The eyes of Ipoh City

Visit Perak Year 2012 preparations gathering momentum - The Star

2012-01-06T10:09:00.000+08:00

INTERNATIONAL journalists and travel agents will be arriving in Ipoh alongside tourists during Visit Perak Year 2012.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said invitations would be sent out to members of the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities.

The organisation, with a membership of over 100 cities in Australia, China, Japan and Russia, plays a key role in helping member cities lead the tourism industry.

“We hope these journalists and travel agents will promote our city after returning from the familiarisation tour,” Roshidi said in his speech during the council’s full board meeting last week.

The tour, he said, would be organised by the Ipoh City Council with help from the organisation and is expected to take place in the first quarter of the year.

To accommodate the influx of tourists during VPY 2012, Roshidi said the council had issued 29 planning permissions for the development of hotels.

It had also approved the building plans of 23 new hotels, he added.

This shows that Ipoh has great potential in the tourism industry,” he said.

Roshidi said the council would also undertake several projects to ensure the safety of tourists as they moved around in the city, in line with the Safe City concept.

“We are hoping to get a RM2.2mil allocation to create motorcycle bays with locks and install pedestrian barriers along walkways, safety mirrors and warning signboards at 18 hotspots identified by the police,” he said.

Roshidi said street crime in the city, especially snatch thefts, had been reduced by 45% from 116 cases in 2010, to 59 cases last year.

Promise to close landfill by the end of 2011 goes unkept - The Star

2012-01-06T10:08:00.000+08:00

AFTER numerous failed attempts by the Ipoh City Council to close down the city’s open landfill in Bercham, residents living nearby have taken it upon themselves to ensure it happens this time around.

The residents are unhappy that the landfill continues to be in operation despite a recent announcement by Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim that the council would shut it down by the last day of 2011.

Gathering at the site yesterday, the group called on the council to expedite the closing of the city’s main dumping ground.

Kampung Lim Tan resident Capt (R) Abdul Razak Mohamad said promises to close down the landfill had been made many years back, but until now, nothing had been done.

“This has been going on for so many years and still the council has not managed to solve it.

“We appeal to the parties concerned to accelerate the closure of the dump site because it has been operating without following proper procedures.

“The pollution would not arise if the site was managed in accordance with the procedures set out by the Environmental Department,” he said, claiming that the stench from the site affected about 6,000 residents in the area.

Another villager, Teoh Geok Lim, 76, said the existing landfill had reached its maximum capacity and that it was high time to close it down.

Fellow villager Abdul Razak, 65, said a previous proposal to construct a new landfill at a 203ha site in Bukit Kinding, near Tanjung Rambutan, some years back never took place due to public protests.

“Now, residents in Papan are also protesting the council’s plans to build a waste disposal site in Papan. How long is this to go on?” he asked.

Taman Berjaya resident S. Sugunapala, 43, said he had been putting up with the smell of garbage for the last 20 years.

He added that there had been times when guests invited to weddings or kenduri held in the area refused to eat due to the odour.

“My three children also suffer from asthma, which is made worse due to the air pollution.

“We really hope the council can expedite the closing of the site,” he added.

Tanjung Rambutan village chief Ayob Zainal claims that the dumpsite is also used by drug addicts to carry out their activities.

Hulu Kinta assemblyman Datuk Rusnah Kassim, who was also present, said the landfill is still operating despite it now being the first week of the year.

“I was informed by the Datuk Bandar that the new centralised sanitary landfill in Papan is being constructed and should be operational by March.

“If this is the case, I sincerely hope the Bercham landfill will be closed by April as promised,” she said, adding that she had received numerous complaints about the dump site from the public.

Meanwhile, council Community Affairs and City director Zulkiple Jaafar Sidek gave his assurance that the landfill in Bercham would be closed by April as planned.

He said the new RM19mil modern landfill, to be built over a 224ha plot in Papan, about 16km from Ipoh, would become the city’s main garbage disposal site once it is completed.

“Although the said area is under the Batu Gajah District Council, the city council has been given the green light to operate the state-of-the-art centralised sanitary landfill.

“When that takes place, residents in Bercham and Tambun will no longer have to bear the horrible stench from the present landfill,” he said.

Perak aims at people's well being

2011-11-21T20:29:00.000+08:00

Nov 21, 2011

Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir tabled the state's 2012 Budget amounting to RM865.12 million and a projected deficit of RM50.14 million in the state assembly in Ipoh today.

The budget was divided into RM594.26 million for administrative expenditure and RM321 million for development of its people and the state, recording a higher deficit compared with the 2011 sum of RM29.91 million.

"I'm happy with the 2012 Budget, as more than 50 percent of the development portion is allocated to improve the lives of the people, who are the BN government's main priority. And the deficit is less than seven percent of the state's reserve," Zambry said.

He explained that the projected deficit was necessary to ensure continuity for the well-being of the people and it was not funded by any central government loan.

Apart from that, Zambry also informed that for the first time, revenue that did not fulfill syariah principles would be separated into a special bank account.

However, revenue from this account would still be used to fund development projects, he elaborated.

An allocation of RM18 million was made for the 2012 Visit Perak Year, which included maintenance and upgrading works for existing tourist attractions, he said.

The education sector received RM31 million to cover equipment, facilities and education loans, he said.

Describing infrastructure and public amenities as key to the state's development, Zambry said RM65 million was provided to the Public Works Department.

Rolling plan fund for house buyers

"Of that sum, RM31 million is for new roads and bridges, and to widen and upgrade existing roads and bridges, and RM34 million for development projects," he noted.

"A house is a place of shelter and a basic necessity for every family. With the awareness that house prices are on the rise, the state has formed a RM60 million three-year 'rolling plan' fund, out of which RM10 million is for 2012," he said.

Acknowledging their service to the country, ex-army and retired police would receive 7,000 lots of land for housing at a premium of RM500 each, to be developed by the Armed Forces and Police Cooperatives, said Zambry.

A Women and Children's Shelter costing RM1 million will be built to protect those who have been abused, neglected or abandoned, he said.

Furthermore, the state government has agreed to reduce by 50 percent the quit rent for office premises occupied by non-governmental organisations and associations, subject to one office per organisation. An estimated 5,000 such registered bodies are expected to benefit from the reduction," Zambry said.

The sitting resumes tomorrow with question and answer sessions, budget debate and other agenda.

PKMM Dakwa Tender MBI Dikuasai Kontraktor Besar - MStar

2011-05-11T15:10:00.001+08:00

IPOH: Persatuan Kontraktor Melayu Malaysia (PKMM) negeri Perak mendakwa terdapat 'kontraktor besar' yang menguasai urusan pemberian tender oleh Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI).

Yang Di Pertua PKMM Perak Datuk Wira Jamaluddin Abdul Rahim berkata kontraktor-kontraktor Melayu terpaksa menyerahkan lesen kepada kontraktor besar terbabit bagi mendapatkan kerja Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan itu.

"Maklumat yang diperoleh dari ahli persatuan, mereka tidak pernah berjaya memenangi tender dan sebut harga di MBI sehinggalah mereka menyerahkan lesen itu kepada kontraktor besar berkenaan. "Syarikat mereka akan mendapat kontrak MBI selepas menyerahkan lesen dan akan dibayar saguhati di atas projek yang diperoleh itu," katanya kepada Bernama pada Rabu.

Beliau berkata demikian semasa mengulas amaran Datuk Bandar Ipoh Datuk Roshidi Hashim semalam bahawa MBI akan menyenaraihitam kontraktor yang menjual kontrak yang diberi kepada mereka oleh MBI.

Jamaluddin berkata MBI patut melupakan soal hendak menyenarai hitam kontraktor sebaliknya memberi tumpuan kepada masalah 'kontraktor besar' yang kini menguasai MBI sehinggakan kontraktor bumiputera gagal mendapatkan pekerjaan.

Beliau berkata MBI boleh membuat semakan terhadap senarai kontraktor yang telah mendapat kerja bagi mengesahkan dakwaan itu.-BERNAMA

Kula eyes subway system, other upgrades for Ipoh - Malaysian Insider

2011-05-06T19:28:00.001+08:00

By Melissa Chi May 06, 2011

Kulasegaran said traffic congestion has become prevalent in Ipoh.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran today urged the city council there to plan for an underground rail system and more affordable housing to address growing congestion and urbanisation issues in the Perak capital.
In a statement, he said the city, about two hours away from KL, has always been known for its light traffic, but that this was no longer the case in recent years.

“Traffic flow used to smooth even at the busiest of times. But in the last few years this has changed. Ipoh city has over 700, 000 people residing an area covering 637-sq km,” he said, stressing the need to set up an underground rail system. “Many cities of Ipoh size have trains of this nature.”

Ipoh City Council (MBI) has set out the proposed Structural Plan for comments and inputs, although the DAP vice-chairman has hinted that it was merely a publicity stunt.

He said he had presented his views on the Ipoh Structural Plan hearing today, along with other local DAP leaders.

Kulasegaran said MBI first exhibited its findings in early August last year before extending it for another month. The lawmaker said the MBI should have extended this for at least six months.

“We felt there was lack of participation from the public. The lack of interest from the public is nothing surprising.

“It took over five years for the MBI to prepare the draft structural plan. Experts and people involved in the day-to-day work at MBI were roped in to work out the draft plan. Why then a short period of only 30 days was given to the public for inputs although it was extended for another 30 days?” he questioned.

He also pointed out that there is a need to upgrade the current inner city housing, as well as the need to build more to accommodate growing demand.

“Waller Court and Sg Pari flats were built some 50 years ago. Both these flats are not well maintained and they are in dilapidated situation.

“The occupancy rate at the flats is less than 50 per cent. Although hundreds of homeless people and many of them from the lower income group have applied to rent the flats, yet many are waiting in the queue for years,” he said.

Kulasegaran also said that there is a need for the inner city to be vibrant at the night, and one of the ways to do that is by upgrading the flats.

The shortage of housing in the inner city housing will continue unless this is done,, he said.

The DAP man also said businesses in the old town area have been affected by an acute lack of parking bays.

“Over the years, little attention and effort has been put by the local authorities to set up new additional parking bays.

“Worst still in 2004, over 60 existing parking bays were removed (near the water front project) and a mamak shop was allowed to operate there. Underground parking and/ or multi storey car park should therefore be constructed,” he said.

Kulasegaran said he had asked the state financial officer when they will be told of the outcome of their suggestions, but was informed that their views were only for internal consumption and the MBI is not obliged to revert back to the DAP leaders.

“Irrespective whether views submitted are accepted or rejected, the relevant authorities must inform and justify their decisions to those who have made submissions, otherwise this whole exercise of soliciting public suggestions and inputs could well be just a publicity exercise with no consideration for public accountability,” he said.

MBI Lantik Wakil Media Sebagai Ahli Majlis - Star

2011-04-23T07:28:00.001+08:00

IPOH: Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI) akan melantik dua wakil pengamal media sebagai Ahli Majlis bagi memastikan maklumat yang disebar kepada orang ramai lebih cepat, tepat dan berkesan.

Datuk Bandar, Datuk Roshidi Hashim berkata dengan adanya Ahli Majlis di kalangan pengamal media, ia akan mempercepatkan penyaluran maklumat terkini MBI kepada orang ramai.

"Saya merasakan sudah sampai masanya kita melantik dua orang Ahli Majlis terdiri daripada pengamal media bagi menyokong penyaluran pelbagai maklumat dalam soal pembangunan, undang-undang dan rancangan masa depan MBI," katanya sempena Majlis Taklimat Cukai Taksiran kepada Media di Bangunan MBI di sini pada Jumaat.

Sementara itu, Roshidi berkata MBI berminat untuk mempraktikkan konsep Tanpa Sampah yang diperkenalkan Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (DBKK) sejak 2008 bagi mendidik masyarakat untuk mengekal dan menjaga kebersihan di kawasan persekitaran mereka.

Beliau berkata ia merupakan konsep yang baik dan memerlukan penyertaan semua pihak dan beliau yakin ia akan mendapat sokongan warga Ipoh.

"Rombongan MBI telah melawat Kampung Cenderamata 11 iaitu kampung pertama tanpa sampah di Kota Kinabalu dan konsep itu didapati begitu berkesan. Kanak-kanak di sana pun tahu di mana dan bagaimana cara untuk melupuskan sampah dengan betul," katanya. - BERNAMA

Perak use riot cops to fight crime - Malaysian Insider

2011-03-10T15:51:00.001+08:00

IPOH, 10 Mac — The Perak police have deployed Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel to several police stations to help combat crime in their areas.

Perak police chief Datuk Shukri Dahalan said they had identified five areas where crime cases were a bit high, namely Ipoh, Bercham, Sungai Senam, Sungai Rapat and Pekan Baru.

Ten FRU personnel would be stationed to the police stations in these areas to help tackle crimes, he told reporters after attending the state police contingent’s monthly gathering here today.

Shukri said the deployment of FRU personnel proved to be effective, with the five areas showing reduction in the number of crime cases.

He said the FRU deployment was only temporary and that they would return to their stations of origin once the crime rate in these areas was brought under control. — Bernama

New ICW Office Bearers 2011

2011-03-08T20:23:00.009+08:00

The outgoing President, Anthony Augustine, delivering his final speech during the AGM

Here is a short video clip on the closing speech by Anthony:

About 40 members of Ipoh City Watch turned up on March 5, 2011 at the Anderson Old Boys' Cafeteria to elect new office bearers for 2011. The election saw Robert nominated by Antony Augustine (the outgoing President), become the new President.

New office bearers of ICW 2011

Outgoing President, Anthony, making his point about the nomination of the new President

Among the members who attended the meeting

Several new faces were elected to the new committee which include Dato' Bala, an opthamologist attached to the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital. Also elected was Rames of Ipoh Echo.

.... more to come

New attraction for food lovers - The Star

2011-01-04T12:16:00.000+08:00

THE site of the former Yau Tet Shin bazaar in Ipoh will be developed into a hawker centre selling the city’s best food, Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said.

He said the project would be implemented this year.

He said Ipoh was not only famous for its white coffee but also items such as salted chicken, bean sprouts and chicken kueh teow.

Roshidi also said the council would upgrade the night market on Jalan Dato Tahwil Azar and resurface Tong Sui Kai (Dessert Street) off Jalan Sultan Idris Shah to make the area more pleasant for the people.

He said this when launching the Perak leg of the Fabulous Food Malaysia Street Food Carnival which was held along Tong Sui Kai for two days recently.

Tong Sui Kai is located near the site of the Yau Tet Shin bazaar which was demolished in 2001 after it was deemed unsafe.

More than 100 hawkers took part in the carnival which was a resounding success.

Th event drew more than 30,000 people who eagerly sampled the various Ipoh specialities.

A downpour on the first day of the carnival failed to deter people from turning up in full force.

Event coordinator Tony Khoo said the haw-kers reported brisk sales and wanted the carninal to be held annually.

Khoo said the organising committee would speak to state Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman to apply for more funding so they could organise the event on a bigger scale in the future.

He said such events could promote Ipoh as a food haven.

“We will also liase with the Tourism Ministry to put more focus on Ipoh in their tourism calendar,” he added.

The Fabulous Food Malaysia Street Food Carnival was a nationwide event by Tourism Malaysia from Dec 16 to Dec 31. Ipoh hosted the event on Dec 20 and Dec 21.

The event in Ipoh was organised by Ipoh City Hawkers and Petty Trader Association on behalf of Tourism Malaysia.

From Ipoh straight to KLIA - The Star

2010-12-17T15:17:00.000+08:00

IPOH: Air travellers can now buy tickets for the express rail link (ERL) service to the KL International Airport and low-cost carrier terminal at the Ipoh railway station.

This would spare them from having to queue up at the KL Sentral commuter terminal to buy the tickets.

This follows an agreement reached here yesterday between KTM Bhd and ERL Sdn Bhd to make the Ipoh railway station a one-stop ticketing point for the ERL service for air travellers here.

Rail convenience: A KTM train at the Ipoh Railway Station Thursday where ERL tickets to KLIA are now available for purchase.

Travellers taking the ETS will travel on the electric train service from Ipoh to KL Sentral, after which they will switch to the ERL directly to KLIA.

Those travelling to the LCCT will also take the ETS to KL Sentral but will board the ERL to the Salak Tinggi station for a connecting bus to the airport.

KTMB president Dr Aminuddin Adnan said: “It will save air travellers a lot of time and hassle, which is crucial when they are catching their flights.”

“As travelling time between Ipoh and KLIA or LCCT is now less than three hours, this mode of travel offers the fastest option for discerning air travellers,” he added.

ERL chief executive officer Noormah Mohd Noor assured travellers that there would not be a long waiting time for buses at the Salak Tinggi station.

“Our train and bus services on the KLIA Transit line are synchronised.

“The bus will be waiting for passengers at the station,” she said.

The ticket to KLIA is being offered at a promotional price of RM65 per adult and RM34 per child while the service to LCCT is being offered at RM42.50 (adult) and RM25 (child) until Feb 28 next year.

The service was launched by Land Public Transport Commission chairman Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.

Snakebusters come calling - The Star

2010-12-06T11:22:00.003+08:00

By ROSHIDI ABU SAMAH
roshidi@thestar.com.my
Photos by SAIFUL BAHRI

Out of hiding place: Ho watches as an animal keeper hold a baby snake found underneath plywood in the village.

LOST World of Tambun has gone to the aid of Kampung MBI villagers in Buntong, Ipoh, who have been living in fear of snakes slithering near their homes for years.

The theme park dispatched its team of snake handlers to the village and they caught two snakes within two hours — a common cobra and another of an unidentified species near the house of the late R. Arumugam.

Arumugam, 42, died last month about a week after being bitten by what was believed to be a king cobra when he went to feed the family’s dog.

Headed by the theme park’s general manager Calvin Ho, the team caught the metre-long common cobra at a chicken coop near Arumugam’s home.

The smaller snake was caught a few metres away from the spot where Arumugam was bitten.

It was not easy to catch the cobra as it fought hard to resist its captors.

It took the combined effort of four men to do the job.

Ho said both reptiles would be placed at the theme park’s Petting Zoo for public viewing.

Earlier, the team conducted a briefing for villagers on snake safety awareness.

The snake-catching exercise, said Ho, was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility.

“We at the Lost World Of Tambun were touched by the plight of the villagers after coming across a report of their problem in The Star.

“As we have the experience, ability and knowledge about snakes, we felt we should share vital information with them,” he said.

Educational talk: Tayalan giving safety tips to the villagers.

The theme park’s educational programme officer R. Tayalan said in his briefing that people bitten by snakes should remain calm.

“Try to identify the type of snake that bit you so that proper medication can be administered,” he said.

“Also try to minimise your movement to prevent the poison from circulating faster in your bloodstream.

“Then tie a shoelace or rope about seven to 10cm from the bite area but don’t tie it too tightly,” he said.

Tayalan added that the victim must seek treatment at the nearest clinic or hospital after that.

He further reminded the residents not to attempt sucking out the poison with their mouth.

“It is not safe, especially for those suffering from bleeding gums, ulcers or gastric problems.

“The poison can enter the bloodstream through these open wounds in the mouth,” he added.

Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department senior ranger Hamdan Tak, who was present, said snakes do not usually attack humans unless they were provoked or frightened.

“Although snakes pose harm to humans, please be reminded that snakes are protected under the law,” he said.

“Those who come across snakes should contact our office so that we can capture them,” he added.

He, however, noted that most people sought the help of the Fire and Rescue Department instead of the Wildlife Department, which should not be the case.

“Call us at 05-2436645 during office hours if you need assistance to catch snakes or any other wildlife,” he added.

Watching the team of snake handlers searching for snakes around her home yesterday, Arumugam’s wife A. Palanimal said there were more snakes lurking in the area.

The 38-year-old housewife, who has sought refuge at a neighbour’s house, said she had no plans to move back to her home as she was scared of the reptiles.

“I have a three-year-old daughter Kalaivani, and her safety is my main concern.

“My daughter is afraid of the snakes and refuses to go home,” she said.

RM800mil projects in Klang Valley and Ipoh next year - The Star

2010-12-06T11:19:00.002+08:00

By DAVID TAN
davidtan@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Andaman Property Group, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, will develop six property projects with a gross sales value (GSV) of RM800mil in the Klang Valley and Ipoh next year.

Andaman Property Management Sdn Bhd head of sales and marketing Vincent Tiew said of the six projects, one would be in Ipoh.

In Ipoh, the plan is to develop landed commercial and residential properties while in the Klang Valley, the plan is to develop a mixture of high-rise and landed commercial and residential properties.

The pricing, which is yet to be determined, will be attractive to lure investors, Tiew said.

Potential buyers viewing a model of Andaman’s RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre project during its soft launch recently.

This year, the group launched four projects two in the Klang Valley, one in Johor Baru and one in Ipoh with an estimated GSV of RM350mil.

Ipoh is the group's focus as we have just unveiled the RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre in Bandar Meru Raya, he said.

The project is a 1,600-acre integrated, self-contained township in North Ipoh Growth Corridor, which is being developed by Perak government.

Tiew said the landed commercial and residential project planned for next year in Ipoh would also be in Bandar Meru Raya.

The residential component will be priced affordably to attract first-time home buyers while the commercial components will be marketed to local and outstation investors with competitive pricing, he said.

On the RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre, Tiew said the project saw 50% of its 102 retail lots sold during a three-day preview that started on Nov 26.

Artist's impression of the RM100mil Taipan@Ipoh Cybercentre project.

The three-storey retail lots, with a built-up area of 4,500 sq ft, are priced from RM688,000 while the four-storey retail lots, with built-up areas between 6,000 sq ft and 11,000 sq ft, are priced from RM1.5mil.

Tiew said there were two key reasons for the brisk sales the features of the retail lots and the location of the project, which is close to the Perak MSC Cybercentre in Bandar Meru Raya.

He said some 30 units had dual-frontage, which meant that they were accessible from front and back.

There are 24 retail lots with 770-sq-ft to 1,200-sq-ft land in front of them that can be used for al fresco dining and other business activities. These units cost RM50,000 extra, he said.

Mother of two fears snake infested home will claim another life - The Star

2010-11-26T13:57:00.002+08:00

By Ivan Loh

IPOH: Every day A. Palanimal’s family watch in fear as the snakes slither in and out of their home at the Tamil settlement in Buntong here.

“At times, the snakes are seen in the toilet. Sometimes, they sleep on a ceiling bar in our bedroom,” said the 38-year-old housewife, who now seeks refuge at a neighbour’s house for fear that they would attack her family - again.

The mother of two children said her husband R. Arumugam, 42, died on Friday after being bitten by what was believed to be a king cobra a week earlier.

Sadly missed: (From left) Palanimal, Kalaivani and Thivanantham praying at an altar with R. Arumugam’s picture in their family’s house in Buntong. Arumugam died after he was bitten by a snake.

Palanimal said that at about 8pm on Nov 12 her husband was about to feed the family dog when the snake bit him.

“It was the second time in three months that a snake attacked him, she said, recalling that her husband survived the first attack.

“I am scared to go back to that house now,” she said, when met at her temporary home in the village yesterday.

“I am afraid my children - Thivananthan, 16, and Kalaivani, three - will be harmed.”

Palanimal claimed that the snakes first appeared three years ago, adding that 10 to 12 snakes, including some poisonous types, could be seen slithering daily around the compound of her house.

She added that her late husband had made several complaints to the Ipoh City Council to clear the surrounding areas that were like a “forest in the middle of the city.”

Palanimal’s family walking through the undergrowth surrounding their house in Buntong.

“I just want the city council to come and clean up the place so that the snakes will not come into my home again,” she sobbed. Meanwhile, Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran said he would discuss with the family about taking legal action against the city council.

“The council could have just brought in bulldozers and tractors to clear up the bushes when the complaint was made,” he said, alleging that Palanimal’s family had lost their sole breadwinner because of the council’s inaction.

Kinta River clean-up starts - The Star

2010-11-26T13:54:00.002+08:00

Nov 23, 2010

IPOH: Efforts to restore the Kinta River “to its former glory” has started, with a task force set up to look into beautifying and cleaning its banks and water.

Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the task force, headed by the Ipoh City Council, also included representatives from the Drainage and Irrigation Department, the Batu Gajah Municipal Council and other authorities.

The task force would start a clean-up campaign of the 110km-long river by next week, he told reporters here yesterday.

Cause for concern: Dr Mah pointing to a video clip showing the polluted Kinta River in Ipoh Monday.

Dr Mah said the cleanliness of a river was classified under five categories – with a Class One river being the cleanest and Class Five the most polluted.

He said the task force would not only be looking at cleaning the river but also clearing the rubbish strewn in its surroundings, adding that the initial clean up would cover a 3km stretch between Gunung Cheroh and Kampung Paloh.

“The quality of the water there is mostly of Class Two level and about 20% of it is Class Three,” he said, adding that the Class One quality water was near Tanjung Rambutan.

“We want it to be restored to its former glory,” Dr Mah said, adding that the Kinta had been clean and clear river in the 1970s .

He said sewerage management company Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) contributed to about 40% of the pollution, followed by wet markets (29%) and restaurants (28%).

The rest of the pollution was from waste and residue from industrial factories, poultry farms and housing development projects.

Dr Mah said IWK had been plagued with problems involving its sewerage treatment system after people started dumping rubbish at its sewerage plants.

“They are currently handling the issue,” he said, adding that two IWK treatment plants had been set up near Gunung Cheroh and near the Yik Foong shopping centre in the city.

