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Property prices in Sarawak to increase between 5 to 10 per cent next year BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Property prices in Sarawak to increase between 5 to 10 per cent next year

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:52 PM PST

SIBU: Property prices in the state are expected to go up by five to 10 per cent from next year.

Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Development Association(SHEDA) vice president Datuk Joseph Ting King Sung said this was due to normal factors such as property appreciation and higher construction, materials, labour and land costs, rather than pure speculative activities.

He said this in a statement to announce the three-day SHEDA Home and Property Roadshow 2013 from Dec 6 at Wisma Sanyan here.

Other contributory factors are the recent increase in fuel prices and the on-going crackdown on illegal immigrants.

He said although the sale and purchase of properties was not impacted by the Goods and Services Tax(GST), construction materials and other related services are, and as such, would have a hand in the increase.

Ting who is a developer himself with projects here and in Kota Kinabalu added, it was fortunate there were no additional measures or restriction on financing, which allows first/second time buyers accesses to high financing at a low interest rate and plenty of liquidity.

On the GST at six per cent due to be implemented in April 2015, he believed it would be a "boon for businesses" as corporate tax will be reduced from 25 per cent to 24 per cent and 20 per cent to 19 per cent for the small and medium companies in 2016.

"This is a positive for the economy as the GST, coupled with tax relief for the middle income group and the reduction in individual income tax rates by one to three per cent, will increase disposable income and increase consumption expenditure and spending.

"But overall, I believe the fundamental growth of the property market, will ultimately have to be supported by population expansion and increased business activities," Ting said.

He expressed the hope that more houses below RM380,000 could be built to meet affordability and growing demand from the medium income group.

Meanwhile, commenting on the roadshow, he said 19 developers from throughout the state and one from Kuala Lumpur, had confirmed their participation.

He said they would showcase properties from residential homes to shophouses, apartments, condominium and others.

"They will also offer perks like special prices, legal fees and gifts. It is going to be an excellent opportunity for buyers/investors to review and make purchases, pending the expected hike," Ting added. –Bernama

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Mandatory medical check-up for guards above 56 years old

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 03:49 PM PST

SIBU: Security guards aged above 56 are required to undergo medical check-up and certified fit.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this when asked if there were plans by the ministry to review the maximum age of security guards.

"The ages for security guards have been determined and it is in the Home Ministry's directive, they must not be younger than 18 years old and not more than 65," he told The Borneo Post.

Wan Junaidi added that he would also seek medical advice on the suitability of the ages.

"When we are reviewing the law and directives to the security companies, we are also studying the possibility of introducing the regulations, new operating procedures of various aspects of the industry," he said.

Meanwhile, he said police had been instructed to check on all security companies in the state to ensure they complied with the regulations.

He disclosed that the police also checked on security guards, companies licensed to use firearms and those assigned to carry guns had the Carry and Use Licence.

Earlier, Bernama reported unlicensed owners of imitation guns used for sports activities had been given a month to surrender them to the police and apply for a licence.

The announcement upset paintball markers and airsoft guns enthusiasts who suggested that the sports be regulated.

Wan Junaidi said the Ministry would study the present arrangement and hold dialogues with the stakeholders and clubs.

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Critical areas along trunk road to be tackled within 5 years

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:46 PM PST

by Peter Boon reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 2, 2013, Monday

SIBU: Critical areas like blackspots and poor road conditions along certain stretches of the Pan Borneo Trunk Road are to be addressed within five years and more overtaking lanes will be built.

Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof who is Petra Jaya MP told The Borneo Post this.

"Some roads are in bad shape, necessitating treatment. And there are certain stretches where the volume of traffic needs to addressed apart from blackspots. Defined as critical areas, they have been identified for us to address within five years.

"In the long term, we plan for the Pan Borneo Trunk Road to be a dual carriageway (four lanes) by 2025," said Fadillah.

The timeframe for completion of improvement projects was based on allocation, and when a contract was awarded, there was always a tenure for each project.

"Some can be completed within 12 months, 24 months and 36 months depending on the nature and size of the contract awarded," he said.

