Decomposed body of man found
LAHAD DATU:
The decomposed body of a man with his legs tied with a rope was found in a bush at the road junction to Kampung Tawayari in Ulu Segama.
District police chief Superintendent Kamis Darning said a villager who stumbled upon the body about 2.30pm on Wednesday last week, informed the police station about the grisly discovery.
He said a police team who went to the place found the body of a man lying on the ground with his face down.
"No injuries were found on the semi-decomposed body except that the man's legs were tied with a nylon rope," said Kamis, adding the identity of the man had yet to be identified as no document was found on the body.
He said police were still investigating the case under Section 302 of the Penal Code and were not ruling out the victim who could be in his 30s, was murdered. Police are appealing to the public whose family member is reported missing to come and identify the body at the mortuary of the district hospital."Those who may have any information of the case are advised to contact the district police station to assist in the police investigations," he
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008-INTELLIGENCE CENTRE ENHANCES OPERATIONS AGAINST SMUGGLING
Intelligence centre enhances operations against smuggling
SANDAKAN: The Customs Intelligence Centre (CIC) which will begin operations sometime this year is expected to enhance the agency's effectiveness in weeding out smuggling activities, said its deputy director-general Datuk Mardina Alwi.
Based at the Customs headquarters at Putrajaya, she said it would be equipped with a command centre and intelligence application system.
"All state customs are required to relay information on company, syndicate and individual profiles as well as other intelligence gathered to CIC for intelligence purposes and enforcement," she said when opening the Salasa Customs meeting yesterday.
The meeting which involved Customs departments from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan Federal Territory maps out the agency's strategies and cooperation in combating smuggling activities.
Mardina said the setting up of the CIC was in line with the focus on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in empowering job functions and integrity.
In another development, she ordered joint operations to be carried out to curtail widespread smuggling of liquor and cigarettes to Sabah and Sarawak from the duty-free Labuan.
"The joint operations can send the right signal to the irresponsible people who were involved in irregularities and smuggling from Labuan that Customs can come down hard on them through concerted efforts," she said. - Bernama
SANDAKAN: The Customs Intelligence Centre (CIC) which will begin operations sometime this year is expected to enhance the agency's effectiveness in weeding out smuggling activities, said its deputy director-general Datuk Mardina Alwi.
Based at the Customs headquarters at Putrajaya, she said it would be equipped with a command centre and intelligence application system.
"All state customs are required to relay information on company, syndicate and individual profiles as well as other intelligence gathered to CIC for intelligence purposes and enforcement," she said when opening the Salasa Customs meeting yesterday.
The meeting which involved Customs departments from Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan Federal Territory maps out the agency's strategies and cooperation in combating smuggling activities.
Mardina said the setting up of the CIC was in line with the focus on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in empowering job functions and integrity.
In another development, she ordered joint operations to be carried out to curtail widespread smuggling of liquor and cigarettes to Sabah and Sarawak from the duty-free Labuan.
