PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia, as Asean chair, will seek an extension of the ceasefire announced by Myanmar's military junta to allow humanitarian efforts in the earthquake-ravaged nation, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said he would make this appeal when he meets the junta's senior general Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok on Friday (April 18).
"The temporary ceasefire will end on April 22 and I will ask for it to be extended," he said at the Finance Ministry's monthly morning assembly here on Monday (April 14).
Anwar said the meeting will be on the sidelines of his visit to Bangkok to meet his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was appointed as adviser on Asean Affairs.
"I will leave for Bangkok shortly after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"I will meet the Thai Prime Minister to discuss matters related to Sungai Golok about dredging and flood mitigation works in southern Thailand," he said.
On April 2, Myanmar's ruling military declared a temporary ceasefire in the country's civil war to allow relief efforts following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake which killed thousands.
Malaysia has since sent its SMART rescue team to Myanmar and also set up a temporary military field hospital there.
Although there are no diplomatic ties between Asean and the junta, Anwar said this meeting is being held on humanitarian grounds.
On a separate matter, he said a multi-billion-dollar Asean Energy Grid project is being planned in line with the region's renewable energy policies.
"Initial agreements have been inked between Vietnam and Malaysia so that energy from Vietnam can be channelled to Malaysia via Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. "But the cost has somewhat doubled.
"So for the initial stage, PETRONAS Malaysia and Petrovietnam will rely on an undersea cable from Vietnam to Kota Baru," he said.
He added that the plan is to channel energy via a grid system to Singapore, and there are also negotiations for energy supply to Batam, Indonesia.
Anwar said the plan includes an undersea cable running from Sarawak to Tanjung Sedili in Johor before connecting with Singapore.
He added that there are also plans for the undersea cable run from Sarawak to Sabah and the southern Philippines.
Anwar said Asean has to work collectively to realise the massive project, which includes attracting foreign investment.
PETALING JAYA – Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (MetMalaysia) mengeluarkan amaran ribut petir yang bakal melanda di lima negeri sehingga pukul 4 petang hari ini.
Menerusi kenyataan MetMalaysia, cuaca buruk itu diramal berlaku di kawasan Perak iaitu daerah Kinta, Kampar, Batang Padang dan Mualim.
MetMalaysia berkata, cuaca buruk itu juga dijangka tertumpu di Hulu Selangor, Gombak dan Hulu Langat di Selangor, manakala di Negeri Sembilan (Jelebu dan Kuala Pilah).
“Amaran dikeluarkan apabila terdapat tanda-tanda menunjukkan ribut petir dengan intensiti hujan melebihi 20 milimeter per jam yang hampir atau dijangka berlaku melebihi sejam.
“Amaran ribut petir adalah amaran jangka pendek yang sah dalam tempoh tidak melebihi enam jam untuk satu-satu keluaran,” katanya.
Orang ramai diingati untuk mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga ketika berada di luar rumah semasa ribut petir melanda. – KOSMO! ONLINE
SHAH ALAM: Situasi banjir yang melanda sekitar daerah Petaling pulih sepenuhnya selepas semua pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) yang menempatkan mangsa banjir di daerah itu mula ditutup sepenuhnya bermula semalam hingga hari ini.
Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana Daerah (JPBD) Petaling, Huzunul Khaidil Mohammed berkata, Bencana Tahap 1 membabitkan Kampung Padang Jawa, Kampung Bukit Lanchong, Kampung Lanchong Jaya, Kampung Tengah dan Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru di daerah itu kini tamat.
“Penutupan PPS di Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seksyen 16 Shah Alam dan Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 16 Shah Alam berkuatkuasa jam 1 tengah hari tadi.
“Penutupan Dewan Kenanga MBSA Seksyen 28 Shah Alam dan Dewan Serbaguna MBSJ Camelia Putra Height ditutup berkuatkuasa masing-masing jam 5 dan 6 petang semalam.
“Terima kasih atas kerjasama semua agensi dan jabatan terbabit secara langsung atau tidak sepanjang menguruskan bencana banjir di kawasan terbabit,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.
Jumaat lalu, lima daerah di Selangor terjejas akibat banjir kilat susulan hujan lebat sejak jam 2 pagi membabitkan daerah Petaling, Klang, Gombak, Sepang, Hulu Langat dan Gombak.
Banjir kilat menyebabkan banyak premis terutamanya kediaman penduduk dinaiki air sehingga paras paha dan mangsa terjejas melebihi 1,000 orang ditempatkan di enam PPS.
Kuala Lumpur: Situasi banjir di Selangor pulih sepenuhnya apabila kesemua 218 mangsa daripada 63 keluarga dibenarkan pulang manakala, jumlah mangsa di Sabah meningkat sedikit dan di Johor pula berkurangan pada petang ini.
Di SELANGOR, kesemua mangsa yang ditempatkan di empat pusat pemindahan sementara (PPS) di daerah Petaling telah dibenarkan pulang ke kediaman masing-masing pagi tadi.
Exco Pengurusan Bencana Selangor, Mohd Najwan Halimi berkata, empat PPS berkenaan ialah Dewan Kenanga Seksyen 28, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Shah Alam Seksyen 16 dan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Seksyen 16 di Shah Alam serta Dewan Serbaguna Majlis Bandaraya Subang Jaya Camelia (MBSJ) di Subang Jaya.
"Kesemua mangsa sudah mula dibenarkan pulang sejak semalam apabila banjir mulai surut di beberapa kawasan di daerah Klang serta Petaling," katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini.
