View Full Version : Sabah:Towers of Power bite the laterite
Govt May Consider Proposals On Sabah-Peninsula Ferry Service
KOTA KINABALU, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- The private sector is welcome to submit proposals on the establishment of a ferry service between Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili.
He said that such a service could increase people's mobility as they were still highly dependent on air transport.
Efforts by the government to bring the people of Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula closer together were somewhat impeded by high air transport costs, he said at a function organised by the National Unity and Integration Department here Friday night.
Dr Maximus also said he would discuss with Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia the possibility of both airlines offering attractive fares during the school holidays with a view to enhancing national unity.
-- BERNAMA
Non-specific link:
http://www.bernama.com.my/
I suppose it is important to realize that the Malaysian Election is on its way. If it is anything like Thai politics, I suppose we should recall that General Chaovalit promised Southern Thailand a high-speed train to Bangkok in one election in the late 90s. That idea lasted all of five minutes, in spite of there having been several Chaovalit-friendly transport ministers since that time: :D
Rocket launch site may be a reality in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: A rocket launch site and an 8km-long bridge are among the ideas which would be explored by a newly formed think tank.
Launched by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman here yesterday, the Progressive Institute of Public Policy Analysis, or Pippa, will look into the ideas as part of its efforts aimed at the betterment of Sabah.
Established by Barisan Nasional component party, Sabah Progressive Party, Pippa was mooted in 2006.
It is a company limited by guarantee and headed by former deputy chief minister Datuk Tham Nyip Shen as its chairman.
Asked about the proposed rocket launch site, which is likely to be located between Tawau and Lahad Datu, Tham said it was too early to elaborate on the project.
"Such a site would need a cleared area of about 1,000km of sea :D and the location has been identified.
"For now, however, it is still in its preliminary stage and thus far, no one has made contact with the government," said Tham, who was also once the science and technology adviser to the chief minister.
Musa said the state government was open to proposals which would bring about a win-win situation.
As for the proposed 8km-long Labuan bridge, SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said it would be one of Pippa's immediate tasks to prepare a paper on the feasibility of including the project in the 9th Malaysia Plan mid-term review this year.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/2125295/Article/index_html
See also earlier plans to make Ipoh Airport a base for space tourism: :D
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=14448&postcount=2
GEORGE TOWN: Malaysia's first astronaut, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha, was hoping to write a book about his space adventures. But, unbeknown to him, his late brother, Sheikh Mustafa Shukor Al Masrie, had beaten him to it. Sheikh Mustafa, who died on Oct 27 last year after a fall, had written a book on his brother becoming an astronaut.
..........
He had earlier attended a forum organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) where he shared his experiences during his 12-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS).
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar, who was greeted by a 3,000-strong crowd when he entered the Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra, held the attention of all present with anecdotes of his life and the time he spent in space.
He said there was an "open house" during Hari Raya Aidilfitri where all the crew aboard the ISS gathered and shared food.
"I also brought some Hari Raya music like Seribu Bintang by the Alleycats and Balik Kampung by Sudirman to share with the other astronauts," he said.
During the question-and-answer session, he was queried on a variety of topics ranging from how he coped with going to toilet in space to more serious ones like his thoughts on Malaysia's decision to buy the Soyuz rocket.
Dr Sheikh Muszaphar urged students to take up aerospace-related fields of study so that Malaysia could build its own rocket by 2020.
"We have to start somewhere and I am confident that with many experts in the field we can have our own rocket by 2020."
Meanwhile, USM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said there was a need to nurture more intellectuals and scientists as role models.
"I never get such a crowd when a scientist comes to USM. We need more people like Dr Sheikh Muszaphar if we want to go to space and to the next level."
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/2125251/Article/index_html
anuary 27, 2008 12:47 PM
Logistics Drive Under SDC To Reduce Cost Of Doing Business
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- Leaving the Kota Kinabalu International Airport to head to the city centre, one immediately notices the ongoing construction works in the vicinity.
"It's for expansion. It will be bigger and better. The airport is too small now," said taxi driver Felix while ferrying his passengers to a hotel in the city centre.
