The Consumers' Association of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia call upon the director-general of biosafety to reject the application for the field release of genetically engineered mosquitoes and all related experiments. We in Malaysia are being subjected to an experiment which could bring adverse effects to public health and the environment.

A plan to release about 3,000 genetically modified Aedes mosquitoes into the environment may be just the weapon needed to curb the spread of the deadly dengue fever. The National Biosafety Board is studying the plan in view of the alarming number of lives lost in the country to the infectious disease. But the Third World Network, an independent non-profit international body involved in issues relating to development, has sounded a warning: don't jump the gun.

A rose may stop smelling like a rose. This is the concern of environmentalists as flowers are losing their scent due to climate change and air pollution. And their fragrance may be lost forever. Science and Technology Professor Emeritus at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Dr Abdul Latif Mohamad, said genetically modified flowers might be the way out.

Contrary to widespread belief, the United States, which is the world’s largest producer of GM crops, does not require any safety testing for GM foods. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) merely encourages the developers of GM foods to undergo a voluntary consultation process and to submit a summary of its assessment of the GM food. The FDA does not conduct a comprehensive review of data generated by the developer, despite the fact that it is highly unlikely that a GM food developer is going to highlight any adverse effects of its product.

NINE years after signing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the country is now about to adopt a regulation that will scrutinise modern biotechnology activities. The Biosafety Regulations (Approval and Notification) is likely to come into force early next year to facilitate the implementation of the Biosafety Act 2007 enacted by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry. Head of the Biosafety Core Team at the ministry, Letchumanan Ramatha, says the draft regulation is in its final consultation stage.

Technology is artifact. Artifacts have creators. Creators are people. And people have politics. Where will technological determinism as ideology be if we could name the shadows on the wall of the cave? Let us gather our own homegrown intellectuals together with the leaders of our grassroots movement and enlightened and rakyat-friendly NGOs to debate on this issue, so that the new discourse on development will not be dominated by the members of the International Advisory Panel.

THE best way to prevent dengue is to prevent mosquito bites. And that means keeping the Aedes mosquito at bay. [...] Under the biotechnology induced plan, transgenic male Aedes mosquitoes, which are sterile, will be released into the environment where they will mate. Eventually, the population of the Aedes mosquitoes in the area would drop, substantially enough that it will fall below the disease transmission threshold.

Genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes will not be released into the population until all necessary studies and research are completed. Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the study of GM mosquitoes was still under trial as there are several stages to be completed before the release. ”The completed lab test was successful but we will not release the mosquitoes as the findings are still at research level,” he said after opening a health awareness seminar by Malacca Wanita MCA.

Malaysia is looking to battle dengue fever by releasing mosquitoes that have been genetically engineered to be sterile. Although these efforts have stirred public concern, the country’s Academy of Sciences is likely to recommend the strategy to the government within a month. [...] The release of enough of the sterile males would theoretically swamp fertile wild-type competitors and crash the population.

”Any risks related to genetically modified organisms must be balanced against the potential benefits.”

The Health Ministry will not allow the release of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Pulau Ketam, Selangor in a bid to combat the dengue scourge. Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry would conduct another study to find other ways of carrying out the research, which is being conducted by the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) and a company partly owned by the University of Oxford. [...] Liow said the ministry would consider the views of residents near Pulau Ketam, an island 30 minutes by boat from Port Klang.