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Harvest is great, workers are few BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Harvest is great, workers are few

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:24 PM PDT

by Peter Sibon, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 6, 2014, Sunday

State's oil palm industry losing RM1 billion annually through uncollected fruits; turns to Bangladesh for workers

KUCHING: The state's oil palm industry loses about RM1 billion annually through fruits left to rot in plantations because there are not enough workers to harvest them.

To stem this wastage, the industry in the state would need to recruit at least 30,000 more workers to harvest all the fruits in the plantations.

Most of the workers are recruited from Indonesia, but the establishment of many oil palm plantations in Indonesia has put a tremendous strain on the labour supply chain.

Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing said his ministry had to turn to Bangladesh to address this acute labour shortage.

"We are losing some RM1 billion a year from uncollected FFBs (fresh fruit bunches). The estimated number of workers needed to collect these FFBs is about 30,000. Because of that, we are sourcing workers from Bangladesh to work here for the purpose," Masing told thesundaypost here Friday.

To expedite the recruitment, Masing said his ministry was working out an arrangement for plantation owners to recruit the workers directly from Bangladesh on a business-to-business (B2B) basis.

He said he had discussed the mechanism on how to recruit these workers for the state with Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi during their recent trip to that country.

Masing said because Sarawak had autonomy on immigration, Zahid agreed that these workers could be flown directly from Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Kuching without stopping in Kuala Lumpur to process their work permits.

"To prevent workers from jumping from one sector to another, the government has come up with 'colour-coding' passes for the workers so that they will stay in one particular sector while they are employed here. By doing so, we will also ensure they will not overstay in the country."

During the visit, Masing said Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wazed's only request of Malaysia was that the workers' welfare be well taken care of.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, was ready to supply between three to four million workers to Malaysia to work in the critical sectors such as plantations, construction and manufacturing.

Masing said the state needed some 150,000 foreign workers in the three sectors.

Meanwhile, Masing, who is also PRS president, said the state had cultivated some 1.2 million hectares of land for oil palm.

"Our target is to plant two million hectares of oil palm by 2020. To achieve a developed-state status by 2020, the state has to be private-sector driven. Oil palm has been identified as one of the major sectors to propel the state to that goal."

Last year, the sector contributed some RM425 mil in sales tax to the state.

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Clouded Leopards seen at Mount Santubong

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:23 PM PDT

KUCHING: Malaysian Nature Society has called for an immediate evaluation study of Mount Santubong as a home for Sarawak's largest cat, the Bornean Clouded Leopard.

In February, there was a reported sighting of three Clouded Leopards on Mount Santubong.

The Bornean Clouded Leopard or 'Neofelis diardi' is an endemic medium-sized cat found only in Borneo, known locally as Entulu.

It is the smallest of the "large cats", which is the general term used for the large members of the Felidae, like the tiger, lion and leopard. At over 2 metres in length, and weighing up to 25kg, this highly endangered cat in Sarawak is severely threatened by hunting and loss of its forest habitat.

In a press release issued yesterday, the Malaysia Nature Society Kuching Branch (MNSKB) chairman Anthony Sebastian said the sightings of three clouded leopards on Santubong, Sarawak's newest gazetted National Park, is of great significance.

"MNSKB has been highlighting the biodiversity and historical importance of Gunung Santubong for many years. With more and more attention paid to Kuching's iconic mountain, new discoveries are being made," he said.

"Previously thought to have no hornbills, Santubong is now known to have four species of hornbills. Previously thought to have one otter species, we now know there are possibly three species of otters on Santubong," he added.

This discovery of Clouded Leopards on Santubong, Sebastian pointed out, was yet another addition to Santubong's increasingly rich wildlife, and not just another wild cat.

"This is Borneo's top predator, and largest cat," he emphasised.

The sightings of these Clouded Leopards were made by surveyors up on the mountain, doing preliminary work for the cable car project, revealed Sebastian.

Unlike hornbills, which are flying birds, and will only be affected by the disturbance caused by infrastructure development on the higher parts of the mountain, he said Clouded Leopards will be adversely affected by such projects.

Before any further plans to be made on Santubong, Sebastian stressed that it would be only prudent that a comprehensive study was commissioned to determine the requirements for Clouded Leopards on this isolated mountain, and what measures need to be put in place to ensure their continued, and permanent survival.

"Sarawak cannot afford to lose a population of a highly endangered large endemic cat living so close to Kuching. As arguably the most beautiful of the world's wild cats, because of its exquisite bold markings, the opportunities are enormous for Sarawak's, and Kuching's tourism industry."

He hopes that surveyors who sighted the big cats may withhold information on the animals' exact location for their safety and survival.

The MNS, in its continuing efforts to highlight Santubong cultural, archaeological and biological richness, organised the first ever Santubong Nature Festival in 2013.

This year, the second edition of the Festival will be held in November.

Contact MNS atmnskuching@gmail.com for more information.

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Sewage workers cringe at accusation of metal theft

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:19 PM PDT

SIBU: Nine workers of a Sibu Municipal Council sewage contractor lodged a police report yesterday after they were accused of metal theft.