"The joint operations can send the right signal to the irresponsible people who were involved in irregularities and smuggling from Labuan that Customs can come down hard on them through concerted efforts," she said. - Bernama
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008-PROBE FOR ALL CRIMES
Probe for all crimes
Inclusion of most minor cases contributes to increase in Sabah’s crime rate
KOTA KINABALU:
Even the most minor crimes were investigated and this had contributed to the 10 per cent increase in the crime rate here in 2007 compared to the previous year. This, according to State Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim reflects the actual crime rate in Sabah. “This is our new approach. We want to investigate every case, no matter how small it is, and hope that it would be a guideline for planning in the following year. Based on the real picture (of the crime situation in Sabah), we will be able to plan better,” he said before chairing the Police Monthly Gathering at the Kepayan Police Headquarters here, yesterday. Throughout last year, the police recorded 7,869 cases, which is an increase by 921 cases compared to 6,948 cases in 2006. Of the figure, violent crime cases accounted for 61.69 per cent last year, a drop compared to 79.96 per cent in 2006, while property crime cases also saw a decrease from 47.41 per cent in 2006 to only 29.07 per cent last year. The solving rate dropped from 55.38 per cent in 2006 to only 37.02 per cent last year. Noor Rashid said theft, shoplifting and car break-in cases dominated the crime rate last year, which accounted for about 47 per cent, while other cases such as house break-ins also saw an increase. Starting mid 2006, police had included four new categories of crime in the crime index, namely outraging of modesty, rioting, criminal intimidation and extortion, he said, adding that this also contributed to the increased crime rate. “This year, we plan to improve our solving rate, it will be a top priority,” he said. “We will also concentrate on gathering information and has directed our detectives to do so besides visiting all the sectors set by each district police station,” he said. Among the approaches to gather information is to talk to the people, identify the crime activities in the respective area and together help find ways to overcome the problems. All crime activities will be handled through proactive action, therefore Noor Rashid called on the public to notify the police of any incidents happening in their respective areas. He said one of the most disturbing criminal activities is cable and scrap metal theft. “It is a public nuisance. We have also discussed with Telekom and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd to offer consolation prizes to the public with information on cable and scrap iron theft which lead to the suspects’ arrest,” he said. He described the crime as not serious but brings great impact on the people. Noor Rashid said that recently, instead of stealing cables and scrap metals, the thieves shifted to stealing batteries at SESB sub-stations. “We will not hesitate to take action against those who are caught in such crimes,” he said.
Inclusion of most minor cases contributes to increase in Sabah’s crime rate
KOTA KINABALU:
Even the most minor crimes were investigated and this had contributed to the 10 per cent increase in the crime rate here in 2007 compared to the previous year. This, according to State Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim reflects the actual crime rate in Sabah. “This is our new approach. We want to investigate every case, no matter how small it is, and hope that it would be a guideline for planning in the following year. Based on the real picture (of the crime situation in Sabah), we will be able to plan better,” he said before chairing the Police Monthly Gathering at the Kepayan Police Headquarters here, yesterday. Throughout last year, the police recorded 7,869 cases, which is an increase by 921 cases compared to 6,948 cases in 2006. Of the figure, violent crime cases accounted for 61.69 per cent last year, a drop compared to 79.96 per cent in 2006, while property crime cases also saw a decrease from 47.41 per cent in 2006 to only 29.07 per cent last year. The solving rate dropped from 55.38 per cent in 2006 to only 37.02 per cent last year. Noor Rashid said theft, shoplifting and car break-in cases dominated the crime rate last year, which accounted for about 47 per cent, while other cases such as house break-ins also saw an increase. Starting mid 2006, police had included four new categories of crime in the crime index, namely outraging of modesty, rioting, criminal intimidation and extortion, he said, adding that this also contributed to the increased crime rate. “This year, we plan to improve our solving rate, it will be a top priority,” he said. “We will also concentrate on gathering information and has directed our detectives to do so besides visiting all the sectors set by each district police station,” he said. Among the approaches to gather information is to talk to the people, identify the crime activities in the respective area and together help find ways to overcome the problems. All crime activities will be handled through proactive action, therefore Noor Rashid called on the public to notify the police of any incidents happening in their respective areas. He said one of the most disturbing criminal activities is cable and scrap metal theft. “It is a public nuisance. We have also discussed with Telekom and Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd to offer consolation prizes to the public with information on cable and scrap iron theft which lead to the suspects’ arrest,” he said. He described the crime as not serious but brings great impact on the people. Noor Rashid said that recently, instead of stealing cables and scrap metals, the thieves shifted to stealing batteries at SESB sub-stations. “We will not hesitate to take action against those who are caught in such crimes,” he said.
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008-CUT IN PARKING COMPOUNDS
Cut in parking compounds
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Kuala Terengganu City Council (MBKT) has given a 50 per cent discount on parking compounds and a 20 per cent reduction in rentals of business premises, including arrears, for people living in the city.
