Penang state executive councillor S Sundarajoo said he was considering legal action against those making the accusations. (Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: Penang executive councillor S Sundarajoo has denied being part of a plot to take over the leadership of the Penang Hindu Endowments Board, which has been at the centre of controversy over the appointment of a new chairman.
Sundarajoo said false and malicious allegations had been made in a viral chat message claiming a “Light Hotel conspiracy”.
The message claimed that there was a secret meeting at the Light Hotel in Penang today involving a “Tan Sri” and three “Dato Seri”, to move for Sundarajoo to take over the chairmanship of the board, with Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran to be his deputy.
The author of the message also accused Sundarajoo, a DAP member, of betraying his party through this “secret power play”.
Sundarajoo rejected the accusation. He said in an statement: “I was not involved in any secret meeting or political plot regarding the PHEB. These baseless accusations are clearly intended to tarnish my name and mislead the public.” He said he would consider taking legal action against those who made the allegations.
Sundarajoo is the assemblyman for Perai, and holds the housing and environment portfolio in the state government. Party colleague RSN Rayer, the MP for Jelutong, is the current chairman of the board until his term ends in July.
Controversy over the chairmanship arose when deputy chief minister and Datuk Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh Deo said he was ready to chair the board, backed by several Hindu groups.
The Penang branch of a Hindu-based group raised objections, saying the board must be led by a Hindu leader who understands the religious values and aspirations of the community. However, a former executive director of the board later said the law does not require the chairman to be a Hindu.
The state executive council has said there had been no discussions on changes to the board, and its current leaders would continue until the end of their term. - FMT
Menteri besar Amirudin Shari said he did not deny that any excavation activity had taken place at the site, and asked for information to be conveyed and for an investigation to be conducted first. (Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari has refuted allegations that he is trying to protect certain developers by denying that there was any excavation work near the location of Tuesday’s gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights.
Amirudin initially said that no excavators were found during his first visit to the explosion site, which some quarters have claimed meant he was denying that the blast was caused by construction activities.
At a press conference in Shah Alam today, he said investigators yesterday detected an excavator buried in the crater at the site with the use of ground-penetrating radar.
“There are still parties questioning the use of excavators and bulldozers and alleging that the position of the menteri besar is to protect the contractors,” he said.
“My initial statement was somewhat misunderstood. There is no question of me denying any (excavation) activity; instead, I asked for information to be conveyed and for an investigation to be conducted first.
“No one will escape, and every party involved will be investigated. I have entrusted the investigation team, led by Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan, to act impartially based only on the truth, without fear or favour.”
Yesterday, Hussein confirmed that excavation work was conducted 30m away from the explosion site, but said police would need two more weeks to investigate if the earthworks had caused the blast.
He said parts of the area were being dug to replace a sewage pipe. The excavation work started in mid-March and halted on March 30 – two days before the blaze, which took eight hours to extinguish.
Amirudin also said 130 homes affected by the incident have been confirmed to be safe, and the residents have been allowed to return.
He said the 130 homes are part of the 235 in the Taman Putra Harmoni area.
“However, residents of Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru were not allowed to return as the situation is still not safe, according to reports from the fire and rescue department, Tenaga Nasional Berhad and related agencies.
“I remind residents who have not been granted permission to return home to refrain from doing so as we cannot guarantee their safety,” he said.
Amirudin said that after detailed analysis by safety and technical teams, the area affected by the fire has been expanded from a radius of 290m to 325m covering Taman Putra Harmoni and Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru.
He said this gazetted area will help authorities to better coordinate aid efforts and run disaster cost analysis.
He also said those renting houses will be eligible for RM2,500 in government aid.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously said the owners of houses that were destroyed would receive RM5,000, while those whose homes were damaged would receive RM2,500 each.
Amirudin also said Airbnb has agreed to provide victims with 78 units of free accommodation for two months.
From Monday, five vehicles from Prasarana and the Selangor demand-responsive transit (DRT) programme will transport students from the temporary relief centres to 34 schools, he said.
The fire, which broke out on Tuesday morning along Jalan Putra Harmoni, engulfed a 500m section of a gas pipeline, causing severe damage to homes and vehicles.
A total of 235 premises were affected, with 87 houses declared a “total loss” and deemed unfit for occupation, while 148 others can be occupied after repairs.
A total of 399 vehicles were also affected, with 225 burnt and 174 damaged. - FMT
The 33-year-old Dutch tourist was in a group of 16 who were taking part in a caving activity at Gua Kepayang. (Malaysia Airlines pic)PETALING JAYA: A Dutch woman died during a group caving activity at Gua Kepayang in Taman Negara, Pahang, yesterday.
