Boy burnt at petrol kiosk

KUALA LUMPUR: What was supposed to be a routine fuelling up process for a family’s balik kampung journey turned tragic when a pump nozzle caught fire, badly burning a three-year-old boy.

Muhammad Ikmal Imran Ahmad Nizam suffered 70% burns on his face and body.

A bit of his right ear is gone and he is now terrified of fire, his father Ahmad Nizam Abdul Rahman, 37, told a press conference held by Bukit Glugor MP Karpal Singh yesterday.

Ahmad Nizam said that two days before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, he, his wife and four children were travelling in his van to Kedah.

At about 12.15am, he said he stopped at a petrol station in Batang Kali to fuel up, and his sons Muhammad Ikmal, fondly called adik, and Mohd Akmal Aiman, 11, got out of the van.

“As I pulled the pump nozzle out from the petrol tank, it caught fire.

“Fuel was still coming out from the burning nozzle and then adik was on fire. I threw the nozzle down and started rolling him on the ground to put out the fire.”

He said he shouted for the fire extinguisher twice but it took a while for the station staff to get it as it was locked in the office.

Ahmad Nizam suffered burns to his hands, while Mohd Akmal suffered burns on his thigh.

He rushed his children to a nearby clinic in Batang Kali and then to the Kuala Kubu Baru Hospital. Muhammad Ikmal was transferred to the Selayang Hospital and placed in the Intensive Care Burn Unit for 20 days.

“I still have to take him to the clinic every day to change his dressing,” said Ahmad Nizam.

“He used to be an active child, but now he is shy and afraid. He's traumatised. He can’t even stand spicy food anymore. He used to love curry.”

He said the owner of the petrol station said investigations had been completed and said that the fire did not come from the petrol station.

“My engine was off, I was not using my mobile phone and I was not smoking.

“They told me it was caused by ‘static charge’,” he said, adding that the petrol station owner had made no attempt to compensate him.

Karpal Singh said he would be writing a letter to the petrol company within a week to seek compensation, “but we have not started a legal suit yet”.

Former Petrol Dealers Association Malaysia president Alang Zari Ishak said “such occurrences are very rare, but it can happen.”

“If there are fumes and the static charge is high enough, it can cause a fire.

“There is a very remote chance of something like that happening, but it can happen,” he said.

Source : Thestar

Govt must pay RM380mil if toll not raised

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government will have to fork out a total of RM380mil to compensate toll concessionaire companies next year if the Cabinet decides not to increase toll rates.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said although the Cabinet had not decided on the issue, the ministry had worked out the amount of compensation to toll concessionaire companies.

Except for the Penang Bridge where the toll rate is scheduled to be revised on Oct 1, seven expressway operators are due to review their rates on Jan 1.

The Government would have to compensate Ampang-Ulu Kelang Elevated Highways RM28mil, North-South Expressway (central region) RM18mil, Seremban-Port Dickson RM178mil, Kulim-Butterworth Expressway RM10mil, Second Link to Singapore RM6mil, Sprint Highway RM34mil, NKVE RM9mil and Penang Bridge RM22mil, he said.

The Government, having increased toll charges of the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP) from RM1 to RM1.60 instead of RM2.10, would have to pay Litrak, the operator of LDP, RM75mil.

Samy Vellu said this in his reply to Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur) while answering queries at the committee stage of the Supply Bill 2008.

He added that the Government was still finding ways to reduce the toll charges.

Replying to Salahuddin Ayob (PAS-Kubang Kerian), Samy Vellu said the cost to build the palace complex to replace Istana Negara was RM450mil with another RM200mil to build the quarters, security features, multi-level underground car park and others.

He said the cost of the new palace complex was not RM1bil as stated by Salahuddin.

“The Government has decided that the cost to build the new palace complex be capped at RM650mil and it cannot be more than that,” he added.

