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No. 4710 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Thursday
March 5, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com

Unity » Tree House cracks ‘em up pg6 » Stunned Pakistan hunts killers pg10 News without
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Estet pg18

April 7 polling day

for Batang Ai
No retrenchment fund by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

UALA LUMPUR: The gov-

the effects of the global economic
slowdown,” he said.
Subramaniam added, however,
for up to two years and after they
have found a job, they can pay back
to the fund,” he suggested.
“So we have to look at it in a
very holistic manner and we do an
actuarial study before we make a

K
that the International Labour Or- Abdullah Sani Abd Hamid (PKR- commitment because once we start
ernment has ruled out setting ganisation (ILO) was conducting a Kuala Langat) felt that employers a fund like the Social Security Fund,
by-election the Batang Ai state up a retrenchment fund now
although retrenchments and
feasibility study on such a fund for
the country and was expected to be
should contribute RM1 for every
employee to the fund. “From a legal
we have to continue forever and we
cannot stop it half way,” he said.
KUCHING: Polling for
on April 7, simultane- lay-offs are growing, said Human completed by June. He said the gov- standpoint, workers who lost their On minimum wage, he said the
by-election will be held
pol ls for the Bukit Gantang Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. ernment will review the situation jobs should be compensated and government was committed to in-
ously with the and Bukit Selam- Subramaniam. based on the ILO proposal. yet, we still hear stories of workers creasing wages and it was the way
Per ak
parliamentary seat in In winding up debate on the Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman not getting their pay.” forward for the country so that jobs
bau state seat in Kedah.
chairman Tan Sri ministry in the Dewan Rakyat (BN-Pasir Salak) insisted the fund Subramaniam replied that the will be more attractive to locals.
Election Commission
Yus of sai d yesterday nomi- yesterday, he said it was not the was needed so that money could government will not be rushed Meanwhile, Subramaniam ex-
Abdul Aziz Mohd 29, like for the government’s policy to provide be disbursed directly to those who into setting up the fund as it did plained that the ministry cancelled a
Ma rch
nation was fixed for
two sea ts. No tice of the writ would be unemployment benefits. had lost their jobs to help them with not want a short-term solution to briefing for all MPs on retrenchment
other “We help those who have their living expenses. the economic situation. “When we issue next week as the mini budget
issued on Friday. owing the death lost their jobs by helping them “Rather than giving money to talked to employers, many claimed will be presented on Tuesday and
The seat fell vacant foll
Du blin Un ting Ingkot, the to increase their skills and em- third parties to conduct refresher that they are good employers and new policies might be introduced.
of incumbent Datuk
yat Sar aw ak (PR S) vice-president, on ployability as well as to secure or training courses for retrenched are unlikely to retrench their work- Earlier, Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-
Parti Rak other jobs. The retrenchment workers, it is better to give the ers and (asked) why they should Bandar Kuching) had asked why
ess.
Feb 24, after a long illn
considering sev- fund cannot be set up now as money directly to the workers. The be paying for somebody who is Opposition MPs’ invitations to the
Abdul Aziz said after
felt tha t the Sarawak EC the country is already feeling monthly disbursement can be given irresponsible to their employees? briefing were withdrawn.
eral factors, the EC election and it
the by-
officer was ready for ctions simulta-
to hol d the by- ele
was timely pai gning period.
id a lon g cam
neously to avo
He said RM400,000 had bee n app roved for Old kingdoms
the by-election.
centres would be The Bujang Valley civilisation of
A total of 24 polling
ool s, lon gho uses, kindergar- Kedah was one of several Indianised
opened at sch mis es while 201 kingdoms to have existed in South-
nt pre
tens and governme
rke rs wo uld be dep loyed, he said, adding east Asia. Although it is now known
wo
06 registered voters to have emerged by 300 AD, its
that Batang Ai had 8,0
63 ord inary and 43 postal disappearance remains a mystery.
comprising 7,9 The other major kingdoms were:
voters. – Bernama
Champa (200 AD to 1832)
Southern & central Vietnam
First recorded as Lin-Yi in Chinese
A USM staff texts from 200 AD. Formed by the
excavates the site of Chams, the kingdom lasted for a
a 1,700-year -old wall very long time, surviving a series of
in Merbok. battles, until it was finally annexed by
invading Vietnamese in 1832.
Below: Mokhtar (right)
with vice-chancellor Funan (100 AD to 627 AD)
Dzulkifli at the site of Cambodia & Vietnam
a smelting workshop. A pre-Angkor kingdom of the Khmers,
Funan was an important trading port
MASRY CHE ANI/THESUN