Dr Mah said four other plants at Canning Garden, Pengkalan, Waller Court and Wah Keong Park would be upgraded, adding that restaurant owners and wet markets should install grease traps at their premises.

Of Towers, Toilets and Tourism

2010-11-26T13:45:00.005+08:00

By Ian Anderson (Ipoh Echo)

19 Apr 2010: The Second Memorial Fountain

Today: the new ‘fountain’???

It was with great interest that I read “Perak Heritage in Limbo” in the last Echo (108) as I also attended the Forum as a guest of the Perak Heritage Society. YB Dato’ Hamidah Osman’s remarks were certainly to the point, berating the audience for their lack of knowledge of our local heritage and suggesting that we take a leaf out of other’s books and learn. I thought that was a bit hard considering the make-up of the audience from both public and private sectors, but maybe the overstatement was delibe-rate to spur us on to greater things.

Two Key Sentences

As I understood it, the way ahead for Ipoh’s heritage tourism was summed up by two key sentences that emerged during the forum:

“We must all love and respect our heritage, before showcasing it to the tourists;” and

“Heritage conservation should be approached both bottom-up and top-down.”

Later that day I pondered on these sentences and wondered just how many examples I could find where Ipoh was already following these key points on their way to restoring Ipoh’s heritage for tourism and so the following morning I drove around town.

The Bottom-Up Approach

From the point of view of “bottom up” there was not much to be seen, Jalan Ong Siew has gone, although I shall never understand why they could not have kept the facade and built the hotel behind. That has worked well elsewhere. Lam Looking Building has been completed and a pretty good job has been made considering the terrible state it was in, although the orange stripes don’t align at all with the original colour and isn’t it a pity they didn’t paint back the original name! Then a visit to the late Dato’ Seri Lau Pak Khuan’s old home in Jalan Datoh was thoroughly depressing, as the original roof has been removed and modernised and the inside gutted. It is also a horrendous shade of orange. Do these portray our citizens’ love and respect for our heritage? I think not.

…and Top-Down?

Then it was time to consider the “top down” aspects. This was easier because there are three government/city council projects under way on heritage structures/areas; the Old Post Office, Hugh Low Bridge and Little India. Currently the Old Post Office remains fenced off, but at least from the outside it is starting to look good with the majority of scaffolding already removed. Only time will tell what has been done to the inside with regard to genuine restoration. Then it was time to visit the Hugh Low Bridge where much of it has been rebuilt close to the original style, but why has it sprouted four concrete towers? That does not demonstrate heritage conservation at all, but rather shows absolutely no understanding of the meaning of the words by those at the top.

Finally Little India came into view complete with its brand new toilet and archway. What a terrible sight! Now I am well aware that this area has had a lot written and spoken about it already, but please bear with me for I believe that this is an important issue for the future of Ipoh, for heritage was one of the two key areas for Perak tourism identified by the recent State Government study – the other being nature.

1947 The E W Birch Memorial Fountain

Memorial Fountains Come and Go

Once there was a beautiful Italian marble fountain on this site. It was put there not by government, but by the businessmen of Ipoh in memory of the 8th British Adviser, E. W. Birch, who unlike his father had been good to Ipoh and Perak during his tenure. Indeed without his assistance, New Town would not have been built. However in the 1980s the memorial was removed by the City Council in the name of development. Then, funnily enough they managed to find room to build a modern (some would say ugly) concrete fountain, which they laughingly called the Memorial Fountain. But then that fountain also had to go for development – of a toilet (a memorial toilet?) – an eyesore that, as you can see from the photograph, takes away all the aesthetic view of the old buildings.

Ipoh’s Future Depends on You

Now my point is that a State Government Exco member is desperately trying to spur us all on to work for heritage tourism, but at the same time there is no evidence that this “top down, bottom up” approach, requiring love and respect for our heritage, exists anywhere in our city. If Dato’ Hamidah cannot inspire us all to start considering heritage in our daily toil then there will be no heritage tourism, no UNESCO listing and frankly, no future for Ipoh as a city of tourism. Not just Ipoh on its knees, but flat on its face, allowing others nearby to trample all over us. Is that what you really want? Remember it is you who has the future of Ipoh in your hands.

For more details please contact: info@ipohecho.com.my

Ipoh bans shooting of strays - Star

2010-11-16T18:05:00.000+08:00

By IVAN LOH

City council to use other methods to deal with stray animals

IPOH: The Ipoh City Council will implement a ban on the shooting of stray animals with immediate effect.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday after meeting council secretary Datuk Abdul Md Ariff yesterday, Petpositive president T. Anthony Siva Balan said the council had agreed to stop shooting strays and would use other methods to deal with them.

"The council will send its officers to their counterparts in Petaling Jaya next week to learn dog-catching methods," said Anthony, who is also Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) local councillor.

"They are also studying the possibility of setting up an animal pound to keep animals caught on the streets," he said.

He said the council would work closely with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in dealing with strays.

"A committee set up by the council will have meetings later to discuss neutering and spaying the animals," he added.

Anthony also said a representative from the council would visit the 75-year-old owner of Spunk, the therapy dog which was killed by council dog catchers late last month, to apologise for the unfortunate incident.

"Spunk's sacrifice was not in vain," said Anthony.

"Pet lovers can finally sleep soundly, knowing that their pets are safe from being shot at," he added.

On Oct 29, 10-year-old Spunk was shot dead after its owner left it unattended for a while to get toilet paper to clean after the animal.

The killing of the animal drew flak from numerous NGOs, who called for an immediate ban on dog shooting.

Earlier, several NGOs, including Petpositive, Noah's Ark Ipoh and the Ipoh Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, jointly handed over a memorandum to ban animal shooting to Abdul Md Ariff.

Perak's former tin mining towns linked to Sun Yat-sen - Star

2010-11-15T21:34:00.000+08:00

By FOONG THIM LENG

Dr Sun Yat-sen’s numerous supporters in Malaya played a role in the revolution that changed the history of China.

THE many former tin mining towns in the Kinta Valley hide a wealth of stories – of unsung heroes whose sacrifices helped Dr Sun Yat-sen change the history of China.

Perak may not have been Dr Sun’s base, like Singapore and Penang, but its thousands of tin mine and rubber estate workers were instrumental in raising funds for the revolutionary’s activities.

Dr Sun, who played a key role in inspiring the 1911 Revolution which brought an end to the Qing Dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China, is best remembered as the founding father of Republican China. But not much is known about his activities in then Malaya.

The words of Dr Sun Yat-sen are inscribed on a wall of the Sun Yat-sen Gallery in the Perak Cave Temple.

Stories from small, old towns are normally carried down the generations by word of mouth. Much information may have been lost along the way, and even the descendants of Dr Sun’s supporters have little to tell.

So it is not surprising that few have heard stories like Dr Sun’s romantic link with his bodyguard’s sister, Chen Cuifen, while in Nanyang (South-East Asia).

Chen from Fujian met Dr Sun when she was 17. Extremely dedicated to Dr Sun and his cause, Chen was his constant companion in Nanyang. She washed, cooked for many of Dr Sun’s comrades, delivered important documents, and even smuggled dangerous explosives.

Chen and Dr Sun’s first wife, Lu Muzhen, treated each other like sisters. Although not officially married, she was known as Dr Sun’s Nanyang wife to his descendants.

Family photos: A picture of Chen Cuifen and Dr Sun Yat-sen at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Museum in Guangzhou.

On her death, she was allowed to be buried in the Sun’s family cemetery in Cuiheng village, Guangdong, China.

Chen adopted a daughter, Su Zhongying, from a rubber estate worker in Perak. Su later married Sun Qian, a grandson of Sun Mei who was Dr Sun’s elder brother.

Renowned historian Prof Yen Ching-hwang said in his doctoral thesis, Chinese Revolutionary Movement In Malaya 1900-1911, that Dr Sun’s first trip to Ipoh in 1906 ended abruptly when he was threatened by well-known tin miner Foo Choo Choon who was backing a different political camp in China. Dr Sun returned to Kuala Lumpur the following day.

According to the late Foong Choon Hon, a director of the Sun Yat-sen Nanyang Memorial Hall in Singapore, on one occasion, stones and cow dung were hurled at the car carrying Dr Sun in Menglembu near Ipoh.

Foong said Dr Sun had also stayed in a shop belonging to his supporter Lee Guan Swee in Old Town, Ipoh. He would only leave the shop at night using the back lane for fear of assassins.

Chen Cuifen’s adopted daughter Su Zhongying was from Perak.

Dr Sun’s bad experiences with rich merchants made him realise that his core support came from the middle and lower social groups of overseas Chinese communities. His supporters organised themselves into small groups and were active in propaganda activities in the Perak towns of Lahat, Papan and Tronoh.

One of Dr Sun’s most loyal supporters was entrepreneur Teh Lay Seng from Ipoh.

When Teh passed away in Nanjing, China, in 1940, the Chinese Republican Government posthumously decorated him with words of praise: Benevolence and Loyalty, Honour and Peace were inscribed on his tombstone at the Hokkien Cemetery in Tambun. His sundry shop Keat Seng Leong is still being run by his descendants in Jalan Bijeh Timah, Ipoh

Lee Guan Swee, also from Ipoh, was another prominent supporter. The English-educated Lee was one of Dr Sun’s most trusted aides in South-East Asia. He spared no effort in raising funds for the revolution. Other supporters from Ipoh included Ke Shuijin, Ou Shengang, Li Xiaozhang, Tang Boling, Liu Yexing, Huang Yiyi and Liang Shennan.

Dr Sun also had the backing of Lu Wenhui and Chen Zhian from Taiping, and Yang Chaodong from Kampar.

The Perak Cave Temple with a gallery on Sun Yat-sen in Ipoh.

Together they formed the Tung Meng Hui (the revolutionary Union League) in towns in the Kinta Valley, clubs and drama troupes, to spread their propaganda. One such drama troupe in Ipoh was the Perak Chisin Seah which later became the Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatic Association.

Dr Sun’s supporters addressed the general public at street corners, along roadsides and parks, and attacked the Qing government and Qing reformists, besides preaching revolutionary doctrines.

Dr Sun’s political career was marked by a series of failed uprisings. Between 1907 and 1910, several revolts at the Sino-Vietnamese border and Guangdong in China failed because of insufficient financial support and military supplies.

The now-defunct Straits Echo in Penang condemned Dr Sun and the revolutionary movement, saying that Dr Sun was all money talk and did not have anything to show for the stream of gold that flowed his way.

Dr Sun’s supporters also met with resistance from merchants who were sympathetic to calls for political change in China, but who were aligned to reformist Kang You-wei. Many of the rich were supporters of the Qing government which offered honorary titles and positions to them.

The house where Chen Cuifen and Dr Sun Yat Sen stayed when they were in Taiping which is now a coffee powder factory.

On Nov 13, 1910, Dr Sun held the important “Penang Conference” at Armenian Street in Penang. He made an emotional appeal for funds but many rich Chinese businessmen were reluctant to associate with revolutionary politics as they were under the watchful eyes of the British in the Straits Settlements. The Penang contribution only came up to $11,500 (Straits dollars).

After the conference, fundraising campaigns were carried out in Ipoh, Taiping and Kampar, and they managed to hit the targeted $50,000 – a princely sum then.

The tin mine workers in the Kinta Valley, who were driven out of their homeland in China by poverty and the corrupt Qing government, were all fired up by Dr Sun’s revolutionary call.

It was said that the workers alone contributed $10,000 following the Second Guangzhou Uprising in April, 1911.

This was no small sum as the workers earned an average $8 to $9 a month.

A certificate signed by Sun Wen, Dr Sun Yat-sen’s birth name, in 1912 presented to the Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatic Association in appreciation of raising funds during the Canton Floods and other charitable acts.

After deducting expenses for daily necessities, the worker could at the most save $4. He had to send money home to family members in China, after which he would be left with $1 to $2 a month. Going by the amount collected, the workers must have scrimped and saved every cent they could for the cause of the revolution.

A prominent revolutionary leader Hu Hanmin said: “These workers were so enthusiastic in donating funds. They often donated between $20 and $30 to the revolution. Some even wrote down their names first and tried to pay up later.”

Besides the tin mine workers, other members of the lower social group such as hawkers, rickshaw pullers and beggars also contributed to the cause of the revolution.

The success of the fundraising campaigns in Malaya served as an impetus for similar fund-raisers by the overseas Chinese in other parts of South-East Asia and America.

Some residents in the mining towns even sacrificed their lives for the sake of the revolution.

Gopeng Museum curator Phang See Kong said a Hakka tin mine worker, Wen Sheng-cai, from Kopisan near Gopeng, was so taken by a speech delivered by Dr Sun that he returned to China and tried to assassinate Qing official Admiral Li Zhun in Canton. His attempt failed and he was captured and killed.

Phang said three Gopeng residents, Eu Tong Hong, Wan Sang Choy and Kok King Mak, later took part in the Second Guangzhou Uprising and were killed. Their names are included in the list of 72 martyrs at the Huanghuagang Memorial Park in Guangzhou.

Revolutionary activities were again stirred up when news of the Wuchang Uprising reached the people.

On Oct 10, 1911, the New Army in Wuchang revolted and seized power, marking the start of the Xinhai Revolution or the Chinese Revolution, which eventually saw the end of more than 2,000 years of imperial rule in China.

Large-scale public meetings were held in Ipoh under the auspices of the Tung Meng Hui, the underground resistance movement organised by Dr Sun. As a result of the inflammatory speeches by supporter Teh Lay Seng, more than $8,000 was collected on the spot.

On Nov 3, 1911, mass meetings held to raise funds for the revolution were reported to have attracted some 4,000 to 5,000 sympathisers in Ipoh.

About 2,000 tin mine workers from Perak were said to have left for Guangzhou within a fortnight after the Oct 10 Revolution, to join in the uprising. Those that remained behind did all they could to raise funds for the cause.

Tin miner Foo Choo Choon, who by then had switched allegiance to Dr Sun, was appointed chief fund-raising officer in South-East Asia and $234,000 was remitted from Malaya and Singapore to help the revolutionaries secure Fujian Province.

Dr Sun termed the overseas Chinese as the “Mother of the Revolution” as their financial contribution was indispensable to the success of the revolution.

In later years, tycoons in Perak, including Datuk Seri Lau Pak Kuan, Leong Sin Nam and Foong Seong, who were Tung Meng Hui leaders, continued to support Dr Sun and his new Kuomintang government.

Perak once had the most number of Tung Meng Hui members in the country.

Ipoh Chinese Chin Woo Athletic Association vice-chairman Datuk Ooi Foh Sing recalls that students in Yit Ching Primary School in Pusing where he studied, used to raise the Kuomintang flag and sang patriotic songs with verses from Dr Sun’s San Ming Chu Yi (Three Principles of the People) every Monday during assembly.

“There was an arch with the image of the Kuomintang flag on one side and the British King on the other side during the Double 10 celebrations,” he says.

Today, many of the buildings in Lahat, Pusing, Gopeng, Papan, Tronoh and Kampar where Dr Sun and his supporters had visited, have been demolished.

Dr Sun and his supporters were said to have held meetings at the Oi Low Club in Gopeng, the Anglo-Chinese Club in Papan, the Wah Seong Kok literary association in Kampar, and Teh Lay Seng’s bungalow in Jalan Sungai Pari, Ipoh.

Today, only remnants of the foundation of the Oi Low Club are visible at the site, while a four-storey building stands where the Wah Seong Kok association once stood. Teh’s residence has also been demolished to make way for development.

Few residents in Lahat remember that a settlement opposite the town was once known as Kap Meng Chun (Revolution Village) because the residents were Dr Sun’s supporters.

A cinema named in memory of Dr Sun, The Sun in Ipoh which locals called Chung Shan theatre beside the Kinta River, has also been torn down.

Other buildings established in memory of Dr Sun, including SJKC Chung Shan school in Ipoh, SJKC Chung Sun in Tronoh and SJKC San Min school in Teluk Intan are still in existence.

The Kin Kwok Daily News building in Old Town, Ipoh, still stands. The now-defunct Chinese newspaper was started by a Kuomintang supporter before World War II. The original masthead of the paper was written by Yu Youren, a Kuomintang scholar.

Perak Cave Temple chairman Chong Yin Chat said Yu was a friend of his father Chong Seng Yee, who was the last batch of graduates of the prestigious Whampoa Military Academy in Guangzhou.

Yin Chat had set up a Sun Yat-sen Gallery at the temple in 1995 in honour of the Father of Modern China.

On display at the gallery are photographs of Dr Sun, a bust presented by the Sun Yat Sen memorial museum in Taiwan, calligraphy works and reproductions of letters by Dr Sun.

An oil painting of Dr Sun in official uniform, graces the hall of the Perak Chinese Amateur Dramatic Association.

A framed certificate with the autograph of Sun Wen (Dr Sun’s birth name) dated 1912, expressing appreciation to the association for its efforts in raising funds for the Canton floods and other charitable acts, hangs proudly from the wall.

In Assam Kumbang, Taiping, the Chang Chun Pu bungalow or Evergreen Mansion, where Dr Sun and Chen Cuifen once stayed, is now owned by Aun Tong Sdn Bhd, a coffee powder manufacturing factory.

As these relics from the past lay largely forgotten by the masses, the few who remember them cherish the rich legacy and their vital links with an indomitable man who eventually became known as the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China.

Several descendants of Dr Sun from all over the world are expected to be in Penang between Nov 19 and 22 to attend the 22nd joint conference of the Sun Yat-sen and Soong Ching-ling memorials in conjunction with the International Centennial Celebrations of Sun Yat-sen’s ‘Penang Conference’.

First Orang Asli male called to the Bar

2010-10-23T13:11:00.000+08:00

A 57-year-old Orang Asli lawyer called to the Bar at the Ipoh High Court yesterday has vowed to fight for the long denied basis rights of his marginalised community.

Amani Willams-Hunt Abdullah, of mixed English-Orang Asli parentage, is the first male to be called to the bar in the country and the third in the community after two females before him. He is the husband of Open University Malaysia, Perak Regional Centre's student, Khatimatul Husna Zainuddin

He said that the basic rights of his community as enshrined in Article 8(5)(c) of the federal constitution have been ignored by both the federal and state governments in the last 53 years,

Abdullah (left with his wife and lawyer Anthony in photo) pointed out that the article does not invalidate or prohibit any provision for the protection, well-being or advancement of the aboriginal peoples of the Malay peninsular (including the reservation of land) or the reservation to aborigines a reasonable proportion of suitable positions in the public service.

He said much hype and importance has been given to Article 153 of the constitution which ensures reservation of quotas in respect of services, permits etc for Malays and the natives of Sabah and Sarawak.

However, the Orang Asli, the natives of Malaya, have been marginalised and not been given the same importance and such implementation as enshrined in the article.

Hence Amani, a former president of the Association of Aborigines of Peninsular Malaysia, wants to correct this social economic imbalance of his community in terms of land, education, employment and other economic opportunities as enjoyed by other Malaysians.

'Law is the cement of society'

The economics graduate and former banker who believes that "law is the cement of society", has chosen the legal profession to initiate reforms within his community so they can match the economic progress of other Malaysians.

According to human rights lawyer and social worker Augustine Anthony, upon taking over the helm as president of the community's association, Amani had reorganised, revitalised and within the period of 1987 to 1991 had boosted its the membership from a mere 300 to 17,000.

Amani's father was anthropologist Major Peter Willams-Hunt, the first advisor to the government on Orang Asli affairs, and his mother, Wak Draman, a member of the Tapah Semai tribe's chief's family.

Amani is married to Khatimatul Husna Zainuddin, 38, with six children aged from 10 to 30.

Upgrade infrastructure to revive Ipoh, DAP urges - Malaysiakini

2010-09-01T10:01:00.001+08:00

By Humayun Kabir

Ipoh's sluggish economy may get a shot in the arm with the DAP special task force's 15 recommendations to the Ipoh City Structural Development Plan 2020.

DAP state secretary Nga Kor Ming (left in photo) says the eight-member party special task force was formed after the Ipoh City structural plan was put up for public feedback about a month ago.

Nga said that toppping the list is a call for Petronas to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the city's industrial sector to cut fuel costs by 30 percent.

During Pakatan's eight-month rule of Perak, Nga had tried to persuade Petronas to open a gas line to Ipoh's industrial areas, but alleged that the national oil company had shut its doors to the request.

Nga said their attitude was puzzling as Petronas was willing to supply LNG worth RM40 billion to Shanghai, China.

He believes the lack of gas supply is one of the reasons why foreign and local investors are shying away from Ipoh.

The second recommendation focuses on the public transport system in Ipoh, a bane of residents as the network and synergy is poor among the three bus stations at Ipoh Central in Meru Raya, Medan Gopeng bus station, Medin Kidd bus station and the Ipoh railway station.

Nga is curious over what had happened to the RM150 million contract for the purchase of 300 air-conditioned buses to ply Ipoh's streets, that Pakatan had initiated during its rule .

Free WiFi

Among the other recommendations is the expansion of the Sultan Azlan Shah airport in Ipoh to be on par with other state capitals, the creation of more public parking spaces and bicycle lanes to encourage cycling on weekends.
DAP also recommends implementation of environmentally-friendly renewal energy sourcing, and the creation of more green lungs in the city, as the present Dr Sreenivasagam and polo ground recreation areas are insufficient for the growing population of Ipoh.

To upgrade the city intellectually it recommends providing free WiFi for the entire city to encourage IT knowledge, and also to start a zone for higher education institutions to draw more foreigners to turn Ipoh into a hub for education.

It encourages riding on the town's glorious history as a tin-mining centre for tourism, by creating a historical lane and museum, and expand the famous pomelo eco-tourism zone in Tambun from the present 107 acres to 370 acres to include the Tambun Hot Spot Resort.

The task force also asks to retain the historical identity of the Chinese Yew Tet Shin octagon hub business centre, instead of changing it into a Malay heritage centre. They also suggest road signs to be in five languages namely Arabic, Malay, English, Mandarin and Tamil.

In addition, state land should be reserved for the building of places of worship like churches and temples, and for land for non-Muslim cemeteries.

Most importantly perhaps, it is recommending that local council elections, in line with the principle of ”no tax without representation”. In other words, residents should only pay taxes if they are represented by elected local councillors of their choice.

Viewing period of draft local plan extended - The Star

2010-08-27T11:31:00.000+08:00

THE Ipoh City Council has extended the viewing period of the Ipoh Draft Local Plan 2020 to Sept 22.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said the original closing date for the display of the plan was Aug 23.

“But due to overwhelming response from the people, non-governmental organisations, associations and individuals who want their say on how the city should be developed, we decided to extend the viewing period to Sept 22,” he said after chairing the council’s full board meeting in Ipoh yesterday.

The plan can be viewed at the Perak Town and Country Planning Department on Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab and the Ipoh City Council building from 9am to 4pm daily.

A plan to implement a light rail transit (LRT) service is among the proposals in the Ipoh Draft Local Plan 2020.

The proposed service is aimed at connecting the city centre with Meru Raya, Menglembu, Station 18 in Pengkalan, Simpang Pulai and Tanjung Rambutan.

The setting up of a new 224ha solid waste disposal centre in Papan is another proposal contained in the draft plan.

Roshidi said the council had also received applications from some organisations for briefings on the plan.

“The council’s Town Planning director and secretary will handle the briefings,” he said.

He assured that all views related to the plan would be taken into account by the council.

Earlier when chairing the board meeting, Roshidi said the council recorded an increase in its collection of revenue in the first seven months of the year compared to the corresponding period last year.

“Until July this year, the council collected RM134.5mil compared to RM130.8mil during the same period last year,” he said.

Roshidi also tabled the council’s budget for 2011 and 2012 at the meeting.

The council budgeted RM175,966,000 for 2001 and RM178,600,000 for 2002.

Roshidi said the budgets for the two years would both be balanced as the projected expenditures were the same as the estimated revenues.

Plan to rebuild market shelved Ipoh mayor: RM6mil allocation also withdrawn - The Star

2010-08-27T10:46:00.001+08:00

By SYLVIA LOOI (sylvia@thestar.com.my)

THE project to rebuild the Gunung Rapat wet market in Ipoh has been put off indefinitely.

Confirming this yesterday, Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said the RM6mil allocation from the Federal Government for the project had also been withdrawn.

“It saddens me as it is not easy to get allocation from the Federal Government,” he said after chairing the council’s full board meeting.

Roshidi said refurbishment as suggested by traders would not solve the market’s problem.

“If we refurbish the place, only licensed traders will be able to trade there. What about the illegal traders outside the market?” he asked.

He said the council’s intention of building a new market was to give everyone the opportunity to trade.

“I was merely thinking of the people’s welfare when I suggested to rebuild the market. I did so with good intentions and in good faith as a government servant,” Roshidi said.

Work to rebuild the market was supposed to have started in May but was postponed due to objections from traders.

On a another matter, Roshidi said private security personnel would be employed to patrol the Ipoh central market following an arson attempt at the market’s hawker centre recently.

He also told the traders there not to rely solely on the council for the market’s security.

In the Aug 12 incident, business at the market’s hawker centre was temporarily disrupted following a fire which destroyed a dough fritters stall and slightly damaged a rice stall.

Traders had claimed that security at the centre was lax and that there were drug addicts roaming there every night.

Lamps that don’t work - The Star

2010-08-26T09:51:00.000+08:00

WALL mounted street lamps along more than 15 streets in Ipoh have not been functioning for the last three years.

A random survey by the Tebing Tinggi Barisan Nasional service centre found that either all lamps on these streets were not functioning or only one or two were lit up at night.

