The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Six Brunei nationals killed in bus crash, 8 others injured (Update)
- Report: Lynas plant safe if IAEA recommendations adhered to
- Floods worsen in Johor, over 3,200 evacuated
| Six Brunei nationals killed in bus crash, 8 others injured (Update) Posted: 20 Dec 2011 06:26 AM PST KOTA KINABALU: Three of the six Brunei tourists who died in a road accident involving an express bus in Tuaran near here Tuesday have been identified. Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Tan Kok Liang said those identified were Abdul Manan Ishak, 50, Pangiran Zahama Pangiran Zainal, 61, and Dayang Norhayati Abdul Hadi, 61. Two of the dead were only identified as Faridah, 60 and Sapawi, 60, while a woman's identity had yet to be determined, he said. "We only got fellow passengers to identify them. We have yet to check with the Immigration Department. What was important was to rescue them," he told reporters at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. DCP Tan said six victims sustained critical injuries. He said there was not much information that could be obtained from the victims as they were all traumatised by the incident. He said there were 32 people - 11 men and 21 women, including the driver and an assistant driver - on the bus that was travelling from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu. In the 3.05pm incident, the bus carrying all Brunei tourists lost control and overturned at a sharp corner before hitting a tree at kilometre 8.9 of the Ranau-Tamparuli road near Kampung Koporingan in Tuaran. Tuaran police chief Dept Supt Zaharuddin Rasip said two of those killed died on the spot. The others were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. He said initial reports indicated that the bus was heading downhill when it slammed into a large tree and split into two. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Report: Lynas plant safe if IAEA recommendations adhered to Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:28 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Lynas Corporation Ltd's rare earth plant in Gebeng, Pahang, will be safe and harmless if the company follows the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to two Malaysian professional bodies. The Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) and the National Professors' Council (NPC), in a joint report on the project, said the plant must adhere to stringent procedures for waste management to ensure worker safety, public safety and environmental well-being. The 63-page report, issued Tuesday, said the processing of rare earth produces some by-products which carry some low-level radioactive risks, but such risks are manageable and there are technologies available to effectively render the wastes harmless and safe. ASM, an independent science and technology 'think-tank", and NPC, a body of more than 1,500 professors from the public and private universities, initiated a comprehensive study on rare earth and its potential contribution to the Malaysian economy. In the report, titled "Rare Earth Industries: Moving Malaysia's Green Economy Forward", they also said that Lynas Corporation would have to ensure that there is a health scanning of plant employees as well as people working within the immediate vicinity of the plant. The report said the health scanning is to establish a baseline data on the health of the community living and working around the plant premise. It also suggested that the "discharge limits for toxic chemicals and heavy metals must meet standards stipulated in the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (and) properly designed permanent storage for low-level radioactive waste must be built to isolate gypsum residues if its beneficiation is not viable". The plant also needs to construct an interim low-level radioactive waste storage within the premise to accommodate waste produced in the first three years of operation, it added. The two professional bodies said the rare earth industry is expanding, especially with the growing demand for green products and the global push to embrace the green economy. "As a result, investments in rare earth mining and processing have also grown. Apart from China, many countries have started to seriously allocate new investments in rare earth refining. "Some have begun reviving their old rare earth mines which were abandoned during times of low pricing," it said. The report said the Lynas plant in Gebeng will be generating three types of residues, namely Water Leach Purification (WLP) residue, Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) residue and Neutralisation Underflow (NUF) residue. It said the WLP and NUF residues can be considered as raw materials for other industry, for example WLP can be used as raw material in making gypsum plaster and NUF as fertiliser. Storage and handling of the residues can be overcome because WLP residue contains mainly calcium sulphate, which is also known as synthetic gypsum, while NUF residue is rich in magnesium, the report said. Meanwhile, ASM chief executive officer Dr Ahmad Ibrahim told reporters after issuing the report that claims that the Lynas plant would emit radiation detrimental to public health were not true. He said the risks of the Lynas operation were manageable. However, the company had failed to engage actively with the community in giving a detailed explanation of the project, he said. "The Lynas management should enhance the understanding, transparency and visibility of its regulatory actions in the eyes of the public, particularly those actions related to inspection and enforcement of the proposed rare earth processing facility," he said. Dr Ahmad said the actual rare earth business was good for the future as it led to the making of materials for the use of science and technology, including green technology, and was a good industry for Malaysia towards achieving its Vision 2020 of becoming a developed country. BERNAMA Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Floods worsen in Johor, over 3,200 evacuated Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:21 AM PST KLUANG: The number of flood victims evacuated in Johor increased to 3,265 as of 8pm Tuesday, albeit fears of rising water levels. The increase was due to precautionary measures taken by the authorities to avoid any mishap to those living in high risk flood prone areas. A flood victim from Kampung Sungai Linai, Simpang Renggam, Siti Zubaidah Basiron, 46, said she and her family had to evacuate and take shelter at SK Sungai Linau due to heavy rain for the past two days. "Though the flood situation is not very bad compared to previous years, we decided to shift as a safety measure," said Siti. According to the National Security Council portal's 8pm report, 41 relief centres were opened in Kluang (23), Segamat (5), Kulaijaya (3), Batu Pahat (4), Pontian (4) and one each in Kota Tinggi and Johor Baru. Among areas hit by floods in Kluang were Kampung Isnin Maarof; Kampung Tengah Renggam; Kuil Ketchumi; Kampung Seri Maju Jaya; Kampung Haji Hasim; Kampung Chokro; Mengkibol; Kampung Muhibbah; Kampung Sungai Linau; Kampung Parit Hassan; Kampung Bentong; Kampung SC, Kampung Baru, Kampung Tengah; Perumahan Rakyat Yap Tau Sah; Kampung Mengkibol; Kampung Kolam Air; Kampung Berasau; Kampung Orang Asli Sungai Peroh; Kampung Punchor; Kampung Sri Cahaya; Kampung Contoh; Kampung Bt 4 Paloh; Kampung Melayu Mardi and Kampung Haji Nor Md Amin. In Segamat, Kampung Batu Badak, Kampung Paya Dalam, Kampung Spangloi Kampung Usaha Jaya, Kampung Poloh were affected while SK Bandan, Kampung Parit Haji Kamisan, Kampung Parit Khalil and Taman Sri Kota were flooded. In Pontian, Kampung Kayu Ara Pasong, Kampung Parit Ramunia, Kampung Parit Yassin, Kampung Tampok, Kampung Lapis Tampok, Kampung Sri Gambut and Kampung Paya Embun were reported be flooded while Kampung Laut in Skudai, Johor Bahru; Kampung Sungai Besoi, Kampung Murni Jaya, Kampung Sungai Siam in Kulaijaya and Kampung Sungai Berangan in Kota Tinggi were all affected. Those seeking information on floods can surf the www.mkn.gov.my website at contact the State Flood Operations Room at 07-2908012. BERNAMA Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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