Flood receded already

My friend updated me that the flood has receded as at 5.30 pm. The shops that were flooded would however need to do their clean up now and also access the damage. We really need to find a solution to this.

Until the next time, cheers.

Kajang Town Flooded Again!!!

Looking towards the shops near the market

Got this update from my friend, MH Kong around 2.45 pm today, Wednesday, 2 May 2012. It was raining very heavy yesterday evening and again from around noon today (for a few hours).

Near the McDonald's (right side)

Until the next time, cheers.

The Star, Tuesday May 1, 2012

Licence renewal put on hold

THREE karaoke outlets are facing opposition from residents and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in renewing their licences.

Two outlets are at Reko Sentral, Kajang, and the other is at Carrefour in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, Cheras.

The licences for the Reko Sentral outlets will expire on June 30 while the one in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn expired in December last year.

The applications from three outlets to renew their licences were discussed at the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) full board meeting yesterday.

Councillor Lee Learn Eng said the outlets were not allowed to operate in Reko Sentral because it was not an entertainment zone.

On the other hand, Carrefour is located within an entertainment zone but the residents committee (JKP) and surau objected to its operations.

The councillors were asked to decide if the council should make a decision on the cases or refer them to the state government.

MPKj president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman said the residents and NGOs were worried about vice activities at the karaoke outlets.

He said the council’s Licensing Committee would meet on May 21 to discuss the matter.

“If a decision still cannot be made, the cases will be referred to the state government,” he said.

He added that Sungai Chua, Sungai Long, Bandar Kajang and Semenyih Sentral were entertainment zones.

Another issue debated was related to political party flags that have been put up in the municipality.

Councillor Mohd Sany Hamzan was against the idea of removing them.

Kajang assemblyman Lee Kim Sin, who was also present at the meeting, said party flags were often put up when party activities were held.

He suggested the council emulate the system in Taiwan which only allowed the party flags to be displayed within a certain distance from the venues, and at strategic junctions to show the direction.

“The organiser must take down the flags within 24 hours after the event or risk having their deposit forfeited,” he said.

Hasan said the Licensing Committee would have to work out the details.

“If we follow the rules strictly, it is wrong to put up party flags during non-election period.

“Normally, we have the option to issue notices to those responsible and request them to remove the party flags.

“If they do not, we will do so and bill them for it,” he said.

The Star, Sunday,  22 April 2012 

Time to shine, Sheena

Her name’s Sheena Liam and she’s Chinese.

But on occasion, her family name Liam has been mistaken for something Irish or Scottish while first time acquaintances have been known to scan her face closely for traces of Caucasian looks.

“No, I don’t have any Mat Salleh blood in me. Liam is my real family name and not something glamorous created by me. You know there are some people who want to lebih-lebih (show off) but not me,” the 20-year-old college student-cum-model said. 

 

Neither is the Liam name a typographical deviation of common Chinese family surnames of Lim or Lam.

“Liam is a Manchurian name rather than a Han Chinese. So that makes me an ethnic minority,” said the lanky 175cm-tall lass from Kajang

Sheena said there was a community of Manchurians with the Liam surname in Perak.

“Usually when I meet somebody who has the Liam surname, chances are they are related to me,” she said.

Her father is an engineer whose firm specialises in water management systems while her mother runs Viva Organic, a shop that sells fresh organic produce in Kajang.

A student of media management and communications at Taylor’s University, Sheena got her first taste for modelling when she was 15.

“At that time, many friends told me to get into modelling as I was much taller than most girls my age,” she said.

“When I was 12, I was short. And then suddenly I had a growth spurt, growing 10cm taller every year. It was scary as I thought I would not stop growing. Back then, I did not want to stand out from the rest of my class,” she said.

Finally, Sheena ended up the tallest in the family, outgrowing her father and even her elder brother who is four years her senior.

Her folks often joked that she was taller because she was adopted.

“I sort of believed it until I was older. Now I can see that I look like my parents,” the jovial Sheena with doe-like eyes and Cheshire Cat smile laughed.

She was also a participant of The Star’s Brats in Langkawi 2006, a programme to give youngsters a glimpse into the world of journalism.

“My parents encouraged me to join that programme as they preferred that I opt for journalism rather than modelling,” she said.

Her first big pageant win was at the MiRRORs Ambassador Search 2010 which came with a modelling course with Amber Chia Academy where she learnt more about the trade.

“After finishing my course, modelling jobs began to come regularly as I have started making a name for myself in the industry,” she said.

But Sheena still prefers runway modelling because of her height and is the female category winner of Amaze International Model Search 2011 and also a subsidiary title winner at the Jaspal Fashionista Search 2011.

The win at the Amaze model search came with a training programme on hosting.

“I am now the host for the Malaysian segment of Super GT Girl Search 2012 contest. The winner of the search will get a chance to go to Japan and be Malaysia’s Super GT girl representative,” she says.

Driving regularly from Kajang to Kuala Lumpur, Sheena is accustomed to traffic jams. 

 

“Instead of doing nothing in traffic jams, I have learnt to play the ukulele by using an app downloaded into my iPhone.

“The app teaches the notes and chords to pluck,” she said during her photo shoot with the Kia Sportage.

