New Straits Times articles from February 2007, page 3

New Straits Times archives from February 2007

Going mad.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jaganathan Manikam LARGE-scale swiftlet-breeding in Manjung, Perak, is becoming a nuisance to residents. The breeders play pre-recorded bird calls continuously every day, even on public...

Goodbye to peeping Toms.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: J.C. THE admission by Datuk Rosol Wahid, Terengganu Islam Hadhari and Welfare Committee chairman, that the state had hired "volunteer informants" who were "willing to stand as prosecution...

Bar Council election battle heats up.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: A senior lawyer has fired another salvo at the Bar Council. He said the council cannot reject the scrutineers' report. T. Kuhan of the Safeguard Lawyers Interest Group (SLIG)...

Don't treat them as lesser humans.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Joseph Paul THE Home Affairs Minister's comments on the need to control the movements of foreign workers to deal with crimes, purportedly committed by foreign workers, is disturbing, to say...

RapidKL's record a boon for island.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: P.J. Gomes THE proposal for Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras (RapidKL) to manage the bus service in Penang and the mainland should be applauded. Its bus frequency, ticketing system,...

It's a lousy report card.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: H.M.R. I REFER to "Trainee's torture raises perplexing questions" (NST, Feb 22), about the alleged torture of an air force trainee. One retired air force officer, defending ragging in...

24-month warranty from April.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Azura Abas GENTING HIGHLANDS: Housebuyers will be looking forward to April when the extended defect liability warranty on houses, from 18 to 24 months, takes effect. The new liability...

Fraser's Hill going downhill.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin MORE day-trippers are visiting Fraser's Hill, but fewer choose to stay overnight. M. HAMZAH JAMALUDIN finds out why. KUALA LUMPUR: Fraser's Hill, steeped in history...

Lim: Say sorry and be a saint.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu can transform himself from "Dracula" into a saint if he makes a public apology, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang said. Lim said Samy Vellu...

Assailant chops off Felda settler's hand.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Alina Simon PENDANG: A Felda settler is in hospital, minus the left hand, after it was chopped off during a fight on Saturday night. Shamsuddin Shafie's assailant allegedly picked up...

Teachers must serve, and not be served.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: F.L. I AGREE with Samuel Yesuiah from Seremban ("Hold them to their pledge" - NST, Feb 21). It seems Malaysians are a pampered lot. We have to spoon-feed and beg them to do anything....

Experts for religious issues.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA TERENGGANU: Expert groups comprising officers of the state religious affairs department will be set up in all seven districts in Terengganu to handle social problems among Muslims. The...

Reviving a Chinese tradition.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Lau Meisan JOHOR BARU: The Johor Baru Hakka Association has revived the Chinese tradition of distributing good luck rice ang pow using rice collected from 100 families. The rice, known...

A better 5th KLGP promised.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE fifth edition of the Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix (KLGP) later this year will be more innovative and compelling than previous editions. This comes after the success of the FEI World Cup Jumping final...

Residents fear another disaster.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) AMPANG: About 50 residents in Hulu Klang held a peaceful protest against a hillslope development yesterday. Residents of Dataran Ukay, Ukay Heights, Taman Hijau and Taman TAR fear that an incident...

Plan to shade pedestrian mall.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: The state government wants to shade the pedestrian mall in Upper Penang Road to make it more comfortable for visitors. It has requested RM400,000 from the federal government to erect a...

Be open.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: D.E. WITH respect to the letter from the Malaysian Oncology Society Council ("Causing needless fear in patients" - NST, Feb 20), I think mainstream medicine does wonders in fighting cancer,...

There is still room for growth.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hsu Dar Ren WEDNESDAY was the first day Bursa Malaysia opened after the Chinese New Year holidays. The composite index closed at 1,278.22, a 13-year high. Our market was a laggard for...

Disruption in water supply.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MALACCA: Water supply throughout the state will be disrupted for 18 hours on Wednesday due to pipeline repairs. Taps will be turned off at 9am and supply will resume in stages from 3am the next...

Malaysia will lose cost advantage.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.K. Tan ACCORDING to the authorities, the reason for imposing the RM20 entry levy on Singaporean motorists is to defray the cost of petrol subsidy by the government. In other words, we are...

Pampered lot.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Jeremiah Tan SAMUEL Yesuiah is right. It's time teachers honour their pledge to be in this profession ("Hold them to their pledge" - NST, Feb 21). It's sad to see teachers waiting to be...

