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The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Fishermen’s livelihoods affected
‘German Day’ offers students a glimpse of the country
Residents urge council to improve maintenance work

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 06:03 PM PST

PASIR GUDANG: Fishermen from at least three villages here are crying foul that their livelihoods have been badly affected due to the developments taking place at the Tanjung Langsat Port over the past 12 years.

At least 72 families from Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Putih, Kampung Kuala Masai and Kampung Teluk Jawa had been affected since the developments started in year 2000.

Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Putih, head of the fishermen community, Kamal Entelek said the mass deforestation of the mangrove trees in the area had threatened the livelihood of about 400 people.

"Previously, we managed to earn about RM200 in catches a day but lately, we do not even make RM50 a day," he said at a press conference here, recently.

"We had requested for compensation from the developer in April and September but so far, we have yet to receive any reply from them.

"The constant deforestation is taking a toll on all of us, and we need to provide for our families," he said.

Kamal added that he had made a police report late September to address the issue and seek assistance from the authorities.

Lel Bin Jaton, 66, who has been a fisherman since young, said previously, he could catch some RM400 worth of fish and prawns but now he was only getting cockles.

"I have to travel up to an hour longer to other places including Sungai Papan. Sometimes, I may even have to stay overnight to catch enough to come back to feed my family," he said, adding that all his 10 children were also fishermen like him.

Del Bin Jaton, 52, from Kampung Teluk Jawa said sometimes the money spent on petrol for his boat was much more than the amount of fish caught.

"We are suffering. I hope the government will look into our plight and help us get some sort of compensation," he added.

All the affected fishermen sought the assistance of the Permas Pusat Aduan Rakyat (PAR).

Pusat Aduan Rakyat (PAR) Permas zone supervisor Syed Othman Syed Abdullah, said he would look into the matter by alerting the Department of Environment.

"I am planning to send an official memorandum to Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman next week as well as send a copy of the letter to the management of the Tanjong Langsat port and Persatuan Orang Asli," he said.

Meanwhile, Seri Alam OCPD Supt Roslan Zainuddin, when contacted, confirmed receiving a police report and added that the case had been referred to the Marine Department for further action.

‘German Day’ offers students a glimpse of the country

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 03:20 PM PST

JOHOR BARU: A German diplomat downplayed the present Eurozone crisis in Europe, saying that Germany's economy was still strong and stable.

German Ambassador Dr Gunter Gruber said his country was one of the largest trading partners with Malaysia.

"I am confident that Europe will survive this economic crisis and will emerge even stronger.

"Although Germany is also affected by the crisis, we will continue to remain the world's number one exporter and also the world's fourth best economy," said Dr Gruber during the launch of The German Day at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) here, recently.

When asked about the changes in Johor, he said: "Johor used to be a kampung (village) back in the 60s, and I never thought that it would have developed so rapidly."

"So it is wonderful to offer UTM students an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Germany through the International Students Exchange programme," he added.

The German Day attracted some 200 students and members of the public to learn and understand more about Germany and its collaboration with UTM.

The event, themed "Green Technology", was jointly officiated by UTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang and Dr Gruber.

Prof Zaini said for this year alone, 20 students had been sent to Germany under the long-term exchange programme, all of whom were either Masters or PhD post-graduates

He added that their target was to send 1,000 UTM students under the programme in the year 2020.

"This event will expose the UTM community, both students and staff, on various aspects that are relatable between Malaysia and Germany, especially on green technology.

"Germany is keen on working with Malaysia's public universities, mainly UTM, on creating a pool of engineers to develop sustainable technologies that will help conserve natural resources and the environment," said Prof Zaini.

Eight world-class German companies showcased a unique blend on job opportunities, joint-research projects, industry partnerships and scholarships in Germany at the university.

Residents urge council to improve maintenance work

Posted: 09 Dec 2012 06:01 PM PST

JOHOR BARU: More than 400 residents in Taman Megah Ria have been suffering for the past few months due to problems with the sewerage system in the area.

This has caused the sewerage to overflow into the residents' toilets as well as the main road, here.

Housewife Norhaini A. Razak, 40, said the residents had been suffering with this problem over the past few years.

"We have to keep calling the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) so that they can send their contractors to clean up the place.

"The latest incident has been going on for at least two months," she said, adding that at the height of the problem, the residents along Jalan Kampas 7 and Jalan Kempas 6 could not use the toilets located at the lower floor as the water would not flow out.

Norhaini said to make matters worse, sewage from other places would flow into the toilet and the stench was unbearable.

Another affected resident, who wanted to be known as Neong, 44, said she had been living in the area for the past 11 years and the situation was worsening.

"I have to keep my home closed all the time due to the foul smell. My children are also falling sick regularly. I hope MBJB will do something to permenantly solve this problem," she said.

Neong added that the council should ensure its contractors carried out regular maintenance work to ensure the sewerage system in the area was in proper working condition.

"I was told by the contractor that clothes, hair and tampons were the ones clogging the system. They should clean up the system regularly to ensure everything runs smoothly," she said, adding that MBJB should also issue leaflets urging people not to throw such things into their toilets.

Another affected resident S. Balakrishnan, 63, said the stench was unbearable that he took his family to a relative's home in Kulai during Deepavali.

"The stench is so bad and it is embarrassing to invite people to our home," he said, adding that he had called MBJB several times but there was no response.

All the residents had sought the assistance of the Permas Pusat Aduan Rakyat.

Its supervisor Syed Othman Abdullah said he had already contacted the MBJB contractor but was told that the problem was repaired in October, only to recur a week later.

"The contractor also claims that this is a costly job and was waiting for additional funds," he said, adding that he had also lodged a complaint with the Public Complaints Bureau.

Meanwhile, MBJB public relations officer Mohd Firdaus Abdul Hamid said the council was aware of the matter and would try to resolve it as soon as possible.

He urged those with problems to contact the MBJB hotline at 1300-88-0146 (24 hours).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Isnin, 10 Disember 2012