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Arrested for trying to hand over a memo?

Development issues, Energy resources, Environment, Marginalised groups 13 Responses »

Sep 172009

The highhanded police action against the 15 activists and indigenous reps in Kuching yesterday was a waste of resources.

All they wanted to do was hand over a petition to state government leaders expressing their concern over the Murum and other dams and the displacement of natives. For that, they were arrested, reportedly for illegal assembly, and later released on police bail.

The CM and his Ministers were too arrogant to even come and accept the memo. The natives have an issue that needs resolving – not arresting. This is the prevailing feeling in town, says a Kuching-based observer.

New dams in peninsula despite Bakun undersea cables

Accountability, Development issues, Energy resources 15 Responses »

Jun 032009

Now comes news that Tenaga is planning two new hydroelectric plants in Terengganu and Pahang (see report below).

Doesn’t this fly against the justification for the laying of submarine cables to transmit electricity from the Bakun Dam in Sarawak to the peninsula – that there would be no need for expensive new capacity on the peninsula?

Energy Minister Peter Chin said last month that the Cabinet had agreed that opting for the Bakun submarine cable project would be better than continuing to build new power plants in the peninsula. “In the long term, it will be more economical and viable to transmit power from Bakun to Peninsular Malaysia even though the undersea cable project will be very costly,” he said.

So, what’s going on? Was Peter Chin unaware of these two new dams in the peninsula – or was he simply having us on?