FRIDAY-25TH JANUARY 2008- RM500 MILLION FOR PAVING VILLAGE ROADS IN SABAH

RM500 million for paving village roads in Sabah



TUARAN:

More village roads in Tuaran parliamentary constituency will be resurfaced when the Federal Government provides a RM500 million allocation for the purpose in Sabah under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. Tuaran Member of Parliament Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau said the allocation will be spent on resurfacing village roads this year. Although not all village roads could be improved with the allocation, there will be marked improvement overall, he said. “In Tuaran, there are 199 kilometers of roads under the Public Works Department (PWD) which have not been paved, and the cost of paving a kilometer of road can reach RM1 million to RM2 million. Tangau was speaking when launching the paved Kampung Lampung Lapai-Dato-Rondoggung road in Tenghilan at the Kampung Lapai community hall yesterday. Also present were Assistant Youth and Sports Minister cum Tamparuli Assemblyman Jahid Jahim and Tamparuli People Development Leader Jefferson Jonathan. The one-kilometer road which has been used by about 100 people in the villages was paved under a project by the Sabah Federal Development Department (JPPS) last month. Tangau said the need for additional funds to pave roads in Tuaran has been conveyed to the Economical Planning Unit (EPU) besides being brought up in the Parliament.

FRIDAY-25TH JANUARY 2008- MEGAT JUNID LAID TO REST AT BUKIT KIARA CEMETERY

Megat Junid laid to rest at Bukit Kiara cemetery


KUALA LUMPUR:

Former domestic trade and consumer affair Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayob, was laid to rest at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery here yesterday, attended by about 500 people. His remains arrived at the cemetery in a Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) hearse at 2.15pm. The funeral rites, performed by Sub-Insp Mohd Tahir Malik of the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters, ended about 40 minutes later. His wives, Puan Sri Faizah Shuaib and Norzilah Jalil, were seen sitting side by side during the ceremony. They and Megat junid’S five children later poured scented water on the grave in turns. Among dignitaries present were Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali, Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Aziz Shamsuddin and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar. Megat Junid, 65, died of cancer at 5.25am at the Pantai Medical Centre in Bangsar. His remains were later were taken to his residence at No. 2, Jalan SS733 in Kelana Jaya. Among those who paid their last respects at the house were the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Others included Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam and former, inspector-general of police Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar. Before the burial, Megat Junid’s remains were taken to the Nurul Yaqin Mosque in Kelana Jaya for prayers led by DSP Ghazali Daud of the RMP’s Religious and counseling Division and joined by about 300 people, at 1.50pm. Faizah told reporters later that she was grateful for having her husband last wish, to have his funeral arranged by the RMP fulfilled. Bernama

FRIDAY-25TH JANUARY 2008- MEGAT JUNID'S DEATH A LOSS TO NATION, SAY LEADERS

Megat Junid’s death a loss to nation, say leaders


PUTRAJAYA:

Several leaders yesterday described the death of former Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayob as a great loss to the nation. Megat Junid died of cancer in Kuala Lumpur early Thursday. He was 65. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said he was saddened by the demise of ”a close friend and colleague”. He said Megat junid had contributed a lot to the Government and country. ”he was known for being a jovial character,” Najib told reporters officiating the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Public Service Commissions here. In PETALING JAYA former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the nation had lost a leader of quality. “Megat Junid was hardworking, honest, and a minister of quality’ he told reporters after paying his last respects at the residence of Megat Junid in Kelana Jaya. Dr Mahathir, who arrived at the residence with his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali at 9.15am, described Megat Junid as a spirited individual and said that when he met Megat Junid three weeks ago, he was talking about politics despite being ill. Megat Junid had served for nine months as the political secretary of Dr Mahathir when the latter was education minister in 1976. Megat Junid, who launched his career in politics in 1972, had served for 13 years as a deputy minister and four years as a minister. He had also served as the Umno information from 2OOO to 2003. Former deputy information minister Datuk Khalid Yunus, who also paid his last respects at the residence, said Megat junid had served Umno and the country well ‘We have lost a good leader and I have lost a friend,” he said, adding that he came to know Megat Junid when both of them joined Umno Youth in the 1970’s.

FRIDAY-25TH JANUARY 2008- COMPOSTING CENTRE LAUNCHED IN LUYANG

Composting centre launched in Luyang

Landfill to be closed if composting program successful


KOTA KINABALU:

A composting centre set up to compost garden waste has been launched at Taman Luyang Timur here yesterday. The centre is a joint project of the resident committee in the housing estate and Local Agenda 21 Kota Kinabalu City Hall led by Director General Dr Chua Kim Hing. Assistant Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology Melanie Chia, who officiated the launch, said the program had been planned since three years ago and the setup of the centre is a first step towards a sustainable environment management. “Hopefully this program will be successful and as a start, we hope the residents here can commit to this project,” she said, adding that it should encourage people from other areas to set up their own composting centre. During the launch, a demonstration of a Viking shredder, a RM1,800 machine sponsored by KTS Trading, was conducted to shred thick garden waste such as branches and leaves. Meanwhile, Chua said residents from any area can send their waste to the Luyang centre instead to the Kayu Madang landfill. “If this program is successful, the Kayu Madang landfill will be closed and turned into a material recovery facilities,” he said. “Kayu Madang will produce a new type of garbage without leachate to be transferred to other landfills,” he said. Chua said the program might be hard for people to follow but hopefully soon it will be accepted. Chairman of Luyang Timur Residents Committee, Chia Shee Yung said the community should reduce the burden of City Hall. “We can contribute to the environment by segregating the waste for recycling and composting,” he said. Chia urged the public from Kota Kinabalu area, especially Taman Luyang Timur, to send their garbage to this centre. The composting centre has received contributions from various individuals and companies, he said.

FRIDAY- 25TH JANUARY 2008- FOCUS OF PROMOTING QUALITY LOCAL PRODUCTS

Focus on promoting quality local products: Musa

KOTA KINABALU:

Domestic market for agricultural products will be further strengthened to ensure the agriculture sector continue to grow as planned, said Chief Minister Datuk Sen Musa Aman. He said focus will be given to promoting local products that are high in quality and competitively priced to enable them to compete with imported products. For this purpose, he said both the public and private sectors would be encouraged to provide marketing infrastructures and to efficiently manage their daily operations. Construction of marketing infrastructures such as collection centres, warehouses, cold storage facilities, wholesale markets and Pasar Tani would be expedited, Musa said in a speech at the signing of a MoU between FAMA and KKIP yesterday for the purchase of land to build a RM5 million marketing complex of FAMA. His speech was read by Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail. He said the State Government fully supports FAMA in its effort to further stimulate the agriculture and food industry in Sabah by setting up a marketing complex in KKIP. He said FAMA’s move reflects the increasing awareness and understanding among the industry players of the objective and importance of the establishment of Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP). “This would ultimately help the government in realising the Sabah’s Halatuju which recognizes agriculture as one of the three main sectors that will be developed to strengthen the State’s economy. More importantly, the agriculture sector would also be the leading sector under the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC),” he said. With the completion of the proposed complex, Musa said it is hoped that FAMA would further strengthen its role and efforts towards affectively coordinating the marketing activities for agriculture and agro-based products in the State. At the same time, he said FAMA should continue establishing distribution centres in districts with high potential to further improve marketing mechanism and provide supporting facilities for value-adding activities.

THURSDAY-24TH JANUARY 2008- BN PAGINATAN READY FOR POLLS

BN Paginatan ready for polls

RANAU:

The Barisan Nasional (BN) in Paginatan is ready to face the general election, said Industrial Development Minister Datuk Ewon Ebin. He said the spirit of unity and cooperation between all the BN component parties in the area is so strong that it will be an advantage to whoever is selected to contest the seat for the ruling coalition. Ewon, who is also Paginatan assemblyman, said the Government’s ability to see and manage the various problems faced by the people supports his optimism that the BN will win big in the area. “For example, the provision of RM700 for each student under the poor students trust fund, scholarships, uniforms and textbooks are contributions which cannot be found in any other Governments in the world,” he said when officially opening the Kampung Dambalang Marakau branch’s BN election headquarters and the new Kampung Tinanom community hall recently. During the event, Ewon presented cash assistance from the Government to senior citizens, single mothers, the sick and the less fortunate. He also approved a RM8,000 budget to repair the suspension bridge in Longui Marakau, RM6,000 for the construction of a kitchen at the community hall and RM2,000 to purchase female uniforms for Kampung Tinanom.