Among the streets are Jalan Yang Kalsom where only three out of 10 lights are working while all eight lights along Jalan Theatre are not functioning.

Tebing Tinggi Barisan Nasional coordinator Tony Khoo said complaints had been lodged with Tenaga Naisonal Bhd (TNB) but the utility company claimed that parked cars and hawkers who placed tables and chairs under the lights were preventing them from carrying out maintenance works.

“This is just an excuse as not all these streets are busy all the time,” Khoo said.

He said the Ipoh City Council was able to conduct maintenance work on the wall mounted street lamps along Jalan Mesjid in the city.

“If the council can do it, I do not see why TNB can’t,” he added.

When contacted, a TNB spokesman said the company would investigate the claims but declined to make further comments.

Villa with a colourful past - The Star

2010-08-21T09:23:00.001+08:00

By FOONG THIM LENG (north@thestar.com.my)

Accessible to the public: Garden Villa on Jalan Dr Nazrin Shah (Jalan Gopeng) Ipoh is now leased to the Kinta Heritage Group.

THE century-old Garden Villa, a magnificent heritage building in Ipoh, is now open free for use to hold activities that promote Perak’s nature, culture, art and history.

Kinta Heritage Group chairman Jek Yap said the group wanted to “save” Ipoh, which he claimed, lacked activities and opportunities in those fields.

“Ipoh is lacking behind other cities in terms of vibrancy for years. Even a town like Sungai Petani seems to have more life than Ipoh,” he said in an interview.

Garden Villa, located at No 5, Jalan Dr Nazrin Shah (Gopeng Road), was one of the bungalows in the state belonging to multi-millionaire businessman Eu Tong Sen in the early 1900s.

The Anglo-Malay architectural style villa was originally designed as an annex to Eu’s palatial residence Forest Lodge situated in Chateau Garden nearby.

Yap said Garden Villa was used as a private clubhouse by Eu and his rich friends in the early days.

The villa has only two rooms used for storage, a spacious hall, a loft and toilets. A Japanese colonel occupied the villa during the Second World War.

Yap said the local residents used to collect their rice rations from the Japanese in the villa’s compound.

The Japanese, he said, even built a shelter under the floorboards and wooden bars on the windows in one of the rooms in case of attacks.

He said the villa was later sold to a prominent family in Ipoh.

The patriarch of the family then presented the villa as a wedding present to his daughter who now resides in Singapore.

Yap said the villa had been used as a kindergarten and a church in recent years.

Kinta Heritage Group now has a six-year lease agreement with the owner.

Occasionally, the Malaysian Nature Society, Perak branch, uses the villa for meetings. A martial art group also uses the villa for lessons three times a week.

Yap said the villa was now open for use by any association or group involved in the promotion and preservation of culture, nature, history and art of Perak.

The villa can be used free of charge to conduct talks, exhibitions and gatherings for not more than 10 days at any given time.

“Commercial bodies can also make use of the villa but they have to pay a fee according to market rates,” he added.

Those interested can call Magis at 05-2417055 or e-mail kintaheritage@gmail.com.

Launch of Ipoh Heritage Tour

2010-08-18T11:37:00.008+08:00

Posted by Steven Lee, Acting Secretary, Ipoh City Watch

Dear members and friends,

Members of ICW were at the recent launch of Ipoh Heritage Tour. The Tour is a weekly free conducted walking tour of heritage sites located in the Old Town section of Ipoh. The Tour is held on every Saturday and starts at the Railway Station. The report by Ram Naidu on the launch and the first walking tour is below.

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IPOH HERITAGE TOUR

Large enthusiastic crowd waiting to start the Tour

“During the Japanese occupation a bomb exploded here shattering the windows of this church,” said our guide Peter Bucher pointing to the 100 year old Church of Saint John the Divine. This and many more grim stories were unfolded to us as we walked the heritage path down memory lane in the “Ipoh Heritage Tour” .

Some tourists took advantage of the free our

More than 150 participants from the various associations and NGO’s converged at the Ipoh Railway Station in the early hours on 07.08.10. Heart pounding Bangra drumbeat welcomed the participants, thus creating a carnival
atmosphere. The Heritage Tour was flagged off at 8.30 am by the State Exco for Tourism, Dato' Hamidah Othman. I registered my participation as an Ipoh City Watch committee member.

Ram Naidu (left) with Col (Rtd) Fathol, a well-known figure who is also the past Chairman of ICW

There are 24 heritage sites in Ipoh Old Town and many residents hardly realize the rich history behind each site. For instance, Ipoh was invaded by the Japanese on 15th December 1941. During the Japanese Occupation, Ipoh was made the capital of Perak, in place of Taiping. The Royal Ipoh Club was used by the Japanese Army as a laundry house for officers based at the nearby St Michael's Institution which became the headquarters of the Japanese Administration in Perak in March 1942. After liberation in 1945, Ipoh remained the capital of Perak.

Ready to start

Also present to kick start the tour are Bangra drummers

Ipoh City Watch should be proud of itself to use the clock tower as its logo as there is history behind this tower too. This clock tower was build in 1909 as a memorial to JWW Birch, the 1st British Resident of Perak who was assassinated in Pasir Salak in 1875. One should stop to admire the beautifully colored panels portraying famous figures from world history. You may also be surprised to note that Ipoh built the 1st multi-storey car park in the country in 1960, and that’s the DBI car park opposite old town Public Bank.

The fine weather on that day complemented the walk. The Heritage Tour walk duration took approximately 2 hours to unwind starting from Railway Station through Club Road, Clayton Road, Hale Street, Post Office Road and ended at Hugh Low Street (try figuring out the new names of these old street names).

M Gokoolaram Naidu
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Attached are photos taken during the Tour. There are photos of the Bangra drummers and the large enthusiastic crowd waiting to start the Tour. In one photo, you can find Ram on the left and Col (Rtd) Fathol, a well-known figure to many of us being a past Chairman of ICW, on the right. All of us should take part in one of the walks to find out more of the history of this city that we live in.

Inaugural ETS trip by Ram Naidu on Aug 10 2010

2010-08-17T19:56:00.001+08:00

Posted by Steven Lee, Acting Secretary, Ipoh City Watch

Dear members and friends,

Ram Naidu, an Executive Committee member of ICW, was on board the inaugural trip of the ETS from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur for the grand launch, and back. Below is his report on the event.

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THE FUTURE OF RAILWAY IS HERE

It was more than 100 years when the 1st train service began in the then Malaya. Today sees an evolution in its services…from charcoal to steam, then to diesel and now to electricity. KTMB has now introduced the Electric Train Service (ETS).

KTMB staff welcoming passengers of ETS

Although the ETS train service officially begins on 12.08.10, I was one of the privileged few to travel amongst dignitaries in its inaugural Ipoh – Kuala Lumpur journey on 10.08.10.

Proud moment ... Ram Naidu posing in front of the ETS

The futuristic looking train rolled off at 10.09 am. It has a maximum speed of 160 km/h. This high-tech train is built by Rotem Hyundai which is also a renowned manufacturer of battle tanks and cars. The smooth ride coupled with its plush comfortable seats added comfort to the entire journey. Other luxuries thrown in to spoil the traveler is a cafeteria and WiFi service. Sadly, no seats belts were provided in spite of the speed.

Brand new comfortable seat

Ram Naidu together with other members of ICW at the launching of ETS

The journey from Ipoh to Kuala Lumpur took about 2 hours. We were received by the General Manager of KTMB and Director of KWSP on arrival at KL station where a grand luncheon awaited us. Its CEO said that this is the fastest train in the country. Ipoh is the first town to start this service (Ipoh - KL - Seremban).

However, at RM35 per pax I suppose many who wish to bring their families along may not be too happy.

M Gokoolaram Naidu

CCTVs lessen crime by 30% - The Star

2010-07-28T11:45:00.004+08:00

IPOH: Street crime has dropped by 30% since the first batch of CCTVs was installed at selected local authorities throughout the country.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung said the CCTVs had proven to be a success in curbing street crime, and the ministry would install more CCTVs under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

“The target is to reduce street crime by 15% by the end of the year, and we have already achieved that,” Chor said after visiting the Ipoh City Council CCTV Control Room here yesterday.

Live feed: Perak executive council member Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (second from left) showing Chor (left) the CCTV monitors during his visit to the Ipoh City Council yesterday. Looking on is Roshidi (right).

“We will add 456 units at selected local authorities in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak next year.”

Ipoh Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said 24 units in Ipoh city were installed between Feb 15 and July 15 and the city council planned to install 76 more units soon.

“Pictures from CCTV feeds can be produced as evidence in court,” he said.

“Criminals will think twice before committing a crime now.”

Ipoh-KL electric train fare RM30-35 - The Star

2010-07-27T18:06:00.001+08:00

By ROSHIDI ABU SAMAH

BATU GAJAH: KTMB will charge a fare between RM30 and RM35 for the Electric Train Service (ETS) between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur scheduled to be in operation in the first week of August.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the fare was just as the goverment had taken into consideration the welfare of potential commuters.

"The fare can be considered cheap. KTMB had initially applied for a fare of RM50 but it was rejected by the government.

"We want to encourage the public to use the ETS which is more comfortable and safe compared to express bus services. That is why we want the ETS fare to be competitively priced," he told reporters after the opening of KTMB complex by Sultan Perak Sultan Azlan Shah here Tuesday.

Kong added that there would be five ETS trains that would provide eight return trips for the Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh route daily. The first train will leave at 5am and the last at 11pm.

He said KTM would increase the numbers of trips if there was a great demand for the services especially during festivals.

"We are planning to get the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) himself to launch the new train service at a date to be decided," he added.

With a speed of 140km/h, the ETS is expected to reduce travel time between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur to about two hours from three hours previously.

Meanwhile, Kong said the new KTMB complex, built in a 75ha area, cost of about RM400mil.

He said the project was started in November 2006 and completed in November 2008.

Standstill in Waller Court talks - The Star

2010-07-26T18:40:00.001+08:00

By CHAN LI LEEN (lileen@thestar.com.my)

IPOH: Talks to redevelop the 48-year-old Waller Court flats, which began in the 1990s, seem to be going at a snail’s pace.

Local leaders insist that any plans to upgrade the place, which is one the oldest low-cost flats here, must be done in consultation with its residents.

Ipoh Barat MCA division chief Datuk Tan Chin Meng said the Ipoh City Council should listen to the people and take heed of their views and concerns.

Time for a touch up?: Two residents talking outside the Waller Court flats, which was built 48 years ago.

“All three parties involved – the residents, the council and the state government – must sit down and talk things through before anything is decided upon.

“In any case, all three parties must agree to redevelop Waller Court,” Tan said at a family event organised by the Ipoh Barat Wanita MCA division at the flat here yesterday.

Tan said the residents must first form a committee if they wanted to get their views across to the council and state government.

“They should get the help of their Rukun Tetangga to set up the committee while I will try my best to help by meeting the Ipoh mayor on this,” he added.

It was recently reported that the council was mulling the idea again of redeveloping the 48-year-old Waller Court.

The 532-unit Waller Court owned by the council is currently tenanted by 465 families.

“In fact, the flat is very old and a lot of money is spent on maintenance but only superficial improvements can be carried out.

“It is not that easy to renovate,” Tan said.

He noted that besides consulting the residents, the council must also be able to guarantee them a place to move back in following the redevelopment exercise.

“The residents must have the assurance that they get to stay on at the present location, not elsewhere,” he said.

Tan related that a similar suggestion to redevelop Waller Court in the 1990s was shot down by residents as it had required them to be relocated to Lahat.

“These people have been staying here all their lives. Most of them also work here.

“They are very used to living in the city centre and it is unfair to make them move away,” he said, adding that the already dull city centre would go dead with the departure of the flat residents.

Tan, who is also Perak MCA secretary, suggested a scheme to allow current residents to own the units after the flat was redeveloped.

“Like what was previously proposed by then Mentri Besar Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib, why not convert the residents’ past rental payments into a form of down payment whereas those who do not want to purchase the units be given the freedom to continue renting?” he asked.

Wholesale mart to open next month (The Star)

2010-07-23T09:06:00.000+08:00

Thursday July 22, 2010

THE National Food Terminal (Teman) in Simpang Pulai near Ipoh will begin operation next month.

State Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (FAMA) director Basri Jasmo said all wholesale activities would be conducted from the terminal.

“Be it livestock, vegetables and flowers from all over the country, you can find it here,” he told reporters yesterday, adding that products from overseas would also be available at Teman.

The products in Teman, he said, would be ready packed following FAMA 3P ruling, adding that the Ps stood for pengredan (grading), pembungkusan (packaging) and penglabelan (labelling).

Asked on the fate of the wholesale market in Falim, Basri said traders would be allowed to continue trading there.

“But we hope they will trade at Teman where 300 lots have been allocated for them,” he said, noting that traders at the Falim market could start applying for the trading lots at Teman now.

On the advantage of trading at Teman, Basri said FAMA had devised a system where farmers and wholesalers would know the price of the goods sold nationwide.

“Complaints of any party being short changed will not arise with this system,” he said.

On a separate matter, Basri said FAMA would have its 25th anniversary celebration for pasar tani at the Perak Stadium this Saturday from 7am. Among the activities to be held are a cooking demonstration, health checks and colouring contests.

MB opens 'Zambry clinic' to solve people's problems - Malaysiakini

2010-07-17T08:57:00.000+08:00

Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir has set up the 'Klinik Dr Zambry' to make easier his task of solving the people's problems and for the people to see him.

He said his 'mobile clinic' was open to everybody, including opposition members and supporters.

“This clinic is an extension of the meet the people programme which we have held.

“Previously, we held dialogues, but I still feel there is a gap between me and the people,” he told reporters after a monthly assembly with state government officers in Ipoh today.

He said the government's move in changing the venue of its weekly state executive council meeting to the districts and villages was part of an effort to reduce bureaucracy and provide opportunities for local residents to voice their problems.

At the function, Zambry also launched the Perak state secretariat short messaging service (SMS) which enabled the public to send their complaints or check the status of their applications with the relevant state agencies by sending them to mySMS 15888.

They will be charged 35 sen for each SMS.

Silver state makes bid for Unesco listing - The Star

2010-06-24T15:27:00.000+08:00

PERAK is seeking to list Kinta Valley, Lenggong Valley, Gua Tempurung and Royal Belum as Unesco world heritage sites, said state Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman.

She said the state hoped to get Kinta Valley — which includes Ipoh, Batu Gajah and Kampar — listed as a Unesco tin heritage site by 2012.

Awesome attraction: Limestone formations ar the entrance of Gua Puteri.

Hamidah said the state was also trying to nominate Lenggong Valley as a world archaeological heritage site, Gua Tempurung as limestone heritage site and Royal Belum as the rainforest, jungle and biodiversity heritage site.

She said a committee comprising representatives from the Ipoh City Council, Kinta Heritage Group, Perak Tourism Action Council and the National Heritage Department was preparing a nomination dossier on Kinta Valley to be submitted to Unesco.

Hamidah said the committee had been tasked to identify and mark sites and buildings to be included in the dossier.

“We are looking into the possibility of promoting Visit Perak Year in 2012 and everything must be in place by then,” she said in an interview.

Hamidah said the Kinta Valley had left behind significant buildings from its glorious tin mining past.

Heritage landmark: The Neo-Classic Ipoh Railway Station in Ipoh Old Town.

She said these heritage structures were treasures that should be preserved.

“Unlike modern buildings, the old ones will be gone forever if uncared for and torn down.” she added.

Hamidah said about RM450,000 had been allocated for conservation projects in Panglima Lane (Concubine Street) which was among the sites that had been identified.

“We have roped in a team specialising in conserving old buildings from Universiti Teknologi MARA to help us,” she said.

Hamidah also said the tin dredge in Batu Gajah was another heritage structure that should be protected.

“It is our last remaining tin dredge and is in very bad shape with its pontoon badly damaged,” she said, adding the dredge caretaker had estimated RM1.5mil to fix it.

Hamidah said there had been proposals to move the tin dredge away from the outskirts of Batu Gajah and closer to towns.

“The cost to dismantle and reassemble the structure is also a killing factor, at about RM30mil,” she said.

“We have spoken to the National Heritage Department to get feedback on the matter,” she added.

Kinta Heritage Group Sdn Bhd chairman Jek Yap said Ipoh’s Old Town would be the core sector in the nomination centre.

He said the group had distributed 500,000 copies of the Ipoh Heritage Trail to rekindle the people’s interest in the cultural heritage of the city.

“We have also introduced the Ipoh Heritage Trail tour which starts from the Ipoh railway station and end at Jalan Panglima (Concubine Lane),” he added.

Participants would be taken to see 24 historic buildings and places including the Straits Trading Building built in 1907, the former tin miners club Han Chin Pet Soo built in 1929, the 1920’s Dramatists’ Hostel and the Ipoh Railway Station built from 1914 to 1917.

Yap said the group was registered in April to assist the government to “save Ipoh” and promote the city, which has more than 120 years of history.

A hotspot — then and now - The Star

2010-06-24T15:22:00.000+08:00

By IVAN LOH (ivanloh@thestar.com.my)

PANGLIMA Lane or Yi Lai Hong (Concubine Lane in Cantonese) as it is popularly known, comes across as just another narrow street in Ipoh.

Yet the row of 27 pre-war buildings along the road has never failed to attract tourists, photographers and artists from far and near.

Old-world charm: The Once notorious Panglima Lane in Ipoh is now drawing a differnt crowd- touristsm shutterbugs and even movie producers.

It has, in fact, become a famous landmark, probably more for its notorious label as a place where mistresses are allegedly kept than as a opium haunt in the early 1950s.

Ninety-year-old Wong Koh Kee, the retired boss of Koh Kee Restaurant situated along the lane, however, doubted there were businessmen and tin miners who kept their mistresses there nor were there any brothels.

Classic design: The horizontal bars doorway is among the olden architecture that attracts visitors from near and afar to visit Panglima Lane in Ipoh.

“A story that goes round is that opium smokers would always say they are going to their mistresses instead of to the opium den when asked by friends,” he noted.

Wong said despite its reputation, the area was surprisingly peaceful back then with hardly any serious crime.

“One thing for sure is that the place is quiet and peaceful. The folks at the opium dens only wanted to be left alone,” he added.

Today, many people are still interested in the buildings’ architecture along the lane, which mainly serves as a passageway for visitors who parked their cars along Jalan Bijeh Timah to go to the coffeeshops along Jalan Bandar Timah.

Car-free: Panglima Lane has become a walkway between Jalan Bijeh Timah and Jalan Bandar Timah.

“The traditional horizontal bar gates, wooden window panes and bronze door knobs are a rare find for visitors,” said former resident Loh Vooi Leong.

“Tourists could also be seen snapping away pictures of bamboo poles placed across one window ledge to another to dry their clothes,” said the 58-year-old, adding that it was completely new to them.

Loh said the place had also become a favourite spot for location shootings, including for a Hong Kong drama series starring renowned actor Alex Man Chi Leung as well as by local producers filming Chinese New Year music videos and films. Once a hive of activity in the 1950s and 1960s, Panglima Lane is a close-knit community of mostly hawkers and traders where everyone is a familiar face.

Whether it is the birth of a child, the Chinese New Year festivities or even if a resident gets a job, there is always a cause for celebration.

As Loh puts it, “everyone was practically a family member then.”

“In times of duress, we will try to help each other and keep an eye for one another,” he said.

The lane with about 27 prewar shophouses used to house about 100 families. One shophouse would have about four to five families staying under one roof.

“Only six buildings are still occupied, four with families and the other two have become workers’ quarters,” he said, adding the rest were vacant and dilapidated.

Many residents left the place after the Ipoh City Council came down hard on street hawkers in 1998.

Loh, who spent his childhood days in the area, said life was pretty simple then.

“The boys like to play near Sungai Kinta, catching fighting fish in the river and spiders by the embankment. Given some marbles or spinning tops, we would enjoy ourselves for the whole day,” he recalled.

Resident Chou Yuet Lai, 60, said her childhood always revolved around work.

“While the boys are outside running and playing, the girls are often told to remain at home to cook, sweep the floor or wash cloths,” she said.

Even during her teenage years, she would help out at her relative’s noodle stall after school.

“It’s basically the norm for my family that if you don’t work, you won’t get money to eat,” said the retired waitress.

Whose 'baby' is the 40-year-old flood problem in Jelapang town? - Malaysiakini

2010-05-04T17:11:00.001+08:00

May 4, 2010

Is it the concern of the Ipoh City Council, the state Public Works Department (PWD), the Kinta District Land Office or the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), asks Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM).

Party national deputy chairperson M Saraswathy (left) told Malaysiakini today that the four departments have kept passing the buck to each other and refused to provide a solution.

PSM had collected some 2,500 signatures from Jelapang residents in March and handed a memorandum - with photos of the flooded areas - to each of the four departments on April 2. To date there has been no response.

The flooding problem started when the North-South Highway (Plus) Jelapang toll-gate was opened and it worsened after the Lumut Highway was opened to traffic.

This because there is no proper drainage system to deal with the surface run-off, claimed Saraswathy.

She said Jelapang has developed into a key transit point for movement of people from east Perak to the state's west coast where Lumut and Pangkor are located.

Old, narrow drains the cause

The low-lying areas of Jelapang town from the Petronas petrol station towards the Plus Highway are flooded each time there is a heavy shower and this results in two-way traffic jams.

Business premises situated on the main trunk road are affected and personal property is often damaged.

The flooding is due to the old, narrow drains in the area, which are unable to cope with the increasing volume of water run-off.

Saraswathy said it is about time the four departments visit the flood-prone area and come up with a solution.

She said a comprehensive report on flood mitigation should be prepared.

"As an interim measure, the respective departments must use their contingency funds (to provide a solution) without any more delays or excuses," she added.

Ipoh mayor’s term to end on July 23 - The Star

2010-05-02T12:55:00.001+08:00

April 30, 2010

IPOH: Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim (pic) will complete his term as city mayor on July 23.

Roshidi, 54, said it was up to the Perak Government to decide whether it wanted to extend his tenure.

”It is also up to the people whether they feel I can continue to serve as mayor,” he told reporters after chairing a council meeting here yesterday.

”I am willing to accept whatever decision with an open heart,’’ he said.

Roshidi said he was proud to have served the Ipoh City Council alongside the local councillors and council employees.

”I will continue to serve the people if reappointed,” he added.

Roshidi was appointed by former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin in July 2008 following the retirement of Datuk Mohamad Rafiai Moktar.

He was the council secretary from July 2006 and was also an Anti-Corruption Agency prosecution officer for 15 years.

Keep a watch on reflexology centres, Perak tells local councils - The Star

2010-05-02T12:53:00.000+08:00

May 1, 2010

IPOH: The order is out for the authorities to come down hard on reflexology centres here which are being used as a front offering sexual services.

Perak Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said regular spot checks would be conducted on the centres to ensure they adhered to rules and regulations.

“We have received complaints from housewives asking us to keep an eye on these centres,” he told reporters here yesterday after chairing a meeting on local councils at the state secretariat building.

He said the state had instructed all local councils to tighten its licensing requirements for such centres and was not contemplating to bar foreign women from working in such centres.

Dr Mah said regular checks were conducted on 58 registered reflexology centres in the city but none were found offering sexual services.

He told local councils not to hesitate to revoke their operating licenses if they failed to adhere to rules and regulations.

On a different matter, Dr Mah said he had requested for a racial breakdown of personnel working in local councils.

“I asked all local council chairman at the meeting to have more officers and personnel from various races in their office.

“I hope the composition is in line with the 1Malaysia slogan,” he said.

Dr Mah also said that the one-stop-centres in all local councils in the state fared better than the national average.

“While the national figure is 90.2%, the councils in Perak achieved 95.7%,” he added.

Council to discuss Gunung Rapat market upgrade with traders today - The Star

2010-05-02T12:52:00.001+08:00

April 30, 2010

THE Gunung Rapat wet market needs to be given a major facelift to attract more customers.

Ipoh Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said the younger generation mostly prefer to shop at hypermarkets and supermarkets than wet markets.

“A new and tidier market is essential so that people, especially the younger people, will continue to go there,” he told reporters after chairing a council meeting here recently.

“We have about 300 people going to the market daily but the number can drop in future if the dilapidated building is not improved to be on par with the bigger markets,” he said.

Roshidi urged all market traders to be present at a dialogue session to discuss the matter at the Gunung Rapat Community Hall today.

He said the traders should not only think about their own welfare but that of the consumers as well.

“Those trading outside the market will also benefit from the new market as they will be under one roof,” he said.

Roshidi pointed out that the city council had identified two options for the traders to relocate if the refurbishment goes ahead.

Roshid said the city council would help traders with the relocation.

On another matter, Roshidi said Silver Fly’s flights to Medan had been temporarily stopped due to technical problems to their aeroplanes.

“Flights to Medan will not be interrupted as Riau Airlines will restart their services next month,” he said.

At a lucky draw held after the city council meeting, Roshidi drew 20 people who had paid their annual assessment tax without arrears.

Two Modenas Kriss motorcycles were given to the top two winners while the third-prize winner won a 42-inch LCD television set.

Surge in power bills for Ipoh folk - The Star

2010-05-02T12:49:00.001+08:00

May 2, 2010

IPOH: Houseowners in various parts of the city are getting a nasty shock over the sudden spike in their electricity bills.

Contractor Tan Jia Fatt, 40, said he was taken aback when he received a bill on April 23 for RM434.

