» »Unlabelled » Staying in line despite the rain BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

17:12:00

Staying in line despite the rain BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Staying in line despite the rain

Posted: 15 Dec 2013 03:34 PM PST

by Othman Ishak, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 16, 2013, Monday

SIBU: More than 10,000 Christians from local churches braved the rain in a 'Christmas Carolling 2013 Procession' through the streets of Sibu on Saturday night.

The procession was led by Sibu Municipal Council chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King, Sibu Municipal Council deputy chairman Daniel Ngieng, Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference president Datuk Rev Dr Su Chii Ann and organising chairperson Pastor Ting Leh Na.

The event was made merrier by members from the Bikers Of Sibu (BOS) who joined the procession on their thunderous superbikes.

Big bikers dressed as Santa Claus turned heads in the crowd with their bright red costume.

Half-an-hour into the procession, heavy raindrops pelted down but the procession carried on regardless.

The 'Christmas Carolling 2013 Procession' was organised by the Association of Churches Sarawak (ACS) Sibu Branch and hosted by the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) Church.

This event themed 'Joy to the World! The Saviour Jesus Christ is Born' had among its participants members from four church groups: Roman Catholic, Methodist, BEM and Anglican.

The procession kicked off from Sibu Town Square and proceeded to Island Road, High Street, Mission Road, Kampung Nyabor Road, Central Road, Cross Road, Wong Nai Siong Road, Tuanku Osman Road, Raminway and back to Sibu Town Square.

The event went smoothly as planned.

Christmas carols, decorated floats and school brass bands lifted the mood with their splendid presentations.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Amok shot dead while attacking policemen

Posted: 15 Dec 2013 02:55 PM PST

BETONG: An Indonesian national wielding a machete while running amok was shot dead by the police after they (police) tried hard to stop a quarrel between him and a fellow countryman at Pusa here on Saturday evening.

The deceased was identified as 37-year-old Taufik, who worked at an oil palm plantation with the other man.

Taufik was also said to have intimidated a policeman and almost inflicted harm on him in the 6pm incident.

When contacted yesterday, Betong police chief DSP Wan Zaizodin Wan Jaafar confirmed the case.

He said the Pusa police station was the first to receive information on the incident.

"Upon arrival at the scene, our officers from Pusa gave him a warning and urged him to surrender but he reacted aggressively even to the extent of damaging the police vehicle with the machete," he said.

"The man also confronted and tried to attack one of our men by piercing the machete through the window of the car. My man however managed to dodge the attack and the weapon struck the seat, resulting in damage to the cushion," he added.

"They warned the man one more time but he chased after our man giving him no option but to defend himself by shooting his attacker," he pointed out.

The attacker was shot on the chest and left hand before he dropped dead.

Initial investigation indicated that the attacker was having some mental problem, which was quite noticeable a few days before the incident judging by his tantrums and occasional yelling at friends.

The case has been classified as attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code.

Taufik's remains had been sent to the Betong Hospital for post mortem.

The injured friend was sent to the same hospital for outpatient treatment.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

More NCR land to be given titles

Posted: 15 Dec 2013 02:53 PM PST

by Samuel Aubrey, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 16, 2013, Monday

Extra RM30 mln set aside for survey next year under new initiative started 3 years ago

KUCHING: More native customary rights (NCR) land will be titled next year to enable their owners to participate in economic programmes such as commercial crop planting.

Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said Sarawak was allocated a further RM30 million next year to continue perimeter surveying of NCR land under the NCR New Initiative implemented since 2010.

With this, he envisaged more NCR landowners in the state would apply for the many assistance schemes provided by his ministry for smallholders in pepper, rubber, oil palm and cocoa planting.

"The government is expecting the commodities sector to be among major contributors in the country's GDI (gross domestic income) by 2020. (Which is why) the ministry is allocated RM500 million to implement programmes for the planting of cash crops.

