Tweets on “Save Kuala Krai Convoy Mission” (1.1.2015)
Posted by Kit in DAP, Kelantan, NaturaL disaster on Friday, 2 January 2015, 9:33 am
1.Visit to Kuala Krai today (1.1.2015), esp desolate town with Kuala Krai MP Dr. Mohd Hatta after ravages of flood catastrophe, unforgettable.
2. Woes grievances unhappiness of people of Kuala Krai (from “horse’s mouth” so to say) over flood catastrophe eloquent/moving – being totally abandoned!
3. Met flood victims – every Malay Chinese Indian in Kuala Krai – from all races who have one common universal grouse: they need help and urgently.
4. Today full mobilisation by DAP States MPs SAs activists for relief of Kuala Krai and other flood-ravaged areas like Mentakab Gua Musang Kota Bharu.
5. Three containers of over 3,000 cartons of essential supplies distributed in Kuala Krai – 2 from Penang 1 from Johor. Also some 60 FWDs of reliefs Read the rest of this entry »
The search for AirAsia Flight QZ8501: Where things stand
By Jethro Mullen, CNN
January 1, 2015
(CNN) — Searchers looking for more bodies and wreckage from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 in the Java Sea faced fresh difficulties with bad weather Thursday.
Ships, planes and helicopters are being used to find victims of the disaster. Most of the people on board the flight remain missing, and officials are yet to confirm that they’ve found the plane’s fuselage.
Here’s key information about where things stand:
The flight
What we know: Flight QZ8501 took off early Sunday from Surabaya, Indonesia, bound for Singapore. Roughly 35 minutes into the flight, the pilot asked air traffic control for permission to turn left and climb to a higher altitude to avoid bad weather. Minutes later, the plane disappeared from air traffic control’s radar.
What we don’t know: What happened on board after contact with the plane was lost. No distress call was received. Indonesian aviation authorities have suggested that the plane ascended despite permission being denied because of traffic.
Some experts have speculated that the aircraft might have experienced an aerodynamic stall because of a lack of speed or from flying at too sharp an angle to get enough lift. Analysts have also suggested that the pilots might not have been getting information from onboard systems about the plane’s position, or that rain or hail from thunderstorms in the area could have damaged the engines.
Until the main wreckage of the plane is found, along with the flight recorders, experts have little evidence to support their theories. Read the rest of this entry »
Visit to Kuala Krai 1.1.15
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, NaturaL disaster on Thursday, 1 January 2015, 9:46 pm
Tweet on visit to Kuala Krai, 1/1/2015
Kuala Krai is terrible sight 2behold after worst floods in history. Suggest all Ministers be assigned there 4 a week 2become better leaders.
PM recalled Ministers 2return from vacations abroad 2help flood victims. Wld do world of good if they r assigned various parts of KK 4week.
All with one common task – how 2help flood victims in kampongs or areas they r assigned to 4a week. They will be doing useful work 4 once.
But how many Ministers complied w PM’s directive 2return from their overseas vacation? Names of Ministers who return, dates n those x back?
Imagine put Liow TL in Kuala Krai town or Muhyiddin in Manek Urai for 24 hrs. Will they survive or run helter-skelter in less than 24 hrs?
LiowTL in KK town or Muhyiddin in Manek Urai for 24 hrs is unthinkable, what about their being there for a week to serve flood victims?
China’s anti-corruption drive continues to net ‘tigers’ & ‘flies’
Posted by Kit in Corruption on Thursday, 1 January 2015, 8:29 am
CCTV.com
12-30-2014
2014 saw the fall from grace of some of the country’s biggest names in politics and the military. And the wide-reaching, anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping last year continues to net both high-ranking “tigers” and low-ranking “flies”.
China’s new leadership, two years in, and there’s no letting up in the fight against corruption. Some 25,000 officials were investigated on suspicion of corruption in just the first half of 2014. And no one, no matter how high their ranking, appears safe.
Zhou Yongkang, once one of the most powerful men in the country, has been arrested on a raft of corruption charges, including the leaking of official secrets and bribery.
