2009 Here We Come!

My cocks are missing!

How many gone?

Without any apparent reason more than 10 men attempted to traumatise a family of five from Kota Samarahan.

They did that by going on a rampage and vandalised their house and vehicles Friday night.

The couple and their children arrived home shortly after and could only stare in disbelieve at what the group had done to their house, which included smashing and overturning the three vehicles in the compound, as well as smashing windows and furniture inside the house.

Luckily the victims said they had brought their three young children out for a ride when they received a call from a neighbour informing them of what was taking place.

The husband immediately contacted his younger brother, who then went to the house with two other friends to check and saw the rampaging group thrashing the entire house.

Fearing for their safety, the younger brother and his friends immediately fled the house and drove to the police station.

A team of police rushed to the scene to investigate but found that the group had already disappeared.

In what looks like a Christmas wish list the thugs had also stolen about RM50,000 worth of gold jewellery, a laptop and a Playstation 2 game console, while 10 fighting cocks were stolen from their cages outside along with an assortment of vehicle repair tools and spare parts.

Fishy tale from Borneo

The South China Sea may be too big for two local fishing associations to ‘net’-work together and find the best solution to harness its maximum fish haul.

On one side is the Persatuan Usahawan Industri Perikanan Sarawak (Ikhlas) currently operating a deep sea fishing permit at Tanjung Manis Integrated Fishing Port, while on the other corner is the Sarawak Fishermen Association (Penesa).

The former has blamed the latter for not landing any big catch and making a false declaration of their total catch at Tanjung Manis facility.

Local fishermen were unhappy with the fact that foreign deep fishing vessel and crew from Thailand had been given local permits by Ikhlas to fish in the same area.

A spokesperson said investigations started after the committee chaired by Deputy Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister was formed last week.

Penesa claims that it was ready to take over the deep sea fishing from Ikhlas if the latter's fishing permit is revoked.

It said the association has about 300 deep sea fishing vessels and these should be sufficient to bring in enough catch for the integrated port.

While Ikhlas has 37 members, comprising companies related to fisheries which own 240 vessels.

So what’s the catch for the consumers? No big deal. Why? Because these people has been politicking about the issue for so long and yet no one is doing what they are supposed to do, that is to catch fish.

The only one profiteering from the bickering are the foreign fishing trawlers from Thailand, Vietnam and as far as Philippines and China, normally encroaching in or seems to be given the permits by the local fishing authority.

Each of these foreign vessels could land between 25 and 30 tonnes of fish.

Even the fishmongers in Sibu claim there was never any shortage of fish in the market.

They said that although fishermen went on strike in the past weeks, the supply of fish was sufficient to meet local demand.

One of them anonymously attributed this to the fish supply they got from the foreign fishing trawlers, notably those from China, Indonesia and Thailand.

"It has been like that for the past months and we do not foresee any problem as far as the fish supply is concerned," he added and the only difference, perhaps, is the pricing factor.

Guess what I've found?

Bad news for next year...more job cuts!

Just leave English alone

The Education Minister may decide on the hotly debated issue of using English for the teaching of Mathematics and Science in primary schools on Tuesday.

The feeling on the ground is that the English speaking silent majority in Malaysia are not overtly optimistic of the outcome.

If the outcome is not in favour of English then I think it is quite sad to see that the country that is trying to advance itself into future development is retrogressive in its steps.

I have picked a few recent topics from other bloggers such as from Rantings by MM says: “Our kids need to learn to speak English properly in order to get on in the world. That's not to say they should neglect their mother tongue and other languages. I happen to believe that children are capable of speaking more than one language easily. The key is exposing them to these languages early, as young as possible. Language researchers say that the best time to teach children languages is before they are five years old."

Education in Malaysia posted by Kian Ming says: “It seems a little ironic to me that the different 'nationalist' groups, who are usually at each other's throats, can unite over this issue because of their aversion to the policy of teaching Science and Math in English. While one may doubt the efficacy of this policy in terms of either improving the quality of English or the standard of Science and Math among our students, I have no doubt that reverting to the previous policy, without doing anything else, will definitely NOT improve the standard of English among our students.”

While Random Thoughts says: “My concerns are more on the education policies and vision and the lack of vision and direction are setting our children, along with that, lose several generations of young Malaysians. From the perspective of the parents there are several key issues. Firstly, the overall quality and standard needs to be improved. If any parents does not find schools innovative enough (I am sure there are many), there are no choices.”

So the fate of future education for our young Malaysians are left on the hands of the few who can make the decisions through their whims and fancies, without even referring for a consultation or referendum from the masses.

We'll see what the outcome will be.

Latest Update to Roundtable Discussion on the Issue on Tuesday, Dec 16

The options are:

1. To continue teaching and learning of Maths and Science in English as it is now.

2. To use Bahasa Malaysia or pupils' mother tongue as the medium of instruction from the primary school level and English for Maths and Science at the secondary level.

3. To start using English for Maths and Science from Standard Four right into the secondary level.

4. To use Bahasa Malaysia or mother tongue at the primary level, and Bahasa Malaysia fully at the secondary level.

5. Schools to determine the medium of instruction for Maths and Science.

6. To use Bahasa Malaysia or mother tongue from Standard One to Three, implement bi-lingual use from Standard Four to Six and full use of English at the secondary level.

7. To abolish the Science subject from Standard One to Three and incorporate teaching of Science in other subjects.

The findings from the series of roundtable discussions on the policy of teaching and learning Maths and Science in English will be handed over to Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein soonest possible to be tabled to the Cabinet.

Looks like it is quite positive, so far. Except for option No.7, which I think they need to review a little bit more.

Crab catcher's tragedy

Crab hunt turns tragic

It was his off day from work today and all he wanted to do to kill time was looking for crabs, never did it occur to anyone it will be his last trip.

The crab hunting trip proved fatal for a construction worker when he was electrocuted by a fallen high-voltage cable near Senari Port in Kuching.

Roslie Spuan, 20, was killed instantly after he picked up a fallen cable with his bare hands in an attempt to move it out of his path while looking for crabs with his 16-year-old cousin near an abandoned house at SungaiJenang.