Source : Thestar

No timeframe for Proton turnaround

PUTRAJAYA: No specific timeframe will be given to the management of Proton Holdings Bhd to turn the national carmaker around.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said instead, the Government hoped its management would be able to keep its "momentum" going with more sales and enhanced quality.

"There is a business turnaround plan. They have not yet submitted to us a comprehensive programme about their plan to turn the company around but there is one.

"Of course, the plan is still a work in progress," he told reporters after presenting prizes to winners for the best decorated new village here on Thursday.

On the prices of Proton shares, which dipped to a seven-year low, following the news, he said it was normal for shares to fluctuate in a market environment and that the Government had no plans to consider taking the company private.

"What I have said remains. We are just giving the management the flexibility to carry on with their restructuring and the good work they are doing while bringing the company back to viability. There is no issue of privatisation," Nor Mohamed said.

He also denied that the Government's decision to call off negotiations for Proton between Khazanah and two major international car manufacturers - Volkswagen and General Motors - was politically motivated.

"There is nothing at all like that," he said.

However, Nor Mohamed declined to comment if the Government would continue to ensure some kind of protection for the car company.

Proton Story Here

Source : TheStar

Samy shocked, wants answers

KUALA LUMPUR: The collapse of a two-storey building on a hillslope at the edge of Tasik Banding in Gerik, Perak, has Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu reeling with disbelief.

“I am shocked and I want answers,” said a furious Samy Vellu, who called for action to be taken against the contractor if it was found that structural failure caused the collapse.

It was fortunate that no one was hurt “but there must be some action,” he said.

On Tuesday, the building began to collapse at 8am and crumbled completely two hours later.

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No evidence from Singapore

THE HAGUE: Singapore has failed to adduce evidence to support its claim that Britain had established title on Pulau Batu Puteh between 1847 and 1851, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) here heard.

Malaysia’s counsel Sir Elihu Lauterpacht said although Singapore had confirmed and maintained a title already acquired after 1851, there was no contemporary documentation to state that the island was or had become a British territory.

“One looks in vain for evidence of any official, formal, direct or even indirect assertion of title,” he told the 16-member bench.

He said unless by 1851 there really existed British title over Pulau Batu Puteh, there was nothing that could be maintained or confirmed.

Singapore, which is claiming sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, had argued that it was maintaining and confirming its pre-established title of Pulau Batu Puteh as the British successor and had continuously exercised state authority on and in relation to the island.

Lauterpacht refuted the claim, saying that overwhelmingly this was practised with regard to the operation of the lighthouse on Pulau Batu Puteh and had nothing to do with sovereignty over the island.

Turning to Middle Rocks and South Ledge, he said there was also no substance in Singapore’s claim for these two marine features because, just like Pulau Batu Puteh, they have always belonged to Johor.

On Singapore’s contention that it had also carried out non-lighthouse activities, he said these could either be attributed to the republic’s role as the lighthouse administrator or were otherwise unconnected with sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh.

Lauterpacht said when Britain built and operated the Horsburgh lighthouse on the island, it showed no intention at all of acquiring sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh.

In light of this, plus the strong British practice in the 19th and 20th centuries of building and administering lighthouses on its key trade routes on the territories of other states, the continued administration of the lighthouse by Singapore as part of the Straits Lights System could not be regarded as evidence of its sovereignty over the territory.

Submitting on Singapore’s claim that Johor never carried out any competing activities on the island on its own, Lauterpacht said this point was “meaningless verbiage.”

“Pulau Batu Puteh was a very small place, no more than half the area of a football field, and the lighthouse had taken up all that area. Where was Johor to engage in competing activities on the island?”

He said the 1953 letter by the Johor Acting State Secretary that Singapore claimed expressed disclaimer of the title to Pulau Batu Puteh is irrelevant.

“The letter could not be considered a factor supportive of Singapore’s argument that it had completed acquisition of the title to Pulau Batu Puteh in 1851.

“Rather the reverse. One is bound to ask why, over 100 years later, Singapore is raising, in terms of seemingly genuine doubt, the question of title to Pulau Batu Puteh,” he said.

