The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Female captain runs the show at RMAF base in Banting
- Missing MAS flight: Scholarship holder among those on board
- Missing MAS flight: Psychiatrists available to help families
| Female captain runs the show at RMAF base in Banting Posted: 08 Mar 2014 08:00 AM PST BANTING: Skill, knowledge and ability are the definition of strength for Kapt V. Premalatha (pic) of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. "In the armed forces, women have to be as tough the guys. There are things that we can do just as well as them, and there are things that we cannot do as well. "Leadership is one of the things that puts us on equal footing. Leadership is strength," she said. Kapt Premalatha, 37, is adjutant of RMAF Regiment in Jugra, Banting, which houses the Royal Malaysian Air Force Special Air Service (Paskau). Her role puts her in charge of planning, controlling and monitoring base operations with her superior officers. She also shoulders the added responsibilities as facilities officer and security squadron leader. Leading a force which is predominantly male, Kapt Premalatha said none of her colleagues or subordinates treated her any differently because of her gender. "They treat me like they would any other officer. I have not had any problems although managing people can be difficult," said Kapt Premalatha, who joined the service in 1998 as a cadet officer. She decided to join the Air Force because she felt it suited her personality. "I was head girl in school and I was always involved in co-curricular activities. The Air Force was the perfect place for me to develop my leadership qualities," said Kapt Premalatha. Being the only member from her family to join the armed forces, she said her parents initially had no idea what it entailed and generally thought that "only men joined". Only after she passed her training course did they understand that the focus was on training leaders. |
| Missing MAS flight: Scholarship holder among those on board Posted: 08 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PST PETALING JAYA: One of the Malaysian passengers on board the missing MH370 is Singapore scholarship holder Tony Tan Wei Chew (pic), 19, a recent graduate of the republic's St Andrew's Junior College. Tan was on the way to Beijing for a vacation with his parents, according to his former roommate of two years and compatriot Aaron Quek, reported The Straits Times. Quek, also 19, added that Tan had two younger siblings who were not on the flight. Schoolmates said they last saw Tan on Monday when they went back to school to receive their A-level results. Quek, who attended St Andrew's Junior College with Tan and shared a room in the school's hostel with him, said Tan did think about applying to universities in the United States. Tan came to Singapore on a scholarship when he was 15, and attended Catholic High School together with Quek. |
| Missing MAS flight: Psychiatrists available to help families Posted: 08 Mar 2014 03:00 PM PST PETALING JAYA: A team of five psychiatrists are now stationed at the KL International Airport and nearby hotels to offer help to the family members of the passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Ministry deputy director-general Datuk Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai said the members would also be stationed at the two hotels where the families have been put up. "The psychiatrists will work on a rotation basis. "They will be replaced by a fresh team every six hours," he said. Dr Jeyaindran said the assistance involved staff from all psychiatric departments at the government hospitals in the Klang Valley. "But only a few doctors are taken from each department as regular hospital services must not be interrupted," he said in a text message yesterday. Dr Jeyaindran noted that the team was providing psychosocial and psychiatric support to the families without charge, and that the number of doctors would be rotated based on need. "It is likely that more doctors will be needed once the fate of the missing flight is confirmed, but of course we are hoping only for the best," he added. Meanwhile, Bernama reported that the Welfare Department has also set up a team of 10 counsellors to provide counselling and moral support to the families. Deputy department director Zulkiply Ramly said that the services would be available for the families in the holding room in Anjung Tinjau, KLIA by today. "All our team members will be at the airport to give as much help as we can and our hearts go out to them," he said. "If the need arises, we will also track down the family members and offer them counselling," he added. Zulkiply said that the department would also offer similar services for the family members at 20 public universities around the country. "It is so that they don't need to make their way here (KLIA) to get help," he added. |
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