Unfair for Masidi to blame mainland population for rubbish – environmentalist

KOTA KINABALU: Environmentalist Dr CY Vun yesterday rebutted the accusation of Tourism, Culture and Enviroment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun that the rubbish dirtying the coastal areas in the city and the islands was largely attributed to the local population on the mainland here.

Vun claimed that the main culprits are the growing number of population in Pulau Gaya off here and the influx of foreigners in and around the state capital, including those squatting illegally on coastal areas and along the riverines such as in Kampung Air, Sembulan, Tanjung Aru, Likas and Sepanggar.

Through a survey he conducted and previous reports in local newspapers, Vun said it was found that residents from the islands themselves readily admitted to throwing rubbish into the sea due to lack of waste management on the islands.

“Trawlers’ crew members and operators as well as commuters who have to get to the mainland by boat daily, either to work or do some shopping, would pack along their domestic wastes and toss them into the sea during these boat rides.

“Illegal squatters such as those living along the coastal lines in Putatan and near the rivers in Sepanggar and even Likas areas are also the major contributors to the rubbish pollution here,” said the member of Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA) and the Envrionmental Action Centre (EAC).

He added that Masidi and other relevant ministries should first “do a proper research” instead of conveniently putting the blame on the local population on the mainland.

“He (Manjun) said that a huge part of the rubbish comes from mainland rivers and irrigations that flow into the sea, and is later brought back to the coastal areas and shorelines.

“While Sabah Parks chairman Datuk Seri Tengku DZ Adlin also had on June 28, 2013, stated that Sabah Parks spent RM10,000 to clean up the rubbish affecting the shorelines and islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, which he also said are mainly from the mainland.

“When they said that the rubbish are from the mainland, who are they actually blaming? The local citizens? There are over 3,000 people, including migrants and squatters living in Pulau Gaya and other coastal areas without any proper waste management, but both the Datuks (Manjun and Adlin) did not even mention them in their respective statements, which is utterly unfair,” stressed Vun.

“He (Manjun) must also remember that some of our local citizens had been residing and occupying water villages in and around the city such as Kampung Air, Sembulan and Tanjung Aru, since the 40s in their stilt houses, without being provided with proper waste management nor sewerage system.

“The only system that existed was disposing of everything into the sea. Even after all these years, nobody had ever even attempted to solve the problem that it has become a ‘tradition’,” he added.

Vun reckoned that the state government should face this perennial problem by going back to its roots, instead of pointing fingers at the local residents on the mainland as the main culprit.

“I urge that Datuk (Manjun) and the other relevant ministers to please do your research properly and go down to the ground to get first-hand information about the whole issue,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/20/unfair-for-masidi-to-blame-mainland-population-for-rubbish-environmentalist/#ixzz2ZZNQ3lnI

1 Borneo: Is Sabah In The Ring Of Fire ?

Hantu Laut

Not sure what to make of this report.

I am not a structural engineer, but I have not seen expansion joint that runs through structural pillar or column of a building, if so, why only on one pillar.

I know of expansion joints on concrete walkway that is exposed to the heat of the sun to prevent cracking of the concrete slab, but have never seen them in column or pillars that run longitudinal and off centre.

1Borneo should be the last people to talk about expansion joints when it's the talk of the town that the 1Borneo building was shoddily built with cracked floors and tiles popping up all over the place. If they have complied with the building codes they wouldn't have such messy problems.

Unless a qualified structural engineer gave it a certificate of fitness and shown to the public, we should take the management assurance with a pinch of salt. 

Well, it seems not too difficult to please the YB when it is convenient for him to pick and choose his victim.

Read the article below:

Kota Kinabalu: Rumours of big cracks appearing in the basement columns and floor slabs of the 1Borneo building structure appear to be only "movement joints" of the building.

Luyang Assemblyman Hiew King Cheu said he and his team investigated the matter after receiving complaints from the public.

"I feel it is very important to clarify the matter because the rumours sounded as if there was going to be a serious structure failure involved," he said in a statement, Wednesday. This is so as to calm the public on the safety of the building.

Hiew said he and the 1Borneo management team was told that the "big cracks" on the concrete columns and floor slabs are actually constructed as "movement joints" so as to allow the building structure to contract and expand.

"These are also called 'expansion and contraction joints' and they are commonly found in large building structures," he said.

The cracks, he said, may look disturbing and may lead to people thinking that the columns had split into two from top to bottom but, actually, it is part of the building design.

Nevertheless, he suggested that the building management cover the unsightly cracks on the columns and floor slabs and also assured the public over the "cracks". He said some floor tiles in the building need to be replaced because they have became loose.

"But there should be adequate movement joints to be installed when the large floor tiles are replaced.

"This is to take care of the expansion of the tiles, so that they wouldn't pop up," he said, adding that the loose floor tiles can hurt the people especially children when run over it.

On other developments, Hiew suggested that the 1Borneo management build a sheltered bus stand in front of the complex for the convenience of commuters so as to protect them from the rain and sun.

