YB. R.S.N RAYER - A.D.U.N. SERI DELIMA, PENANG

GEORGE TOWN: Penang DAP has launched its Sri Lankan Tamils Relief Fund to help ethnic Tamil civilians injured in the fighting between the military and Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka.

Fund chairman R.S.N. Rayer said the money would be channelled to the victims through Kuala Lumpur-based NGO World Tamil Relief Fund.

Rayer, who is a Penang DAP committee member and Seri Delima assemblyman, said similar fund-raising campaigns would be launched in Kedah, Perak and Selangor.

GEORGE TOWN: While some firms are either retrenching workers, downsizing their operations or even closing down, one company here has bucked the trend, investing RM300mil for expansion.

B. Braun Medical Industries Sdn Bhd, a German pharmaceutical firm, announced yesterday that it was investing the amount over three years to expand its facility at the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone, starting from this year.

"WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY & PROSPEROUS YEAR OF THE OX"

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will implement infrastructure projects this year that will unlock the value of state-owned land and equip the state with WiFi and WiMAX to generate revenue for the state during the current economic downturn.
He said for example, the second bridge, when completed, would enhance the value of the state land in Batu Kawan.

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GEORGE TOWN: The state government has ordered the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) to collect more than RM236,000 in assessment arrears from Umno.
State Local Government, Traffic Management and Environment Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said his office has received a report that Umno owed MPSP RM236,558.24 in backdated arrears for between one to 10 years.

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GEORGE TOWN: US chipmaker Intel Corporation plans to close two of its three factories in Bayan Lepas.
Its Penang corporate affairs manager Loo Cheng Cheng said the 1,000 employees affected by the closure would be offered comparable job positions at the company’s four other plants, three of which are in Kulim.
She said Intel, which has been in Penang since 1972, carried out manufacturing, research and development, and other services at its six Malaysian plants and currently have about 10,000 employees.

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CIVIL servants in Penang have been told to help the state government deliver on its promises and lure investors to the state.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state would have an added advantage by being the top choice of location for investors if civil servants strived harder and be the best in their work.
With an efficient civil service, he said the state was confident that its highly-skilled labour market and supporting infrastructure would continue to be attractive to investors.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Free WiFi project was launched Wednesday as three test sites in the state opened for business.Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng launched the test-drive promotion period at Komtar saying the state was pushing on with its initiative despite opposition from certain quarters.“After hearing all the evidence, we have found claims that WiFi could be dangerous to the health unsubstantiated so we are proceeding full swing with the project,” Lim said in a speech.

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GEORGE TOWN: The first batch of the seven locations for Wireless@Penang WiMAX coverage commenced with a test drive launch yesterday of Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd’s fast-speed wireless broadband.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who launched the WiMAX test drive at a hotel in Gurney Drive, said the service also would be rolled out at other locations in the next six months, and over the next 18 months, 70% of Penang Island and Seberang Perai would have WiMAX coverage.

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BUTTERWORTH: Renowned biscuits and salty snacks maker Kraft Malaysia Sdn Bhd has invested RM36 million in a new facility in Perai that will produce 50% of its domestic biscuit demand in 2009.

The facility in Perai, located on 26,000 sq metres of land, is the largest of its three factories in Malaysia. Its factory in Johor Bahru produces 50% of domestic biscuit demand while another facility located adjacent to the new factory in Perai produces its salty snacks.

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GEORGE TOWN: Fancy having a meal and eating the containers too? You can when edible plates and cups hit the local market at the end of the year.

Biodegradable product manufacturer Green World Biotech Sdn Bhd is investing RM100 million in Penang over the next four years to set up a plant that will churn out edible containers from cane husks and other agro-based materials.

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GEORGE TOWN: The organisers of the Thaipusam procession will meet Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng over a proposal that the silver chariot make a stop at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Queen Street on Feb 7.

The Nattukotai Chettiar Temple trustees chairman Datuk N. Ramanathan said they would comply with the proposal “out of respect for the state” if the state government wanted them to do so.

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THE RM40mil Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) pavilion at the Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam in Penang is scheduled to be completed by the middle of the year.

Temple trustee Datuk Steven Ooi said the 20-storey building would house the 30.2m-tall bronze statue of the deity which was first unveiled about 11 years ago.

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GEORGE TOWN: Statewide wireless internet connectivity is vital to the state in order to lure foreign tourists here, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“Many foreign tourists especially the backpackers do not yearn for five-star accommodations. What they prefer is a simple vacation in our lush tropical state with modern-day amenities.

