GAME OVER: The suspect looks on as Crime Prevention Unit personnel inspect the false licence plate.

Sibu police chief ACP Shafie Ismail said yesterday although their efforts had been met with obstacles set up by the organisers, they had broken through their sentries to arrest these gamblers.

However, he did not identify any of these detainees as the organisers.

“The gamblers are mostly charged in court. We shall not hesitate to act tough,” said the police chief, adding that he was looking  forward  to 2010 for a tighter grip on social ills.

In the reports of The Borneo Post yesterday, Shafie vowed to kick out these organisers next year using the Emergency Ordinance.

He said yesterday that they had succeeded in six operations and failed in five.

“The organisers had carefully planned their activities by setting up sentries to watch over the police, so that when they saw the police coming, the organisers and the gamblers would disperse in time.”

He said in the successful raids, the police had seized enough evidence to charge the gamblers.

“We seized both live and dead cocks and the spurs. We also seized betting money,” he added.

Shafie said these dens were all stationed in the remote areas accessed by a single-lane road, which made it easy to watch out for the police.

He said the illegal gambling activities were hosted by syndicates.

“The successful raids were launched in Rantau Panjang, Bukit Penyau in Salim, Pasai Siong, Jalan Teku, Jalan Ding Lik Kwong and Jalan Bukit Aup.”

According to him, police have already kicked out 10 men this year, all gang members, except for one Ah Long (illegal money lender).

Under the ordinance, the police would normally detain a criminal for 60 days while awaiting an order from the Home Ministry to either put him in Simpang Renggam Detention Centre or in restricted residence for up to two years.

Shafie said: “We will not tolerate this crime. We know illegal cockfighting is common in the town’s outskirts and we cannot close an eye to it.”

TECHNOLOGICAL TRADEMARK: Photo shows Scomi’s monorail prototype vehicle Sutra, first unveiled in December 2007. Scomi has now drawn strong interest from Brazil, the Gulf States, India and China through its public transportation technology - the monorail.

Previously, the group recently raised RM151 million from a renounceable rights issue of Irredeemable Convertible Secured Loan Stocks (ICSLS) with warrants.

In its statement, Scomi said the issue, which stands for three years at four per cent, had been fully-subscribed.

Listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd, Scomi is a global technology enterprise involved in oilfield services, public transportation and marine services. It has almost 50 years of experience in the industry servicing numerous local and multinational customers in Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East and the Americas.

The group has now drawn strong interest from Brazil, the Gulf States, India and China through its public transportation technology-the monorail.

Particularly in Brazil, it was selected as one of the main bidders in a Sao Paulo monorail project worth RM2.2 billion, in which it has partnered with a local company CR Almeida SA Enganharia De Obras.

The project had come about following the US$13 billion allocation by the Brazilian government for public infrastructure in conjunction with the country’s hosting the 2014 World Cup in Sao Paolo, as well as its bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil has been marked as a key country in the group’s global expansion plan.

Additionally, its oilfield services business under subsidiary Scomi Oiltools has also won several new projects in the Brazilian region to supply specialty drilling fluids chemicals and engineering services.

It is also noteworthy to remark that the group recently appointed its subsidiary Scomi Engineering Bhd’s former president Hilmy Zaini as its new country president for Brazil to focus on tailoring its product offerings and seeking new opportunities in the country.

COMFORTABLE: The new four-car train calling at Bangsar Station, Kuala Lumpur. The new coaches can carry 800 passengers, twice the number of the existing two-car trains. – Bernama photo

The new coaches can carry 800 passengers, twice the number of the existing two-car trains.

“This is our New Year gift for the public. They can travel in more comfort now,” said Prasarana group managing director Datuk Idrose Mohamed during a ride for journalists on the new coaches from Kelana Jaya to Bangsar.

The four-car trains will be used during peak hours, in the morning and evening, and the two-car trains during the off-peak periods.

Housewife Teo Joo Pheng was the first to board the train at the Kelana Jaya station at 10.30am today and was taken aback by the media attention when Idrose shook her hand.

The new train has wheelchair-friendly features and door alarm lights to help the hearing-impaired.

“I want to go to Pasar Seni but I’m afraid of the traffic jam on the road and it is hard to find a parking space.

Normally I’d drive, but today I decided to board the LRT as it is more convenient and comfortable now,” Teo, 51, said.

