6 theSun | WEDNESDAY MAY 27 2009

news without borders

briefs
National Family Policy
ready soon
KUALA LUMPUR: Women, Family and Community
Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul
Jalil said yesterday the ministry is finalising the
National Family Policy and its action plan, an initia-
tive aimed at strengthening the family institution.
She said the proposal paper on the policy will
be tabled in the cabinet soon.
Shahrizat said once the policy is approved, her
ministry will clearly state to the people the forma-
tion of the family institution, including risks involved
in marrying later or refusing to get married.
She said many men and women are marry-
ing at an older age and this is a worrying trend
because there are many consequences of such a
trend, like a decline in the fertility rate.
Earlier, she launched the “Family Institution
Facing Current Challenges” seminar organised by
the Malaysian Islamic Understanding Institute.
Search for American
diver continues
KUANTAN: The search for American diver
Kenneth Wayne, 62, who disappeared in an
incident in the waters off Kuantan Port here
on Sunday continued yesterday.
Kuantan district maritime enforcement
head Commander Wan Mat Wan Abdullah
said the search radius had been increased
to 10 nautical miles from the location of the
New policy to solve temple
land problem
by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Cyclone KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Territo-
kills 120 ries Ministry is looking at a new policy to
in India, solve “once-and-for-all” the land problem
faced by Chinese and Indian temples in
Bangladesh Kuala Lumpur, its deputy minister Datuk
pg 8 M. Saravanan said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters after meeting
Chinese temple representatives at the
Kuala Lumpur City Hall, he said the
government and representatives agreed
that there is a need for a clear-cut policy
to handle the problem faced by the tem-
ples.
“Temples had to be relocated when-
ever there was land development, but no
ownership (land title) was given to the
temples after their relocation. Therefore,
a new policy is needed to address such
a problem. We need a policy that will
guarantee that land title is given to the
temples after the relocation,” he said.
Saravanan said the meeting agreed
that existing temples should be preserved
by giving them land title, but it also
agreed in principle that whenever there
is development on the land, the temples
will agree to be permanently relocated.
“We have also agreed that land for
the building of places of worship shall be
made available to the Chinese and Indian
community in every new housing area,”
he said.
Saravanan also proposed that small
temples be merged to solve the land
problem because the city does not have
enough land available for relocating
temples.
He said a committee will be set up
respectively by the Chinese and Indian
temple representatives to meet him quar-
terly on the temples issues as well as to
compile a comprehensive report for the
minister, Raja Datuk Nong Chik Zainal
Abidin, to bring up to the cabinet and
push for a new policy.
Asked how Chinese temples were
affected by such problems, Saravanan
said there were about 75 Chinese tem-
ples facing land tenure problem because
when a land is not owned by the temple,
DBKL will not allow the temple to un-
dergo renovation.
“That is why we need a policy that will
give land ownership to the temples,” he
said, adding he will soon meet the Indian
representatives over the same matter.
Saravanan defended DBKL as it has
no power to make policy on such mat-
ters, but can only implement whatever
had been decided by the government.

SUNPIX: SHARIL AMIN

tragedy by 12 divers from the Royal Malay-
sian Navy (RMN).
In the incident at 4am, Wayne disap-
peared while four others on board the yacht
were injured after the vessel was rammed
by another ship about 31 nautical miles off
Kuantan Port. – Bernama

KTMB to charge more for

sleeping booths
KUALA LUMPUR: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd
(KTMB) will increase the sleeping booth surcharge
on express trains to all destinations by RM2 and
RM3 from the middle of June.
KTMB managing director Datuk Abd Radzak
Abd Malek said RM3 extra would be charged
for the lower berth and RM2 extra for the upper
berth.
“This is to offset the escalating operation cost
as the surcharge had not been reviewed since
1980s. We will not be making any profit from the
increase,” he said after the presentation of the
Asia Freight and Supply Chain award to KTMB as
the best rail operator yesterday.
KTMB was adjudged the winner in Hongkong Saravanan meeting
on April 22 after edging out Canadian National members of the Chinese
Railway and Far Eastern Transport Group (Russia). Temple committee
– Bernama yesterday.

UCSI to set up
university hospital
by Tim Leonard
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: A private university yesterday
announced plans to build a university hospital at
its education township in Bandar Springhill, Negri
Sembilan.
The 400-bed state-of-the-art hospital will be
built in three phases at a cost of more than RM150
million.
UCSI University president and vice-chancellor
Peter T.S. Ng said the hospital will also incorporate
a medical sciences faculty within the university’s
160-acre tract in Bandar Springhill.
“We expect construction to start by July or
August pending approval from the authorities,”
he said. “Once completed, the hospital will be
one of the most comprehensive hospitals in the
country.”
It will offer both outpatient treatment and
in-staying facilities besides handling major opera-
tions and treatments.
“Medical students will be able to receive com-
prehensive practical training at the hospital.”
The university hospital, unlike private hospitals
which charge substantial fees, will have to cater to
all strata of society with very affordable charges.
Peter said unlike private hospitals which de-
pend solely on paying patients, the university hos-
pital will be able to sustain from patients’ charges
as well as fees paid for by medical students.
“We are also looking at catering to health tour-
ists,” he said.
The medical faculty will cater to students in
the field of medical research, nursing, pharmacy,
dentistry, optometry and physiotherapy.
USCI had in February last year signed an agree-
ment with West Synergy Sdn Bhd, the master
developer of Bandar Springhill, to develop the
education township on a 160-acre freehold tract
in the vicinity of Bandar Springhill.
The university hospital and medical faculty
comprises the first phase of the education town-
ship’s development.
The second phase will include a Faculty of
Management & Information Technology, a Faculty
of Applied Sciences, a Centre for Pre-University
Studies and a centre dedicated to continuous
research in Blue Ocean Strategy.
The third phase will see the incubation centre
for UCSI’s subsidiaries and spin-off companies
resulting from its research and discovery efforts,
an applied nursery for research, and commer-
cial facilities for the green industry to promote
eco-tourism in Malaysia and facilities for marine
biology studies as well as oil & gas engineering.
It is anticipated that once all three phases are
completed in 2016, thousands of jobs and busi-
ness opportunities will be created for both the
local and wider communities.