Body of missing woman in Kinabalu landslip found by special rescue unit

Search and Rescue team including firemen, policemen, JPAM and villagers searching for the victims at the landside scene.


The body of a 78-year-old grandmother who was buried in Tuesday’s landslip in Kundsang was recovered at 12.15pm on Wednesday.

A Fire and Rescue Services’s Special Technical Operation Rescue Malaysia (STORM) personnel recovered the body of Dohumie Kintie buried under a landslip at the remote Kg Masilau on the foothills of Mount Kinabalu.

The 21-member STORM team was brought in a 5am to carry out search and rescue operations for the woman who was reportedly in the area picking strawberries when the landslip occurred at around 10.45am on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the department in confirming the recovery of the body said further details would be released later.

Dohumie is believed to have taken shelter from a downpour in a hut that was hit by tonnes of rock and mud in the landslip.

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Assistant minister escapes unscathed in test drive gone wrong

A four-wheel drive vehicle carrying an assistant minister and two other passengers overturned when a test drive stunt went wrong at Travillion Mall here.

The mishap occurred at the opening of the Great Wall Tour of Borneo’s final leg to promote the China-made Great Wall vehicles.

Assistant Youth Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who was taken on a test spin around the venue after launching the event, was sitting in the front passenger seat while Green Oranges Sales and Services Sdn Bhd chief executive SM Mohd Azli SM Nasimuddin and YLH Autoworld Sdn Bhd executive director Hong Boon Pau were in the back seat.

The vehicle was doing a fast reverse spin when one of its rear wheels rose off the ground. It then rolled over and landed on its side, the front windshield and driver’s window were smashed.

Abdul Karim, Azli and Hong emerged unhurt but the driver suffered some cuts on his head and was brought to hospital.

Relating the incident, Abdul Karim said he thought the driver had been a little “overzealous” while reversing.

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Sarawak CM Taib Mahmud will go when he wants to

Taib Mahmud has been chief minister for 32 years

Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, 77, has hinted many times over the past few years that he may be stepping down soon.



But MPs from his Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB) believe it may not be anytime in the near future and he will only step down when he decides on his successor.

"He has been indicating he wants to leave. It's a matter of time. He has said he's grooming successors," said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nancy Shukri.

The Batang Sadong MP, however, told The Star Online that Taib could serve for another three years, until the Sarawak state elections were held.


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MACC demands list of land Taib owns - from opposition MP

Just hours after an opposition member presented Parliament with a list of the land acquired in the timber-rich state by the family of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, three officers of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) came a-calling.

They wanted that list.


"If I, an ordinary citizen, can get this information from the land office, why can't the MACC?" Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen (pic) demanded to know.

He is one of the Sarawak-based opposition MPs who have trained their sights on the chief minister but are finding him a constantly moving target. Chong was scathing as he questioned the inability of the MACC to strengthen its case against Taib and his family.

He pointed out that the MACC has a special taskforce of 10 investigators to probe the alleged corruption. "If the so-called 10-man probe team are doing their job, there is no reason why they should not have these documents," he said.


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Bakun plant triggered power cuts

Firemen putting out the blaze which engulfed three houses in Piasau Jaya, Miri, believed to have been caused by candles.

Energy drop at plant caused safety tripping to be activated

KUCHING: A SEVERE energy drop at the Bakun Hydroelectric Plant (HEP) has been identified as the main reason behind the massive power failure which plunged most of Sarawak into darkness on Thursday.

For nearly 10 hours, most major cities in the largest state was enveloped in darkness and thrown into chaos as public utility systems, such as street lights and traffic lights, failed to function.

Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) chief executive officer Torstein Dale Sjotveit yesterday said the problem originated from the Bakun HEP, which led to the shutdown of all power stations, including the Sejingkat, Batang Ai and Mukah coal plants, together with the Bintulu and Miri gas plants.

