MP's bid to curtail the menace

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.tv/
YB Lim Lip Eng, the Member of Parliament for Segambut and his team of officers and volunteers last Friday, August 14, 2009 turned up at the SJK (Tamil) Segambut, Jalan Udang Ketak, Taman Sri Segambut, Kuala Lumpur to do their bid to prevent the further spread of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus.
Young primary school students are vulnerable and within the high-risk groups where the outbreak amongst them could be rapid. Thus, the MP saw it fit to extend the face-mask to these students, especially the poor children, so as to create their awareness to the A(H1N1) pandemic. This was the third school in Segambut to receive the face-mask aid. The other schools where they have supported recently are S.R.K. Desa Segambut and S.R.J.K. (Cina) Khai Chee.
As he and his team have limited financial resources, Mr. Lim hopes the schools, teachers and especially the parents could follow through from this awareness campaign to observe further daily precautions.
However, and for obvious reasons, this Member of Parliament from DAP regrets that he and his team could only distribute the face-mask from outside the school's premise. Withstanding this humiliation, and as always, he has these young children at heart.
A video by R.Vijay Kumar (Citizen Journalist)
http://cj.my/EnvironsEagles - Soaring to serve in a changing environment

Interview by ROCKET-part 2

(Click on picture for larger view)

Interview by ROCKET-part 1

(Click on picture for larger view)

Telco tower built illegally

Source: http://streets.nst.com.my/, (Noel Achariam, 12/8/2009)

City Hall has confirmed that the telecommunication tower in Desa Segambut was built illegally and it would be taking action against those responsible. City Hall corporate communications director Anwar Mohd Zain said in a statement that the local authority had investigated and found that the tower was built without approval from its Town Planning Department.

“The telecommunications tower was built illegally at Jalan 1/60A in Segambut Tengah. We are currently planning our next course of action,” he said. Streets had reported yesterday that residents were worried about the possible health risk posed by the 20m telcotall telecommuncations tower which was built a month ago near the SMK Segambut Makmur primary school.
Copyright © Tech&U . New Straits Times Press Sdn.Bhd . All rights reserved.

Ibu bapa bimbang menara pemancar dekat sekolah

Menara telekomunikasi yang dipersoalkan (gambar diambil oleh pembantu Lim Lip Eng)

Lim mendengar aduan daripada pelajar-pelajar S.K. Segambut Makmur (gambar diambil oleh pembantu Lim Lip Eng)

Source: http://www.bharian.com.my/, Oleh Hanisah Selamat

Pembinaan tanpa notis, dibuat waktu malam mencurigakan

Bimbang anak mereka terdedah kepada pancaran radiasi yang boleh mengakibatkan kanser, ibu bapa murid Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan (SRK) Segambut Makmur, di sini serta penduduk yang tinggal berdekatan kawasan itu meminta pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) memindahkan sebuah menara telekomunikasi yang terdapat di situ. Kewujudan menara pemancar setinggi kira-kira 10 meter itu mula dikesan lebih sebulan lalu tetapi penduduk mendakwa tiada sebarang papan tanda didirikan untuk memaklumkan jenis projek malah kerja pembinaan dijalankan pada waktu malam. Seorang penduduk, Mohd Ishak Sidin, 41, berkata kedudukan menara yang tidak sampai 20 meter dari sekolah membuatnya curiga memandangkan jarak berkenaan terlalu hampir dengan sekolah yang mempunyai kira-kira 500 murid. “Daripada pembacaan, Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) menyarankan jarak menara telekomunikasi perlu sekurang-kurangnya 150 meter dari rumah penduduk namun kini selain kediaman, anak kami terdedah kepada bahaya radiasi. “Mungkin sekarang kita tidak nampak kesan, bagaimana lima tahun lagi? Kami tidak mahu anak kami menanggung kesengsaraan disebabkan kepentingan pihak lain tambahan pula mereka hanya anak kecil yang belum mengenal dunia,” katanya. Tinjauan Berita Harian mendapati, kedudukan menara berkenaan yang berada di dalam kawasan berpagar Pusat Komuniti Masyarakat Taman Desa Segambut sekali gus menimbulkan persoalan adakah ia dibina dengan kebenaran Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) dan kementerian berkaitan. Bagaimanapun, sehingga kini tidak kelihatan sebarang peralatan tambahan seperti antena atau cakera pemantul gelombang dilihat dipasang di menara berkenaan dan tidak dapat dipastikan sama ada ia sudah beroperasi atau sebaliknya.