Daily Express

Halal "Bak Kut Teh" Do They Exist ?

Hantu Laut

Alvin and his sex kitten in tow.

I have not seen the controversial video posted by the sex exhibitionist on the halal "bak kut teh" and whether such dish is available in West Malaysia?

I just have to go by what had been written in various blogs.

Was he trying to insult Muslims in this holy month of Ramadan, or he is just a plain idiot who thought he can make fun with such desecrating joke on other people's religion and gained cheap publicity.

Either way he deserved to be punished.

Halal "bak kut teh" do they exist?

I am not sure of West Malaysia, but in Sabah they do exist, sometimes, called "chi kut teh" made from sea food, though, not certified halal by the authority is considered halal by some Muslims.

We, Muslims in Sabah hardly ask for halal certificate if there is a sign that says "SERVE NO PORK". We trust the eatery wouldn't be so stupid to lie to its Muslim costumers.

In Sabah, we also have another very popular Chinese dish called "ngui chap" joyfully consumed by Muslims and non-Muslim alike without any skepticism whatsoever because almost all ngui chap shops don't serve non-halal dish or pork products.

"Ngui chap" is basically beef soup with mee or meehon, the meat comprising slices of beef, intestines and tendons of the quadruped.

It is delicious and very popular among Sabahans and visitors who want to sample local delicacies go for it and most impressed how such cheap dish can be so palatable. 

You can find some of the "ngui chap" eateries listed on Lonely Planet.

Well, Alvin and his sex kitten should answer the law for their stupidity and kurang ajar attitude.

ROYAL MARINES MANOEUVRES, BRITISH NORTH BORNEO 1961

SYNOPSIS

This film includes footage of Kuta Belud airstrip, Kinabulu Mountain, extensive manoeuvres of the Royal Marines in Sabah, and scenes of local people. Some film is shot from a helicopter.

Production / Donor Details: Sir Jack Boles worked in administration in North Borneo and then Hong Kong, from 1948 until 1964. This is part of a collection of four 8mm. silent films taken by him during 1960 and 1961.

 

CONTEXT

Decolonisation in South East Asia was intimately bound up with American activities in the immediate area (most notably the Vietnam War) and the US was closely aware of the implications of British withdrawal from the region. As Wm. Roger Louis has noted, by the late 1960s the Americans, largely isolated over their prosecution of the conflict in Vietnam, could even complain that the British were abandoning an important Cold War duty by concluding commitments east of Suez. Dean Rusk, US Secretary of State, stated in 1968 that the end of Empire in South-East Asia and the Middle East amounted to ‘a catastrophic loss to human society’ (Louis, 2006, 558). While there had long been Anglo-Russian, and indeed Anglo-Soviet face-offs and intrigues in the East, the emergence of the People’s Republic of China and the intensification of the Cold War decisively recast the dismantling of the eastern Empire as anti-Communist manoeuvring with broader ramifications. The UK was inevitably involved in US activities, despite strained relations with the US during the 1950s and 1960s, principally from fallout from Suez in the wider context, but also due to differing UK-US attitudes toward the containment of China and UK disapproval of US military activity in Asia.

It was such nominally joint Anglo-American concerns that lay behind the setting up of the short-lived and perhaps ill-conceived South East Asian Treaty Organization (SEATO). Signed in 1954, the treaty ostensibly committed the UK, the US, France, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines and Pakistan to mutually defend one another in the event of hostile attack. However, the treaty was beset by problems, proved effectively non-binding due to requirements for unanimity, and served to focus Asian nationalist discontent on an institution perceived as a ‘another example of the West’s desire to establish the framework for how independent nations should order their external relations’ (Jones, 2002, 8; for a detailed history of SEATO see Buzynski, 1983. The text of the treaty is available at http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/usmu003.asp).

From the British perspective, SEATO membership certainly mollified the Americans somewhat, a concern particularly important to the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in the aftermath of the Suez debacle; however, this largely symbolic positive was balanced against the problems it caused. Quite aside from the possibility that Britain might end up embroiled in an American war, in the context of decolonisation, membership of the group was generally in contradiction with Britain’s hope to ‘appeal to moderate and non-aligned Asian nationalism’ (ibid.), and it seems that the general position may have been that SEATO membership was considered something of a liability from this point of view (Tarling, 1993, 181-3).

SEATO membership however broadly dovetailed with the British concern that the independent governments that took control in ex-colonies should be generally anti-Communist and preferably pro-British, an outcome which was a crucial goal during the winding down of the Empire almost everywhere.

Britain’s major objective in South-East Asia towards the end of the 1950s and the start of the 1960s was to negotiate the path from the independence of Malaya in 1957 to the creation of a federal Malaysia in 1963 through the incorporation of Singapore, Sarawak, Brunei and Borneo. In so doing, not only would the problem of completing South-East Asian decolonisation be solved as the remaining Malay states were absorbed into the federation, but also a friendly bulwark would be erected against Communist influence, and the danger of Chinese influence in Singapore neutralised.

