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KTS Plantation contributes RM100,000 towards Forestry Dept celebration BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

KTS Plantation contributes RM100,000 towards Forestry Dept celebration

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:37 PM PDT

SANDAKAN: KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd has contributed RM100,000 towards the Sabah Forestry Department's centennial celebration to be held in Kota Kinabalu in November.

The contribution was presented by Executive Director of KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd, Ngu Ngiong Hieng, to State Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan at the department's headquaters here.

Sam thanked KTS Plantation for their generous assistance which will go a long way in making the 100th Year celebration a success.

KTS Plantation is a certified Forest Management Unit (FMU) licensee with its concession at Segaliud-Lokan Forest Reserve in Sandakan.

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Sabah BN parties agree royalty hike is due

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:36 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: ​Parti Bersatu Sabah secretary general Datuk Johnny Mositun said he was elated with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's willingness to give utmost consideration to a request from the Sarawak State Government for an increase in oil royalties for the state.

"It is good that our Prime Minister has not rejected outright Sarawak's request for an increase in oil royalties, unlike all past Prime Ministers, who simply refused to even consider the matter," he said, when contacted yesterday to comment on Najib's assurance in response to a request by Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem for an increase in royalty and for more funds from the federal government for the development of the state.

Mositun said there is every reason to believe that Sabah would get the same consideration as Sarawak in the context of increased oil royalties.

"Of course, the matter has not been brought up officially through the state assembly, so I am not in a position to say how Sabah will broach the issue with Kuala Lumpur. After all, there are other avenues which the state government can use to resolve the matter with Kuala Lumpur. It is best left to the Chief Minister and the cabinet to decide on what approach Sabah should take," he said.

Mositun added it was an open secret that Sabahans had long been demanding for an increase in oil royalties from Petronas, and the Federal Government was aware of these demands for some time now.

"But as the PM has said, the matter must be carefully studied before it can be acted upon. Petroleum is a strategic national asset, and a major contributor to the national treasury. We should hope for a win-win outcome to the issue of increased oil royalties for Sabah," he said.

Mositun added Sabahans could hope for some good news on the matter when the Prime Minister visits Sabah in the middle of this month.

"At least I think so. Surely Datuk Seri Najib would not want to be seen as treating Sabah differently from Sarawak on this issue. And if he says that Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem had 'whispered' it to his ears, who is to say our own Chief Minister had not already done the same without any publicity," Mositun quipped.

His counterpart from UPKO, Datuk Donald Mojuntin, said that if the federal government is willing to consider a higher oil and gas royalty for Sarawak, then the same consideration must be given to Sabah.

Short of passing a motion in the State Assembly, most of the political parties, whether government or the opposition, in Sabah have consistently and persistently spoken out fervently for the same increase of oil and gas royalty as that requested by Sarawak.

"I believe that Sabah should also be requesting for a representative to be on the Petronas Board of Directors to ensure that the State's interest is protected. We should also be asking why Petronas have never initiated any Vendor Development Program (VDPs) in Sabah. There are more than 40 of such VDPs in the whole country, including in Sarawak. Sabah has not even one. For a state that is set to become the biggest oil and gas producer in the country, this is really a sad and disappointing situation.

"I believe that more can be done by Petronas to build up Sabah's oil and gas industry players. At present, these companies are merely playing second or third fiddle to companies from other Malaysian states and international companies undertaking multi-billion oil and gas related projects in Sabah," he said.

According to Donald, there has always been a general negative perception towards Petronas in Sabah and some are even questioning the validity of the Petroleum Development Act.

"I think that it is high time for Petronas to really pay attention to these dissatisfactions and give Sabah and Sabahans a better deal than what we are receiving at present. So, of course, as a Sabahan, I do think that the PM should also extend the same assurance to consider a higher oil and gas royalty for Sabah, as he did for Sarawak.

Sabah MCA Liaison Committee advisor Datuk Paul Kong Sing Chu said he welcomed the positive good news for Sarawakians.

"As a naturalized Sabahan who was born in Sarawak, I urge the Prime Minister to consider rewarding Sabah with the same increment because the two East Malaysian states are the safe deposits for the Barisan Nasional government," Kong said.