Xu Caihou was one of China’s top generals. He is one of the highest level military officer to be investigated since 1949. And it’s sending shock waves through the People’s Liberation Army.
This all-out anti-corruption campaign has struck fear into the hearts of China’s corrupt officials, with one noticable result, they are shunning all forms of extravagance. Luxury sales are down, from fashion garments to shoes and jewellery. Read the rest of this entry »
Let RCI into Floods Disaster Management Preparedness inquire whether there had been a “complete breakdown” or what extent of breakdown of the National Security Council chain of command and communications in the current worst floods disaster in decades
Posted by Kit in General, Kelantan, NaturaL disaster on Thursday, 1 January 2015, 8:21 am
Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has denied that there had been a “complete collapse” of the National Security Council (NSC) flood disaster response.
The NSC secretary Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab clarified that it was the Kelantan district office that collapsed as the government staff became flood victims themselves, claiming that the district offices in neighbouring Pahang and Terengganu could still function as those states were not as badly hit.
I do not envy Thajudeen as he spoke the truth but was being pilloried and vilified by UMNO/Barisan Nasional political leaders including his superiors, resulting in having to come out with a denial which, on scrutiny, is actually confirmation of the collapse of the NSC chain of command and communications showing deplorable flood disaster management preparedness in the main theatre of the worst floods disaster in the first five days from Dec. 23 to 27.
Thajuddin should know that there is no such thing as “the Kelantan district office that collapsed” as there are 10 districts in Kelantan, out of which only one district, Bachok was not ravaged by floods. Read the rest of this entry »
2015, time for moderate Malaysians to stand up
Posted by Kit in Malaysian Dream, nation building on Thursday, 1 January 2015, 6:08 am
BY MOHD FARHAN DARWIS AND MD IZWAN
The Malaysian Insider
31 December 2014
As Malaysians bid farewell to 2014, moderate Malaysians have been urged to stand up and beat back the tide of hate and bigotry that have inflamed communal relations throughout the year.
A group of progressive Malays today hoped that Malaysians would be able to reclaim the national conversation on race and religion and reject extremist elements brought about by certain quarters.
This, they argued, was because it was up to each individual to preserve the tolerance, moderation and respect that had been an enduring feature of the country’s pluralistic society.
“Moderation has to be promoted not just because that is what our forefathers wanted for us,” said former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam.
“But because it is one of the ways which our country will remain peaceful and harmonious,” he said in a text message to The Malaysian Insider.
Musa said 2015 would be even more challenging for Malaysia socially and economically, given the depressing forecast on the world economy. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Unbelievably’ steep climb recorded before AirAsia crash, report says
FoxNews.com
December 31, 2014
Investigators working to piece together what led to the AirAsia Flight 8501 disaster discovered radar evidence indicating that the plane made an “unbelievably” steep climb moments before the crash, Reuters reported Wednesday.
“So far, the numbers taken by the radar are unbelievably high. This rate of climb is very high, too high. It appears to be beyond the performance envelope of the aircraft,” a source close to the investigation told the news agency.
Poor weather conditions Wednesday have prevented divers from carrying out their recovery operations and largely grounded helicopters, though ships were still scouring the area.
Indonesian search and rescue Chief Bambang Soelistyo said that the bodies of four men and three women had been recovered earlier in the morning. Read the rest of this entry »
Fuel prices drop 30 sen, 35 sen
The Malaysian Insider
31 December 2014
The retail prices for fuel in the country will be reduced between 30 sen and 35 sen from tomorrow following the downtrend in global crude oil prices, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan today.
He tweeted that RON95 petrol will be priced at RM1.91 a litre, a reduction of 35 sen, RON97 at RM2.11 a litre (35 sen drop) and diesel at RM1.93 a litre (30 sen drop). Read the rest of this entry »
Insurance regulator confirms emergency declaration won’t affect payout for floods
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, NaturaL disaster on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 5:40 pm
Malay Mail Online
December 31, 2014 04:41 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 — Despite Putrajaya’s argument, Malaysia’s insurance regulator has confirmed insurance firms will not be absolved of liability in paying out compensation for flood claims filed if a state of emergency were declared.