TUESDAY-22ND JANUARY 2008 - BISCUIT FACTORY IN TROUBLE

Conservation needs huge funds

KOTA KINABALU:

Funds are always in need, especially when environmental conservation is concerned. WWF-Malaysia Chief Technical Officer Dr Rahimatsah Amat in stressing this said it is a never ending issue and need every individual’s attention all the time. “It is what keeps us employed. .A new (enyironmental-related) problem will emerge even before we could solve the earlier one ... it is a cycle. For instance, we need at least RM6 million to do forest restoration for just 50 hectares of land, and it is not easy to raise such big amount of funds,” he said. Speaking to media representatives during a luncheon dubbed ‘An Afternoon with WWF-Malaysia’ here yesterday, Rahimatsah said similar problem is faced with other conservation programmes concerning wildlife and marine. “Efforts are being made to save our rhinos whose numbers are in a worrying state. At least RM2O million is needed to protect the Sumatran Rhinoceros, which include to track them down in the forest, to bring them out and to keep them in a big area, which needs to be monitored at all times to avoid poachers from poaching them. “All this is cost and needs huge funds,” he reiterated. Rahimatsah in sharing their experience, disclosed that their first project was to gazette the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park in 1974. “It only cost about RM3,000 and a year to get the area gazetted. Today, it would take us millions and over 20 years to gazette an area. We need to tell the Government why this place is important and should be gazetted the scale has gone up, therefore, when it comes to conservation, we need to have an open cheque,” he said. During the briefing, Rahimatsah said since WWF-Malaysia sat foot in Sabah, they have many success stories to tell and various conservation programmes were implemented, which include the Borneo Species Programme (BSP). He explained that the research on Borneo Pygmy Elephants, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Orang Utan is carried out under BSP that covers the whole Borneon land area. The newly-formed programme will begin work by focusing on the three large terrestrial mammals found on the island, where WWF-Malaysia will run the BSP from its office here and work directly with the Sabah Wildlife Department and other stakeholders. Previously, the Sabah Orang-Utan Rhinoceros Elephants Landscape (SOREL) project managed the species work of the WWF-Malaysia in Sabah. “The time is now right to start the BSP, which cross cuts the Kinabatangan - Corridor of Life and the trans-boundary heart of Borneo. Before, SOREL limited our work in Sabah,” said Rahimatsah. He disclosed that work on the three mammals started in 1979 with the ‘Faunal Survey of Sabah’ conducted by WWF-Malaysia which confirmed that the habitats of the three animals are threatened by forest loss and land development. Currently, a total of 11 pygmy elephants have been collared with tracking devices since three years back for scientific studies and the satellite tracking data has had huge influence on land use planning, particularly at Ulu Segama Malua. Since the WWF-Malaysia’s orang-utan work is in partnership with the Government and nongovernmental organisations, work on the near extinct Sumatran rhinos get additional support from the private sector such as Hinda Malaysia.
“Today, WWF-Malaysia was tasked to lead in the preparation of management plan for rhino conservation in Sabah,” said Rahimatsah. There is an estimated of 25-20 rhinos left in Sabah and work is currently being planned to find out whether a rhino population exists in Sarawak as they did thousands of years ago. The method used in Sabah has been successful with infrared camera traps generating never before seen images and footages of the Sumatran rhino and WWF-Malaysia hopes to apply the same concept in Sarawak. WWF-Malaysia Borneo Programme’s species work is supported by WWF-Netherlands, WWF-UK, WWF-Germany and WWF-US, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Rahimatsah said Sabah is indeed fortunate that the global WWF network pays huge attention to Borneo. “We believe that we have the resources to expand our work to our neighbouring Sarawak soon,”he added. WWF-Malaysia chairman Datuk Tengku D Z Adlin, who also attended the briefing, stressed that conservation need not be too expensive if the people understand the importance of preserving the environment. “If we have enough awareness among the people and everybody plays a role in preserving and conserving the environment, there will be no destruction and we need not spend much to maintain the environment. “If we manage the forest properly, there is no need to clean up. I am glad that the Government, the corporate sector and individuals are showing interest in conserving the environment. The only thing is to get all this people to work together for the good of the environment and for the future,” said Adlin, who is also the Sabah Tourism Board chairman.

22ND JANUARY 2008 - AGRO TOURISM CAN ATTRACT MORE TOURISTS TO SABAH

Agro-tourism can attract more tourists to Sabah, says Rahim

KOTA KINABALU:

Agrotourism has great potential in bolstering the State’s tourism industry, said Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Hj Abdul Rahim Ismail. He said various elements needed to develop agro-tourism are already in place as 70 percent of the State’s farmers live in rural areas that possess their own charms and extra-ordinary attractions. “Agro-tourism is among the efforts to attract more foreign and domestic tourists to visit Sabah,” he said after hosting a luncheon for Konstantine Vatskalis, the Minister of Tourism for the Northern Territory of Australia. Rahim noted that while agriculture is the main focus of Sabah’s Halatuju, there are various related components that are equally attractive such as aquaculture, livestock rearing and agro-tourism concepts. Vatskalis, on a working visit here, said that Sabah will become an important tourism destination for Australian tourists, especially for those living in Northern Territory areas such as Darwin. “There have been discussions with Jetair Australia to make stops in Darwin before proceeding to several destinations in South East Asia and this automatically makes Darwin the gateway to this region, specifically Sabah,” he said. Vatskalis expressed confidence that this flight plan will become a reality as the airline has already booked several new planes to service the route. “This confidence is based on the attractions in Sabah which include the uniqueness of its natural beauty, the food and the friendly residents here,” he said, adding that safety and political stability are also contributing factors. Vatskalis, who has visited Sabah seven times, also praised the State Government for emphasising on the tourism sector as the State is rich in natural resources which make it an attractive tourism destination in the region. “We have a similar strategy as the Sabah Government in attracting tourists to Australia, especially in the Northern Territory because there are many similarities between both areas such as the weather conditions and the environment,” he said. Meanwhile, during the luncheon the two ministers also discussed issues related to agriculture development, specifically on the livestock industry, which Rahim said is a follow-up on the memorandum of understanding between Sabah and the Northern Territory signed about five years ago.. “The close relations between both sides in agriculture development has spawned the development of the Sabah Meat Technology Centre in Kinarut,” Rahim said.

TUESDAY-22ND JANUARY 2008-CONSERVATION NEEDS HUGE FUNDS

Conservation needs huge funds

KOTA KINABALU:

Funds are always in need, especially when environmental conservation is concerned. WWF-Malaysia Chief Technical Officer Dr Rahimatsah Amat in stressing this said it is a never ending issue and need every individual’s attention all the time. “It is what keeps us employed. .A new (enyironmental-related) problem will emerge even before we could solve the earlier one ... it is a cycle. For instance, we need at least RM6 million to do forest restoration for just 50 hectares of land, and it is not easy to raise such big amount of funds,” he said. Speaking to media representatives during a luncheon dubbed ‘An Afternoon with WWF-Malaysia’ here yesterday, Rahimatsah said similar problem is faced with other conservation programmes concerning wildlife and marine. “Efforts are being made to save our rhinos whose numbers are in a worrying state. At least RM2O million is needed to protect the Sumatran Rhinoceros, which include to track them down in the forest, to bring them out and to keep them in a big area, which needs to be monitored at all times to avoid poachers from poaching them. “All this is cost and needs huge funds,” he reiterated. Rahimatsah in sharing their experience, disclosed that their first project was to gazette the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park in 1974. “It only cost about RM3,000 and a year to get the area gazetted. Today, it would take us millions and over 20 years to gazette an area. We need to tell the Government why this place is important and should be gazetted the scale has gone up, therefore, when it comes to conservation, we need to have an open cheque,” he said. During the briefing, Rahimatsah said since WWF-Malaysia sat foot in Sabah, they have many success stories to tell and various conservation programmes were implemented, which include the Borneo Species Programme (BSP). He explained that the research on Borneo Pygmy Elephants, Sumatran Rhinoceros and Orang Utan is carried out under BSP that covers the whole Borneon land area. The newly-formed programme will begin work by focusing on the three large terrestrial mammals found on the island, where WWF-Malaysia will run the BSP from its office here and work directly with the Sabah Wildlife Department and other stakeholders. Previously, the Sabah Orang-Utan Rhinoceros Elephants Landscape (SOREL) project managed the species work of the WWF-Malaysia in Sabah. “The time is now right to start the BSP, which cross cuts the Kinabatangan - Corridor of Life and the trans-boundary heart of Borneo. Before, SOREL limited our work in Sabah,” said Rahimatsah. He disclosed that work on the three mammals started in 1979 with the ‘Faunal Survey of Sabah’ conducted by WWF-Malaysia which confirmed that the habitats of the three animals are threatened by forest loss and land development. Currently, a total of 11 pygmy elephants have been collared with tracking devices since three years back for scientific studies and the satellite tracking data has had huge influence on land use planning, particularly at Ulu Segama Malua. Since the WWF-Malaysia’s orang-utan work is in partnership with the Government and nongovernmental organisations, work on the near extinct Sumatran rhinos get additional support from the private sector such as Hinda Malaysia.
“Today, WWF-Malaysia was tasked to lead in the preparation of management plan for rhino conservation in Sabah,” said Rahimatsah. There is an estimated of 25-20 rhinos left in Sabah and work is currently being planned to find out whether a rhino population exists in Sarawak as they did thousands of years ago. The method used in Sabah has been successful with infrared camera traps generating never before seen images and footages of the Sumatran rhino and WWF-Malaysia hopes to apply the same concept in Sarawak. WWF-Malaysia Borneo Programme’s species work is supported by WWF-Netherlands, WWF-UK, WWF-Germany and WWF-US, US Fish and Wildlife Service. Rahimatsah said Sabah is indeed fortunate that the global WWF network pays huge attention to Borneo. “We believe that we have the resources to expand our work to our neighbouring Sarawak soon,”he added. WWF-Malaysia chairman Datuk Tengku D Z Adlin, who also attended the briefing, stressed that conservation need not be too expensive if the people understand the importance of preserving the environment. “If we have enough awareness among the people and everybody plays a role in preserving and conserving the environment, there will be no destruction and we need not spend much to maintain the environment. “If we manage the forest properly, there is no need to clean up. I am glad that the Government, the corporate sector and individuals are showing interest in conserving the environment. The only thing is to get all this people to work together for the good of the environment and for the future,” said Adlin, who is also the Sabah Tourism Board chairman.

