A MASSIVE seven-storey crane tower crashed on a pre-war shophouse in George Town, killing one and injuring three others. The tower had toppled from a nearby construction site onto the house, burying 65-year-old Liang Yit Kwang under the debris. His family sustained injuries but otherwise survived the horrific incident.Two nearby shophouses were also damaged by the crash.

The crane had been installed to construct a 20-storey hotel. The police say they are investigating the case under Section 338 of the Penal Code, and the site has been sealed from the public pending an investigation. Liang and his family had been in the business of making iron grilles. “He was a master craftsman and had been working with us for over 30 years,” said daughter Ai Lay. Read here.

The Department of Safety and Health (DSOH) will not rule out human error as a cause of the accident. “The investigation will concentrate on the installation and design of the crane,” said Penang DSOH director Mohamad Anuar Embi. State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said that aid has been distributed to the victims, and that the state government is ready to provide further assistance if need be. Read here.

Other news

• How did an illegal project go unnoticed?: "SHOCKING" is not a strong enough word to describe what has happened at the surroundings of the landmark Kek Lok Si temple in Penang. Read here.
• Tracking factory slaves across Asia: We traveled to Cambodia planning to tell the story of an escape from modern-day slave labor but what we found were tales of more women trapped in debt-bondage in Malaysia. Read here.
• Cargo volume seen to remain flat: The combined cargo volume handled by KL International Airport and Penang International Airport is expected to remain flat this year, said Penang Air Freight Forwarders Association president P. Kalimuthu. Read here.
• Penang's poverty eradication programme funds not from gambling: Two witnesses told the Penang High Court today that no funds from gambling activities were used for the Penang government's programmes for poverty eradication and for senior citizens. Read here.
• Bayan Bay resident against proposal to reclaim shoreline: Residents of Bayan Bay on the south-western coast of Penang want the government to not pursue any proposal to reclaim the seafront there, fearing severe environmental damage, pollution and traffic congestion. Read here. 

ON SUNDAY, Sept 25, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak enlisted some 5,000 schoolchildren to ride their bicycles with him for up to seven kilometres, as part of his "1Malaysia Charity Ride for Education 2011" event.

The charity event, which took place at Straits Quay, Penang, saw the prime minister greeted by 20,000 children. Also in attendance were Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Penang Umno Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman.

"I am proud to take part in this 1Malaysia Charity Ride for Education along with the children and families of Penang," said Najib. Read here. He was also keen to reminisce about his childhood days with the audience. "I cannot recall when was the last time I rode my bicycle... maybe 50 years ago. As a boy, I usually cycled to Tangling Hospital to buy the best nasi lemak in the country near the hospital."

RM16mil was raised at the event. Read here. Analysts say that the event was part of a push by the prime minister to woo back the Penang Chinese for the upcoming general elections. Read here.

He said, he said

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin chided Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for allegedly badmouthing the state of Johor. "Don't look down," he said. "Don't sabotage by using offensive words, with bad intention to stop or prevent other states from attracting investments. This gives a bad image of Malaysia."

According to a Bernama report, Lim allegedly said that Johor is not a safe place compared to Penang, during an interview with an Australian radio station. Read here. However, transcripts obtained from the radio station in question, ABC Radio Australia, prove that Lim made no such comments. Contrary to the Bernama report, Lim never mentioned Johor. 

Later, Lim told reporters, "If you want to criticise, it has to be based on facts, which I have said.” Read here.

On Sept 30, however, Lim apologised to the Sultan of Johor “out of respect" but maintained he was misrepresented. He said except for a “purported tape by TV3,” there has been no press report of what he had said “privately in a closed-door session.” Lim also said he has instructed his lawyers to immediately sue the BN-controlled press beginning with state news agency Bernama. Read here. 

Other news

• State micro-credit scheme gets 100% repayment: A state micro-credit scheme for entrepreneurs in Penang has been enjoying 100% loan repayment rate since the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) took over its operations last December. Read here.
• PSM 30 trial will not proceed: The Public Prosecutor’s office will not proceed with the trial of 30 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members who were arrested recently. Read here.
• Malaysia: The road to Penang: An unexpected twist or turn in a journey can bring about the unplanned highlight of a trip. Read here.
• Boon Siew Honda to invest RM200m in new plant: Boon Siew Honda Sdn Bhd is to build a RM200 million motorcycle production facility in Penang to replace the existing Mak Mandin plant in Butterworth. Read here.
• Cops identify gambling hotspots in Penang: Penang police have identified several locations believed to be "hotspots" for gambling activities in the state. Read here.

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THE manufacturing sector had always defined the state of Penang. Now, the Penang state government wants to be less dependent on it, and has its eyes on the tourism sector.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced that the state government is planning to have its tourism sector contribute 50% of the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2020. Currently, the tourism sector accounts for 39% of the GDP, while the manufacturing sector makes up 52%.

“We want to see a more balanced economic structure for the state so as to be less vulnerable to the vicissitudes of the global business cycles," said Lim. Read here.

Lim says he still wants manufacturing to remain a big contributor to the state, but its services sector must be improved and nurtured. "We model ourselves after California where although it is a hub for high-technology industries, its economy is tourism-driven,” he said. Read here.

Other news

• Foreign giants keen on RM8bil Penang infrastructure jobs: Several foreign giants apart from China's Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), namely Citic Group of China, South Korea's SK Group, as well as couple of Japanese conglomerates and one Singapore company have expressed interest to bid for some RM8bil worth of infrastructure jobs in Penang. Read here.
• Record number of participants for 'heritage' Penang Starwalk: A record of about 20,000 participants were flagged off Sunday morning from the century-old Birch House at Penang Times Square on Datuk Keramat Road for the Penang Starwalk 2011. Read here.
• CM concerned over suggestion to penalise Penang Blackberry investor: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today expressed concern over an Indonesian agency’s suggestion that its government penalise the maker of Blackberry smart-phones for manufacturing the device in Malaysia and not in Indonesia. Read here.
• Saving the grand mansion: Sunday Star revisits the historical Suffolk House in Penang which took seven years to restore. Read here.
• Penang-India ties: The other side of the island’s history. Read here.

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