Idrose said the introduction of the new trains was speeded up, with a prompting by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who took a ride on the LRT on April 25 and asked for an urgent improvement in public transportation.

“We have ordered 35 sets of the four-car train and three sets went into operation today. Some have not arrived yet while some are still being tested,” he said.

“The two-car train carries about 400  people, so with the four-car  train, we  should be actually doubling the capacity  to  about  800 people.

In peak or rush hours, we can carry a maximum of 950 people,” he said.

The improvement is in line with the government’s “People First, Performance Now” approach and National Key Result Area (NKRA) target of increasing public transportation usage to 25 per cent in the Klang Valley.

Prasarana is the operator of the public transportation network that includes the Ampang and Kelana Jaya LRT lines, KL monorail and bus service in the Klang Valley.

The four-car trains are the latest version of the Bombardier advanced rapid transit driverless train designed in Canada, 65 per cent of which is assembled in Mexico and 35 per cent in Malaysia.

Idrose said the remaining sets would be delivered in stages by the local partner, Bombardier-Hartasuma, until 2012.

“We are targeting April 2011. We’ll have 70 sets, that is 35 sets of the current two-set trains which will be refurbished and 35 sets of four-car trains,” he added.  – Bernama

NEW AMENITY: The 1Malaysia Clinic in Teku area.

The Health Department set up the clinic on the ground floor of a shophouse near the junction heading towards Rantau Panjang Road.

It operates Monday to Friday from 10am-10pm.

They are two assistant medical officers, two attendants and two nurses stationed at the clinic, soon to be joined by two pharmacists.

The  1Malaysia Clinic was set up upon request from residents, as it is a long journey to Sibu Hospital or Jalan Oya Polyclinic.

The clinic can handle minor cases while pregnant women and babies have to be referred to Sibu Hospital or Jalan Oya Polyclinic.

NEW SERVICE: Zalman (centre) introduces the new Xpax’s unlimited twitter via SMSservice in a recent event in Kuala Lumpur.

The first of its kind in Malaysia, the Twitter SMS service enables users to follow, receive, or post unlimited Twitter messages, also known as “tweets”, from any mobile device with basic SMS capability for only RM1 per week.

The weekly subscription service allowed customers to interact with friends on Twitter at anytime from anywhere without needing to download applications using GPRS or 3G.

Celcom Axiata Bhd senior vice-president (marketing) Zalman Aefendy Zainal Abidin said: “Being a brand exclusively for youths, Xpax believes in making innovation and technology available for everyone.

“In this case, we are providing a unique service that will meet the needs of our young customers in an ever-evolving mobile lifestyle and culture. We reach out to all, and not just those with access to smart phones.”

“Xpax recognises the impact and importance of instant mobile connectivity in today’s fast-paced environment, and we are very much attuned to what youths want both online and offline.

“With the Twitter via SMS service in place, our customers who own even the most basic mobile phone will be able to enjoy social networking and micro-blogging on the go,” he added.

In addition to that, the introduction of the Twitter SMS service is in sequence with Xpax’s recent introduction of Facebook SMS in September, where customers were given access to their mobile Facebook accounts to send and receive messages, update their Facebook status, receive and give comments, write wall posts, receive and give pokes, and all other relevant

Facebook applications using the same subscription fees and process.

To subscribe for Twitter via SMS, customers with a Twitter account would simply need to type ‘T’ and send to 29800.

To start posting or to follow tweets, customers would need to visit Channel X at www.channelx.com.my and look for the Twitter SMS link to receive a confirmation code for one time authorisation.

To subscribe or follow other Twitter accounts, type ‘FOLL’ followed by the Twitter username the customer wishes to follow i.e. FOLL XPAXSAYS, and send to 29800.

To stop following, type ‘UNFOLL’ i.e. UNFOLL XPAXSAYS and send to 29800.

Each Twitter SMS account can register or assign up to five mobile numbers, with the RM1 subscription fee charged accordingly to each registered number. Customers can also edit or remove the mobile number assigned, by following instructions from the Twitter via SMS webpage on Channel X.

For customers who do not own a Twitter account, but want to subscribe and follow the tweets of their friends, they can do so simply by typing in their friend’s Twitter usernames.

The number of accounts to follow are unlimited, simply type ‘T’ and send to 29800 to sign up, followed by ‘FOLL’ < Twitter username>, and send to 29800 to receive instant mobile updates.