Complementary treatment the key.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Zainal Carrie I REFER to the remarks by the Malaysian Oncology Society Council in response to Dr M. Rajen's article, "Is there an alternative for cancer sufferers?" (NST, Feb 4) , which...

Stolen ceremonial arms recovered.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hamidah Atan PUTRAJAYA: Police yesterday recovered an assortment of ceremonial weapons less than 24 hours after they were reported missing from Istana Melawati here. The priceless...

Another trainee pilot alleges abuse.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Alina Simon ALOR STAR: A week after the alleged ragging of a trainee pilot was highlighted, another case has surfaced - this one, however, was reported and allegedly swept under the rug by...

Offenders will lose m-cycles on the spot.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Alang Bendahara KUALA LUMPUR: Motorcyclists who break the law will have their machines seized on the spot. Police have taken 1,122 motorcycles in an exercise which began on Friday....

Teacher vents anger on pupils with her high heels.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PADANG TERAP: A teacher allegedly used her high heels to hit a group of Year Four pupils for not submitting their homework yesterday. The teacher allegedly hit eight pupils on their heads. Three of...

'Slash the red tape to make Malaysia a research hub'.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Shamini Darshni PUTRAJAYA: Millions in pharmaceutical industry money are bypassing Malaysia. And the reason is not hard to find - red tape. Although Malaysia is ideal for clinical...

Patients in clinical trials have more to gain.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: Drugs in clinical trials are safe by the time they hit our shores. Animal and small group testings are conducted first before large-scale trials are carried out in different parts of...

Silently telling their story.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Nisha Sabanayagam KUALA LUMPUR: "People often assume that just because a person is physically disabled, he is also mentally disabled," said N. Nala, a project co-ordinator for The Actors...

Kids take 'tears of trees' to Kenya.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hana Shazwin Azizan A GROUP of Malaysian schoolchildren was in Nairobi recently to discuss environmental awareness with students and leaders of other nations. HANA SHAZWIN AZIZAN, 16, the...

150 new RapidPenang buses to hit the roads.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Sharanjit Singh GEORGE TOWN: The public transport system in Penang is set to undergo a major transformation. Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said people would start...

Play your part in society, youth told.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: Every group in society must find a role for itself in the quest to achieve the national mission. Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said every group and movement in the...

Shut down birds' hotels.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Pilus Yunus I HAVE the same problem as that faced by Ong Pok Kok of Kuala Terengganu ("Birds a living hell for residents" - NST, Feb 14). One day, this swiftlet-breeding will become a...

700 top scorers in exams rewarded.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: The restless teenager fidgeted nervously in her seat as she waited to be called on stage. Ong Sook Yee, 14, received RM75 from the Setiawangsa Parliament Education Development...

Wrong rites.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) WHILE ragging is not officially approved in the military, it is astonishing how its unofficial practice finds many apologists in the military circles who defend it as a tradition worth preserving. While...

Bogus cops held for extortion.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KLANG: Police have arrested two men for allegedly impersonating policemen and extorting money from unlicensed businesses and illegal immigrants. The duo is believed to be part of a larger group...

The future through young eyes.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Francis Dass SCHENKER Logistics (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, a German company, is keen to find out how youngsters see the future of the logistics industry. To this end, the company is jointly...

Travel vision with a mission.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MID Valley Megamall is the location for the new Samsonite boutique in Kuala Lumpur. Chosen for its prime location, the store is part of a global strategy that will reinforce the brand's position as the...

RM10,000 for paediatric AIDS fund.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) MANDARIN Oriental, Kuala Lumpur has raised RM10,000 for the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF)'s Paediatric AIDS Fund through the hotel-initiated month-long Red Ribbon Donation Drive conducted end of last...

(What I saw on telly).
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dennis Chua VALENTINE'S Day has come and gone. While it is a day to celebrate one's love, few of us know that a brave man died for his country on Valentine's Day, 1942, and his life has...

Red-hot Coetzee scores a treble.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Go-Ram SOUTH African trainer Kevin Coetzee, who had entries in only three of the seven races, came out tops in all events his horses competed in Ipoh yesterday. The Ipoh-based trainer was...

Malaysia end campaign on a low.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul MALAYSIA ended their UCI World Cup campaign without much to show when the team sprint trio of Josiah Ng, Rizal Tisin and Azizul Hasni Awang posted a ninth fastest time in...

Funding woes for Kona-bound duo.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Devinder Singh AS is so often the case, lack of sponsorship could stop two Malaysians from competing in the World Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii in October after clinching their...

