STORY TO BE TOLD

Egypt crisis: AirAsia, MAS flying in to help evacuate M'sian students
By MUGUTHAN VANAR and RAHIMY RAHIM

KOTA KINABALU: AirAsia has sent an Airbus A320 aircraft to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to help evacuate Malaysian students in Egypt.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said the AirAsia aircraft, which departed from Kuala Lumpur for Jeddah at 2pm Wednesday, could accommodate 249 passengers.

He said AirAsia would be making four trips from Jeddah daily to bring home students evacuated from Cairo to Jeddah by RMAF aircraft.

Speaking at a press conference here, he advised parents with children in Egypt not to worry as the Government was doing its best to protect Malaysians there.

"The Government is also working closely with the Indonesian and Bruneian governments in the evacuation process.

"For example, Garuda is already at Cairo airport and if they have extra seats, they could take in the Malaysians stranded at the airport," he added.

There are 11,000 Malaysian students in Egypt.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Seri Azmil Zahruddin said a MAS aircraft would leave for Cairo Thursday morning.

"We are working out with our own engineers to accommodate as many passengers (as possible) in the flight," he said.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the operation to evacuate Malaysian students stranded in Egypt was expected to take four days.

He said 30 personnel from the Armed Forces and a further 30 from other government agencies including Wisma Putra would be involved in the evacuation operation.

Zahid also called on non-governmental organisations to assist the Government in the evacuation operation.

He also said the Saudi Arabian government has issued temporary visas for the students leaving for Jeddah.

"They will be placed at the Tabung Haji complex in Jeddah as a temporary measure," he added.

Bernama reported that the Putera 1Malaysia Club will send 30 tonnes of foodstuff to Egypt to help Malaysians affected by the anti-government protests in the country.

Its president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said they would go with the AirAsia plane provided by the low-cost carrier.

Abdul Azeez said their team would include 30 volunteers, among them doctors, to help students and others in the troubled country.

"We will provide food and help in evacuation mission. Parents should not be worried as the Government is doing its best to help their children there," he said.

Hundreds of thousands of Egyptian are staging demonstrations across major Egyptians cities in a bid to force President Hosni Mubarak to end his 30-year rule, plunging the country into its worst crisis in recent times.

Food stall operator jailed 80 years for incest

KUALA LUMPUR: A food stall operator was sentenced by a Sessions Court here to a total of 80 years in jail and 40 strokes of the rotan for raping his underage daughter.

The man had earlier on Wednesday pleaded guilty before Sessions judge Mohamad Sekeri Mamat to four counts of incest. According to the facts of case, three of rapes were carried out in front of his wife.

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Floods: More evacuees in Johor, situation getting better in Negri

JOHOR BARU: A total of 43,283 people from 10,281 families were still taking shelter at 232 relief centres in Johor as at 8am on Wednesday.

Eighty-four of the relief centres are in Segamat, followed by Ledang (30), Johor Baru (one), Muar (23), Batu Pahat (34), Kluang (29), Pontian (12), Kota Tinggi (18) and Mersing (one).

The number of victims in Segamat had increased to 21,128 people followed by Ledang with 5,822, Johor Baru (39) Muar (4,759) Batu Pahat (5,090) and Kluang (4,135).

In Malacca, the number of flood victims evacuated to 19 relief centres statewide had also increased to 4,555 people as at 8am, compared with 4,110 recorded at 7pm on Tuesday.

In Kuantan, the number of flood victims increased to 1,941 people on Wednesday morning compared with 1,777 yesterday.

A Pahang police flood operations room spokesman said of the total, 1,778 people were from 222 families in five villages in Rompin.

Several roads in Rompin are also closed to all vehicles, including Jalan Kampung Inoi, Jalan Kampung Baru Bukit Ibam, Sungai Gayong Kedaik bridge and Kampung Lubuk Batu Kota Bahagia bridge.

In Seremban, a flood operations room spokesman said 1,144 victims from 290 families were left at eight relief centres in Tampin, while another 236 victims from 55 families were taking shelters at four relief centres in Jempol.

He said due to the better weather, more relief centres in the two districts were expected be closed later on Wednesday.

Facebook friend costs lecturer RM30K

A COLLEGE lecturer lost RM30,000 after getting acquainted with a man who claimed to be a doctor on the social networking site Facebook, Kosmo! reported.

Pahang commercial crime chief Supt Zaini Jass said the victim, 49, got to know “Dr Bruce Burn” from the United States on Jan 7.

When they were communicating, the “doctor” told her that he was based in the United States and was looking for a companion to settle down with.

He further deceived her by saying that he was prepared to settle down in Malaysia after marriage and would be coming to the country to meet her.

