Malaysian villagers hail court order halting incinerator work

Villagers have won a landmark court battle against a Japanese corporation they accuse of posing an environmental and health hazard.

Opposition political parties and human right activists yesterday hailed the High Court decision putting a temporary stop to the construction of a multi-billion Malaysian-dollar waste incinerator, which opponents say would emit cancer-causing dioxins.

About 450 villagers in Broga, where the plant is being built, 60km from Kuala Lumpur, have been fighting to halt the project for two years.

'Our long struggle was completely blacked out by the mainstream media, but the judge saw the merits in our case,' said 32-year-old Alice Lee, who filed the class-action suit.

'How can anyone raise a family with a monster next door spewing dioxin fumes?

'We have been having nightmares, and suffering a loss of appetite and income since this project came here,' she said.

Protest leader Zulkefly Omar said: 'The fight is not over, but this decision is an excellent start.