The General Insurance Association of Malaysia (Piam) said its member companies must process the claims so long as flood is an “insured peril”.
While standard motor and fire insurance policies exclude coverage against losses caused by natural catastrophes, PIAM said that the option to cover disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons, cover for flood-related loss or damage, can be purchased as an extension to the policies.
“All policyholders, both businesses and individuals, located at the flood-stricken areas are therefore advised to check their fire and motor policies to determine whether they are covered for loss or damage resulting from the floods,” Piam, which is made up of 29 insurance firms, said in a statement emailed today.
“Piam would like to advise the public to review their insurance policies with their insurers or insurance agents to establish if the cover provided is sufficient to mitigate any serious financial impact due to flood losses and damages,” it said. Read the rest of this entry »
In Kelantan floods, unsung heroes emerge
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, NaturaL disaster on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 5:24 pm
by Anisah Shukry
The Malaysian Insider
31 December 2014
The flood that engulfed several areas in Kelantan the past week has left a trail of destruction and misery, but harrowing reports of altruism and bravery have also emerged as ordinary Malaysians step up to the task of helping out their fellow men.
Teacher Muhammad Apandi Hashim, 46, spent the first night of the floods in his 3.5m boat, manoeuvring through electric poles in the dark through the rushing water to rescue countless villagers in Tanah Merah who were beyond the reach of official rescue teams.
The first pair he rescued that Wednesday evening were his neighbour’s elderly parents, who were stranded in a village about an hour away from his house.
“I was all prepared to evacuate my house with my family, when my neighbour asked me if I could pick up his parents with my boat. When people ask for help like that, how can you refuse?” he told The Malaysian Insider when met at his house in Kampung Cherang Lali, Tanah Merah, yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »
A wretched, horrendous year, with little cheer
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Health, Judiciary, MH 17, MH 370, NaturaL disaster on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 5:13 pm
COMMENTARY BY THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
31 December 2014
2014 has been a wretched and horrendous year for Malaysia, with very little spots of sunny cheer for Malaysians. All 52 weeks have seen us angry and sad – not quite the happy Malaysia Truly Asia that we portray in tourism advertisements.
Grief has been Malaysia’s main point of unity – from the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on March 8 to flight MH17 that was shot out of the sky on July 17 to the tragic crash of AirAsia Bhd Indonesian affiliate’s flight QZ8501 on December 28, in the last days of the year.
Three commercial plane crashes linked to Malaysia in just a year – what are the chances of that?
And while that dominated the headlines, there has been other events that added to Malaysia’s grief. Statistics showed that 189 people died of dengue so far this year, up from 95 in 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
Kuala Krai devastated by floods
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, Najib Razak, NaturaL disaster on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 12:02 pm
– The Malaysian Insider/Bernama
31 December 2014
Like a place attacked by a giant bird or the ancient ‘garuda’. This is the description of the severe destruction caused by the floods in several villages in the district of Kuala Krai.
It also gives a reminder of the tsunami tragedy that occurred in 2004 when one looks at the damage suffered by the villagers.
In Sungai Durian, several houses totally collapsed after the the village was submerged by the floods on December 23 and forced the residents to seek shelter at evacuation centres.
Rosmaria Ghazali, 34, could only cry when seeing her home submerged up to the roof, her house and furniture totally ruined. Read the rest of this entry »
Why Najib only realised that the floods disaster is a “major catastrophe” on the fourth day his return from Hawaii and why he had not visited the two worst-hit areas of Gua Musang and Kuala Krai last Saturday?
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, Najib Razak, NaturaL disaster on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 11:50 am
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said after his visit to Gua Musang and Kuala Krai yesterday that the floods disaster is a “disaster” or even “major catastrophe”, describing Gua Musang and Kuala Krai as two of the worst-hit districts in Kelantan.