His cousin, identified as Hamizan, said they had been looking for crabs for about half an hour when they came across the cable around 1pm.

He said Roslie began shaking violently the moment he picked up the cable and was unable to let go until he collapsed onto the ground.

The teenager then ran across the road to the Senari Industrial Complex and alerted several workers, who immediately went to investigate and later helped carry Roslie's body to the main road before contacting the police.

The victim's mother Leni, 40, rushed to the scene upon learning of son's death and broke down at the sight of his body.

The distraught woman, said she was at her workplace in Demak Laut when she received a call from her eldest daughter informing her that Roslie had been electrocuted to death.

She also revealed that Roslie, who was the fourth of nine children, was due to get married next week and that the final preparations for the wedding had already been made.

Roslie's fiancee was also informed of his death but she was too distraught to see the victim’s remains.

Bad night out

Caught with a shirt and a pant...

A guy found out the hard way that it was really so not worth to shoplift from a departmental store since with all the surveillance cameras installed all around in the premises to catch a crook like him.

The incident happened around 7.15pm at the Parkson Grand store at Crowne Plaza Riverside when a store employee spotted the 26-year-old local man stealing a T-shirt and a pair of trouser, worth a total of RM80, and placing the items inside a backpack.

Fast reaction by members of the public resulted in the arrest of a shoplifter who had fled a departmental store with stolen clothes on Monday.

A male employee then alerted his supervisor, who checked the CCTV security footage which confirmed the theft, and both waited for the man to exit the store before going after him.

The suspect took off toward the main entrance when he realised he was being cornered as the supervisor called out to several members of the public to stop the fleeing thief.

A number of them responded and chased the suspect to the main road where they finally caught him across the road at Sarawak Plaza, not far from the vicinity.

Police arrived at the scene and recovered the stolen items before taking the suspect to the Simpang Tiga police station.

Cutlery burglar

Missing dishes recovered

Can you believe that anyone would resort to stealing anything nowadays.

Well that was what happened here in Kuching on Friday when police arrested a suspected thief who later led them to the recovery of hundreds of stolen cutlery belonging to a coffee shop.

The incident took place around 11pm when an employee of the coffee shop was informed by a member of the public that an unknown man was seen entering and leaving his house at Kampung Tanjong in Petra Jaya carrying boxes filled with plates, glasses and cups.

The items belonged to the coffee shop and were transported by the thief to the house for storage.

Later the coffee shop employee with the help of a friend lay in wait as the thief, who turned out to be a tenant at the house, returned and tried to leave the house with another load of dishes before he was apprehended.

The 23-year-old suspect was then handed over to police and he later led a team of officers to an undisclosed location where the stolen dishes were recovered.

It was later discovered that around 400 plates, 120 cups and saucers as well as 380 glasses had been stolen from the coffee shop!

DUI driver cheats death

...and fled the scene

A DUI (Driving Under Influence) suspected driver somehow cheated death when his vehicle rammed into the back of a stationary lorry at Jalan Bako lateTuesday night.

The drunken driver, was speeding in the direction of Muara Tebas when he crashed into the lorry's carriage.

He was trapped inside the mangled wreck and passing motorists feared the worst until they went to check on his condition however to their amazement, found that he had only suffered a small cut to his chin and minor scratches to his arms.

Earlier the small truck had stopped by the roadside after having a flat battery where two of the men trying to repair the vehicle were nearly knocked down by the DUI vehicle.

The duo suffered scratches and bruises to their head and body, but were otherwise unhurt.

A passing motorist later sent the injured duo, along with the DUI driver to the Sarawak General Hospital for treatment.

However, the DUI driver fled the hospital grounds on foot as soon as he stepped out of the vehicle without seeking treatment, while the other two men were warded for their injuries.

School's historical building went up in smoke

Old school block destroyed by fire

Fire broke out at the SMK Kuching High here around 1pm which started at the junior lab of the secondary school.

The wooden structure built in 1974 was engulfed in flames which quickly spread to the school's administration block cum library built in the early 1930s.

No one was injured in the incident at the time when some senior year students are sitting for their examinations while the rest are on school holiday break.

The fire caught the public's attention particularly students and teachers as well as former students who rushed to the fire scene.

As the school is located on top of a hill at Jalan Mathies, black smoke could be seen for miles.

Taking back the street

Citizen Arrest !

Two of the suspects brought to the police lock-up

It was a classic example of angry residents taking back the street when they had had enough of robbery and theft cases happening in their own neighbourhood that they decided to take action instead of waiting for the police to make arrest.

On Thursday night citizen arrest action six persons, including a teenager, were arrested on suspicion of attempted house breaking and intimidation.

The incident began at Jalan Semaba in Kuching around 7.15pm when a resident at Taman Kim Lee spotted an unknown man in the compound of his neighbour's unoccupied house and immediately shouted at him.

The suspect, who was wearing a red jacket, took off into a nearby secondary jungle as the resident and several other neighbours went after him.

The group patrolled the surrounding area for over an hour but failed to locate the suspect, who had apparently escaped, and were about to call it quits when a van with three men inside drove up to them.

The trio, who were armed with a wooden club, angrily approached the residents and threatened to harm them for falsely accusing the suspect, who happened to be their friend, of attempted house breaking.

The residents, however, refused to be intimidated and fought back, sending the trio fleeing to their house, which turned out to be in the same housing area.

It was then the residents alerted the police who arrived at the scene to arrest the three men, aged between 26 and 40 years old, at around 8.30pm.

A check of the van found that it had been fitted with false registration plates and the trio were sent to the lockup pending further investigation.

Following the incident, the residents left the Simpang Tiga police station after lodging a report and headed to a coffee shop at Jalan Semaba around 1.45am where they noticed the earlier prime suspect, who was still wearing his red jacket, sitting not far away with two other men and a woman.

Realising he had been spotted, the suspect and his friends fled in a vehicle again with residents in hot pursuit in their own vehicles.

The chase ended at Haji Baki village when residents blocked off the car and apprehended the suspect along with one of his male friend. Another friend and a girl in the vehicle fled the scene on foot.

The police went to the scene and arrested the duo, who are both in their 20s, and brought them to the police station for questioning.

