RON95 down 35sen, diesel down 30sen from Jan 1

Prices for RON95 and RON97 petrol will go down by 35 cents per litre from Jan 1, while diesel is down by 30 sen.

With the drop, fuel prices per litre are now RM1.91 for RON95 petrol, RM2.11 for RON97, and RM1.93 for diesel, announced the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry in a statement Wednesday.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek said that the Government would continue to monitor the market price of petrol and diesel, as well as currency exchange rates, in the coming months.

On Dec 1, 2014, retail prices for petrol and diesel were fixed on a managed float system, effectively marking the removal of all fuel subsidies.

Under the managed float, retail prices would be based on the monthly average world price of crude oil.

Ada kambing panas bontot lalu salahkan TNB dan tasek kenyir

Posted by The Unspinners

Khabarnya ada kambing dah mula menggelupar lalu mula nak salahkan TNB dan sg kenyir. Padahal jauh dari tasek kenyir .....

KECOH AIR EMPANGAN TEMBAT TASIK KENYIR DI KAITKAN DENGAN BANJIR DI KELANTAN?

Dakwaan mengatakan Empangan baru (Second Hyroelectronic Dam) di Tembat Tasik Kenyir adalah punca sebenar banjir besar yang berlaku di Kelantan.

INI ADALAH TIDAK BENAR kerana Both empangan (puah & tembat) masih lagi dalam pembinaan masih belum mencapai bekalan penuh.

Menurut Pegawai Operasi TNB Jenagor Kenyir semua air takungan (discharge penjanaan) & air limpahan (jika melebihi paras bekalan penuh) di Empangan Baru Tembat tidak akan masuk ke mana-mana sungai lain di kawasan Kelantan melainkan ke Tasik Kenyir.

Dari Tasik Kenyir hanya satu empangan sahaja yang akan mengalirkan limpahan air keluar melalui Empangan Tasik Kenyir Jenagor Terus Sungai Terengganu dan laut.

Ini tiada mengena dengan kawasan Gua Musang, Kuala Krai dan Kota Bharu yang di kaitkan dengan Air limpahan Tembat Kenyir.


Kenapa tidak di kaitkan dengan kemusnahan hutan di Lojing, Menyebabkan Kawasan takungan air di kawasan itu tertutup akibat kerakusan projek balak husam musa, Exco Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan?

King TTimes

Strong winds, rough seas for five days

Winds of 50kph and waves of 3.5m expected off Kelantan, Pahang and Johor

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department has forecast strong winds and rough seas for five days from today in several parts of the country.

It said in a statement that Category Two north-easterly winds of between 50kph and 60kph and waves as high as 4.5m were expected to occur in the waters off Samui, Tioman, Condore, Bunguran, Reef North, Layang-layang, Reef South, Labuan, Sulu and Palawan.

The department said Category One north-easterly winds of between 40kph and 50kph and waves as high as 3.5m were expected to occur in the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, eastern Johor, Sarawak, Sabah (Interior, West Coast, Sandakan and Kudat districts) and the Labuan federal territory.

It warned that the strong winds and rough seas were dangerous for all coastal activities and shipping, including ferry services, as well as fishing.

– BERNAMA

THE UNHAPPINESS IN SABAH AND SARAWAK

There are not really that many issues to resolve — immigration, crime, oil royalty, autonomy, federalisation, and the 18-/20-Point Agreements. On the side, of course, are the Bible and Allah issues, which is not a Sabah/Sarawak problem but being exploited by the opposition as if they are.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The last Umno General Assembly can be said to have sent out mixed signals. Instead of replying to the many questions that people may have about what to expect in the run-up to the next general election expected in 2-3 years from now, it raised more questions than it answered. If people had followed the Umno general assembly with the hope of becoming enlightened, then they were disappointed because, instead, the reverse happened: they became more confused.

While the Umno General Assembly can be considered an internal party affair and only the business of Umno and of no one else outside Umno, in reality, the nation considers it more than just an Umno matter but a matter that affects the entire nation. And that is because Umno is the lead or dominant partner in the ruling coalition who decides not only what Umno does but also what Barisan Nasional does at well.

Hence what is decided at the Umno General Assembly will affect all Malaysians and also what is said and done at the assembly will be monitored by the entire nation. The Umno delegates do not speak just for their own party but for the whole country and the policies that are decided will invariably become the country’s policies.

And that is why the entire nation is listening to what is said and is watching what is done at the Umno General Assemblies every year.