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GEORGE TOWN: It was a test of manhood for young men at the 100th annual Ponggal festival at the “High Chaparral” of Penang.
In honour of the Harvest Festival, the Tamil community gathered to give thanks for the year’s prosperity and prove their worth through a series of daring competitions.
Groups of youths faced off with bulls, weighing over 400kg, in an effort to yank off garlands from their horns.

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GEORGE TOWN: The public bickering between the state government and Penang Chinese Town Hall (PCTH) over the former’s decision not to subsidise PCTH’s Chinese New Year open house should be put to rest.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng viewed the issue as having come to an end since the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry had already provided PCTH with RM15,000 to host the event.

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GEORGE TOWN: Readers of The New York Times have chosen Penang as the second best destination among “44 Places To Go in 2009”.
In top spot in the recommendations found on the paper’s website (http://www.nytimes.com) was Beirut.

The only other South-East Asian destination in the ranking is Phuket, which is in 15th place.

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GEORGE TOWN: Multinational corporations (MNCs) in Penang, which are already experiencing 20% to 40% reduction in their orders over the past two quarters, have no intention of retrenching their workers.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said except for a couple of MNCs, which may have to lay off a "few hundreds" workers, the rest had pledged to maintain their workforce despite the economic slowdown.

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FORGET about dieting from March 13 to March 15. Instead, flock to the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) to savour Penang food at the Penang International Food Festival 2009.

Penang Tourism Action Council chairman Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen said the word “diet” should be removed from the vocabulary for the three days as interesting activities, which should not be missed, had been lined up.

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THE Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) has only RM10mil in cash reserves and RM26mil in fixed deposit, which are hardly enough to pay its employees’ salaries of about RM54mil annually.

In revealing this, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng gave a two-month ultimatum for the council to turn around its finances or council president Farizan Darus might have to face the music.

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KUALA LUMPUR: The DAP will pull out of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition if hudud laws are implemented by PAS, said party chairman Karpal Singh.
He said the DAP’s stand had always been against hudud laws and that it had made its stand known since the very beginning.

“Of course, of course ... DAP would (pull out). We have to be consistent. We cannot sacrifice our principles at the expense of public interest and at the expense of what we have been saying (all) along,” he replied when asked by newsmen if the party would pull out of Pakatan Rakyat if hudud laws were implemented.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Government threw some focus on the conflict in Sri Lanka, reminding Malaysians that violence and war were also occurring in other parts of the world alongside Gaza.

While expressing its anger at Israel for the deaths of innocent Palestinians, Penang said it was also concerned about the deaths of innocent victims due to attacks launched by the Sri Lankan Government on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) or Tamil Tigers.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government has activated the employment and retraining mechanism with an initial allocation of RM10 million to spearhead efforts to help retrenched workers regain employment.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng chairs the special committee, with InvestPenang Bhd executive committee chairman Datuk Lee Kah Choon as its works commissioner, assisted by InvestPenang general manager Wan Zailena Noordin.

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THE state will host the Chinese New Open House celebration for the first time at Campbell Street in Penang on Jan 29 from 6.30pm to 10.30pm.

Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik said about 10,000 people were expected to attend the open house, which would be graced by Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

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With Best Wishes For Health, Happiness and Prosperity in your Life Alwayr!

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) is getting some Japanese help to tackle the island’s traffic woes.
MPPP president Datuk Zainal Rahim Seman said a group of consultants with the Japanese government has volunteered to conduct studies on Penang’s traffic safety measures.

He said the group, which had previously conducted a study on Penang’s traffic system several years ago for the state’s traffic master plan, would be funding its own studies.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government has applied for a RM500mil allocation from the Federal Government for various programmes, including the retraining of workers and providing business opportunities for the people, over the next two years, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Tuesday.

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THE RM7mil road leading to and from Tesco Extra hypermarket in Seberang Jaya, which hit a snag while undergoing construction work, was opened by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Tesco Malaysia chief operating officer David Hobbs said the opening of the road yesterday marked a significant achievement for the company as it reflected its investment commitments and good neighbourliness within the area they are operating in.

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GEORGE TOWN: Penang is concerned about the “alarming” rate of malaria cases in the state with 13 cases reported in the first week of the new year.

State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said of the 13 cases, only one involved a Malaysian while the rest were foreign workers, mainly Myanmars, who worked in the construction industry.