He stressed that Singapore’s reliance on the September 1953 letter was ineffectual.

“How extraordinary it is that a state now claiming title to an island should more than a century after it asserts that the claimed title has been perfected, evince such doubt about its position that it is obliged to ask the other state concerned what the legal position is,” he said. – Bernama

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Broom award ???

Two state government agencies were publicly rebuked when they were presented with a broom each on stage by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo for failing to collect assessment above the 50% mark required for 2006.

Hulu Selangor District Council chief Tukiman Nail received the broom worth RM3.80 at the Selangor Excellence Awards at the Dewan Jubli Perak yesterday.

The other recipient, Hulu Selangor Land Office former district officer Mislan Tugiu who is now Klang Municipal Council president, is overseas and a representative received it on his behalf. He avoided pressmen after leaving the stage.

Earlier, officers had tried to keep the two brooms away, hoping that Dr Khir would forget, but he asked for them despite the unease among the several hundred government staff who attended the event.

The “broom award” was printed in the programme book as Special Award Performance For Revenue Collection 2006.

Many staff members shook their heads when the brooms were presented to the recipients.

“The broom is not meant to shame the officer but it is a reminder that the government wants all departments to buck up and improve to become results-oriented,” said Dr Khir.

“Many times, we have called for improvement but it has fallen on deaf ears. When agencies knew they would receive the brooms, they automatically collected their revenue, hitting 90% for 2007.

“But the broom was for 2006 and it had to be given so that officers would know that I mean business,” he stressed.

Dr Khir said that agencies which fail to hit the 2007 performance target would also get the broom.

“We can’t have those with a lackadaisical attitude,” he said.

On a separate matter, the state has decided that all staff must use Oxford cotton short-sleeved shirts instead of coats in a bid to reduce energy used for air-conditioning.

“We are now using blue or white short-sleeved shirts with the Selangor flag embroidered on the pocket.

“We will only use coats for Wednesday’s state executive council and federal level meetings,” Dr Khir said.

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Don’t drag royalty into politics

KOTA KINABALU: The illegal assembly in Kuala Lumpur yesterday was an attempt by the Opposition to drag royalty into their politics, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The opposition-led illegal gathering involving some 4,000 people ended with a memorandum being handed over to Istana Negara. The memorandum called for free and just elections.

It was an attempt to “trap” the Yang DiPertuan Agong, Abdullah said.

"I believe the King is mature, and the royalty will not be trapped into their (the opposition's) politics," he said after opening the 22nd Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) congress here on Sunday.

Abdullah said the illegal gathering was also a gimmick by the Opposition to garner support ahead of the general election widely expected to be held early next year.

The gathering was organised by The Coalition for Clean and Fair Election (Bersih), a group of 60 non-governmental organisations supported by five Opposition parties.

Abdullah said police had acted responsibly and were efficient in ensuring public order during the illegal gathering.

Police break up march

Protestors held illegal gatherings at 5 parts of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to demand for a clean and fair election.

Bersih, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Election, organised the marches. Their purpose was to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

See video here

Pulau Batu Puteh: M'sia vs S'pore on Tuesday

PETALING JAYA (Nov 2, 2007): Malaysia and Singapore's dispute over the sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh or Pedra Branca, South Ledge and Middle Rocks - which are located in waters off Johor - will resume in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday (Nov 6).

Based on a statement posted on ICJ's website, proceedings will commence with an opening address by both countries at the Peace Palace in The Haque in the Netherlands.

This will be followed by Singapore which will have up till Nov 9 to have their say before Malaysia presents its case from Nov 13 to 16, in the first round of arguments.

The second round is scheduled to last two days - Nov 19 and 20 for Singapore, and Malaysia on Nov 22 and 23.

Malaysia's delegation will be led by Prime Minister's Foreign Affairs Adviser and Ambassador at Large Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Mohamad who will be Malaysia's agent for the case and will be aided by Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin.