Based on information gathered, patrol officers went back to Haji Baki and arrested a 17-year-old boy who was one of the two who fled earlier.

Yo-YOGA!

Will Yo-ga with me?

I try not to get myself involved in controversy with regards to any religion as we all know we are living in Malaysia with all the ethnic backgrounds and what not.

But somehow the stirring of the ‘hornets’ nest’ issue at the moment is with regards to the so called Yoga ‘Fatwa’ (religious edict) by the Islamic Fatwa council is so hard to ignore or put out of thought.

That is why I try not to issue my own idea on it as you know it might be construed as sensitive as I am not inclined to or practicing the Islamic faith, where people will say ‘What do you know?’.

However there are some Malaysian blogs that I would like to share with regards to the matter especially with the intro from Din Merican on wondering what is happening in Malaysia.

The Other Malaysia blog also agreed that such a ruling is shameful even to the Muslim community and expressed the fear that Muslims in Malaysia are being policed and guarded than ever before.

Kehidupan Bozo questions the wisdom of the move and felt that the council should not try to control the thoughts and ideas of other Muslims.

It was only today that three rulers - from Selangor, Perak and Negeri Sembilan - have expressed disapproval that the monarchy was bypassed in the matter. – Malaysian Insider

Under Malaysian law, the sultans are the head of Islam in their states, and the King is the head of religion for the country.

On Wednesday, due to intense pressure and trying to be popular before his way out Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi added his voice to the issue, saying that "a physical regime with no elements of worship can continue".

So for now back to square one or status quo at the moment and probably to those who issue the verdict, - some heads will roll. More follow up on the issue, if I got the time.

Robbery in City

Robbers make easy picking of Ex-Cop's house

Police investigating the crime scene

Robbers know no bounds when it comes to doing their job, as even a retired policeman and his family were made victims of a robbery early this morning.

In the incident, armed masked robbers broke into the house of a retired police officer and tied up his entire family before escaping with over RM60,000 in valuables.

It took place just after 2am at a double storey house at Kampung Malaysia Jaya in Petra Jaya when seven men armed with a large cutter, hammer and knives entered the house through a side window.

According to the retired cop's 21-year-old son, he woke up after the robbers entered his unlocked bedroom on the ground floor and switched on the lights.

"They had their faces covered with T-shirts and threatened me with their weapons to keep quiet," he said, adding that he was then taken to his cousin's bedroom on the same floor and made to knock on the door.

The armed men first entered an unlocked bedroom where their 70-year-old grandfather and uncle were asleep and overpowered them before forcing them out the room.

The group then encountered the retired cop, who came out of his bedroom to investigate the commotion, and overpowered him as well along with his wife.

Robbers then bound the family hand and foot and taped their mouths shut before warning them against making any noise.

They even threatened to burn the family alive by setting the house on fire using a gas cylinder from the kitchen if their victims made any noise or attempted to escape.

The robbers then spent the next hour ransacking each room upstairs of an estimated RM45,000 worth of gold jewellery, RM2,000 in cash, six handphones and a laptop before fleeing the house.

The retired cop and his family each managed to loosen their own binds and contacted the police after making sure the robbers were no longer in the house.

A team of investigating officers and a police forensics unit rushed to the scene to investigate this latest robbery incident and interview the family.

In a possible related incident, a police Mobile Patrol Vehicle (MPV) arrested five men later the same morning after their presence in a housing estate aroused the suspicion of local residents.

Police received a call around 10.30am from residents of Taman Puteri located at Jalan Sultan Tengah near Santubong and rushed to the scene where they encountered a Kancil with five men inside driving slowly as though they were surveying the area.

The men, who are all locals in their 20s and 30s, were unaware of the presence of the police until they were ordered to stop and exit the vehicle.

A search of the Kancil then uncovered a ski mask, hammer, wooden club and motorcycle helmets, prompting patrol officers to arrest them on the spot.
The men were then taken to the Simpang Tiga police station for further investigation.

Road Casualties

Three bad accidents

Rescuers helping to pluck the trailer driver out

Three major accidents occurred over the weekend and today where it involved one death.

In an accident on Sunday a 54 year-old man died in an oil palm tanker and van collision at Bau-Lundu road.

A couple was rushed to hospital when their van collided with a Toyota Land Cruiser in a midnight accident at Sekama road.

It was believed the van was turning into a U-turn junction before the collision with the Land Cruiser leaving the male van driver pinned and injured while the lady passenger also sustained injuries.

Today, a trailer driver almost lost his life when he lost control of his vehicle before skidding into a tree at Bako road here.

A team of Fire and Rescue personnel from Petra Jaya station rushed to the scene to extricate the victim from the mangle wreck of the trailer after receiving information from members of the public about 2.30pm.

The 30-something victim sustained injuries on his leg was rushed to Sarawak General Hospital for treatment.

A job well done

Weeding out loitering youths

These are not what boys are made of - Police checking the weapons

Can you imagine that these weapons, a cleaver and short knife, were what the police found brought by loitering youths who were rounded up at the Kuching Waterfront on Saturday.

The police conducted a two week operation to flush out loitering youths at the popular waterfront after the death of another youth early this month. Refer to my Nov 6 blog entry.

Kudos to the police! Well at least the authority for now is taking note and taking action, however sadly after such dreaded incident happened.

The beautiful waterfront which is meant for the public to enjoy should not be tarnished by the act of these unscrupulous youths.

Diesel smugglers attempt got burnt

Marine Police checking the hidden compartment on the vessel

A skipper and his crew were suspected of smuggling out 18,000 litres of diesel believed to be sold to foreign vessels plying the international waters.

The total diesel seized during the raid was estimated to be worth RM36,000 based on the market price of RM1.90 a litre now.

The two were arrested by a Marine Police patrol during an operation near Kampung Goebilt here today.

According to my source, the fishing vessel was stopped around 9.30am where during the inspection 10,000 litres of diesel were hidden inside the registered vessel while another 8,000 litres in another unlicensed boat.

A local fishing vessel was also detained last week during an operation in Muara Tebas where 16,000 litres of diesel worth RM18,000 were recovered.

Sabahan found dead in Bintulu

Masdin's remains being brought up to a boardwalk

A body of a Sabahan man identified only as Masdin was found near Kampung Baru in Bintulu today.