Umno, therefore, has to decide what message it wants to send out because this message is not just for its own party members but also for all Malaysians. Unfortunately, the message Umno is sending out is confusing and tantamount to mixed signals. Umno is zigzagging and is trying to please the Malays as well as the non-Malays both at the same time. So, in one breath Umno says one thing and in the next it says the opposite.

Umno has to decide whether it wants to just play to the Malay gallery (and ignore the non-Malay gallery) or play to the non-Malay gallery as well. Umno cannot do both and be all things to all people (like Anwar Ibrahim is fond of doing when he says one thing to the Muslims and the opposite to the Jews).

If Umno wants to be a hardcore Malay nationalist party and just focus on the support of the Malays, then Umno must be prepared to lose the non-Malay support. It cannot be both ways.

However, if this is the route that Umno chooses (to focus just on the Malays), Umno must remember that this may suit the Malay voters in West Malaysia but that does not mean it also suits the Bumiputera voters of East Malaysia. Hence by strengthening itself with the Malays in West Malaysia, Umno may have to lose the support of the East Malaysian Bumiputeras.

This may not be the best strategy to adopt considering that Barisan Nasional, and that means Umno as well, rules with the support of many of the 57 seats from East Malaysia, Labuan included. Without the 57 East Malaysian seats, Umno will not be able to win enough seats to form the federal government, made worse by the fact that Barisan Nasional in West Malaysia is practically just Umno alone and there is not much contribution from MCA, MIC, Gerakan and PPP.

Hence Umno needs to strike a balance between the aspirations of the Malays in West Malaysia as well as the aspirations of the people of Sabah and Sarawak. And the rhetoric at the Umno assembly (plus the various government policies) must reflect this aspiration, which, unfortunately, it does not.

The government is always at a disadvantage. And this is the same the world over, the UK included. The opposition is able to criticise the government and promise the voters all sorts of things when it knows it will not win the election and, therefore, does not need to deliver these promises. However, once it comes to power, such as in some states in Malaysia, it is really not that easy to make good these promises after all. Selangor is one example.

But then the voters believe that once the government is changed these promises will be met (although there is no evidence of this and promises do not make them evidence). Voters all over the world are not really very clever. And that is why I always say that a parliamentary democracy is one of the worst systems of government because we are putting the power to choose the government in the hands of voters who are incapable of thinking.

Another thing we need to understand is that voters all over the world, never mind which country we are talking about, are basically very selfish people (only a handful are idealistic). They vote based on the concept of ‘what do I gain from voting for so-and-so’?

We can ask the question: why do the Chinese vote opposition? What do they gain? What they gain is simply the end of the Malay hegemony. Hence by voting opposition they can get rid of Malay political power and hence also end what they view as discrimination by the Malay government against the non-Malays. Therefore there is a personal gain in voting opposition.

Now let us talk about Sabah and Sarawak. What do the voters from Sabah and Sarawak gain by voting opposition? Barisan Nasional needs Sabah and Sarawak to stay in power. Without Sabah and Sarawak, Barisan Nasional is out of office. So that is what they gain, the end of Barisan Nasional rule.

Okay, so let us say they vote opposition and Barisan Nasional is kicked out because they lost the seats in Sabah and Sarawak. What gain is that to Sabah and Sarawak?

The gain to Sabah and Sarawak is that all their problems will be solved once Barisan Nasional is kicked out. Pakatan Rakyat has promised to give Sabah and Sarawak what they want and once Pakatan Rakyat is in power all these promises will be delivered. That, of course, is yet to be proven but elections are, after all, about promises.

First would be the 20-Point and 18-Point Agreements. The people in Sabah and Sarawak feel that these Agreements are being violated and once Pakatan Rakyat is in power these Agreements would be honoured and respected in full.

Next is the Oil Royalty. Currently it is only 5% and Sabah and Sarawak want it increased to 20%, which Pakatan Rakyat has promised they will get once the government changes.

The illegal immigrants and security problem in East Malaysia is another point of unhappiness which Pakatan Rakyat has promised to solve — and which the federal or Barisan Nasional government is perceived as not able to or not wanting to solve.

Autonomy is another issue. Too many of the key positions in Sabah and Sarawak are being held by federal officers or people from Semenanjung. They want locals to hold all these positions like in, say, Terengganu and Kelantan. In fact, the mentality of the people in Sabah and Sarawak is just like those from Terengganu and Kelantan. Hence if you comprehend how the people in Terengganu and Kelantan think then you will understand how those in Sabah and Sarawak think as well.

