although the haze has been a recurring problem for about 15 years. The ongoing haze, which has resulted in a state of emergency being declared in parts of Johor, has been blamed on palm oil companies practising slash-and-burn tactics to clear the forests in Sumatra. Some of these companies are believed to be Malaysian, or owned by Malaysians. Ally Harzan said MAP has several suspects, and is working with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) and environmental NGOs in Singapore and Indonesia for confirmation on which companies are involved. “We know the names of the companies, but we have to confirm this. That is why we request the government through the minister to give us the names, while we are also liaising with other NGOs to get their names,” said Ahmad Jufliz (right). The NGOs would also initiate legal action against the companies responsible for the haze in their home countries if necessary, he said. Backing their call for action to tackle the haze, PRM president Rohana Ariffin said, “Every year it has been promised that this thing will be resolved, but I think it has to be stopped now.”
Posted on: Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:48:18 +0000
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