I have been brooding over the Prime Minister’s comments since reading them on online news portals yesterday evening, and the question which kept returning to my mind was why the Prime Minister had not visited the two worst-hit flood-damaged areas when he rushed back from Hawaii last Saturday on 27th December.
Was the Prime Minister misled by the National Security Council (NSC), which gave the Prime Minister a special briefing on the floods situation when Najib arrived at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu at 1.40 pm last Saturday?
I would imagine that the Prime Minister would have wanted to visit the worst-hit flood-damaged areas on his immediate return from Hawaii.
Did the NSC withhold the information from the Prime Minister that Gua Musang and Kuala Krai were the two worst-hit areas, or did the Prime Minister decide on his own not to visit the two worst-hit areas of Gua Musang and Kuala Krai to bring immediate reliefs and comfort to the stranded people in Gua Musang and Kuala Krai?
Or was the NSC at the time unaware that Gua Musang and Kuala Krai were the two worst-hit flood areas, as the NSC in its statement yesterday admitted that there was a “complete collapse” of its chain of command and communications at the district level in Kelantan and Terengganu when the NSC “front-liners”, the village headmen and district officers, fell victim to the floods? Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysians must stay strong, hopeful and confident despite a year of great adversities with three air disasters, worst floods disaster in decades and the rise of bigotry and extremism to build a common, united, moderate and prosperous future for all Malaysians
Posted by Kit in Finance, nation building, NaturaL disaster, Parliament, Sabah on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 9:51 am
2015 New Year Message
It is so easy to give way to despair at the tides of adversity Malaysians have to go through in 2014 and to write off the future for Malaysia – the unprecedented three air disasters in a year (MH370, MH17 and QZ8501) which no other country had ever had to experience, the worst floods disaster in recent decades and the rise of bigotry and extremism putting to the ultimate test the Merdeka and Malaysia national compacts of 1957 and 1963 to be an oasis of multi-racial, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural harmony, tolerance and co-existence in an increasingly troubled and fractious world.
Every cloud has a silver lining and this holds true for the adversities Malaysians had to undergo in 2014 – the air disasters and the worst floods disaster in decades galvanizing Malaysians to stand in sympathy, support and solidarity with the victims and the aggrieved and the rise of moderates, best exemplified by the Open Letter by 25 Eminent Malays to the Prime Minister and the snowballing of support by ordinary moderate Malaysians regardless of race, religion, politics or region to save Malaysia from the bigots and extremists.
Malaysians must stay strong, hopeful and confident despite a year of great adversities with three air disasters, the worst floods disaster in decades and the rise of bigotry and extremism to build a common, united, moderate and prosperous future for all Malaysians. Read the rest of this entry »
10 questions about the AirAsia Flight QZ8501 tragedy
Posted by Kit in MH 370, NaturaL disaster, Transport on Wednesday, 31 December 2014, 8:10 am
By Laura Smith-Spark and Ashley Fantz, CNN
December 30, 2014
(CNN) — The discovery of debris from AirAsia Flight QZ8501 means investigators have taken a big step toward answering the questions haunting the families of those aboard the doomed plane. What are the key questions, and what might come next?
What caused the plane to crash?
It’s the million-dollar question. And as yet, nobody knows. Ahead lies a possibly months-long investigation into what happened after the Airbus A320-200 lost contact with air traffic control early Sunday.
Shortly beforehand, the pilot requested permission to turn and climb to a higher altitude because of bad weather, according to Indonesian officials.
Some experts have said the aircraft might have experienced an aerodynamic stall because of a lack of speed or from flying at too sharp an angle to get enough lift.
Analysts have also said that the pilots might not have been getting information from onboard systems about the plane’s position or that rain or hail from thunderstorms in the area could have damaged the engines.
The key to understanding what happened is likely to be contained in the aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, commonly known as black boxes.
“Until we get the black boxes, we won’t know what’s going on with the engines,” Bill Savage, a former pilot with 30 years of experience, told CNN. Read the rest of this entry »
The flood woes in Kelantan
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, NaturaL disaster on Tuesday, 30 December 2014, 9:54 pm
– Johan James
The Malaysian Insider
28 December 2014
Almost every year, Kelantan and a few other east coast states are flooded due to the heavy monsoon rain towards the end of the year. But this time around, Kelantan and the other east coast states were hit by major floods since year 2004.
