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Malaysia minister: God made animals for testing
By JULIA ZAPPEI
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A Malaysian minister defended an Indian
company's plans to build an animal testing medicine lab in his state, saying
Monday that God created monkeys and rats for experiments to benefit humans.
The plans by India's Vivo BioTech Ltd. to set up a biotechnology center in
southern Malacca state has come under fire by activists because it will
conduct tests on dogs and primates to make medicines. The activists say
Malaysia has no regulations on animal research, which could lead to test
subjects being abused.
But Malacca Chief Minister Mohamad Ali Rustam
said the lab had received state approval, and animal testing was necessary
to make drugs. The project is still in the planning phase.
created animals for the benefits of human beings. That's why he created rats
and monkeys ... We cannot test on human beings," he told The Associated
Press. "This is the way it has to be. God created monkeys, and some have to
He said Malaysian agencies, such as the wildlife
department, could monitor that the animals were not abused and proper
procedures followed. He said eating animals could also be seen as cruel, and
yet it was widely accepted.
Vivo inked a 450 million ringgit ($141
million) joint-venture deal in January to build the biotechnology center,
including laboratories where trial medicines will be tested on animals. Its
partners are state government-owned Melaka Biotech Holdings and local firm
Vanguard Creative Technologies.
In a joint statement last month,
Malaysia's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the British
Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and the European Coalition to End
Animal Experiments decried the project because Malaysia has no laws
protecting the welfare of animals used in experiments.
opposed the proposed facility for "both ethical reasons and the lack of
scientific validity of using animals in testing."
The groups has
submitted a protest letter to the government, urging it to halt the project.
"Malaysia should not open the economy to businesses like this as it
promotes cruelty," SPCA official Jacinta Johnson said.
companies are increasingly outsourcing animal testing to Asia, where
regulations are more lax and costs are lower than in the West.
said previously it may import beagles from Holland and try to obtain
domestic primates for testing.
Last year, a French pharmaceutical
research company proposed building an animal testing laboratory in southern
Johor state using imported macaques, but the project was suspended amid an
outcry from environmental groups.