Stormy spell for west coast

Stormy spell for west coast

Stormy spell for west coast

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 09:01 AM PDT

05 April 2014| last updated at 12:09AM
By ZAHRATULHAYAT MAT ARIF | news@nst.com.my

ALOR STAR: RESIDENTS in the west coast states of the peninsula have been advised to be on the alert for strong winds and thunderstorms due to the inter-monsoon season which will cause changes in weather patterns.

This phenomena had resulted in stormy conditions in Padang Terap, Kedah, and Arau, Perlis, which saw more than 100 houses damaged in recent days.

Meteorological Department's commercial and corporate services division director, Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, said the inter-monsoon season, which started on March 29, would last until early May.

"Normally, this is also associated with strong winds and flash floods. The inter-monsoon season is expected to bring widespread rain and it will be more frequent in the afternoons and evenings in the west coast of the peninsula.

"The season also usually brings light and variable winds which could develop clouds and subsequently lead to thunderstorms," he said when contacted yesterday.

Checks with the Meteorological Department website showed Kedah and Perlis were forecast to get isolated rains in most part of the states within four and five days in the afternoon.

It was reported that in Kedah, 65 houses in Kampung Pinang, Kampung Lebai Saman and Kampung Belukar Luas in Pedu were damaged by a freak storm and strong winds. Four of the houses were completely destroyed in the 5.30pm storm which was described as the worst in recent years.

In Perlis, a thunderstorm also wreaked havoc in Guar Sanji and Tambun Tulang on Thursday, leaving more than 60 houses damaged, with at least two completely destroyed.

Ahmad Taha, 75, lifting a wooden beam at his home in Kampung Telaga Haji Latif, Arau, Perlis, which was badly damaged in the recent freak storm. Pic by Amran Hamid

Big demand for water containers

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 09:01 AM PDT

05 April 2014| last updated at 12:26AM
By ELVINA FERNANDEZ AND KEVIN HO | news@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: THE ongoing water rationing in the Klang Valley has seen the sales of water containers skyrocketing along with its price.

Many shops had sold out their stocks due to the sudden high demand from consumers.

Serdang resident Sharvinder Kaur,said she had trouble looking for a large container to store water as they were sold out in many places.

"The cheapest was at Jusco shopping mall but they were out of stock. I had to scout around at smaller shops and managed to get a 20-gallon garbage container for RM49.

Rathaa Ulakanathan, who lives in a condominium, said the price of containers had also increased.

"We bought a big container for RM55 and within 10 minutes, the next customer was charged RM65 at the pasar borong nearby."

She added that the day before the water rationing, she had to rush home after work to do the laundry.

"I am also worried about carrying pails of water up to the 25th floor where we live if the situation persists."

Eunice Ho from Serdang, who was preparing to face the water rationing, said she ceased to do laundry and used all the empty pails she could get hold of to store water.

"I have also been looking high and low for large water containers as they were sold out at most shops here. The ones that I came across were ridiculously priced," said the customer service executive.

"It has been raining everyday for the last week or two and I am quite sure the water supply will be back to normal again."

The sale of used barrels had also picked up following the recent announcement on extended water rationing. An online supplier named Fazli said the 160-litre barrel was the most popular item.

"Sales have gone up and we are selling about 50 to 100 barrels a day. Sometimes a customer orders in bulk and sales will go beyond the numbers."

He added that the public was still rushing to buy containers even after the price had nearly doubled.

"About a month ago, my price was RM40 for a clean barrel. But due to the increasing demand, it is now RM70."

Asked if it was ethical to increase prices indiscriminately, he claimed that his price was still one of the cheapest among suppliers.

"Other suppliers have already taken advantage of the water crisis and hiked their prices up to RM90. We are trying to help consumers so they will not be victims of price jacking."

A girl collecting water near her flats in Bandar Tasik Puteri, Rawang, yesterday. Pic by Ghazali Kori

2 charged with attacking cop

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

05 April 2014| last updated at 12:07AM

 W. Thiruselvan, 37, was alleged to have tried to kill Corporal Anwar Jaharudin, 29, by stabbing his left arm with a knife in Jalan Samarinda, Taman Kandis Permai, here at 7.40am on Feb 21.

 Thiruselvan was also charged with attempted suicide and possession of a dangerous weapon.