“Usually, I pay between RM100 and RM200 each month for my electricity bill.

“However, the bill came up to a whopping RM434 last month,” he told reporters at a press conference at the Pasir Pinji DAP service centre here yesterday.

Another disgruntled consumer, who only wished to be known as Mrs Chew, said she had initially thought the nearly two-fold jump in her bill was due to an increase in power tariff.

“Normally, my bill is about RM90 but last month, it was RM159,” said the 49-year-old housewife, adding that she had also not installed any new electrical appliance at her Seri Pengkalan home to warrant such an increase.

“The drastic increase has brought unnecessary burden to me,” she said.

Pasir Pinji assemblyman Thomas Su said the problem was due to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) billing consumers every alternate month for electricity consumption.

“This system of billing consumers every alternate month has seriously short-changed them,” he claimed, adding that his service centre had been inundated with such complaints.

Su urged TNB to revert to its previous practice of billing houseowners for the actual month of their consumption, adding that the utility company should also suspend the payment for April’s electricity bill pending an investigation.

“The reason given by TNB for alternate billing is that they lack manpower but this does not make sense.

“If they are really facing manpower shortage, how can all the bills for all the consumers be sent out on April 23?” he said, adding that he had since highlighted the grouses to TNB Perak’s regional office.

Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang said TNB should explain its method of calculation which had led to higher electricity bills.

Both the assemblymen and Batu Gajah MP Fong Po Kuan will be compiling complaints on the electricity bills today at their respective service centres.

Consumers facing similar predicament are urged to bring copies of their March and April electricity bills.

Mat Rempit made to sing Negaraku - The Star

2010-05-02T12:45:00.001+08:00

May 2, 2010

IPOH: A group of Mat Rempit will remember Labour Day for a long time. They were made to sing the Negaraku after being arrested.

The 33 riders, aged between 17 and 25, were arrested during an operation that began at 3am at Jalan Raja Dr Nazrin Shah yesterday.

A reminder to obey the laws: The riders singing the national anthem at the police station yesterday.

State police traffic unit (enforcement) head Asst Supt Abd Malik Abu Bakar said 70 motorcycles were assembled there and the riders were getting ready to race when police moved in on them.

“Seeing our presence, they ran helter skelter. Some even fell off their machines,” said ASP Abd Malik, adding that 23 motorcycles were seized during the operation.

All were detained under Rule 6 of the Road Traffic Rules 1959 and face a maximum fine of RM300 each.

The 33 were made to push their machines for 7km to the Sungai Senam police station where they were made to sing the national anthem.

He said there was no trouble as they sang, adding that “all finished singing the national anthem.”

“They seemed to know the lines,’’ ASP Abd Malik said, adding that the youths were made to sing the Negaraku to instil in them “the need to adhere to the country’s laws.”

Gathering on May 1 postponed

2010-04-30T18:19:00.002+08:00

Dear members and friends

With regret we apologize that the get-together to be held on 1st May has been postponed till further notice.

Any inconvenience caused is much regreted.

With best regards,
For Steven Lee
Acting Secretary

ICW Informal Get-Together on 1st May

2010-04-10T11:17:00.002+08:00

Dear members and former members of ICW,

For the first time, ICW will be organizing an informal get-together for its past and present members for the purpose of getting to know each other, finding out who is who and renewing ties in ICW. This get-together will be held on 1st May 2010 at 8.00 pm at the Old Andersonians’ Clubhouse. The cost is RM30.00 per person.

If you would like to come to the get-together, kindly fill-up the attached invitation form. You may post the form back to ICW at the postal address found on the bottom of the form together with a cheque or postal order made out to "Ipoh City Watch" or contact one of the persons listed on the form.

Mr. Kundan Lal (012-5293913) or Ms. Chong (012-5089753) or Mr. Jeyaraj (012-4990856).

Thank you.

Regards.
Steven Lee
Acting Secretary
Ipoh City Watch

Moving up in the Kinta Valley - Malaysian Insider

2010-04-10T11:03:00.001+08:00

By Sheridan Mahavera

IPOH, April 10 — When the last tin mine dried up, Ipoh started to crumble.

If it had not been for its position as a state capital, a major stopover for the North-South railway line and an important cultural fount for the Malaysian Chinese community, the decline would have been faster.

This slightly Kinta Valley-centric view is shared by its businesses and residents. They say you can see the creeping bleakness in how more and more pre-Second World War shops in the charming old town centre are closing their shutters for good every day.

Unlike Kuala Lumpur, Penang or Johor Baru, Ipoh just never found a replacement for the tin mining industry that could have brought in high-paying jobs and a young population of professionals to start families and help it grow.

What this has left, says restaurateur Teow Hee Min, is a “retirement” town. Where the food is tasty, cheap and where you don’t have to fight for parking.

It seems that it has no prospects for anyone between 21 to 56, and looking to make their mark in the world.

Another “Ipoh boy”, a bank officer who wants to be known only as Faisal, puts it another way. It is as if the flow of money that used to go into Ipoh is now by-passing it for places like Manjung.

But for a bunch of successful new entrepreneurs on the outskirts of the old city, there is optimism.

And this “hope” involves throwing out the old ways of doing business, even if they helped make “this town that tin built” into a “city of millionaires.”

After the rush

[The rustic wooden shops of Ipoh’s old town have seen better days as many have closed their shutters after the tin rush died out. — Pictures by Choo Choy May]

The rustic wooden shops of Ipoh’s old town have seen better days as many have closed their shutters after the tin rush died out. — Pictures by Choo Choy May
Ipoh did not start out as a “Chinese town”. It was actually a Malay settlement founded by a Sumatran lord on the banks of the Kinta river sometime in the early 1800s.

But it grew into a predominantly Chinese town, thanks to the lucrative tin rush that attracted a flood of migrants from China and elsewhere during the early 1900s. Its importance was boosted when the Japanese occupation administration made it the state capital in 1942.

Though its boom years started to end when tin prices declined in the 1970s, Ipoh remained an important population centre on the West Coast. In fact, it is still Malaysia’s fourth-largest city.

Yet, much of the money that comes into Ipoh these days is made outside of it, via the generations of youths who have gone to work in the Klang Valley and Singapore, and who send back money and return to choke its streets during the holidays.

“Ten years ago, we still had lots of people who dropped in to Ipoh for lunch and leave by dinner. But it’s not like that anymore,” says Teow, who inherited and runs the city’s first steam-boat restaurant.

Money from tin nurtured a vibrant hospitality sector seen in the storied Chinese kopitiams and restaurants in downtown Ipoh, which till today receives scores of non-local customers.

Others, such as Faisal the bank officer, feel that things have gone stagnant.

He grew up in Ipoh but finds that nothing is “happening” in his hometown — another way of saying that there is no growth catalyst in the form of a lynchpin industry after tin mining died out.

The state government is trying to fill that vacuum by courting everyone, from those involved in computer animation to heavy industries, to come and set up shop in Perak.

The biggest of these ventures, so far, is an iron ore distribution centre being built by a multinational company in Teluk Rubiah, in far-away Manjung district.

Not everyone is tepid about Ipoh’s future. In the middle- to upper-class enclaves of Ipoh Garden and beyond towards Tambun, developers such as Sunway City Berhad are re-injecting life back into the Kinta Valley.

More than that, they are leveraging on Perak’s most renowned attraction — its adorable limestone hills — and showing that there is a better way to make money from this natural resource than simply blasting them for building materials.

[Instead of building something alien from its landscape, the Lost World integrates with it and shows how preserved nature can be a huge draw.]

Instead of building something alien from its landscape, the Lost World integrates with it and shows how preserved nature can be a huge draw.
A renewable resource

It is hard to believe how the temperature changes as you walk through the Lost World of Tambun. At the man-made waterfall beach garden near the entrance, it is just as hot as the weather outside the theme park.

Walk towards the petting zoo and the limestone hills at the heart of the park, and your skin gets tickled by the cooler air.

“It’s nature’s own cooling system,” declares the park’s general manager Calvin Ho, his arm pointing up at one of the limestone hills that tower over the park.

The Lost World is not just rides, wave pools and games to win stuffed toys.

It is also a place to introduce Nature to urbanites and youths, to get them to form a connection, says Ho.

Its petting zoo, for example, is one of the most interactive. Most of the reptiles, primates, monkeys, rabbits, goats and birds are un-tethered but they do not run away. It feels like you are walking through their natural environment rather than peering at captive displays in a cage.

The design philosophy was not to “build” the park into the environment, but to integrate it into the small valley that was formed by the hills.

“As much as possible, we did not cut down trees during construction. If we did, we transplanted them somewhere else in the park. In fact, we’ve added more trees and vegetation,” says Ho.

It does not sound like much compared to its southern cousin, Sunway Lagoon Theme park, but the Lost World’s ability to recreate that sublime connection with nature keeps it drawing visitors — even during the recession.

Ho says it expects to get about 650,000 visitors this year, compared to the 600,000 in 2009.

“Forty per cent of our visitors come here because of word-of-mouth from past visitors and about 50 per cent of them are Perakians,” Ho says.

“By protecting the natural environment, instead of just mining it, we ensure that it perpetually creates money for others.

“And when we prosper, the contractors in Ipoh, the hotels, the restaurants, the material suppliers, also make money,”

The promise

[Feeding time at the Lost World’s petting zoo is a chance for children to get up close with animals such as this Macaw, which they usually only see on television.]

Feeding time at the Lost World’s petting zoo is a chance for children to get up close with animals such as this Macaw, which they usually only see on television.
A short way through the jungles behind Lost World is the new Banjaran Hotspring Spa and Resort, whose operators claim is Malaysia’s first “wellness retreat.”

Dotted around a natural amphitheatre surrounded by gentle hills are 25 villas and facilities that are not meant to “pamper” its guests. They are meant to sequester them from the everyday and purge them of its toxins, stress and troubles.

“It’s a very new concept to Malaysia. The first person you meet when you check in is a ‘natural-path’. They advise you on treatments and they tailor your diet to suit your therapies,” explains Sunway International Hotels and Resorts chief executive officer, Hanley Chew.

And like the Lost World, Banjaran has taken what is an untapped natural resource, Tambun’s limestone hills, its caves and hot springs, and built a facility around them.

The designers took pains to minimise the retreat’s impact on the natural features, says Chew. For instance, in its “meditation cave”, builders only constructed simple platforms to allow guests to walk in easily.

“The food we serve is from plants grown using organic pesticides in the retreat itself.”

But Banjaran and the Lost World are only components of a bigger plan. One that involves transforming the wasteland around Tambun and bringing life back to this forgotten part of Ipoh.

“Sunway City Ipoh was abandoned during the 1997 financial crisis. When Sunway Group founder Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah wanted to start it up again, everyone thought it was a waste of time and money,” says Sunway Management group public affairs senior manager, Bernard Paul Netto.

“Of course, he proved everyone wrong, especially with Banjaran.”

The story among Sunway executives is that Cheah, who hails from Pusing, about 40 minutes away from Ipoh, had promised several years ago that he would bring development to Ipoh and had even said he would build something “five-star.”

A semblance of that integrated township called Sunway City Ipoh can already be seen in its high-end bungalows, the Giant hypermarket and a Sunway College campus. Soon it will have its own McDonald’s outlet — a conventional signifier of an area’s rising wealth.

[Ipoh Garden on a weekend bursts with trendy nightclubs and high paying customers.]

Ipoh Garden on a weekend bursts with trendy nightclubs and high paying customers.
Beyond kopitiams

And the wealth is starting to be seen in a row of clubs and bars dubbed “little Bangsar” — after the famous Kuala Lumpur night spot — in Ipoh Gardens.

On a weekend night, the roads around this block of shop-houses and restaurants behind the Kinta Valley mall are clogged with sashaying guys and girls, and the music is so loud it pours out onto the streets.

The scene is typical if you are from KL or Penang, but according to locals, these pubs and discos are only about two years old at the most.

“It used to be dingy, dank joints where people picked their noses, threw kuaci on the floor and the beer was warm,” says Kennedy George, proprietor of “Barbeza” and who is credited with starting the first “refined” pub and restaurant in the area.

Now there are about 20 of them who have taken George’s cue and established upscale joints with cover charges, dress codes and cocktails.

George’s new experiment is “Sugar”, a bar that features “live” music but where bands are radical by Ipoh’s standards. With radical meaning the bands excel on the strength of their music rather than the aesthetic qualities of the typically female lead singers.

“The ‘live’ music scene in Ipoh is generally like that. Low-paying male customers who will buy two Cokes to share among six while they sit and ogle the lead singer, who has to be a girl,” says local musician Gunabalan.

What Sugar and Barbeza have done is show that there is a market in Ipoh for upscale entertainment and dining. Both places are standing-room-only on weekends and the crowd comprises high-paying professionals.

It is not just about providing jobs. For Ipoh to move up in terms of being a place where young professionals go to work, play and start a family, says George, it has to offer those good restaurants and bars which attract them.

“It just can’t be dirty coffee shops and plastic chairs. To attract high-income residents then you have to go up in class,” says George.

It is a fitting metaphor and one that Banjaran and the Lost World are following in terms of how they are “exploiting” their natural resources by preserving them.

Just as Barbeza has up-ended Ipoh’s seedy entertainment scene, the Lost World and Banjaran have shown that limestone hills can be worth more if you do not mine them.

“The limestone is the Kinta valley’s foremost attraction,” the Lost World’s Ho, emphatically states.

And by using them wisely in tourism, he adds, the wealth they create is perpetual.

Employers Must Submit Income Tax Return Forms By Tomorrow Or Face Action

2010-03-30T12:42:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Tomorrow is the final date, for employers to submit their income tax return forms or E Forms for 2009, to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).

In a statement on Tuesday, LHDN reminded employers to meet the dateline or face a possible fine of RM2,000, six months jail or both, if found guilty under the Income Tax Act 1967.

LHDN also urged employers to use the e-Filling system which offers an alternative way to submit their tax returns.

For information, tax payers can contact the toll free LHDN customer service hotline at 1-300-88-3010.

Notice of Annual General Meeting for 2010

2010-03-24T07:24:00.004+08:00

By Steven Lee (Acting Secretary)

Greetings.

It is again that time of the year for Ipoh City Watch to hold its Annual General Meeting. Details are as follows:

Date: 28 March 2010

Time: 9.30am (for registration)

Venue: Old Andersonian Clubhouse

Agenda:

1. Call to Order/President's address

2. Tabling and passing of Minutes of the previous AGM

3. Matters arising

4. Tabling and passing of Treasurer's report

5. Any other business

Please make an effort to come for the AGM to find out what are in store for ICW this year. Also please come early so that the AGM can start on time and end early for refreshments and fellowship afterwards.

Should you have any questions, please direct it to the President Augustine Anthony at 012-5161334 or Steven Lee at 016-5052848

Woman loses RM1,900 from online account - Star

2010-01-15T07:31:00.000+08:00

Jan 15 2010 By LIM CHIA YING

ONLINE banking is a convenience to many busy people. However, it brought misery to a 26-year-old woman, who wished to be known only as Jenn, who lost RM1,900 from her one-month-old account on Dec 2.

Jenn said the amount was transferred to a third party account without her knowledge after she had logged into the bank’s system using her logon and password.

“One morning in early December, I received an email from Maybank stating that I had a login with an incorrect password in the Maybank system.

“After closing the email, I logged into the system and entered the correct password that it needed.

“However, on the afternoon of the same day, I received an SMS from Maybank2u.com that RM1,900 from my account that I had opened at the Maybank Taman Midah branch had been transferred to a third party account,” Jenn said at a press conference called by Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.

She has since lodged a police report at the Batu 9 Cheras police station.

In the police report, she said when she went to the branch at 2pm the same day, a bank officer named Raymond Lim had given her the funds transfer statement in which she saw that her money had been transferred to an account belonging to a Malay woman named Mayana Muhamad.

Jenn called up the Maybank headquarters to seek an explanation on the issue, and was disappointed that the personnel were not helpful and only provided a written reply to her one month later.

“I had been using another bank, where security was much tighter, before using Maybank’s online banking when I changed job,” she said, adding that she had created the account only in November.

“The RM1,900 was almost all my savings! The officer in the headquarters told me that the police investigation must be completed before action could be taken.

“He also told me that although the bank had contacted the third party, the woman was not cooperating so they could not do anything. Would she cooperate if she is the culprit?” asked the frustrated Jenn, claiming that the bank personnel had even told her there was a queue of other fraud victims.

In Maybank’s written reply to Jenn, virtual banking cyber security manager Baizura Ahmad wrote that following a comprehensive investigation of the said transaction, they had found that a valid user name and password were used to access her account via Maybank2u.com.

“Our findings revealed that the internet banking username and password were used on Dec 2 to successfully make a login to your Maybank account via Maybank2u.com,” Baizura had stated.

“A Transaction Authorisation Code (TAC) was requested through your Maybank2u.com account and a valid TAC was successfully sent to your mobile number. This TAC was then used to create a favourite third party account, and subsequently, the amount of RM1,900 was made to the favourite third party account from your account on the same day.

“Based on our investigation into our system, our records showed there was no system failure, problem or any breach of security of Maybank2u.com in processing the above activities at the mentioned date and time involving the above account.

“In view of this, we very much regret to inform that the bank is unable to accede to your request of the said amount,” the reply said.

In the reply, the bank reiterated that it does not send any email, SMS or make telephone calls to customers to request for personal details, account details of TAC number.

“Customers are also reminded never to disclose their account and banking information to anyone. The bank provides safety information and alerts in Maybank2u.com as well as through our other delivery channels,” the reply stated.

Jenn said she felt helpless on the issue and had since terminated her online account with the bank.

Fong said he would be writing to Bank Negara on the urgent need to monitor the security of online banking.

“Since the matter involved a transfer within the same bank, and the person’s name and account number are known, there is no reason why the bank is unable to do anything.

“The money was transferred without the victim’s knowledge, so it is only right that settlement is made to her.

“I also hope the Finance Minister will respond to this as such a case can result in the public losing confidence in online banking,” he said.

In hard times, extravagant signs in Ipoh - Malaysian Insider

2009-12-18T07:16:00.002+08:00

By Clara Chooi

One of the large ‘Hollywood-like’ sign of Ipoh erected along the North-South Expressway that can be seen from the northbound lane, just 1km after the Gopeng exit. — Picture by Clara Chooi

IPOH, Dec 18 — Despite running a deficit budget, the Ipoh City Council this year built two giant signs spelling the city's name at entry points on the PLUS expressway for RM800,000.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians blamed the Perak palace for the signage, modelled on the famous Hollywood sign in the United States, saying they managed to reduce it to two from the initial four when it was built early this year.

The Ipoh City Council confirmed with The Malaysian Insider the whopping cost, which amounts to RM100,000 for each letter that spells out the words "Ipoh".

It is understood that the signs were erected in January this year for two reasons — to mark the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah's silver jubilee celebration and to turn the city of Ipoh into a significant landmark to entice more tourist stopovers.

The RM800,000 spent on the two signs does not include maintenance work and the cost of electricity used to power up the spotlights at night.

A source from the ousted PR state government revealed to The Malaysian Insider yesterday that the proposal to erect the signs had come from the palace last year and the initial suggestion was actually to put up four such signs along the main arteries entering the city.

"The PR government rejected the idea when it was mooted because it was clearly a terrible waste of public funds," said the source, who declined to be named.

The source added that the signage also bore little aesthetic value and would not have helped to boost the city's economy in any way.

"In the first place, there are enough road signboards on the highway to inform people where Ipoh is.

"Not only that, before they allowed the continuous travel between Kuala Lumpur and Penang on the highway, motorists had to pay their toll in Ipoh before they proceeded on their journey.

"Everyone knows where Ipoh is," said the source.

The PR government was toppled when three of its lawmakers resigned to be independent, prompting the Perak royalty to name Barisan Nasional Pangkor assemblyman Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir as mentri besar.

When contacted yesterday, Ipoh Mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim admitted to The Malaysian Insider the cost of the two signs.

He said that the reason why the signs were so expensive was because each letter had to be lifted up to be erected on its lofty perch up on two separate hills.

"They had to bring in a skylift crane from Kuala Lumpur to erect the letters and this cost us quite a bit," he said.

He said however that the PR government had not completely rejected the idea but had merely voiced some disapproval.

"I also discussed it with (former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad) Nizar (Jamaluddin) and he did suggest putting it up along the Ipoh-Lumut highway," said Roshidi.

Meanwhile, the signs, which spell out the name "Ipoh" using white letters, already seems to be stained with dark blotches.

Roshidi said he was aware of this and had already assigned a city engineer to be in charge of maintaining the signs.

The maintenance work, he added, would include cleaning the letters as well as ensuring that the spotlights to light up each letter at night were working well.

"We also have to clean the undergrowth of the hills behind the signage and keep the place neat," he said.

Roshidi also agreed that the city was currently still running on a deficit budget of between RM7 million and RM10 million.

"But still, our arrears collection has improved tremendously by up to 36 per cent this year alone.

"We also have a huge reserve so we can run without collections for at least six months," he said.

Before the giant Ipoh signs, motorists on the old federal road would know they were near the capital of the tin-rich state from the giant Mercedes Benz three-pointed star logo at the city's southern approach, signifying the wealth of its residents who favoured the German marque.

The only other city with a giant signage is Kuala Terengganu which has the word “Allah” on the hill after Pulau Duyong.

On the fast track to Ipoh - Star

2009-12-15T10:40:00.001+08:00

Dec 15 09 - By SARBAN SINGH

SEREMBAN: Rail commuters will be able to travel from here to Ipoh in less than three hours when Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) introduces its inter-city express train service (ETS) from April 1.

The premium service, which will among others have wi-fi services, will only stop at major stations along the way.

A source said KTMB had already received a new set of the trains from South Korea and trial runs were expected to begin in the coming weeks.

“Since the train has a maximum speed of 120kph and is built based on the latest technology, commuters will be able to get from one point to another quicker,” he said.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is scheduled to launch the service in Kuala Lumpur today.

The source said KTMB would get four more train sets by February.

“Each train will have six coaches which can accommodate some 300 sitting passengers,” he said.

KTMB introduced the normal Kuala Lumpur-Ipoh shuttle service beginning December last year. The journey between Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh takes about three hours.

However, the new train set has a diesel-run locomotive with inter-city coaches.

It is understood that the ETS will, among others, stop at the Nilai/KLIA, Bandar Tasek Selatan, KL Sentral, Tg Malim, Tapah, Kampar and Batu Gajah stations.

With the ETS, the travelling time from Seremban to Kuala Lumpur will be 45 minutes while the KL-Ipoh route will take about two hours and 10 minutes.

The source said the new train set will look like an upgraded version of the present KTM Komuter trains.

“It will have comfortable seats and brightly lit coaches.

“The seats will also be spacious,” he said.

The source said since it was a premium service, commuters must be prepared to pay more to travel on the train.

“This is a departure from the old mode of rail travel.

“We want commuters to feel even more comfortable and to be able to do work while in the train,” he said, adding that the proposed fare had yet to be approved by the Transport Ministry.

It is understood that the service will begin at 5am with the last being at 10pm at two-hour intervals.

Why you should have sex everyday - Star

2009-11-28T09:49:00.003+08:00

Nov 28 2009 By timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Heard that song called Sexual Healing?

It's not just a metaphor. Sex can actually heal. It can heal your body and mind and also prevent lots of diseases.

Some say it's the first medicine ever known to man and it should be administered daily. Sounds too good to be true? Let's discover the five reasons to have sex each day.

Great form of exercise

Making love is a form of physical activity. During intercourse, the physiological changes in your body are consistent with a workout. You must have noticed that the respiratory rate rises, which means you get tired. Hence, you burn calories.

If you have sex three times a week for 15 minutes you'll burn about 7.500 calories in a year.

That's the equivalent of jogging 120km! Heavy breathing raises the amount of oxygen in your cells, and the testosterone produced during sex keeps your bones and muscles strong.

Pain relief

The "Honey, not today, I have a headache" cannot be an excuse any more.

During sex, both male and female bodies produce endorphins, hormones that act as weak painkillers.

A study conducted by reknowned sex theraphist Gina Ogden showed that during sexual stimulation and especially during orgasm, we don't feel pain.

If she finds another excuse, remind her that sex is good for her entire reproductive system, because it trains the PC muscle, which keeps the reproductive organs in shape.

In women, sex can also increase fertility, postpone the menopause and relieve PMS symptoms.

Prostate protection

Most of the fluid you ejaculate is secreted by the prostate gland. If you stop ejaculating, the fluid stays in the gland, which tends to swell, causing lots of problems.

Regular ejaculation will wash those fluids out and ensure the well being of your prostate until old age. Problems may also occur when you suddenly change the frequency of ejaculations.

Prevents ED

Fifty per cent of men older than 40 suffer from erectile dysfunctions and all young men fear the moment when they won't be able to get it up any more. The best medicine against impotence is...sex.

An erection keeps the blood flowing through your penile arteries, so the tissue stays healthy. Plus, doctors compare an erection to an athletic reflex: the more you train the more capable you are to perform.

Stress relief

It's a scientific fact: sex can be a very effective way of reducing stress levels.

During sex your body produces dopamine, a substance that fights stress hormones, endorphins, aka "happiness hormones" and oxytocin, a desire-enhancing hormone secreted by the pituitary gland.

