A severe tropical cyclone was rapidly building strength off Australia’s minerals-rich west coast on Thursday, whipping up destructive winds and forcing the closure of a global iron ore-shipping hub.

Government forecasters said Cyclone Zelia was expected to build into a category five system – the strongest on the scale – before making landfall on Friday afternoon.

SIBU (Feb 13): The state government should take effective measures to stabilise the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders so that the people need not worry about the rising prices and shortages, said Irene Wong Li Tin.

The Sibu MP Oscar Ling’s special assistant claimed that Petroleum Sarawak (Petros), as Sarawak’s sole natural gas aggregator, still fails to ensure a stable supply despite its market monopoly.

“This situation is unacceptable and has undermined public confidence in the Sarawak government’s ability to manage the issue,” she said in a statement.

She questioned whether the state government conducted a thorough market assessment before terminating other gas suppliers to ensure that Petros has the necessary facilities and capacity to meet the extensive demand across Sarawak.

“The government should reconsider the competitive structure of the LPG market and allow multiple suppliers to coexist. This would prevent a single incident from causing a supply crisis across Sarawak due to Petros’ monopoly.

“If Petros continues as the sole supplier, the government must implement strict regulatory mechanisms to ensure that the company fulfils its social responsibilities, improves supply stability and prevents the public from suffering due to policy failures,” she said.

On Monday, Minister of Utility and Telecommunications Sarawak Dato Sri Julaihi Narawi said immediate steps had been taken to ensure uninterrupted supply of LGP cylinders in Sarawak, following a landslide at the Bintulu LPG Terminal triggered by the recent extreme weather.

Regarding the gas supply issue, she said the transition from yellow cylinders to red cylinders, which began last year, remains unresolved.

“Our service centre continues to receive inquiries about exchanging yellow cylinders for the red ones. Just this morning, a woman asked how to make the switch. Many people feel helpless because they cannot exchange their yellow cylinders for the red ones.”

Adding on, Wong said many households and businesses rely on LPG cylinders for their daily living and operations.

“However, not only is the cylinder exchange process difficult, but even basic gas supply remains unstable, affecting both daily life and business operations.”

Noting that Sibu coffee shops and restaurants heavily deepen on LPG, she said if the supply remains uncertain, it could directly impact the local food and beverage industry, affecting business owner’s livelihood.

She also claimed that there are already reports of distributors raising delivery fees due to their inability to absorb the extra costs as they are now forced to transport gas cylinders to Kuching for refiling, which has increased transportation and operational costs.

“At the same time, the shortage of LPG cylinders has exacerbated tensions in the supply chain, causing both consumers and businesses to worry about the worsening conditions.”

KUCHING, 13 Februari- Jumlah penduduk terjejas banjir yang masih berada di pusat pemindahan sementara, PPS kekal 262 orang melibatkan 81 keluarga setakat pukul 8.00 pagi ini.

Sekretariat Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Bencana Negeri berkata, kesemua mereka ditempatkan di lima buah PPS yang masih aktif.

Bahagian Miri masih mencatat bilangan tertinggi penduduk terjejas di PPS iaitu 210 orang daripada 65 keluarga.

Ia melibatkan daerah Beluru yang mempunyai 2 PPS beroperasi iaitu Dewan Masyarakat Beluru dan Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bakong Beluru.

MIRI (Feb 13): The Miri-Marudi road, along the stretch of the lowland pineapple farming areas, has been raised above its original level to prevent another bout of flooding.

With this latest development, the local community could breathe a sigh of relief for now as the stretch of road – also known as ‘Jalan Kebun Nenas’ had often been impassable during floods.

“Alhamdulillah, hopefully things will be made easier,” said Ismail Hameed, a local resident, in sharing the roadbed elevation along the Miri-Marudi stretch on his Facebook post on Tuesday.

“Small vehicles are usually stranded at this stretch during flash floods,” he pointed out.

Recently, a mother who had just had a caesarean delivery was among those trapped in their cars when they were caught in a flood along the stretch of Miri-Marudi road.

Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil, who is also the Marudi assemblyman, had initially called upon the Public Works Department (JKR) to address the frequent flooding issues affecting this low-lying area.