8 theSun | TUESDAY NOVEMBER 11 2008

news without borders

Man dies in
Five hand memo on road signs blaze, luxury
cars missing
to DCM, council chief
by Bernard Cheah
by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

GEORGE TOWN: The assistant manager of

newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: Members of the Umno
Tanjung division handed a memorandum
to the state government yesterday object-
ing against the proposed implementation
of multilingual road signs in George Town.
Five members, led by the division’s
deputy chief, Raja Munir Shah Raja Mus-
tapha, went unannounced to the office of
Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP)
president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman on
the 17th floor of Komtar, just as Zainal was
about to chair a staff meeting.
Looking visibly surprised, Zainal spoke
to Raja Munir and received the memoran-
dum. The group then went to the office of
Deputy Chief Minister (I) Mohammad Fairus
Khairuddin on the 52nd floor, after failing to
meet Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who was
attending Parliament. Raja Munir handed a
copy of the memorandum to Fairus.
Both Zainal and Fairus had not been
informed of the “visit” by the group.
The memorandum stated the division’s
dissatisfaction with the plans by the state
government and MPPP to put up multi-
lingual road signs in the heritage area of
George Town.
Saying such a move would incur the an-
ger of the Malays in the state, it questioned
the authorities’ “real intentions” to put up
the signs.
“If chaos happens among the various
races because of this issue, it would give a
negative portrayal to foreign tourists, who
would become nervous, and this would
discourage them from visiting the state and
country,” the memorandum said.
Asked to comment, Zainal said the
MPPP has not received any official directive
from the state government to implement
the road signs.
He said that although the MPPP had sug-
gested the road names, the approval must
be given by the state executive council.
Fairus said the original Malay road
names will not be replaced. “The Malay
Cops free pixman held over bomb hoax
KUALA LUMPUR: A Tamil news- City CID chief SAC II Ku Chin
paper photographer who was Wah said police freed the man
detained by police last Tuesday on police bail after finding a lack
over a bomb hoax at the Umno of incriminating evidence against
supreme council meeting on Oct him.
31 at PWTC was released yester- The photographer, who is
day after being held in remand for in his 40s, was picked up in his
six days. house near Old Klang Road after
Lim and Fong
road signage will still be there and the
visit ‘Arab
Street’ in Bukit
prominence of the language will not be
threatened. Only translations in other lan-
guages will be inserted,” he said.
Bintang.
He said only tourist attractions with
historical background will have the multi-
lingual signage.
In Kuala Lumpur, Lim visited “Arab
Street” on Jalan Berangan, Bukit Bintang,
yesterday to see for himself how road signs
were put up in Arabic for the convenience
for tourists.
Saying it was not wrong to put up such
road signs, he criticised those who prac-
tised double standard in allowing road signs
in foreign languages in Kuala Lumpur “but
making a hue and cry over it in Penang”.
Lim said it is useful for tourists to read
road signs in their own languages.
police checked a phone number
said to belong to the caller of
the hoax provided by the PWTC
management.
A bomb disposal unit was
summoned following the call and
the team found a plastic bag con-
taining non-explosive material.
a car dealer’s shop was killed in a fire early
yesterday morning. Eight luxury cars worth
about RM2 million were reported missing after
the blaze.
State CID chief SAC II Wan Abdullah Tunku
Said said the body of Lim Swee Hua, 41, was
found in the kitchen of the shop on Jalan
Mesjid Negeri. His hands were clutching the
keys to his car, which was still parked outside
the shop.
Van driver Raja Rafizi, 28, said he was on
his way to Teluk Bahang at about 4am to pick
up some passengers when he noticed the shop
on fire. He stopped and heard a man shouting
for help inside the building.
“I ran into the compound but the fire was
too strong. Then I heard an explosion inside,”
he said.
Raja Rafizi called the Fire and Rescue
Department.
A post mortem revealed that Lim had suf-
fered about 90% burns on his body.
Lim’s brother, Swee Peng, 31, who is
the owner of the shop, reported eight cars
– three BMWs, three Toyota Alphards, one
Mercedes and one Toyota Caldina – missing.
No more excuses with
e-payment, say police
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: The e-payment booths
to facilitate the payment of traffic sum-
monses, which started a year ago in a joint
effort by the police and Maybank Berhad,
have proven to be a success as they have
helped the police recover RM15 million
in fines.
Police said unsettled traffic fines have
swelled to a whopping RM1.5 billion over
the years.
At the official launch of the e-payment
system at Mid Valley Megamall yesterday,
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa
Hassan said there are 85 e-payment
booths nationwide in strategic locations
where members of the public could
make payments by cash or credit or debit
cards. speeding will have to pay the maximum fine
In the past, the public had complained that of RM300.
they had to go through a hassle to make pay- However, he said those who feel they have
ments as there were times that the payment been wrongly issued a traffic summons and
counters were closed or overcrowded. wished to make an appeal or complaint can
“Those who hold traffic summonses should do so through regular procedures.
no longer give any excuse from now on. The Musa said he hopes Maybank will expand
e-payment booth is open from 8am to 5pm the summons payment facility by introduc-
daily. ing an online version where people can use
“Those who do not have cash can pay with multimedia sources to settle their fines.
their credit cards,” he said. Maybank president and chief executive
He said the e-payment system does not officer Datuk Sri Abdul Wahid Omar said the
allow appeals for reduction in fines as the system also benefited the police as the daily
sum has already been reduced to one which fines payments received through e-payment
is affordable for all motorists. is directly deposited into the account of
He said those who are fined for four serious the police force and an itemised transaction
offences namely beating traffic lights, double report is sent to the federal traffic police
line overtaking, jumping the traffic queue and branch.

‘Those who want EPF contributions

reduced should be made to fill forms’
KUALA LUMPUR: Employees Provident Fund
(EPF) contributors who opt for 8% contribution
should be required to fill a form and not those
who want to maintain the 11%, Malaysian
Trades Union Congress (MTUC) secretary-gen-
eral G. Rajasekaran said yesterday.
“The EPF should be fully aware that it is not
practical for millions of contributors to go to the
EPF office to collect the EPF 17A (AHL) forms,
complete and submit them to their employers.
“It has deliberately adopted the reverse
procedure to make it extremely difficult for con-
tributors to make a choice,” Rajasekaran said in
a statement.
He added if it was the government’s inten-
tion to help workers in need of extra cash, then
it would be more appropriate to maintain the
contribution at 11% and require those in need to
apply for the reduction.
Meanwhile, National Union of Plantation
Workers secretary-general Datuk G. Sankaran
urged the government to reconsider the 3% cut
by EPF and maintain the 11%.
He said the reduction would not benefit the
low income plantation workers.
“It will only cause them hardship during old
age as the 3% would have been spent.”
Sankaran said asking contributors who want
to retain the 11% to fill forms would only incon-
venience plantation workers. – Bernama