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Fishermen, 2 NGOs file suit to halt Penang reclamation project

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The parties want the Penang South Island project to be declared illegal, and the reclamation of already affected areas to be reversed.

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Free Malaysia Today
Zakaria Ismail of Unit Nelayan Sungai Batu, flanked by Jaringan Ekologi dan Iklim president Khoo Salma Nasution (right) and S Mageswari of Sahabat Alam Malaysia, at the press conference.

GEORGE TOWN:
Seven fishermen, together with two NGOs, have filed a suit against the Penang government to stop the reclamation project in the island’s south, alleging that it has already adversely affected their livelihoods.

The fishermen, led by Zakaria Ismail of Unit Nelayan Sungai Batu, along with Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and Jaringan Ekologi dan Iklim (Jedi), want the Penang South Island (PSI) project to be declared illegal.

They also want the state government to reverse the reclamation of already affected areas if their application succeeds.

Work on the RM8.5 billion reclamation project began last September, with 920ha to be reclaimed for the creation of Silicon Island, touted as the “electronic industry’s hinterland”.

Free Malaysia Today
About 4ha of the Penang South Island have been reclaimed so far, FMT has learnt. (Penang Infrastructure Corp pic)

The land is expected to be fully reclaimed by 2032, with chief minister Chow Kon Yeow saying it is projected to progress at 160ha a year. About 4ha have been reclaimed so far, FMT has learnt.

At a press conference today, SAM’s honorary secretary S Mageswari said the High Court here has granted them leave to proceed with their judicial review application.

“We are also seeking to stay the planning permission granted to PSI and all other processes and reclamation works, pending the final disposal of the judicial review application and costs.

“The project’s impact is already being seen and felt by the fishermen,” she said.

Zakaria said fishermen on the southern coast, the state’s primary prawn fishing area, have experienced a sharp decline in catch, with their prawn harvest dropping by 50%.

He said that in the final quarter of last year, the fishermen netted only 93kg of prawn, compared with an average of 186kg for the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2022.

“We have been suffering from reduced catch since this reclamation started,” he said.

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Meenakshi Raman.

Meenakshi Raman, SAM’s president and legal representative in the case, said the reduction of the project from three islands to one, as previously announced by the prime minister, was insufficient.

“This project has had a major environmental impact and comprises many legal issues that must be ventilated in court,” she said.

Khoo Salma Nasution of Jedi said the reclamation marginalised the B40 group and questioned whether Penang is “meant for everyone or just for corporations”.

The judicial review application challenges the planning permission granted for the PSI project on Aug 21, 2023. The parties want to invalidate the planning permission, overturn the decision, restore the affected area and seek compensation for lost income.

The grounds for the review include failure to comply with town planning laws, errors in project referrals, absence of environmental assessments, and neglect of adverse impacts on the environment and fishermen’s livelihoods.

It names the state town and country planning department director, Penang state planning committee (of which the chief minister is chair), the Penang government and the developer SRS Consortium Sdn Bhd as respondents.

Justice Quay Chew Soon will hear their stay application in the High Court in George Town on Monday.

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