"All arrears on the parking compounds and rentals of business premises must be paid on or before Feb 29," said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh after a briefing by Datuk Bandar Datuk Mad Razali Kassim, on Sunday.
KUALA TERENGGANU: The Kuala Terengganu City Council (MBKT) has given a 50 per cent discount on parking compounds and a 20 per cent reduction in rentals of business premises, including arrears, for people living in the city.
"All arrears on the parking compounds and rentals of business premises must be paid on or before Feb 29," said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh after a briefing by Datuk Bandar Datuk Mad Razali Kassim, on Sunday.
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008- CONDITION OF EXTREME SPORTS FACILITIES SHOCKING
Condition of extreme sports facilities shocking
A father of three sons has called Public Hotline to draw attention to the poor condition of the extreme sports facilities at Tanjung Lipat in Sulaman-UMS road, which he described as shocking.
Jusli said he brought his sons to the site to play with their friends recently, but after seeing the sorry state of the facilities, he decided not to let them play there.
"The last time I brought my sons to the place was a year ago, and when I visited the place recently I was shocked to see the poor condition of the facilities," he said.
"What saddened me is there are still many youngsters using the facilities. Their keen interest in extreme sports makes them disregard the risk in using the facilities.
"What I am concerned about here is someday someone may get seriously injured when using the damaged facilities unless the authority concerned takes action soon to maintain the facilities," he added.
According to Jusli, his sons were disappointed when he refused to let them use the facilities.
"As a parent, I felt it was best not to let them use the facilities, which are not safe for use," he said.
He hoped the authority concerned will repair the facilities as soon as possible.
Kota Kinabalu City Hall Public Complaints Unit officer Laudin Zaman, when asked to comment on the matter, said: "We will look into it as soon as possible. We will check and see what has to be done."
I
A father of three sons has called Public Hotline to draw attention to the poor condition of the extreme sports facilities at Tanjung Lipat in Sulaman-UMS road, which he described as shocking.
Jusli said he brought his sons to the site to play with their friends recently, but after seeing the sorry state of the facilities, he decided not to let them play there.
"The last time I brought my sons to the place was a year ago, and when I visited the place recently I was shocked to see the poor condition of the facilities," he said.
"What saddened me is there are still many youngsters using the facilities. Their keen interest in extreme sports makes them disregard the risk in using the facilities.
"What I am concerned about here is someday someone may get seriously injured when using the damaged facilities unless the authority concerned takes action soon to maintain the facilities," he added.
According to Jusli, his sons were disappointed when he refused to let them use the facilities.
"As a parent, I felt it was best not to let them use the facilities, which are not safe for use," he said.
He hoped the authority concerned will repair the facilities as soon as possible.
Kota Kinabalu City Hall Public Complaints Unit officer Laudin Zaman, when asked to comment on the matter, said: "We will look into it as soon as possible. We will check and see what has to be done."
I
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008-21 MADE HOMELESS
21 made homeless in Lahad Datu fires
LAHAD DATU:
Twenty-one people were made homeless when fires destroyed two houses here.
In the first fire at Kampung Lubang, a family of 12 lost everything after their wooden house was burnt to the ground on Sunday afternoon.
The fire was believed to have started at 6pm.
Fire and Rescue Services Department head Wash Massi said a fire engine with 10 firemen was dispatched to the scene after receiving a call at 6.16pm.
The fire was burning fiercely when the firemen arrived at the scene at 6.20pm.
They took about 20 minutes to control the fire and doused it at 8.07pm.
There was no report of death or injury, said Wasli, adding the cause of fire was still under investigation.
In the second blaze at Kampung Bikang, nine persons were made homeless after their house was destroyed in a fire which broke out around l am yesterday.
Meanwhile, another family lost all their personal documents and belongings in a fire which destroyed their house in Kampung Liau Laut Apin-Apin, Keningau last week.
However, no one was injured in the 10am incident as everyone was either at work or in school.
Firemen who rushed to the scene, managed to put out the fire one hour after it was reported.