For example, a person from Besut cannot stand for elections in Kemaman (and vice versa) although both Besut and Kemaman are in the same state, Terengganu. The semangat kedaerahan is very strong. Imagine if a person from, say, Johor, was to be given a senior position in Terengganu.

And that was why when Dato’ Aziz Ibrahim from Kedah was appointed the SEDC Terengganu GM there was so much protest from Pemuda Umno Terengganu. They resented a Kedah man holding the post. And that is only one post, mind you. Imagine if many posts in Terengganu were held by outsiders.

Another very important point is that Sabah and Sarawak did not join Malaysia. Together with Singapore and Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak formed Malaysia. Hence Sabah and Sarawak are at par with Malaya (or West Malaysia) and Singapore (which has since left to become an independent island state).

Currently, Sabah and Sarawak are being treated as just two of the many states in Malaysia, at par with Perlis, Kelantan, Penang, Melaka, etc. Hence Sabah and Sarawak have been ‘downgraded’. In fact, most view Sabah and Sarawak as at par with Melaka and Penang, which also have Governors and Chief Ministers.

This is another bone of contention of Sabah and Sarawak and yet they do not have CPOs but Police Commissioners (who I am told flies a flag on their car). They also have their own immigration policy and can bar West Malaysians from entering Sabah and Sarawak, which Penang and Melaka cannot do.

This shows that Sabah and Sarawak are different and are of a higher status than the other states in West Malaysia. Hence Sabah and Sarawak have valid grounds to be upset about being treated as just another of the 13 states in Malaysia. And that is why they also get upset about having to celebrate Merdeka Day on 31st August every year. Sabah and Sarawak did not get Merdeka on 31st August 1957. They formed Malaysia on 16th September 1963.

This is a matter that needs to be addressed.

On the matter of the Oil Royalty, Sabah and Sarawak may be getting just 5% and not the 20% that they are asking for. However, the development aid that they get comes to more than 20% of the equivalent of the Oil Royalty. The people of Sabah and Sarawak do not see this because the federal government has not been able to highlight this fact.

What the federal government can do is to agree to the 20% but make Sabah and Sarawak pay for their own development (or at least some of it) from this 20% (just like in the case of Terengganu). At the end of the day it comes to the same thing. But then it will be seen like Sabah and Sarawak have got the 20% they are asking for while, in reality, after they pay for their own development (like Terengganu), it comes to the same thing.

The problem with this, though, is that the state, and not the federal government, decides on how the money is spent and what type of development is done in Sabah and Sarawak. The federal government loses some control over how the money is spent but then the people of Sabah and Sarawak are happy that the money is under their control and they decide what happens to the money.

We must remember that oil and gas have been around East Malaysia for more than 100 years, long before Merdeka in 1957 or the creation of Malaysia in 1963. Terengganu, however, got oil only in 1977, 20 years after Merdeka. Hence Sabah and Sarawak feel that the oil and gas belongs to them, unlike Terengganu where they feel that the oil and gas belongs to Malaysia.

UK has just announced that immigrants who are not employed are going to be kicked out of the country and those coming to the UK must first prove that they have jobs waiting for them before being allowed in. The reason for this is immigration is now a serious election issue and if the government does not resolve the immigration issue it is going to be kicked out very soon.

So UK, which is a very liberal country, is now facing problems regarding immigrants. Hence this is not just a problem for Malaysia or for Sabah and Sarawak. With the immigration problem comes the crime problem, the same for Sabah and Sarawak as well. It is understandable why the people in Sabah and Sarawak are unhappy when even in the UK it is the same thing.

There are not really that many issues to resolve — immigration, crime, oil royalty, autonomy, federalisation, and the 18-/20-Point Agreements. On the side, of course, are the Bible and Allah issues, which is not a Sabah/Sarawak problem but being exploited by the opposition as if they are.

But it needs a political will to address all these issues. And this is what appears to be missing — the political will to resolve these issues. Added to this is the problem of warlords, especially in Sabah, who are plotting the downfall of the Chief Minister and hence are duri dalam daging, which does not help as well.

Najib aims for safer, prosperous, more equal Malaysia in 2015

Datuk Seri Najib Razak says he wants to narrow the gap between the rich and poor. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 31, 2014.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak hopes to build a safer, more prosperous, and more equal society next year, by focusing on the lives and needs of the people.