To stop or unsubscribe the Twitter SMS service, text STOP ALL and send to 29800. Customer would need to re-subscribe to regain access.

Other than that, Xpax will also be igniting excitement early next year, by bringing world-renowned Pop R&B superstar NE-YO to Malaysia for his ‘Year of the Gentleman’ tour.

NE-YO’s much anticipated ‘Live in Kuala Lumpur’ debut concert will take place at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach on Jan 7, 2010, beginning from 8pm onwards.

To find out more on NE-YO’s concert, just follow XPAXSAYS on Twitter for a chance to grab two RM90 discount tickets worth RM140 each.

All customers need to do is send in a registration SMS to REGNEYO to 28881 and reload RM50 to receive a mobile voucher for ticket redemption.

For more info, members of the public are advised to visit wap.channelx.com.my/twittersms or www.channelx.com.my.

GORGEOUS PAIR: Yvonne (right) and Kenneth who won the Supermodel and Manhunk categories respectively.

They were chosen during the final round of Tawau district-level competition at Promenade Hotel here recently.

After the final judgment, Yvonne won the championship in the Supermodel category while Kenneth was the champion in the Manhunk category.

The other supermodels in the finals are Sarah, Alia, Joey and Candy while the manhunks are Shah, Alen, Jackie and Banus. Organising chairman Peter Dicky Lee was proud of the presentation of the participants.

Peter who is also the chairman of Borneo Events Productions, disclosed that it was the first such activity held in Tawau and it was very encouraging and supported by many of the community here.

“We have succeeded in generating singing, dancing and acting talent among youths,” he added.

The best catwalk award went to Pink and Ka Kee while the best photogenic award went to Sarah and Seong.

The public are encouraged to turn up in full force as this will be the last day for the sale.

Meanwhile, in view of the positive response which TC Motors received last year, it has planned to organise the event on a yearly basis and is determined to make it an even bigger one next year.

The year-end sale last year garnered overwhelming response from Kuchingites.

For more information, contact 082-488811.

“Everyone now wants a slice of the halal market,” said Dr Cedomir Nestorovic, a professor at the ESSEC Business School Paris in France.

According to him, halal is now regarded as a ‘big thing’ in Europe and is no longer a taboo subject in the mainstream media.

Presenting a paper at the recent World Halal Forum (WHF) Europe 2009, Nestorovic said the halal industry was growing bigger with intense competition among the players to expand their market share.

“Communication on halal food is no more exotic or ethnic as the halal food market in Europe, particularly in France, is increasingly strong.

“I foresee that communication will be the decisive differentiation point, especially for halal certification and promotion campaigns,” he said.

Held at the World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague, Netherlands, on Nov 17 and 18, WHF Europe 2009 was organised KasehDia Sdn Bhd, which has been promoting the World Halal Forum since 2006.

Held for the first time outside Malaysia, the event was aimed at tapping the enormous potential of the halal market in Europe.

During the two-day session, participants and speakers agreed that awareness on halal products and certification has been increasing in Europe during the past years.

Advertising campaigns on halal products, certification and labels are also on the rise in Europe, particularly in France which has an estimated Muslim population of five million.

World Fair Trade Organisation’s president Paul Meyers said in his paper that both the halal and fair trade shared the same values.

The world’s halal market is currently estimated at US$2.1 trillion annually, with growth potential evident as halal products and services are not limited to Muslim consumers but also poised to gain increasing acceptance among non-Muslims.

This is because consumers normally perceive halal products as having undergone stringent inspection and quality standard controls.

The halal food market in Europe, which has the third largest concentration of Muslims after Asia and Africa, is expected to reach US$6.7 billion this year.

The higher purchasing power of European Muslims and the growing number of educated Muslims in the labour market have contributed towards the strong growth of halal food consumption while the trade potential is rapidly increasing.

Furthermore, the world has been facing various food crisis of variable nature such as mad cow disease and causes were traced to various possibilities of negligence that resulted in contaminated animal feel and chemical residue.

In view of this, Dr Jochen P Zoller, president of Germany’s Intertek Food Services, believes that the emergence of halal market has seen the evolution in understanding of halal values.

“Halal is not just about non-alcoholic or non-porcine food but actual values as prescribed in the divine revelation,” he said in his paper on ‘Growth of Halal Products in the Retail Market’.

According to Zollar, halal food characteristics include religiously clean, hygienically handled, nutritious, good quality and safe.