In apologising to those who had suffered from the blackout, Sjotveit said to protect the integrity of other generators in the system, the safety tripping was automatically activated, resulting in the shutdown of all other power stations in the grid.

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Belaga boat incident: 3 Thai monks roped in to search for victims

On the ninth day of the search and rescue operation for victims of the Kawan Mas express boat incident, three Buddhist monks, who were brought in from Wan Velurachin in Thonburi, Bangkok, participated in the search, reports Bernama.

Phra Maha Lamphua, 44, Phra Maha Precha, 41, and Phra Maha Songsak, 69, arrived on Monday. They were brought in by the boat owners to help in the search for the victims, according to Buddhist rituals.

Songsak said rituals were performed to seek help from the "Mountain God" and "River God" to release and transfer the spirit of the victims, who are believed to be dead, to "heaven".

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Belaga tragedy: Attempts to refloat boat unsuccessful

Operations on the ninth day of the attempts to refloat the ‘Kawan Mas’ express boat, which sank in the Rajang River last week, were again aborted and it has been put on hold again today.

The failure raised questions whether the current team should be changed to those with more ‘expertise’ and knowledge of the best methods to deal with the situation.

Since the first day of the tragedy, apart from search and rescue (SAR) operations, various efforts were made to refloat the capsized boat including by using two barges to pull the boat, but to no avail.

Today, attempts were made since 9am by police and fire and rescue department diver teams where according to the initial plan, the team would fix a cable from the mainland to the cable that was tied on both doors of the boat, before the cable was pulled using a winch chain from two tractors borrowed from a logging company.

But until the operation was postponed at 5.30pm today, attempts to float the boat were still unsuccessful and were put on hold again.

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Body of toddler in second boat capsize in Sarawak found Read more: Body of toddler in second boat capsize in Sarawak found -

The mother of the victim Dora Ugat, 32 is comforted by her husband, Abun Meden, 40 after the body of their daughter, Cristian Lagie was found by villagers about 500m from where the boat sank at Kampung Ensika, Sebuyau.

Rescuers today found the body of 14-month old Cristian Lagie who went missing after the boat he was travelling in sank in choppy waters of Sungai Rajang near Kampung Skitong here yesterday.

His body was found about 500 metres from the site in Kampung Ensika, Sebuyau.

This is the second incident of a capsizing boat in Sarawak after the Kawan Mas boat tragedy.

The toddler was travelling with his parents - Abun Meden, 40, and Dora Ugat, 32, and 12 others from Kampung Tungkah Melayu to Kampung Ensika when the boat overturned and he was swept away by raging waters.

The remaining passengers - six adults and eight children - were saved as they managed to don their lifejackets

Survivors recall anxious moments

Matan sat on the roof of the boat as the hull was packed to the brim. As the express boat sunk, he scrambled and swam to safety, leaving his belongings behind.

“The boat was travelling at a normal speed when it suddenly rammed into a large timber log. The juragan (skipper) lost control of the boat due to the strong impact. The boat then hit a large rock in the water,” said the 50-year-old survivor, who only wanted to be known as Matan.

The collision, he added, resulted in the boat tilting to one side, which caused it to sink.
How it happened: Matan telling of is ordeal. How it happened: Matan telling of is ordeal.

This caused panic to the passengers inside the boat and also those sitting on the roof. Some of them smashed the side glass window to escape, he said.

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11 passengers still missing, 179 survivors

Survivors of an overturned boat accident are seen on a riverbank of Rajang River in Belaga, Sarawak State on Borneo Island, 28 May 2013. An overcrowded river ferry capsized 28 May in eastern Malaysia, leaving an unknown number of people feared missing. Some passengers swam to safety but more might be trapped inside the boat.



Survivors' accounts say 11 passengers are still missing in the express boat accident in the Rajang River near Belaga yesterday while 179 others managed to swim to shore as at this morning, said Sarawak Police of Commisioner Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani.

