The Selangor government has been accused of misleading local residents by spreading inaccurate information to win public support for the construction of a controversial mega-incinerator proposed nearby in Broga.

Broga/Semenyih No Incinerator pro tem committee member Wong Yuen Mei did not mince words when she described this as sabotage.

Gimmicks at briefing

Wong said the state government conducted a briefing in Semenyih last Saturday during which it distributed pamphlets to some 400 residents who attended. There were also lucky draws and gift hampers for children.

"The general information pamphlet contains serious inaccuracies that downplay the dangers of dioxin, while the other mistakenly lumps the (functions of the) incinerator together with (those of) recycling," she told malaysiakini .

The general information pamphlet, attributed to the Housing and Local Government Ministry, says a device installed to control the formation and emission of dioxin will ensure that there are no negative health risks from the plant's operations.

Wong said the briefing was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the grassroots movement opposed to the RM1.5 billion project. The thermal plant, capable of burning 1,500 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, is scheduled for completion in 2007.

The briefing was jointly organised by the Hulu Langat district unity office and the Beranang Rukun Tetangga.

Among those present, she said, were Beranang state assembly representative Ahmad Kuris Mohd Nor, government technical panel member Dr Muhd Noor Muhd Yunus, the Japanese consultant leading the project, and several government officials.

Muhd Noor is director of the technical services division in the Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research.

'Be transparent'

Wong said residents who got wind of the briefing rushed to the community hall, but were told to leave without causing trouble. She urged the government to be more transparent with information.

"Please do not spread propaganda or throw dinners, gifts and lucky draws just to gain the local people's support."

Earlier that evening, the pro tem committee had held a public forum in Kajang, jointly organised with New Era College Community Service Student Initiative.

During the event, five international activists from Japan, US and the Philippines shared information and their experiences o­n the hazards of dioxin, and suggested alternatives to waste disposal management.

They are from member groups of the Manila-based Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance/Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives ( GAIA ), which seeks to phase out all types of waste incineration and promote zero waste as a viable alternative.

The pro tem committee has been aggressively campaigning against the project since it was relocated from Kampung Bohol, Puchong, last November due to massive public pressure.

The proposed plant is touted as the largest in the Asia, and probably the world, to use the fluidised-bed gasification and ash-melting technology of a Japanese incinerator company. It will be funded by a Japanese soft loan.

The committee, whose members include those with an engineering background, seeks to inform and educate about 80,000 people from 25 housing estates in and around Broga o­n the hazards of incineration, including the health and environmental impact.

The voluntary group has printed T-shirts, car stickers, information leaflets and banners bearing a 'No Incinerator' logo and words 'Think of your loved o­nes'. Some items are o­n sale to raise funds for related activities.