MORE PICS & Video – 50,000 Pigs Saved from the Pit; Deal hammered out - between MCA leaders, Police & farmers; Farms Relocate to Selangor and Johore.

ABOVE & BELOW: The Chinese village where the confrontation took place


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ABOVE: Ready for action and BELOW: DAP Secretary General Lim Guan Eng was there to "make some hay while the sun shine"
= == == == = == = == = = == = = == = BELOW: Finally it was Dr Fong Chan On, MCA vice President with his "hotline" connection at 4pm, he negotiated a deal to resolve the standoff
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ABOVE: Malaysiakini late UPDATE on the Swine Issue at Melaka, details H E R E by subscription.

BELOW: Malaysiakini early report of the Stand-off (details H E RE) was expected as the issue have been simmering for quite sometime where the state Government insisted that the population of the pigs be maintained at about 4800 compared to the almost 160,000 now being reared which is giving rise to severe pollution on the environment.

ABOVE: One of the illegal & smaller one at Masjid Tanah was demolished
= == = == == = = == = UPDATE from Reuters
Malaysia culls smelly pigs after complaints

Tue, Sep 04, 2007 Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Malaysia began culling about 50,000 pigs in southern Malacca state on Tuesday following complaints about the stench and pollution the animals had caused, officials said, but denied there had been a disease outbreak.

Ethnic Chinese in multiracial Malaysia relish pork, but the country's majority Muslim population frowns on consumption of the meat. "The operation has started and within 12 hours they have to slaughter close to 50,000 pigs," said a veterinary department official in the administrative capital of Putrajaya.

"I think many farms were operating without proper licences and local people were complaining about the smell and water pollution." Malacca does not want to emerge as Malaysia's biggest pig producer, with a swine population estimated at 160,000, state chief minister Mohamad Ali Rustam said last month, according to media reports. Farmers said the pigs were perfectly healthy and did not cause any pollution. "We don't know if they are going to shoot the pigs or just bury them alive," said an official of the Federation of Livestock Farmers' Associations of Malaysia.

"It is not fair, these pigs are healthy and they are not really a source of pollution because many farms do practice good waste disposal habits," said the official, who declined to be named. In China, poor returns on pig raising and an unusually virulent outbreak of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), also known as blue ear disease, have reduced the nation's pig population and pushed up the cost of meat.

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ABOVE: One of the legal farms but many illegal have mushroomed and the State Govt has imposed a Ceiling of 48,000 for Malacca BELOW: one of "oink' saved & destiny on the table not the Pit to be buried
= == = == = == = == =BELOW: Police Trucks were blocked by the barricade
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The tense standoff over demolition of Pig farms was averted at about 4 pm following talks between MCA leaders, Police and the farmers. It is learned that the farmers have agreed to relocate some of the farms to Selangor and Johore. Some 1,100 personnel were involved in the operation which started in the early hours of the morning.
To add salt to the wounds, the issues have become sensitive as the rearers are non-Malays and the protesters are the Malays who do not consume pork. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid had rightly said that efforts to safeguard the environment should not be turned into a racial issue. But at least have a heart. Each pig can roughly fetch RM800. To reduce the number from 160,00 to 48,00 would cause the farmers about RM90 million.
There must be a way found to overcome this problem. What about the Universities doing some research to overcome the 50 years stench problem and recycle the waste properly?. Is it because it is "haram" to do such dirty research?. If there is a will, there MUST be a way.

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ABOVE: Department of Environment, Veterinary Department officers getting ready for the Culling Operation

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ABOVE & BELOW: The Barricade using cars and lorries to prevent the excavators & police vans coming in

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ABOVE: Man whose livelihood and fortune are severely affected has to pick up anything to make a defense and challenge (BELOW)

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ABOVE & BELOW: The scuffle & confrontation between people and machines

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ABOVE: The pushing eventually was controlled by the Riot Police (BELOW)

= == == = == = == = == = == BELOW: Department of Environment, Veterinary Department officers retreated and very disappointed.

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ABOVE: The anger can be seen on their faces when their "rice bowl" is affected and BELOW: the man of the hour - Minister Fong Chan Onn was at hand to defer the culling of the swines

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2007/09/04; NST Via BERNAMA (The NST reported (BELOW) as if the "Operation went on smoothly" BEFORE it happened )

Culling of pigs going smoothly despite protests
ALOR GAJAH, Tues:

The culling operation to reduce the pig population to 48,000 in Bukit Beruang, Paya Mengkuang and Man Lok near here today went on as planned. Malacca police chief SAC 1 Datuk Mortadza Nazarene said the operation by the Department of Environment, Veterinary Department and police which began at 2am went on smoothly despite protests from some pig rearers who blocked roads leading to the farms.

He said during the operation to address environmental problem including the stench, the authorities also allowed the pig rearers to move their animals out of the operation area. “We had asked the pig rearers to cooperate in addressing environmental pollution including the stench which has been around for more than 50 years. “The government did not want a confrontation and had asked the pig rearers to cooperate in reducing the pig population,” he said at Kuala Sungai Baru here. Mortadza said the pigs were shot and later disposed of in large holes, each large enough to bury some 7,000 carcasses.