Is this a never ending curse for these states, especially Kelantan? Who are supposed to be blamed for this annual mishap suffered by the Kelantanese? Central government? State government? Or the wrongdoings of the locals in Kelantan? Read the rest of this entry »
What has Umno/BN government learned from natural disasters?
Posted by Kit in Kelantan, Najib Razak, NaturaL disaster on Tuesday, 30 December 2014, 9:34 pm
– Nawawi Mohamad
The Malaysian Insider
29 December 2014
Malaysia has experienced several natural disasters which resulted in loss of lives and properties starting back in December 1993 with the collapse of two blocks of the Highland Towers, then the tsunami in 2004, recent Cameron Highlands landslides and the latest being the unprecedented floods in Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.
By the way, with so frequent flooding, we ought to be professional in facing them by now. Unfortunately, we are never ready and never prepared.
In the Highland Towers tragedy, we lacked experience such that the Japanese Civil Defence sent a team to help in the search and rescue effort. Search and rescue teams from Singapore, France, United Kingdom and the United States also came to help. Read the rest of this entry »
UPDATE 6-Bodies, debris from missing AirAsia plane pulled from sea off Indonesia
Reuters
Dec 30, 2014
By Wilda Asmarini and Adriana Nina Kusuma
JAKARTA, Dec 30 (Reuters) – Indonesian rescuers searching for a missing AirAsia plane carrying 162 people pulled bodies and wreckage from the sea off the coast of Borneo on Tuesday as relatives of those on board broke down in tears on hearing the news.
Indonesia AirAsia’s Flight QZ8501, an Airbus A320-200, lost contact with air traffic control early on Sunday during bad weather on a flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore.
The navy said 40 bodies had been recovered as dusk fell.
The plane has yet to be found and there was no word on the possibility of any survivors. Read the rest of this entry »
Declare state of emergency now
Posted by Kit in Najib Razak, NaturaL disaster on Tuesday, 30 December 2014, 6:38 pm
– Dr. Tan Eng Bee
The Malaysian Insider
30 December 2014
I agree with the expert opinion that the powers-that-be should have declared a state of emergency for the affected states in the worst floods in history. This flood is unlike previous floods as the damage and destruction affected about a third of the peninsula’s land mass or more in my estimation, and that is cause for concern.
The devastation is so disastrous and serious by all counts. Unless an emergency is declared as soon as possible to allow government agencies and NGOs to work towards bringing reliefs to the people who are already suffering from the wet condition and in dire need of food and water, I am afraid the misery and anguish of the affected masses would intensified and surpassed all previous floods.
Despite the authorities telling the masses not to believe everything in social media, the fact remains the poor coordination of the various agencies bringing humanitarian aid, such as food and water and other supplies, has not reached many affected areas and the cries for help are still being heard far and wide across the nation.
Whether we want to believe it or not, we have reached a critical and dangerous stage where the welfare of the affected people is threatened and every form of humanitarian aid and resources must now be geared towards bringing food and water and other form of relief to relief centres without delay.
If we cannot reach them by road, then we have no alternative but to reach them by air.
Read the rest of this entry »
Flood evacuees eager to return home
Posted by Kit in NaturaL disaster on Tuesday, 30 December 2014, 6:08 pm
Malaysiakini/Bernama
Dec 30, 2014
FLOODS The bright, sunny weather and receding flood waters have allowed many evacuees to return to their respective homes after spending six days at the evacuation centre.
A Bernama survey at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulai Serai in Dungun, Terengganu, found more than 500 victims housed there already packing and preparing to return home.
However, the water level at the homes of flood victims in Kampung Alor Mak Bah had still not subsided.
The victims told Bernama that due to the rapidly rising water, they failed to save any belongings because the flood this time was beyond their expectation. Read the rest of this entry »
