MALAYSIA

The controversy over Bakun dam is getting murkier. The Malaysian government has decided to appeal a High Court order that said that the proposed dam did not meet environmental laws of the land (Down To Earth, Vol 5, No 4). The ruling threatens to hold up construction of the us $6 billion hydroelectric project. Energy, telecommunications and post minister Datuk Leo Moggie said that the government's attorney general has been asked to file the appeal as soon as possible to avoid long delays.

The cabinet will also direct Ekran Bhd, the corporate sponsor of the privatised Bakun project, to comply with last week's court ruling, which asked the company to follow federal environmental guidelines before starting construction of the dam. Datuk Moggie said that the "government is not in a position to direct Ekran... to stop work". Meanwhile, lawyers representing Sarawakian tribals who had initiated the suit, are planning to file contempt proceedings against Ekran which had questioned the validity of the court's recent ruling.