Joseph Mauh

SIBU: Adequate crowd control measures were in place during the disbursement of 1Malaysia People Assistance (BR1M) vouchers at SJK (C) Tong Ah hall, Selangau on Thursday.

Sibu Resident Sim Kok Kee in stating this yesterday, said: “The Selangau district officer had given feedback to me that the situation there was under control although it was slightly chaotic as first. There was no stampede.”

“But there was nothing unusual about the happening yesterday (Thursday) as similar situations had also been seen at Sibu Town Square previously as some people might have got overly excited, triggering the rush,” Sim added.

He was referring to a national English Daily which quoted that a stampede nearly occurred at SJK (C) Tong Ah hall when BR1M vouchers were given out.

According to the report, there were jostling and shoving among the recipients in the process of trying to get the RM500 vouchers.

“The situation was under control and we are taking proactive steps to continuously improve the process, including the control mechanism to make it convenient for the people,” Sim said.

He went on to say they would be putting in more control measures to ensure better crowd control.

Sim also did not discount the possibility of them increasing the manpower to better keep the situation in check in future.

“Perhaps, like what we are doing in Sibu, we will enlist more Rela and police personnel to assist us in controlling the crowd in future,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the distribution of BR1M vouchers at the primary school in Selangau was up to the fourth batch as they had yet to receive any information on further batches, he revealed.

Tamin assemblyman Joseph Mauh clarified that the situation in the school was normal and under control.

“Initially, when the elderly, those aged about 60 and 70 were trying to leave their queue after collecting their vouchers, some of the younger ones moved forward and there was congestion.

“But this lasted only for a few minutes and everything returned to normal. Nobody fainted or fell down.

“This was a normal situation that can be seen elsewhere,” Mauh explained.

He thanked the authorities for maintaining the law and order during the disbursement of the cash aid and the people for being patient.

Towards this end, he urged those yet to get the assistance to be patient as the government was doing its level best to include everyone eligible for the aid.

“They can still appeal if they did not get the assistance. I hope the government can consider extending the appeal period so that those deserving rural folk (yet to get their aid) can get their RM500 cash assistance,” Mauh said.

Last December, pandemonium reigned at the office of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) here when a mammoth crowd frantically pushed their ways through to submit their BR1M application forms.

It was believed that there was a miscommunication on the deadline for submission, prompting the people to force their way into the office as they feared missing out on the opportunity.

Then, there were those who wanted to obtain the application forms at the main entrance counters meant for submission of forms.

An officer was seen shouting through a megaphone to calm the huge crowd as tempers flared.

The officer had no choice but to raise his voice over the megaphone and warned people against pushing, fearing that this might spark off untoward incident.

Older folks were seen sandwiched among the crowd while babies and young children cried in the highly tensed ambience.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/02/18/situation-in-the-school-normal-and-under-control-tamin-assemblyman/#ixzz1mgnKfrxc

KUCHING: If all goes well, the next general election would most probably be held after May.

This was the opinion of the state director of the Election Commission (EC), Datu Takun Sunggah.

Takun said the state EC was geared to prepare for the biggest showdown between the ruling BN and Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election.

“Our planning is that we would be ready for the 13th general election after May 31,” he told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

Though Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had called for a BN supreme council meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday night, he did not hint as to when the general election would be held.

The latest revelation by the EC would make it easier for political parties to gauge when the next general election would be held. The EC is the custodian of the election process in the country.

Takun said Returning Officers (who are normally senior government officers) had not been appointed yet.

“We are not there yet; there are a lot of things to do before we would be ready for it (general election),” he pointed out.

He disclosed an estimated one million registered voters in the state, a slight increase since the last state election.

On another issue, Takun said the EC would only be able to weed off the names of dead voters with the help of the National Registration Department (NRD) though an Agency Link-Up System (Alis).

“Only the NRD will be able to delete the names of dead voters after it had verified their names,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state EC would not get the indelible ink yet, as it might dry up easily, Takun said.

“The EC headquarters in KL would supply the ink when the time comes,” he said.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/02/18/general-election-likely-after-may-state-election-commission-chief/#ixzz1mgmx33ZC

SURVIVOR: Millie rests in the Batu Niah clinic. INJURIES: A mobile phone video shows the bite wounds on Millie’s right leg and nearly severed fourth toe.

BATU NIAH: Housewife fights off ravenous croc losing a toe while knocking off one of its teeth in the process.

A housewife fought the battle of her life with a crocodile after it attacked her on a rickety jetty by the bank of the Niah River around 6.30am yesterday morning.

Millie Nush, 36, from Rumah Nor had been doing her laundry near a footpath leading to the Niah National Park for about half an hour when the 12-foot reptile suddenly struck and pulled her into the water.

She kicked frantically and somehow managed to free herself before scrambling back to shore.

“My wife fought and kept on kicking at the crocodile until it let go of its grip. We were surprised to find what seems to be a crocodile tooth embedded in her wounds,” said her husband Lad Labang.

Miraculously, Millie only suffered cuts to her right leg as well as a partially severed fourth toe.

She was rushed to the Batu Niah clinic and a police report was later lodged at the Batu Niah police station.

Lad added that after its failed attack, the crocodile had twisted and splashed about in the river in a seemingly taunting manner before disappearing.

This latest incident was an eerie reminder of the fatal crocodile attack on a school boy in 2001 at a spot just 2km away.

Then a 15-foot female crocodile dubbed Dara Subis had grabbed 10-year-old Jaba Kana, who was bathing in the river.

A General Operations Force (GOF) sharpshooter managed to shoot it twice in the head about 22 hours after the heinous attack.

The victim’s severed arm and leg were later found in the crocodile’s stomach.

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/02/18/escape-from-the-jaws-of-death/#ixzz1mgmIodt0