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FOLLOWING concerns about hillslope development in Penang, investPenang is organising a forum on the viability of hill land development for its ‘The CEO Speaks...’ series next week.

The forum, on Jan 16 at the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) auditorium, will feature speakers from the property development and real estate industries, non-governmental organisations and the engineering field.

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GEORGE TOWN: A Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) department director has landed in hot soup for changing the permit rates for traders during this Chinese New Year, which may cost him thousands of ringgit in surcharges to the council.

CNY traders had been charged a one-time fee of RM50 for the permit to put up canopies and tents during festive seasons, but this year the director decided to charge them RM50 per day.

A BULL named Wang Niu, which means ‘prosperous bull’ in Mandarin, will be the mascot of Penang’s Chinese New Year Cultural & Heritage Celebration 2009 to be held in George Town from on Feb 1 from noon to midnight.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the bull, a symbol of energy, expertise and enterprise, would be loved by all, especially those who invest in the share market.

“Come to Penang for the event and hug the mascot; maybe you can get more ong (Hokkien for auspiciousness) on that day,” he joked, when unveiling a picture of the bull during a press conference at the Yap Kongsi on Sunday.

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GEORGE TOWN: Instead of having two low-cost carrier terminals (LCCT) almost right next to each other, there should be one built in Penang, besides expanding the existing Bayan Lepas International Airport, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said yesterday.

Lim was commenting on The Edge Financial Daily report that Sime Darby and AirAsia Bhd would collaborate to build a RM1.6 billion LCCT terminal in Labu, Negri Sembilan and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) was also planning to set up a bigger LCCT to replace the existing one.

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THE Penang state government is inviting local and foreign software companies with strong financial backing to participate in its statewide wireless broadband project.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that "Wireless @ Penang" was ready for test-drive exercises and the state was working at enabling local content developers to obtain content development grants.

"We are in negotiations with several parties, including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, to matchmake local content developers with the grant providers so that our local talent can help make Penang a key hub for digital content development," he told a press conference at his office in Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak in George Town yesterday.

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GEORGE TOWN: A pakat (acting in collusion) system is among the malpractices the state government discovered when looking into the Seberang Perai Municipal Council’s (MPSP) financial situation.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the pakat system was among other practices still in use despite his warnings.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Federal Government should buy over all the major highway concessions in the country and run them as a business.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that in the long term, the Government and people of Malaysia would gain from such a move, instead of private companies.

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GEORGE TOWN: Contractors who do not give priority to locals when hiring workers will be blacklisted by the state government.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state had issued this directive to the contractors after having received several complaints from locals who were unemployed.

The directive takes effect immediately.

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A ONE-WEEK signature campaign has been launched to support the Penang Government’s initiative to exempt owners of low and medium-cost lease hold flats located on state land from paying a premium to convert the title to freehold.

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GURNEY Plaza in Penang will host its 6th Traditional Lion Dance Competition on Thursday at its ground floor atrium in the new wing.
At least seven lion dance troupes from Penang will show off their skills at the competition which the mall is jointly organising with the Penang Wushu, Lion and Dragon Dance Association.

Association president Lim Siew San said the champion would take home RM1,000, RM1,500 cash vouchers and a trophy.

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GEORGE TOWN: The family of a 15-year-old boy who was abducted and forced to drink a solution which caused his face and mouth to swell are puzzled why a suspect in the case had since been released.

PENANG:
St Jude Medical, a medical device company, plans to invest US$30 million (RM108 million) in Penang.

THOUSANDS of revellers rocked to the beat at the ‘PG2009 Rock The Fort — The Year End Countdown’ concert at the Esplanade to mark the New Year on Wednesday.

The crowd thronged the popular seafront promenade from as early as 5pm and by 10pm, the Esplanade field was filled to the brim as the crowd clapped, whistled and sang along to usher in 2009.

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PENANG: The Clearinghouse for Tobacco Control (CTob) plans to undertake a pilot project to monitor the air quality in public areas here.

The project is in line with CTob’s call for Penang to be made a smoke-free state after George Town was accorded World Heritage Site status by Unesco, said its chief Prof Rahmat Awang yesterday.

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GEORGE TOWN: While revellers were having a gala time ushering in the New Year at Gurney Drive and the Esplanade here, Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) workers were busy clearing litter in their midst.

By 10am yesterday, the two areas were almost squeaky clean, earning praise from the people. There was almost no litter on the pavements or streets or in the drains at both locations.

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