ASEAN 'must be built on green principles'

ASEAN 'must be built on green principles'

SINGAPORE (AFP): Industrial and economic development in Southeast Asia should not be carried out at the expense of the environment, Singapore's Speaker of Parliament Tan Soo Khoon said Thursday.

He told a parliamentary forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that development must be implemented hand- in-hand with environmental protection.

"The economic and industrial developments must not be carried out at the expense of the environment," said Tan, who is also the president of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization which opened a two-day meeting here.

"Effective environmental pollution control and management programs must be implemented in tandem with economic and industrial growth to ensure that the health of the 500 million people in ASEAN region is safeguarded and the environment protected," he said.

ASEAN delegates from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are expected to compare notes on legislative policies regarding hazardous waste control during the conference.

Myanmar, ASEAN's 10th member, did not send any delegates. Tan urged the delegates to focus on legislation that will encourage recycling and reusing waste materials as well as import controls to prevent illegal dumping.

The delegates are also due to discuss measures to ensure proper storage, transport, treatment and disposal of waste as well as training for personnel handling toxic materials.

At least 135 people were killed when a monstrous garbage dump outside the Philippine capital, Manila, collapsed onto a shanty town during heavy rains earlier this week, highlighting the need for effective waste disposal.

Last year, Manila protested against Japan for exporting toxic waste to the Philippines.