Read more and watch film here.http://colonialfilm.org.uk/node/3682

Don’t buy ‘ikan sulit’ and ‘ikan anjang anjang’

KOTA KINABALU: It is not easy to catch fish bombers red-handed, Sabah Fisheries Department’s legal and enforcement unit chief, Mohd Yusoff Anthony, said.

Mohd Yusoff told the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah, that this is because they are opportunists who will carry out illegal activities whenever they have the chance.

He said this when replying to a question from Commissioner Datuk Henry Chin Poy Wu yesterday.

Chin had asked Mohd Yusoff how many of those charged in court for fish bombing activities had been arrested red-handed at sea carrying out the illegal style of fishing.

“All those charged were arrested on shore with possession of bombed fish. We have no cases of any arrests made during the actual bombing activity,” he said.

Mohd Yusof said, these people are usually charged under Section 26 (C) of the Fisheries Act 1985 which is for having knowledge that the fish they possess were caught using explosives.

“The burden of proof is on the fisheries department’s enforcement personnel because if the suspect insists that they do not know they are in possession of bombed fish, the enforcement personnel would have to prove that they are lying,” he stressed.

There is also a need for heavier penalties to be imposed on those found in possession of bombed fish so that people will be deterred from carrying out destructive method of fishing, Mohd Yusoff said, adding that the state fisheries department has recommended for the law to be amended.

To a question from Chairman Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong on what types of fish were caught with the explosive method, Mohd Yusoff replied that the most common species are the ikan sulit, ikan anjang anjang, garoupa and trevally.

“Don’t buy ikan sulit and ikan anjang ajang as 95 per cent of those sold in the markets are bombed,” he advised.

To Shim’s next question on how to identify a bombed fish, he replied that the fish’s body would be soft to the touch and when opened, internal bleeding can be seen in the fish’s stomach.

Fish bombing, if not curbed, could contribute to the end of fish stock supply in Sabah due to the loss of habitat and breeding grounds of most fish and marine life, he stressed.

“Homemade explosives are thrown into coral beds where fish are abundant and the explosion will destroy the corals which are where the fish as well as other marine life breed and take refuge in.

“Fish bombing is also bad for tourism as it affects scuba drivers,” he said, adding that from reports the fisheries department received, fish bombing activities are prevalent in the islands of Mengalum, Mantanani, the upper part of Banggi and islands around Semporna including dive havens, Mabul and Sipadan island.

The cases in Mabul and Sipadan island are isolated cases as only about five have been reported, he said.

According to Mohd Yusoff, up to now, 209 Filipinos, 18 Indonesians and 148 Malaysians have been charged in court under Section 26 (C) of the Fisheries Act 1985 and they were fined between RM300 and RM10,000 and/or imprisoned between three to 18 months.

When Shim asked if he personally was happy with the punishment provided under the law, Mohd Yusoff said that the state fisheries department had proposed for heavier penalties.

He also revealed that based on the cases that the department had investigated, fish bombing activities are carried out by immigrants who are residing in Sabah, some whom are in possession of the IMM13 document.

There are also cases of foreign fishermen encroaching into Malaysian waters but these are minimal, he said.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/02/dont-buy-ikan-sulit-and-ikan-anjang-ajang-says-officer/#ixzz2XqsMx3W1

‘It’ll be a highway by 2015’

KUCHING: The 400-km dual-lane Pan-Borneo trunk road 

from Sibu to Miri will be upgraded to a highway latest by 

2015, assured Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusuf 

yesterday

He said this stretch was receiving priority attention because 

the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) was 

expected to prosper areas stretching from Sibu to Bintulu and 

Miri.

“Certain portions of the upgrading works for areas such as 

Bintulu and Miri have been completed. Hopefully, the 

upgrading works could be completed in two to three years 

time,” he said after officiating at the Malaysian Malay 

Contractors’ Association (PKMM) Sarawak branch annual 

general meeting here.

Next on the agenda, he added, would be to upgrade the 186-

km stretch between Serian and Betong, and to create more 

overtaking lanes along the trunk road.

“Of course, based on the (BN 13th general election) 

manifesto, we will do it in five years. We will implement it (the 

upgrading works) in stages.

”Fadillah said the Sarawak government had already s

ubmitted the costs for continuation of the highway project 

next year to the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime 

Minister’s Department for approval.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will announce the 

allocation when he tables the 2014 Budget on Oct 25, he 

said.

“The amount approved could be less or more than what the 

state government is requesting. We are not sure yet at this 

stage.

”

On another matter, Fadillah warned that he would not 

hesitate to cancel contracts and remove contractors from the 

registered contractors’ list if they failed to deliver projects as 

stipulated.

He said the percentage of contractors who failed to deliver 

stood at about 10 per cent at present.

Fadillah added that he had identified a few `trouble projects’ 

in the state, and would take a first-hand look at them soon.

“I also have to visit the ones in other states as well. We will 

find ways to reduce and find solutions to trouble projects.”

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/07/01/itll-be-a-highway-by-2015/#ixzz2XnD3B5LS