He added that the Sabah BN state government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman is due for an increase as it will mean more funds for the state to carry out programmes and projects which will benefit the people of Sabah greatly.

The two East Malaysian states are urgently in need of the extra funds to help improve their basic infrastructure such as roads, water and electricity supply, especially in the rural areas, Kong, who is also a MCA presidential council member and the MCA Penampang division chairman, stressed.

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Kidnappings may be work of same group – CP

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:35 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: Police have not ruled out the possibility that the same 'kidnap-for-ransom' (KFR) group may have been involved in the two recent kidnapping incidents at Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna and Pulau Baik in Lahad Datu.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib however said such information could not be revealed to the public for now as it could interfere with police investigation.

"All I can say for now is 'Yes', based on the modus operandi of the group, which is to kidnap for ransom," he said, adding that police have identified the suspects involved in the kidnapping incident.

Meanwhile, commenting on the release of the two hostages, 29-year-old Gao Hua Yuan and 40-year-old Marcy Dayawan @ Mimi, Hamza revealed that both women did not suffer any serious injuries during the April 2 kidnapping incident.

He said a Philippines special force managed to secure the release of both women, who were held captive in Jolo Island, and they were immediately flown to Kota Kinabalu from Sandakan on May 30.

Hamza said both Gao and Marcy were then flown to Bukit Aman in Kuala Lumpur the following day for their statement to be recorded by the police.

He also said that Bukit Aman was still carrying out investigation on Marcy before handing her back to the Philippines Embassy.

"I have not seen the report of the investigation paper but we can assure you that investigation is carried out from all angles.

"This includes the Crime Prevention Act (amendment and extension) 2013 to ensure the mastermind will be arrested and those who may be involved," he said.

After almost two months in captivity, both Gao, from Shanghai, and Marcy, a Filipina resort worker at Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna were rescued from Jolo Island by security forces around 10 am on May 30.

Both women were then taken to Sandakan airport around 4.30pm the same day and were immediately flown to the state capital where they arrived at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) Terminal 1 at 10.15 pm.

On May 31, both women were then flow out from the state capital to Kuala Lumpur where they were taken to Bukit Aman to assist police investigation.

Gao and Marcy were initially abducted by masked gunmen from Singamata Reef Resort in Semporna around 10.30pm on April 2.

The gunmen are believed to be part of kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) groups from the southern Philippines.

The incident happened when seven gunmen with M.14 carbine rifles, burst into the 60-room resort located about two nautical miles from Semporna town.

After grabbing both women, the gunmen then forced the duo into a boat and fled into the dark, believed heading towards Pulau Gaya in Semporna, as the 61 Chinese, Iranian and Malaysian tourists and 49 workers at the resort looked on helplessly.

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Consider needs of all in building plans – Jainab

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:35 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: While it is imperative to maintain the uniqueness of building architectures, builders must not forget to meet the needs of all levels of society in the country by ensuring that their project provided a barrier-free environment for all.

According to Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid, during the launch of the Access Audit Workshop in the Built Environment 2014 held at the City Hall's Learning Centre near here yesterday, those in the building industry need to include facilities for the disabled in all their development projects.

Jainab said that this workshop was geared towards inculcating such awareness so that the disabled may enjoy the many services rendered by the government.

She said that under one of the strategies outlined for the Persons with Disabilities Act was to ensure a barrier-free environment both within a building and outside of it, at work areas, housing areas as well as at public compounds.

The minister also said that the Vision 2020′s seventh challenges was for the creation of a loving community that places the needs of others above their own.

Jainab also mentioned that the 1Malaysia concept was also geared towards achievements based on meeting the needs of the people through its slogan 'People first, Performance now.'

"Hence, the government endeavours to deliver its best services through the access audit by ensuring that architectures consider the needs of the disabled, the elderly and children," she said.

According to her, there are two objectives that could be realised through the Audit Access — firstly, for the government transformation to become more effective in the delivery of its services and its responsibility towards its productivity; and secondly, to spearhead Malaysia towards producing citizens who are developed and united and who enjoy high standard of living.

The text of her speech was read by Sabah Welfare Department deputy director Mohamad Noor Wahab.

