2 theSun | FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14 2008

news without borders

Event organiser started building without signing agreement

GEORGE TOWN: The Kings of Tennis
organiser started construction of the
makeshift tennis court and grand stand
without signing an agreement on the
conditions of use with the Penang
island Municipal Council.
Local government, traffic manage-
ment and environment committee
chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the
council had on Oct 21 sent an agree-
ment with conditions that the organiser
pay RM261,531 to the council as rental
charges, to give a RM2 million bank
guarantee as deposit and to restore
the field to its original condition after
the event.
“The organiser, Arianna Teoh, did not
acknowledge nor sign the agreement
but instead wrote to the council on Oct
24 requesting the use of the town hall
and parking lot but did not remit the
payment or sign the agreement,” he
told reporters.
He said by Oct 30, when Teoh had
still not paid the rental, the council is-
sued a bill to her.
“Since it was a prestigious event and
a tourism product, the state executive
council decided to waive the deposit of
RM2 million bank guarantee but they
still needed to pay rent,” he said.
He added the organiser started con-
struction on the field without paying the
rent but the council did not take action
out of “goodwill”.
Chow said by Nov 11, when the or-
ganiser still did not pay rent, the council
asked the organiser to dismantle the
makeshift tennis court and restore the
field. It is learnt that some of the struc-
tures are now being dismantled.
Chow earlier said the project was
initially rejected by the council when it
was proposed in early August but Teoh
had re-submitted the application with
the work schedule on Aug 15.
The application was considered in
a technical meeting on Oct 17 and ap-
proved with conditions.
The Kings of Tennis Big Bang Penang
event was touted to be one of the big-
gest tennis events to be held in Penang
but it was cancelled by the producer on
Tuesday when the local organiser failed
to pay the players.
Consumers’ Association of Penang
(CAP) criticised the state government
on the irregularities in procedures in
handling this case.
“Now that the event has been
scrapped and the organisers may lose
RM17.5 million, can we expect the or-
ganisers to restore the field to its original
condition soon? Without the rental and
bank guarantee, are taxpayers expected
to foot the bill for the restoration work,
should the state government carry out
the work ultimately?” he asked.
Teoh’s office said she would issue a
statement within three days.

thiran was summoned by the police

briefs
IGP: Don’t challenge
fatwa on tomboyism
KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of
Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan yesterday
warned certain non-Muslim non-govern-
ment organisations (NGOs) to stop chal-
lenging the National Fatwa Council’s
ruling that tomboyism is “haram”.
He said such action could affect
national security and trigger retaliation
yesterday over a commotion in Parlia- Kirsalini Thirukumaran of SR
ment on Oct 22. Tarcian Convent, Ipoh, walks to
Besides Thananthiran, Police Watch
Malaysia member S. Jayathas was also
the stage to receive her award
for scoring 5As in the UPSR.
seen entering the Sentul police head-
quarters at 10.15am. They left about two
hours later.
Sentul police chief ACP Zakaria
Pagan said police had recorded state-
ments from the two individuals.
Thananthiran told reporters: “Both of
us were asked some 20 questions on the
handover of a memorandum on Oct 22
but we only answered a few as it is our
right not to answer. Why were we called
to give evidence when we only went to
Parliament to hand over a memo? Nev-

among Muslims.
“I’m warning them and will take stern
action as it involves national security,” he
told reporters after delivering a keynote
address at a seminar on Empowering
Justice in Syariah Courts at the Interna-
tional Islamic University Malaysia, here
yesterday.
Musa said the recent street dem-
onstration organised by non-Muslim
NGOs on the ruling was uncalled for
as it could trigger fights. “This proves
they have no respect for other religion
because the fatwa was issued for Mus-
lims. Why do they have to be the one to
demonstrate?” he asked.
BERNAMAPIX
ertheless, we thank the police for their
professional conduct today.”
He said MPs for Kapar S. Manikavasa-
gam and Teluk Intan Dr M. Manogaran
had been summoned to give statements
over the same incident today.
“I feel Home Minister Datuk Seri
Syed Hamid Albar should also be called
to give evidence since there are over 40
police reports lodged against him over
his inaccurate remarks about Hindraf,”
Thananthiran said. – Bernama

