'KL won't stop work on Bakun'

'KL won't stop work on Bakun'

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysia's Deputy Premier Anwar Ibrahim
said yesterday he would not halt work on the country's massive
Bakun dam project despite a court ruling against it.

He said the decision was made to save the government from
being "implicated" in possible compensation claims.

Anwar said the government should not be made to bear the
burden of compensation, adding to the legal complexities
triggered by last Wednesday's court ruling.

The court invalidated an environmental impact assessment (EIA)
on the massive 13.6-billion-ringgit (US$5.2 billion) Bakun
project. The court had ruled in favor of three tribesmen,
declaring that the EIA on the project in Malaysia's Sarawak state
had been improperly approved by the state authorities.