TUESDAY-22ND JANUARY 2008-LAST BN MEET BUT NO POLLS TALK

LAST BN MEET BUT NO POLLS TALK

PUTRAJAYA:

The ‘last’ Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting yesterday did not touch on the much-speculated general election and there was no discussion on BN candidates too. Instead, the meeting focused on development issues with the BN Chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi directing all 13 coalition component parties to be frank and to tell the people what the BN-led Government had done for them. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said many development issues were discussed and that “it was more on development, nothing to do with the general election ... we did not discuss candidates either”. Works Minister Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu said Abdullah had instructed all component parties to be frank and tell what had been done by the Government so far. “He wants us to tell what we have (in store) for the people and how we have managed the people in the country for so many years and the experience we have gained from doing so,” said Samy Vellu, who is also the MIC President. Abdullah chaired a three-hour closed-door BN supreme council meeting, which began about 11. 50 am, at his office and speculation was rife that this would be the last such meeting before the nation’s 12th general election. Samy Vellu said the BN Government wants Malaysia to be a progressive and dynamic nation and the people must not be misled by politicians who are out to smear the name of the Government. “I feel that in recent months there had been a heavy campaign going on against the Government and against each component party. “And all those who carry out these campaigns have a lot of dirt behind them. They are not very clean everyone who wants to campaign carry at least a half a ‘pikul’ of dirt behind them and they put up a facet to say that they are very clean,” he said. He said while the opposition were putting up a facade, the BN Government “does not put up a show but tells the truth” and wants the continued support of the people. “And we believe in the concept of the BN. We believe in the concept of being together for the betterment of the country and I support the PM’s views,” he said. Probed further on what transpired at the meeting, Samy Vellu said a lot of things were discussed and each component party “was very open to air our views to the PM”. “The PM has listened. That is the beauty of the BN leadership. They open two ears to listen. They are not like the opposition with closed ears, who only know how to talk but not do things. “But we know how to talk, we also know how to do things... that is the Government that is there at the moment. We feel that we only have another 12 years for 2020 and by this 12 years the Government feels that the people must be upgraded in (terms of) their living standards,” he added.
He said on MIC’s part, it would get down to the grassroots to explain to the people on the Government’s deeds to date as the party did not want the community “to be taken for a ride by anybody”. Asked if Abdullah had instructed BN component parties to submit names of their respective candidates to contest under the BN banner in the upcoming polls, he said the Prime Minister had not done so. “Usually the PM will never tell component parties to prepare the candidates list, that is the right of the component party leacer ... I have not prepared it,” he said, adding that the BN supreme council meeting yesterday did not discuss the candidates list for the general election. “Even if the election is near the BN supreme council does not discuss candidates. “Candidates are something for (component) party leaders to select. It is the prerogative of the PM to accept or otherwise. He is the final decision maker ... we submit to PM and if the PM says ‘yes’, then we proceed to the next stage,” Samy Vellu said. - - The MIC supremo said the party was prepared for the polls even if it were held tomorrow. “We started our work six months ago. Even if one year later you have to prepare your ground ahead of it. So there is no point of thinking when is the election. Let it come tomorrow, tonight midnight we file the nomination, tomorrow morning we can contest,” said Samy Vellu. Meanwhile, on PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s statement that he wants Malaysia to be a welfare state, Najib said he would want to see first what he could really do. “He wants to make all kinds of promises ... opposition! He promised the Teregganu contractors but he could not fulfill those promises. This time, it’s a national issue. “We know the limitations of the opposition. It’s normal for the opposition to make promises ... for the sun and the moon.” Abdul Hadi, in his manifesto, among others, promises to make Malaysia a welfare state if PAS wins the 12th general election. Towards this end, the party promises to reduce the current fuel price by 10 sen per litre and to abolish the Internal Security Act. - Bernama

TUESDAY-22ND JANUARY 2008 - KING AND QUEEN HERE FOR THREE-DAY VISIT

KING AND QUEEN HERE FOR THREE –DAY VISIT

KOTA KINABALU:

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah arrived here yesterday on a three-day royal visit to Sabah. Flying in on a special Air Force plane, the King and Queen arrived at around 1O.45am at Terminal Two of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, and were welcomed by the Head of State Tun Ahmadshah Abdullah and his wife Toh Puan Dayang Masuyah Awang Japar, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and a host of other VIPs. Among the VIPs in attendance included deputy Chief Ministers Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin and Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah, State Ministers and State Barisan Nasional (BN) component leaders. As the royal couple left the airport for the Magellan Sutera in a specially-modified luxury four-wheel-drive vehicle, they were greeted by hundreds of people gathered to give a colourful and warm welcome. Those assembled for the royal welcome included members of the various security forces stationed here, National Service trainees, cultural groups dressed in their traditional attire and students from nearby schools. After a short rest, the Agong and Raja Permaisuri visited the Tun Mustapha Tower where they were given an overview of the State’s development and later feted to a royal dinner at the State Assembly banquet hall. The royal itinerary for this morning is expected to start with golf. as the Agong tees off in the PGMS Golf Tournament, after which he and the Raja Permaisuri pay a visit to the Royal Malaysian Navy base in Sepanggar Bay before leaving for Sandakan. In Sandakan, the Agong and Raja Permaisuri will spend the evening with the people at a public dinner at Dewan Hakka along Mile 5, while tomorrow Musa is expected to host them to lunch at his residence at Sri Libaran before their scheduled return to Kuala Lumpur at around 4. 3Opm.

SATURDAY-19TH JANUARY 2008 - UMS TO SET UP RADIO STATION

UMS to set up radio station
Public will be able to communicate with students

KOTA KINABALU:

The public will be able to communicate with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students when its radio station starts operating by the middle of this year.
Running on a 500-watt band, the radio station will be aired in English, Bahasa Malaysia and other ethnic languages. UMS Vice Chancellor Datuk Dr Mohd Noh Dalimin when disclosing this yesterday, said they are in the final stages of renovating the studio and installing the antennae.
The effort was made possible thanks to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the university and RTM last year, which is aimed at providing training for its students majoring in communication courses. “We would also incorporate art into the 10-hour daily programmes,’ he said to reporters after announcing the Education Journalism Awards 2007 jointly organised by the university and Sabah Journalists Association yesterday. He said that the equipment had already arrived and was now just waiting for the studio renovation to be completed. Although the programme contents are mainly produced by the university, Mohd Noh said they would still be under the supervision of RTM.
“In fact, he said the broadcasting licence is acquired from the Government via RTM,” he said, expressing his excitement over the programme that would stretch up to Kudat, Beaufort and Brunei. He said a similar campus radio had been set up by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UiTM) and other higher learning institutions in Peninsular Malaysia. On another development, Mohd Noh stressed they would continue with the practice of maintaining 40 per cent of student population from Sabah, while the rest is open to others from outside the State.
He said there had been cases where students from other states rejected offers by UMS as they wanted to take up courses closer to home. “However, those who fail to turn up after the registration exercise may appeal to the relevant authorities and come to us. This has happened before when they arrived at the UMS campus during the second semester,” he explained. Mohd Noh said that they would still continue to promote courses available at UMS through roadshows in the Peninsular. Also present were Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) President Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and UMS Education Journalism Award 2007 organising chairman Dr Andreas Totu.

SATURDAY - 19TH JANUARY 2008 - POLLS IN 60 DAYS, SAYS KIT SIANG

POLLS in 60 days, says Kit Siang

KOTA KINABALU:
The DAP has predicted that the forthcoming general election will be held in less than 60 days, possibly between March 8 and 15. The Opposition party’s National Adviser, Mr Lim Kit Siang, said the prediction is based on a recent statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is Barisan Nasional (BN) Chairman, that the latter would be calling for the BN supreme council meeting. “Our prediction is that Parliament will be dissolved on March 3, followed by the nomination day four days later on March 7 and polling on March 15,” he told a news conference upon his arrival here from Kuala Lumpur yesterday. “We are also expecting that the Election Commission will reduce the campaigning period as in the previous general election in 2004 when it was two weeks only, which was a short time ... may be this time the period will be eight days only.” Commenting on a statement by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that he was not influenced by any quarters in choosing Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim to fill up the top post in the Judiciary, Lim said it was merely an excuse for the former premier to evade the question from members of the media. Although Malaysia is a democratic country and the Prime Minister is vested with the prerogative powers, it does not mean that the Prime Minister is not responsible and accountable to the people, he said. “It is demeaning the public inquiry set up by the Government to investigate the controversial ‘Lingam’ video clip,” he said. Lim said the controversy over the video clip was a serious issue and if the former Prime Minister does not view the matter seriously, then the public will lose confidence in the public inquiry and also to the judiciary.