 He pleaded guilty to attempting to commit suicide by hanging himself using a piece of cloth in a prison cell of the Klang police station around 3am on Feb 28.

 Magistrate Mohd Fadhly Yaakob sentenced him to eight months' jail beginning from the date of arrest -- Feb 21.

 Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nur Aida Zainuddin pressed for a deterrent sentence.

 Thiruselvan was also jointly charged with Mohd Jefry Rahmat, 28, with possession of  a sharp metal object.

 Jefry who was unrepresented pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months' jail and two strokes of the rotan. Thiruselvan pleaded not guilty.

 They were alleged to have committed the offence at Jalan Samarinda, Taman Kandis Permai here at 7.40am, on Feb 21.

 Thiruselvan who was on crutches applied for bail as he had sustained injuries on his left leg and could not walk properly.

 Fadhly set bail at RM10,000 with one surety and ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station each month.

 However, he only allowed bail after the accused completed his eight-month jail term.

 He fixed May 15 for mention.

W. Thiruselvan (right), 37, and his accomplice, Mohd Jefrey Rahmat (centre), 28, being led out of court in Klang yesterday.Pic by Mohd Asri Saifuddin Mamat

60,000 workers underpaid

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

05 April 2014| last updated at 12:06AM

PETALING JAYA: MORE than 60,000 contract workers in schools nationwide have yet to receive minimum wages, Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Mohd Khalid Atan said.

   These workers, who included cleaners, gardeners, security guards and traffic wardens, were still being paid according to the old wages, averaging between RM400 and RM600 per month, he said here yesterday.

    He urged the  Education Ministry to look into their plight urgently as they were facing great hardship due to the increasing cost of living.   

    The minimum wage policy of RM900 per month for Peninsular Malaysia and RM800 per month for Sabah and Sarawak came into effect on Jan 1, last year, but was only fully implemented in January this year.   

    Some employers were given an extension until April 1.

    Khalid said the Human Resources Ministry should intensify its enforcement efforts to ensure compliance.

    He said MTUC was made to understand that the ministry lacked sufficient enforcement officers to do so and if that was the case, the union was willing to lend a hand.

    He suggested that MTUC's divisional leaders could be roped in to assist in the enforcement exercise. Bernama

Malaysia set on zero rice imports, says minister

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

05 April 2014| last updated at 12:39AM
By MUZLI MOHD ZIN | news@nst.com.my

HANOI: MALAYSIA is determined to achieve its target to end rice imports and be self-sufficient to meet local demand by 2020, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

He said this was despite the fact that the country had recorded an increase of 117,000 metric tonnes in rice imports last year from the total of 983,000 metric tonnes in 2012.

"The ministry is viewing this trend seriously and it is pertinent for us to step up our efforts in enhancing the local rice production to gradually reduce our dependency on rice imports," he said before the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and Vietnam here.

The signing of the MoU, which sought collaboration between the two countries in agriculture, was held yesterday and witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung.

Najib, who arrived here on Thursday night from Perth, Australia, is on a three-day working visit at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart. This was his first official visit to the country since he took office in 2009.

Malaysia currently produced 70 per cent of its rice for local demand annually and the remaining was sourced from Vietnam and Pakistan. Ismail Sabri said Vietnam was Malaysia's biggest rice exporter with 764,878 metric tonnes, valued at RM1.3 billion in 2012, and 658,120 metric tonnes (RM812 million) last year.

"We have stopped importing from Thailand several years ago due to the high price imposed by them," he said, adding that Vietnamese rice was the best option not only due to its good price, but also quality.

Ismail Sabri said to achieve the 2020 target, the ministry had come up with plans to improve local rice production and its quality through the use of hybrid padi seeds and good agriculture practices.

"We are encouraging farmers to be professional and efficient in their endeavour by following our rice production checklist where, for example, they will be guided as to when to plant the padi seeds and to apply pesticides, and how much the amount should be.

"We are offering incentives for farmers to produce rice in a big scale while encouraging them to pool their resources and finances."

He said Mardi had been tasked to research and produce quality seeds, like the Aerob padi seeds, which only required sprinklers to irrigate and could be planted three times a year.

"We have started planting the Aerob padi seeds from last year."

Ismail Sabri said the implementation of uniformed RM1,200 per tonne as the price for the purchase of padi from farmers in the peninsula would also push them to produce quality padi.