The legal team will be headed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail who is accompanied by Cambridge University professors in International Law Sir Elihu Lauterpacht and James Crawford, Leiden University professor of Public International Law Jan Schrijver, Geneva Graduate Institute of International Studies professor of International Law Marcelo G. Kohen, and Cambridge University Downing College college lecturer Penelope Nevill.

At the proceedings, the Malaysia and Singapore delegations are expected to submit evidences of maps and documents, based on historical grounds and international law principles of discovery, accretion, cession and rules of newly independent states adhering to the frontiers of the old colonial territories, continuity and contiguity.

ICJ President Judge Rosalyn Higgins decided not to decide on the case, seeing as she represented Singapore prior to her appointment as the court's president.

The hearing will be heard by vice-president Judge Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh and 15 judges, including two adhoc judges by Malaysia and Singapore.

They are Raymond Ranjeva (Madagascar), Abdul G. Koroma (Sierra Leone), Shi Jiuyong (China), Gonzalo Parra Aranguren (Venezuela), Hisashi Owada (Japan), Thomas Buergenthal (US), Peter Tomka (Slovakia), Bruno Simma (Germany), Ronny Abraham (France), Kenneth Keith (New Zealand), Mohamed Bennouna (Morocco), Bernardo Sepulveda Amor (Mexico) and Leonid Skotnikov (Russia).

The adhoc judges are Christopher S.R. Dugard (South Africa) for Malaysia and Pemmaraju Sreenivasa Rao (India) for Singapore.

All judges are expected to vote and the decision is expected to be made before next June.

On July 24, 2003, Malaysia and Singapore jointly submitted to the ICJ on the dispute through a notification of a Special Agreement between them - signed on Feb 6, 2003, in Putrajaya.

The agreement requested the court to decide if either Malaysia or Singapore had sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, entered into force on May 9, the same year.

Both countries agreed in advance "to accept the Judgement of the Court . . . as final and binding upon them".

Source :Thesundaily
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Monsoon and La Nina to hit east coast states

KOTA BARU: The east coast states will be hit by both the annual monsoon and “La Nina” this year.

A spokesman with the weather forecast regional office in Gong Kedak, Terengganu, said that Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang should brace themselves for unusually heavy rainfall, in a combination of the monsoon and “La Nina” effects.

The state flood relief committee has been put on standby in the face of the Meteorological Department's predictions of heavy rainfall in the next 72-hours,

The department also warned inshore fishermen in smallboats to take precautions in the face of 40km per hour winds and tidal waves reaching up to 2.5m.

State Local Government committee chairman Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said that Kelantan would try to respond swifter and better, having learnt from past experience.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Yahya Madis said that past drills on flood relief by the department, including deployment of rescue patrol boats, would help firemen to respond better.

Based on information from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID)’s website “www.infobanjir.water.gov.my,” all rivers with the exception of the “Jeti Kastam” stretch in Kota Baru recorded above-normal water levels as of 3pm Friday.

The state DID is monitoring stations in eight water arteries flowing through the two river basins: Sungai Kelantan and Sungai Golok.

As at 3pm, Sungai Galas in Dabong, Kuala Krai was just four metres shy of the 32m alert level.

Sungai Golok at Jenob is also said to be fast reaching the alert level, said state DID director Lim Chow Hock.

The only area where the water is beneath its normal level is the Sungai Kelantan stretch at “Jeti Kastam.

In Terengganu, a 24-hour flood operation centre co-ordinated by several rescue agencies and police has been set up.

State Islam Hadhari and Welfare committee chairman Datuk Rosol Wahid said the state was ready in terms of logistics, rescue works and disbursement of aid.

“We have experience in managing disasters in the monsoon season and I would say that we are well prepared,” he said.

Rosol who oversees the state disaster committee, said that contingency plans were already in place, with district flood relief centres equipped with adequate supplies of food, clothes and mattresses.

Source : TheStar
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