PORTAL RASMI
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI
AGENSI PENGURUSAN BENCANA NEGARA
KUALA LUMPUR:US aerospace company SpaceX today donated 50 Starlink kits to Malaysia to support the country’s disaster preparedness.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the contribution was presented by a SpaceX delegation during a courtesy call on him in Putrajaya, which was also attended by communications minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Anwar said the meeting discussed efforts to strengthen strategic cooperation through Starlink, the company’s satellite internet service, particularly to expand network access for residents in rural areas.
“I appreciate Starlink’s role in supporting the government’s efforts to expand coverage and improve the quality of internet access, including in rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Orang Asli settlements in the peninsula.
“I also welcome the operation of Starlink’s infrastructure in Cyberjaya to facilitate local data traffic and improve service quality for users,” he said in a Facebook post.
Anwar stressed that technological advancement must bring tangible benefits to the people, while cybersecurity, data protection, and safe internet use must remain priorities as internet access expands.
“We want to ensure that communities in rural areas also enjoy quality and safe internet access so that they are not left behind in the country’s progress,” he said.
YANGON, Sept 30 — Rescuers scrambled Wednesday through a landslide which devastated a village in Myanmar’s south at the weekend, a team leader told AFP, searching for more casualties in a disaster that has already claimed nine lives.
Myanmar’s southernmost Tanintharyi region was lashed by intense rains last weekend, a wave of extreme weather that also battered neighbouring Thailand and inundated Bangkok.
Flash floods, cut roads and severed communications lines have complicated rescue and recovery efforts in Myanmar — a nation already fractured by civil war since 2021.
Myo Min, chairman of the volunteer Dawei Zabuthiri Emergency Medical Service, said nine bodies, including elderly residents, had been recovered from a landslide that hit Ka Det Nge Htein village on Saturday night.
Eight more people remain missing under the mud in the village in Launglon township four kilometres (2.5 miles) from the Andaman Sea coastline, according to Myo Min.
“The situation was terrible,” he said. “They died after being buried by the landslide as they slept.” “It was impossible for the villagers to escape,” he added.
Control of Tanintharyi is fractured between the military — which triggered civil war by launching a coup five years ago — and dozens of ethnic minority and pro-democracy rebel groups.
The intense monsoon season weather has compounded the difficulties of coordinating aid efforts.
“We sometimes have to use foot messengers to keep in touch with the field team,” said Myo Min.
In neighbouring Thailand, 24 people have been killed in floods since mid-September, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, including four in Bangkok.
A citywide flood disaster was declared last weekend, where huge portions of the capital were gridlocked after 48 hours of heavy rain left roads, shops and homes waterlogged.
Myanmar, a country of 51 million people, ranks among the 10 nations most vulnerable to climate change, according to non-profit Germanwatch.
But the civil war often makes even the scale of natural disasters hard for aid organisations to judge. — AFP
Selangor mulls appeal after High Court finds authorities liable for 2021 Taman Sri Muda floods
- Admin UKK
- Berita
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — The Selangor government is considering whether to appeal a High Court ruling that found the federal government and two state authorities liable for negligence over the devastating 2021 Taman Sri Muda floods.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state would first seek advice from the State Legal Adviser before deciding its next step, Berita Harian reported today.
“(We will examine) whether an appeal should be filed or otherwise, because this is only a High Court decision and there is still room for an appeal to provide justification,” he was quoted as saying.
He was speaking after the launch of the Selangor Roads and Highways Strategic Plan 2026-2035 (JALUR Selangor) here.
The High Court yesterday ruled in favour of 50 Taman Sri Muda residents who sued the government and several public authorities over losses they suffered during the catastrophic floods in December 2021.
Judicial Commissioner Shoba Rajah Dorai Rajah found the federal government, the Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), among the defendants, liable for negligence and related failures that contributed to the residents’ losses.
The residents alleged failures in flood management, drainage systems, weather warnings and disaster response.
The residents are seeking RM3,767,148.51 in special damages, as well as general and aggravated damages.
The High Court has fixed October 6 for case management to determine a date for the assessment of damages.
Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam was among the areas worst affected by the widespread floods of December 2021, which left residents stranded as floodwaters rose rapidly.
Fahmi: Govt expects F1, KL Marathon and Le Tour de Langkawi to go ahead despite haze
- Admin UKK
- Berita
PUTRAJAYA, Sept 30 — The government expects the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Le Tour de Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon to proceed this weekend despite haze affecting several parts of the country, Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil said today.
He said the haze situation was being monitored on a day-to-day basis, with the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) expected to make decisions on the events based on prevailing conditions.
“For now, the government expects the three major events — LTdL, F1 and the Standard Chartered Marathon — to continue,” he said during a press conference here.
Fahmi said the Cabinet had also discussed the haze situation ahead of the three major sporting events, while Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had raised the issue during his recent meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.
He said Malaysia had also offered assets to Indonesia to help the country tackle fires contributing to the regional haze.
“We hope the haze can be controlled. From day to day there has been some rain, but at the same time KBS (Ministry of Youth and Sports) will make the decision,” he said.
Fahmi said Malaysia would continue to follow official channels in dealing with Indonesia on the haze issue, including through the Foreign Ministry.
The three major sporting events are scheduled to take place this weekend, with the Formula One race at the Sepang International Circuit, LTdL stages taking place in several states and the Standard Chartered Marathon in Kuala Lumpur.
The haze has pushed air quality into the unhealthy range in several parts of the country, raising concerns over athletes, spectators and event personnel taking part in prolonged outdoor activities.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — The haze currently affecting the country is caused by moderate to thick smoke from clusters of hotspots detected across much of Kalimantan as well as central and southern Sumatra.
Department of Environment (DOE) deputy director-general (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon said the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) reported 327 hotspots in Kalimantan and another 191 in Sumatra yesterday, while one hotspot was detected in Sarawak.
“ASMC also reported moderate transboundary haze affecting several areas in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and northwestern Borneo,” she said in a statement today.
She said the DOE had stepped up inspections, patrols and monitoring in fire-prone areas, particularly peatlands and landfill sites, amid continued hot and dry weather.
“Where offences are identified, follow-up action will be taken based on the findings of inspections and investigations, as well as evidence obtained on the ground,” she said.
Azuri Azizah said the DOE would continue monitoring Air Pollutant Index (API) readings, hotspots and transboundary haze developments, taking meteorological information into account when assessing the situation and coordinating haze management measures at district, state and national levels.
As of 2 pm today, 23 areas in Peninsular Malaysia recorded unhealthy API readings, with the highest readings reported in several states, including Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
The department would also regularly provide updates on the situation, monitoring and patrol findings, Open Burning Prevention Operations (OMPT) and enforcement actions in accordance with the established reporting mechanism.
She said this was to ensure the situation could be assessed continuously and appropriate measures coordinated at all levels.
The DOE also stressed the need for cooperation from the industrial sector to reduce air emissions from major sources, particularly in areas where API readings exceed 300. — Bernama