The Broga/Semenyih No Incinerator pro tem action committee today met the Japanese Embassy officials in Kuala Lumpur to clarify the funding of a proposed 1,500-tonne thermal incinerator.

Pro tem

chairperson Halil Hussain and committee member Prof P Ramasamy met the embassy's economic section counsellor Kazutoshi Aikawa and first secretary Yoshihiro Kakishita to get the truth "straight from the horse's mouth".

The meeting was prompted by Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister M Kayveas' statement on April 6 that the RM1.5 billion project was funded by a soft loan from Japan, which is a low-interest arrangement between governments.

When met outside the embassy, Halil said the Japanese officials were willing to explain to Semenyih residents that the Japanese government was not involved in funding the controversial project.

"Kayveas is a great liar. Otherwise, how can you explain what the Japanese embassy officials have been saying all along?"

He said that the embassy officials were annoyed that Japan had been unnecessarily dragged into the current controversy and had offered to clear the air o­n the issue.

When asked to comment o­n the meeting, Yoshihiro said "as a third party, we can o­nly gather and give the facts".

"We are not o­n anyone's side and we don't want to interfere with Malaysia's domestic political and administrative problems.

"But we can explain to anyone, including journalists, residents and government officials, that our government is not, and never was, involved in this project."

Wrong information given

Also calling Kayveas a liar, Ramasamy said he trusted the Japanese officials more than the Malaysian minister because "they have a lot more credibility".

"Why are our ministers spreading wrong information and misleading the public? It is good that the Japanese officials are offering to tell the facts to the people although they admitted having limited mandate to respond to government-related matters," he said.

The committee also submitted a memorandum to the embassy containing their research findings o­n the proposed project and a video recording of the speeches and ensuing fracas at the Semenyih briefing conducted by the government.

A handful of other anti-incinerator committee members waited outside the embassy. Also present were DAP Youth international secretary John Chung and Ean Yong Hian Wah, the political secretary to party chairperson Lim Kit Siang.

Kayveas had told reporters that the government has already received the money through a soft loan from Japan and was waiting for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study to be approved before proceeding with the project.

Residents have expressed concern over the construction of the world's largest thermal incinerator using Japan's latest gasification technology in a hilly area gazetted as a forest reserve and which also serves as a major river basin supplying water to millions of households in the Klang Valley.

In a press statement issued later, Halil said: "The embassy's denial raises suspicions about the nature and character of the conduct of some public officials in the country and the real reasons as to why the unpopular incinerator project is being pushed through in a hurried manner."

Trouble-makers

When contacted for comments, Kayveas said he stands by his statement about the soft loan.

Referring to a report in The Sun today, he said he had received 200 letters from local residents near the proposed site supporting the project as it would help develop the area.

"But I haven't received anything from the project opponents although they had written to other government officials.

"The fact that they refused to give me their IC numbers shows that they are outsiders going around to create trouble for this project."

He said he identified some of the residents who had wanted to ask questions during the controversial Semenyih briefing two weeks ago as trouble-makers as he had seen them in other places "doing the same thing".

Kayveas was also quoted as accusing opposition parties and companies who had failed to secure the multi-billion ringgit tender as trying to sabotage the project.

Meanwhile, the committee has received a letter from Housing and Local Government Minister o­ng Ka Ting's office notifying them of a briefing session at Kampung Baru Broga this Sunday at 2.30pm.

Ong to give briefing?

When contacted, o­ng's political secretary Wee Jeck Seng said he was unsure whether o­ng would personally meet the residents in Broga.

"I'm not sure if he will be there or who will be conducting the briefing."

The committee has requested for o­ng to give the briefing.

It is learnt that the minister will be at a function in Pontian, his constituency in Johor, over the weekend.