SATURDAY-19TH JANUARY 2008- ENOUGH COOKING OIL FOR CNY

Enough cooking oil for CNY
Sabah Softwoods CEO says supply won’t be problem

KOTA KINABALU:

There will be enough cooking oil in Sabah, especially for the Chinese New Year (CNY), despite the reported smuggling of the . commodity and the recent shortage at retail outlets.
“I am certain . that the supply of cooking oil for the Chinese New Year would not be a problem here,” said Haji Osman Walat, the Chief Executive Officer of Sabah Softwoods Berhad (SSB) yesterday.
SSB has planted 20,000 hectares with oil palm and the total hectarage would be expanded in future.
However, Haji Osman said that Sabah Softwood does not market, distribute and retail the crude palm oil (CPO). It is handled by the Malaysia Palm Oil Board. Similarly, Sabah Softwood does not deal with the packaging of cooking oil.
“The output of CPO is guided by the MPOB, basically depending on demand and supply. As for price subsidy, it is based on the market price where a higher price would result in a higher subsidy and it is decided by MPOB,” he said.
SSB was engaged as the main contractor for reafforestation and oil palm development in the Benta Wawasan concession area between 2000 and early 2006. Regional Harvest Sdn Bhd operates a 45-metric ton fresh fruit bunches (ffb) per hour CPO processing mill in Dumpas.
Based on the current capacity, the mill is able to produce an annual output of 54,000 metric tonnes of GPO. The mill has an expansion capacity to 60 metric tons (Mt) ffb per hour and the annual production is expected to increase to 72,000 metric tons of CPO.
In 2002, SSB entered a joint venture for the construction and operation of a GPO mill with an equity participation of 40 percent in Regional Harvest Sdn Bhd. Sabah Softwood is also involved in tree plantations, chipmil operation and other relevant services.

SATURDAY-19TH JANUARY 2008 - CM URGES KKIPC TO BE MORE INNOVATIVE

CM urges KKIPC to be more innovative

KOTA KINABALU:

The Chief Minister has urged KKIPC Sdn Bhd which has been tasked to operate and manage the Sabah. Net for 20 years to be more innovative and creative in providing its services. “This is to ensure that Sabah will not be left behind in terms of Information Communication Technology (ICT) development,” said Datuk Seri Musa Aman at the company’s 11th anniversary here yesterday. The text of the Chief Minister’s speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister cum Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin. Musa said that the State Government had taken its own initiatives in ICT development in Sabah, and this was evident with the establishment of the State-owned intranet - Sabah. Net - in September 1997.
Today, he said the ICT industry was among the country’s most dynamic industries and served as an important catalyst for socioeconomic growth and development of the nation. As such, Musa reckoned that Sabah must be able to create new products and services that are of high value, not only to the local economy but international as well. Under the RM2.3 billion State Budget 2008, Musa who is also the Finance Minister, noted that RM17.8 million had been allocated for ICT development and a big chunk of the money goes to paying KKIPC’s services. Whilst stressing the State Government’s readiness to work with the private sector, Musa assured that the State Government would continue to call for greater cooperation and concerted national focus on the development of the ICT sector in Sabah.
“The adoption of private-sector initiatives can alleviate the burden on the Government and provide benefits to the private sector. Ultimately, this will be the driving motivation behind the State’s effort in bridging the digital divide.”
Moreover, he said there is a need to build a consensus by bringing together policy-makers, business leaders, academics and technical experts to work together in developing new policies and incentives that will make the Sabah ICT sector more competitive in the global market place.
He said this was part of a conducive investment climate that Sabah need to create. “The future focus would remain on strengthening human capital, developing hard and soft infrastructure, bringing innovations through ICT in the small medium enterprises and reducing the digital divide,” Musa added.

SATURDAY-19TH JANUARY 2008 - HUSBAND WINS BATTLE TO GIVE DEAD WIFE CHRISTIAN FUNERAL

Husband wins battle to give dead wife Christian funeral

KUALA LUMPUR:

A Malaysian has won a battle to give his dead wife a Christian funeral after Islamic religious authorities dropped their claim to the body on the grounds of her conversion to Islam. The row over the corpse of Wong Sau Lan, a 54- year-old ethnic Chinese woman who died on Dec. 30. “It was harrowing to wait for 18 days,” said Ngiam Tee Kong, who was at his wife’s bedside when she died in a Kuala Lumpur hospital and then suffered several sleepless nights during the custody fight for the remains. “I’m definitely relieved. Hopefully it will be over in a few days.” Ngiam, 53, the manager of a snooker game centre, said his ordeal began the day his wife died of kidney failure, when police told him she had converted to Islam by reciting Arabic verses during a session with a traditional healer a week earlier. His wife had sought the help of a Muslim bomoh - a common practice among Malaysians. “My wife was made to recite some Koranic verses. When she died, the witch-doctor showed the video clip of my wife reciting to the Islamic officials, who then issued a letter saying my wife was a Muslim,” he said, adding: “But my wife does not have a Muslim name. She had never converted to Islam,” he added. Ngiam, himself a Buddhist, however challenged this version of events, maintained that his wife was a Christian baptised in November, and asked a Malaysian court to intervene. Islamic officials later admitted they were wrong in claiming she had converted to Islam. “The High Court has ordered that the body of the deceased be released to the husband forthwith,” his lawyer Karpal Singh told reporters outside the court, adding that the body would be cremated according to Christian rites after a two-day wake. “The Islamic Affairs Council has said the conversion of the deceased was not in accordance with Islamic law, and therefore they have no objections to the body being released to the husband,” he said. Race ties, always a delicate issue in multiracial Malaysia, have become increasingly sensitive as speculation grows that the Government could call for snap polls as soon as March. The spectacle of non-Muslims battling for funeral rights of relatives is not new in Malaysia. In another case in 2006 involving an ethnic Indian said to have converted to Islam, religious authorities also eventually climbed down and allowed the family of van driver Rayappan Anthony, 71, to reclaim his body for Christian burial. But in 2005, as Islamic officials prepared to bury former soldier and mountain climber M Moorthy against his Hindu widow’s wishes, the High Court said it had no jurisdiction over such religious matters, leaving non-Muslims unsure of their rights. Politically dominant ethnic Malay Muslims form about 60 per cent of Malaysia’s population of roughly 26 million, while the ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities include Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. “This is a very serious case because the council should be more careful in future,” said Karpal Singh. “It must ascertain that any conversion is made according to Islamic law, not snatch a body and refuse to release it on the grounds that there is a conversion when there is not one, later admitting there was no lawful conversion.” Ngiam and his two children would seek damages from the hospital and the Islamic Affairs Council for the trauma they suffered, the lawyer added. Lawyer Zulkifli Che Yong, who represented MAIWP (Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council), said it was the council’s responsibility to investigate into Wong’s religious status following claims that she had converted to Islam. Zulkifli said the decision by MAIWP to release Wong’s remains was made after taking into account the views of the Mufti and testimony from a witness, traditional healer Siti Aishah Ismail, who used to treat Wong. — Reuter, AFP, Bernama

SATURDAY-19TH JANUARY 2008 - INTERNET SERVICES HIT BY CABLE THEFTS

Internet services hit by cable thefts TM asks for public help to overcome rampant problem

KOTA KINABALU:

The next time your Internet access is suddenly disrupted, cable theft could very well be the cause. In view of this, Telekom Malaysia has asked for public cooperation in overcoming rampant cable thefts problem in Sabah so that they can provide a better service. TM Sabah General Manager Sukkuriya Masri said the company faces the problem in every state in Malaysia, especially Sabah. “The thieves usually steal cables and batteries from the TM cabinet and sell them to dealers for money,” he said. “This problem has caused TM and our customers to suffer, as it disrupts our daily activities, especially those involving online services,” he added during the TM press conference on Vandalism and Cable Theft Issues in Sabah at Wawasan Plaza yesterday. Meanwhile, Assistant General Manager of TM Sabah, Musa Awang Kechil said that from July to December last year, Papar had the most cable theft cases, followed by I.ahad Datu and Menggatal. In Sabah alone, a total of 1,048 cases were recorded from 2005 until 2007 and the government-linked company suffers more than RM5 million losses caused by the thefts. “We already carried out some action plans to overcome this problem such as giving rewards to public who provided information about the theft. “Also, we offered to install a home cable theft detector at the customers’ houses at theft-prone areas for free.. .however, the cable theft problem is still not fully overcome,” Musa said. He also said that the manhole covers for underground cables are also to prevent people from falling into the holes and would expose the public to danger if stolen. Therefore, Musa asked the public to immediately report to TM or the Rakan Cop if they notice any curious activities or damaged TM cabinet.

