space Press Releases, News Stories

by Huw Watkin, The Australian

Interior Minister Sar Kheng would not reveal the man's name, but yesterday said the head of the Huth Vuthy import-export company had been detained pending further investigations into the importation of about 3000 tonnes of heavy metal-contaminated waste from Taiwan.

The discovery of a 200-tonne dump of the material, and reports that more may have been disposed of in offshore fishing grounds, has incensed the country's new Government, with the Council of Ministers yesterday devoting a day of meetings to the issue.

Information Minister Lu Lay Sreng said a state of emergency had been called in an attempt to protect the health of people living near the dump, close to the southern port of Sihanoukville.

"Already two people have died and I appeal to the Sihanoukville authorities to evacuate people from the area surrounding the dump," he said.

Environment Minister Mok Mareth said the waste would be repatriated to Taiwan and those responsible for its importation would be prosecuted.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered me to prosecute all people involved in the importation, and to investigate ways to send this waste back to Taiwan," he said.

"We must send it back as soon as possible . . . We cannot keep it any longer in Cambodia, otherwise it will kill all Cambodian people."

According to a German news agency report from Taipei, a Taiwanese petrochemical company was fined $US1000 ($1612) earlier this week for exporting the waste to Cambodia without official approval.

The report quoted an official from Taiwan's Environmental Protection Agency who said the Formosa Plastics company could face further legal action.

"If Cambodia determines the waste is (still) toxic and entered Cambodia illegally, we will ask Formosa Plastics to retrieve it and impose a stiffer fine," the official reportedly said.