In this context, he said halal values incorporate three main important values which are animal welfare, fairness including in trade practices, and a good balance.

“The trend of making halal products has been picked up by large corporations like Nestle, GSK and Carrefour,” Zollar said.

“There’s a huge potential in consumer food products and now it has expanded to personal care, healthcare and pharmaceutical products. Halal is an economy by itself,” he said.

The forum saw the participation of key industry players from 33 countries and strong representation from Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the United States and Australia.

Among the issues was Islamic halal slaughter methods which continued to be heavily debated by certain groups, especially animal rights activists, and WHF Europe provided a platform for them to voice out their views.

World Halal Forum’s founder and managing director Jumaatun Azmi, who is also managing director of KasehDia, said the forum was fruitful and motivating.

“It gave participants the opportunity to discuss all issues pertaining to the halal industry, including the halal slaughter controversy which has become a major argument in Europe,” she said. — Bernama

OSK Research Sdn Bhd (OSK Research) in its investment strategy for 2010 highlighted that Mudajaya’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) venture began with the acquisition of 26 per cent equity interest in RKM Powergen (RKM), which was undertaking a 4X360 Megawatt (MW) coal fired IPP project in Chhattisgarh, India.

It noted that the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for Phase One and Two has both been signed together with a coal concession. It observed that financial closure for the remaining debt portion of Phase Two should be finalised soon.

Meanwhile, Unit One of the power plant is projected to be fired up by the end of 2011 and all four units will be fully operational by the end of 2012.

Following a company visit, OSK Research said earnings contribution from electricity sales will be more than RM100 million annually based on its 26 per cent stake. At the same time, the company will also receive a boost for the engineering and procurement (EP) contract for the IPP venture totalling RM3.4 billion.

Phase One was valued at RM762 million while Phase Two valued at RM2.64 billion. In fact, the research firm observed that orders and down payments have been made for all the key power plant components for instance, boilers, generators and turbines at fixed prices.

Traditionally, gross margins were forecasted at more than 20 per cent. Therefore, OSK Research believed that the EP contract to be Mudajaya’s key earnings driver for financial year 2010 and 2011.

On the other hand, Mudajaya had received its investment licence in Vietnam which enabled it to conduct construction works there.

The research firm observed that Mudajaya had recently secured a smaller project in Vietnam and is exploring more projects. It pointed out that Mudajaya is looking for some building type of projects in Saudi Arabia.

On the local front, it believed that Mudajaya has a good participating chance in the Light Rail Transit (LRT) extension project, which is currently at the prequalification tender stage, given its previous sub-contracting role with the existing line.

OSK Research was also optimistic on Mudajaya’s plan to participate in the track transit system linking the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to the newly proposed Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).

It observed that Mudajaya was the contractor for the current track transit at KLIA.

Hence, OSK Research upgraded Mudajaya’s earnings as it offered a three-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) forecast of 70.5 per cent.

Mudajaya’s return-on-equity (ROE) is the highest within the sector coverage by OSK Research, which stood at 29.8 per cent. The research firm stated that another strength of the company is its healthy net cash position.

It said Mudajaya’s financial year 2010 and 2011 price earnings ratio (PER) of eight times and five times were very undemanding considering its strong fundamentals.

Thus, OSK Research pegged the shares of Mudajaya with a target price of RM6.15 per share based on 13 times financial year 2010 earnings forecast.

He was charged under Section 41 (1) Road Transport Act 1987 and if convicted, can be fined not more than RM10,000 or jailed not more than five years or both.

Mohd Kamil, who was in his bus company’s uniform – a red shirt with the company’s logo and dark pants, appeared calm when the charge was read out to him and entered a plea of not guilty.

The prosecution represented by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nurul Izalina Rajaai urged the court to set bail at RM15,000 in the public interest as the tragedy cost the lives of 10 people and for the accused’s driving licence to be suspended.

However, defence counsel S Arumugam and Khairun Niza Husnin asked the court to set an affordable bail saying the accused had no prior traffic offences and had six dependants, his wife, three children, aged nine, seven and six months, as well as his aged parents.

Magistrate Mohamed Ruhizat Abdullah set bail at RM20,000 in one surety and fixed Feb 3 for the trial.

“This (bail) is based in the public interest and other factors. Your driving licence is also to be confiscated until the case is settled,” he said.

Mohd Kamil was released after two representatives from the company posted bail.

Also present in court were his wife and children as well as his father. — Bernama