The fisherman was believed to be missing on Monday after not reporting to work for one of the fishing vessel here.

A foster sister to the dead fisherman suspected there was foul-play involved as the employers and his colleagues did not report him (Masdin) missing as they ventured out to sea on Monday.

Four robbers bit the dust

Four men with weapons attempting to commit robberies were shot dead by police early this morning at Mile 23, of Bintulu-Miri trunk road.

Among the weapons seized from the scene were two home-made revolvers, eight ammunitions, three spent cartridges, two machetes, a cutter, crowbar and screwdrivers.

According to my source, the police who received tip-offs from the public stumbled upon the four men and when the police tried to stop them they were fired upon, while the other robbers were prepared with other weapons.

The police had no choice but to return fire discharging 14 shots killing the four men on the spot.

Police also believed that the four men killed this morning were foreigners involved in 19 robbery cases in Bintulu, including the robbery-cum-murder of a canteen operator at the Kemena Industrial estate on November 3.

The robbers were actually targeting two houses in the vicinity where one of the houses had one of the three dogs being poisoned and another house had its fence cut.

Fire victims received help

Remains of the fire after destroying the quarters on Sunday

Donations kept pouring in today for victims of a pre-dawn fire which destroyed workers quarters at Mile 7 ½ Penrissen Road on Sunday.

In the incident a Chinese man died in the fire which started at 5.20am while another suffered burnt on their bodies and was receiving treatment at the hospital.

The remaining victims who only had their clothes own are being sheltered at the Kota Sentosa community hall here.

The semi-wooden structure was mainly inhabited by contract workers who had rented each unit for RM200 a month.

Sarawakian killed by zoo tigers

The white tigers at the Singapore zoo

A Malaysian worker from Sarawak died after he was mauled by tigers at the Singapore Zoo in Mandai Road this afternoon.

Visitors watched in horror as three white tigers pounced on Nordin Montong, 32, who was said to have entered the enclosure where the tigers were kept in the 12.30pm incident.

According to news reports the victim, a contract worker, was attacked by three white tigers after he allegedly jumped into the moat at the white tiger exhibit at 12.15pm.

This created a commotion, which attracted the attention of a keeper who was nearby. Simultaneously, other keepers went to the exhibit to distract the tigers in a bid to rescue the worker.The keepers managed to rescue the worker and brought him out of the exhibit.

While waiting for the ambulance, the zoo veterinarians attended to him but Nordin had succumbed to his wounds. A Singapore police spokesman said the man was injured on his neck and body.Paramedics pronounced him dead at about 12.45pm.

Meanwhile, in a statement this evening, Singapore Zoo's Assistant Director of Zoology Biswajit Guha said the victim's family had been notified.He said zoo officials had sent condolences to the worker's family and would provide assistance they needed.

As a precautionary measure, the zoo authorities had temporarily closed the white tiger exhibit, he added.

REMEMBER THE PAINT ON KIDS TOYS?

I would like to share an email from my friend claiming that some cheap slippers in the market, obviously made from China are a hazard to the feet.

He heard it over the news from one of the local radios here that the authority has advised people to be extra careful with regards to these cheap imports from china.

These includes clothes, food, toys, slippers and even glasses because the Chinese manufacturers are using some strong but cheap chemical in their products.

"Cheap is becoming expensive and at the same time fatal. I nearly bought one pair of the slippers (photo above) for myself last week at the Japanese $2 shop at IMM last week," he said.

There is even photo of a feet having some sort of burned mark probably from the chemical reaction on the skin. So try to be on the lookout for any of such products being sold in shops around your area.

Plight of the landless land owners

Who owns our land?

This was what happened on Monday (Nov 10) in front of the state legislative assembly building at Petra Jaya where 50 protestors staged a peaceful demonstration demanding that their Native Customary Right (NCR) lands be safeguarded.

The group apparently initiated by the opposition assemblymen named themselves a Kembara Jaringan Tanah Hak Adat Orang Asal Sarawak.

They managed to hand over a memorandum to a representative which include six issues and problems while nine recommendations including for the Court to prioritise NCR issues.

Although the government claims that these people had settled in the area in 1970's which was classified as 'new settlement' (since the land law stated that those who settled before 1958 are eligible to be classified as NCR), it still remains that these people are the remnants of those who pioneer in developing the land.

I don't think that any of the authority ever land a hand in helping to clear the jungle and set up the settlement in the area. So what right has the authority to say that the lands are not the settlers'?

"Without verification, it's difficult to assist them..." said an assemblyman from Kemena, Dr Stephen Rundi in response to the protestors' earlier request for the issue to be settled.

What verification is needed? These people have settled on the land, they have farms, they have houses and settlement, what more proof is that? These people have approached the relevant authorities for the issue to be settled but their voices were not heard and their complaints ignored.

Sure this is the type of issue that should not be swept under the carpet by the current administration, as this incident may be one of many to come if not being handled well.

Don't blame the opposition for the fiasco, they have done well to highlight the issue, actually this was just the tip of the iceberg.

Just waiting to happen

Boy stabbed at waterfront


Grim sight: Police checking the pool of blood at the scene

A youth who was about to sit for his major examination papers next week died of stab wounds after involved in a fight at Kuching Waterfront this evening.

According to my source, the form five boy from Kampung Astana in Petra Jaya was last seen loitering at the popular waterfront around 5pm and mixing with some intoxicated youths when a fight broke out among them.

The next thing that happened was that the boy lay dead in a pool of blood near to one of the gazebos there with blood gushing from two stab wounds on his chest believed to be caused by a spur or a sharp object.

No one has yet to be arrested in direct connection to the incident but another youth was arrested by police near to the scene for posession of a knife in public.

The Kuching Waterfront, although a nice place for family and tourists to visit has been marred with the presence of unruly youths loitering the area and creating unpleasant scenes at times by drinking liquors, sniffing glue and also involved in immoral activities.

Although there has been numerous calls for something to be done to clear the mess and unsightly activities in the area but somehow the authorities, as always the case, are quite slow to react, until or unless something like this happens. When will we all learn?

Of course Obama won...

America Has Spoken...