Ahli Parlimen Segambut, Lim Lip Eng yang meninjau tapak menara itu berkata, pihaknya akan mengemukakan aduan kepada DBKL bagi memastikan pembinaan struktur sistem pemancar telekomunikasi itu mematuhi garis panduan dikeluarkan Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (KPKT). “Beberapa ibu bapa murid sekolah ini sudah mengemukakan bantahan kewujudan menara ini kepada Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru (PIBG) pada Jun lalu dan sebagai susulan saya akan mengenal pasti status projek ini daripada DBKL. “Melihat kepada kedudukannya yang terlalu hampir dengan sekolah selain dikelilingi kawasan kediaman, saya pasti sesiapa saja tentu khuatir kesan radiasi pemancar ini kepada tahap kesihatan manusia dan tentu saja kita tidak mahu menyesal di kemudian hari,” katanya.

Ibu kepada dua murid sekolah berkenaan, Azizah Ariffin, 38, berkata sebagai ibu beliau menentang kewujudan menara pemancar seumpama itu berhampiran sekolah mahu pun kediaman kerana ia turut mengundang sambaran kilat. “Kita tidak boleh memandang mudah perkara ini disebabkan sudah terbukti menara pemancar telekomunikasi mempunyai kesan hampir sama dengan pemancar gelombang elektrik yang bukan sekadar membawa radiasi malah mudah ‘disambar’ kilat. “Saya tidak mahu anak saya terdedah kepada bahaya ciptaan manusia malah saya yakin semua ibu bapa mahu keselamatan anak mereka terjamin lebih-lebih lagi apabila berada di kawasan sekolah yang sepatutnya menjadi lokasi paling menenangkan,” katanya. Terdahulu beberapa ibu bapa mendakwa, mereka pernah membantah pembinaan menara sama di sebuah padang permainan di taman perumahan berhampiran namun tidak menyangka lokasinya kini diubah di hadapan sekolah anak mereka.

Lebih menggerunkan kata mereka, adalah apabila kajian Profesor Bersekutu Fakulti Perubatan Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Prof Madya Dr Adlina Suleiman, tahun lalu mendapati penduduk Taman Subang dipercayai berisiko tinggi diserang kanser dan pelbagai penyakit kronik lain berikutan tinggal berhampiran menara pemancar telekomunikasi. Kajian kesan radiasi itu dijalankan selama dua minggu membabitkan 170 penduduk taman perumahan berkenaan, mendapati 8.23 peratus responden dilaporkan diserang kanser berbanding tidak sampai satu peratus jumlah keseluruhan rakyat negara ini mengalami penyakit sama.

Hak Cipta Terpelihara 2007 - Berita Harian Sdn. Bhd.

TBH inquest: Blood on stairwell?

Source: Malaysiakini (Andrew Ong, Aug 7, 09, 4:01pm)

The visit by coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas and a few legal teams to the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office in Shah Alam has raised further questions concerning the death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock. This was because stains, which might be blood, were found on the stairwell linking the 14th floor, the main entrance of the MACC office, to the 15th floor portion of the office. More stains were seen in a room on the 15th floor. Shockingly, it was revealed to the coroner that the police have not taken samples of the stains.

According to counsel for Teoh's family Lim Lip Eng (left), it was originally arranged for the coroner to visit the entire 14th floor, but lawyers asked to see the 15th floor as well. "We were walking up the staircase to the 15th floor through the backdoor. When we reached the 15th floor, we found a two-feet long stain on the floor of the staircase. “We asked the director of (Selangor) MACC what was the stain but he didn't know. The police investigating officer said he would inspect the substance," said Lim. When the team entered the 15th floor office, they were not allowed to visit individual rooms. Lim said they saw more stains on a wall in the room when they looked through a glass pane on the door. “It looked like blood. I can't say for sure. Once again, we asked the director and the investigating officer and they said they didn't know about it and did not include it as part of the investigations,” said an irate Lim, who is also Segambut MP.

Police probe still ongoing?

In view of this, Lim chided the police for failing to conduct a thorough investigation. He also claimed that the police were still in the process of securing DNA samples from new suspects. He also lamented that since police investigations are still ongoing, it may compromise the inquest process. "This is not going according to procedure. An inquest should not be rushed. Police investigations should be completed first so the facts can be produced for the coroner's consideration. "Yesterday, the DNA expert was put on the dock. If those are really blood tains, does it mean the expert has to be called back again soon? This will drag the inquest on," said Lim.

Barely a week after Teoh died on July 16, the cabinet instructed the Attorney-General's Chambers to apply for an inquest, which began on July 29. Earlier, the press were given a runaround by the police escorting the coroner and the legal team. While the horde of pressmen guarded the 14th floor entrance of the MACC office, the coroner exited through the 15th floor and proceeded to the fifth-floor to inspect the landing where Teoh's body was found. When the coroner was done with the fifth floor, the police again gave reporters the slip by ushering him into a staircase to avoid the pressmen crowding the lift lobby.