Meanwhile, the director general of Standards Malaysia, Fadilah Baharin who was represented by the department's strategic management director, Hussalmizzan Hussain, said that Standards Malaysia had organised more than 20 workshops on Access Audit throughout the country.

She said that these workshops have impacted positively and starting this year, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall has set the requirement that all building construction would be required to abide by the Malaysian Standards as a pre-requisite for all certificate of fitness (CF) applications.

She urged the Kota Kinabalu City Hall to do the same.

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Speak in ‘one voice’ like Sarawak reps – Christina

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:34 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: Elected representatives in Sabah must emulate their counterparts in Sarawak irrespective of whether they are in Barisan Nasional (BN) or Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) in terms of speaking in 'one voice' when championing issues affecting the people.

Api Api assemblywoman Christina Liew pointed out that the 'unity' of the elected representatives in Sarawak was reflected in how the Sarawak State Assembly sitting last month approved a special motion to seek royalty from the state's oil and gas revenue to be increased from five per cent to 20 per cent.

"All the wakil rakyat whether they are from the opposition or the government spoke in one voice in the state assembly. We have to emulate this," she said when asked to comment on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's statement that the federal government is willing to consider the request by the Sarawak state government for higher gas and oil royalty.

"I welcome the statement by Najib to consider and to approve eventually I hope, the oil royalty increment for Sarawak because this is what Pakatan Rakyat has been championing and calling for. It is even included in our manifesto for the 13th general election, that if we become government we will increase the oil and gas royalty to 20 per cent. I am glad to see that the BN government is now following our manifesto," she said.

Encouraged by this positive development, Liew who is also Sabah PKR deputy chief, said that she will be tabling a similar motion in the next Sabah State Assembly which is scheduled to be held in July.

"I will propose in the coming Sabah state assembly and hope that all the wakil rakyat will support. Then we will present it to the PM (because) if he approved for Sarawak, then he should (do the same) for Sabah too," she said.

Liew added, "whether you are BN or Pakatan Rakyat, we all must support this request and speak in one voice just like what Sarawak did. There are so many things the Sarawak government has done for the people that we have to learn from."

She also urged Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman to quickly apply to the federal government for the increment of the oil royalty just like what the Sarawak state assembly has done.

"I also urge Musa to emulate the first step of the Sarawak Chief Minister who announced the approval of 2,000 hectares of land to the Sarawak United Association of Private Chinese Secondary School Committee," she said.

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112 teams for Sabah FCAS International Dragon Boat Race

Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:34 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah FCAS International Dragon Boat Race 2014, which will be launched by the Head of State and held on June 7-8  at Likas Bay, has attracted 112 teams.

Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) president Dato' Sri Dr TC Goh announced this yesterday, saying the number of teams represents an increase of almost 50 per cent as compared to last year's 75 teams.

The following are the number of teams in various categories: Sabah Head of State Trophy (800m Int. & Top M'sia Men) –  nine teams, Sabah Chief Minister Trophy (800m M'sia Men) – 17 teams, Sabah Dragon Trophy (800m Int & Top M'sia Men) -  15 teams, FCAS Trophy (800m Local KK Chinese Communities Association Mix) – seven teams, FCAS Trophy (800m Local Chinese Men) – 10 teams, FCAS Trophy (800m Local Chinese Mix)- seven teams, Kinabalu Dragon Trophy Junior (800m U20) – nine teams, Men Open 200m – 25 teams, Mix Open 200m – 13 teams.

This is the first time that FCAS was given the mandate by the state government to organize the international dragon boat race, hence its name "1st Sabah FCAS International Dragon Boat Race 2014."

The event is supported by the local Chinese community, particularly teams from the Chinese associations. The local bumiputra group, especially the Bajaus also showed their full support for the race by sending in numerous teams in the Men and Mix Open categories.

Meanwhile, FCAS will host a welcoming dinner on June 7 to welcome all participants, especially those from the Philippines, Australia and Brunei.

Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, the guest of honour, will present the prizes to the winners of the FCAS Trophy 800m local KK Chinese Communities Association Mix team category. The rest of the categories will have their final races on June 8, and prizes will be  presented by the Head of State.

The Vice-president of The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah Datuk Susan Wong is the organizing chairperson of the event.

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