Perak to increase NGO involvement in local councils - Malaysian Insider

2009-11-25T18:20:00.001+08:00

By Clara Chooi

IPOH, Nov 25 — The Perak government plans to increase the participation of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the running of local councils by invoking provisions under Local Agenda 21.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said that the current system, which the Barisan Nasional administration had adopted from the previous Pakatan Rakyat government, did not optimise the use of NGO talent because of the 30 per cent quota.

Under the PR system, 30 per cent of local councillor posts are given to professionals and non-political appointees, mainly representatives of NGOs.

“However, we are aware that there are many more NGO representatives out there who are willing to participate in local government administrations but because of the quota system, they may not make the cut.

“If we use Local Agenda 21, however, we can capitalise on this,” he told a press conference after chairing the weekly state executive councillor meeting here today.

Zambry said that under Local Agenda 21, the state government could form a “second layer” to the councillors, comprising only of NGO representatives.

According to state executive councillor for local government matters Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, the “second layer” would be involved in council matters and would play a pivotal role in aiding the local governments in sustainable development of the state’s 15 districts.

“They will also sit in during local council meetings,” he said.

Agenda 21 is an action plan towards global sustainable development that was amongst the five papers presented during the 1992 Earth Summit or United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro.

Zambry said the Housing and Local Government Ministry had already commissioned the setting up of Local Agenda 21 in Malaysia several years back.

“We might as well make full use of this and come up with a modus operandi on how to improve the effectiveness of our local councils by expanding the involvement of these NGOs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zambry said that the state government had already identified several problematic councillors currently serving the local councils but has yet to finalise the list of names.

“We will not hesitate to discontinue their services during the new round of appointments. There will be no compromise on this,” he said, adding that the new team of local councillors would be appointed by early next year.

Zambry also issued a stern warning to all present and aspiring councillors to make sure they performed well or face the boot.

“Enough is enough. We do not care which political party they represent — if they fail to perform, we will discontinue them.

“We do not want these people to think that the appointments are merely privileges bestowed upon them by their leaders or given to them because of their unfaltering support to a certain leader. They must consider themselves as the people’s representatives too,” he said.

He added that the each councillor was subjected to key performance indicator (KPI) evaluations, which would value their services based on their achievements, attendance and effectiveness.

“If they fail, they will go,” warned Zambry.

On a separate matter, Zambry said the Health Ministry had given its thumbs-up to the state government’s request for allocations under the 10th Malaysia Plan to build new hospitals.

Among the state’s requests was an expansion for the present Tuanku Bainun Hospital here which will add a maternity and cardiology wing costing some RM200mil, as well as a brand new hospital in Parit Buntar, also costing some RM200mil.

Celebs help club to clean up river - Star

2009-11-18T07:55:00.001+08:00

Nov 17, 2009

SOME 60 Leo Club members spent a recent Sunday morning cleaning up the banks of the Kinta River in Ipoh under their ‘Keep Our Sungai Kinta Clean’ project.

Organised in conjunction with Eco Week 2009 by the Leo Club of SMJK Sam Tet, the clean-up was attended by fellow Leos from five other schools in Ipoh.

They also managed to rope in celebrities from Malaysia Celebrities Go Green (MCG2), namely actor-TV host Baki Zainal, singer Azizi Zakaria, radio DJ Faradina Mohd Nadzir who is better known as Dina and Miss Malaysia World 2008/2009 Soo Wincci.

Baki said the MCG2 artistes were committed to caring for the environment.

Soo (right) joining Leo member in removing an old peice of wood on the Sungai Kinta banks.

“We travelled from Kuala Lumpur to show our support,” said Baki.

Azizi said he was using his popularity to get his fans to go green.

Dina hoped more young people would realise the importance of keeping the environment clean.

The clean-up covered a 1km stretch of the river bank between Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah.

Alan Thoo, the chairman for Leos in District 308B2 (Selangor to Perlis), said the Leos picked up not only plastic but also broken bottles, old tyres, old jeans and pieces of wood that had been dumped on the river banks.

Wall outside State Secretariat collapses - Star

2009-11-14T18:30:00.002+08:00

Nov 14, 2009

IPOH: Part of a retaining wall at the State Secretariat building here collapsed following days of heavy rainfall. The 21m-long wall in front of Jalan Istana crumbled at about 9pm on Thursday.

It is believed that water from a drain in the compound had washed away the earth underneath the wall causing it to give way.

Removing debris: An excavator cleaning up fallen portions of the retaining wall at the Perak State Secretariat building in Ipoh yesterday. — ZABIDI TUSIN / The Star

Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim, who visited the site, said damage was estimated at between RM8,000 and RM10,000. Repairs are now under way.

Hours earlier, part of a road kerb along Laluan Lapangan 3 in Taman Sri Perkasa also gave way, creating a 2.5m-deep crater.

Hawker Lim Ah Lek, 66, said it had been raining heavily shortly beforethe incident.

“The rain fell for about half an hour but it was so heavy that the water level in front of my house rose to about 15cm,” he said.

Lim said he saw the gaping hole as he was leaving his house at about 7pm.

“There is heavy traffic on this road as it is a main road. Many schoolbuses use the road.

“We are afraid that the road will collapse,” he said.

Resident Lee Geok Hoon, 45, said she feared for her life. “I use this road four times a day,” she said.

Ipoh City Councillor Kok Pak Foo gave his assurance that the council would repair the road kerb immediately. He visited the site with Gopeng MCA division chief Albert Chang and his deputy Alex Chan.

Perak launches new information channel

2009-11-14T18:06:00.001+08:00

IPOH, Nov 14

The state government has launched Perak TV Digital Media Network, a new channel to disseminate information on activities by government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGO).

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said to this end, 300 television sets would be installed at strategic places like government offices and restaurants.

He said the project by K-Perak Inc Corp and Simfoni Maya Sdn Bhd was not poltically motivated but aimed at improving the delivery system of all government agencies.

“We are providing the people with a new alternative to receive information on economic and social activities. The television sets will also be installed in rural areas.

“As such, the people will have a choice to receive information not fully covered by the mainstream media,” he said at the launch here today.

Zambry said the new information channel would also offer advertising space for local products at much lower cost compared to other service providers. — Bernama

RM60mil approved to upgrade Sultan Azlan Shah airport - Star

2009-11-08T00:08:00.000+08:00

Nov 7, 2008

IPOH: Work on extending the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport runway and upgrading the terminal building will start next year.

Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said the Cabinet had approved RM60mil for the two projects.

He said the runway could now be extended by 200m from the present 1.8km apart from the airport terminal being upgraded.

This would allow the airport to attract more budget airlines within Asean to fly there, he said.

Currently, only Firefly offers flights from here to Singapore daily.

"Our surveys showed that Perak hold immerse potential as a tourist destination.

"With the extension, we hope other budget airlines will be attracted to use the airport," said Ahmad Husni Saturday.

Speaking to reporters after a ground-breaking ceremony for a market at the Tanah Hitam New Village in Chemor near here, Ahmad Husni, who is also Tambun MP, said work on extending and upgrading the airport would start next year.

On another matter, Ahmad Husni said elected representatives had also been roped in to ensure projects under Budget 2010 were carried out.

"The Yang Berhormats can also write to the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister if projects in their area are facing problems," he said.

Najib was reported to have asked his ministers to closely monitor projects under Budget 2010.

The Prime Minister wants the 160 projects listed to start according to schedule as this was the commitment given by the Government to the rakyat.

Reaching out to the disabled - Star

2009-11-06T15:35:00.001+08:00

Nov 5, 2009

REGISTRATION for the disabled to learn vocational skills is now open at Persatuan Daybreak, Ipoh.

A social concern arm of the Canning Garden Methodist Church, Ipoh, Daybreak has since its inception in 1992 trained over 500 people who were physically or intellectually challenged.

Its chairman Siaw Tack Chuan said the centre provides hands-on-training to enable people to learn skills in any workplace, including socks manufacturing and packaging, plant nursery, general clea-ning, contract assembly and packaging and handicraft.

He said those who register would be given two years’ training, adding that the centre would also find a job for them.

Sandra showing (from right) Siaw, Thong and Kojima a pillow made by a trainee.

The centre, he said, would monitor the trainees’ progress for ano-ther two years while they were employed.

Siaw said those employed would receive RM300 allowance from the Welfare Department if their salary was below RM1,200 a month.

Daybreak, which is largely dependent on public donations, recently received RM40,000 for its nursery project from the Japanese Chamber of Trade and Industry, Malaysia (JACTIM).

The JACTIM Foundation was established in 1994 for the purpose of contributing to Malaysian cultural, social and educational developments, and also strengthening the bilateral relationship between Malaysia and Japan.

A symbolic cheque presentation ceremony was held at the centre on Tuesday.

International Culture Exchange Committee director and chairman Kenji Kojima handed over the mock cheque to Ipoh Timur MCA division chief Datuk Thong Fah Chong who represented deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Lee Chee Leong.

Also present were Daybreak executive chairman Datuk Sandra Lee and state Social Welfare director Chong Phaik Kee. Those who wish to register with Daybreak can contact 05 -3235908/3235909.

Budget 2010 - 1Malaysia, Together We Prosper - Malaysiakini

2009-10-23T19:16:00.000+08:00

Oct 23, 2009

Budget 2010's three-pronged strategy - driving the nation towards a high-income economy, ensuring holistic and sustainable development and focusing on the well-being of the people.

GDP for 2009 is expected to be -3%, better than the earlier estimation of -4% to -5%.

The total expenditure allocated is RM191.5 billion, which is 11.2 percent less that what was allocated last year (RM215.7 billion).

Of this, the proposed operating expenditure is RM138.3 billion and development expenditure is RM53.2 billion.

The government's income meanwhile has shrunk 8.4 percent to RM148.4 billion (RM162.1 billion in 2009).

The budget deficit is proposed to be reduced to 5.6 percent from 7.4 percent last year.

Salient points of Najib's speech:

* Malaysia economy to grow 2-3 percent in 2010

* Mining to grow 1.1 percent, manufacturing sector 1.7 percent, agriculture 2.5 percent, construction 3.2 percent and service 3.6 percent.

* Private consumption expand 2.9 percent while private investment 3.4 percent.

* Per capita income to increase by 2.5 percent to RM24,661.

* TNB to spend RM5 billion to implement electricity generation, transmission and distribution projects in 2010.

* Public-private collaborations to include an integrated immigration, customs and quarantine complex in Bukit Kayu Hitam, construction of six UiTM campuses and the development of Matrade centre.

* 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) will establish a corporate social responsibility fund totalling RM100 million as a start to finance community activities.

* Government to allocate RM899 million to intensify tourism industry.

* Government to enhance tax incentives for healthcare service providers who offer services to foreign health tourists with income tax exemptions of 100 percent on the value of increased exports from 50 percent previously.

* Individual taxpayers to be given tax relief on broadband subscription fee up to RM500 a year from 2010 to 2012.

* Civil servants are eligible to apply for computer loans once in every three years and up to a maximum of RM5,000 from the government once in every five years.

* Formulate Halal Act in collaboration with State Islamic Religious Councils.

* To corporatise the Halal Industry Development Corporation as an agency under Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

* Intensify halal certification by the Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (Jakim) by collaborating with international institutions to obtain standards certification such as HACCP and GMP.

* To provide RM24 million to develop halal products anti-smuggling system at three entry points and three main ports.

* Allocate RM137 million to upgrade and improve drainage and irrigation infrastructures in paddy fields involving 180,000 farmers.

* To provide RM70 million to build the Paya Peda Dam Project in Terengganu to increase water supply capacity to paddy irrigation scheme in Besut.

* Allocate RM82 million to modernise aquaculture industry and conduct entrepreneurship training scheme for aquaculture breeders with focus on production of fish fry and ornamental fish.

* RM149 million allocation to develop food farming industry such as fruits, vegetables, organic farming, herbs, seaweeds and swiftlet nests.

* RM58 million to develop basic infrastructures for livestock farms and establish supply chains for beef and mutton production.

* A consortium comprising Felda, Felcra and Risda will be established by the end of 2009, with a paid-up capital of RM300 million and with each agency contributing RM100 million.

* Government to provide subsidies, incentives and assistance amounting to some RM2 billion to farmers and fishermen to safeguard their interests.

* Government to allocate RM9 billion to finance infrastructure projects, with RM4.7 billion for road and bridge projects, RM2.6 billion for water supply and sewerage services, RM899 million for rail facilities, RM820 million for ports and sea services and RM276 milliion for airport projects.

* To consolidate 79 SME funds to 33 to simplify access to SME financing to be coordinated by SME Corp.

* To allocate RM350 million to SME Corp, with RM200 million set aside for SME soft loans, RM100 million for capacity enhancement and the balance for branding and promotion.

* Financial institutions to approve micro-financing in six days and disbursement in four days.

* To allocate RM538 million for implementation of various SME programmes, with RM281 million to state economic development corporations, RM200 million to Tekun and RM57 million for purchase of business premises and infrastructures.

* Government to sanction RM20 million to intensify green awareness activities and practise environment-friendly lifestyle.

* Develop Putrajaya and Cyberjaya as pioneer townships in GreenTechnology as a showcase for the development of other townships.

* Establish a RM1.5 billion fund to promote green technology, with a maximum RM50 million financing for suppliers and RM10 million for consumer companies.

* Applications for financing through the National Green Technology Centre to commence on Jan 1, 2010 and 140 companies are to benefit.

* Building owners obtaining GBI Certificates from tomorrow until Dec 31, 2014 are to be given income tax exemption equivalent to additional capital expenditure.

* Stamp duty exemption to buyers of buildings with GBI Certificates from tomorrow till Dec 31, 2014.

* Simplify permanent residency (PR) applications for those who possess high talents, expatriates will be issued visas within 14 days while male expatriates who marry locals will be automatically conferred PR status.

* Government will ensure that the five regional corridors - launched during former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure - will be developed according to schedule.

* To ensure fuel subsidies only benefit targeted groups, the government will implement a fuel subsidiy management system in early 2010. This is a more people-friendly system utilising MyKad and the existing infrastructure.

* There will be no more free credit cards which are currently being used extensively. The number increased from more than two million in 1997 to 11 million as of August 2009, excluding 285,000 charge cards. To promote prudent spending a service tax of RM50 a year will be imposed on each principal credit card and charge card, including those issued free of charge.

* There will also be service tax of RM25 a year imposed on each supplementary card.

* RM3.7 billion set aside to beef up the security forces, including providing modern and sophisticated equipment for the relevant agencies.

* Target set to reduce crime index by five percent, including street crimes such as snatch theft and robberies by 20 percent by the end of 2010. Among the measures that will be taken is to increase police presence by providing stations in 50 crime hotspots.

* Open Approved Permit (AP) holders to be charged RM10,000 for each AP given. The new ruling will come into effect on Jan 1 next year.

* Government committee to achieve target of zero hardcore poverty in 2010. Five thousand poor households registered with eKasih and 4,000 Orang Asli households to receive aid. Skills training programmes and income generating programmes will be provided. Federal welfare assistance to be distributed on the 1st of each month.

* RM141 million to be allocated for 'Program Lonjakan Mega' scheme to alleviate 5,600 families from hardcore poverty.

* Double deduction on expenditure incurred in promoting Malaysia as an international financial centre.

* Deduction on expenditure incurred to set up islamic stockbroking companies.

* Deduction on expenditure incurred on the issuance of Islamic securities.

* Government to encourage all syariah-compliant financial and banking institutions such as Bank Muamalat and Bank Islam to offer Ar-Rahnu scheme.

* Government to ensure regional corridors be developed according to schedule.

Todate 126 of 195 planned projects are at various stages of implementation. Planned investments totalling RM221 billion have exceeded the 9MP target of RM145 billion.

* Government to allocate RM3.5 billion for infrastructure and basic amenities and training programmes and socio-economic projects to support implementation of private sector projects.

* Government is in the final stage of completing a study on imposing Goods and Services Tax (GST). The rate will be lower than the current sales and service tax.

* Income tax for 2010 based on income derived from 2009 will be allowed to be paid in instalments in five years.

* A five per cent tax to be imposed on gains from disposal of real property from Jan 1, 2010.

* A RM50 service tax to be imposed on each principal credit card and charge card and RM25 a year on each supplementary card from Jan 1, 2010.

* RM100,000 to be imposed for each AP to open AP holders effective Jan 1, 2010.

A portion of the collection will be channelled to the Bumiputera development fund in the automotive sector.

* To introduce a basic insurance and takaful scheme for motor insurance protection by mid-2010.

* To expand micro insurance and takaful coverage for small-scale businessmen to benefit from coverage ranging from RM10,000 to RM20,000 with a premium as low as RM20 per month.

* Stock market to be further liberalised to enhance efficiency.

* Liberalise commission-sharing arrangements between stockbrokers and remisiers by allowing flexible brokerage sharing at a minimum rate of 40 per cent for remisiers and to have commission-sharing fully liberalised effective January 1, 2011.

* Allowing 100 per cent foreign equity participation in corporate finance and financial planning companies.

* All public-listed companies to offer e-Dividend and stockbroking companies to provide e-Payment options.

* Current tax incentives to develop financial services, particularly Islamic finance, extended to 2015.

* Twenty per cent stamp duty exemption on Islamic financing instruments.

* Tax exemption on banking profits derived from overseas operations.

* Effective Jan 1 2010, government agrees to allow agencies to retain 50 per cent of rentals received while the remaining 50 per cent will be remitted to the government as revenue.

* The Government will implement fuel subsidy management system in early 2010.

* The Government proposes the maximum income tax rate to be further reduced to 26 per cent from 27 per cent effective from the 2010 year of assessment.

* Maximum tax rate for cooperatives will be reduced to 26 per cent while the fixed tax rate for non-resident individuals will be cut to 26 per cent.

* Personal tax relief will be increased to RM9,000 from RM8,000 effective from the 2010 year of assessment.

* The Government also proposes income tax on employment income of Malaysians and foreign knowledge workers residing and working in Iskandar Malaysia be imposed at 15 per cent compared with the maximum 26 per cent for the rest of the country.

* Government to launch a scheme in January 2010 that enables EPFcontributors to utilise current and future savings in Account 2 to promote house ownership.

* RM14.8 billion is allocated to manage, build and upgrade hospitals and clinics.

* The Government will issue 1Malaysia Sukuk totalling RM3 billion.

* The Government will establish the 1Malaysia Retirement Scheme to be administrated by EPF.

Wildlife authorities in war against tiger poachers - Star

2009-10-10T10:03:00.001+08:00

Oct 10, 2009 By IVAN LOH

ivanloh@thestar.com.my

IPOH: The Perak Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has uncovered and destroyed 47 snares meant for tigers near the Royal Belum rainforest this year alone.

State Perhilitan director Shabrina Shariff said the traps were found during its anti-poaching initiative Ops Jerat conducted since early this year.

“The latest was the trap that snared a tiger near the Royal Belum forest reserve on Saturday,” said Shabrina.

A five-year-old 120kg tiger was caught in a snare near the Royal Belum rainforest, seriously injuring a right limb. It is currently being treated at the Malacca Zoo.

“There could also be more traps that we have yet to find in the forest,” Shabrina said.

Shabrina said anti-poaching operations are carried out three times a month and 24 in total have been conducted along the East-West highway near the Royal Belum rainforest.

“Up to October, we have arrested five people for possessing snares,” said Shabrina, adding that two men from Kelantan were also arrested early this year for buying tiger parts in Grik.

“We recovered tiger skulls, bones, fangs and claws from them and are still discussing with the state public prosecutor office for action to be taken against them,” she said, adding that there are currently only between 30 and 40 tigers left in Royal Belum rainforest.

Shabrina said Perhilitan would continue to search and destroy snares.

“We will also put up cameras at tiger hotspots, while our officers will go undercover to obtain more information on poachers,” she said.

WWF species conservation manager Reuben Clements said tiger poaching activities were rampant based upon the number of traps found and tiger parts recovered.

“The Federal Government needs to set up anti-poaching task force to secure key tiger-populated area in the long run,” he said, adding that the Royal Belum rainforest was among three priority areas identified in the National Tiger Action Plan.

Wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic South-East Asia regional acting director Chris R. Shepherd said Malaysia still has a healthy number of tigers.

“That just means that poachers are going to turn their sights on Malaysia,” Shepherd said.

“The population of all tiger species in South-East Asia has dropped, which is already a blow to conservation efforts,” he said, adding that South-East Asian countries should work together to save the tiger from extinction.

He said heavier fines should be imposed to prevent poaching and the illegal trading of tiger parts, and urged the public to play their part by reporting poaching activities.

Noose tightens around tiger poachers - Star

2009-10-10T10:01:00.002+08:00

Oct 10, 2009

IPOH: This year alone, the Perak Wildlife and National Parks Depart-ment (Perhilitan) uncovered and destroyed 47 tiger traps near the Royal Belum Rainforest Reserve.

State Perhilitan director Shabrina Shariff said the traps were found during the anti-poaching Ops Jerat that began early this year.

“The latest trap was the one that snared a tiger near the reserve on Saturday,” said Shabrina.

A five-year-old 120kg tiger had one of its limbs seriously injured by the wire trap and is being treated at the Malacca Zoo.

“There could be more traps that we have yet to find in the forest,” she said.

Shabrina said 24 Ops Jerat checks had been conducted along the East-West Highway near the rainforest.

“As of October, we arrested five people for possessing snares,” she said.

She said two men from Kelantan were also arrested early this year for buying tiger parts in Grik.

Shabrina said Perhilitan would continue to search and destroy the snares.

“We will also put up cameras at tiger hotspots and have officers going undercover to obtain more information on poachers,” she said.

There are currently between 30 to 40 tigers left in the Belum rainforest reserve.

Meanwhile, WWF species conservation manager Reuben Clements said the Federal Government needed to set up an anti-poaching task force to secure key tiger-populated areas in the long run.

Perak government appoints Professor Sukor Kasim as adviser - NST

2009-10-08T05:24:00.000+08:00

Oct 7, 2009

IPOH: Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) microcredit expert Professor Sukor Kasim will be appointed adviser and consultant to the Perak government in its bid to narrow income disparities in the state.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the appointment was important to enable the government to come up with the best approach to address this problem and poverty, especially hardcore poverty.

"We want them (experts) to come and be part of us, to advise us on the best mechanism and best policy to implement because many programmes had been announced before but nothing much had been done.

"Some of the announcements were mere announcements or populist moves to draw public support," he told reporters after chairing the State Executive Council meeting, here, Wednesday.

Asked on the duration of the appointment, Zambry said the state government would discuss it with Sukor and disclosed that the former Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) managing director had in principle agreed to be adviser and consultant to the Perak government.

Zambry said the state government would set aside a special allocation in the 2010 state budget to be tabled at the next state assembly sitting to address the stark income disparity problem.

He said the 2010 state budget would also include measures to make Perak a business-friendly and high-income state.

"Besides that, there will also be programmes for capacity building which, among others, are aimed at eradicating poverty, as well as programmes for the youths."

The state assembly sitting should be held by November the latest since the last one in May. - BERNAMA

Health warning on traditional medicine capsule - Star

2009-10-06T15:10:00.002+08:00

Oct 6, 2009 By DHARMENDER SINGH

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has advised the public against buying and using Senna Plus Capsule 400mg after the Drug Control Authority (DCA) cancelled the registration of the traditional product.

The DCA said the capsule (labelled MAL06100616TC) contains a scheduled poison.

The ministry’s Pharmacy Services senior director Eisah Abdul Rahman said the DCA had cancelled the registration of the product following the detection of the scheduled poison Sibutramine, which is not allowed for use in traditional products.

The product registration holder for the Senna Plus Capsule 400mg is Winson Health Product Marketing and the manufacturer is TST Packaging Sdn Bhd, she said.

She said there were certain products containing Sibutramine that were registered with the DCA but these had been evaluated for their safety, efficacy and quality.

Furthermore, those products can only be supplied by doctors or obtained from pharmacies with a prescription.

“The public should not use traditional products containing the scheduled poison without consulting a doctor because its use without proper diagnosis and monitoring could cause serious adverse events such as high-blood pressure and other cardio-vascular effects.

“The products can have detrimental effects on consumers in the high-risk category,” she said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Eisah said the ministry was also calling on anyone possessing the product to immediately cease its sale, distribution or use.

She said possession for sale of the product was an offence under the Controlled Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984, which carries a fine of up to RM25,000, three years’ jail or both for the first offence, and a fine of up to RM50,000, five years’ jail or both for subsequent offences.

Companies face a fine of up to RM50,000 for the first offence and a maximum fine of RM100,000 for subsequent offences, she said.

Safety team formed to inspect pre-war buildings - Star

2009-10-06T14:47:00.003+08:00

Oct 6, 2009 BY CHAN LI LEEN

IPOH: The Ipoh City Council is setting up a surveillance team to inspect pre-war and colonial buildings, in the wake of the recent collapse of the buildings at Fair Park here.

State executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said the team would conduct checks upon receiving complaints from the public or requests from owners to have their premises looked at.

Ground zero: Motorists driving past the site where a row of pre-war buildings collapsed along Jalan Kamaruddin Isa in Fair Park on Friday.

The team will comprise experts from the council and the Public Works Department (PWD), he added.

According to Dr Mah, the local government authority had the jurisdiction to issue notices to owners under Section 83 of the Drainage and Buildings Act 1974 to check their buildings.

“Action can be taken against those who refuse to comply. We will do it for the safety of the public,” he told reporters yesterday after attending a preliminary meeting into the collapse of the buildings at the demolition site.

In the 9.30pm incident on Friday, two passengers in a car were killed while another was injured when a row of pre-war buildings on Jalan Kamaruddin Isa collapsed onto the vehicle.

