MALAYSIA

The country's
development is definitely
taking a toll on its environment. The massive landslip
on January 6, 1996, along the
North-South highway between Tapah and -Gopeng,
before Ipoh, the statq capital
of Perak, was one among
many others that point to a
lack of environmental concern. As many as 29 major
landslips occured last year in
'several places along the
North-South highway between Johore Bahru in the
South and Bukit Kayu
Hitam, near the Thai border.
There were 176 landslips
in the Camero 'n highlands
along Malaysia's central
mountain range. Penang
island witnessed 172 landslips within a month. These
figures merely depict the tip
of the iceberg, as numerous
other not so major landslips
occur regularly throughout
the country. These disasters
have vindicated what the
environmentalists have long
been portending. In the race
to become an industrialised nation, environmental
guidelines are being easily
brushed aside.