Friday, 8 May 2015
Thursday, 15 December 2011
4. 'Mini tsunami' forces Terengganu villagers to flee to safety
BESUT: A total of 196 victims were forced to evacuate in Kampung Pengkalan Atap here after it was hit with a mini “tsunami”. The waves caused the homes to be inundated by knee-deep waters as villagers ran for their lives.
More than 10 homes were badly damaged during the incident on Sunday night.
Bunga Mamat, 80, was watching TV with her grandchildren when she heard a loud banging sound against the side of her home at about 8pm.
“When I looked outside, I saw huge waves crashing into my home and other houses as well.
“I quickly alerted my family members to escape as I feared for our lives,” she said.
She added that it was the first time such an incident had occurred at the beachfront village.
Wan Asri Wan Shah, 43, said he was about to have dinner when the waves crashed against his home, breaking the windows.
“My house was filled with water within minutes. Fearing the situation would get worse, I grabbed important documents and fled with my wife and children,” said the father of three.
Housewife Noreha Gor Yaman, 43, said it was like a “dream” seeing the houses submerged in water.
“I only thought of saving my daughter and luckily all of us escaped,” she said.
Besut Fire and Rescue Department chief Hasmadi Jusoh said there were no casualties and all victims were safely evacuated.
“However, we have told them to return to the relief centre as bigger waves are expected to hit the village again,” he said.
He said Sunday's high tide destroyed the village's wave barrier.
Besut Public Order and Traffic chief Chief Insp Abdullah Che Soh said police would increase patrols at the village to prevent any looting.
8. Nigerian man 'drops in' on raiding officers
JOHOR BARU: A Nigerian man fell from a ceiling and broke his leg in an attempt to escape from Immigration officers who raided a house in Taman Johor Jaya here.
The man, together with three other Nigerians, were nabbed for not having passports to show they had entered the country legally.
An Immigration department spokesman said the officers seized more than 80 electronic products believed to be stolen items in the 6pm incident on Sunday.
The four suspects, aged 26 to 35, were hiding in the ceiling when 20 enforcement officers raided the house.
The spokesman said one suspect fell through the ceiling and broke his leg.
The injured suspect was later sent to the hospital.
11. Set standards for testing of cooking oil quality, govt urged
PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry must set standards for the testing of cooking oil sold in the market.
“At the moment, we do not have a standard testing method for total polar compounds (TPC),” said Malaysian Association of Standards Users CEO Ratna Devi Nadarajan.
She said it was important to include a requirement for TPC in the country's regulations as it was an important indicator of the oil quality.
She said there were not many countries around the world that had national regulations controlling the level of polar compounds in frying oils.
“Even if we do not buy the cheap oil, we still consume it when we eat out at restaurants and hotels,” she said.
Ratna Devi added that many Malaysians preferred to buy the packet oils because it was cheaper than the others sold in the market.
*Full story in The Star today
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10. Cityliner wants govt 'lifeline'
PETALING JAYA: Konsortium Transnasional Bhd (KTB), which will suspend its Cityliner bus services in Selangor effective today, will only resume its services if the state government offers it a “lifeline”.
KTB executive director Tengku Hasmadi Tengku Hashim said losses incurred by the consortium were too massive for it to continue.
“We are losing about RM8mil a year in Selangor. We appeal to the state government to take the necessary measures to help us,” he told The Star.
Up to 80,000 commuters in Selangor will be hit by Cityliner's suspension of services.
Tengku Hasmadi said KTB had tried to engage with the Selangor government from as early as last year but had received very slow response and feedback.
“Our first letter was sent to the Mentri Besar (Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim) in May 2010 but we received no response at all.
“Our last letter to the Selangor government was sent on Nov 1 and we had received no response until Dec 1,” he said, adding that letters were also sent to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
He said on Dec 1, KTB forwarded several proposals to Khalid and other officials in a meeting.
“They pledged to come back to us and we extended the bus service for 10 days (from Dec 1),” he added.
Tengku Hasmadi said the current model of stage bus operations, where a private or government-linked consortium wholly shouldered the responsibility of running the business, was not working out well.
“RapidKL is also facing losses but they have the benefit of using taxpayer's money to sustain their operations.