He said the search and rescue (SAR) operation involving 100 personnel from the police, fire services, health department, welfare department and Kapit Resident's Office, 11 rescue boats and 18 divers were still continuing at the accident spot, at the Jeram Tukok/Jeram Bungan, about four hours journey upriver from Sibu.

"We have yet to confirm if those still missing are trapped in the sunken express boat or have been swept away by the swift river currents upriver," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Sarawak state legislative assembly sitting here.

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Overloading continues despite boat tragedy

Despite the tragedy a day earlier, express boat operators in Kapit continue to overload their boats with people and goods on Wednesday as folks find their way back to the hometowns for the weekend Gawai celebrations.


The boats are still being overloaded with people and goods a day after one capzised along Balui river leaving 14 people still missing.

And the rush home for the weekend Gawai celebrations has added pressure on the situation.

The scene at the jetty here on Wednesday was a serious cause for concern.

There were parents carrying babies and passengers bringing at least two bags on board the boat. Even a heavy generator set was seen among the belongings. Officials from the Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) were helpless to control the situation.

The ticket price had also doubled due to the demand. Most of the passengers were aware of Tuesday's tragedy but said they had no choice but to take the river boat.

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Taib rejects 'Chinese Tsunami' reason for urban losses in GE13 Read more: Taib rejects 'Chinese Tsunami' reason for urban losses in GE13

Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) has rejected the main reason behind it losses in urban areas in the recent 13th general election due dwindling support of Chinese communities.

Sarawak Chief Minister and state BN chairman Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud

disagreed with the term "Chinese Tsunami" to describe the Chinese pattern of

voting favouring the opposition because BN's loss may be due to internal factors

rather that external factors.

"Based on the analysis of voters outside Kuching like Sarikei, Sibu and Miri

we lost by a small margin," he said at the community dinner conjunction with the eight anniversary of Miri City here tonight.

Referring to the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) losses in six out of

the seven parliamentary it contested in the 13th general election, he said,

there were encouraging signs that BN, particularly SUPP could regain the trust

of the voters especially outside Kuching City.

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Malaysia Sarawak’s RM4.9b bonds banker Goldman Sachs facilitating corruption, says Global Witness

Taib was cast into the international spotlight after Global Witness released a video documentary alleging the state Barisan Nasional chief to have received millions of ringgit in kickbacks over land deals


Goldman Sachs Inc has been flayed for underwriting RM4.87 billion (US$1.6 billion) in bonds for Sarawak’s energy corridor projects and ignoring alleged corruption in the East Malaysian state by activist group Global Witness.

However, the global investment banker has denied any mistakes in underwriting bonds for the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) project, which won it the ‘Bank of the Year 2012’ award by International Financing Review Asia for “breaking with tradition to win new business in difficult conditions”.

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Taib Mahmud: MACC doesn’t deserve my co-operation

Taib arriving for the BN meeting in Kuala Lumpur today.

Hit by graft allegations, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said today he will not co-operate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) as he believes the government body to be “naughty” and “dishonest” in its investigations.

The long-serving Sarawak chief minister was cast into the international spotlight last month after an environmental activist group released a video documentary alleging the state Barisan Nasional chief to have received millions of ringgit in kickbacks over land deals that have denuded the Borneo state.

“They don’t deserve my co-operation because they have been naughty... and they have not been honest,” Taib told reporters after attending a Barisan Nasional leadership meeting here.

Taib said he was not afraid of being investigated by the anti-graft body.

“Let them victimise me... I am not scared”

Dayak businessmen up in arms over Sarawak video expose

Screenshot of one of the scenes in the video clip as released by London-based activist group Global Witness.

Sarawak's Dayak corporate chiefs are reportedly seething with rage over a video exposing racist remarks by some prominent state personalities with close government links and want Putrajaya to address their economic woes.

The Borneo Post Online reported today the video, produced by UK-based environmental campaigner Global Witness, was the hottest debate topic at the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (DCCI) annual general meeting in Kuching yesterday.