The buildings were being demolished to make way for eight units of three-storey shoplots.

While the opinion of experts was needed to decide whether a particular building was structurally sound, there were telltale signs as to how safe a building was, said Dr Mah.

“Cracks, tears and leaning of walls are all telltale signs. I urge the public to report to us or least to keep us informed when they come across buildings in such a state,’’ he said, adding that the public could call the council’s hotline at 05-2551515.

He added that the first job for the team was to inspect the two rows of buildings along Jalan Gopeng in Sungai Raia.

On the meeting, Dr Mah said building forensics officers from the PWD and the Department of Safety and Health would hold further meetings before coming up with a detailed report on the collapse.

Stop-work order issued after shophouses collapse - Star

2009-10-04T22:31:00.001+08:00

Oct 4, 2009

IPOH: A temporary stop-work order has been issued against the owner of the two-storey pre-war shophouses which collapsed on Friday during demolition work, killing two men.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said the Ipoh City Council had also been instructed to prepare a preliminary report on the matter to be submitted to the ministry by tomorrow.

“We want to find out whether precautionary measures were taken during the demolition work,” he told reporters here yesterday after visiting the site.

He added that the Public Works Department, police, Fire and Rescue Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) would also be asked to prepare reports.

The statements of eyewitnesses and workers at the site would also be taken to assist in investigations.

“Action will be taken if the consultant was found to be negligent in using the wrong method to demolish the buildings,” he said.

The building in Jalan Kamaruddin Isa in Fair Park here was being demolished to make way for a row of three-storey shophouses. In the 9.30pm incident, two passengers in a Perodua Viva were killed when the building collapsed on the vehicle.

The deceased were identified as Zairi Mohd Sabri, 25, and Firdaus Mohd Norzila, 23.

The driver, Abdil Kudus Ismail, 21, was discharged after receiving outpatient treatment at the Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun here.

Fatal disaster strikes during dinner outing - Star

2009-10-04T22:29:00.001+08:00

Oct 4, 2009

IPOH: He slowed down his car because the traffic light in front of him was turning red.

Moments later, computer technician Abdil Kudus Ismail, 21, felt a sharp pain on his face and back.

“When I turned to my friends, I could not see them as they were already buried under the rubble of a building which collapsed on my car.

“I could only feel Zairi (Mohd Sabri), who was seated in the front passenger seat, holding on tightly to my hand,” he said at Zairi’s house at Taman Harmoni in Rapat Setia here yesterday.

Sympathy offering: Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (left) visiting Abdil Kudus at the Ipoh Hospital intensive care unit Saturday.

Abdil Kudus, who was trying to hold back his tears, added that he quickly used his right elbow to break the car window before crawling out to seek help.

“But when I returned to check on my friends, I could only see their lifeless hands,” he said, adding that the image would haunt him forever.

Abdil Kudus was recounting the harrowing experience when pre-war shophouses collapsed on his car on Friday.

His friends Zairi, 25, and Firdaus Mohd Norzila, 23, died on the spot.

Abdil Kudus said they were on their way to Dataran DBI for dinner when it happened.

Zairi’s mother Zaitun Ahmad, 43, said the last she spoke to her eldest son was 15 minutes before the incident.

“I refused to believe it when a policeman called to inform me of the incident, as I had just spoken to him on the phone,” said the mother of 11.

She added that Zairi had gone out with his friends to help her buy tickets for a trip to Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Meanwhile, Firdaus’ father Mohd Norzila Abd Rahman said he was contemplating taking legal action over his son’s death.

“There were not enough safety measures at the site where the buildings were being demolished,” said the lorry driver.

The two victims were buried at the Tanah Perkuburan Islam Rapat Setia here.

Crackdown on leasees - Star

2009-10-04T22:25:00.000+08:00

Oct 4, 2009 By IVAN LOH

THE Ipoh City Council will terminate the rental agreement of those found to be renting out their low-cost flat units, said Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim.

“The council will start issuing vacate notices from this month. The retracted units will then be leased out immediately to those who need them.

“We have received numerous complaints of leasees renting out their units to others,” he said after chairing the council’s full board meeting on Thursday.

Roshidi also lambasted the selfish leasees who failed to return their keys to the council after they vacated their units.

“The flats are meant for the poor and for those who cannot afford their own home,” he said.

The city council currently owns the Buntong Harmoni, Kinta Heights and Waller Court flats charging rental of between RM80 and RM140 monthly.

On a unrelated matter, Roshidi denied talks that the city council had increased the quit rent of several new housing estates.

”The city council has not increased the quit rent in Ipoh for the past 15 years,” he said, adding that the city council did not have the power to raise the quit rent.

He was responding to newspaper reports that residents in several housing areas in Ipoh were shocked with the hike in quit rent.

Roshidi explained that quit rent in new housing estates was adjusted accordingly in line with the value of property.

”All these while, the residents have been paying quit rent at empty land rates.

“Those who are not happy with the quit rent imposed on them should present their argument to the council within a month.” he said.

He also noted that as of October, the city council had identified about 10,300 people who had not been paying their quit rent.

Consortium To Improve Bus Service In Ipoh

2009-10-02T21:28:00.001+08:00

IPOH, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- A consortium involving the three existing bus companies will be set up by year end to standardise the bus services in the city and overcome the problem of old buses.

State Public Service and Consumerism Committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon said Friday the new schedules involving 300 buses were expected to start on Nov 1.

He said the Ipoh City Council had also been directed to conduct a study on the old and dilapidated bus stops with a view to building new ones for the comfort of commuters.

The state government was also considering implementing special bus lanes in the city to overcome traffic jams when the consortium took over, he said.

-- BERNAMA

Keeping the hills alive - Star

2009-09-26T12:06:00.005+08:00

Sept 26, 2009

By FOONG THIM LENG
Photos courtesy of CHEANG KUM SENG

Photographer Cheang Kum Seng’s love affair with the limestone hills of the Kinta Valley has yielded thousands of photos spanning two decades.

RENOWNED photographer Cheang Kum Seng hopes to instil awareness on the importance of conserving the hills of the Kinta Valley through the images he has captured in the past two decades.

His fascinating photographs of the valley’s hills, caves and landscape were published recently in a book called Limestone Hills & Caves of the Kinta Valley. The author of the book is Ipoh-born freelance writer S. L. Wong, who specialises in environmental and travel writing.

Serene pursuit: Boating in the lake near Pencil Rock in Tambun.

Cheang, 65, is a retired bank employee who has found a second career as an industrial and commercial photographer. His images have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers and books, and have been used regularly on the cover of the Malaysian Nature Society’s (MNS) Malaysian Naturalist between 1995 and 2000.

Cheang has snapped thousands of photographs of the hills in the Kinta Valley and some of his favourites are featured in the book. Many of the photographs were taken between 1990 and 1991 when he was commissioned as a photographer for the Kinta Valley Limestone Hill Survey Project by the MNS and as the photographer for the Gua Tempurung project by Heritage Acres Sdn Bhd.

“The photographs in the book depict not only existing hills and caves but also landscapes that no longer exist due to development and changes in the use of land. I hope the book will serve as an encouragement for all of us to stand up and protect Malaysia’s natural heritage,” Cheang said in an interview.

His photographs are a testament to his passion for nature and the patience needed to bring out the very best in his subjects. Most of Cheang’s photographs were taken before digital photography became popular. He used two 35mm and a 120mm camera for taking slides and negatives during his outings.

Cheang’s crew were usually made up of his three sons and MNS members who shared his interest in caving activities.

The second chamber in Perak Tong, a cave temple near Tasek.

“We would visit the hills in the morning to start exploring the caves to look for interesting sites with unique features. It was a time-consuming job as we were only using torches. You need lots of patience to be able to study the formations before you are able to capture the images.

“Once we had identified our target, we would set up the cameras and positioned the helpers to light up the cave using multiple flashes. At times, we had to wait for rays of sunlight to seep through the cave ceiling to impart a surreal impact on the photographs.

“We could only take about two shots in each outing and had to leave the cave in the evening,” he recalled.

Cheang, an associate of the Royal Photography Society of Great Britain, has been a member of the MNS since 1992 and a member of the Malaysian Karst Society since 2002.
Photographer Cheang Kum Seng has immortalised the landscapes of the Kinta Valley.

MNS president Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said in the book’s foreword that the Kinta Valley Hills have immeasurable conservation value and would be a perfect candidate for a World Heritage Site. It is significant in terms of its features and richness in biological diversity, but more significantly, it has a fascinating prehistoric past, he said.

Dr Salleh said that the Kinta Valley Hills, reputed to be between 240 and 570 million years old, are breathtaking limestone formations that have inspired many a traveller and researcher. With Limestone Hills & Caves of the Kinta Valley, the unique features of the limestone hills and caves can be recorded for posterity, for future generations to appreciate, he said.

Prof Dr Bernard Pierson, Shell Chair in Petroleum Geosciences, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, said the beautiful and long overdue book was a tribute to the geological treasures of the Kinta Valley.

Those interested in the book can contact the MNS at (03) 2287 9422.

Kinta Nature Park to be gazetted as wildlife sanctuary - Star

2009-09-25T11:05:00.002+08:00

Sept 25, 2009 By FOONG THIM LENG (newsdesk@thestar.com.my)

IPOH: The Perak government will gazette the Kinta Nature Park as a wildlife sanctuary to prevent it from being destroyed by encroachment and illegal activities.

State Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Hamidah Osman said gazetting the park would not take much time as the groundwork for it had been prepared when Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali was Perak mentri besar, and there was a file on the proposal in the state Land and Mines office.

Close inspection: Lee informing Hamidah about the encroachment at the Kinta Nature Park in Batu Gajah yesterday while Tan looks on. The island in the background is the heronry in the park.

“We will have to decide on which agency would manage the park and look into upgrading its facilities before promoting the park for tourism,” she told reporters during an inspection of the park in Batu Gajah after receiving complaints from the Perak branch of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).

Accompanying her were MNS Perak branch vice-chairman Lee Ping Kong, council member Tan Chin Tong and ornithologist Lim Kim Chye, who is the MNS Perak Branch Bird Group Coordinator.

“It will be a waste if such a potential tourist attraction like the park is neglected. It is said to be the best place for bird-watching in Malaysia. It is the home to more than 130 species of birds and has the largest heronry in the country on one of its islands,” she said.

It was reported in The Star on Tuesday that the park would will lose the heronry if illegal activities continued there.

Almost 60% of the birds in the park are listed as totally protected or protected under the Protection of Wild Life Act 1976.

A recent check by the MNS revealed that someone had fenced up the whole lake where the heronry, with five breeding species of 2,000 waterbirds, is located, with the intention of starting commercial fish farming.

The MNS had complained that pristine mining pools at the southern end of the park have been taken over by duck farms and that incursions by sand extraction activities have increased.

The lack of a management body had resulted in damage and disrepair to the infrastructure.

The only watchman in the park said he was only there to guard the amenities and was powerless to prevent any form of encroachment.

Hamidah said the park was managed by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan). She expressed disappointment at the amenities in the park having been vandalised and the grass not having been cut for months.

“We will like to park to be managed by the Kampar district office with Perhilitan playing a monitoring role,” she said.

Hamidah also agreed to look into a suggestion by the MNS to let the park be placed under the jurisdiction of the Perak State Parks Corporation.

She said the duck farms operating without permit would have to stop.

Hamidah added that she would talk with the Kampar District Office to stop renewing the permits for sand mining in the park.

On whether the park should be named the Royal Perak Wetlands, as proposed after the it was set up in 2001, Hamidah said the name would need consent from the Perak royal family.

One In Three Malaysians At Risk Of Developing Osteoporosis

2009-09-24T06:30:00.002+08:00

Picture courtesy of empowereddoctor.com

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- One in three Malaysian adults is at risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a recent bone-scanning programme.

The programme, conducted by bone nutrition expert Anlene in Malaysia, also found that incidence of osteoporotic hip fracture was highest among Chinese Malaysians, followed by Malays and Indians.

It found that 71 per cent of post-menopausal Malay women were not getting their daily Vitamin D requirement, the company said in a statement here today.

The programme, part of Anlene's Asia-wide bone-scanning programme conducted on 1.8 million people since 2005, is in line with the key findings of a major report released by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) at the World Wide Conference of Osteoporosis Patient Societies in Beijing.

The results of the programme are also in line with a recent study conducted by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the University of Otago, New Zealand, which revealed that less than 50 per cent of Malaysian women are getting their required calcium needs.

Meanwhile, John Mckay, general manager of Fonterra Malaysia (Fonterra is Anlene's parent), said the studies were crucial to building a better understanding of looming bone health problems in Malaysia and other countries in Asia.

"Our bone scanning has indicated that an increasing number of people are at risk of developing osteoporosis and IOF's findings show that the incidence of hip fracture has already doubled or tripled in most Asian countries over the past 30 years.

"This is an alarming figure. There is an urgent need for Asian countries to understand more about this preventable disease and take action to fight it and call for more public education and awareness about the disease," he said.

Step by step method and recipe to make garbage enzymes

2009-09-23T22:51:00.003+08:00

Sept 23, 2009

This article will provide you with a simple method and recipe to make garbage enzymes. Don’t worry if you are new to this as you will be guided through step by step on how to make garbage enzymes.

First and foremost, what is garbage enzymes and why are people making them? Garbage enzyme is a multipurpose liquid that can be used as a cleansing agent, purifier, fertiliser, blockage solution, etc. It is actually a smart way of using your kitchen wastes instead of throwing them out. When you make garbage enzymes using kitchen wastes like vegetables and fruits, it goes through a process of fermentation. This fermentation process will release ozone gas that will help to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thus, making homemade enzymes is also an excellent way to do our part in safeguarding the environment.

The method and recipe to make garbage enzymes provided in this post are courtesy of Inner Journey. The author of Inner Journey has taken proper workshops in understanding how different types of enzymes are made and is an active enzyme producer in her own rights.

Before you begin, you should know that the process of producing enzyme is not an overnight thing. To make garbage enzymes the correct way, you need to leave it to ferment for 3 months before it is ready to be used.

Basic Ingredients To Make Garbage Enzymes:

* 1 part sugar
* 3 parts vegetable and/or fruit dregs
* 10 parts water
* A plastic container (recommended: use a substantially large plastic mineral water bottle which is air tight)

Tip: If you want nice smelling garbage enzymes, try using citrus fruits like oranges and pineapples!

Method To Make Garbage Enzymes:

* In the plastic container, dilute the sugar in water.
* Then, add in the fruit/vegetable dregs
* Be sure to leave about one third of empty space in the plastic container for the fermentation process
* Close the container tightly
* During the first month, open the container’s cap twice a day to release the gas that has built up
* Once in a while where necessary, you may push the floating garbage downward
* Place the container in a cool and ventilated area

After the first month, the ingredients in the container should be stable and you won’t need to release the gas anymore. At this stage, you just need to leave it alone to ferment for another 2 months before using it. It’s that easy!

Have a go at making your own garbage enzymes. You can be as creative as you can get, using whatever kitchen wastes you may have. And have fun!

Source: http://www.usefultipsforlife.com/step-by-step-method-recipe-to-make-garbage-enzymes

Wearing Of Masks Not The Only Measure To Prevent H1N1 Spread

2009-09-16T08:02:00.003+08:00

By Zulkiple Ibrahim

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 (Bernama) -- As the awareness on H1N1 influenza increases, more members of the public can be seen wearing masks in their efforts to check the spread of the H1N1 virus in the country.

They can be seen wearing the masks at public spots like hospitals, hypermarkets and shopping complexes.

"The culture of wearing face masks to prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory diseases is good but the public should not make the practice as the only measure to curb the spread of H1N1 influenza," an officer of the Infection Control Division of a public health institution told this writer at a seminar on H1N1 here.

The officer is among the participants of the National A (H1N1) Influenza Pandemic Conference 2009 held last Sept 12. The day-long event was organised by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), Ministry of Health and Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Association of Malaysia (FPMPAM)

"Only those who are sick are required to wear the masks and people with H1N1 should not be outside of their homes, instead they went everywhere.

"They should be quarantined at home and this is to prevent them from spreading the H1N1 virus to others if they go to public places. At home they should wear masks as there are others such as their family members," she said.

The misconception is that people think that by wearing masks, even those who are sick can go to any place they like, said the officer.

"My advice to those who are sick is to stay home, impose self-quarantine as this helps to prevent H1N1 from getting to others," she added.

ONE METRE DISTANCE

"Stay at least 1.0 metre away from any individual with influenza-like symptoms. The use of masks could reduce the transmission. However if used incorrectly, may actually increase the risk," said Dr T.C. Lim, another participant at the seminar.

He said if masks are to be used, this measure should be combined with other general measures to help prevent the human-to-human transmission of H1N1 influenza.

Dr Lim said according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), among the other general measures are:

Refrain from touching mouth and nose;

perform hand hygiene frequently, by washing with soap and water or using a handrub especially if touching the mouth and nose and surfaces that are potentially contaminated;

reduce as much as possible the time spent in close contact with people who might be ill;

reduce as much as possible the time spent in crowded settings;

improve airflow in your living space by opening windows as much as possible.

stay at home if you feel unwell

WHEN TO WEAR MASKS?

According to Dr Lim, people are recommended to wear surgical masks when they have symptoms of respiratory infection or fever.

"Also, if you are looking after someone with respiratory infection symptoms and had came into contact with a person having respiratory infection symptoms.

"You have to wear masks when visiting friends or family members at hospitals, or visiting crowded and poorly-ventilated places," he said.

DO NOT RE-USE MASKS

Dr Lim advised the public to replace the masks with new, clean and dry masks as soon as they become damp or humid.

"Do not re-use the masks. Discard the used masks and dispose them immediately upon removing. Hands should be washed immediately after removal of the mask.

Wearing surgical mask is just one of the ways to prevent the spread of droplet and respiratory tract infections. The practice of good personal hygiene is important, he said.

"Even if you do wear a surgical mask, you should continue to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene because no mask can offer total protection," said Dr Lim.

MORE HARM THAN GOOD

Another seminar participant, who wished to be identified as Dr Wong said he noticed that people wear masks even with no one around.

He said the H1N1 virus is not airborne.

"To be considered an airborne virus, the microorganism would have to survive or remain in the air for long periods of time. The H1N1 virus does not stay airborne," said Dr Wong who is from a private medical centre here.

"I noticed many people wear masks in crowded places. However, places like airports, shopping malls and schools are full of germs. If only a small number of germs get into the holes in the mask, you will provide a breeding ground for them.

"This may lead to an infection. The moisture you produce in your mask is perfect for bacteria and viruses to grow," he said.

PREVENT EXPOSURE TO H1N1 VIRUS

The way to prevent exposure to H1N1 virus is to avoid physical contact with people who may be sick or infected. Also avoid commonly touched surfaces like escalator railings, poles and public toilet doorknobs.

The H1N1 virus usually spreads when someone touches surfaces with the virus and then touches his own nose, eyes or mouth.

Washing your hands frequently is the best defense against exposure.

"Wearing a mask is only good at helping you not to spread your illness to others if you are infected," Dr Wong added.

Bercham folk can breathe easier now - Star

2009-09-14T22:12:00.000+08:00

Sept 14, 2009

BERCHAM folk can heave a sigh of relief now that test results from Taman Tasek Aman and Taman Tasek Jaya have shown that the radiation level there is way below the permissible standard.

Universiti Tenaga Nasional College of Engineering Assoc Prof Norashidah Md Din said the total radiation exposure level in Taman Tasek Aman was at 1.85 microwatt per centimetre square or 0.32% according to the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines.

“The radiation exposure level for Taman Tasek Jaya was at 0.17 microwatt per centimetre square or 0.025%,” she told a press conference at the Ipoh City Council here recently.

‘‘It is safe to say that the radiation from the base stations comply to the safety guidelines,” she added.

Assoc Prof Norashidah explained that radiation levels beyond 400 microwatt per centimetre square were harmful to humans.

To a question on similar tests conducted by residents, which yielded different results, Assoc Prof Norashidah said the results could not be applied as they were using different measurement systems.

Ipoh Datuk Bandar Roshidi Hashim said the test results from Bercham would be used as a benchmark to gauge other telecommunication towers in Ipoh.

He added that several telecommunication companies had been told to relocate their base stations built near housing estates in Bercham by year end.

When contacted, Bercham Rukun Tetangga chairman Tan Swee Kong said the report was incomplete as it only announced the radiation frequency level.

Tan said the report should also include results on electro-magnetic radiation.

”They conducted the test for only 30mins, how is that enough to make a full report?” he asked.

Tan added that he would arrange for a meeting with Roshidi soon to seek clarification.

Obesity linked to H1N1 deaths - Malaysian Insider

2009-08-30T19:25:00.001+08:00

Aug 30, 2009

Researchers have discovered a possible link between obesity and an increased risk of dying from H1N1. — Reuters pic

PARIS, Aug 30 — Obesity has emerged as a possible contributing factor in fatal swine flu cases, according to ground-breaking research looking at deaths caused by the pandemic in countries around the world.

The claim is made by a team from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, which has studied the characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza up until the middle of July. According to the team’s findings, published in medical journal Eurosurveillance, underlying disease was found in at least half of all fatal cases.

Mortality patterns were in many cases similar to those associated with normal, seasonal flu. But the team observed: “Nevertheless two risk factors are noticeable: pregnancy and obesity.”

Pregnancy is already a well-documented risk factor in seasonal influenza and in previous pandemics. The study found that 16 women — representing 10 per cent of all female deaths that were studied — were pregnant or had recently delivered at the time of their death. Half of these also had other health issues. But the conclusion that obesity may be a factor in some swine flu deaths opens up a new line of investigation for epidemiologists. Where an underlying disease was found to be present after someone had died of swine flu, in more than one in four cases the deceased had a metabolic condition — diabetes and/or obesity.

The team, which concluded further research needed to be done to establish the link between obesity, severe influenza and mortality, also found significant demographic variations among those affected by the pandemic.

“Compared to younger age groups, the elderly seem to be protected from infection to some extent, perhaps due to previous exposure to strains akin to the H1N1 virus,” the team claim.

There has been a view that fatal cases involving the pandemic have tended to occur among the young, according to the team. And they found the average age of those who have died was 37. More than half of all deaths occurred among the 20- to 49-year-old age group. Overall, 12 per cent of deaths occurred in cases aged 60 years or more.

According to the latest update from the Health Protection Agency (HPA): “In the last seven days, cases reported globally have increased by 8 per cent and the number of deaths by 21 per cent.” However, the HPA suggested flu rates in England were now coming down.

Concerns remain, however, that infection rates will start to increase again come the autumn.

The French team warns: “The pandemic… is far from over, and deaths will unfortunately continue to occur. As in previous pandemics, available data show that age groups are not equally affected.” — The Observer

Direct trip now from KL to Penang - Star

2009-08-30T09:33:00.002+08:00

By CHAN LI LEEN (lileen@thestar.com.my)

IPOH: Motorists travelling between Kuala Lumpur and Penang on the North-South Expressway need no longer stop at the Ipoh Selatan and Jelapang toll plazas to pay toll or collect tickets.

They can now travel straight to the Juru toll plaza or the various toll plazas in Kuala Lumpur.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, who opened the 14.7km Ipoh Selatan-Jelapang through-traffic stretch yesterday, said that with the shifting of the Ipoh Selatan and Jelapang toll plazas, there would be less congestion.

The two toll plazas have now been moved to separate lanes parallel to the expressway following a RM283mil upgrading exercise.

The Jelapang toll, now sited 800m south of its original location, has been renamed Ipoh Utara toll.

The direct route was part of the three-lane widening project.

”Previously, many accidents occurred when users, especially heavy vehicles, slowed down and stopped to pay at the Jelapang toll plaza,” he told reporters.

Shaziman added that safety would also improve as locals, who previously shared the road to get around different parts of the city, would be using the separate non-toll road parallel to the expressway.

“According to PLUS Expressways Bhd, of the 40,000 motorists using the stretch daily, 26,000 were locals who used it to get to different parts of the city,” he said.

Just one number to do business with government

2009-08-28T05:45:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 – Pemudah, the country’s special task force dedicated to facilitate all aspects of doing business in Malaysia, has initiated a single number reference called MyCoID.

Initially, as of July 1, the single number reference is applied to five agencies, namely Inland Revenue Board (IRB), Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF), Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), Royal Malaysian Customs (RMC) and Social Security Organisation (Socso).

All other agencies will be using the reference number in stages, according to a statement released by the Pemudah secretariat.

MyCoID is a standard identification number of a business entity for use in its interaction with government agencies.

It is the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) business registration number for companies, sole proprietors and partnerships.

“New businesses registering with CCM from July 1, 2009, can use the MyCoID when registering with the five agencies – IRB, HRDF, EPF, RMC and Socso,” the secretariat said.

“Existing companies (those registered before July 1, 2009) will be able to use their registration numbers as their MyCoID when dealing with IRB, EPF, and HRDF from Sept 1, 2009.

However, for RMC and Socso, these companies can only use their CCM registration numbers as their MyCoID from Jan 1, 2010,” it said.

Full implementation of MyCoID by all five agencies is expected from Jan 1 next year.

MyCoID will replace all other identification numbers required for businesses when dealing with the different government agencies, the secretariat said.

