Ramai tak pakai jaket keselamatan

18/01/2010

Oleh ROKIAH ABDULLAH
rokiah.abdullah@utusan.com.my

ORANG ramai mententeramkan seorang ahli keluarga mangsa yang masih hilang dalam kejadian perahu naga terbalik semalam.

PULAU PINANG 17 Jan. – “Jaket keselamatan yang ada cukup untuk semua orang tapi hanya 10 hingga 11 orang sahaja memakainya, yang lain enggan. Selalunya kami semua pakai setiap kali latihan,” begitu luah Kuah Zi Xun, 17.

Pelajar tingkatan lima Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK) Chung Ling, Air Itam itu ialah antara 12 yang terselamat dalam kejadian perahu naga karam dipukul ombak di Perairan Pantai Macalum, di sini hari ini.

Gurunya, Chin Ai Fang, 28, dan rakannya Jason Ch’ng, 17, lemas manakala empat yang lain masih hilang.

Menurut Zi Xun, dia bersama 14 rakannya, seorang guru dan dua jurulatih dari Penang Forward Sports Club sudah lama menjalani latihan di kawasan itu yang diadakan setiap hari Ahad.

Katanya, latihan itu dibuat sebagai persediaan untuk menghadapi pertandingan perahu naga pertengahan tahun ini.

Menceritakan kejadian yang berlaku, menurut Zi Xun, mereka memulakan latihan kira-kira pukul 8 pagi.

Katanya, semasa di tengah laut, ombak semakin kuat menyebabkan mereka cuba membuat pusingan U.

“Namun perahu dipukul ombak besar sekali lagi lalu terlanggar sebuah tongkang di kawasan itu.

“Perahu kami kemudian terbalik dan semua tercampak ke dalam laut. Dalam suasana panik itu, ada yang cuba berpaut pada perahu dan ada yang tenggelam.

“Saya dan beberapa rakan lagi berjaya berenang ke tepi pantai untuk menyelamatkan diri,” katanya yang duduk di bahagian belakang perahu tersebut.

Menurut Xi Zun, ketika kejadian ombak agak kuat dan arusnya bertambah deras apabila beberapa buah kapal lalu di kawasan berhampiran.

Mangsa lain, Lim Wan Yang, 16, yang ditemui di Hospital Pulau Pinang (HPP) berkata, kejadian itu menyebabkan dia berasa takut ke laut lagi untuk berlatih perahu naga.

“Selepas terbalik, saya berpaut pada perahu. Saya bernasib baik kerana ketika kejadian memakai jaket keselamatan. Semuanya berlaku amat pantas.

“Walaupun telah berlaku beberapa jam lalu, namun kejadian yang menimpa masih terbayang di mata saya,” katanya.

Kim Chuan Khye, 17, yang memakai jaket keselamatan ketika kejadian bersyukur kerana diselamatkan oleh nelayan yang berada di situ.

“Syukur, saya selamat. Tetapi ada rakan masih hilang dan telah terkorban. Pasti semua yang berlaku akan jadi kenangan pahit buat kami semua,” katanya.

Sementara itu, beberapa ibu bapa dilihat menangis dan ada antaranya berteriak dan menjerit memanggil nama anak masing- masing.

Seorang ibu berusia lingkungan 40-an dilihat menangis sambil melambai-lambai tangan ke arah laut.

“Kamu kena pastikan kamu hidup. Kamu kena balik. Ibu sedang menunggu kamu. Ibu tidak boleh biarkan kamu pergi. Kamu kena balik,” katanya dalam bahasa Kantonis.

Cubaan pemberita untuk mendapatkan reaksi keluarga mangsa yang terlibat gagal kerana semuanya dalam keadaan sedih.

Apa yang mereka lakukan hanya menggelengkan kepala sambil meminta pemberita dan jurugambar pergi dari tempat itu.

Sementara itu, beberapa pekerja di syarikat pembinaan di kawasan berhampiran lokasi kejadian berkata, mereka selalu melihat kumpulan pelajar tersebut menjalani latihan di kawasan berkenaan.

Katanya, perahu mereka juga disimpan di kawasan itu dalam satu ruang khas.

