Three rtcs for sabah and sarawak — Nanta BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Three rtcs for sabah and sarawak — Nanta
Mentally ill uncle slits nephew’s throat
Student knocked out by lamp post in accident
JE kills two toddlers
PKR, Star Sabah members join PBRS
UMS, researchers, experts to save sawfish of Borneo

Three rtcs for sabah and sarawak — Nanta

Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:35 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Rural and Regional Development Ministry will set up three rural transformation centres (RTCs) in Sabah and Sarawak soon.

Its deputy minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said two of the RTCs would be built in Sabah, the first time for the state.

The other would be built in Sarawak, the second for the state after the first RTC in Miri, the building of which started in June and expected to be ready this September, he said in reply to a question from Senator Datuk Lihan Jok in the Dewan Negara yesterday.

"Basically, the government only allows the setting up of one RTC in each state, but since Sabah and Sarawak are big states, there will be two RTCs in each of these two states."

Nanta said his ministry was waiting for a proposal from the Sarawak Rural Development Ministry on a suitable site for the state's second RTC.

He said the RTC would provide various facilities including National Registration Department and Social Welfare Department counters, FAMA office, a dental clinic and business lots for local traders.

Nanta said seven Mini RTCs were currently operating in Sarawak, namely in Kuching, Bau, Miri, Sri Aman and Sibu. — Bernama

Mentally ill uncle slits nephew’s throat

Posted: 01 Jul 2014 12:31 PM PDT

TELUPID: A four-year-old boy died after his neck was slit with a butcher's cleaver by his uncle at a restaurant in Kampung Gambaron near here on Monday.

Beluran district police chief Supt Sivanathan Velautham said the 23-year-old man believed to be mentally ill took a cleaver from the restaurant and lured the victim, Mohamad Khairul Aize Bin Abdullah, who was playing inside to the back of the eatery before slitting his throat.

The incident took place about 6pm at a restaurant owned by the victim's mother and the man who committed the act was the brother of the victim's father who was in the restaurant for the breaking of fast.

The boy who was fatally injured on the neck screamed in pain drawing the attention of his famiy who rushed him to Klinik Kesihatan Telupid but he succumbed to his injury, he told Bernama yesterday..

Sivanathan said the man, who had not fled after the incident, was handed over to the police by members of his family.

Police also found the cleaver which was used to slit the boy's throat at the scene.

He said the cause for the man's sudden action was not known because he did not fight or get angry with anyone in the restaurant.

The man had been remanded for further investigation. — Bernama

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Student knocked out by lamp post in accident

Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:05 AM PDT

TAWAU: A secondary school student fainted after she was knocked down by a lamp post that was hit by a five-ton lorry which was involved in a collision with two vehicles.

in front of SMK Kinabutan, Jalan Apas, Batu 5.5 here yesterday afternoon.

The accident occurred at 3.15pm when a Proton Saga car, driven by a 48-year-old woman was hit by a Perdana car and followed by the five-ton lorry from the back.

The woman was driving her car from Bandar Sri Indah, Apas Road, Mile 10, towards town to sell cakes at a Ramadan bazaar when the accident happened.

She claimed that she stopped her car when the traffic light turned red. She was shocked when her car was hit by the Perdana from the rear.

The situation became serious when the Perdana was badly crushed by the lorry from the back. The lorry driver had lost control of his vehicle and collided with the traffic lights and lamp post.

It fell and knocked the student who had wanted to cross the road. She fainted and was taken to the district hospital by an ambulance.

The police were at the scene to investigate.

JE kills two toddlers

Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:02 AM PDT

by Jenne Lajiun. Posted on July 2, 2014, Wednesday

KOTA KINABALU: Two toddlers, one in Tuaran and another here, died in the middle of last month due to Japanese Encephalitis (JE).

According to State Health Department director Dr Christina Rundi yesterday, there had been five cases of JE in Sabah, two of which resulted in deaths, this year.

The three other JE cases occurred earlier this year, she said.

She added that investigation had already been done on the cases and several activities had been carried out to destroy mosquito-breeding sites.

"We have conducted surveillance among surrounding communities, clean-up of mosquito breeding sites, fogging and health education," she said.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday that 16 JE cases were reported throughout the country this year and from the total, four have died.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin said the Veterinary Services and Animal Industry Department (DOVSAI) had been instructed to check related farms at all districts in Sabah to see if there were any cases of JE.

He said they would monitor the situation in an effort to prevent the disease from spreading.

Yahya also urged those operating their stalls at Ramdan Bazaars throughout the state to look after cleanliness.

He stressed that cleanliness is imperative to avoid any incidence of food poisoning at the bazaars.

The minister also urged them to set reasonable pricing for their products, while at the same time, called on buyers to practise the culture of saving and to spend wisely.

He commented that the FAMA Ramadan Bazaar near here is in its 13th year and that 120 vendors are taking part in it.

During the event yesterday, Yahya presented gifts and Raya money to 80 orphans from Rumah Anak Kesayangan Sembulan.

PKR, Star Sabah members join PBRS

Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:01 AM PDT

MATUNGGONG: A score of PKR and Star Sabah members from 12 villages here have left their parties to join Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

The group handed over their membership application forms to PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup during a "Majlis Santai bersama Presiden" hosted by Matunggong division chief Richard Kastum.

