Sultan of Johor pledges RM1m, Lotte aiding clean-up
KUALA LUMPUR: South Korean chemical company Lotte Chemical Titan Holding Bhd is providing its assistance and expertise to help clean the chemical pollution in Pasir Gudang.
Its president, Lee Dong-woo, said about 20 of its employees had been deployed to provide help.
“We are very sad over the chemical dumping incident in Johor. We have mobilised assistance to schools and homes in the affected area,” he said on the sidelines of the Malaysia-Korea Business Forum here.
He said as Lotte Chemical Titan had vast experience in chemical incidents, it was willing to help in the clean-up once the type of chemical that caused the pollution was identified.
“Right now, we have helped to clean up schools that have been affected by the chemical pollution. We have also deployed our ambulance and equipment to the affected area.”
Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar pledged RM1 million to help the authorities address the chemical pollution crisis in Pasir Gudang.
Permaisuri of Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah said the contribution from Sultan Ibrahim would enable rescue agencies and the authorities arm their teams with the necessary equipment.
“Tuanku Sultan was discussing this with me as royal adviser to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society and he was deeply moved when he heard an audio recording of a crying man pleading for help for his child.
“With his personal contribution, Tuanku Sultan thinks it will help the authorities and rescue agencies, such as the Fire and Rescue Department and the Royal Malaysia Police, to equip their teams to help the people,” she said in a statement issued by the Royal Press Office and uploaded to the ruler’s official Facebook account yesterday.
In his previous statement, Sultan Ibrahim expressed his unhappiness at irresponsible parties who dumped the chemical waste into Sungai Kim Kim that adversely affected students and members of the public.
He wanted the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and take firm action against those involved.