By producing quality padi, he said, farmers could cut their post-harvest losses as their products would be purchased and not left to waste.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (left) exchanging the memorandum of understanding with his Vietnamese counterpart, Cao Duc Phat, in Hanoi yesterday while Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Nguyen Tan Dung (seated) look on. Bernama pic

Najib thanks Vietnam for help

Posted: 04 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

 HANOI: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday expressed his gratitude to his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Tan Dung, and the Vietnamese government for their assistance during the early days of the search-and-rescue (SAR) efforts for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

  He said Vietnam had been forthcoming in deploying its assets and in sharing information on the missing aircraft, which lost contact after entering Vietnamese airspace on March 8.

  "Malaysia will not give up in our efforts to locate the plane and we are grateful for the assistance from our friends," he said in his speech at a luncheon hosted by Tan Dung at the International Convention Centre here.

  Najib said he also had a frank discussion and a fruitful bilateral meeting with Tan Dung, which was followed by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two nations in the field of agriculture.

  "This MoU is the 20th accord signed between our two countries in the last 31/2 decades and a sign of the benefits of our growing partnership."   

Najib, who arrived on Thursday night from Perth, Australia, with his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, is on a three-day working visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Tan Dung.

 This was his first official visit to Vietnam since he took office as the prime minister in 2009.  Joining him on his visit were Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Agriculture and  Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and senior officials from the three ministries.

  Earlier, at a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace after the bilateral meeting, Najib also thanked the Vietnamese government for its help in the SAR effort of the aircraft.

 "I would like to put it on record our sincere appreciation to the Vietnamese government for all the assistance rendered to us."   

Najib said both nations had been enjoying good bilateral ties that had grown in strength over the years, with trade reaching more than US$9 billion (RM29.25 billion).

 "During our meeting, we  set a target to further increase our total trade to US$11 billion by 2015," he said, adding that he was glad to see the total trade between both countries increasing by 67 per cent in the past  three years.

Malaysia is Vietnam's seventh largest trading partner, fifth largest export destination and eighth largest source of import.

Vietnam, meanwhile, is Malaysia's 13th largest trading partner, 14th largest export destination and 10th largest source of import.

Describing the bilateral meeting as frank and comprehensive, Najib said Vietnam should explore further investment opportunities, particularly in the banking and finance, tourism, education, and oil and gas sectors in Malaysia.

He said Petronas and Petro Vietnam could carry out more joint development in the oil and gas sector in the future, adding that Malaysia would also consider Vietnam's request for more employment opportunities for its workers.

"I would also like to congratulate Prime Minister Tan Dung for his leadership in turning his country into one of the region's top economies. We also look forward to improving the cooperation in defence and security."

During the meeting, both leaders also discussed the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which they agreed should be reasonable to all, especially emerging economies and developing countries.

"We agreed that the centrality of Asean should be given the priority to settle disputes," Najib said.

He also invited Tan Dung to visit Malaysia to further discuss investment and trade opportunities between the two nations.

Tan Dung expressed his sympathy and condolences to the families of passengers and crew members on board MH370.

"Our immediate search efforts for the aircraft were due to the close ties between the two countries."

He said he agreed with Najib that the two countries should make the best of the good bilateral ties by exploring more trade and investment opportunities to achieve their 2015 target.

Najib and Tan Dung also witnessed the signing of the memorandum between Ismail Sabri and Vietnamese Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Cao Duc Phat.

Prior to the bilateral meeting, Najib was accorded an official welcoming ceremony. He later inspected the guard of honour mounted by Vietnamese armed forces at the Presidential Palace.

Later in the evening, Najib launched the Yen So recreational park in southern Hanoi, which is part of the US$3 billion Gamuda City project -- a 183ha integrated mixed township with a gross development value of RM9 billion.

He was briefed on the project by Gamuda Berhad Group managing director Datuk Lin Yung Ling.

Najib also made courtesy calls on Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang and Communist Party of Vietnam secretary-general Nguyen Phu Trong before wrapping up the day by attending a dinner with Malaysian community here.

Today, the prime minister will hold a breakfast meeting with Malaysian and Vietnamese business communities before leaving for Kuala Lumpur.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, being received by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his wife, Tran Thanh Kiem, at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi yesterday. Bernama pic