Catharina Maria Meijs Pommelien, 33, was reportedly found unconscious six hours into the activity, said Pahang fire and rescue director Razam Taja Rahim.
He said the woman was with 16 others from various countries, including a tour guide, Bernama reported.
The group was on its way to Gua Luas after taking a one-hour boat ride into Taman Negara and hiking for two hours, Jerantut police chief Zukri Mohammad said. She fell several times and collapsed, Berita Harian reported.
Razam said a rescue team took three to four hours to reach the location after being notified at 7am. However, muddy conditions on the slippery trails, as well as unfavourable weather conditions, hampered the search on hilly terrain.
The search team halted operations at about 6pm and the body was brought out by helicopter and taken to Kuantan hospital for a post-mortem examination. - FMT
Berjaya Cares Foundation chairman Vincent Tan presenting a donation to one of the victims of the Putra Heights blaze. He is flanked by transport minister Loke Siew Fook and Kota Kemuning assemblyman S Preakas.PETALING JAYA: The Berjaya Cares Foundation (BCF) has donated RM900,000 to assist 300 families affected by Tuesday’s Putra Heights gas pipeline fire.
BCF said the RM3,000 cash donation to each household is aimed at alleviating their financial burden.
BCF chairman Vincent Tan handed the donations to the families’ representatives at the Putra Heights LRT station today. Present were transport minister Loke Siew Fook, Selangor investment, trade and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han, and Kota Kemuning assemblyman S Preakas.
“This donation reflects our commitment to supporting humanitarian relief efforts and helping with the recovery,” Tan said in a statement by BCF.
“In the spirit of kindness and unity, we encourage more companies and individuals to step forward to contribute and bring relief to the struggling victims in times of hardship.”
Separately, Loke said criticism from certain parties about DAP’s efforts to help the victims by setting up a donation drive was unreasonable as the party only did so at the request of its members.
The DAP secretary-general said many individual donors had expressed a desire to contribute to the victims but did not know how to go about it.
“This is a disaster and people want to help, yet they are being criticised,” he said.
“It’s better for them (critics) to think about how to help the victims. The government has a responsibility to assist, and private companies also have a responsibility to help.
“Large companies that can afford it have given directly to the victims, but some individuals who want to help with smaller amounts are unsure how to do so, that’s why they asked us to start a fund.”
The blaze, which took eight hours to extinguish, engulfed a 500m section of the gas pipeline, resulting in 111 people being injured, many with burns and respiratory problems.
A total of 235 premises were affected, with 87 houses declared a “total loss” and deemed unfit for occupation, while 148 others can be occupied after repairs.
A total of 399 vehicles were also affected, with 225 burnt and 174 damaged.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously said owners of houses that were destroyed would receive RM5,000, while those whose homes were damaged would receive RM2,500 each.
The government will discuss further aid measures when the Cabinet convenes for its weekly meeting next Wednesday. - FMT
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration in Melaka today. (Facebook pic)PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he has engaged in high-level talks with the US after it imposed sweeping tariffs on Malaysia and some 180 other countries on Wednesday.
While Anwar said the impact of the 24% “reciprocal” tariff on Malaysia is uncertain, he was confident the country could weather the resulting economic impact if Asean put up a united front with the help of other leading Asian nations.
“I have personally contacted several individuals close to (US president Donald) Trump,” he said at a Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration in Melaka today.
“And yesterday, our foreign minister, Mohamad Hasan, received a call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue negotiations.
“Every country in the world wants to be firm in defending its interests, but it will still leave room for negotiations.”
Anwar said he spent yesterday discussing the tariffs with Asean leaders to reach a consensus, adding that he will also contact the leaders of China, Japan and South Korea to ensure that they come up with a coordinated response.
He said his discussions with Asean leaders saw them agree that the regional bloc should proceed “cautiously”.
According to the Trump administration, the US had to deal with 47% trade barriers from Malaysia, a claim Putrajaya denied. In an executive order signed by Trump on Wednesday, Malaysia was hit with a 24% reciprocal tariff by the US effective April 9.
Cambodia (49%) is the hardest hit in Asean, followed by Laos (48%), Vietnam (46%), Myanmar (45%), Thailand (37%), Indonesia (32%), Brunei (24%), the Philippines (18%) and Singapore (10%).
“Asean must be strong, but we must not act rashly because there is still no certainty about where these tariffs are heading, how far they will go, what relief or exemptions may exist, and whether further negotiations with the US are possible to ease the pressure,” said Anwar.
“But Malaysia alone, or Thailand alone, or Indonesia alone will not be strong enough unless we harness the full strength of Asean as an economic bloc to negotiate with that sense of unity.
“I am confident, God willing, that we can overcome this together with wisdom and patience.” - FMT