In the initial phase, with the exception of payment, MyCoID can be used by new businesses for all other services from the five agencies, it said. These services, however, are confined to over-the-counter and telephone services. – Bernama

Firefly To Have 7 Flights Weekly For Ipoh-Singapore Route

2009-08-21T17:19:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- Firefly Airlines will further expand its Ipoh-Singapore service by offering daily flights between the two cities from beginning next month.

Currently operating four times weekly, the move will increase the flight frequency between the two cities to seven flights weekly.

"We are confident that these new flights will serve to stimulate more travel and growth prospects between Ipoh and Singapore," Angelina Fernandez, head of marketing and communications for Firefly, said in a statement on Friday.

Firefly is offering an all inclusive one-way ticket for RM88 for the route and the travelling time is about one hour and 20 minutes.

-- BERNAMA

New Low Cost Carrier, Silverfly To Fly Ipoh-Medan Route

2009-08-21T16:31:00.002+08:00

IPOH, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- Another new low cost carrier, Silverfly Sdn Bhd with the cooperation of Riau Airlines is expected to make its maiden flight serving the Ipoh-Medan-Ipoh route beginning this September 9.

Datuk Bandar of Ipoh, Datuk Roshidi Hashim in announcing this, said that the air service was a proactive move taken by the state government to bring about benefits and facilities to the people in the state.

"The Silverfly air services will certainly bring a lot of benefits for the people as it involves three flights weekly, namely Monday, Friday and Sunday," he told reporters after officiating the MATTA Perak Travel Fair 2009 here Friday.

He earlier witnessed the signing of a joint flight service agreement between Silverfly and Riau Airlines.

Roshidi said the the flights will also activate the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here and promote tourism activities between the two countries.

Meanwhile the Regional Manager of Silverfly Sdn Bhd, Eddy Azuan Sidik, said that the flights will cost RM369 for a two-way trip and RM259 for one way travel.

The airline will be using the Fokker-50 which has a 48-passenger capacity, while the flight from Ipoh to Medan has been scheduled at 12.30 pm.

--BERNAMA

In the jitters over radioactive dump - Star

2009-08-21T10:12:00.002+08:00

Aug 21, 2009 By CLARA CHOOI

ABOUT 200 families in Buntong, Perak, are crying foul over plans to relocate them to a site near a radioactive waste dump in Lahat.

The squatter families, invol-ving almost 1,000 people, are reluctant to move to the site without an assurance from the state government on their safety, said state assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam on Wednesday.

The families, he said, were frightened their health could be threatened by dangerous emissions of radioactive gas, and the possible repeat of the 20-year-old controversy involving the Asian Rare Earth factory and the Bukit Merah New Village residents.

During the general election last year, all 200 families, initially from Kampung Chikadee were asked to move, said Sivasubramaniam.

“They received offer letters from the district land office informing them that their new homes would be sited in Pusing.

“We discovered that the site is just about 2km away from the permanent dump to store radioactive materials and thorium hydroxide, a kind of radioactive waste from Asian Rare Earth,” he said in a press conference at Wisma DAP.

In 1979, Asian Rare Earth came under close scrutiny after it was discovered that its operation was releasing radioactive emissions in the area. It was extracting yttrium, which is used in making colour TV tubes, from monazite, and the process created the radioactive thorium hydroxide waste.

The company was decommissioned in the early 1990s after a long-drawn legal battle and countless public protests.

Sivasubramaniam said that during the Pakatan Rakyat government’s tenure, former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had planned to move the squatters to a 15ha Ipoh City Council land reserve in Buntong itself.

“Since the takeover of the government, there has been no word on the matter from the Barisan Nasional or from Mentri Besar Dr Zambry Abd Kadir,” he said.

He added that a check at the land office last month showed that developers were being identified to build the homes in Pu-sing.

In response, Dr Zambry said the residents had approached him and he had already instructed the land office and the council to solve the matter.

Patriotic spirit flying high in Ipoh - Star

2009-08-21T09:37:00.003+08:00

Aug 21, 2009

The Ipoh City Council is leading the way for the coming Merdeka celebrations by directing its staff to fly the Jalur Gemilang on their vehicles. City mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said that the council had also affixed the flags on all 1,000 council-owned vehicles

IPOH: The Ipoh City Council is leading the way for the coming Merdeka celebrations by directing its staff to fly the Jalur Gemilang on their vehicles.

City mayor Datuk Roshidi Hashim said that the council had also affixed the flags on all 1,000 council-owned vehicles.

“We have at least 70 lorries and about 150 other vehicles. The rest are our officials’ cars.

“From today, they will all be bearing the Jalur Gemilang on their windscreens,” he said after launching the council’s “Fly the Jalur Gemilang” campaign at its premises here yesterday.

Roshidi added that he had also signed a directive addressed to all 220,000 business premises under the council’s purview to fly the Jalur Gemilang at their premises.

“It is a symbolic act to show that Malaysians still love, respect and remember the efforts of our forefathers,” he added.

He said that flying the flags would help boost the people’s morale and love for the country, thus inspiring them to work harder and contribute more to the nation.

On a separate matter, Roshidi said that he had selected 10 different mosques and surau in the city to hold his usual turun padang (go to the ground) programmes.

“I am doing this for two things – the spirit of Ramadan and also Merdeka,” he said.

The mayor said he would also pay random visits to Ramadan bazaars to ensure hygiene was maintained.

Influenza A (H1N1) hits record high with 569 cases - Star

2009-08-20T14:49:00.002+08:00

Aug 20, 2009 By LESTER KONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded its highest number of influenza A (H1N1) cases in a day with 569 infections.

There was also one death bringing the total amount to 68.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said it was indicative that the number of detected cases was still on the rise.

“That’s why our surveillance teams are working hard to detect areas that are persistent in local transmission so we can take measures to cut down on it,” he told reporters on Thursday after attending a campaign on prevention and treating influenza A (H1N1).

He added there were 1,533 patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) who were admitted to 104 hospitals included four private establishments.

From this, 195 tested positive for the virus while 35 patients are in the intensive care unit.

A total of 188 people have been discharged from hospital.

Liow also said that private hospitals could not refuse treatment to patients with ILI.

He added the ministry would probe fatalities caused by late treatment of the patients at private hospitals.

According to a press statement from Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican, the death involved a 33-year old woman who was in the 34th week of her pregnancy.

The patient was treated and admitted into a private hospital in Johor Baru on Aug 8 after developing fever and cough for a day.

She was subsequently, referred and admitted to the intensive care unit of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baru for breathing difficulties five days later.

Tamiflu was administered.

“However, she died the following day because of severe pneumonia and respiratory failure,” he said.

She confirmed positive for the virus on Aug 14.

Earlier, Liow said government clinics in urban areas would now be opened on weekends to treat flu patients.

He said this was to reduce congestions and long queues at public hospitals.

The move takes effect immediately and the hours would differ from state to state, he added.

“In terms of hours, it will be the same as weekdays from 8am to 8pm for selangor,” he told reporters on Thursday after the launch of a seminar of stem cell research and therapy at Ampang Hospital.

“It is up to the state directors to decide on the exact number of hours to open in their respective areas depending on the number of patients.”

He added the doctors from public hospitals will be deployed to the clinics whenever necessary to assist the staff there.

Liow added insurance companies should include cause of death due to complications as a result of contracting influenza A (H1N1) in policies for their clients, regardless of whether they were new or old policy holders.

“I am confident that the demand for insurance will go up because of this health sit due to H1N1,” he added.

Dengue on the rise in five states - Malaysian Insider

2009-08-19T22:29:00.002+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Five states recorded an increase in the number of dengue cases in the week ending Aug 15 compared to the previous week, although the total number of cases recorded nationwide dropped by two to 583 for the week, Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said today.

Terengganu had 22 cases compared to 10 previously, Perlis had one case versus none before, Sarawak had 53 cases against 31 cases prior, Perak had 52 cases but 35 last week, and Kedah had 11 cases compared to nine, he said in a statement.

Mohd Ismail said 67 deaths were recorded this year up to Aug 15, with the number of cumulative cases at 28,710 compared with 64 deaths and 27,900 cumulative cases during the corresponding period last year.

He also said that 18 cases of Chikungunya were reported nationwide in the week ending Aug 15, a drop of nine cases compared to the previous week. However, three states — Perlis, Perak and Kelantan — registered a rise in the number of cases last week, he added. — BERNAMA

Surgical Masks Listed As Temporary Price-Controlled Item

2009-08-19T21:37:00.002+08:00

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Surgical masks to help prevent the spread of the Infuenza A (H1N1) virus has become a price-controlled item, according to Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He told a press conference at his ministry today that with immediate effect, surgical masks had been gazetted until the H1N1 pandemic was over, and that action would be taken against recalcitrant traders.

"In the current situation, the public need masks and the authorities are monitoring the situation. Most importantly, the public must report to the ministry if there are shops selling above the ceiling price," he said.

According to Ismail, the ministry could take action under the Price Control Act 1946 where individuals found guilty could be fined not more than RM15,000 or jailed up to two years, or both.

According to Ismail, consumers could call the ministry's toll-free number at 1-800-886-800 or visit the nearest ministry office to lodge a complaint against any shop selling at higher prices.

For consumers, he said, the price of the surgical masks ranged from seven sen to RM6 per unit, depending on the quality of the item.

"The wholesale maximum price of a box of One-Ply ear loop (100 pieces) is RM5 while the retail price is RM7. For a box of Two-Ply ear loop, the maximum price is RM8 while the retail price is RM10 or 20 sen a piece.

3-ply surgical mask

"For Three-Ply ear loop, the wholesale maximum price is RM25 a box (50 pieces) while the retail is 80 sen a piece. The maximum price for a Three-Ply tie-on is RM30 a box (50 pieces) and the retail is 80 sen per unit," added Ismail.

The maximum wholesale price for a box of 20 N95 masks is RM100 while the retail price is RM6 a unit.

However, the minister reminded consumers that the health ministry advised against using the One-Ply and Two-Ply surgical masks as it was ineffective to prevent the spread of H1N1. Recalcitrant companies can be fined not more than RM25,000.

Asked whether he thought the price of the surgical masks was fair, Ismail said the sellers would still be able to make a profit, adding that the need of the many was more important than the need of a few.

As to the fact that many pharmacies no longer have enough stocks of the surgical masks, Ismail stated that currently the government is in the process of importing more stocks to meet the demands of the public.

"We know there is not enough supply in the market and we are importing more," he said.

Govt Agrees To Upgrade Sultan Azlan Shah Airport - Ong

2009-08-13T22:37:00.002+08:00

IPOH, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- The government has agreed to upgrade the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here, with the cost of about RM120 million, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

He said the upgrading works would cover the terminal building, extension of runway to 2km from the existing 1.8km and the construction of another taxiway.

"The government agrees to upgrade the airport and I hope that it can be implemented as soon as possible," he told reporters after attending a closed-door briefing by airport officials here Thursday.

The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, and the Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, as well as Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir also attended the briefing.

Ong said the decision to upgrade the airport showed the commitment on the part of the government which had earlier given approvals to Malaysia and Singapore airlines to operate the Ipoh-Singapore sector.

Apart from Malaysia's budget carriers of Firefly and AirAsia, Singapore's budget carriers, Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia Airways, would also operate the route.

He said the upgrading would not involve the relocation of residents in several housing areas near the airport.

-- BERNAMA

A(H1N1) flu: Updates on 10 FAQs — Dr David KL Quek - Malaysian Insider

2009-08-06T15:19:00.003+08:00

August 6, 2009

1) Can we distinguish between regular and H1N1 flu, without a lab test?

No, the flu is the flu, but there are variations in presentation. Some symptoms such as cough, runny nose, fever, body aches, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea occur more or less in every flu patient, but may present differently by different people. Some infected people have very mild symptoms, some in between, and a small minority, probably less than 10 per cent, have severe features including the dangerous pneumonia.

However, from sentinel testing and surveillance by the Ministry of Health the last few weeks have shown that almost 95 per cent of all flu-like illness are now caused by the H1N1 virus. Earlier some months ago, seasonal flu variants caused by the B and other A virus were the main causes, the bug causing most flu these few days is the A(H1N1). This appears to be the case also in neighbouring countries, meaning that the new virus is causing more havoc and symptomatic illness than previous types of flu (which are still in the community).

Because almost every flu-like illness (influenza-like illness or ILI) is due to H1N1, the MOH is now recommending that no testing to confirm this H1N1 will now be offered.

Treat as if this is H1N1 for ILI — symptom relief for mild symptoms (paracetamol, hydration, cough medicines, etc) and self-quarantine, social distancing, be alert for complications.

Most (70 per cent) do not need any anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu or Relenza. Only severe cases need to be referred to hospital for further treatment.

2) How should doctors decide if a person be given further specific treatment for H1N1?

If after 2-3 days, fever and cough symptoms do not improve, a recheck with the doctor is recommended, especially if there are features of difficulty breathing, severe weakness and giddiness, or, if the following risk factors are present:

1. obesity (fatter patients seem to have poorer outcome and more complications)

2. those with underlying diabetes, heart disease

3. those with asthma, or chronic lung disease

4. pregnant women

5. those with reduced immunity, cancer patients, etc

6. those with obvious pneumonia features

3) Many anxious people with flu-like symptoms want to be tested or treated for suspected H1N1, but are kept waiting or sent home, without being tested. Is this practice right?

There is no right or wrong practice as this outbreak is extensive and is stretching our resources to the limit. This is also the case not just here in Malaysia, but also elsewhere around the entire world!

The recommendation is now not to spend too much time and effort trying to get tested at designated hospitals or clinics — there is probably no need to do so. I have been informed that as many as 1,000 patients queue anxiously at Sungai Buloh Hospital for testing, due to fear of the H1N1 flu.

So the message must be made clear: Most flu illness do not require confirmatory testing, and are mild and self-limiting. More than 90 per cent will get better on their own, with symptomatic treatment — just watch out for possible complications, and risk factors as mentioned above.

Our resources are limited especially for testing. This is not just for Malaysia, but globally as well. The global demand for test kits and reagents for the H1N1 (PCR) is overextended and are rationed due to this extreme demand.

Some 200 million test kits have been deployed worldwide, but this supply is critically short because of excessive demand, so most countries have to ration testing to confirm only the worst cases, so as to monitor the pandemic better.

4) Are doctors confused as to what to do in this outbreak, especially when they do not have ready access to confirmatory lab tests?

Not really. Earlier on there was some confusion as to what to do next and who to test or who to refer for further testing and admission. Now the rules are clearer.

There is no need to do any testing to confirm the H1N1 virus for any ILI — just assume that this is the case in the majority of cases. Treat symptomatically when symptoms are mild, reassure the patients and ensure that these infected patients practice good personal hygiene, impose self-quarantine and social distancing, wear masks if their coughing or sneezing become troublesome, and keep a watchful eye on whether the infection is getting better or worse.

If there is difficulty breathing and gross weakness, then patients should quickly present themselves for admission. Understandably this phase of worsening is not always clear or easily understood by everyone... But there is not much more that we can do — otherwise we will be admitting too many patients and this will totally overwhelm our health services.

But prudent caution would help to determine which seriously ill patients need more attention and more intensive care. Unfortunately however, there will be that odd patient who will progress unusually quickly and collapse even before anything can be planned — hopefully these will be few and far between.

A more important note is that all doctors and nursing personnel should be very aware that they too have to take precautions, and employ barrier contact practices, if there are patients with cough and cold during this period of H1N1 outbreak, which is expected to last a year or two. Carelessness can result in the physician or nurse or nurse-aide becoming infected!

5) Are there sufficient guidelines from the Ministry of Health to address this situation?

I think there are sufficient guidelines from the MOH. Although some politicians have blamed the MOH and the minister for being inept at handling this pandemic — in truth this is not the case.

It is useful to remember that this is an entirely new or novel virus, which no one previously had encountered before — thus its infectivity and contagiousness is quite high and almost no one is immune to this virus.

Perhaps, there will come a time when all the resources from both public and private sectors can be put to more efficient use. Some logistic problems will invariably occur, because human beings differ in their capacity to understand or follow directives, whatever the source or authority.

Also patient demands have been extraordinarily high and at times very difficult to meet — every patient necessarily feels that his flu is potentially the worst possible type and therefore requires the most stringent measures and testing...

Doctors are also unsure as to the seriousness or severity of this new ailment — and we are only now beginning to understand this better — so our less than reassuring style when encountering this new H1N1 flu is sometimes detected by an equally anxious patient and/or their relatives.

But there is only so much that we can do under such a pressure cooker of an outbreak which is spreading like wildfire! But nevertheless we should not panic, and remember that most (more than 90 per cent) of infected people will recover with very little after-effects. Possibly only one in 10 patients develop more serious problems which necessitate hospitalisation.

6) Is limiting H1N1 testing only to those who have been admitted to hospital justifiable?

I have explained the worldwide shortage of such testing kits and reagents. Also it is near impossible to test everyone, the world over. Besides, knowing now that almost all the flu-like illness in the country is due to H1N1 makes it a moot point to want to test for this, especially when most are mild.

The rationale for testing only those who need hospitalisation is to ensure that we are dealing with the true virus, and also help to isolate possible changes or mutations to this viral strain. The MOH is also constantly doing sentinel surveillance (random spot-testing at various sites around the country to determine more accurately the various virus types and spread that are causing ILI).

7) Are we short of anti-virul drugs (Tamiflu, Relenza)? Should I take Tamiflu?

These antiviral drugs were available to most doctors during the earlier scare of the bird flu virus, but now are severely restricted, although some orders are still entertained from individual doctors, clinics or hospitals. Remember that these have been block-booked by more than 167 countries which have been shown to have been penetrated by the H1N1 flu bug.

Our MOH has actually stockpiled some two million doses of the Tamiflu or its generic form. In the last inter-ministerial pandemic influenza task force meeting, this stockpile will be bumped up to 5.5 million doses to cover some possible 20 per cent of the population.

Right now there is no shortage in the country. It is just that it is not readily available on demand for anyone just yet. The MOH is still of the opinion that this antiviral drug be used prudently and would like to register every patient given this drug.

The private sector on the other hand would like to have a looser control over the use of this drug — but we acknowledge that we should be meticulously prudent in its use. There is a genuine fear that resistant strains to this drug may develop with indiscriminate and unnecessary use — then we will all be in trouble with a drug-resistant H1N1 virus run amok!

Drug-resistant strains have been detected in Mexico, border-towns in the US, Vietnam, Britain, Australia even. So we have to be vigilant and closely monitor the situation. Right now, the very limited usage of Tamiflu gives us good reason to be optimistic.

However, because of some unusual patterns of seemingly well people dying or having very critical infections, some people and doctors are wondering if these new strains have already reached our shores... or have we been too late in instituting proper treatment...?

The rising number of deaths to 14 now is quite worrisome, but our health authorities are watching this development very closely and are also checking the virus strain to see if this has mutated. We can only hope that this is not the case, for now.

8) What are some of the problems faced by doctors in dealing with the H1N1 problem?

It would be good if every medical practitioner keeps a close tab on the H1N1 pandemic, and remain fully aware of the developments and changes, which are evolving daily. Every doctor has to be learning on the trot, so to speak, to keep up with the progress of this outbreak and its management, so that we can serve our patients better.

Logging in to the Internet regularly for more updated information will certainly help, instead of lamenting that not enough is being disseminated via the media thus far... Every doctor has to be more proactive and practice more responsible and cautious medicine during this trying period which is expected to run into at least one to two years. Importantly, look out for lung complications, and the above stated higher risk profiles, and refer these patients quickly for further care.

Easier access to antiviral drugs and their responsible use and monitoring would help allay public fears of delay in treatment, but this should be tempered with care and not over-exuberance to dish out to one and all, the precious antiviral drug, just for prevention — this may be a very bad move which can inadvertently create a worse outcome of drug-resistant bugs.

However, in the light of the very quick deterioration of some young patients who have died, it might be prudent to use antiviral treatment earlier and more aggressively.

We look forward to the specific H1N1 vaccine, when it does come our way, probably towards the end of the year. In the meantime, encouraging those in the front-line, heart or lung patients and frequent travellers to have the seasonal flu vaccination is a useful adjunct to help stem the usual problems from other flu types.

9) Are we doing everything that should or needs to be done?

Yes, if you check what other nations are doing, we are doing relatively well. We are not overstating the dangers and we have been quite transparent on the possibilities of this pandemic. Earlier, many agencies and even the public and doctors have accused us of exaggerating the pandemic, and our response was dismissed as being too much, even over the top! Unfortunately, it was only when some deaths occur that many are now decrying that we have done too little!

Also if you are quite honest about it, just compare with the countries globally, and you will notice that no one health or government authority has got this right, spot on.

We are all learning about this novel flu pandemic, and each country's response is coloured by its past experiences. In Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia we have had the SARS outbreak, so we are necessarily more paranoid! Also here the experience is that flu does not usually cause death in our community, unlike the west where seasonal flu kills some hundreds of thousands every year!

So the fear factor for this H1N1 flu is not nearly as great in the West, although it is slowly sinking in that its contagiousness and infectivity is far greater, and fears of its reassortment to a more virulent mutant form are growing, into the so-called second and/or third wave of this pandemic, but we will not know until a year or so down the line.

10) Is the public in general doing enough to help in controlling the outbreak?

I think the public is now reasonably well-informed as to this H1N1 pandemic. Perhaps, they are too well-informed, that they have a fearful approach to this virus. But the proper thing is not too over-react and to panic, although I know this does sound easier said than done.

It is almost a certainty that this flu will spread within the community — in schools, universities, academies, factories, work places, offices, etc. WHO has projected that possibly some 20-30 per cent of the population worldwide will become infected by this novel flu bug, after studying various models of spread of past infections — the huge and very rapid spread worldwide is mainly due to air travel. While older flu pandemics took six months to extend to so many countries, this H1N1 flu did so in less than six weeks!

In the worst-case scenarios of course, this outbreak will be alarming — hospitalisations may be required for 100,000 up to 500,000 Malaysians, with perhaps as many as 5,000 to 27,000 infected patients (depending on the case fatality rate or either 0.1 to 0.5 per cent) succumbing to this illness.

But because we have been monitoring closely and containing the outbreak thus far, with heightened awareness and greater social responsibility, it is possible to ameliorate the infectivity, spread and fatality that will unfortunately accompany this pandemic... Just how successful we will be in limiting these adverse outcomes remains to be seen, but we can be hopeful.

How can the public help? First learn and acquire good personal hygiene. If sick, please be responsible and stay at home, even in your own room where possible, wear a face mask (a cheap three-ply surgical mask will do, because large droplet spread is the main danger). Do not go out, practice what is now known as social distancing (about three metres from anyone), and be socially responsible, don't go to public places and infect others — for young people this would be hard, but absolutely necessary — the spread is most rampant in this age group between 16 and 25 years.

When the illness does not go away after a few days or when you are deteriorating, get to the nearest hospital. Most importantly, be very aware and responsible!

Finally, keep abreast of all new developments, because these are evolving all the time. With keen awareness, prudent care, early detection and social responsibility, correct and prompt use of antiviral and other support medical care, and later mass specific vaccination, we can overcome this novel H1N1 flu! But it will take time, patience, public cooperation, much concerted effort and consume great resources.

Dr David KL Quek is president the Malaysian Medical Association.

Zambry envisions ‘shoe city’ for Ipoh - Malaysian Insider

2009-08-05T21:58:00.001+08:00

IPOH, Aug 5 – The Perak government wants to capitalise on the 400 smalltime shoemakers in Ipoh by allocating a specific area for a “Shoe City”.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said the Shoe City would come complete with showrooms and rows of shops selling quality shoes to attract investors and tourists.

He said the present shoemaking areas which had been a cottage industry for about 100 years would be maintained and upgraded to make them more attractive.

“Perak is famous for its shoes, not only pomeloes. The Malaysian shoe industry rakes in sales of RM1 billion annually, of which RM650 million is contributed by Perak,” he said after launching the Malaysian Shoe Design 2010 competition here today.

Zambry was hopeful that the Shoe City idea would make Perak one of the world’s best shoemaking centres in the world.

Meanwhile, Perak Shoe Industry Association chairman KK Tham said the shoe industry in the Kinta Valley managed to survive because of the quality of its shoes.

He said the shoemakers were in high demand by wholesalers from Kuala Lumpur who made orders of up to five lorry-loads daily. – Bernama

Farmers crying ‘fowl’ over developer’s move to flatten land - Star

2009-07-29T11:34:00.000+08:00

Jul 29, 2009 By IVAN LOH

A GROUP of farmers in Jelapang Tambahan in Ipoh had the shock of their lives when part of the crops they were growing on state land was allegedly flattened by a deve-loper.

Spokesman Chai Kok Chuen, 64, claimed that workers of the deve-loper had used tractors to destroy their crops and tool sheds without warning about two weeks ago.

“We have not received any eviction notices from the state authorities or the Land Office.

“Neither were there any verbal warning that the piece of land was to be developed,” he claimed at a press conference at the Jelapang DAP ser-vice centre in Ipoh on Saturday.

Chai noted that he and the other 15 other farmers affected had been growing vegetables and fruits as well as raising poultry and livestock on the 14.6ha piece of land for almost 20 years.

He, however, admitted that the farmers had not applied for the piece of land.

“We have not applied for the land as we know we will not get it. We want the developer to compensate us for the damage.

“We are willing to vacate the land if it does so and show us the eviction notices,” he added.

Their lawyer, Augustine Anthony, said the farmers would be submitting a memorandum to the state government this week in the hopes of having a discussion to resolve the problem.