The public can call TM Sabah Operation Control Center (PKO) at 088-299817, 999 Complaints Center, TM Sabah PR/A&P Office or the Rakan Cop.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - NEW COURT BUILDING TO BE BUILT IN LIKAS

New court building to be built in Likas
KOTA KINABALU

The state Government has allocated seven acres of land in Likas for building a new court building, said Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum.
He said the current Kota Kinabalu Court building is now too congested. Richard added some designs had been shown to them but no concrete decision had been made yet.
"Perhaps members of the Bar can come up with some suggestions on the design of the new court house. We should make it a landmark of Kota Kinabalu in the same way as this courthouse (the current Kota Kinabalu Court building) in the late sixties and seventies," Richard said in his address at the opening of Legal Year 2008 here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Richard also said that computerization of the Sabah courts on a pilot scale is also in the final stage of planning.
"Due to the flight problems between the major towns in the State, video conferencing is being seriously considered: When implemented, it will link Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and Tawau thus saving time and money for both lawyers and their clients," Richard said.
He further said the introduction of Electronic Case Management (ECM) is also being considered.
"It is already in use in Sarawak. It has many beneficial features intended to expedite the registration and management of cases filed in courts." Richard added.
Earlier Datuk John Sikayun who is the president of Sabah Law Association said in his speech that as the number of litigants and the volume of cases before the courts increased, the situation of the Kota Kinabalu Courts was becoming critical.
John added more personnel and space were required to meet the workload and the present building would soon be inadequate to cater for the rising needs of the courts such as courtrooms, detention rooms, libraries and resource rooms, parking spaces and security.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - DECAYING SCHOOL BUILDING ENDANGERS STUDENTS, TEACHERS

Decaying school building endangers students, teachers

MENGGATAL:
The Headmaster of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (SJK) Good Shepherd in Menggatal has voiced fears that the old buildings in the school are posing a grave hazard to its 378 students and teachers if no drastic action is taken to rectify the problem.
Fong Li Ming said the wooden buildings, especially the floors and pillars, have decayed and need to be repaired urgently.
"We hope the Government, especially the Education Minister, will find a way to solve this problem before any untoward incident happens to the students and teachers," he said, adding that the school was built in 1961, and is one of the oldest in Kota Kinabalu.
Fong revealed the problem during a briefing for Inanam assemblyman Johnny Goh during the latter's visit to the school yesterday.Johnny appealed to the relevant government agencies and department take drastic measures to overcome the safety problem faced by the students and teachers "I hope the buildings will be repaired as soon as possible to prevent any unfortunate incident," Johnny said.
Meanwhile,Chairman of the School Management Board, Simon Lee said the proposal to build a new building has not been approved yet even though the applications were made since more than 20 years ago in 1984.
"We have already applied for a site in Menggatal for the building but until now, we haven't received any response from the Government," he said.
Simon said that more applications have been made to the Land and Survey Department, JKR and Mineral Department, and he hoped the site will be approved soon.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - BIAN LIAN SHOW AT ISUZU FEST

Bian Lian show at Isuzu Fest

KOTA KINABALU:

The people here will have the wonderful opportunity of catching a mesmerizing Bian Lian (art of face changing) performance live on Saturday evening during the Isuzu Fest that will be held Jan 19 and 20 at Universal Motors at the SEDCO Industrial Estate in Inanam.
The visitors will also get to enjoy thrilling stage performances, free food, attractive games and activities and stand a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008- TAMAN UJANA RIMBA TROPIKA

Taman Ujana Rimba Tropika
- a park in centre of city

KOTA KINABALU:

Taman Ujana Rimba Tropika at Penampang Road, about four kilometres from the centre of Kota Kinabalu, is a popular recreation spot for the city dwellers.
The location of this four-hectare public park is rather strategic since it lies in the urban territory and the centre of Government administration, next to the Sabah State Library, State Archive
Department, Geochemistry Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Agriculture and Fisheries Departments and several housing estates.
This park is funded entirely by the Country Landscaping Department, Housing Ministry and the local Government. The whole cost of the project, which started in 2001 and completed two years later, was RM12 million. Kota Kinabalu City Hall agricultural officer Salmah Aplasin said the park was officiated on April 12, 2003, and was handed over to the City Hall for management.
"The construction of this park is based on three concepts, which is for protocol events, recreation and learning activities," he said.
For protocol events, it is used as the site for the Sabah State Warrior's Day celebration each year, while the recreational asset of this park attracts the attention of nearby housing dwellers.
A three-month study by City Hall revealed that 73,300 people had visited the place to do exercise, jog, relax and play games.
Among the locations inundated by visitors are the walking track, children's playground, fitness area, the monument and pond areas, reflexology track and the stadium.
The park has indigenous jungle trees such as the binaung, laran, belian, seraya, menggaris and jati for learning activities. It is no wonder that this park is also frequented by university students who do their research there.
It also has resting huts, canteen, public toilets, surau (prayer room) and parking lots.
Shopkeeper Rita Rudianshah, 38, who comes from Taman, said the park offers a place to relax after a long day at work.
"I am attracted to the beauty of this park which is green and eco-friendly," said Rudi who just recently came to Kota Kinabalu.
Government servant Amran Haj i Dahlan, 40, from Sandakan said Taman Ujana Rimba Tropika emphasizes on greenery amidst the growing development of Kota Kinabalu city.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - GIVE POWER BACK TO SABAH : SLA

Give power -back to Sabah: SLA

Power to appoint Judicial commissioners on ad hoc basis

KOTA KINABALU:

Sabah Law Association (SLA) President Datuk John Sikayun has urged the Government to revive the power vested with certain authority on the appointment of judicial commissioners on an ad hoc basis in Sabah.
Some years ago, the law enabling the State Government to appoint judicial commissioners was repealed, John said in his address at the opening of the Legal Year here yesterday.
"It is hoped that the power by the relevant authority to appoint judicial commissioners on an ad hoc basis in the State would be revived," John said, adding such power was given up when the circumstances then made it justifiable.
He however said that with the State's rapidly expanding population and society's increasing demand for dispensation of justice, it is now the right time that the State be given back the power to appoint judicial commissioners.
According to him, giving the power back to Sabah in appointing judicial commissioners is crucial as this will help reduce the backlog of cases in the courts.

"The appointment of ad hoc judicial commissioners would be a practical move that would infuse dynamism in the judiciary. It would lead to better administration of justice," he added.

Meanwhile, John said that they have been continuously updating members and the other committees such the Women and Children's Rights Committee, Duty Counsel Committee and the Ethics Course Committee on the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) and Penal Code so that they are well acquainted with the new developments in this area of law.

"The amendments to the CPC and the Penal Code were fully enforced on September 7, 2007, wherein some of the recommendations and suggestions made by the SLA Court Practice (Criminal) and Human Rights Sub-Committee were accepted by the CPC Ad Hoc Review Committee," John said.
"As the said amendments have made extensive charges pertaining to human rights during arrest, raid and detention, we have written to all the enforcement agencies to hold dialogues and to update them on the amendments made and the problems faced by lawyers in the criminal practice," he further said.
He also said April 2007 also marked the setting up of a special sub-committee to deal with legal rights pertaining to women and children who suffer from abuse and violence such as rape, domestic violence, incest and child abuse.
"I am proud to say that the Sabah Law Association has possibly created history in this country by being the first Bar and legal body to set up this Women's and Children's Rights Sub-Committee in Malaysia," he said.
John added this committee had provided legal aid service to individual cases with complaints ranging from domestic violence, incest, bigamy, rape and hardcore poverty and created handouts on laws related to domestic violence and rape laws for the community, and conducted seminars in hospitals.
"This SLA's Woman and Children's Right Committee hopes to continue being the leading voice in all matters relating to women and children through seminars, legal aid and forum participation and look forward to greater collaboration with the Government, enforcement authorities, the media and other NGOs," he said.
John said the judiciary had continued to embark on internal initiatives to redress the delay in the disposal of and expediting the hearing of cases in the courts with the installation of a Wireless Fidelity System which enabled practitioners to get onto the internet and do their research while waiting for their cases to be heard.
He further said the judiciary had also successfully introduced three mechanisms to save time and cost for practitioners in Sarawak with the use of video conferencing for hearing non-contentious cases and witness statements between the courts in Sarawak, the use of short messaging system to inform practitioners of the staggered time in their fixture of hearing and the use of bar coding system for court files so that files could be retrieved easily.
"We look forward in earnest for these measures to become a reality in a few months' time in our courts," said John, adding it is encouraging to learn too that the Electronic Case Management (ECM) system would soon be introduced in Sabah.
John also said 2007 was a momentous year for the court officers with the launch of the Mobile Court and Night Court.
He said the Mobile Court is an avenue to provide easier and wider access to justice for all strata of society, especially the rural folks.
"While this is an initiative we can be proud of, it is sad to note that its implementation has some imperfections. Its objective and purpose would have been better served if there had been more cooperation from the other stakeholders who are expected to facilitate this initiative," said John who hoped things will improve in 2008 to make the implementation of the Mobile Court more efficient and effective.
For the Night Court, he said although it is working well, it is felt that there should be stronger response from the public, especially those from Kota Kinabalu.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - TOO MANY SMOKY VEHICLES IN CITY

Too many smoky vehicles in City

Kota Kinabalu could soon become better known for the big number of smoky vehicles, especially buses, lorries and four-wheel-drive vehicles, than its alluring natural beauty.
As a concerned member of the public pointed out, the vehicles that belch thick dark emissions are one of the two most ugly things in this otherwise beautiful city, the other being the perennial cleanliness problem.
Public Hotline has received a number of complaints about the mobile air polluters, the latest coming from Kamal, who expressed disappointment at the lack of serious effort on the part of the relevant authorities to overcome the problem.
Kamal pointed out that far too many of these polluters are allowed to operate freely in the City, posing a serious public health hazard and tarnishing the image of the City.
He said the buses in particular are pouring out awfully large volumes of smoke, and pedestrians and motorcyclists are most affected by the toxic emission.
He said he was behind one of the polluting buses recently when the driver revved the engine while waiting for passengers, leaving an elderly woman and a pregnant woman coughing while walking past it.
"This situation is totally unacceptable but the polluters are allowed to continue flouting the regulations," he said.
Kamal said the public generally feel that not enough has been done to deal with the problem and get such vehicles off the roads.
The integrated enforcement operations carried out by the relevant authorities are just too few and far apart to deter the commercial vehicle operators who knowingly pollute the air and cause discomfort to other motorists, he said.
"It appears that only a handful of the great number of buses operating in the City, including minibuses, would pass the smoke emission test because they are far too old and poorly maintained," he noted.
A spokesman for the Road Transport Department, when asked to comment on the matter, said they will usually hold a joint operation together with the Environment Department to catch the irresponsible road users such as bus drivers and motorists found to have violated the laws.
"The drivers of smoky vehicles will be compounded or brought to court if caught," he said.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008-WIDER USE OF MEDIATION