After Saturday's inspection, he found the five completed overtaking lanes along the stretch of road between Sidumin and KK, Sabah had eased traffic. This was one way to reduce accidents along certain stretches of the Pan Borneo Trunk Road.

Road users in a hurry might be tempted to overtake at dangerous spots if they were tailing heavy vehicles, he said.

"One solution is to have more overtaking lanes at certain stretches of trunk roads. All in, there will be over 100 overtaking lanes," he revealed.

Among the causes of accidents are poor conditions of roads and vehicles, aggravated by human negligence.

"People must comply with traffic rules and regulations on the road to reduce the number of traffic accidents, fatalities and injuries," he pointed out.

He revealed that the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Communication had requested an emergency RM20 million fund to treat blackspots in Betong where accidents were quite frequent.

He said the allocation was on top of the RM500 million announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for the Pan Borneo Trunk Road.

"So, by 2014, we have more or less allocated RM5 million to do immediate work there," he said.

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Long Napir a hidden gem for white water rafting

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:45 PM PST

by Cecilia Sman reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 2, 2013, Monday

LIMBANG: Long Napir, a 'hidden gem' some 90 km from Limbang town, has great tourism promise to be fully exploited and attract a legion of local and foreign adventurers.

Even in its present state, Long Napir is already a rare expedition in the wild for city dwellers, both from and outside  Malaysia, who love extreme travel, to explore its unique natural attraction.

Recently, in conjunction with Malaysia Day, an expedition to Long Napir village from Limbang town was organised by a group of tourism industry players, as part of a series of expedition to boost Limbang as another great Borneo tourist destination.

The eight-member expedition comprised hotelier  Lawrence Lim (Purnama Hotel manager), Larry Sigar (Tagal) a free lance tour guide, Brunei water sport racer Yii Tian, Lun Bawang homestay operator from Lawas, Adeline Alele and Anderson Rining (Kelabit/Lun Bawang). The three others were foreign mentors/teachers Becky Wharton (British), Monikar Gora (Polish) and Nora Sullivan (American) – under the English Language Development Project launched by the Malaysian Ministry of Education in 2011 and contracted to the British Council.

Expedition coordinator Lim said their journey over mountainous logging tracks in 4WD vehicles took slightly less than four hours to Limbang Resident Upper River Agent (URA) hostel and office at Long Napir village which is inhabited by 241 families of 838 Kelabits and 300 Penans (based on 2007 census).

The group, transported in two 4WD vehicles, turned up safely late at night at the hostel/office located on the Medihit River bank. The double-storey wooden building built in 2007 housed an office, two bedrooms, a living room, a toilet and a bathroom for visitors on the upper floor and the caretaker hostel with a kitchen on the ground floor.

"It is tedious no doubt, but compensated by the awesome view of scenic mountain peaks rising above the clouds at 700 metres or 2,100 feet above sea level on the way to Long Napir village, which is best at dawn before sunrise or a stormy mountainous view late in the afternoon," said Lim.

Next morning, the participants were given a last-minute safety briefing at the Medihit River bank to prepare themselves for three and-a-half hours of Grade 2 category white water rafting downstream on the Limbang River.

Under Grade 2 category, Lim said there will be some rough water, some rocks which requires some manoeuvring with basic paddling skills.

Otherwise known as the 'International Scale of River Difficulty', there are six grades of difficulty in white water rafting. They range from simple (Grade 1) to very dangerous and potential death or serious injuries (Grade 6).

"Safety is our top priority. Putting on safety jackets, the local Kelabit who is very familiar with the rivers, positioned himself at the front while the tour guide positioned himself at the back to command and steer the raft's navigation and the other six riders positioned themselves on the left and right of the modern inflatable raft consisting of very durable, multi-layered rubberised (hypalon) with several independent air chambers," he explained.

Lim added: "Although the group was informed about working together to ensure a successful trip, the best skills learned is still when you are in the raft paddling. Despite all being first-timers in white water rafting, the group managed to steer the raft to its destination while enjoying a few trying moments of navigating through rough water rapids and avoiding sweepers, holes, undercut rocks and fallen tree branches."

