'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.