Fighting Yoong finishes eighth.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul ALEX Yoong battled from the absolute back of the grid to a well-deserved eighth placed finish in the feature race in Round Eight of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations in Durban,...

PBA to hold two March meets.
February 26, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K. Kandiah THE Penang Basketball Association (PBA) will host two competitions next month, the Basketball For Unity (B4U) Regional Open and the Penang Under-18 Open Championship. B4U is...

Bats abandon temple home as devotees crowd in.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Phuah Ken Lin GEORGE TOWN: It used to be dark, gloomy and isolated - just perfect for bats to call it their home. However, over the years, the Bat Cave Temple at the foothill of Penang...

Sri Selangor gets nod to organise tournament.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE Sri Selangor Golf Club was yesterday certified as playable, and will host the RM300,000 Selangor Masters starting Wednesday. On Thursday, Sri Selangor director A.S. Khamis had said that five of the...

Jawariah does a double.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) NATIONAL champion Jawariah Noordin (pic) picked up two titles on clay in the Group Five International Junior Championships of Sri Lanka at the Singhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Friday. Jawariah,...

A celebration of diversity.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K. C. Boey IN the close to 40-degree heat of a blistering Melbourne summer, the crowd pressed up against each other for Chinese New Year in the Little Bourke strip that constitutes...

Suspects shot in high-speed chase.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUCHING: Two suspected car thieves were shot by police during a 55km chase on Friday evening. Sri Aman police chief DSP Mat Jusoh Muhamad said the suspects in a stolen Proton Waja ignored numerous...

Little chance now of an election boycott.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Abdul Razak Ahmad THE opposition's threat of a general election boycott looks doubtful after the outcome of their 'sit out' in Batu Talam but it is not the end of the plan, writes ABDUL...

Innovation alone is not enough.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: P. Selvarani; Marina Emmanuel; June Ramli; Patrick Sennyah MALAYSIAN universities, like their counterparts around the world, have been continuously coming up with ground-breaking inventions...

Azizul sets new record.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul AFTER knocking on his personal time barrier for three months, Azizul Hasni Awang smashed Hafiz Sufian's four-month old 1km time trial national record in the final round of...

Totally traditional.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Tan Bee Hong LOKE Yoon Khow is a firm believer in customs and heritage as reflected in his Chinese New Year menu, writes TAN BEE HONG. There is no time like the present to reflect upon...

CAP lauds Bill to manage solid waste.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang yesterday welcomed the announcement that the Solid Waste Management Bill will be passed by June. CAP president S.M. Mohamed Idris said in a...

Driving on guts and hope.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Matthew Marsh A WEEK after racing in the World Touring Car Championship at the Macau Grand Prix, Alessandro Zanardi made history by becoming the first amputee to drive a Grand Prix car. In...

Focus on five key aspects at conference.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) THE International Medical University (IMU), in conjunction with its 15th anniversary celebrations, is hosting the International Medical Education Conference (IMEC-2007) themed "Health Professional...

Junk food right at the doorstep.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Yong Tiam Kui THERE may be an Education Ministry ban on junk food in school canteens, but it continues to be freely available - just outside the school compound. While unscrupulous hawkers...

Creating a niche by being the 'first'.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Hanzo Ng WHEN presented with the word "cola", the first thing that comes to mind is Coca-Cola, the world's most popular soft drink. Coke dominates this particular market using that phrase...

Two claim policeman assaulted them.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PORT DICKSON: Two men awaiting sentencing for theft accused a police officer here of assaulting them, one in full view of the public. One of them claimed he was assaulted in the officer's room at...

When to understeer and oversteer.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Paul David DEAR Paul, WHAT is car understeer/oversteer? Can you also outline the pros and cons of Vehicles with oversteer wheel track or vice versa. - 012-8877911 Reply: WHEN we talk...

Too much free play.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Paul David DEAR Paul, I BOUGHT a second-hand Kancil 850 auto (year 2001) and found that the steering wheel had lots of free play when driving. It felt loose and wobbly when driving at...

Articulate Ong takes the crown.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) KUALA LUMPUR: She was as pretty as a princess in her cheongsam and well-spoken too. So, naturally, Ong Shwn Jing beat the other contestants to bag the Miss Sunway Princess 2007. The event,...

Classy field for Malaysian Open.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Ajitpal Singh ASIA'S richest bowling tournament - the US$100,000 (RM349,270) Malaysian Invitational International Open on March 14-24 - has attracted a stellar cast. Among the big...