WIDER USE OF MEDIATION

Alternative Dispute Resolution among approaches in bid to clear backlog by April

KOTA KINABALU:

Officers of the courts have been urged to make full use of the recently introduced Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in settling civil cases that allow a win-win situation for both parties. Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, in making the call yesterday, said the ADR by way of mediation is now part and parcel of judicial process. Speaking at the opening of Legal Year 2008, Richard said that for the last few months, there were 26 civil cases disposed of through mediation in the High Courts while 19 in the Subordinate Courts. He said the ADR is one of the approaches taken by the judiciary to dispose of cases speedily in the courts. He hoped that by the end of February this year, the Subordinate Courts (Sessions and Magistrate’s Courts) will dispose of all their outstanding cases while the High Courts will attempt to do so by the end of April this year. “I urge all judges and judicial officers to be familiar with mediation process and technique as this is one way we can clear our backlog expeditiously,” he said. Richard said that for this year, he expects wider use of this process in civil cases, and in order to better equip judges and judicial officers in mediation process, there will be courses organized for them in the next few months. He expressed confidence that by the end of this year, the waiting period for hearings of both criminal and civil cases would be reduced significantly. He said that by September this year, the waiting period for hearings of criminal cases in the Subordinate Courts will be reduced to six months while civil cases will have a waiting period of 12 months. “By year end, the period will be further reduced to three and nine months respectively,” he said. Richard said that for the High Courts, he hopes to see the waiting period for criminal cases to be only six months while civil cases will have 24-month waiting period by September this year. “Thereafter we will reduce them to three months and 12 months respectively come the opening of next legal year,” he said, adding that it is an ambitious target, but with better case management techniques and the wider use of mediation process, it is not impossible to achieve it. On the pending cases, Richard said that in the High Courts of Sabah, there are 1 14 pre-2007 criminal cases and 475 pre-2005 civil cases, while in the Subordinate Courts, there are 7,450 pre-2007 criminal cases including 3,543 illegal immigration cases and 376 pre-2005 civil cases. “As at January 1, 2008, there are still such cases pending. In the High Courts, there are 83 pre-2007 criminal cases and 245 pre-2005 civil cases. It means for the last 12 months, the High Courts in Sabah disposed of 31 pre-2007 criminal cases and 230 pre2005 civil cases,” he said. In the Subordinate Courts, there are 349 pre-2007 criminal cases and 109 pre-2005 civil cases,which means that the courts have disposed of 7,101 pre-2007 criminal cases, including 3,503 illegal immigration cases and 267 pre-2005 civil cases. While clearing the pre-2007 criminal cases and pre-2005 civil cases, Judges and Judicial officers were also hearing current cases, especially the urgent ones and interlocutory applications, said Richard. “That is why overall for the last one year, the total number of cases disposed of by the High Courts in Sabah comprised 1,644 civil cases and 112 criminal cases. In the Subordinate Courts, the overall total clearance of cases included 23,855 criminal cases and 12,227 civil cases,” he added. Richard urged the head of prosecution in Sabah to ensure there are sufficient prosecuting officers appearing in the Subordinate Courts as it is now just a matter of months when the outstanding cases will have to be cleared. Meanwhile, he said the Mobile Court has had successful outings in the rural and remote areas of Sabah. “For the past nine months, 1,152 cases were dealt with. Most of thee cases involved certification of late birth certificates and attestation of documents. Simple legal advices were also given to those in need,” said Richard, who also invited members of the Bar to assist the Mobile Court in the project. “The Night Court, since its inception in May 2007 until the end of December 2007, managed to dispose of 130 cases. More will be heard by the Night Court,” he said. Richard said the Traffic Court in Kota Kinabalu disposed of 10,315 cases in the last 12 months, leaving a balance of 371 as at Jan 1,2008. As at Dec 31, 2007, Kota Kinabalu City Municipal Court, which was established in May last year, managed to dispose of 35 summons cases and 140 civil cases, leaving a balance of 53 and 265 cases respectively. “Although we have not cleared all the pending pre-2007 criminal cases and pre-2005 civil cases, nevertheless I wish to thank all judges, judicial officers and staff of the courts in Sabah for the good work done,” he stressed.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - RM500,000 THEFT

RM500,000 theft: Guard is put behind bars for 30 months

KOTA KINABALU:

A security guard was jailed for 30 months yesterday after he pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing RM500,000 cash, while a mechanic claimed trial to the charge. Magistrate Zaini Fishir @ Fisal ordered Frederick Anggang, 36, from Kampung Suak Nosoob, Taman Kepayan, to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest on Jan 11The court fixed Feb 26 to set the date for hearing the case against mechanic Justin Uisu 38, from Kampung Tanjung Aru Baru, and released the latter on RM6,000 bail with RM2,000 deposited under one local surety.
Frederick and Justin were accused of stealing the RM5 00,000 cash which belonged to Bank Rakyat, Kota Kinabalu branch at about 10.50 am on Jan ll in front of Eon Bank at Api-Api Centre here.The offence under Section 379 of the Penal Code read with Section 34 of the same Code provides a jail term up to seven years or a fine, or both. Counsel Hamid Ismail represented Justin while Frederick was not represented. According to the facts of the case, Jamlin b Vomilis, who is a security guard of Eon Security company, lodged a police report, stating that a bag containing RM500,000, which was put in a van belonging to his company, went missing and he suspected it was stolen. Police investigation revealed that during the incident, the complainant together with his two colleagues were instructed by their company to take a cheque worth RM500,000 from Bank Rakyat to be deposited at Bank Islam. At about 10, l5am, the complainant with his colleagues collected the RM500,000 cheque from Bank Rakyat and cashed it before putting the money in a bag and placed it on a seat at the back of the van. After that, they went to Eon Bank to collect RM600,000 which was to be deposited in Bank Muamalat in the State. When they arrived at Eon Bank, the complainant with one of his colleagues entered the bank to withdraw the RM600,000 while the other colleague waited in the van. When the transaction was done, they proceeded to the Bank Muamalat. However, when they reached the bank, they found that the bag that contained RM500,000 was missing. The CCTV at Eon Bank showed that their colleague who was waiting at the van was seen standing outside the vehicle and smoking a cigarette without properly guarding the van. There was also a man talking to the security guard. Meanwhile, the court set Jan 24 for fixing the date to hear the case of Ronie b Jasmie and a juvenile after they pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to steal a motorbike. Ronie, 21, and the 16-year-old juvenile were accused of committing the offence at about lam on Jan 13 at Lorong Sinsuran 4, Blok J. The court released Ronie on RM2,000 bail with RM1,000 deposited under one local surety while the juvenile was released on RM1 ,000 bail with RM500 deposited under one local surety.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008- SABAH WANTS CERTAIN FEDERAL STATUTES

Sabah wants certain Federal statutes

KOTA KINABALU:

The State Attorney-General’s Chambers is presently working with the Federal Attorney-General’s Chambers to extend to Sabah certain federal statutes, such as the Second-Hand Dealers Act 1946 and the Moneylenders Act 1951 (Revised 1989). Disclosing this yesterday at the opening of Legal Year 2008 at the High Court here, State Attorney- General Roderic Fernandez said Sabah requires such statutes to curb rampant scrap metal thefts and better control the activities of moneylenders in the State. Roderic said the Chambers is also working on amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976. According to him, over the past one year, the Chambers had its share of an array of legal challenges notably in the field of civil law. Owing to the peculiar legal landscape in Sabah which is as an aspect of legal pluralism, he said, the Chambers faces an increasingly arduous task in dealing with cases arising from administrative laws and Native laws. It is concerning native customary laws that litigation appears to be incrementally burgeoning due to a growing public awareness of this aspect of civil law, especially among the natives, he said. “Of particular interest to the Chambers is the increasing number of Native court cases going to the Native Court of Appeal, which is the highest court in the native judicial hierarchy,” he said. “Therefore, this is the right time for the Chambers to initiate steps to review the provisions of the Native Courts Enactment 1992 and all the Rules made under it in 1995.” Roderic pointed out that the Enactment and the Rules have to be revised so that whatever existing lacunae may be remedied.
“Native legal principles as propounded by the Native Courts, District Native Courts and the Native Court of Appeal must be taken into consideration and if appropriate, incorporated into the Enactment and Rules when the revision commences,” he said. “Such revision is very important because customary law provides a given social group with a reason for convergence rather than a stimulus for divergence. And in the context of the legal pluralism in Sabah, this is most relevant.” On the Mobile Court, Roderic said the recently introduced service has brought Court delivery system into the interior regions of Sabah and benefited the entire rural folks.
Meanwhile, Senior Federal Counsel of Sabah, Suhaimi bin Ibrahim said the Attorney General’s Chambers might appoint Assistant Public Prosecutors to conduct criminal prosecution in lower courts. “We conducted a survey to see how the appointments could be posted in lower courts in Malaysia,” he said. “The appointments are in line with the plan of the Honourable Attorney General of Malaysia to improve the conduct of prosecution in lower courts.” On the Night Court, Suhaimi said it has received positive response from the public,. and he hoped it will, be continued in the years ahead ‘This year, we will also see the full implementation of the new amendments to the Penal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code which took effect from Sept 7 last year,” he said. Among the important features of the Code is the shortened period of remand from 14 days to 7 days if the punishment for the offence committed is not more than 14 years imprisonment. A directive by the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak to dispose of pre-2007 cases by February this year has seen a decrease in the number of detentions without trial and will improve the administration of the criminal justice system.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - TOO MANY SMOKY VEHICLES IN CITY