According to the houseowner's wife, Alimah Biong, the estimated losses incurred in the incident was about RM60,000.
"All our personal documents including that of my husband, Terrence Underwood. were destroyed in the fire," she said.The family's burden were eased with the assistance provided by the Rural Development Ministry's Political Secretary, Daniel Kinsik.
Daniel handed over some food items and cooking utensils to Alimah when he visited the family recently.
He also warned house owners to always ensure that electrical appliances and the gas stove are turned off before they leave their houses.
LAHAD DATU:
Twenty-one people were made homeless when fires destroyed two houses here.
In the first fire at Kampung Lubang, a family of 12 lost everything after their wooden house was burnt to the ground on Sunday afternoon.
The fire was believed to have started at 6pm.
Fire and Rescue Services Department head Wash Massi said a fire engine with 10 firemen was dispatched to the scene after receiving a call at 6.16pm.
The fire was burning fiercely when the firemen arrived at the scene at 6.20pm.
They took about 20 minutes to control the fire and doused it at 8.07pm.
There was no report of death or injury, said Wasli, adding the cause of fire was still under investigation.
In the second blaze at Kampung Bikang, nine persons were made homeless after their house was destroyed in a fire which broke out around l am yesterday.
Meanwhile, another family lost all their personal documents and belongings in a fire which destroyed their house in Kampung Liau Laut Apin-Apin, Keningau last week.
However, no one was injured in the 10am incident as everyone was either at work or in school.
Firemen who rushed to the scene, managed to put out the fire one hour after it was reported.
According to the houseowner's wife, Alimah Biong, the estimated losses incurred in the incident was about RM60,000.
"All our personal documents including that of my husband, Terrence Underwood. were destroyed in the fire," she said.The family's burden were eased with the assistance provided by the Rural Development Ministry's Political Secretary, Daniel Kinsik.
Daniel handed over some food items and cooking utensils to Alimah when he visited the family recently.
He also warned house owners to always ensure that electrical appliances and the gas stove are turned off before they leave their houses.
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008-RANAU HOSPITAL BEST IN COUNTRY
Ranau hospital best in country
RANAU:
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that the general hospital here is the best hospital in the whole of the country.
He also said that Ranau is an example of a true multi-racial area and everyone is helpful towards one another.
Masidi, who is one of the assemblymen here, said this at the launch of a newly built jogging track at district hospital here over the weekend.
Hospital director Dr Mohan Gopal Naido concurred with Masidi, saying that the district hospital itself consists of multi-racial staff.
This symbolizes the integration of different races in the State, he added.
After the jogging track launching, Masidi attended the hospital's Christmas party.
The minister and other community leaders were entertained by the hospital's thalassaemia patients who are mostly children who performed entertaining modern dance with a lot of energy and spirit.
RANAU:
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that the general hospital here is the best hospital in the whole of the country.
He also said that Ranau is an example of a true multi-racial area and everyone is helpful towards one another.
Masidi, who is one of the assemblymen here, said this at the launch of a newly built jogging track at district hospital here over the weekend.
Hospital director Dr Mohan Gopal Naido concurred with Masidi, saying that the district hospital itself consists of multi-racial staff.
This symbolizes the integration of different races in the State, he added.
After the jogging track launching, Masidi attended the hospital's Christmas party.
The minister and other community leaders were entertained by the hospital's thalassaemia patients who are mostly children who performed entertaining modern dance with a lot of energy and spirit.
TUESDAY-15TH JANUARY 2008-ARE WE TOO DEPENDENT ON COOKING WITH OIL?
Are we too dependent on cooking with oil?
KUALA LUMPUR:
The recent scarcity of palm-based cooking oil in supermarkets had driven Malaysians into a frenzy of panic-buying and hoarding.
Although panic-buying and hoarding may be one of the typical unpleasant characteristic of Malaysians — as was displayed during previous shortages of items like sugar, one can also come to this conclusion: Have Malaysians become so reliant on cooking oil that we cannot imagine being able to prepare our meals without it?