Plans are underway to strengthen Sabah's logistics infrastructure further with two strategic assets - Kota Kinabalu International Airport and Sapangar Bay Container Port - will be the key connectivity under the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) masterplan.
As a key element under the SDC, the strategies that have been outlined for logistics are to reduce the cost of doing business and create good transportation services in the state.
"Without having efficient logistics support, the cost of doing business will be very high. Exporting our products won't then be competitive," said Institute for Development Studies (IDS) Sabah executive director Datuk Dr Mohd Yaakob Johari. IDS Sabah is the consultant for the SDC blueprint.
Dr Mohd Yaakob said for Sapangar Bay Container Port, which has been in operation since the second half of last year, its key challenge is to attract major shipping liners.
"They (shipping lines) will not just come in if you don't have the products to be picked up as well," he pointed out.
In view of this, he said, the Sapangar Free Zone annexed to Sapangar Bay Container Port will be established to create the sufficient mass volume to entice international liners to the port.
He said Sapangar Bay Container Port will be working closely with K.K.I.P. Sdn Bhd, the manager of nearby Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, to develop the Sapangar Free Zone.
"The port has a quite substantial facility and can support substantial cargo. We need to complement it so that we can realise its full potential," he added.
Sapangar Bay Container Port, with a handling capacity of half a million TEUs a year, is a dedicated container port with a capacity to accommodate two container vessels with the carrying capacity of up to 3,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) at any one time.
Suria Capital Holdings Bhd subsidiary Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd is the port operator.
The port has the added advantage of getting containers from other ports under the group operating in the east coast of the state such as Sandakan, Tawau and Lahad Datu.
Dr Mohd Yaakob said the Kota Kinabalu International Airport expansion exercise to cater for 10 million passengers annually is expected to be completed this year.
"We hope more airlines can come here," he added.
Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the second busiest in Malaysia, is serviced by 304 domestic flights and 110 international flights per week.
There are currently eight airlines flying directly into Kota Kinabalu - Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Asiana, Dragonair, Silk Air, Royal Brunei Airlines, Korean Air and Far Eastern Airways.
-- BERNAMA
Non-specific link:
http://www.bernama.com.my/
See also thread on Sabah State Railway and its role in this project:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=1179
http://thestar.com.my/archives/2008/1/30/nation/n_03badawi.jpg
[Photo: The Star - Ambitious plans: Abdullah and his wife Jeanne taking a closer look at models of buildings planned for the waterfront city project during the SDC launch in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.]
Non-specific link for both articles:
http://www.bernama.com.my/
January 29, 2008 20:28 PM
Waterfront Unveils Kota Kinabalu City Waterfront Project
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- Waterfront Urban Development Sdn Bhd (WUD) today unveiled the Kota Kinabalu City Waterfront (KKCW) development in collaboration with Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu.
An agreement on the project was signed between WUD, Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia) Bhd and a consortium of Middle Eastern and Malaysian investors in Kota Kinabalu today.
The RM500 million Kota Kinabalu City Waterfront, within the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC), is an integrated mixed seafront development situated on the waterfront of the city centre, WUD said in a statement today.
Expected to be completed by 2010, it will feature the key attraction of a two-kilometre long boardwalk built using eco-friendly materials rising above the sea on stilts, the company said.
WUD managing director Reymee Mohamed Hussein said in line with the preservation of the environment, the development will incorporate environmentally friendly features like hi-tech LED lighting, energy-conserving air-conditioning systems and solar-powered pedestrian lighting along the boardwalk.
"The waterfront will feature one of the longest city waterfront boardwalks in Asia and is poised to become the city's prime tourist attraction, making it an integral part of Sabah's hospitality industry," he said.
-- BERNAMA
13 Agreements Worth RM16 Bln Inked At SDC Launch
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- Thirteen key projects under Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) are set to take off following the signing of respective agreements worth RM16 billion today.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi witnessed the signing of the 13 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) after officiating at SDC's action plan at the Sepangar Bay container port near here today.
Among those who signed the MoUs were companies from China, Japan and US.
The projects include the development and promotion of MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) market, construction of a central railway station (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=19590&postcount=20), setting up of bulking facility in palm oil industrial cluster in Lahad Datu, development of Kota Kinabalu waterfront and the setting up of modern fish landing facilities in Tawau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan.