Too many smoky vehicles in City

Kota Kinabalu could soon become better known for the big number of smoky vehicles, especially buses, lorries and four-wheel-drive vehicles, than its alluring natural beauty.
As a concerned member of the public pointed out, the vehicles that belch thick dark emissions are one of the two most ugly things in this otherwise beautiful city, the other being the perennial cleanliness problem.
Public Hotline has received a number of complaints about the mobile air polluters, the latest coming from Kamal, who expressed disappointment at the lack of serious effort on the part of the relevant authorities to overcome the problem.
Kamal pointed out that far too many of these polluters are allowed to operate freely in the City, posing a serious public health hazard and tarnishing the image of the City.
He said the buses in particular are pouring out awfully large volumes of smoke, and pedestrians and motorcyclists are most affected by the toxic emission.
He said he was behind one of the polluting buses recently when the driver revved the engine while waiting for passengers, leaving an elderly woman and a pregnant woman coughing while walking past it.
"This situation is totally unacceptable but the polluters are allowed to continue flouting the regulations," he said.
Kamal said the public generally feel that not enough has been done to deal with the problem and get such vehicles off the roads.
The integrated enforcement operations carried out by the relevant authorities are just too few and far apart to deter the commercial vehicle operators who knowingly pollute the air and cause discomfort to other motorists, he said."It appears that only a handful of the great number of buses operating in the City, including minibuses would pass the smoke emission test because they are far too old and poorly maintained," he noted.
A spokesman for the Road Transport Department, when asked to comment on the matter, said they will usually hold a joint operation together with the Environment Department to catch the irresponsible road users such as bus drivers and motorists found to have violated the laws.
"The drivers of smoky vehicles will be compounded or brought to court if caught," he said.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - OWNER OF DEMOLISHED HOUSE SEEKS EXPLANATION

Owner of demolished house seeks explanation

Chong disappointed house torn down for river expansion in Telipok

KOTA KINABALU:

Chong Yun Shin had never expected his house where he brought up his three children to be demolished yesterday.
And the worst part was that he did not even have the chance to see it being torn down.
"They (contractors) demolished my house without waiting for me. I wanted to show them documents to support my rights ... this is my land and I have proof. In fact, there is a case still pending in court to back me," said the 47-year-old from Kampung Sukuli, about three kilometres from Telipok town.
Yesterday, the houses belonging to Chong and his brother-in-law, Lajumin Ladas, were dismantled by the local authorities due to the river expansion to overcome floods in the Telipok area.
Chong claimed that notice of evacuation was issued to them on December 29 last year, and he

reacted fast by writing letters to the relevant authorities to explain the situation.
"This case is being appealed in court and we are still waiting for a decision. I have followed every procedure and have been a law-abiding citizen, but unfortunately I am not treated well. I am very disappointed with what has happened and demand an explanation from the Government," said Chong.
He admitted that the whole family moved to a new place to be closer to their children's school here but would, once in a while, return to the house which he described as a `kampung home', for a break from the busy city life.
"I love this place, it is so peaceful. My children grew up here and my wife's family members are so close by. I do not understand why they have to tear down our houses without even checking with us. What happened to all the letters I sent? No one replied so how do they expect me to react?" he asked in full desperation.
Chong said he had even contacted the Tuaran District Officer (DO) to demand an explanation but instead the latter had asked him to engage a lawyer if he is not satisfied. "Maybe I will do that and bring this matter to court. I do not think the DO can overrule the court's decision. Those who came to tear down my house told us that we were paid compensation but I never received anything from the Government. Show us proof to say that we have received the money ... if money has been paid, where has it gone to?" he asked.
Apart from demolishing their houses, the contractor, which is believed engaged by the Drainage and Irrigation Department, also disconnected the water and electricity supply to the house of Chong's sister- in-law, Ombotoi Turik.
"There are 11 people staying in my house, the youngest is my 20-month old grandson. How are we going to survive without electricity and water," said Ombotoi, who begged for a week to vacate the house, which was also scheduled to be demolished the same day.
The 58-year-old grandmother claimed that they were promised to be relocated and given a house at Bukit Payung, but to date, there has been no news on the offer.
"There is no compensation and no news whether we will be getting the house. Now, we are left with no water and electricity ... we are already suffering and this is adding to our problem," she stressed.
Asked on their next cause of action, Chong would be lodging a police report and hope the relevant authorities would provide him with the explanation.

FRIDAY-18TH JANUARY 2008 - BIGGER TOURISM GROWTH FOR SABAH THIS YEAR

Bigger tourism growth for Sabah this year

KOTA KINABALU:

Sabah tourism is heading towards a stronger growth and on the right path to reel in more tourists, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.
Masidi in expressing his confidence, said the tourist arrivals, especially for international visitors, have recorded a very healthy increase while current indications are pointing at even a bigger growth this year.
He pointed that a total of 861,491 foreign tourists visited Sabah from January to October last year, representing a staggering increase of 29 percent compared to 665,308 visitors for the same period in 2006.
Domestic tourists remain the main tourists group visiting Sabah after more than 1.3 million visitors from Sarawak and Peninsular spent their holidays in the State. This represents an increase of 10.7 percent compared to 1.96 million visitors recorded in the previous year.
Up to November last year, the total tourist arrivals recorded were 2.09 million, 17.4 percent higher compared to 1.68 million recorded in 2006, said Masidi.
This year, the figure is expected to continue to soar with more tourists, particularly from the Asian region planning to visit Sabah, he said.
For this coming Chinese New Year celebration, he said Sabah is expecting higher number of tourists especially from southern China, Taiwan and Hong Kong who are eager to spend the festive season in Sabah.
To cater for visiting Taiwanese and Chinese tourists, he said Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) will be handling an additional of 22 chartered and five regular flights from these countries.
"We are expecting the arrival of some 5,000 Chinese visitors for the Chinese New Year alone. We thank Malaysia Airport Berhad (MAB) for loosening the flight restriction schedule and allowing more flights to come in. This will translate into higher tourist arrivals, especially those from China," he said.
Apart from China and Taiwan, Filipino tourists coming to Sabah via Manila are also showing an upward trend, he said.
To further strengthen its tourism sector, he said Sabah is looking to position itself as a shopping destination in addition to eco­tourism destination.
"In addition we are also working towards bringing more high-end tourists. Now we are not only concerned about the number of tourists but also the amount they spend," he said.
With nine major shopping complexes being built and expected to be ready for operation soon, he said Kota Kinabalu will be an interesting shopping destination and it is only a matter of how tourism operators can capitalise on this new facilities for their benefit.

THURSDAY-17TH JANUARY 2008-ENTREPRENEUR SEEKS ORDER TO DECLARE HIM AS LEGAL OWNER

ENTREPRENEUR SEEKS ORDER TO DECLARE HIM AS LEGAL OWNER

KOTA KINABALU:

A local entrepreneur is seeking an Order of Mandamus from the High Court here to compel the Director of Land Survey and the Registrar of Land Titles to process his applications for agriculture land in Lahad Datu and issue the title deeds to him.

In his application for judicial review, Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor is also seeking a court order to declare that he is the lawful and legal owner of the 30 parcels of land measuring 305 acres at Kampung Dewata, Lahad Datu.

He filed the application through counsel Marcel Jude Joseph, naming the Director of Land and Survey and the Registrar of Land Titles as the respondents.

The case came up for hearing before High Court Judge Datuk Clement Skinner in Chambers yesterday. The respondents were represented by Senior State Counsel Zaleha Rose Pandin from the State Attorney-General Chambers.

Met after the proceedings yesterday, Marcel said the court put off case to Feb 26 this year for resumption of the hearing.

Abdul Rahman, who is also seeking damages and costs from the respondents in his application, was present in court yesterday.

In his application filed last year, Abdul Rahman said that in 1980 a survey permit was issued by the district surveyor in Lahad Datu in respect of the various parcels of land located at Kampung Dewata.

However, the survey plan of the land application contained several shortcomings and on Jan 24, 1980 the district surveyor informed the Sabah Survey services about the problems.

Abdul Rahman claimed that one, Ahmad Padtiatai was the holder of a Power of Attorney dated Feb 5, 1980 in respect of the 30 persons who applied for the said land. On Feb 19 that year Ahmad entered into an agreement with him whereby he purchased 305 acres from Ahmad.

According to him, on Feb 19, 1980 a substitute Power of Attorney was signed and granted by Ahmad to him in respect of the land applications.

He said that after paying the premium on March 30,1980 he was issued a temporary occupation license by the land office the next day.

On July 2, 1987 after due enquiries as to why the title documents for the land were still not issued to him, Abdul Rahman said he wrote to the district surveyor in Lahad Datu.

In his reply, district surveyor Wong Kooi said the department was seeking the advice from the Director of Land and Survey as the private surveyor engaged to survey the land had since ceased to practice and his whereabouts was unknown.

