A group of residents opposed to the proposed 1,500-tonne incinerator plant in Broga has lodged a report against the government over its recent advertising campaign in national newspapers.

The residents from Broga, Semenyih, Kajang and Beranang said they felt disappointed and oppressed by the government's move to run the series of pro-incineration advertisements when incineration was clearly a public hazard.

"The advertisements have challenged our basic rights," they said in the report, lodged yesterday at the Semenyih police station.

They claimed that the Housing and Local Government Ministry had misused its powers by placing the ads to confirm Broga as the proposed site for the incinerator.

"This will directly influence the EIA study still being conducted by Perunding Utama Sdn Bhd (the government-appointed environmental consultant)," their report said.

"It shows that the ministry will ignore the results of the study pertaining to the suitability of location and the integrity of the research itself."

Residents' fears

"The ads also contain a lot of inaccurate and disputable information that mislead people into thinking that incineration is the best, modern and safest waste disposal method," the report said.

The residents further refuted the ministry's equation of gasification and ash-melting technology with recycling as found in the ads.

"The fact is, the technology is still in the pilot stage and its effectiveness has yet to be proven," their report said.

The pro-incinerator message, designed by Lim Kok Wing Institute of Creative Technology, was advertised in all major dailies beginning late July as part of the government's public education campaign.

The two-week print run is roughly estimated to have cost taxpayers about RM3.5 million.

Several versions outlined the evils of landfills and stressed the urgent need to move towards a more sustainable waste management including recycling and modern incinerators.

The ads also named Broga as the proposed site for the plant although the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study is still awaiting approval from the Department of Environment (DOE).

Three weeks ago, about 400 people involved in the anti-incinerator lobby had gathered at a local community hall before being told to disperse by the police.

The controversial project, details of which the government is guarding tightly, has caused concern among local and international anti-incineration campaigners.

Residents in Broga and Semenyih have claimed that the operations will pose a hazard to their health, the environment and to a major water catchment area.

Ebara Corporation, the Japanese engineering giant that won the award to design and build the incinerator, allegedly has a questionable track record in the industry.

The Malaysian government is currently investing the claim. It is pushing for the plant - said to be the largest of its kind worldwide - to come on stream in 2007.