Primary school destroyed in inferno

Totally hapless to fight the flames



The fire overview before the complete burnout

A primary school in Sebuyau was reduced to ashes late Monday afternoon when fire swept through its entire wooden structure, destroying hundreds of thousands of ringgit worth of property and leaving 156 pupils without classes.

The fire was believed to be caused by a short circuit at a Primary 2 classroom on the upper floor of the main block, was first spotted by the school's security guard who immediately alerted the school's senior assistant and acting headmaster.

No casualties were reported in the 5.45pm blaze at Sekolah Kebangsaan Tebelu where it destroyed the headmaster's room, staff room, computer and science labs, classrooms as well as a host of school equipment and RM10,000 in cash.

Villagers who happened to be playing football at the school's field also help fight the rapidly-spreading fire using available fire extinguishers and water from the school's water tanks, nearby pipes and drains.

Local Fire and Rescue Services Department reached the scene shortly followed by a second team from Simunjan roughly an hour later.

By that time however, the entire school was totally razed and fire fighters managed to put out the flames around 8.50pm.

Another food contanimation from China

Updated with photos!

News Alert!!
A maggot infestation in citrus fruit has become the latest example of a food safety cover up by officials in China.

Authorities in the south-western province of Sichuan hid an epidemic of maggots in mandarin oranges for more than a month, Chinese state media revealed today.

Safety officials in the city of Guangyuan knew of the problem on 23 September but news only leaked out last week after mobile phone text messages were sent to raise the alarm nationally.

The authorities in Sichuan were informed in September that fruit on tens of thousands of mandarin trees were riddled maggots but they failed to inform the public.

An official state news conference about the issue was not held until last week.In the meantime, the fruit continued to be sold across the country.

State-run CCTV broadcast last week that mandarins in some provinces were safe to eat but failed to mention the maggot outbreak in Sichuan.
The latest reports follow cover ups of both melamine contaminated milk powder and eggs in recent weeks.

Source: FLEXNEWS

Enjoy your Halloween wherever you are...

What has she done!!

This is what they do in the US during halloween cum presidential election date. 'Hang' an effigy of your (un)favourite politician in front of your house! The photo shows a mannequin which resembles Republican's vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin hanging on the noose, while on top of the chimney showing outrage is (guess who?) is a mannequin resembling Republican presidential candidate John McCain. The house is located somewhere in Hollywood. I guess they exercise their rights to freedom of expression pretty well. If this was in Malaysia some busybody may charge someone with Seditious Act or worse still, somebody could be dragged into somewhere with the dreaded ISA!!!

**UPDATE!!:The owner (identified as a Morissette) of the Halloween display has removed the effigy after a visit from the Secret Service and speaking to West Hollywood mayor Jeffery Prang. (So much for the Freedom of Expression thingy)**

With all the goodies around I try to keep fit on Halloween!

Return of robbery gang or just copycats?

Police looking for clues

Was it the same gang, or copycats wannabe employing a similar robbery operation which has struck fear upon city folks since last year with daring robberies conducted during the wee hours while their victims were fast asleep?

According to my source, early this morning three robbers armed with metal cutter climbed over a fence from the back of a house which is facing dense jungle and robbed their victims of RM10,00 in cash and valuables.

Once they managed to pry open a glass window, they used a gas cylinder from the house kitchen to break down the masterbedroom's door to get to their victims.

The 32 year-old house owner was bound together with his wife and son in the incident at 5.30am in their house at Taman Matang Baru.

It was a similar to the modus operandi employed by a gang of three Indonesian robbers who were shot dead by police on 24 Sept during a failed robber attempt at Jalan Rambungan also in Matang area.

The recent victim said the robbers were not even rude or being rough to them and the victim was convinced that the three robbers were Indonesians.

Look mama no clothes!

Peee..wittt!!! Cro-Magnon on the loose!

Life took a funny side today when a man was caught running without even a stitch on, except for his sling back, near the Kuching Interchange today.

The man with the scruffy Cro-Magnon look was believed to be high on glue as he was seen sniffing the illicit substance earlier on at Jalan Laksmana Cheng Ho already without his clothes.

However, when he realized that his act had drew the attention of the public he bolted right to the main highway heading towards the direction of Taman BDC.

Minutes later a mobile police vehicle tried to intercept him as he quickly ran to a housing area, but his antics was short-lived after being hauled by officers into the vehicle and believed to be taken to their precinct probably to be charged with indecent exposure.

Note: 18 SX – Photo may be obscene to some so parental guidance advised. However care has been taken to hide the private area.

Rainy days bring flooding...

Marudi town in Miri was inundated by flood water since Sunday. According to my source, the worst affected were areas in Kampung Narum, Kampung Dagang, Kampung Ridan and Kampung Padang Kerbau with between three to four feet of water.

The deluge is coming from the upper and central Baram, Tinjar and Apoh Tutoh made worse by the torrential downpour affecting the region.

Some of the flood victims were being moved to the evacuation centre in the drier part of town where they were given relief assistance such as food and clean water. The situation has been made worse since there has been reports that the town is also facing fuel shortage, while the flood disaster relief committee could hope for fuel supplies to come in for them to conduct rescue operation in case the situation gets worst in the coming days.

Fire burnt 'kek lapis' factory

One of the fire personnel trying to tame the flames with water

A famous 'kek lapis' (layered cake) factory at Jalan Astana in Petra Jaya was razed in an afternoon fire today.

There were however no casualties although four staff were working in the factory during the time of incident at around 3.55pm.

The owner of the factory, Rabiah Amit, 52 was however saddened that about 500 recipes of her famous kek-lapis which was kept in the office also went up in smoke.

The first person to notice the flames was Rabiah's 15 year-old daughter who alerted the other staff when smoke reached out to the roof of the building, they immediately vacated the building and switching the gas mains.

It was believed that the estimated losses amounted to RM200,000 which included equipment in the building, a 4WD vehicle and a motorcycle destroyed in the incident.

Fire personnel from the Petra Jaya Fire and Rescue Department were desptached to the scene to bring down the flames where it took 10 minutes to control the blaze and put out by 4.30pm.