It was said that a resident from Engkala Road here had phoned a Chinese press office here to complain about the alleged theft.

According to the news report published a few days ago, a group of workers were accused of stealing a few metal bars from the house after they completed sewerage works.

It said that the house owner only found the bars missing after the workers had left.

Yesterday morning, nine workers lodged a police report at the police station here, claiming innocence to the accusation of theft.

Meanwhile, a doctor claimed to have lost more than RM1,000 in cash which he placed in his locker at the hospital on Thursday.

The doctor in his thirties, who has lodged a police report, said he had put his wallet with the cash in his personal locker before proceeding to work.

When he went to retrieve his belongings after work, he found the cash were missing with his wallet left behind.

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Son allegedly stabs mother to death after tiff

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:18 PM PDT

MIRI: An 18-year-old man was said to have stabbed his own mother and abandoned her inside a car parked outside Miri Tennis Sport Complex in Jalan Sukan here yesterday morning, apparently over a tiff.

It is believed that the incident took place early in the morning, before several patrons of the complex discovered the motionless body of the woman in the driver's seat at about 2pm, after she apparently bled to death.

Miri police chief ACP Gan Tian Kee when contacted yesterday afternoon, confirmed a report lodged on the gruesome find.

"Police have apprehended the deceased's eldest son, aged 18, in connection with the murder," Gan told thesundaypost.

Police also found a knife, believed to be the weapon used in the killing.

"The weapon was found inside the car," said Gan.

Gan added that a family dispute might have been the motive of the killing.

Sources disclosed that the suspect (the son) had earlier on asked his mother to buy him a smartphone, but was turned down.

The victim, a Filipino, has been identified as Mariefe Wong, a tuition teacher.

According to sources, the suspect had left his mother in pain after stabbing her on her neck and belly at around 8am before he fled the scene.

"I saw the car around 8.30  this morning when I arrived at the complex for my tennis training… then when I was about to leave the complex in the afternoon, around 1pm, again I saw the same car in the same position. Curious, I told my other friends to take a closer look," said one of the patrons who wished to remain anonymous to thesundaypost yesterday.

Shocked upon discovering a woman  in the driver's seat with blood gushing from her wounds, he and his friends immediately called police.

The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

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Group breaks into petrol station, cleaning out shelves

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:17 PM PDT

KUCHING: A petrol station in Jalan Batu Lintang was vandalised by a group of men who smashed their way inside early yesterday morning and escaped with cigarettes, food and drinks.

The 2am incident jolted a couple staying across the road– both being workers at the station –as the alarm system was triggered by the marauding group.

The husband and wife immediately looked out their window to see at least four men fleeing the petrol station, which had closed for the day about four hours earlier, in a dark-coloured vehicle.

The couple then made their way across the road to see the front glass door of their workplace smashed, prompting them to notify their employer as well as the police.

Checks inside the station revealed the group had stolen dozens of packets of cigarettes from the display shelf along with some food and drinks.

The group had also forcibly opened the cash register only to find it empty.

It was learned that the heist was recorded on the station's closed-circuit television (CCTV) system, which showed the men wearing full-face crash helmets and carrying sticks.

A police report of the incident has been lodged and the case is being investigated.

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Learn from Padawan, Lundu Council told

Posted: 05 Apr 2014 12:17 PM PDT

by Antonia Chiam, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on April 6, 2014, Sunday

LUNDU: Lundu District Council could look to Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) for some inspirations on how to improve their service delivery, suggested Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem.

"MPP councillors have their own ward to take care of. It is a system that ensures there is no overlapping of duties in the various areas. Perhaps Lundu District Council can meet up with councillor Lo (Khere Chiang) and see how the system works in MPP areas.

"This is one way that Lundu District Council can further improve itself even though it is a small council," he said at the swearing-in ceremony of new councillors at the district council office yesterday.

Adenan assured the councillors, under the leadership of Hamsein Atar, that he would give them maximum support so that they could perform their duties effectively.

"I can guarantee that money is sufficient for the projects that the district council wants to implement. I am glad to see ongoing projects in the area.

"I believe with the combination of old and new faces in the council, Lundu District Council will perform well in order to fulfil the expectations of the people."

Meanwhile, Hamsein said Lundu District Council had been working hard to ensure that it fulfils its slogan of "To be the biggest amongst the smaller councils in Sarawak".

"We have won recognition at the national level in 2012 with an award in Financial Management Excellence based on accountability index, in which we achieved four stars.

"At the state level, we obtained many awards too, including first placing for Civil Service Quality award for the local government category and others.

"This proves that Lundu District Council, with its small number of staff at 43 individuals, is working with full dedication in service delivery to the community."

Thirty councillors received their appointment letters from Adenan during the swearing-in ceremony.

Also present were Santubong MP Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Mas Gading MP Anthony Nogeh Gumbek, Opar assemblyman Ranum Mina and acting Kuching Resident Zamahari Saidi.

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