Deaths continue in Malaysian detention camp

Burma News International, Dec 15, 2009

Deaths among detainees afflicted by an unknown disease continue in the KLIA detention camp near the Kuala Lumpur International airport in Malaysia.

Malaysian authorities detain illegal foreigners in detention camps before they are deported to the migrant’s country of origin. There have been deaths among detainees since the end of August this year.

Ngaung Sapaung (45), died on December 9 in the camp of the unknown disease, a detainee said.

"Ngaung Sapaung was critically ill. He could not get up. They sent him to a hospital. He was in the hospital for a day. The next day at 9 p.m. he died. Seven inmates died in the camp in four months," he added.

His legs were swollen and he could not have any food for a week before he died. He also suffered from constipation and retention of urine. Though other inmates informed camp authorities about his deteriorating health, camp authorities did not send him to hospital on time.

Most detainees were moved from the Samongnyin camp because they demonstrated demanding better health care facilities since early July. There is lack of health care facilities and medicines cannot be brought from outside.

"Old inmates moved from the Samongnyin camp have not been taken to doctors or given medicines. We requested for medicines from our friends, who are outside but the authorities do not allow us to take these medicines," he said.

"The old detainees moved from the Samongnyin camp have their names deleted from the UNHCR's list. Therefore, the UNHCR cannot bring them back.

"If we want to see officials from the UN, the officials come to the camp but they cannot call out our number. There is no list of names in the detention camp. Even though the UN has submitted a list of names, ours have been deleted because there is no list here. So, we cannot meet the UN officials. I have been in the camp for a year, where there are lots of difficulties," he added.

Though the authorities have attempted to investigate the cause of the disease but there are no answers yet. The Burmese Embassy has attempted to send them back to Burma but they don't have enough money for the return trip. So they continue to be in the detention camp.

"If I had the money, I would have gone back. Now I don't have enough money and I cannot get any money from home. So, I have to stay in the camp," the inmate said.

If a person wants to go back to Burma, he has to pay about 1,500 ringgit. Even though an official from the Burma Embassy managed to send some of them back with only 500 ringgit per person, now it has stopped.

There are a total of 130 Burmese in the camp. Among of them, about 30 are suffering from the unknown disease.

Detainees said there is lack of light; improper ventilation system in the camp, unclean water for drinking and bathing, and lack of fresh food. Therefore the disease is spreading in the camp, inmates added.

Have you seen this girl?

Dear Friend,

朋友们，

Halo, kawan-kawan,

If you found the girl as below, please pass her to nearest police station or contact to your state police hot line.

如您有发现这位小女孩，请您把她送到附近的警察局，还是连络州属的警察热线。

Jikalau kamu terjumpa budak perempuan seperti nyata di bawah,

Sila tolong hantar dia ke balai polis yang terlekat,

Ataupun berhubung dengan hot line polis negeri kamu.

She was missing since 19/11/2009 at KL Ipoh road.

Her name: Ng Kah Yee.

她的姓名：伍嘉仪

Namanya: Ng Kah Yee.

Age: 13 years old.

13 岁。

13 tahun.

A place to vent your frustration...

Any new happenings? Any issues bothering you? Want to rant about something? Here is a place for the residents of PG to voice out their views.

Viva Las Vegas.........

Can you imagine such neon lights or sign board for PG? I am sure it will light up the sky and probably blind a few people and cause quite a lot of accidents because it is going to be so distracting for drivers passing by.

Ok la, we have a stone sign near the guard house indicating Pearl Garden, people say solid like a rock, good foundation (which is very good) and it was probably free of charge (the rock that is) but of course cannot compare to the neon lights like the ones in Las Vegas. But good enough, right?

Those casinos, hotels and amusement parks have huge budget ma...I think it will cost the organization a few million dollars just to build and up keep those in the video.

Can one imagine the day, just one fine day, a nut case wants to put up a sign board like those in Las Vegas for Pearl Garden ah? I personally felt that it is going to be so so out of place, and I cannot imagine the cost of it...RM 25,000 or more? Worth it ah?

If PG has the "extra money", better use it wisely, like repairing the fences along the school compound, repair the tennis court, upgrade the gym equipments, repair the gutter pipes, install water filters for all blocks, build a visitors car park etc.....

Just my 2 cents.....