Teen trouble

Two sixteen year-olds are the main culprit behind the robbery of a foreigner who was seeking a place to sleep in a mosque at Gambier Street. The two even impersonated as police officers when they appoached their victim, a 30 year-old Indonesian traveller before committing the crime at 7.30pm on Tuesday.


Police had identified the first suspect and conduct a search after they fail to find his hideout. However the police manage to make an arrest after they found him hiding at Lorong Cathay in the old section of Kuching city.

A body search uncovered a handset in the suspect's jeans pocket, believed to belong to the victim. After further interrogation the police was led to the other suspect at Jalan Ajibah Abol.

The two suspects brought police to the location at Kuching Waterfront where they disposed off their weapon, a meat cleaver used in the robbery. It was found hidden near a flowerbed.

The teen suspects also led police to the back alley ner Gambier Street where they found various documents, including an Indonesian passport with the victim's particulars on it. Police are believed to be looking for the suspects' two other accomplices.

In the incident which was reported in the local press today, the victim was spending a night at the small mosque located at Gambier Street when the two suspects approached the victim pretending to be policemen. Suddenly one of the teen robbers whipped out his weapon and slashed the victim across the right side of his face while the other grabbed the belonging including cash, handset and personal documents.

The victim was later rushed by members of the public in seeking treatment at the hospital in the city.

Glass bottles temple

Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew temple is showing the way to recycle glass bottles in an evironmentally-friendly manner. Build a place of worship with it! One million bottles were used in the construction of the temple located 600km north-east of Bangkok at Sisaket province in Thailand. Amazingly they also built crematorium, shelters and toilets entirely in bottles. Awesome!

Spidey was from Sibu?

'Spidey' in action for the fourth sequel of the superhero movie

This guy is not an Alain Roberts or a Spiderman wanna-be, nor does he need anyone's help for that matter, since he was up there clinging onto a steel ladder bar of a forty-foot high furnace chamber because of his alterego's doing.

The story goes like this; according to his co-workers, the 22 year-old man who is an employee of a sawmill factory at Pulau Kerto in Sibu suddenly went berserk as though possesed by demons around 6pm on Sunday evening.

He was aggressive to anyone around him, even to his friends, before he suddenly climbed up the 40 feet high furnace outer chamber and showed off some daring stunts to his unwilling audience.

All his colleagues were unsure of what to do and decided to call a 'shaman' (bomoh) to the scene to ward off any spell on the poor fellow but to no avail. Even the firemen were called in to secure the man from harm but was unssucceful as his antics went on for several hours.

Finally it was fatigue that grab hold of 'Spidey' and he decided to come down to the ground on his own accord, much to everyone's sigh of relieve. He could be arrested for causing a nuisance, however due to humanitarian ground he was sent to the hospital for treatment instead.

Fishy shocker!

A farmer in Sibu discovered this shocking find. A tin can full of mouldy version of his favourite black bean fish. He had bought the item at a supermarket in town and when he came home to open it, he was petrified. He did not mention exactly the brand, but it was obviously imported from China and the manufactured date was in 2007 and expiry date in 2009. If I were you, watch out for anything coming from that side of the world!

Week Commentary: What's Going On?

When something bad happens, it is quite natural for us to ask the questions: What happen?; How could it happen?; Why it happen?
Sometimes the answer may not be obvious but it is there in our society, the underlying frustrations, sorrow, unhappiness or just some demented souls that would be able trigger a violence, in a short spurt of aggression.

A woman today died a gruesome death because a simmering pain and anger for whatever cause or reasons to incite the worst in the man who killed her; her own brother-in-law.

The victim a 43 year-old Mordiah Hamden was doused in petrol and set in flames by her 33 year-old brother-in-law at her house at Kampung Tupong Ulu on Friday night.

According to the story, the victim's 35 year-old brother known as Salleh said there were four other family members in the house including his father, an aunt, his 33 year-old sister and her husband.

Recalling the incident, Salleh said he was taking a hower when the lights in the house were suddenly turned off and then followed by his elder sister's scream of pain.The wwhole family was shocked when they dsicovered the victim engulfed in flames where they immediaately came to her aod with a basin of water to douse the flame.

The woman who suffered 70 percent burns on her body died several hours later after being taken to the hospital here.

The 33 year-old suspect whom had fled earlier from the scene on a motorcycle surrendered himself to the police and is currently being held in custody for murder.

It is learnt that the suspect had a temper problem however according to Salleh the suspect never showed his aggressiveness, but instead keep matters quietly.

Although there were some reports that a dispute occurred prior to the incident, it was never confirmed and that nobody knows for sure what really happened and what was the real motive of the attack.

What is more frightening is that this thing could happen within a family constitution and that such an incident makes us feel unsafe of even the people around us or the person we trust. The person who lives under the same roof, probably share the same meal and enjoy the same interest and hobbies could be a criminal next. How frightening could that be?

Our ‘Uncle Jambol’ survives accident

There was something unusual when my colleague came back to the office with some photos of an accident. Normally I just took one glance at those kinds of photos and never think of it twice.

But this particular photo caught my attention and I just kept looking at it. Suddenly it struck me that the accident victim was no other than my long distant uncle whom we call ‘Uncle Jambol’.

According to the story, the 70 year-old man was a victim of a hit and run accident which occurred near the BDC area.

He and my aunty had just finished their grocery shopping and were about to head home, not far from the shops, when the incident happened at around 11.30am today.

It was believed that a black Proton Wira was spotted at the accident scene where it stopped for a while after knocking the old man, then sped off.

Some kindhearted students (thank goodness!!) came by to his aid and later one of his son arrived to help paramedics in bringing him to hospital.

Luckily my uncle who was a long retired policeman only sustained some abrasions on his face, hands and toes.

I hope that the police will be able to catch that damn cowardly culprit.

Jako tangkan ari Kementerian Kesihatan

Note: Kenyataan Akhbar tu diambi ari laman web Kementerian Kesihatan

KENYATAAN AKHBAR MENGENAI BISKUT YANG
DISYAKI TERCEMAR DENGAN MELAMINE

Merujuk kepada laporan beberapa akhbar tempatan dan
antarabangsa pada 4 Oktober 2008 di mana Negara Vietnam telah
melaporkan pencemaran melamine pada biskut jenama Khong
Guan dan Khian Guan dari Malaysia, Kementerian Kesihatan
Malaysia (KKM) telah menjalankan siasatan ke atas kilang biskut
jenama Khong Guan di Johor dan kilang biskut jenama Khian Guan
di Pulau Pinang serta gudang biskut jenama Khong Guan yang
terletak di Negeri Sembilan.