where ancient materials from the

Romans, Indians and Chinese have
been unearthed in modern-day exca-

Civilisation dating back to 300 AD found vations. The kingdom was later over-
thrown by its vassal state of Chenla.

Langkasuka (100 AD to 1400s)

by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SUNGAI PETANI: Malaysian archae-
ologists have discovered at least 30
ancient mounds, comprising struc-
tures like houses, clay brick walls and
a metal workshop dating back some
1,700 years, within a 3 sq km area in
Merbok, Kedah.
The discoveries, made within the
last year, point to new evidence that
the Bujang Valley civilisation existed
long before neighbouring empires
such as Majapahit (1200 AD) and Sri
Vijaya (700 AD).
An extensive research is being done
by the Centre for Global Archaeologi-
cal Research (CGAR) of Universiti Sains
Malaysia to determine how advanced
the little-known civilisation, known
variously in historic annals as Kataha
and Kidaram, was.
Remnants of the ancient society,
including temples, tablets and drain-
age channels, have been found across
more than 300 sq km around Gunung
Jerai – the highest peak in north
Malaysia – since the British colonial
period. However, the latest discover-
ies shed greater light by scientifically
confirming the date of the civilisation,
CGAR director Assoc Prof Dr Mokhtar
Saidin said yesterday.
At the heart of the new discoveries
is a metal-smelting workshop replete
with a network of furnace nozzles,
recently unearthed in an oil palm
plantation in Sungai Batu.
“This is the first time that an
advanced metal industry from such
a period has been confirmed to have
existed in this region,” he said.
“We are gradually uncovering the
remaining mounds. It is a very slow
and painstaking process, but is reveal-
ing a lot of new information.”
It is understood that the system of
metallurgy found in the site is similar
to techniques used in ancient India.
Also unearthed were artefacts like
ceramics, pots, bracelets and beads.
He said this during a visit to one of
the excavation sites in Sungai Batu.
Also present was USM vice-chancellor
Tan Sri Prof Dzulkifli Abd Razak
He stressed that previous excava-
tions in Merbok, closer to Gunung
Jerai, uncovered structures that
were principally religious in nature. A
museum housing some of the arte-
facts is now located there. However,
the recent findings give new insight
into the actual lifestyles and activities
of the people of that period.
Mokhtar did not discount the fact
that the port settlement could have
had trading and cultural ties with em-
pires such as Funan and Champa in
the Indo-Chinese region. It is also likely
to have been part of the Langkasuka
empire which dominated much of the
Malay peninsula, and whose traces
have also been found in Patani, South
Thailand.
CGAR is drafting a plan to develop
the area as a heritage park with guided
trails for visitors. The research is be-
ing conducted with a RM2.3 million
grant from the Unity, Culture, Arts and
Heritage Ministry.
South Thailand
Most of the remnants of Langkasuka
have been made on the eastern coast
of the Malay peninsula, especially in
Pattani region of south Thailand. Its
port was used for trading between
Indian and Chinese merchants,
through possible inland routes though
the Isthmus of Kra.
Majapahit (1300 AD to 1500 AD)
Java
At its height, the Majapahit empire
conquered much of the Malay
archipelago, including the peninsula.
Its decline came about during the
same period that saw the Malacca
sultanate rise as a trading power.
Sri Vijaya (700 AD to 1300 AD)
Sumatra
It extended its military might to the
Khmer regions, collecting tributes
even as it drew commerce from far
corners of the world.