"You (the landowners) are welcomed to submit applications for the assistance schemes," he said at the Saribas Social and Recreational Committee (SSRC) annual dinner at a leading hotel here on Saturday night,

According to Uggah, who is also Betong MP, it had been agreed that perimeter surveying of NCR land would be carried out under Section 6 of the Land Code.

He also elaborated that the additional allocation under Budget 2014 showed the Barisan Nasional (BN) government's continued commitment to resolve NCR land issues.

"The allegation made by the opposition that the government grabs people's land is far from the truth," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, who is SSRC's patron, said there are about one million hectares of NCR land in Sarawak.

Once the land have been surveyed, he explained the landowners will be issued land titles under Section 18 of the Land Code which ensures ownership in perpetuity.

"The title is for perpetuity. And the landowners do not have to pay anything for the perimeter surveying and issuance of the titles," he said.

More than 1,000 people identifying themselves as Saribas Ibans, mainly hailing from Betong, attended the dinner, which also marked the 20th anniversary of SSRC.

It was also announced by Uggah that 95 per cent of the Betong parliamentary constituency was connected by road, 85 percent supplied with treated water and almost 90 percent with electricity.

He also mentioned that Christian places of worship were not neglected by the federal government in terms of financial support, saying the Anglican community had been allocated RM6 million thus far for the St Thomas' Cathedral in Kuching and two churches in Betong were given RM400,000.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

22 longhouse families evacuated due to flood

Posted: 15 Dec 2013 02:48 PM PST

by Yunus Yussop, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on December 16, 2013, Monday

BINTULU: Some 22 families from Limin Anai Longhouse in Sungai Sebungan Sebauh sub-district have been evacuated when their longhouse was hit by flood yesterday morning.

In the meantime, the residents have built a make-do hut near the longhouse while awaiting assistance from the relevant agencies.

The flood occurred due to heavy rains that hit Sebauh two days ago and water overflowing from Sungai Sebungan.

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Kemena branch and Sebauh District Office led by SAO David Kala were among the earliest to provide relief assistance for the victims in the form of food and other daily necessities.

David said they would continue with their follow-up assistance.

"I urge the residents in Sebauh sub-district to immediately inform us if their areas have been affected by floods so that immediate relief assistance can be given out," he said.

At the same time, he hoped more government agencies and the private sector would come forward to lend assistance.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

13 evacuated after house flooded

Posted: 15 Dec 2013 02:48 PM PST

BINTULU: Thirteen people from two families  staying at  Mile 26  Bintulu-Miri road have been evacuated to higher ground after their house was flooded early yesterday morning .

According to Bintulu Fire and Rescue Department spokesman, they were informed about the incident around 5.15am.

He said four personnel were dispatched to the scene to carry out the rescue.

Upon arrival the rescuers, assisted by personnel from Malaysian Civil Defence Department used special boats to bring all the family members to higher ground and bring their important stuff to a safe place.

The water level in the area increased dramatically since the middle of the night due to heavy rain.

All victims were staying at their relative's home while waiting for the flood to recede.

Floods also hit several areas at Jalan Ulu Sebauh and a bridge across Sungai Selezu at Jalan Sebauh-Bintulu which was impassable  for small vehicles since yesterday morning.

Meanwhile Mile 47 Bintulu-Miri coastal road heading to Samalaju Industrial Park was flooded up to levels that endanger small vehicles.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.

Cops detain 5 armed robbery suspects

Posted: 15 Dec 2013 02:47 PM PST

MIRI: Five suspects in an armed robbery of a family in Taman Jelita, Taman Tunku in the early hours of Friday are under police custody.

The suspects , all  Indonesian men, were nabbed by Miri Criminal Investigation Department (CID) personnel during an ambush on a worker's barrack at a construction site also in Taman Tunku around 6pm Saturday.

Police seized from their attic a 'samurai' sword, machete and iron cutter, apart from items believed stolen from the family's house.

Masked men armed with sharp objects (samurai and machete) had entered the house around 1.30am Friday and carted away more than RM5,000 worth of valuables.

They gained entry from the  backyard by cutting the grill.

Print Friendly

To enable your comment to be published, please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. This includes vulgar user names.