Pensampelan dan analisis dijalankan
ke atas biskut berkaitan.
Hasil keputusan mendapati 38.3% (18 daripada 47) sampel biskut
yang dianalisa daripada kedua – dua jenama ini melebihi tahap
melamine yang telah ditetapkan iaitu 2.5 mg/kg atau 2.5 ppm
seperti di Lampiran 1 dan 2. Bagi mengenalpasti punca
pencemaran melamine dalam biskut, pensampelan dan analisis
dilakukan ke atas semua ramuan biskut kedua-dua jenama
tersebut. Hasil analisa menunjukkan hanya agen penaik ammonium
bicarbonate mengandungi paras melamine yang tinggi iaitu 33.4
ppm bagi kilang biskut jenama Khong Guan dan 508 ppm bagi
kilang biskut jenama Khian Guan. Sumber ammonium bicarbonate
bagi kedua-dua kilang biskut tersebut adalah dari Negara China.

Berdasarkan keputusan analisis, KKM telah menjalankan penyitaan
dan pensampelan ke atas agen penaik ammonium bicarbonate dan
semua biskut jenama Khong Guan dan Khian Guan yang
menggunakan agen penaik ini. Pengusaha tersebut diminta untuk
menarikbalik semua produknya dari pasaran. KKM akan memantau
dan memusnahkan mana-mana biskut yang melebihi tahap
melamine yang ditetapkan sekiranya masih berada di pasaran.
Ammonium bicarbonate adalah bahan yang biasanya digunakan
sebagai bahan penaik dalam pembuatan biskut. Walaupun ianya
adalah dibenarkan dalam Peraturan-Peraturan Makanan 1985,
memandangkan ia didapati tercemar dengan melamine, KKM
mengambil tindakan tegas bagi memastikan keselamatan
pengguna.

Pendekatan yang diambil oleh KKM adalah menangani masalah
tersebut di peringkat punca. Dalam hal ini, usaha sedang diambil
oleh KKM untuk mengenalpasti pengimport, pengedar dan
pembekal ammonium bicarbonate dari Negara China. KKM juga
sedang menjalankan pemeriksaan ke atas kilang biskut di seluruh
negara dan sekiranya terdapat ammonium bicarbonate dari Negara
China digunakan, ammonium bicarbonate dan biskut akan disita
dan sampel akan diambil bagi tujuan analisis. Sekiranya biskut
melebihi tahap melamine yang ditetapkan, adalah menjadi
tanggungjawab pengusaha untuk menarikbalik semua produknya di
pasaran. Di samping itu, KKM akan terus memantau dan
memusnahkan mana-mana biskut yang melebihi tahap melamine
yang ditetapkan di pasaran.

Buat masa ini, KKM melarang pengimportan ammonium
bicarbonate dari Negara China yang diletakkan di bawah
Pemeriksaan Tahap 6 (Auto-Rejection) manakala yang diimport dari
lain-lain negara diletakkan di bawah Pemeriksaan Tahap 4
(Surveillance Examination) melalui Food Safety Information of
Malaysia (FoSIM). Dalam hal ini, KKM bekerjasama dengan pihak
Kastam DiRaja Malaysia (KDRM) bagi melaksanakan pemeriksaan
tersebut.

KKM masih mengekalkan larangan mengimport di bawah
Pemeriksaan Tahap 6 (Auto-Rejection) melalui FoSIM bagi konfeksi
yang mengandungi susu termasuk konfeksi tepung seperti biskut;
coklat, coklat susu dan coklat putih; dan makanan lain yang
mengandungi susu yang diimport dari Negara China. Dengan
perkembangan terbaru mengenai penggunaan ammonium
bicarbonate yang mungkin tercemar dengan melamine dalam
biskut, pengimportan biskut yang tidak mengandungi susu dari
Negara China dan semua biskut yang diimport dari negara lain telah
diletakkan di bawah Pemeriksaan Tahap 4.

List Baru Pemakai Bisi Melamine

Senarai Biskut Jenama Khong Guan yang Melebihi Tahap
Melamine yang Ditetapkan
Bil. Nama Sampel Keputusan Melamine
(mg/kg)
1 Biskut Soda 2.93
2 Biskut Lemon Puff 3.28
3 Biskut Lemon Pof 3.7
4 Biskut Butter Cream 3.76
5 Biskut Baby Fish 4.08
6 Biskut Healthy Cracker 4.21
7 Biskut Cocoa Puff 4.91
8 Biskut Sandwich Oren 5.04
9 Biskut Family Crackers 7.6
10 Biskut Bentuk Binatang 8.99
11 Biskut Rokok 10.2
12 Biskut Mini Puff 22

Senarai Biskut Jenama Khian Guan yang Melebihi Tahap
Melamine yang Ditetapkan
Bil. Nama Sampel Keputusan
Melamine
(mg/kg)
1 Biskut Creamy Chocolate 3.66
2 Biskut Lemon Puff 3.91
3 Biskut Square Puff 4.36
4 Biskut Cocoa Puff 5.04
5 Biskut Jagung Puff 6.46
6 Biskut Campuran (Party) 7.99

Keputusan Terbaru Produk Makanan Yang
Dianalisa dan Didapati Mematuhi Tahap Melamine yang
Ditetapkan
1. Amoy Flour Vermicilli (Shun Shun Fuk)
2. Animal Biscuits Chocolate Cream Certified (ZQ)
3. Coconut Biscuit (Bairong)
4. Creamy Peanut Butter (Lady’s Coice)
5. Creamy Peanut Butter (Skippy)
6. Crunchy Peanut Butter (Kinus)
7. Durian Cream Biscuits (Sanwa)
8. Magic Chew Candy (Cap Layang)
9. Marsh Mellow Blueberry Flavour Candy (Ego)
10. Marsh Mellow Grape Jam Candy (Ego)
11. Magnum Mini Classic Vanila Flavoured Ice Cream With
Chocolate Coated (WALL’s)
12. Peanut Butter & Chocolate Rice Crisp (Lady’s Choice)
13. Peanut Butter & Strawberry Flavoured Stripes (Lady’s
Choice)
14. Sesame Paste Cookies (C&OK)

Nota:Senarai produk yang telah dianalisa sebelum ini boleh dirujuk
melalui laman web BKKM

Ambi ari laman bukai

Note: Tu aje update ari Sarawak ke interesting agi kena Oct 14

Sarawak plans to build a railway link

KUCHING: Sarawak plans to build a railway link between Similajau and Tanjung Manis by 2030 to facilitate the transportation of goods in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said the railway project would be studied in conjunction with the development of the Similajau Port in Bintulu division.