On July 30, 2003 a meeting was held with Director of Land and Survey, said Abdul Rahman, adding that he had already taken possession of the 305 acres of land and has since cultivated it.

Another meeting was held on April 1, 2005 between all the relevant parties chaired by the Director of Land and Survey but until today there is still no decision or conclusion on the matter, he said.

THURSDAY-17TH JANUARY 2008- YOU ARE BEING WATCHED

YOU ARE BEING WATCHED
Two of 20 proposed CCTVs set up in City

KOTA KINABALU:
Be careful what you are doing in public places around the city. You are being watched at all times.
This was a warning from City Hall Director General Datuk Dr Chua Kim Hing, who revealed that two closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been set up at Segama and Gaya Street here.
“The CCTVs are meant not only to further improve security and public safety, but also to help create more responsible citizens,” he said, adding that the images would be monitored round the clock in their monitoring room at the City Hall building.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday to announce the City Run to be held on Feb 24, Chua said the two sets are among the 20 CCTVs proposed by the police to be set up at crime-risk areas around here.
He said the two CCTVs were installed in the middle of last month and to date, several people have been compounded for committing even the most minor offences such as indiscriminately disposing of rubbish, littering and even stealing plants belonging to the local authority. “Everything is monitored. If we see anyone violating the by-laws, we will contact our men on the ground to nab them, and if it concerns crime, the police will be notified immediately,” said Chua. He added that more CCTVs would be setup pending allocation from the Federal Government. “The message in having CCTVs is not just to prevent crime, but also to educate the public to be more responsible. We can make the City a better place to be in if we all behave well,” he said. Chua also touched on issues pertaining to rubbish, saying the City Hall would be adopting the Litter Free Event on Feb 24. “Big events have always been associated with piles of rubbish, and it is time that the people are educated to refrain from littering and make it a habit to dispose of rubbish properly,” he said. Chua said the Sure Heboh was the worst scenario in terms of environmental impact as tonnes of rubbish were left behind after the event. “We want to change the people’s mindset. We want them to be responsible enough to dispose of their rubbish properly and refrain from littering,” he stressed. “In this respect, we have planned several programmes to educate the public, which among others include an Anti Littering Campaign to be jointly organised with the Youth and Sports Department, and it will see some 6,000 people collecting rubbish and cleaning up the City soon,” he said. Chua said they had carried out a similar project before and the results were shocking. It was held during the former Mayor Datuk Abdul Ghani Abdul Rashid’s time, which only involved City Hall officers and personnel. During that time, the operation was only concentrated along the roadsides and even so, there was not enough rubbish bags and the trips made by the garbage trucks were uncountable .... it was beyond our expectation and shocking,” he said.
With this in mind, this time the City Hall has decided to include the public in the effort with the hope that it would teach them the valuable lesson of maintaining cleanliness.
In addition to this, Chua said unauthorised advertisements, such as those pinned on the walls, bus stops, public phones and even those slipped into vehicle windows, would no longer be allowed.
It is an offence as it needs a proper permit. Besides, it is an eyesore and a public nuisance. Last year alone, we nabbed four people for committing the offence and would be charged in Court soon, he said.

THURSDAY-17TH JANUARY 2008- BID TO SMUGGLE COOKING OIL TO PHILLIPPINES FOILED

Bid to smuggle cooking oil to Philippines foiled

SANDAKAN:
The Customs Department here thwarted an attempt by three local men to smuggle more than 15,000 kilogrammes of subsidized cooking oil worth RM3O,000 to the Philippines via a ferry at the seaport here on Tuesday. Deputy State Customs Director Abdullah Zawawi said the trio aged between 30 and 60, were nabbed by Customs officers from the preventive branch following the seizure of 911 cartons each containing 17 packets of one kilogramme of cooking oil that were kept in fertilizer sacks. Preliminary investigations revealed the three men did not have a license from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to export the cooking oil.
Alert Customs officers intercepted the ferry transporting the 282 sacks of cooking oil, Abdullah told reporters after attending a meeting with his officers at the Wisma Kastam here yesterday. “Investigations revealed that the cooking oil was to be brought to Zamboanga in southern Philippines,” he said. It is learnt that those arrested included the ferry captain, a delivery agent and a worker on the ferry. Abdullah said the department would step up checks at ports in the State, especially to prevent smuggling of , cooking oil to neighboing countries. “This is necessary in view of the high demand for Malaysian cooking oil because of its high quality and cheaper price,” he added. Present at the press conference was Sandakan Customs chief Hajah Norizam Zakaria. Meanwhile, Bernama reported that the Kedah Anti-Smuggling Unit (UPP) thwarted an attempt to smuggle 114kg of cooking oil, 2,730 pornographic DVDs and 1,550 pirated VCDs, all worth RM35,000, to Thailand in an operation on Tuesday night. Its commander, Mohd Noor Idris, said the items were seized when a Malaysian- registered lorry, which was heading to Thailand, was stopped at about 6.3Opm. “Following a search, the UPP team found 114 packets of cooking oil, each weighing 1kg, as well as the DVDs and VCDs in a box hidden behind the lorry driver’s seat,” he told reporters in Bukit Kayu Hitam on Tuesday night. The lorry driver, 49, from Bukit Mertajam, had been detained for investigations, he added. He said that during the operation at Km 1.3 of the North-South Expressway at Bukit Kayu Hitam-Changlun, the team also seized 88kg of cooking oil in several bottles from four Thai vehicles. Mohd Noor said there was high demand from the Thais to buy cooking oil from Malaysia due to the high price of the commodity in their country, at about RM3.50 per kg, while the DVDs and VCDs were to be distributed to pubs and nightclubs in Thailand. He said the Thai citizens who were arrested, in their 30s and 40s, would be issued compounds for attempting to smuggle controlled items.

THURSDAY-17TH JANUARY 2008- SABAH HOTELIERS TO DISCUSS BAN ON FOREIGN FRONTLINE STAFF

Sabah hoteliers to discuss ban on foreign frontline staff

KOTA KINABALU:

The ban on foreign hotel workers in frontline positions will be among the main matters to be discussed when the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Sabah and FT Labuan chapter holds its monthly meeting next week. Chapter president Alex Cham said he is currently not in the position to comment on the issue as he will first have to get feedback from member hotels at the meeting on Jan 25. “For now I cannot say anything, but I can confirm that this issue will be one of our main subjects at the meeting,” said Cham, who is the General Manager of Promenade Hotel. On Tuesday, Ministry of Tourism Secretary General Victor Wee said the directive, which covers positions that involve direct contact with customers, will bring hotels in line with airports around the country in a bid to reduce migrant labour. “We want more Malaysians working as frontliners in hotels instead of foreigners. There are many Malaysians unemployed and employers should be prepared to pay more... we would like to implement policies to the benefit of Malaysians,” he said in an interview with AFP. Last week, the Federal Government said it would ban foreigners from working as porters, baggage handlers and even toilet cleaners at all airports in a bid to reduce the rate of migrant labour nationwide. Wee noted however that exceptions would be made for positions such as receptionists, where foreign language skills are required. He added that the ban would not damage hoteliers, who are being consulted over the timing of the imposition of the ban. MAH executive director Sarjit Singh meanwhile said that the ban would have a negative effect on the hotel industry, which is facing a general labour shortage. “Hotels here have never tried to depend on foreign labour but Malaysian youths are very choosy and do not like to work in hotels, probably because of the odd hours,” he said.

THURSDAY-17TH JANUARY 2008 - BRS TO CONTEST ALL STATE SEATS

BRS to contest all State seats

KOTA KINABALU:

Sabah’s opposition party Parti Barisan Rakyat Sabah (BRS) is organising an election briefing for all its divisions in Sabah at the Borneo Paradise, Beringgis on Jan 20 at 8am in its preparation for an expected early general election. - Its information chief, Dahil bin Masdik, said yesterday each division will send three representatives to the briefing to be conducted by officers from the Sabah Election Commission. BRS president Berman Angkap and the party’s adviser, Datuk Haji Mohd Noor Haji Mansor, will also be present at the briefing. In the afternoon, letters of appointment will be presented to the party’s supreme council members, divisional heads, liaison and bureau chiefs. Meanwhile, Dahil said at the party’s recent meet-the-leaders session at Kampung Taka-Taka in Pitas, Berman had stated that the party is ready to contest in all the 60 State seats in the coming election. The decision was welcomed and fully supported by party members, said Dahil. Referring to the recent statement by the Pasok president that the opposition parties had a meeting to discuss the allocation of seats, Dahil said although Berman did attend it, there was no decision yet on the seat allocation among the opposition parties.

THURSDAY- 17TH JANUARY 2008 - KIT SIANG TO VISIT KENINGAU TOMORROW

Kit Siang to visit Keningau tomorrow

KENINGAU:

Opposition leader and Democratic Action Party (DAP) National Adviser Lim Kit Siang will visit Keningau on Friday to hear the problems of the people, especially from this district. Lim will be accompanied by State DAP coordinating chief Teresa Kok, Interior DAP chief Paul Kadau said on Tuesday. He said Lim is expected to meet the people at Juta Hotel about 7pm. Paul disclosed that all the DAP machineries in the interior are ready for the coming general election. “I have set up nine election centres in this district to assist me in the campaigns,” he said. Paul said DAP would not face any problem because all preparations were going smoothly and the people’s support was very encouraging.