On the downside, Sheena has encountered her share of bullies on the road. She almost got into a fight with one after she had honked at the guy who was talking on his phone while driving.

“He stopped his car, got out and came up to me and started yelling.

“I guess he was stressed out from work and when he saw that it was a girl who honked at him, he wanted to pick a fight.

Sheena said she put on a brave face and got out of her car to confront him. To her surprise, the chap got back into his car and drove off.

“I was a whole head taller than him,” she laughed.

Make-up by Jil Yong (make-up guru) and hair by Pinky Chia (make-up instructor) of Amber Chia Academy.

The Star, Tuesday April 17, 2012

Man sought to help probe into triple killings in Kajang

PETALING JAYA: A man who operates a security company is being sought by police to assist in investigations into the triple murder in Kajang.

Selangor deputy police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk A. Thaiveegan said police were looking for Murugan Krishnan, 42, to assist in investigations into the deaths of three members of a family in Taman Sri Ramal, Kajang.

“His last known address is 24, Jalan Bahagia 16, Taman Seri Bahagia, Kuala Lumpur.

“We also urge anyone who has gone through similar circumstances to come forward,” SAC Thaiveegan said at the police headquarters in Shah Alam yesterday.

It was reported that a medium, who claimed to be able to mend family disputes, allegedly poisoned the family by giving them milk laced with weedkiller on April 1.

He fled the house after stealing their jewellery and valuables and setting a gas cylinder in the kitchen on fire.

Chargeman M. Karuppanan, 65, brought the medium to his home to help mend a family dispute between him and his eldest son Sargunan, 38.

His daughter K. Rajeswary, 28, died in hospital on April 4 while her brother Manivaran, 33, died four days later.

Their mother M. Sakunthala, 63, died on Saturday while Karuppanan and his other daughter Malathy, 32, who also consumed the tainted milk, have been discharged from hospital.

Sargunan said the tragedy had brought the family closer together and he had made peace with his father.

He said his father was currently living with relatives as their house was partly destroyed in the fire.

Anyone with information should contact ASP Pung Hing Chong at 019-449 9383 / 017-368 3893 or the nearest police station.

Doing their bit for alma mater (Kajang High School)

The Star, Sunday April 8, 2012

Doing their bit for alma mater

IT was an evening of nostalgia for the former students of Kajang High School who gathered to mark the 93rd anniversary of the school.

The reunion of some 1,000 old boys with their former teachers was held last Sunday.

Organising committee member Billy Lee said the reunion was not just to reminisce about old times.

“We want to raise funds to improve sporting facilities in the school such as the basketball and tennis courts.

The class of 1984 reminiscing about old times over a sumptuous dinner.

 

“We also want to build a clock tower to be located near the school’s hall,” he said.

Many of the old boys arrived ahead of the 7.30pm start, and went on a tour of their alma mater. They were later given a presentation of the school’s activities through a power point presentation.

The patron of the dinner Datuk Dr Kamel Ariffin Mohd Atan, school principal Nik Mat Nik Man, Parent-Teacher Association chairman Assoc Prof Dr Ebil Yusuf later cut a cake to commemorate the event.

The Star, Monday April 16, 2012

Beware deadly con men

PETALING JAYA: Before, there was only the risk of losing money or ending up with a broken heart to glib-tongued swindlers.

Now, Malaysians have to be on the lookout for deadly con men pretending to be mediums to gain the trust of unsuspecting victims before robbing and even killing them.

A recent triple murder in Taman Sri Ramal, Kajang, has highlighted the existence of such vile fraudsters.

A medium who claimed he could mend family disputes through a ritual, poisoned them with milk laced with weedkiller in the wee hours of April 1.

The deceased: (From left) Rajeswary, Manivaran and Sakunthala.

 

He fled the house after stealing their jewellery and valuables and setting a gas cylinder on fire in the kitchen.

K. Rajeswary, 28, died in hospital on April 4 while her brother Manivaran, 33, died four days later. Their mother M. Sakunthala, 63, died on Saturday.

Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said although deaths were rare in cases involving con men, many other cases, however, go unreported.

“People should be wary and be extra cautious when seeking alternate solutions to problems, including family disputes and medical ailments,” he said.

He said in most cases, the public seek these people out of desperation.

As con men look for ways to manipulate strengths and weaknesses, they would first work on gaining trust.

“The eventual victims are easily duped because they are usually in a state of distress. The con men prey on their desperation to get what they want,” he said.

Devastated: M. Karuppanan, 65, and his eldest son Sargunan (left) at the Serdang Hospital mortuary.

 

Meanwhile, the Bukit Aman Commercial Crimes Investigations Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said Malaysians have been swindled of more than RM32mil through scams between January and June last year.

Besides Internet fraud, the con tricks also include parcel scams (victims are told that he or she had received parcels with expensive gifts, jewellery or cash, but the packages are detained by Customs and payment is sought for the release), Macau scams (con men claiming to be police or bank officers duping the victim is being investigated and that he or she has to surrender money into an account to verify that it was not gained illegally).

“A total of 454 Macau scam cases were reported amounting to losses of over RM10.6mil while 472 parcel scam cases were also reported with losses of over RM10mil as well within the same period,” Comm Syed Ismail said.