Tigers maul M’sian to

Last week, two non-Muslim NGOs
– Katagender and Food-not-Bombs
– staged a protest against the National
Fatwa Council’s ruling that tomboyism,
where a girl behaves or dresses in
boyish manner, is forbidden in Islam.
– Bernama
Hindraf coordinator
quizzed
KUALA LUMPUR: Former coordina-
tor of the outlawed Hindu Rights
Action Force (Hindraf) R.S. Thanan-
death in Singapore Zoo
SINGAPORE: A Malaysian worker died
after he was mauled by tigers at the
Singapore Zoo in Mandai Road yesterday
afternoon.
Visitors watched in horror as three
tigers pounded on Nordin Montong, in his
30s, who was said to have entered the
enclosure where the tigers were kept in
the 12.30pm incident. Zoo workers rushed
to rescue him by distracting the tigers.
A Singapore police spokesman said the
man was injured on his neck and body.
Para-medics pronounced him dead at
about 12.45pm. – Bernama
Hisham: Maths and Science
in English not a failure
KOTA BARU: The teaching and learn- after officiating at the SK Paloh Pintu was proud of it.
ing of Mathematics and Science in Gang’s golden anniversary celebra- “The ministry has no intention at
English since 2003 has not been a tion here yesterday. all to sideline Bahasa Malaysia but
failure as proven by this year’s Ujian He was responding to mounting at the same time we want pupils
Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) pressure from various quarters, to practise English for their own
results announced yesterday. including academics, for Maths and future.”
Education Minister Datuk Seri Science to be taught in Bahasa Ma- Hishammuddin said the UPSR re-
Hishammuddin Hussein said al- laysia to avoid the national language sults analysis and recommendations
though the number from being sidelined. would be brought to a roundtable
of candidates who In this year’s UPSR, 46,641 can- discussion before being submitted
scored 5As had didates or 9.2% of the total 518,616 to the cabinet.
dropped a little, the obtained grade A in all subjects they “The policy can be changed but I
number of those who sat for. want all quarters to reach a consen-
passed all subjects Director-General of Education sus and not blame any party after
was high. Datuk Alimudin Mohd Dom, when an- this. I also urge all quarters not to be
“This proves that nouncing the results, said the score emotional when voicing their views
teaching and learning this time was better compared with on the issue,” he said.
of Maths and Science 7.8 % in the previous five years. Hishammuddin said the govern-
in schools has not In connection with this, Hisham- ment also aimed to narrow the
been a failure but I muddin said in this year’s UPSR, academic achievement gap between
am not saying that the 57% of the candidates answered rural and urban primary school pupils
system is complete their questions in English, indicating because it had provided the best for
or perfect. It can be that they were comfortable using rural pupils to reach the level they
improved,” he said the language and that the ministry should. – Bernama

Dip in air quality in six areas

by Maria J. Dass
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: Six areas in
the country were hit by haze
yesterday, with the Air Pollutant
Index (API) dipping from good to
moderate yesterday morning.
At 11am, the API levels at
Port Klang was the highest at
64, followed by Kuantan at 58,
Shah Alam at 54, Kuala Lumpur
at 52 and Taiping and Seberang
Jaya, Prai both at 51.
The API reading of 0-50
denote good air quality, 51-100
– moderate, while a reading of
101 to 200 indicates unhealthy
air pollution levels.
The NOAA 18 satellite im-
ages on the Malaysian Mete-
orological Department website
showed six hotspots in Sumatra
– two on its west coast and four
in the south – and one hotspot
in Kelantan.
The visibility in Subang,
Kuantan and Petaling Jaya
dropped to as low as 3km, 4km
and 5km respectively yesterday
morning.
However, the condition
improved later in the day follow-
ing afternoon rain. By 5pm, the
visibility in Subang improved to
9km, Petaling Jaya to 7km and
Kuantan to more than 10km.
In Bangkok, a first-of-its-kind
rigorous multi-city study on the
effects of air pollution on health
in Bangkok, Hongkong, Shanghai
and Wuhan has found significant
mortality effects of acute expo-
sure to urban air pollution.
Dr Frank Speizer of the
Harvard Medical School and
chairman of the Health Effects
Institute’s (HEI) International
Oversight Committee, said
the study brought fresh local
evidence that the substantially
higher levels of air pollution in
Asia were also associated with
significant health effects.
The study’s finding of a 0.6%
increase in mortality for every
10 microgrammes of exposure
to particulate air pollution is
strikingly similar to comparable
western results (which range
from 0.4 % to 0.6 %) and pro-
vides increased confidence in
the new Asian results.