State govt plans to rescue ailing bus companies - Star

2009-07-28T15:45:00.001+08:00

Jul 28, 2009

THE Perak Government is mulling over various options to help stage bus operators who are incurring yearly losses.

State Executive Councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, who is in charge of public transportation, said one of the reasons was because they were competing with each other on the same routes.

“They are also facing problems such as buying insurance coverage, insufficient diesel subsidy and ri-sing costs of spare parts,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting with bus operators and state Road Transport Department director Md Yasir Mastakim on Saturday.

“The bus operators had suggested that the state government conduct a feasibility study on taking over as insurers,” he said.

Dr Mah added that he would hold a series of meetings with the state Economic Planning Unit, Commercial Vehicles and Licensing Board as well as bus operators to try to come up with amicable so-lutions.

Najib sets targets for Government to meet - Star

2009-07-27T13:14:00.000+08:00

Jul 27, 2009

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced on Monday a series of targets for the Government to meet in the next few years and the ministers responsible for it.

He said he would personally oversee the six ministers. The targets are:

* To reduce street crimes by 20% by the end of 2010 as part of the Government’s KPI target.

* To ensure 80% of Malaysian children get access to pre-school by 2012. Currently only 60% have access.

* By 2012, all school kids must master reading, writing and mathematics by Year 4.

* The Kelana Jaya LRT line is to get 35 new four-car train sets by 2012 as part of the Government's efforts to increase public transport usage to 25% from the present 16%.

* To ensure that by 2012, no one lives further than five kilometres from a tarred road and to build 50,000 homes for the poor.

* To improve the international perception of corruption in Malaysia by improving the country's ranking in the world's corruption index.

The following ministers are in charge of meeting the targets:

* Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as lead minister for widening access to quality and affordable education

* Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein for crime prevention

* Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Aziz for fighting corruption

* Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil for raising the living standard of the low-income people

* Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal for upgrading infrastructure in the rural and interior regions

* Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat for improving public transport in a moderate period of time.

Najib made the announcement when addressing a gathering of civil service officers at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), here.

The prime minister had announced the six National Key Results Areas (NKRAs) at the "100 Days of Najib with the People" function in Kuala Lumpur on July 11.

Poll: Most citizens concerned over high crime rate - Star

2009-07-27T12:44:00.002+08:00

Jul 27, 2009

PETALING JAYA: The majority of Malaysians who responded to a poll say that they feel unsafe in the country at the moment.

According to the Home Ministry’s website, as at 6pm yesterday, 97% of 6,678 respondents to its poll said they did not feel safe due to the high crime rate.

More than half of the respondents formed this opinion because they or their family members were victims of crime while 36% of the respondents were influenced by news about crime.

Only 1% said they felt safe while the remaining percentage were uncertain.

The ministry’s website started a poll on Saturday to gauge the public’s views on the level of safety in the country and the Government’s performance in safe-guarding the people’s safety and security.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein called on Malaysians to participate in the poll saying that he appreciated their views, comments and complaints.

He said the public could also submit their feedback to ikdn@moha.gov.my for further action.

On the level of safety in the country, 95% of 5,209 respondents felt that it was not guaranteed as compared to 3% who felt that it was still guaranteed.

To a question whether the Government has done its best to ensure that the safety of the people was at the best level, 95% of 6,155 respondents replied in the negative.

Only 2% felt that the Government has taken the necessary measures to ensure public safety.

A total of 79% of 6,244 respondents also disagreed to a statement posted on the website that crime was a global issue and that Malaysia was not the only country faced with the increasing crime rate, while 17% others agreed to it.

Perak politicians share common disinterest in environment - Malaysiakini

2009-07-24T20:44:00.001+08:00

July 24, 2009

Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Perak are asking Perakians to only vote for politicians who are environmentally conscious.

Spearheaded by the Perak Environment Association (PEA), the move hopes to create environment protection awareness in the state by backing politicians who cared for the environment and took the issue seriously.

PEA president Abdul Rahman Said Alli told Malaysiakini today that the state authority in Perak is deteriorating with politicians ignoring the environmental aspects of because they are too busy lobbying for positions and political clout.

"The forest reserve area in the state is dwindling fast and adversely affecting the environment as a whole and politicians are not bothered about arresting this problem," Rahman lamented.

In line with these objectives, a two-day seminar was held in Ipoh by the Open University of Malaysia.

Shunned by BN and Pakatan

The seminar was attended by seven NGOs comprising the Malaysian Nature Society, World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), Fomca, Ipoh City Watch, KARS Society (watchdog group on limestone operations in the state), Selangor Environmental Society and PEA.

The main objective of this seminar, according to Rahman, was to educate the state politicians on the importance of preserving the environment and to get their support to highlight the problem both at the state assembly and in Parliament.

'But, sad to say the objective of the seminar was not reached as only a handful of the invited politicians turned up for the seminar. We have written to both the federal and state leaders of BN and Pakatan protesting the lukewarm attitude of their political representatives," Rahman stated.

"So, as a reactive measure, we are going to monitor all state politicians and urge the voters to support and vote for those who support the environment in the next state and general elections," he added.

Review for all Perak govt offices - Star

2009-07-18T10:13:00.000+08:00

July 18, 2009

THE Perak Government has started reviewing the administration of all state departments, agencies and their subsidiaries to ensure their effectiveness.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the state had also begun mulling over methods to reorganise each institution where needed.

“This will involve the process of reinvention, restructuring and possibly reappraisal of each department.

“We will also look at their delivery system to see if they are satisfactory,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting here yesterday.

Dr Zambry said that this was to ensure that the institutions would be effective in their ser-vice to the people.

“We also hope that by conducting this review, we will be able to increase the state’s revenue and expand our economic sector,” he added.

Dr Zambry also said that the Perak Economic Council, after holding its second discussion recently, would soon create an economic development plan for the state.

“We hope to improve on certain sectors that can help better the state’s economy,” he said.

Dr Zambry said the state would put emphasis on its manufacturing, tourism, food and service industries.

Jalan Lahat expansion to be ready by year-end - Star

2009-07-18T10:11:00.000+08:00

July 18, 2009

THE Ipoh City Council will widen a 50m stretch of Jalan Lahat in Ipoh from two to four lanes to ease the traffic congestion there.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said the stretch from the Jalan Lahat-Jalan Falim junction to the front of a driving school in Menglembu was narrow and prone to traffic jam.

Speaking to reporters after a meet-the-people session at Menglembu near Ipoh on Wednesday, he said the project would be completed by year-end.

Roshidi was responding to a proposal by councillor Dr Lee Mun Toong during the meeting.

He also said Jalan Lahat and other major roads in Menglembu and Falim would be resurfaced.

On another matter, Roshidi warned night market traders in Menglembu not to litter but to throw their rubbish into garbage bins.

“If they refuse to keep the area clean, we will revoke their licences,” he said, adding that they should maintain the cleanliness of their trading area.

He stressed that the public should stop littering and help keep the city clean.

MB: Centre is for all - Star

2009-07-18T10:10:00.001+08:00

July 18, 2009

THE Perak Barisan Nasional Public Services and Com-plaints Centre was set up to help and serve the people regardless of their race or political leanings.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, who officially opened the centre in Ipoh yesterday, said the public should not hesitate to seek help there.

”This is a place for all. It is not necessarily for Barisan or its supporters but for all the rakyat including those who do not support us.

“We do not discriminate against those who come to get help,” he said at the centre’s opening ceremony recently.

Dr Zambry said that since its opening a month ago, the centre had handled 28 cases ranging from those seeking donations for health or medical problems to complaints on flood and rubbish problems.

”The centre takes all complaints seriously and the assemblymen will do their best to solve them,” he said, adding that the centre had resolved six cases to date.

He later handed out donations collected from the public to housewife Lew Chew Chuan who is the mother of three-year-old heart patient Lim Wei Jin, cancer patient Choi Choi Yok, 39, and the family of Lam Siew Kang, who needs funds to remove her cataract.

Perak Barisan information chief Datuk Hamdi Abu Bakar is adviser to the centre while its chairman is former Tronoh assemblyman Datuk Lee Kon Yin.

The centre located at 17B, Jalan Seenivasagam, 30450 Ipoh, Perak, is open from 9am to 5pm daily.

To seek help, call 05-2554916 or fax enquiries to 05-2544 916.

Redesign around killer Jelapang stretch complete - Star

2009-07-14T17:01:00.002+08:00

July 14, 2009

IPOH: The stretch of the North-South Expressway between Ipoh Selatan and the former killer Jelapang toll plaza has been opened to traffic, allowing non-stop travelling between Kuala Lumpur and destinations north of here.

Previously, road users had to stop at the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza to pay toll, then collect another ticket at the Ipoh Utara toll plaza before continuing their journey north.

The redesigned stretch, opened by Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor on Tuesday, was prompted by the need to remove the Jelapang toll plaza where several fatal accidents had occurred.

Work, which began last year, included the construction of two parallel toll-free roads to enable Ipoh residents to travel between the Ipoh Selatan, Ipoh Utara and Jelapang interchanges without needing to pay toll.

Users heading to Ipoh -- whether to Jalan Tasek, Jalan Kuala Kangsar or Jalan Jelapang -- from Kuala Lumpur now need to exit the expressway at Ipoh Selatan.

Those from the north should exit at the new Ipoh Utara interchange which replaces the old Jelapang exit.

Perak aborigines want greater rights to their land - Star

2009-07-13T20:26:00.001+08:00

Jul 13, 2009 By CHRISTINA KOH

ckoh@thestar.com.my

IPOH: The orang asli (aborigines) of Perak want the state government to recognise their rights to their ancestral land and are calling for an amendment to existing laws governing their jurisdiction.

Yayasan Orang Asli Perak chairman Suki Mee said this was one of the six resolutions passed unanimously by over 500 orang asli participants at a conference to discuss their land woes in Tapah last weekend.

Suki said they want the state to gazette, as orang asli reserve, the areas covering their villages, their agricultural plots and orchards, and their foraging grounds -- with immediate effect.

Another resolution called for an amendment to the Orang Asli Act or the National Land Code that would allow such land to be gazetted, and for the Tok Batin (orang asli village chief) to have a voice in its development.

“Legally, only the Orang Asli Affairs Department (JHEOA) has the purview to decide what development projects take place in the reserve, but we want the Tok Batin to also have a say.

“Although the Tok Batin is usually appointed by the JHEOA director-general, the appointment is usually done with the recommendation of the village,” he said in an interview Monday.

Suki said a special committee to resolve the people’s longtime land issues would raise the matter when handing over the resolutions to the state in early August.

Perak executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon, he said, had pledged to meet them and the JHEOA to discuss their concerns.

Another resolution was to allow the orang asli to apply for individual titles within or outside a proposed gazetted orang asli area while waiting for its gazetting.

“I am confident that the state and Federal government will look into the resolutions. We are not asking for new land, we are only asking for the rights to the areas we are on now,” he said.

Suki said that the state government had in the past made some effort to grant land titles to the orang asli people through its orang asli land alienation policy in 1993.

“But as far as I know, not a single application has been approved under JHEOA since 1993 except for one area in Kampung Bawong in Sungai Siput, Perak.

“Other orang asli might have also been given titles, but this was through their own individual effort,” he said.

The remaining resolutions passed concerned other land and development related problems.

He said that according to 1998 JHEOA statistics, only 17% of some 29,766ha of orang asli land have been gazetted as reserves.

An estimated 42,000 orang asli live in Perak.

Sound sleep with flood woes solved - Star

2009-07-11T15:55:00.002+08:00

Jul 11, 2009 By IVAN LOH

FLASH floods plaguing Taman Cherry and Taman Idris in Ipoh for almost 20 years are now a thing of the past.

Taman Cherry Rukun Tetangga secretary Lucus Asirvatham said a new drainage system, which was completed last year, had been successfully diverting rainwater to a nearby water retention pond.

“The drains have been made deeper to accommodate a heavier flow of rainwater,” he said.

“All the clogged drains have also been cleared and water is flowing smoothly to the retention pond.

“So far, there have been no flash floods reported in these areas and the residents can finally sleep soundly now,” he said after a meeting with Ipoh City councillor Datuk Daniel Tay on Tuesday.

On another matter, Lucus said there was a need for a speed bump on Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, in front of Taj Kolej, to prevent motorists from speeding.

He said the curve along the road near the state Customs headquarters was prone to accident and he urged the city council to consider their request.

Lucus said a letter requesting for the construction of the bumper had been handed over to Zone Eight (Tembok, Taman Cherry and Taman Lim) area officer Azman Toha.

Meanwhile, Tay said residents in Zone Eight who wanted to lodge complaints to the city council could now call Azman directly.

Tay said it was easier to go directly to the area officer rather than to call up the city council hotline or general line.

Azman can be contacted at 019-5708995.

New tax deduction system from July - Star

2009-07-10T21:21:00.002+08:00

July 10, 2009 By SARBAN SINGH

PORT DICKSON: A new schedular tax deduction system from this month will eliminate the need for employees to pay an additional lump sum at the year-end to make up for the shortfall in monthly deductions.

Inland Revenue Board (IRB) chief executive officer Datuk Hasmah Adullah said that under the current system implemented in 2004, the board had on many occasions taken a big cut of the individual’s bonus to make up for the shortfall.

“We had cases where an employee’s entire bonus would go to the IRB (to make up for the shortfall). We do not want to do this any more as it is unfair to the taxpayer.

“It is better for us to make higher deductions every month. This is a better arrangement,” she said, adding that under new system, the taxpayer would have paid up almost all his dues by the end of the year.

She added that the new system would also allow for employees to submit their claims for rebates every month, along with a range of new reliefs.

Previously, the taxpayer was allowed to claim relief for himself, his spouse, their children, his Employees Provident Fund and insurance contributions, and zakat payment (if any), and claim other reliefs only when filing his returns at the end of the assessment year.

Under the new system, Hasmah said an employee can submit claims for rebates such as parents’ medical bills, purchase of a computer, tertiary education fees, medical check-ups, and book and sports equipment purchases to his employer every month using the PCB/TP1 form.

“When this is done, the tax to be paid for that particular month will be reduced automatically. This would practically be a real-time tax payment system.

“We want the taxpayer to benefit straightaway rather then wait till the end of the year,” she said.

She said under the new system, the employee could make monthly claims for 17 other reliefs announced in Budget 2009.

The employee, she added, would not have to submit receipts for the claims to the employer.

Among the new reliefs announced are for travelling allowance, petrol claims, parking fees, food allowance, caretaker fee, maternity and traditional medicine treatment (ayurvedic, acupuncture, etc) and subscription to broadband services.

She said taxpayers could submit their claims for rebates monthly, quarterly or twice a year.

Hasmah said employers who needed assistance on the workings of the new structure could enter the board’s website at www.hasil.gov.my and look for the schedular tax deduction (PCB) calculator icon.

Seminar on improvement of existing environmental laws related to forest and natural enviroment

2009-07-10T17:25:00.008+08:00

The 2-day seminar organized by Perak Environmental Association (PEA) in collaboration with Ipoh City Watch (ICW) and Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) was held in Ipoh from 6 to 7 July 2009 at Open University Malaysia Perak.

Abdul Rahman, President of PEA delivers his opening speech watched by Augustine and representative of MNS

The objectives of the seminar are to create awareness on improvement of the existing environmental laws related to managing of forest reserve and natural environment. PEA hopes that through such seminar it can help protect the environment for the sake of the current and future generations.

Some of the participants of the seminar

The following are some of the acts being focused during the seminar:

i) Akta Perancangan Bandar dan Desa 1976 (Akta 172)
ii) Akta Perlindungan Hidupan Liar 1972 (Akta 76)
iii) Akta Perhutanan Negara 1984 (Akta 313)
iv) Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974 (Akta 127)

YB Fong Po Kuan was making a point on how to create awareness on environmental protection among ADUNS and MPs

Several disinguished speakers have been invited to present their papers during the seminar. Among the notable speakers include:

a) Mr. Piarapakaran Subramaniam, Manager of ERA Consumer - Environment Dept
b) Mr. Kanitha Krishnasamy, Senior Conservation Officer of MNS
c) En. Saharudin Bin Anan, Director of Enforcement, Jabatan Perhilitan Malaysia
d) En. Ahmad Zafir Abdul Wahab, Rhino Rescue Project, Senior Programme Officer, WWF
e) En. Meor Razak Bin Meor Abd. Rahman, Secretary, PEA
f) Pn. Tijah Yoke Chopil, Pengasas dan penasihat Jaring Kampung Orang Asli Perak
g). Mr. Bah Tony William Hunt, Bekas Presiden, Persatuan Orang Asli Semenanjung Malaysia
h) En. Nizam Mahshar, Coordinator Sahabat Alam Malaysia
i) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rusli Bin Mohd, Fakulty of Forest, UPM

Bah Tony was delivering his talk on Orang Asli and the environment

Mr. Augustine Anthony posting questions for Puan Tijah and Bah Tony during question time

Also present, Mr. Augustine Anthony, President of ICW, YB Fong Po Kuan (Batu Gajah MP), YB Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat MP)and YB Manoharan (Teluk Intan MP)

Traders target of thieves - Star

2009-07-07T14:42:00.001+08:00

July 7, 2009

FOR the past three weeks, a group of thieves have been terrorising traders at the Pasir Pinji wet market in Ipoh by threatening them and making off with their goods.

According to the traders, the group, compri-sing between four and six people, often struck in the wee hours of the morning.

“They usually arrive on their motorcycles after 3am, ride around the area first and then one of them will enter the market to check out the si-tuation.

“Once the coast is clear, the group steal whatever goods they find, like our meats and vegetables,” said trader Cheong Sum Sooi during a visit by a group of officers from the Perak police contingent at the market yesterday.

Getting feedback: DCP Zulkifli speaking to a trader during his visit at the Pasir Pinji wet market in Ipoh. With him is Cheong (centre).

Cheong, who spoke on behalf of the traders, said the thieves had once even stolen some cash and valuables from a trader who happened to be in the market then.

“In another incident, when one trader asked the group why they were making off with the goods, they threatened him and told him not to lodge a police report.

“They told him that they would hurt him if he reported them,” he said.

Cheong added that over the past three weeks, the same group had struck several times, causing the traders to live in fear.

“We have also lodged police reports. However, the group would only attack after they see the police patrol vehicle leaving the site,” he said.

After his visit, Perak CPO Deputy Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah pledged to step up security in the market.

“We will increase the frequency of our police patrol and ensure that the traders here feel safe again.

“I will also ask the Ipoh City Council to install more street lights around the market to brigh-ten up the area,” he said

Crime rates soar in Perak - Malaysian Insider

2009-07-07T14:39:00.001+08:00

IPOH, July 7 — Crimes involving robbery, car theft and snatching in Perak has shot up in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year, said Perak chief police officer, Datuk Zulkefli Abdullah.

He said cases involving robbery increased by 197 cases from 541 cases in the first six months of last year to 739 cases this year, a 36 per cent hike.

“Police observation found that the jump was due to the economic slump along with unemployment,” he told reporters after the Chief Police Officer’s monthly gathering at the Perak Police Contingent Headquarters here today.

He said the criminals were also into drug abuse and their targets included 24-hour outlets, roadside stalls and housing areas.

Car theft from January to June this year went up from 55 for the whole of last year to 138 cases in the first six months alone this year, a jump of 150.91 per cent.

He said the cases of motorcycle theft also rose from 2,287 in the first six month period last year to 2,398 in the same period this year (a 4.85 per cent rise).

Zulkefli said snatching theft rose from 195 cases to 268 in the first half of the year, up 37.44 per cent. Most of the crimes occurred in the districts of Ipoh, Manjung, Taiping and Hilir Perak.

He was upset with the attitude of the people in the state, who did not provide information to the police about crimes in their area. He said the meet-the-people programmes at police stations held each Tuesday were not well received by the public.

“People only blame the police when there is a crime committed but when the police have a programme like meeting the clients there is poor response,” he said.

Zulkefli said the police also had a website (polisperak.rmp.gov.my/polis perak/index.html) to get feedback from the public on crimes. — Bernama

Ipoh terminal plan still alive - Star

2009-07-02T10:09:00.003+08:00

Jul 2, 2009 BY CLARA CHOOI

THE Ipoh Central Terminal Hub, a Perak Pakatan Rakyat project aimed at easing the city’s public transport problems, is still on but the group undertaking the project must give the state government a proper proposal.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said he had instructed the group to hand him a more comprehensive proposal than the present one so that they will be able to work things out as soon as possible.

“I have already instructed the state authorities to allow the group to acquire the piece of land where the bus terminal will be built,” he said.

Dr Zambry, who was speaking to reporters after distributing education aid to 442 students at the State Secretariat on Monday, said the current city bus terminals in Medan Kidd and Medan Gopeng needed to be improved instead of being relocated.

In September last year, the Pakatan Rakyat-led government signed an agreement with Combined Bus Services Sdn Bhd, a consortium of 14 city bus operators which agreed to invest RM38mil to construct the terminal in Meru Raya and a further RM150mil to equip the city with 300 modern air-conditioned coaches.

According to former exco member in charge of public transport Nga Kor Ming, a groundbreaking ceremony had already been held at the 3.4ha site allocated for the terminal.

“The consortium has already spent some RM2mil on its first batch of buses which were supposed to be plying the city routes earlier this year,” he said when contacted.

“There was even a competition to name the buses and we had already decided on the name ‘Perak Flyer’.”

Nga alleged that Dr Zambry had offered the consortium the land premium at market rate while Pakatan’s agreement was to give them a nominal premium.

“How can the investors pay so much?” he asked.

IPOH: Compelling reasons to revamp city's public transport system - NST

2009-06-19T14:32:00.002+08:00

By : VICTOR CHEW, Ipoh

MANY letters and reports have appeared in the newspapers about the problems of public transport in Ipoh city but very little has been done to solve them.
And nothing came out of a seminar in Ipoh last year on the same subject because of the ongoing political crisis in the state. How long must we wait for a comprehensive public transport system to serve Ipoh for the next 10 to 20 years?

Many people, including city officials, think that Ipoh is a small place and that its public transport needs are not urgent. They are wrong. Traffic congestion is becoming worse with schools being the major cause of traffic jams. This problem surfaced in the early 1960s; many mayors tried to solve it but were met with opposition from school bodies when they suggested that schools be relocated from the city centre to the outskirts.

Why not keep the schools where they are but force parents to find alternative ways to sent their children to school? If they want the top schools like the Convent, St Michael's Institution, Anderson, ACS, Ave Maria and Perak Girls School to be in the city proper, then they have to pay an alternative cost, that of sending their children by schoolbuses.

Their cars, the main cause of traffic congestion, must not be allowed in. They should be made to pay a toll for doing so during school peak hours. During these hours, a toll should be collected from parents who send and fetch their children.
However, in the long run, looking at the way Ipoh is being developed with radical expansion of housing estates all around, its central business district (CBD) will become very congested.

The streets within the CBD will not be able to cope. There will be perpetual traffic jams and lack of parking spaces and these problems will get worse when cars are double-parked. It is already happening outside banks and offices.

The solution is to coordinate the current bus services under a planning commission set up either by the city council or the Perak government. This commission will re-plan the routes to be serviced by existing companies and give them priority to increase services and routes if they want to. If they are unable to fulfil all the planned services, new companies should be allowed to run such services.

This commission will also be responsible for the issue of new licences for public transport and taxis for Ipoh City. In addition, this commission should be given the sole responsibility to take action against defaulting service providers. In this way, we have a central body within the city to control public transport operators, unlike now where everyone seems to have a say and no one wants to say anything.

Furthermore, it is time to start planning a light railway transport system. With the existing electrified dual carriage railway tracks of Keretaapi Tanah Melayu, a central link from Ipoh North to Ipoh South will become possible. Commuter services can run from as far north as Sungai Siput to as far south as Kampar. We also need a few east-west branch lines to complete the system.

A detailed map was produced by two of the speakers in the Ipoh City Watch Seminar on Public Transport; the authorities could use them as a guide.

I hope transport officials will consider the above ideas when planning Ipoh's public transport system. A good public transport system rejuvenates a city but a city with a messy public transport system is bound to be in a state of decay.

Firefly to fly Ipoh-S’pore route from July 12 - Star

2009-06-08T20:57:00.001+08:00

June 8, 2009 By CHRISTINA KOH

IPOH: Firefly, which billed itself as “your community airline”, will take off from Ipoh to Singapore route starting July 12.

The all-inclusive promotional fare is RM88 one way, going up to RM300 depending on the time of booking.

FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd managing director Eddy Leong said the route would “open up Ipoh to the world.”

The one-hour-and-20 minute flight will be available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays It departs here at 4.45pm, arriving at the Changi budget terminal at 6.05pm.

From Singapore, the new 72-seater aircraft takes off at 2.50pm and lands at the Sultan Azlan Shah airport here at 4.10pm.

”We have been in discussion with the Perak government since 2007 to provide accessibility to exploit the untapped and hidden treasures of Perak,” Leong said after a briefing with the state, tour agents and hotel operators at the state secretariat here Monday.

He said Firefly would provide free refreshments and snacks, assigned seats and free 20kg baggage allowance for check-in baggage.

To a question, Leong said Singapore was the only destination from Ipoh for now, but added that one possibility was an Ipoh to KLIA route in the future.

The RM88 promotion is available for booking (www.fireflyz.com.my or call 03-7845 4543) from now until Oct 24.

Other Singapore destinations that Firefly would be flying are Subang (July 1), Kuala Terengganu (July 14), Kuantan (July 22) and Malacca (Sept 1).