MIRI: Miri Mayor Lawrence Lai yesterday slammed members of the public who continue to carry out open burning despite constant warnings from the authorities.

He stressed the authorities were done educating the public and would take stern action against those found conducting open burning.

“Enough is enough! We should not show our soft side to the culprits any more because they are polluting the air we breathe and making people sick, just because they want to plant some corn or vegetables.

“We spent the whole of last year educating the people and warning them not to carry out open burning during the dry spell. So this year, we should start taking action,” Lai stated.

He said if enforcement teams from the Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) cannot catch the culprits on the spot, they should clear anything planted on the site after it was burnt.

"If they cannot catch the culprit red-handed, then they should clear anything that is grown on the burnt site.

"Most of the time, corn is being grown on the land after it was burnt, so obviously these people who planted the corn are the ones who did the open burning," he said.

He added that harsh action, including clearing the land of the crops, was necessary to show the culprits that the authorities are serious about the matter.

Lai said many people have gotten sick due to the haze, which is caused by open burning and the public needs to understand the negative impact this has on them.

"What is some corn compared to the health of those who were affected by the open burning?     

"The government spends millions of ringgit to put out all these fires. Is it worth taxpayers money just for some corn?

The people need to realise this and the authorities should not be soft on them any more," he stressed.

(News from the Borneo Post dated on 25 February, 2010)