You got a friend..by CAT

CAT can cari makan composing lyrics. Sing along people....LOL

On behalf of Jimmy, I would like to dedicate this song to all visitors to this blog.
I have changed some lyrics. Jimmy, please post the song video in the blog
The word “write” in the song means: leowbh@gmail.com
The word “call” in the song means: 012-4010883

Song: By Carole King, here it goes……..let’s sing along together…..

*When your down and troubled
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, nothing is going right.
On your PC and write to me
And soon I will reply
To brighten up even your darkest nights.

Or you just call my number,
And you know where ever I am
I'll come running, to help you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there,
You've got a friend.

If the problem for you
is crap and full of bull
And that MC shit begins to show
Keep your head together and call my number fast
And soon I will be knocking upon your door.

You just call my number
and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to help you again.
Winter, Spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?
MC can be so cold.
They do nothing but desert you.
Well they'll take your trust if you let them.
Oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call my number
and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to help you again.
Oh PG, don't you know that,

Winter Spring summer or fall,
write now or you've got to do is call.
PG, I'll be there, yes I will.
You've got a friend.
You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend?
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend?
You've got a friend*

Stick it there as a revenge....

Photo courtesy from Ad.

Do I need to say more???

Sembang sembang session with MC Chairman

Looks like there is no end to the complaints and every time I moderate a comment, it is always in a form of frustration and disgust.

Rude security, illegal parking, sleeping guards, yellow chain, gutter pipes, fallen branches, no parking stickers, tennis court, slippery floors, dog shitting, dogs barking, run down gym equipment, not enough parking lot, no visitor car park, tidak apa attitude committees and the list goes on...

Why don't we get the MC chairman and have a "sembang sembang" forum with him. Clarification and verification time. If you guys agree to this, I will "invite" Gan to meet up with all concerned.

For those agree to this, state your attendance and propose a date.

Penang Bridge International Marathon

About 19,000 participants have registered for the international marathon which will be divided into four categories — Full Marathon (850 participants), Quarter Marathon (about 2,000), Half Marathon (about 6,000) and Fun Run (about 10,000).

The annual event has attracted marathon runners from all over the world.

Video by Jimmy Leow

Yellow Chain Gang Strikes Again

I really don't know whether to laugh or cry. First, the famous "yellow chain" was removed to many residents' relieve. I have to thank some of the residents who confronted the "tidak apa" attitude SC about this and finally it knock some bloody sense into whoever is holding the portfolio.

Now, we thought, "Ok, lah, now that the yellow chain is removed, it will force the security guards to act accordingly by stopping people from parking their vehicles there, but now, the guards themselves are parking their cars there, KNN, WTF!.

Above are some photos taken by a resident showing the same guard's car parked at the "restricted" zone on the 23rd and 24th Nov 2009.

This evening as I was returning back from dinner, the freaking car was still parked there at around 10:30pm.

So, the enforcer is violating the law. Maybe residents should stick the "No parking" stickers onto the car from front to back and on the SC's face too.

Lion King for Ad's son....

This video is for Ad's son, enjoy...

Fused and Wasted....

Just 2 more observations here.

1. 2 cases of garden lights - one of the bulbs had fused.

a. Near the multi-storey car park exit.

b. Near children's play ground.

2. PG library lights on, but no one is inside.

Required actions :-

1. Replace the bulbs and management should check frequently. Buat kerja!

2. Residents should practice energy saving, switch off when you leave. Jimat tenaga!

Gutter pipe incident...

These photos were taken by a Block B resident this morning. It showed the half severed gutter pipe and the other showing the brackets without the pipe.

Thanks for the photo contribution.

Gutter pipe incident, residents fuming over repair delays...

With the gutter pipe crashing down at Block B, residents of PG are fuming mad over the delays in getting the problem rectified. A resident had informed the management office about the problem weeks before it came crashing down yesterday.

Here are a few of the many comments received :-

Resident # 1

"The disaster finally happened, the rain gutter at Block B finally fallen. Hope that it has not caused any injury to any of the residents.

I would like to express my disappointment to management office again.

LT, you know, I did purposely took picture from my bedroom windows on Sep 20 (one of the Sunday morning, if not mistaken) about the damaged of rain gutter from 14 floor, showed to Mr Choo (our management officer), download to management office PC and explain to him my concern of the rain gutter at Block B which potential will collapse one day.

He recorded the information and since then I didn’t follow up further... unfortunately, the rain gutter collapsed today, and another one that mentioned keep swing right & left during strong wind also going to collapse soon."