According to the news portal, DCCI members took offense at the views voiced by two lawyers and cousins to Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud which were seen to demean the indigenous tribes described in the video as "squatters" on state property in the expose on endemic corruption over land deals in Malaysia's largest state.

Lawyers in Taib video expose to face police probe, answer misconduct charges

Two lawyers secretly recorded in a covert video on shady land deals involving cousins of Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud will face an inquiry and a criminal investigation for possible misconduct after the Advocates' Association of Sarawak (AAS) lodged a complaint with the police in Kuching today.

The duo, identified as Alvin Chong and Huang Lung Ong, were shown separately in a video released by London-based activist group Global Witness as proof of shady land deals in Sarawak that appeared to implicate the state’s chief minister and his family, with parts of the clip aired on the Al-Jazeera news channel on Tuesday.

In a covert investigation, Global Witness (GW) captured on video dealings with Taib’s cousins and several other intermediaries to acquire thousands of hectares of forest land that the London-based activist said revealed the systematic corruption and illegality that lay at the heart of Malaysia’s biggest state.

London-based activist group Global Witness’ video appears to implicate the state’s chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud (above) and his family, with parts of the clip aired on the Al-Jazeera news channel.

Sarawak hardest hit by floods

Boat passengers had to use the old jetty which could give out anytime soon to cross over to Kampung Seberang Takir in Terengganu. Pix by Rozainah Zakaria.


The overall situation in the four flood-hit states in the country did not change very much as at 6pm today, with Sarawak still having the highest number of flood victims.

A total of 7,592 flood victims, involving 1,632 families were evacuated to 20 relief centres in the state so far.

In KUCHING, the spokesman at the state's flood operations room said 20 low-lying areas in four districts in Sarawak were badly affected by the floods which occurred following heavy rains and high-tide phenomenon over the past three days.

Where is Anita Sarawak? The veteran singer has seemingly ‘disappeared’ without a trace and friends are worried. Is she sulking or facing personal problems?

When Anita Sarawak was caught for close proximity (khalwat) 16 years ago with her third ex-husband J.D.Nicholson, (her fiance then) she handled the issue like a true professional.

Not only did she attend hearing in court and paid the fine, she also appeared on stage several hours later to fulfil and honour her singing engagement.

That time, she was slated to give five performances at the Petaling Jaya Hilton over three days. I happened to catch the show the evening after Anita was caught. Anita had been up almost all night talking to religious officials and she attended the hearing the following day immediately after her afternoon performance.

It was close to 5pm when everything was finally settled. Anita barely had a wink of a sleep.

Yet, she came back to perform that evening. After opening the show with her usual fast numbers complete with slick moves and choreography, Anita asked the audience how they were doing.

Taib: No secret Swiss bank account

Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud today denied that he has a secret bank account in Switzerland.

In a personal statement read out in the State legislative assembly, he said: “Let me state categorically that I have no secret Swiss bank account, nor assets or investments of any description in Switzerland."

He said he had to explain to the august house because the allegations by Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) that he had a secret account was a falsehood against the state government and him.

“As head of the state government and a member of the legislature, in keeping with the parliamentary practice and tradition, I am accountable to this august house.

“Therefore, it is only proper and right for me to make a personal statement to this august house in accordance of Standing Order 22 on the allegations by BMF, a foreign NGO (non-government organisation) not at all accountable to the people of Sarawak,” he said.

BMF, a western-based NGO, had alleged that Taib had kept his ill-gotten wealth in a Swiss bank.

EC spent RM50mil for Sarawak state election

The Election Commission spent RM50mil to conduct the 10th Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Election in April.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, said as for the other ministries and agencies, the expenditure was according to the estimated budget set by the respective ministries and agencies.

Mohamad Nazri said this in his written reply to a question by Teo Nie Ching (DAP-Serdang) at the Dewan Rakyat, here Monday.

Teo had enquired about the expenditure incurred by the government in the recently concluded Sarawak State Election.