“Before the holes were covered up, some chemicals were added to prevent stench and diseases,” he added. He was confident the operation could be wrapped up in one day with the cooperation of the pig rearers who had avoided the area. A Bernama survey found that police were manning roads leading to the pig farms and that the operation did not disrupt the daily of lives of the villagers. Pig rearing had become a big issue in the state government as the large population led to environmental problems. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam had given the rearers an ultimatum to voluntarily reduce the pig population to 48,000 failing which culling would be done.

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August 23, 2007 19:28 PM

Pig Farmers Told To Reduce Number Of Animals To 48,000

MELAKA, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- The Melaka state government has urged pig farmers in Alor Gajah to adhere to a ruling which limits the number of pigs that can be reared to 48,000. A total of 160,000 pigs are currently being raised in the district.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam (ABOVE) said the owners should sell off the extra animals before the authorities moved to confiscate them. "The state government will mount an operation before the end of the month to ensure that the ruling is respected," he told reporters after the opening of the annual conference of Drainage and Irrigation

Department's senior staff here today. Mohd Ali said that over the years, several pig farms, including those in Paya Mengkuang and Bukit Beruang, had polluted water resources with people living nearby had to endure an unbearable stench. He said that being a small state, Melaka should not be rearing 160,000 pigs and it did not want to emerge as Malaysia's or Asia's biggest pig producer. He thanked pig farm owners who had closed down operations in Jasin, which is a water catchment area, last year. The conference, which is being attended by 350 participants from throughout the country, was opened by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid. The minister told reporters that efforts to safeguard the environment should not be turned into a racial issue.

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How Could Pig Farms Be Simply Closed Down As They Said So?

By Tan Poh Kheng/ Sin Chew Daily; Updated:2007-08-29 14:08:51 MYT
Everyone is busy preparing for the celebration of the Malaysia 50^th Independent Day. Fireworks, fun and joy is all around the country. Behind all these joy, some are weeping and lamenting. They are the 20 pig farmers at Melaka Jaya. The state government had ordered the 20 pig farms to be closed down by end of this month. The pig farmers suddenly lost their income, how can they not pull a long face?

After Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam Ali made this shocking announcement, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Dato' Seri Azmi Khalid also warned politicians from not to put this issue in racial term. It seems that Dato' Seri Azmi is more sensitive towards the issue of politics and racial than Melaka Chief Minister. He used "not to put this issue in racial term" to stop the quarrels between the politicians. For many politicians, pig farming is a sensitive issue. Due to race and religion taboo, they will not settle the issue unless they are force to. The only solution is to close them down.

Today's pig farmers face many problems. This clearly shows that this industry has long been ignored under such mentality of the officials. We have achieved independence for 50 years and the problems pig farmers face remains the same throughout the 50 years. Pig farms are closed down with the reason of environmental pollution, but the officials have never considered of the efforts pig farmers done to improve the pollution. They have also never considered the effects pig farmers, feed suppliers, veterinary, pork

traders and other related sectors will face. What is the government's policy for pig farming sector? Always changing or to act according to their will regardless of other's opinions? After Nipah Virus incident, government ordered for a "centralised pig farming" without any further instruction on its settings, management, funding and so on.

Most of the pig farmers run small-scale pig farming. It is a burden if they were to buy land to develop their business. Currently, not many of them can make it. Why? This is because some pig farmers had just spent a large sum of money to upgrade sewage systems. Less a year later, they were forbidden from pig farming. In a short time, how can they do with the pigs? How can they avoid from big losses? How can they settle their future living?

Shouldn't the government has constructive solutions or pig farming plans which beyond racial barriers? Even though pig farming is only for Chinese, the government should also treat it equally as other industry and seek for long-term development plans and strategies, such as help the pig farmers to overcome the problem of pollution. If the government officials, including Melaka Chief Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, only worried that the opposition would stir the closing down of pig farms as racial issue, it is further shows that the unconcern of the government towards this issue. If the industry have been well-protected by the policies, will the opposition have the opportunity to make a big fuss?

If the government is gracious to their people, they would first think of the solutions to help the pig farmers to settle the pollution problem. For example, introduction of advanced technology, teach the pig farmers to change feeding methods or pig manure and sewage treatment and other issues. How could pig farms be simply closed down as they said so?

= == = == = == Watch the Video Clip (1.43 min)- the Unsuccessful Culling of the pigs at Melaka

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MORE PICS – Final Piggy Order; 91,000 Transfer Out - Sept 21 07 Deadline; Maximum Allowed – 48,000 – Appeals for 60,000 refused; No More Extension of Time
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MORE PICS – Malacca Pigs Relocation Snags; Not welcome N Sembilan; 5 trailer loads seized; MB Ali Rustum: Culling Off after Najib’s Appeal (by MCA Ong)

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