Resident # 2

"Mitigation of clear and present problems is what management should take care of (especially when it could cause injury), it definitely doesn't bode well for them if they act only after something has happened, and it could've been worse for all they know. This is very lackadaisical on their part, I'd imagine that the safety of the residents should be of utmost importance. Management can't be that incompetent, I really hope this doesn't happen again."

Resident # 3

"can management staff know what is containment action? corrective action? preventive action? maybe they are well know of 'no action'.

Is there any other pipe also been affected?
Is there any other plant or tree almost collapse?
Is there any branches almost falling?
Is there any other findings?

If management staff is so 'BUSY' at their work, maybe we, as PG residents should show our concern to where we live.

One suggestion, how about one day after work, we form a group, gather at one place and we start to go around and monitor any findings surrounding PG. Look high, look low, look left, look right, and take any necessary picture and show all to management staff... place a real stack of complaints at once and see how they react?

If they still 'no action', then i think maybe we as resident should do something liao... unity is power!"

Resident # 4

"this morning 6.20am i passed through Block B and surprise to see pipe & pieces on the floor. Glad nobody injury.

Need immediate action to looking on this matter.

outside PG guard house, 1 tree has fallen. Hope another serious. Need to monitor other plant too, hope no more plant fallen."

About Not on My Watch Prevention Campaign

To protect patients by reducing the risk of HAI, healthcare professionals must continually update their knowledge of infection management.

As part of an ongoing commitment to quality care and infection prevention, nationwide doctors and hospitals are partnering with Kimberly-Clark to deliver continuing education programs on healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevention to staff and management. As simple as education sounds, busy doctors and nurses on the front lines of delivering care can find it difficult to find the time to take advantage of scheduled programs within their hospitals.

The HAI Education Program is part of a national infection awareness campaign for healthcare professionals called “Not on My Watch” and will provide the facility with a toolkit that contains informational flyers, patient safety tips and posters.

The "Not on My Watch" campaign provides accredited continuing education (CE) programs based on best practices and guidelines as well as research available on reducing the incidence of healthcare-associated infections.

For details about the "Not On My Watch" campaign, and the HAI Education Bus please visit www.HAIwatch.com.

Danger from above....

This morning at 7:20am, I noticed a huge fallen branch leaning on the fence next to the jogging path. As usual, being a pain-in-the-ass for management office and MCs, I recorded the matter. I then called Yeoh and Gan later this morning to discuss on the issue. I also asked Desmond to look at the problem (since he was at the motorcycle parking lot near to the field), but he told me that he does not have the time for it. I believe he as one of the MCs should be concerned too, but apparently not.

I have filed a request to management office a few days ago to trim the trees located at the PG field, but yet nothing has been done yet. I know it is difficult to get the right contractor to do the job but at the same time we cannot delay the trimming too.

The fallen branch measuring at least 3 meters long and weighs approx. 15-18kgs can kill if it lands on someone's head. Imagine the force from 20 feet above...Ok, I know la that Pearl Garden has the insurance for such incidents, but will it help if some one die or paralyzed because of such accidents. I think prevention is better than cure....be smart la..

We went along the path and also found some really heavy broken branches hanging dangerously from above (the tree nearby the washing bay). So, when you walk or jog under these trees, watch out for falling branches...

Kampung Buah Pala : Now and Then....

CJ Jimmy Leow was passing by Kampung Buah Pala last weekend and cannot help but stop to see the changing landscape of this village.

Kampung Buah Pala was once known as 'High Chaparral' due to its population of cowherds, cattle, goats, other livestock, its unique hilly environment and Indian cultural features and festivities.

Kampung Buah Pala was once the major supplier of fresh cow's milk on the island, including the Penang Hospital.

The 200-year-old Indian traditional village was demolished in September this year to pave way for a condominium project named 'The Oasis', undertaken by the cooperative society and Nusmetro Venture.

He recalls the frequent meetings between the state government and the villagers, both wanting to reach a win win solution and, the villagers with their 200 odd supporters formed human barricades to prevent demolition workers from entering the village. Their cries and agony of seeing the houses being torn down.

Brave men and women they were. They were merely defending their rights to stay where they belong. Anyone would do the same.

But it is all over now, the villagers evicted, houses demolished, High Chaparral flattened, most of the families took the double storey house offer and as dusts settled, one often wondered if the villagers are still traumatized by the whole experience. Such experience will not be forgotten easily, at least not in their lifetime.

