18/1/06 Sandakan (Daily Expres)  -  Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat ordered the management of a palm oil mill at Segaliud, 70km from here, to stop discarding toxic wastes into the nearby river, with immediate effect.

He issued the order during a surprise visit to the mill, in response to recent complaints that the company had been discharging toxic wastes at random without regard to more than 300 families in riverine villages.

The villagers claimed that the polluted river had deprived them of their livelihood such as fish and prawns, apart from having to put up with a dirty and smelly river.

Chong, who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said his surprise visited was necessitated by the issue being raised by Sekong Assemblyman Shamsuddin Yahya in the recent State Assembly Sitting.

Having assessed the area, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Protection, the matter would be raised during the weekly Cabinet meeting, on Wednesday, he added.

"We will base our report on the findings and recommendation of the Department of Environmental Protection for the next course of action," Chong said.

During the visit, department officials collected samples from the river. The Minister also stressed that his Ministry would be issuing similar directives to all palm oil mills operating in the State to refrain from indiscriminate disposal of wastes into the rivers.

He nevertheless commended one plantation for having regulated the disposal of wastes within the premises, instead of the river, saying such example should be emulated by other plantation operators.

Samsuddin meanwhile described Chong's visit as timely to end the woes some 900 people affected by the problem over the last 10 years.