The group were among 527 individuals who applied to join PBRS after losing faith and becoming disappointed with the opposition's failure to deliver their promises, according to a statement released by the party's Wanita chief, Zainon Hj Kayum, here last night.

"They are from Kg Lajong, Popot, Minansad, Tanah Merah, Minikodong, Kirangawan, Panikuan, Bingingolon, Parapat, Rasak, Torongkongan Laut and Tigaman. Some of them are fresh members while others were from PKR and Star who now return to BN through PBRS.

"They have realized that only BN can fulfill the need and aspiration of the people," the statement quoted Richard.

Meanwhile, Kurup has urged PBRS members and leaders at all divisions to continue their effort to help further strengthen the support of the people towards BN.

He said this was important to ensure that development agendas can be implemented fully and benefit the people across the State.

Kurup also thanked and commended party members and leaders at the division who have remained loyal to the PBRS struggle.

UMS, researchers, experts to save sawfish of Borneo

Posted: 01 Jul 2014 10:01 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: The Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), is working with the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and Sawfish Network comprising international researchers and volunteer experts, to save the iconic sawfish of Borneo from their dwindling population.

Heading the effort in the Borneo Marine Research Institute is its senior lecturer, Dr B. Mabel Manjaji Matsumoto, a statement from UMS said yesterday.

Sawfishes are warm water, shark-like rays characterized by long, toothed snouts (rostra). They reach over seven meters in length and are the largest members of the rays.

A recent report by The Borneo Post of a trawl-net capture of a 5m long sawfish (reported as a 'saw shark'- which is actually its close shark-relative) from Kampung Bruit, a coastal village on Bruit Island, Daro in Sarawak (approximately 60 km from Sibu, the nearest town accessible by air), highlighted the rarity, as well as the vulnerability of the sawfishes.

Photographs included in the report revealed that the sawfish was a female, with an everted cloaca, of the Largetooth Sawfish (Latin name: Pristis pristis). Reported as incidentally caught, the 25 June 2014 report is the first known record of sawfish from the Daro area.

The Sarawak sawfish report comes only almost three weeks after the IUCN Shark Specialist Group released a report (on 5 June 2014) on a global strategy for conservation of sawfishes (Harrison & Dulvy, 2014).

The sawfish report noted that once found in the coastal waters and rivers of more than 90 tropical and subtropical countries, all five species are today classified as endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red ListTM.

Mortality from targeted and incidental fishing is the main threat to sawfish. Their rostra – which they use to detect and wound prey are easily entangled in many types of fishing gear, particularly trawls and gillnets. The destruction of key habitats, such as mangroves, also poses a threat to sawfish survival.

In the report, it listed that in Malaysia, all sawfish species (Family Pristidae) are protected as endangered species under the Fisheries (Control of Endangered Species of Fish) regulation 1999. "No person shall fish or, disturb, harass, catch, kill, take, posses, sell, buy, export or transport except with the written permission from the Director General of Fisheries Malaysia. Any person who contravenes the regulations is committing an offence and can be fined not exceeding RM20,000 or a term of imprisonment not exceeding two years or both."

Other recent records of sawfishes in Sarawak are from central Sarawak near Bintulu (Last et al., 2010), and from 'off the Sarawak coast' (Cavanagh & Mycock, 2014). The species reported from Bintulu is the Green Sawfish (Pristis zijsron), but without further details provided. Cavanagh and Mycock reported a 6m long sawfish (species not identified) trawled in 1996, based on a photograph found in a Chinese medicine shop in Kuching.

In Sabah, the last known record of sawfish occurrence (a Largetooth Sawfish) is from Sukau (a kampung on the Kinabatangan River), caught by a fisherman there in 1996 (Cavanagh & Mycock, 2014). Elsewhere in Sabah, records are based on the dried rostrums of Narrow Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidatus), Largetooh Sawfish and Green Sawfish kept by villagers living along the Labuk Bay and Segama River (Manjaji, 2002).

In Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), the only records of sawfishes (Narrow Sawfish and Green Sawfish) are both from southern Kalimantan (Last et al., 2010).

As the world's largest ray, and most threatened marine species, the recovery of sawfishes is being prioritized by shark specialists. Some of the suggested conservation strategies – built on sound knowledge and scientific research – to help populations recover are fairly simple. For example, sawfish are known to survive capture quite well if handled properly, and hence, basic education of commercial, subsistence and recreational fishers is central to sawfish conservation strategy. Such strategy and approach has improved the status of the Smalltooth Sawfish in the US.

Four of five species of sawfishes have been recorded in Malaysia. The most recent report of a Borneo sawfish from Sarawak is encouraging – that sawfishes still existed in Borneo – and provides a hope to conserve the remaining population. As current knowledge of sawfish distribution in Malaysia is patchy at best, much needs to be done to better understand the distribution of sawfishes throughout Malaysia; this may be done by interviewing fishers and conducting surveys. While it is important to increase efforts to raise awareness of the plight of the sawfishes, particularly in areas where they have been recorded, or where they are thought to occur, the relevant government department is urged to take action and enforce the existing legislation that protects the sawfishes as endangered species.

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