Projects under the tourism sector include the development of eco- and health/medical tourism, construction of luxury condominiums and five- and six-star hotels and the development of tourism centres.
The SDC expects tourism receipts to soar to RM48.5 billion by 2025 from just RM2.88 billion in 2006.
On manufacturing, the MoUs are for the implementation of a project under Sawit palm oil industrial cluster (Sawit POIC) and production of jatropha oil for biodiesel fuel.
It is expected that Sawit Kinabalu will team up with Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd to implement the project under Sawit POIC.
A joint venture involving Sabah Land Development Board, Japan-based Nihon Biotech Inch, Kelana Stabil Sdn Bhd and TKM Resources Sdn Bhd will be set up for the production of jatropha oil which will be sold in Japan, US and South Korea.
The SDC expects the manufacturing sector to create 228,708 jobs by 2025. Currently, only 135,000 people are working in the sector.
The MoUs under the agriculture sector involved the agro tourism-based projects, the development of aquaculture in Darvell Bay, Lahad Datu and the research and development on the jatropha curcas.
The SDC aims to increase the agriculture sector's gross domestic product contribution to RM17 billion by 2025 from RM4.1 billion in 2005.
The SDC plan (2008-2025) will cover the whole state to ensure that everyone gets to enjoy the benefits it brings.
It is estimated to generate more than 900,000 jobs during the implementation period.
-- BERNAMA
Sabah News
April 29, 2008 22:30 PM
One Dead, Four Injured In TNB Tower Collapse
KOTA KINABALU, April 29 (Bernama) -- A Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) staff was killed and four others injured when an emergency repair tower (ERT) in Suang Parai near here, collapsed Tuesday.
Mohd Hairrisham Mohamad, 26, was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) Managing Director Baharin Din said.
The injured are Vijaya Kumar A/L Velayutham, 27, Hamran Mohamad, 34, Adnan Hassan, 26, and Khairul Azman Che Soh, 28.
"The four staff are receiving treatment at the Likas Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital," he said in a statement.
The five were part of a 30-member emergency response team from Kuala Lumpur to set up the ERT which is located between Kayu Madang and Universiti Malaysia Sabah campus.
The ERT was erected near a permanent tower that collapsed on April 21, triggering a massive power outage in the state.
The incident, which plunged 90 per cent of Sabah into darkness between four to six hours, was believed to have been caused by scrap hunters who removed metal pieces from the tower.
Meanwhile, a TNB statement from Kuala Lumpur said the five workers were conducting tests on the ERT after completing the installation of the 132kV power transmission lines when it collapsed at 10.30am.
"While they were conducting the test, one of the cable stays supporting the tower gave way, causing the tower to lose stability; then three other cables gave way causing the tower to topple over," TNB said.
Three of the injured were sent to Likas Hospital while another, who was critically injured, was being treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the TNB statement said.
TNB sent the ERT on Wednesday as a back-up to Sabah's electricity supply while the permanent tower was being rebuilt.
Meanwhile, City Police Chief ACP Ahmad Sofi Zakaria told reporters the site would be sealed to facilitate investigations.
He also urged the public not to go near the site of because of the danger of live electric cables.
-- BERNAMA
Non-specific link:
http://www.bernama.com.my/
http://www.nst.com.my/pix/pix_top_05013
[Photo: NST - SESB staff Christopher Ebin collecting nuts and bolts from the tower that crashed. It is the second tower to give way in 10 days after vandals removed iron bars holding the structures together. - NST PIX by Edmund Samunting.]
Thursday May 1, 2008 MYT 3:26:49 PM
Another transmission tower collapses
By RUBEN SARIO
KOTA KINABALU: Scrap metal thieves are continuing to vandalise high tension transmission towers causing a second such structure to collapse in less than two weeks, this time at Kuala Menggatal near here.
Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd managing director Baharin Din said the 132kV pylon near the Universiti Teknologi Mara Sabah campus gave way at about 8.35pm on Wednesday.
The incident however did not cause any blackouts as SESB had been using a 66kV underground cable to transmit power over that particular stretch then, Baharin added.
