The Broga anti-incinerator protest took on a twist today when a group of campaigners filed a suit against the authorities concerned seeking the court's assistance to reveal the "truth" about the RM1.5 billion proposed project.

"This development today is significant because if the court rules in favour of the Broga residents and deter the government's plan to build the incinerator, then other Malaysians will also feel a sense of relief as they too would not be victimised by this project or other similar ones in future," Selangor DAP chairperson Ronnie Liu said.

Liu was among supporters of the Semenyih/ Broga No Incinerator pro tem committee who turned up at the Shah Alam high court this morning where committee coordinator Alice Lee filed the summons.

The defendants named are the Selangor Menteri Besar office, Science, Technology and Environment Ministry and the Land and Mines Department.

Lee filed the suit on behalf of some 450 Broga residents through counsel T Uma Parvathy.

12 posers in summons

The residents are seeking the court's determination to order the authorities to divulge and provide answers to 12 questions raised in their originating summons.

They want the authorities to unveil details on the contractors, price and condition of land alienated and terms of funding for the proposed-incinerator project.

The residents also want to know who funded the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report and whether the government has conducted any comparative studies abroad where such incinerator technology has been utilised.

They also stated in the summons that the authorities should be compelled to conduct a full inquiry on the foreign and local company involved prior to the awarding of the contract and are obliged to conduct an assessment on the costs "that will be inevitably passed on to the people".

"...the defendants are obliged to conduct as full and proper study on the medical implications of this project on the people especially in the light of various confirmed reports from effected areas abroad," the summons said.

They added that the authorities should furnish a parliamentary report on the matter before the awarding of the project and questioned why there has been no proper and full implementation of the recycling programme launched earlier.

'I was horrified'

In her supporting affidavit, Lee said the suit was necessary as the government has not made available information resulting in the residents having to rely on information from abroad about incinerators.

She also said the suit was to seek the court's assistance to reveal the details in order to "protect our rights".

"Aside from housing and commercial development in the greater Semenyih and Kajang areas, the government has never really bothered about our welfare and rights.

"As I gathered information, I was horrified at the project - its impact (and dangers) on the soil, weather, water and the health of the people," Lee said.

She also lamented on the authorities' refusal to provide details of the project and left with no choice, the group has to take their plight to the court.

"The residents of Kg Broga and I have attempted so many times to meet the authorities concerned. But we have been stonewalled, we have been threatened with arrest, we have been abused and we have been warned of dire personal consequences," she said.

She further claimed that the incinerator technology, the foreign company which won the contract and the recently released EIA preliminary study were all "questionable".

Speaking to reporters later, Lee reiterated the residents' hopes that their housing area would not be turned into a "rubbish town and cancer factory".

Some 70 Broga residents were present at the court to show their support for Lee.

In February, Japan-based Ebara Corporation won the RM1.5 billion contract to design and build the 1,500-tonne Broga plant by 2007. The project is also expected to cost another RM200 million per year to operate.

The project, the EIA of which is being evaluated by the Department of Environment, has been criticised by international scientists for using outdated technology when most advanced countries are adopting alternative waste disposal methods.