Video by Jimmy Leow

Jom Daftar Undi, PKR Style

JOM Daftar Undi organized by Sim Tze Tzin, Adun Pantai Jerejak was held at Queensbay Mall, Penang. He mentioned that 3.8 million eligible voters between the age of 21 to 39 have yet to register in Malaysia.

This program will last for the next six months and the counters are open after working hours at Queensbay Mall main information counter. Among present at the event was the Deputy Chief Minister I, Mansor Othman who launched the program.

Video by Jimmy Leow

Poor Wiring Conduit Updates

Here's Albert's feedback after some rectification works on the wiring conduit. So, Albert, personally, it still looked "half cooked".

Below are Albert's comments.

Hi Jimmy,

The contractor has came back with some "rectification". Pls look at the picture. It's better than nothing. At least the conduit now sit at the edge between wall and ceiling.

Thanks for your help

Regards
Albert

Traffic Congestion In The Making

It is a pleasure to put up some of our residents' articles. This one here came from Albert and thanks very much.

Hi Jimmy,

I am staying in Pearl Garden. Recently, I have came across a news in local chinese newspaper which I think would affect all of us including Sungai Ara residents. Sorry for the chiong hei (long winded) email. This is more or less the content of the news.

25th Oct 09

To ease the heavy traffic in the Bayan Lepas old town road, the Penang JKR department will open a new

interchange road called Jalan Kampung Bukit, which will divert the traffic from Teluk Kumbar to Sungai Ara. It

means that for those residents staying in Teluk Kumbar who would like to go to the town area, they will have to turn left at the traffic light into Jalan Kampung Bukit where Taman Sri Bayu apartment is located, instead of passing through the Bayan Lepas old town area.

The Jalan Kampung Bukit road will eventually merge to the Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim where the resident from Teluk Kumbar will pass through the traffic light infront of the SP Setia, cemetry, Pearl Garden, Chung Cheng Primary School to go to Georgetown.

Currently the new Jalan Kampung Bukit road is still not open to the public yet as the JKR is still waiting for the traffic flow report. After the new road is opened, the JKR will change the Bayan Lepas old town road to one way. It means that for those who wants to go to Teluk Kumbar from Bayan Baru, they can still pass through the Bayan Lepas old town road. But not of the opposite direction. This news is reported in the Kwong Wah Jit Poh dated 25th Oct 09.

Fyi, the new interchange road will be opened next month. Please refer to the original news reported at this link, http://www.kwongwah.com.my/news/2009/10/25/2.html

As the resident of Pearl Garden and Sungai Ara as a whole, I personally think that this arrangement or "patch

solution" is going to create heavy traffic congestion along Jalan Dato' Ismail Hashim. Every morning and

evening during peak hours, the traffic flow in Sungai Ara is almost unbearable.

We will have to bear with heavy jam in the traffic light located in front of Chong Cheng Primary School and the traffic light at the cross road of Jalan Data Ismail Hashim and Jalan Tun Dr Awang. What the local authorities are trying to do is to move the traffic congestion problem from one place to another.

This will not solve the traffic problem but at the same time creating a bigger pile up along Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim which is already having problem coping with the increasing traffic. With such heavy traffic congestion, Sungai Ara property price will definitely be affected.

Currently, we are having difficulty trying to cross the road opposite of Pearl Garden (Jalan Dato Ismail

Hashim) due to heavy traffic from Setia Pearl Island direction. I could not imagine how the situation will be

if the road is used for those traffic from Teluk Kumbar as well.

Do you have any channel for us to complain/feedback to the local authority in order for them to find a better

solution?

I guess they will have to come to Sungai Ara during peak hour to realize that the traffic condition in Sungai Ara is no better than Teluk Kumbar and it might be worst.

I could think of a simpler solution. Instead of directing the traffic along Jalan Dato Ismail Hashim, the traffic could be directed to Jalan Makamah. From Jalan Makamah, the road user will be able to turn to Jalan Tun Dr Awang. In fact, the road user could access back to Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah but that would require them to make an illegal U-Turn at the roundabout near the airport.

If the Local authority could allow traffic to flow to the roundabout, the condition will be much better. Please refer to the image Map.jpg for the alternative route that I mentioned. Apologize for the poor description. The road that was proposed by JKR is showed in cyan and green arrow. The alternative route that I thought of is rounded as blue.

Albert

Sugar Glider as a PET...

Learn the REAL pro's and cons of having a Sugar Glider as a pet. Reliable veterinary-approved information..