“Kami memang biasa melihat mereka sejak beberapa bulan lalu. Setiap Ahad, pagi-pagi lagi mereka sudah ada di sini.

“Namun, hari ini kami tidak sedar kejadian itu kerana berlaku di tengah laut. Kebanyakan kami telah memulakan kerja masing-masing,” katanya.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0118&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Dalam_Negeri&pg=dn_02.htm

Hap Seng sumbang 40 komputer untuk SMK Benoni

18/01/2010

Ron Delaney (kanan) menyerahkan satu daripada 40 komputer kepada Rohani Abdullah dalam satu majlis di Dewan SMK Benoni di Papar, Sabah, semalam.

PAPAR 17 Jan. – Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Benoni di sini menerima sumbangan 40 komputer daripada syarikat Hap Seng Building Material Sdn. Bhd.

Sumbangan itu disampaikan oleh Ketua Eksekutifnya, Ron Delaney kepada Pengetua SMK Benoni, Rohani Abdullah dalam satu majlis di Dewan SMK Benoni hari ini.

Delaney ketika berucap berkata, sumbangan itu bagi membantu meningkatkan pengetahuan pelajar khususnya dalam bidang teknologi komunikasi dan maklumat (ICT).

“Sebagai sebuah organisasi korporat, kami amat menitikberatkan pendidikan kepada generasi muda dalam menghadapi masa depan yang kian mencabar,” katanya.

Majlis penyerahan tersebut turut disaksikan oleh Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Pantai Manis, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail.

Delaney berkata, usaha tersebut juga adalah sebahagian daripada komitmen syarikat itu dalam membantu komuniti khususnya mereka yang berpendapatan rendah.

Beliau berharap pelajar di kawasan luar bandar itu akan dapat memanfaatkan kemudahan yang disediakan dalam usaha meningkatkan kemahiran dan pengetahuan mereka.

Delaney turut mengumumkan kesediaan syarikat itu untuk membiayai dua pelajar terbaik Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) sekolah tersebut untuk melanjutkan pengajian di institut pengajian tinggi (IPT) awam, tahun ini.

Sementara itu, Abdul Rahim yang juga Pengerusi Lembaga Kemajuan Ikan Malaysia (LKIM) memuji usaha itu dan berharap syarikat korporat lain akan mencontohinya.

Kata beliau, syarikat berkenaan telah menyahut seruan kerajaan dalam membantu komuniti kurang berkemampuan khasnya mereka yang belajar di sekolah-sekolah luar bandar.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0118&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Sabah_%26_Sarawak&pg=wb_03.htm

Murid miskin terima bantuan persekolahan

18/01/2010

Rasman Ithnain (tengah) bersama murid-murid SK Gembut, Kota Tinggi yang menerima bantuan persekolahan, kelmarin.

KOTA TINGGI 17 Jan. – Seramai 20 murid dari keluarga kurang berkemampuan menerima barangan kelengkapan persekolahan sumbangan Hospital Penawar Johor Bahru (HPJB) di sini, baru-baru ini.

Murid-murid terbabit merupakan dari Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Gembut di sini yang ibu bapa mereka berpendapatan rendah dan ibu tunggal.

Mereka menerima sumbangan bernilai RM100 setiap seorang yang disampaikan oleh Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Sedili, Rasman Ithnain.

Jurucakap HPJB, Mohd. Fakuruddin Mohd. Sariban berkata, sumbangan wang tunai itu diharap dapat membantu meringankan beban kewangan yang dihadapi ibu bapa murid terutama untuk membayar pelbagai yuran sekolah.

“Usaha ini juga adalah sebagai langkah awal pihak HPJB dalam melaksanakan tanggungjawab sosial seperti membantu murid yang kurang berkemampuan bagi meneruskan pelajaran,” katanya kepada pemberita di sini kelmarin.

Sementara itu, Rasman berkata, aktiviti tersebut bertujuan mewujudkan kasih sayang antara satu sama lain tanpa mengira kedudukan, keturunan atau agama.