Open verdict

The inquest into the death of Teoh Beng Hock in Shah Alam this morning was told that 157 people have given their DNA samples to the investigators and I understand that none of it, including the samples from all Selangor MACC personnel, matches the DNA found on Teoh's blazer and belt.

The inquest was also showed CCTV photos taken at the building lobby the morning when Teoh was found death. Some of the photos showed that 3 MACC recording officers who had interrogated Teoh before he died were leaving the building main entrance before 7am. It was reported earlier by some media that Teoh probably died at around 8am that morning.
What does the above say? I would think it says Selangor MACC personnel are not involved in Teoh’s death. If the coroner at the end of the inquest confirms that the death is suspicious but is unable to determine what or who caused the death then the coroner may give an open verdict meaning a crime has been committed without stating by whom.

MPKj acquitted in RM1.5mil case

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro/central/, by OH ING YEEN, Aug 4, 2009

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) was acquitted of charges in the case where houseowners sued the council for RM1.5mil.

According to the written decision by the High Court in Shah Alam and provided by the defendant’s lawyer Lim Lip Eng, the plaintiffs’ application to build a garage and store room next to their house in Mukim Cheras was approved by the MPKj (previously known as the Hulu Langat District Council) on November 11, 1985. However, MPKJ, the defendant, received complaints from the plaintiff’s neighbours who said that the construction was unplanned and had caused disruption. Representatives from the council went to the said house on Feb 11 and Oct 15 in 1998 to investigate and found that the extension was not built according to the approved plans. The houseowners were instructed to demolish the building within a week but no action was taken. MPKj officers then demolished part of the extension on Sept 30, 1999, and tore down the remains on Nov 23, 1999. The plaintiffs were not at home when the structures were torn down. The plaintiff’s lawyer argued that the defendant failed to give a 30-day notice as stated in the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 section 72 (6). However, it was considered redundant in this case because it was a garage and store that were torn down, not a building that someone was living in. Hence, the issue of evacuation did not arise.
Shah Alam High Court judge Rosnaini Saub decided that the defendant rejected the plaintiffs’ claims with cost. “In conclusion, I find that the defendant acted according to law when tearing down the structure in accordance to the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974. Hence, the plaintiff’s claims are unfounded,” she said.

Protesters play cat and mouse with cops

I'm next to Mr Lim Kit Siang & Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/, Aug 1, 09 5:17pm

Police fired tear gas and water cannons today at more than 20,000 demonstrators who took to the streets to protest against controversial internal security laws. In chaotic scenes in downtown Kuala Lumpur, some 5,000 police including riot squads arrested scores of protesters as they gathered at rallying points across the city including two mosques - Masjid Negara and Masjid Jamek - and the Sogo shopping complex. Deputy police chief Ismail Omar said that 175 people were arrested this afternoon for taking part in the protest, aimed at pressuring the government to abolish laws that allow for detention without trial. "We just wanted to disperse them, so we used water cannon and tear gas to do that," he told AFP, insisting the police action was not heavy-handed. Among the detained were top opposition figures including R Sivarasa, vice-president of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's PKR. Demonstrators played a cat-and-mouse game with police who attempted to prevent them from massing at the rallying points, darting into side streets before regrouping and marching through the streets. At least 75 rounds of tear gas were fired and water cannons were unleashed at the Sogo shopping complex where the main crowd of some 10,000 people had gathered, intending to march on the royal palace. As they began proceeding down a main thoroughfare, the police launched their sustained offensive which forced many to flee, coughing and choking from the effects of the gas.

10-point memo to the king
Organisers said they wanted to present a 10-point memo to the king including demands for the abolition of the Internal Security Act, the closure of a camp where detainees are held, and an inquiry into all deaths in police custody. At the national mosque, at least 50 detained, opposition legislator Siti Mariah Mahmud from PAS, criticised the arrests of protesters as they attempted to enter the mosque. "This is not reasonable. It's prayer time and this action is a breach of our religious freedom and duty," she said. When prayers were completed, those who had managed to enter the mosque streamed out, joining a crowd of at least 5,000 which began marching before also being confronted by tear gas and water cannons. There was traffic chaos in Kuala Lumpur, as trains halted stops at affected stations and police roadblocks caused snarls that left many shoppers stuck in the city. Prime Minister Najib Razak denounced the protest plans yesterday, saying it was unnecessary because he had agreed to review the ISA after coming to power earlier this year. The legislation, a hangover from colonial days, has been used against government opponents as well as suspected Islamist terrorists. "We are here to fight for the ISA to be abolished," said Yati Ali, 45, one of some 100 women and children standing in a group outside the Sogo complex. "We don't fear arrest. ISA is a cruel act, we are fighting for justice," she said.

- AFP