“This is not fair,” said Tengku Hasmadi, adding that such a practice smacked of double standards.
He said the Federal or state governments should subsidise the fixed low fares, which was one of the main reasons for the heavy losses. (The fares are fixed and controlled by the Government.)
“Bus fares have only gone up a mere 50 sen over the last 30 years but the price of diesel has gone up about 700%,” he pointed out.
Tengku Hasmadi said if the authorities felt that the stage bus service was essential but needed to be affordable, it has to be provided and funded by the Government.
Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) chief operating officer Azahar Ahmad said the commission was very concerned over the matter and would submit the necessary recommendations to the National Economic Council soon.
Selangor Investment, Trade and Industry Committee chairman Teresa Kok was not available for comment.
Meanwhile, Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (Prasarana) expects to complete negotiations with two private bus companies to share routes and infrastructure in the Klang Valley within three months.
Prasarana group managing director Datuk Shahril Mokhtar said the doors were not closed for negotiations on possible collaboration with other bus companies plying Klang Valley routes.
“The mechanism of the collaboration is being worked out now,” Shahril said after signing a collective agreement with the RapidKL workers union yesterday.
The two private bus companies currently in negotiations with Prasarana, which operates RapidKL, are Setara Jaya Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Len Seng Sdn Bhd.
Shahril said SPAD was also working hard to assist by coming up with a viable code-sharing mechanism.
“For example, RapidKL has 12 buses plying the KL and Bukit Belacan route while another operator has 10 buses.
“Both operators can agree to a common timetable and scheduling. This way, there will be healthy competition,” he explained.
18. CM sees lighter side of Malacca monorail controversy
MALACCA: Despite the endless glitches that has struck the Malacca Tourist Monorail, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said there is a bright side to the issue.
“I know many quarters have criticised the monorail service due to the glitches but we are optimistic it will gain popularity once the flaws have been rectified.
“It has gained fame thanks to the media reports about the earlier problems,” he said, when officiating at the ground-breaking of the second phase of the service at Jalan Tun Mutahir here yesterday.
Mohd Ali said the service had malfunctioned 27 times since its launch in October last year.
“We almost made it to the Guinness Book of World Records for encountering countless breakdowns,” he quipped.
“But on the bright side, a recent breakdown that caused two tourists to be trapped was flashed by the media globally.
“Now, tourists want to be ferried on our monorail, so that they could proudly say they had the opportunity to ride on the so-called troubled service,” Mohd Ali said.
He said the state government had recently commissioned two Chinese engineers from manufacturer Unis Technology Company Limited, to oversee and resolve problems plaguing the monorail operation.
Mohd Ali said the Chinese engineers discovered that the previous glitches were mainly caused by improper handling of the monorail system by local technicians.
“The engineers are now sharing their expertise on the appropriate way of operating the system so that it would not halt midway,” he said.
On the second phase, Mohd Ali said the 1.3km track will connect the Taman Rempah station to Jalan Tun Ali and Jalan Tun Rempah.
The RM21mil project is expected to be completed by February 2013.
Mohd Ali said the second phase would include traffic and signalling management systems to ensure passengers' safety.
A new coach, which can carry 24 passengers with improved safety features, will be used in the second phase.
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
14. National broadband penetration rate reaches 81%
KUALA LUMPUR: The national fixed line and wireless broadband penetration rate has reached 81% of populated areas, the Dewan Negara was told Monday.
Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum said up to the third quarter of this year, the total internet subscriptions numbered 5.59 million and the number of internet users was approximately 17.5 million.
"The internet service coverage has also been increased from time to time by the service providers and through the implementation of broadband initiatives by the Government.
"Among the initiatives are the construction of telecommunication tower, wireless village, community broadband centre and broadband services at rural libraries," he said in reply to Senator Chew Lee Giok during question time.
The deputy minister also said the broadband penetration rate in Malaysia should not be compared to Singapore and Hong Kong.
"This is because the population density in Malaysia differs from the two countries... so are the size and the geographical features of Malaysia," he said.
Nevertheless, he said the Government was concerned with the service performance and the quality of internet service in the country and had underlined the mandatory standards for broadband access service that should be adhered to by the service providers. - Bernama