"I think it will go to Igan (in central Sarawak) first. Beyond that, it depends on the development of the corridor," he told reporters after opening a parliamentary discourse on government yesterday.
He added that if the proposed halal hub and deep-sea fishing in Tanjung Manis, in Mukah division, went according to plan in the next seven or eight years, the extension of the railway would become more feasible.

"That’s our ambition to see before the year 2030 a rail link between Similajau and Tanjung Manis that will cut the time of transportation in the whole of the SCORE area," he said.

The 320km-long corridor in Sarawak’s central region was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in February and will tap into the state’s vast energy resources.

Earlier Taib said, in his speech, that Sarawak had the potential to develop 20,000MW of hydroelectricity and 8,000MW of power from coal-fired stations in SCORE.

"This will give us the ability to attract projects that consume a lot of energy, such as aluminium smelting, iron and steel, and glass manufacturing," he said. He also said the state would not focus on energy-intensive industries alone but would also develop the agriculture sector, particularly fishing and aquaculture.

In addition, he said SCORE would generate employment opportunities for the state, including 30,000 managerial positions and 70,000 technical and professional jobs.
"We will have to increase our educational institutions and skills-training centres in the next 10 to 15 years to meet this employment need," he added.

source: The Star

Pemakai ke pas nadai melamine - Baru

Senarai baru ari Kementerian Kesihatan pasal pemakai ke ngandung melamine (list tu diambi ari website sida):

KENYATAAN AKHBAR KE TUJUH BELAS
MAKLUMAT TERKINI BERKAITAN ISU MELAMINE

KKM ingin memaklumkan maklumat terbaru berhubung dengan
pencemaran melamine dalam produk makanan.

Pada hari ini, keputusan analisis bagi sebelas (11) lagi sampel
produk makanan telah diperolehi dan semuanya mematuhi standard
bagi melamine seperti di Lampiran 1.

Sekiranya pengguna masih ragu-ragu, bolehlah menghubungi
Bahagian Keselamatan dan Kualiti Makanan di empat (4) talian iaitu
03-88833655/88833503/88833652/ 88833500. Talian ini dibuka dari
jam 8.00 pagi hingga 9.00 malam termasuk cuti umum. Pengguna
boleh mendapatkan maklumat yang dikemaskini di dalam laman web
http://fsq.moh.gov.my/.

Pengarah
Bahagian Keselamatan dan Kualiti Makanan
Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia
12 Oktober 2008

Lampiran 1

Senarai B : Keputusan Terbaru Produk Makanan Yang Dianalisa
dan didapati Mematuhi Standard Bagi Melamine
1. Japanese Green Tea Stick (Green Tea Flavour)
2. Milk Candy (Omilk)
3. Soda cracker (Bairong)
4. Chocolate Biscuits (My Bis)
5. Orange Cream Biscuits (Kinshan Bridge)
6. Grape Layer Biscuit (Golden Fuji)
7. Milk Chocolate Peanut Sandwich Biscuits (Guang Zhan Yi Rui
Feng Food)
8. Orange Sandwich Cookie (Lai Li Hong)
9. Xylitol Tea Polyphenol Biscuit (Yi Yi Brand)
10. Crystal Red Bean Cracker ( Yang Ye Pacific Food)
11. Potato Gong Fang Cracker (Jia Yau Food)

Nota :
Senarai produk yang telah dianalisa sebelum ini boleh dirujuk
melalui laman web BKKM.

Komen Minggu tu

Manah endar komen presiden Kesatuan Guru Sarawak (STU) William Ghani Bina ia ke ngasuh siko ahli parlimen ngetu nganu pengarah opis pelajar negeri Sarawak. (dalam sundaypost ari minggu)

Ahli parlimen Bintulu tu bisi sekali ngasuh pengarah pelajar ngetu laban siko anembiak indu di sekula semak Bintulu bisi enggau orang bergaga.

Kenu ka William utainya lama dah nyadi, lalu anembiak indu tu tadi udah dipindah ke sekula lalu ngepun ke pengidup baru.

Ia madah ke anembiak tu nang pandai dalam sekula, lalu perangai ia udah berubah.
"Utai ke udah nyadi anang ngungkit agi," kenu ka William maya ia ka berkenang ke jako MP Bintulu ia ke ngasuh pengarah berenti.

Amat ka ia, anembiak indu tu berubah lapa meh MP tu ka ngungkit lalu ngenang ke utai ke enda manah ari utai ia ke manah.

Dalam jako ribai William madah: "As educators. we seek to help kids re-build themselves to have a better future, not shatter it. Maybe the MP feels satisfied by bringing the matter like this."
- "Nyadi pengajar kitai patut ngemansang ke anembiak, ukai ngancur masa depan sida. Lapa meh MP tu ngasai diri puas ngungkit perkara baka tu."

Bisi pengamat endar nya, laban orang ke berpolitik tu patut ngemansang ke utai lebih besai agi, baka ngaga jalai, diri ke jambatan, ngaga sekula lalu mai raban bala manyoh bersempuru berjurai ke masalah. Nama deka ngemedis diri enggau perkara ke utai mit bakanya? Nemu kitai utainya salah tang enti sida tu udah berubah perangai, nama ke disebut agi?

Nyadi arap ke bala pemimpin kitai nemu agi bepikir jauh, ngemansang ke bala ukai mina bansa Dayak tang pia maga menyadi kitai bansa bukai.