Thankfully, good sense has prevailed.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Khairy Jamaluddin THANK heavens for moderation. Just when it appeared as though the prime minister's progressive Islam Hadhari philosophy was once again being hijacked by over-enthusiastic...

Emphasis on soft skills at public universities.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) IPOH: Malaysia needs to move towards setting up wireless facilities for all its public universities, said Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat. "We need to keep abreast with the...

Children:From my property to walking divinity.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Kathirasen FILICIDE. It is a new word for most of us. What can we do to reduce its occurrence? How do we prevent this murder most foul, as the Bard would term it? The easiest answer is to...

The heart weeps but the mind is thankful.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Kathirasen HOW could she? O my God! It's horrible! These were among the exclamations that burst through the lips of relatives and friends last week. They were agonising over the death...

Advice on HID use.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Paul David DEAR Paul, SINCE HID is gaining popularity, what are the guidelines on the Do and Don't? - 012-2776326 Reply: HID or High Intensity Discharge headlight lamps are often referred...

We want to see the beginnings of a star.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) AMERICAN Idol is doing extremely well in Asia, but with so many similar reality talent shows around the world, what is it about the show that clicks with the worldwide viewers more than others? Lythgoe:...

Hafiz rejoins training.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: K.M. Boopathy HAFIZ Hashim will rejoin the national training full-time after the Swiss Open on March 13-18. In 2005, Misbun Sidek made a successful appeal to the BA of Malaysia (BAM) to...

Variety of quality options at PTPL.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) PTPL's commitment at ensuring quality education has been its profound trademark since its establishment in Ampang in 1996. Today, with 11 centres throughout Malaysia and a total student population of...

Team salvage mid-table grid position.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) A MID-TABLE grid position was all A1 Team Malaysia managed after a poor run in qualifying for the eighth round of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations in Durban, South Africa yesterday. With Alex Yoong on...

In a huff over noise.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Paul David DEAR Paul, I HAVE a 2002 Waja 1.6 (Auto) that has clocked 85,000km. The problem that I have been having is that whenever I drive over patched or uneven surfaced roads, there is a...

Radzi: No clash over Foreign Workers Bill.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: V. Vasudevan KUALA LUMPUR: There is no clash between the Home Affairs and Human Resources ministries over the Foreign Workers Bill. "Don't use the word clash. There is nothing wrong...

Big Band - a jazz Style.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) HENNESSY X.O in support of jazz music through the Hennessy X.O jazz Tour music programme provides Malaysians an opportunity to gain exposure on jazz music as well as the knowledge on the various jazz...

Crash 'n rob gang: Police nab 10.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Norazlin Mohd Nor PETALING JAYA: Members of a gang of robbers who used the crash-and-rob tactic were nabbed in Perak and Selangor in the past two weeks. All 10 suspects are now being...

Is it for real?
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Paul David DEAR Paul, I NEED your advice on the following: 1. I was at a shopping complex over the weekend and noticed a stall selling "E Saver" which is a magnetic device that is attached...

Light way to save fuel.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Paul David DEAR Paul, DO good quality lighter alloy rims really reduce fuel consumption of a car? - 012-2880312 Reply: IN a roundabout way, there is a possibility that there could be some...

Lawyer defends Bar Council's move to dismiss scrutineers.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Anis Ibrahim; Ranjeetha Pakiam KUALA LUMPUR: A senior lawyer said yesterday that the Bar Council is entitled to remove its election scrutineers for the 2007/2008 elections since they had...

Super Amri tames Northern Lions.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) SELANGOR upset the formbook as they beat Malaysia Cup champions Perlis 1-0 in a Group A clash at Shah Alam Stadium last night. Despite not having the services of Akmal Rizal Rakhli, Shafi Ali, Shafiq...

You don't need a lottery to do your duty.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Byline: Dzulkifli Abdul Razak IT had all the ingredients of a colourful fireworks display that could have kept the nation entertained for a long time. But this was not the case, when the "MyKad...

How to protect your leather seats.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) HAVING your automobile fitted with slick leather upholstery will certainly turn heads. As leather upholstery seats are projected as luxury features, most Malaysian car owners can be seen driving...

A bottle for a big celebration.
February 25, 2007... (From New Straits Times (Malaysia)) Q: HOW do I open and decant a large-format bottle? In a few days, I will be opening a 1970 Mouton-Rothschild Jeroboam (4.5 litre) to celebrate a long overdue family reunion for the Chinese New Year. I...