However, Supt Zaini said a man, who claimed to be a customs officer, contacted the lecturer and told her that the “doctor” had been arrested at KLIA for carrying £25,000 (RM121,567) that was not declared.

“The victim then paid RM30,000 to free the man,” he said, adding that she lodged a report after she discovered she was conned when the doctor did not show up at her house.

Dad donates organs of son killed in Indonesia
By WANI MUTHIAH
wani@thestar.com.my

KLANG: One of the first things R. Subramaniam did when he heard that his son Yagneswaran had died in a road accident in Indonesia was to arrange for the young man’s organs to be harvested.

“My son was healthy and young and I didn’t want his organs to go to waste,” said the 64-year-old retired estate medical officer.

“I spoke to the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem on my son and told her to harvest the organs,” said Subramaniam who recently flew to Sumatra with a friend to claim his son’s remains.

Yagneswaran, 24, a fifth-year Public Services Department medical student at the Andalas University in Padang, died from severe head trauma following a collision involving his motorcycle and another biker on Friday.

In memory: Subramaniam, his wife S.Sabathra Devi, 61, and sons Kumara Devan,31, (left) and Letchumena, 22, mourning their loss at their home in Klang.

Subramaniam said he gave his son’s friends the authority to sign the necessary papers on his behalf for the organ donations.

“We are consoled by the fact that his organs will now give people where he went to study medicine a chance to continue living,” added the father who has two other sons.

Subramaniam said he was touched by the gesture of the university students and administration for holding a memorial service for Yagneswaran before his remains were flown home.

The university also hired a Hindu priest from Bali to carry out the last rites.

Yagneswaran’s remains were cremated at the Klang Simpang Lima Hindu crematorium here at about 5pm on Monday after the funeral service at the family home in Taman Eng Ann here.

Cancer girl gets her wish
By CINDY TAN
malacca@thestar.com.my

MALACCA: It was an unexpected and lively ang pow for 17-year-old cancer survivor Yeo Yi Lin here when she got her wish for a pet dog for the coming Chinese New Year.

Yi Lin, who is battling stage-four lung cancer, was ecstatic when the six-month old light brown toy poodle was delivered to her family home in Taman Bachang Baru yesterday by the Children’s Wish Society (CWS) after learning of her wish for a pet.

“I had wanted a pet toy poodle of my own for more than a year as they are so adorable and cute.

“I am so happy that my wish has been granted,” the bubbly Yi Lin said when met at her home.

She said that her parents were initially reluctant for her to have her own pet as the family had already gotten a miniature pincer.

Best friends: Yi Lin all smiles as her new poodle plays with her.

“I kept begging them for a poodle instead as they are intelligent and easy to manage,” said Yi Lin, who won a gold medal for freestyle swimming in the national-level Paralympics here last year despite losing her left leg to bone cancer when she was 10.

She had earlier written to the charitable non-governmental organisation requesting for a toy poodle.

CWS board committee member Datuk Dr Kuan Geok Lan said they were impressed by Yi Lin’s determination to overcome her illness and lead a healthy and meaningful life.

Yi Lins father, Henry Yeo, 46, head of logistics in a private company here, was grateful for the gift.

“We were initially reluctant for her to have her own pet owing to her condition.

“However, we realised that the dog would be good therapy for Yi Lin while teaching her responsibility,” he said.

Flood-affected NS trainees on CNY break can return to camps later

BALIK PULAU: National Service (NS) trainees who want to go home for the Chinese New Year holiday and are unable to return to camp on time because of the floods can report at a later date.

NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil also advised trainees in the flood-affected areas to inform their camp management should they need any assistance to return to their respective camps.

"If the trainees are at flood relief centres and the situation is critical, they are allowed to return to camp at a later date," he told reporters after presenting Chinese New Year gifts to 456 NS trainees at the PLKN camp in Seri Mutiara here Tuesday.

Abdul Hadi said there were about 11,000 NS trainees at 30 camps in the five flood-hit states of Johor, Pahang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Sabah.

"So far, the flood has only cut off road links from the south to a camp in Tangkak, Muar, but there is an alternative route if parents want to go there to pick up their children," he added.

He said the NS trainees were given leave from Tuesday until Feb 6 to return home for the Chinese New Year holiday.

"The leave is given to allow the Chinese trainees to celebrate the occasion with family members, but the camp is not closed and those who do not want to go home can stay at the camp.

"There will be food, but no training," he added.

He said trainees would have to fork out their own expenses to return home for the Chinese New Year celebration as the camp only arranged for their transportation. - Bernama

Floods: Death toll at four

KUALA LUMPUR: The floods in five states have claimed a fourth victim - on Tuesday evening, a man's body was found in a drain in Gemas Baru, Johor.

Gemas Fire and Rescue Department officer Jaafar Yusof said the body was found by passers-by at 5.30pm.

