PRIME Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be flying in to Johor this evening to monitor the current situation at Pasir Gudang following a massive toxic pollution in Sg Kim Kim. 

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that an event which was supposed to be held at 5pm this evening, in which the premier was supposed to hand over Bersatu memberships to former Sabah Umno members, has been rescheduled to tomorrow.

Both of them are expected to arrive at the Senai Airport at 5pm.

They will be visiting the victims who have been taken ill from inhaling toxic fumes, at the hospitals.

They are also expected to visit the Pasir Gudang operations centre. 

About 937 people have fallen ill between March 7 and as at 8pm last night.

Based on the latest statistics from the Health Ministry, 12 patients have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. However, none of them are children.

Of the 162 patients treated yesterday, 108 were admitted while the remaining were treated as outpatients.

All 111 schools in the district have been closed until further notice. 

The Dewan Rakyat is expected to debate the motion on declaring a state of emergency in Pasir Gudang at 4.30pm this evening.

The motion was tabled by Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim under Standing Order 18 and was accepted by Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.

Last night, Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian said in a press conference that the situation is under control and there was no need to call for a state of emergency. 

Earlier today, Dr Wan Azizah said the government does not wish to cause panic by declaring a state of emergency in Pasir Gudang.

She said the government will make a decision after holding a meeting on whether to declare an emergency in the area due to toxic waste dumping. – March 14, 2019.