“Semoga program seperti ini dapat mendidik masyarakat kepada sifat suka menderma demi kesejahteraan semua,” katanya.

http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0118&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Johor&pg=wj_05.htm

NS exemption for volunteer student corps members

16/01/2010

By WONG SAI WAN

KUALA LUMPUR: Students who join the Civil Defence or Rela cadet corps in school may find themselves exempted from National Service under a Home Ministry proposal.

The ministry is seeking to recruit some 60,000 students for the two uniformed corps which offer military-style training as part of co-curriculum activities for secondary schools.

“The training provided by Rela and the Civil Defence is even tougher than National Service. These two corps are also uniformed groups.

“Our cadets go through two years of training every weekend during school terms, which is even longer than the three months that National Service trainees go through,” said ministry secretary- general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam in an interview yesterday.

He stressed that it was part of the ministry’s National Key Result Areas to ensure that the two cadet corps were properly trained.

“We are drawing up the proposal to get National Service exemption for our cadets and will submit the paperwork to the Government soon.

“We can already appeal to the Government to give exemption to our cadets but we want to work out the details first,” Mahmood said.

He added that the ministry would get exemptions only for cadets who served the full two years (in Form Four and Form Five).

At present, there are 24,263 civil defence cadets who undergo training by the Civil Defence Department at its various training centres throughout the country.

The corps was set up more than 10 years ago but has gone through a revamp in the past five years when cadets were given full-fledged training, like adult members.

The Civil Defence was set up in 1939 to prepare the people in World War II. The present-day department, aimed at handling natural and man-made disasters, is the first responder under the country’s emergency plan for situations like floods and landslides.

The Rela cadet corps is new and will be implemented this year.

Mahmood said getting students to join the two corps was the surest way of ensuring fresh recruits for the adult units.

“Once the students leave school, they can automatically be absorbed as adult members of Rela and the Civil Defence. We are targeting to increase the volunteer membership of the two organisation to about 200,000 each.

“The Government wants to encourage the spirit of volunteerism in the country, and Rela and the Civil Defence are among the best ways to do it,” he added.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/16/nation/5485030&sec=nation

Four students missing in boat mishap

17/01/2010

GEORGETOWN: The body of one of the five Chung Ling High School students, who went missing after their boat capsized in strong waves off Macallum Street Ghaut here, has been found.

Rescue workers found the body at 2.45pm on Sunday, believed to be that of Jason Ch’ng.

According to George Town acting OCPD Supt Gan Kong Meng, Ch’ng’s body was found under a boat not far from the shore.

Earlier, the body of their teacher Chin Aik Siang, 27, who was the school’s dragon boat team advisor, was found at about 11am.

A total of 17 students, aged between 16 and 17 years, and their teacher-cum-coach were training for a dragon boat race when the incident occurred at about 9am on Sunday just as the team was doing the final lap before returning to the shore.

The boat capsized when the students were doing a sharp manoeuvre, which hit a tug boat.

It is believed that strong currents had pulled the students into the water.

Twelve other students however managed to swim to the shore.

Some of them swam about 1km while some were rescued by two passing fishing boats.

A search and rescue operation has been mounted by the police, the Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Department.

The sunken boat has been recovered and towed to the shore.

Meanwhile, parents of the missing students are keeping a vigil near the scene.

Many of them were seen weeping openly and are being consoled by their relatives.

Those missing have been identified as Brandon Yeoh, Jason Ch’ng, Koh Yiz Hiang, Cheah Zi Jun, all 17, and Yong Xiang, 16.

It is learnt that some of the 17 students were not wearing life jackets.

It is learnt that the teacher Chin had only been recently appointed to the post.

He had been teaching science and mathematics for the past two years.

His body was sent to the Penang Hospital for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, Kuah Zi Xun, 17, who swam to the shore, said the strong current pulled down the students.

“Some of the who were wearing life jackets were also pulled down. I hope all my friends are safe,” he said.

Currently, more than 100 personnel from St John Ambulance, Rela, Penang Hospital, volunteer firefighters and divers from the Fire and Rescue Services department are involved in the search operations.

Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob told a press conference that the incident occurred about 150m from the shore.

“We are still investigating how many of them were wearing life jackets,” he said.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/17/nation/20100117120941&sec=nation