Besides, they also managed to watch three beautiful waterfalls along their journey, adding that it was indeed an awesome white water rafting experience and safe enough for student groups and adults.

"I truly enjoyed the water rafting experience and everyone should try this water sport at Long Napir while the adventurous ones can try upstream with rougher rapids. The mountainous journey, the jungle flora and fuana, the river, the people offer nature lovers paradise," stressed Lim.

The expedition group too enjoyed barbequed chicken and cooked "Semah" fished from the river for lunch and returned to the URA hostel for the night.

The next morning before driving to various directions, they strolled for five minutes along the combination of cemented and wooden plank jungle walkways outside the hostel to visit the only primary school in Long Napir.

Although the school children from the nearby Kelabit and Penan settlements have to make daily crossings over to their school SK Long Napir using the swaying suspension bridge above Medihit River,  it can be a frightening if not thrilling experience for visiting town settlers or foreigners.

They met only a handful of boarding school children roaming at the school, who were friendly enough to show the visiting foreign teachers around to admire their simple wooden school and beautiful compound.

"Of course, it will be nice if the school can muster up a cultural dance group to perform some welcoming dances to impress upon visitors to their school for a small fee," Lim suggested.

Before they concluded their expedition, the members agreed that Long Napir can be further developed into an attractive tourist destination with proper jetty, hostel facilities, telephone facilities, (currently out of service for a long time already), a small centre for social activities or cultural dance performance and offering an enriching team building water sport activities like water rafting along the Limbang River.

"I really enjoyed the experience. I thought it might be more dangerous than it was – actually it was a very relaxing day. The food was fantastic, all cooked over the fire, I especially enjoyed the bamboo fish, caught straight from the river. Yes I would definitely recommend the trip," said Becky.

Monica, who concurred with Becky and Lim, said it was an "absolutely amazing experience, extraordinary place and meeting very special people. Love the mountainous view".

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40 take part in Paws Dog-A-Walk in Miri

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:41 PM PST

by Cecilia Sman reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 2, 2013, Monday

MIRI: Some 40 dog owners and enthusiasts, some donning Christmas hats and others ornaments, joined the Dog-A-Walk, the last one for this year, at Piasau Camp here yesterday.

The event, organised by Persatuan Kebajikan Haiwan Paws Miri (Paws), was primarily held to foster better human-animal interaction here.

Among others, the event is also to promote the importance of spending quality time and bonding with our canine friends.

Paws chairlady Natascha Caldenhove was very happy with the response.

"There is an increasing awareness among the people in Miri, in particular on the importance of human and animal interaction as well as ensuring the welfare of dogs and cats.

This year, we have so far organised 10 related events, including eight dog-a-walk, Paws Doggie Show plus Dogathon and treasure hunt. On the average, 40 dogs and their owners took part in the walk," Natascha told The Borneo Post yesterday.

As for the venue of the walk, she said as the majority prefered to have it at Piasau Camp and that would be maintained for the next few walks.

"Most like it here, because of the natural forest, we have the sea where the dogs could also swim and the cool breeze and the jungle," she elaborated.

The last event for this year will be the Adopt Pet Day at Permymall next Sunday from 10pm-5 pm.

She encouraged the people to support Paws' events and also become volunteers.

For further information, email to pawsmiri@gmail.com or call Natascha at 013-8065066.

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Awang Tengah heads visit to Shenzhen

Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:39 PM PST

by Churchill Edward reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 2, 2013, Monday

KUCHING: Minister of Public Utilities Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan is on a three-day working visit with a state delegation to Shenzhen, China, to discuss areas of common interests with China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).

CNOOC senior director Chiu Sung Hong met up with the state delegates yesterday.

Among others, the delegates visited the Bija Water Treatment plant.

Among the delegates were Tengah's assistants Datuk Sylvester Entrie Muran (Water Supply), Datuk Stephen Rundi Utom (Electricity and Telecommunication), state Financial Office budget director Datu Junaidi Reduan, Ministry Of Industrial Development permanent secretary Datu Liaw Soon Eng, Ministry Of Public Utilities permanent secretary Ubaidillah Abd Latip and Sibu Water Board general manager Daniel Wong as well as several consultants.

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