The trial however prompted widespread concern among environmental groups, which asked the government to call off the tests, saying the GM mosquito could fail to prevent dengue and have unintended consequences. A senior official from the Biosafety Department told AFP that the trial, which was to be carried out in two Malaysian states, has been postponed pending further discussion with residents in the trial areas. ”There are a lot of protests. We are now aiming to carry out the trial in the first half of 2011,” said Mohamed Mohamad Salleh, the department’s director of research and evaluation.