Or perhaps traditional Malaysian meals are prepared in such a way that oil is almost a vital ingredient for every dish?
Dr Tilakavati Karupaiah, a dietitian and senior lecturer at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, agreed with the second contention.
"Malaysians, be they Malay, Chinese or Indian as a rule cook according to cultural traditions.
"We start cooking with oil as a base to steep our spices as the heating process releases fat-soluble alkaloids which are aromatic compounds," she explained in an e-mail interview to Bernama.
However, she said, the quantity of oil used varied from minimal amount for stir-frying or more for sauteeing masala or "sambal" pastes.
This can be considered unhealthy compared to the western style of cooking which tended to lean more towards broiling, boiling or grilling.
But Dr Karupaiah said the assumption that Western cooking was healthier was not entirely true, since fat does get through in western cooking through the finishing process such as through its accompaniments of cream-based sauces, cheese, salad dressings and even through bakery products.
"In fact, Western diets are arguably higher in fat content as they supply more than 35 per cent of energy than the average Malaysian diet, which supplied about 30 per cent of energy or less," she said.
When asked if there was an increase in diseases related to overconsumption of cooking oil in recent years, Dr Karupaiah said there was currently no data to support the idea as it would be difficult to extrapolate data from a few studies to homes to indicate which household consumed more than the national average of cooking oil.
Advising Malaysians to opt for broiling or grilling versus frying would also not be an easy task, she said.
"How many cooks are prepared or have the skill and equipment to do this? We are talking about mobilising on a public scale."
However, she said, food processing technology and fast foods had impacted both Eastern and Western cultures.
In Malaysia, this also includes all-time favourites such as banana fritters and `roti canai'.
"These are foods available outside the home and asking Malaysians to cut back on these items does not address cutting back on domestic cooking oil use," she said. - Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR:
The recent scarcity of palm-based cooking oil in supermarkets had driven Malaysians into a frenzy of panic-buying and hoarding.
Although panic-buying and hoarding may be one of the typical unpleasant characteristic of Malaysians — as was displayed during previous shortages of items like sugar, one can also come to this conclusion: Have Malaysians become so reliant on cooking oil that we cannot imagine being able to prepare our meals without it?
Or perhaps traditional Malaysian meals are prepared in such a way that oil is almost a vital ingredient for every dish?
Dr Tilakavati Karupaiah, a dietitian and senior lecturer at the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, agreed with the second contention.
"Malaysians, be they Malay, Chinese or Indian as a rule cook according to cultural traditions.
"We start cooking with oil as a base to steep our spices as the heating process releases fat-soluble alkaloids which are aromatic compounds," she explained in an e-mail interview to Bernama.
However, she said, the quantity of oil used varied from minimal amount for stir-frying or more for sauteeing masala or "sambal" pastes.
This can be considered unhealthy compared to the western style of cooking which tended to lean more towards broiling, boiling or grilling.
But Dr Karupaiah said the assumption that Western cooking was healthier was not entirely true, since fat does get through in western cooking through the finishing process such as through its accompaniments of cream-based sauces, cheese, salad dressings and even through bakery products.
"In fact, Western diets are arguably higher in fat content as they supply more than 35 per cent of energy than the average Malaysian diet, which supplied about 30 per cent of energy or less," she said.
When asked if there was an increase in diseases related to overconsumption of cooking oil in recent years, Dr Karupaiah said there was currently no data to support the idea as it would be difficult to extrapolate data from a few studies to homes to indicate which household consumed more than the national average of cooking oil.
Advising Malaysians to opt for broiling or grilling versus frying would also not be an easy task, she said.
"How many cooks are prepared or have the skill and equipment to do this? We are talking about mobilising on a public scale."
However, she said, food processing technology and fast foods had impacted both Eastern and Western cultures.
In Malaysia, this also includes all-time favourites such as banana fritters and `roti canai'.
"These are foods available outside the home and asking Malaysians to cut back on these items does not address cutting back on domestic cooking oil use," she said. - Bernama
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