He said based on the details on an identification card found in the man's wallet, the victim was identified as Pareynthan Monivasagam, of Kampung Kasipillai, Kuala Lumpur.

Three deaths were reported previously, two in Johor and one in Malacca.

Meanwhile, at 6pm, the number of evacuees in all districts in Johor had slightly increased to 42,111 people, compared with 41,883 at 4pm, at 238 flood relief centres.

According to the state government's official portal at www.johordt.gov.my, there was an increase in the number of evacuees in Segamat, at 20,025 people from 4,855 families.

Other evacuees were in Kluang (6,840), Johor Baru (29), Muar (3,706), Batu Pahat (3,268), Pontian (690), Kota Tinggi (1,797), Mersing (99) and Ledang (5,613).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who visited the flooded areas, said based on the briefing given on the latest flood situation, the worst was now over in Johor.

He reminded the people to remain on the alert.

Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar also visited the victims in several relief centres.

The state is the worst hit in the current wave of floods.

In Negri Sembilan, a total of 1,549 flood victims were still in 16 evacuation centres at 6pm, compared to 2,259 this morning.

Spokesmen of the flood operations rooms in the affected districts said the floods in the state had begun to subside, with two more evacuation centres closed Tuesday.

Most of the flood evacuees were in Tampin (1,141) and Jempol (377).

Only Jalan Bahau-Rompin was still closed due to road cave in.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan called on the flood victims, either at flood relief centres or those who remained in their house, to register with their local community leaders for the purpose of assistance.

"I don't want any problem in channelling the assistance because previously, only those in relief centres took the initiatives to register," he said.

In Pahang, the floods subsided further with all the evacuees in Raub, one of the three affected districts, allowed to return home this evening.

A Pahang police spokesman said there were still 1,777 evacuees in relief centres, 1,687 of them in Rompin and the rest in Temerloh.

In Malacca, the number of flood victims rose to 4,101 people, compared with 3,396 at noon, mostly in Melaka Tengah, with 2,114 people.

The floods in Jasin, however, were subsiding, with only 419 people remaining in five centres, a flood operations room spokesman said.

The floods were also easing in Alor Gajah, with 1,568 people remaining in evacuation centres.

In Sabah, the last remaining flood relief centre in Gum Gum, Sandakan, was closed Tuesday.

A spokesman at the flood operations room said only the relief centre at Kampung Sim-Sim Melayu was open, housing 223 people who were evacuated because their houses were exposed to the risk of landslides.

In Beluran, 179 people were still in evacuation centres in Kampung Sungai-Sungai and Simpangan in Sugut. - Bernama


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LDP, Sprint offer toll discounts for CNY

KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists on the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) and Sprint Highway will get a 60-sen and 20-sen toll discount respectively on Thursday in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.

Litrak Group CEO Sazally Saidi said in a statement Tuesday that the discounts would apply to all types of vehicles.

"The discounts are a form of our corporate social responsibility," he said, expressing the hope that the spirit of 1Malaysia would make the Chinese New Year this year more meaningful. - Bernama

17-year-old charged over engineer's death
By NURBAITI HAMDAN

SHAH ALAM: A 17-year-old has been charged with the manslaughter and gang robbery of engineer Victor Liew Shan Horng, whose decomposing body was found tied to a tree in a rubber estate last August.

The boy, who works as an operator, was charged Tuesday at a magistrate's court here, along with three people still at large, with the wrongful homicide of Liew, 38.

He is alleged to have committed the offence at a rubber estate near Jalan Kubur, Kampung Sungai Kandis in Section 36, Shah Alam between 9am and 11.40am on Aug 25 last year.

He was arrested on Dec 23.

If convicted under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, he faces imprisonment up to 30 years and can also be fined.

The boy was also charged, with three people still at large, with robbing Liew of his Volvo, RM300 in cash and two ATM cards.

The offence was allegedly committed near a pond at Jalan Nagasari 36/1A, Taman Desa Lataniah in Section 36 here at about 9.05am on Aug 22, 2010.

He faces a maximum 20 years in jail and can be whipped if found guilty under Section 395 of the Penal Code.

Wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, the unrepresented teenager claimed trial to both charges.

DPP Zara Aina Mohd Zawawi asked the court not to allow bail as the offences were serious.

Magistrate Zilfinaz Abbas then fixed March 22 for mention.

It was previously reported that Liew's decomposed body was found tied to a tree by a rubber tapper, who made the gruesome discovery after tracing a stench.

Liew was reported missing by his wife Sheng Mei Ying, 40, who lodged a report at the Sri Muda police station after he did not return home from a fishing trip near Kota Kemuning.

A passer-by said he saw Liew being beaten up by four men before they drove him off in a car.

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