[ad_1]
Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian today explained his trip to Batam, Indonesia, on the grounds that he should have remained in that state during a toxic crisis affecting at least 3,555 people, 22 of whom needed hospital treatment.
"For information, the working trip of the Johor delegation had been planned in advance and was part of efforts to improve collaboration between tourism stakeholders and Johor investors in Johor and Indonesia, in particular on the island of Batam.
"The trip was originally scheduled for three days, but was reduced to less than a day due to the urgent need to maintain the cleaning operation at Pasir Gudang," he said in a statement. communicated.
On March 6, an illegal factory reportedly dumped between 20 and 40 tons of toxic waste into Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang.
This led to the release of toxic fumes, which initially hit schools in the area, causing students to falter.
Osman said that he had canceled several meetings during the visit, but that some important appointments could not be postponed.
"It was an important preparation for the Visit Johor 2020 year, "he said.
Osman thanked Batam's administrator, Muhammad Rudi, for his understanding of the cancellations of the meetings, and the Indonesians offered their condolences.
"Throughout the 24 hours of my stay in Batam, the Disaster Management Committee was in contact with me every two hours to ensure that operations proceed smoothly and smoothly," he said. declared.
"I hope that this explanation will help dispel the misunderstanding and confusion among the people," he said.
He also thanked all the organizations and staff who worked tirelessly to contain the crisis.
Osman had been criticized during the trip, including by former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who said the Johor menteri besar should have stayed in the state to oversee the clean-up operation.
RELATED REPORTS
Cleaning the 1.5 km section of Sg Kim Kim
Sungai Kim Kim Chemical Waste Affects Fishermen's Livelihoods
Show the evidence, Johor's leader tells those who link him to chemical dumping
Cops have "many leads" in hunt for suspects behind a chemical dump
[ad_2]
Source link