He said SESB had discovered that about 60 connecting metal bars for that particular pylon had been stolen during an inspection following the collapse of another transmission tower on April 21 that led to a blackout in 90% of the state.
"After discovering that the connecting bars had gone missing, our maintenance crew immediately went to work to replace them and managed to reinstall 40 pieces before the collapse occurred," Baharin told reporters at the scene.
He said the theft of the metal bars had however rendered the tower unstable and made the repair works more difficult.
"The remaining parts of the tower simply could not hold up the structure leading to its collapse," Baharin said in adding that SESB would try to replace the RM300,000 structure in about eight to 10 weeks along with the pylon that caved in on April 21.
Following the collapse of the first pylon on April 21, SESB had flown in an emergency restoration system (ERS) tower that however toppled over, killing a technician as it was being installed on April 29.
Four other technicians were also injured in the mishap which is still being investigated even as the second pylon collapsed.
Baharin said SESB technical staff had discovered the thefts of metal bars at other pylons and these were being repaired as fast as possible.
"We are now looking at various options to improve the situation," he added.
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=20862
Vandals damage another tower
KOTA KINABALU: Another electricity transmission tower has been found vandalised here.
Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) employees assigned to check the pylons made the discovery in Kampung Pulutan, Menggatal, near here, on Thursday.
Some 32 steel bars that hold the structure together were found missing, exposing it to the risk of collapsing, similar to that of two of the three transmission towers that fell between April 21 and 30.
A spokesman for SESB, a subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Bhd, said a police report had been lodged about the latest discovery as work to repair the damages as well as to check on other towers continued.
The collapse of one of the towers caused the death of a TNB technician while another caused a major outage that affected 90 per cent of, or 300,000, consumers in Sabah.
The latest tower that gave way was at the banks of Sungai Kuala Menggatal on April 30, despite efforts by the SESB to replace about 40 of the missing iron beams.
The first structure collapsed on April 21 causing a blackout that affected some 300,000 consumers throughout the state.
After the first structure crashed, an emergency repair tower was in the process of being erected when even that fell on Tuesday, killing one technician and seriously injuring four others.
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/2231046/Article/index_html
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/National/2231046/Article/index_html
Monday May 19, 2008
40 electricity towers at risk
KOTA KINABALU: As many as 40 high-tension power transmission towers in Sabah are vulnerable to scrap metal thieves.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department chief Commissioner Datuk Bakri Zinin said these pylons were located adjacent to squatter colonies near Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.
He said the pylons were among 3,263 high-tension power transmission towers in Sabah, most of which were sited in jungle areas.
“We will be grading the pylons according to the extent of their vulnerability,” he said after chairing a meeting between senior Sabah police officials and representatives of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) and Telekom Malaysia.
The meeting came nearly a month after scrap thieves removed dozens of metal connecting bars from a SESB 132kV pylon at Kuala Menggatal, causing it to collapse on April 21. The theft resulted in a blackout in 90% of the state.
Barely two weeks later, another pylon collapsed as SESB technicians were in the midst of replacing about 60 metal connecting bars that were stolen from the structure.
On Sunday, Comm Bakri said police wanted SESB to take preventive measures such as installing fences around transmission towers that were deemed vulnerable to thieves.
He said police were also discussing with Sabah officials to extend the Second Hand Dealers Act to the state, as it would enable police to have more “bite” in acting against errant scrap metal dealers. Currently, 98 scrap metal dealers in the state are governed by local by-laws.
He said police would conduct regular checks with SESB and Telekom Malaysia officials on the premises of the 98 dealers besides inspecting houses in squatter colonies to see if stolen components from high tension towers were kept there.
Comm Bakri said, where possible, the police wanted to prosecute scrap metal thieves, but would use preventive laws such as the Emergency Ordinance if the need arose.
Five men, aged between 20 and 29 from the northern Kudat district, were held at the Simpang Renggam detention centre in Johor in March after they were suspected to be involved in 14 cases of cable thefts.
“We cannot deny that thefts affecting high tension transmission towers will not recur but various measures will be taken to prevent this from happening again,” Comm Bakri said.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/19/nation/21291171&sec=nation
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