The prime minister, in his year-end message on his blog, www.najibrazak.com, said that in the months and years ahead, his focus would be on the “rakyat” (people).

"Although Malaysia’s economic performance has been exceptional, I know that people do not always feel they are getting their piece of our national success.

"So, alongside our efforts to strengthen our economy by raising incomes, reducing spending and boosting productivity, we will also work to reduce inequality by narrowing the gap between the rich and poor.”

Najib said he was confident that Malaysia’s economy would continue to grow, and bring more jobs and a better standard of living, because of the strong fundamentals, and clear and consistent government policy.

"Our economy is on track to grow by 5.7% this year and 4.7% in 2015. Our deficit is falling, our reserves are strong; we have trusted financial institutions, low unemployment, and record levels of foreign investment.

"Malaysia’s economy is well placed to weather any storm.”

Najib said Malaysia needed to be proactive to build a resilient economy that was prepared for any eventuality.

"With global events causing problems for many countries, I am pleased that we have already taken measures to protect our economy. Just last week, the World Bank confirmed that Malaysia remains in a strong position precisely because we acted to rationalise subsidies.”

He said the goods and services tax (GST), which would be introduced on April 1next year, would help strengthen the government finances so that Malaysia could continue productive expenditure on things like roads, schools and hospitals for the benefit of the people.

"And alongside the GST, we will continue the reforms to make our economy more competitive, which will bring more opportunities for our businesses and higher income for the people."

- TMI

Crowded skies in Southeast Asia put pressure on pilots, air traffic control

A screengrab from Flightradar24.com showing a busy airspace over Southeast Asia. – December 31, 2014.

The sheer volume of flights in the skies over Southeast Asia is putting pressure on outdated air traffic control and on pilots to take risky unilateral action in crises such as that possibly faced by AirAsia flight QZ8501.

Pilots who have flown the Indonesia to Singapore route say it's not unusual for delays to requests to increase altitude to avoid bad weather – and for requests to eventually be rejected due to the number of other planes in the area.

That leaves pilots flying in a region of volatile weather conditions facing a high-risk challenge: when to take matters into their own hands and declare an emergency, allowing them to take action without getting permission from air traffic control.

Most consider that step – which requires them to broadcast a wideband call to other aircraft in the area and which will later be closely scrutinised by regulators – a last resort.

"As a professional pilot, you are obligated to think quickly," a Qantas Airways pilot with 25 years experience in the region told Reuters. "If you've signed for the plane, as we put it, you've signed for potentially 300 passengers and millions of dollars worth of aircraft; that's a multibillion dollar liability. Part of the job is to balance the risk and make a snap decision."

Weighing those risks has become increasingly difficult in Southeast Asia, an area that has seen explosive growth in budget air travel in recent years.

The number of passengers carried annually across Asia-Pacific has jumped by two-thirds in the past five years to more than 1 billion, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. Budget airlines, which only took to the skies around a dozen years ago, today make up about 60% of Southeast Asia's seat capacity. AirAsia and Indonesia's Lion Air have placed record orders with the main plane makers.

Boeing predicts the region's airlines will need about 13,000 new planes over the next two decades, and Airbus expects Asia-Pacific to drive demand over that period.

Logistical nightmare

"There are certain flight corridors that are over-stressed due to traffic," said a former Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot with a decade's flying experience at the carrier. "One certainly would be the Indonesia/Singapore flights which are flown by many different companies and aircraft types at a variety of altitudes and speeds."

Pilots say that causes a logistical nightmare for the region's air traffic control (ATC), particularly outside high-tech hubs such as Singapore.

"As the airways become more crowded, it takes ATC longer to coordinate and give clearances such as higher altitudes and weather deviations," the former SIA pilot said.

This can be critical in a region where weather conditions can change very quickly, with strong winds and tropical thunderstorms posing time-critical challenges for pilots.

The circumstances around the AirAsia crash are not yet known, but investigators and the airline's chief Tony Fernandes have pointed to changeable weather being a significant factor.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines said last month that while airlines were investing heavily in fuel-efficient planes to meet rising demand, there was growing concern about the need to also invest in related infrastructure, such as airport terminals, runways and air navigation services.

Outdated equipment

To keep aircraft travelling in a flight corridor at a safe distance from each other, air traffic controllers in Indonesia employ procedural separation – where they use pilots' radio reports to calculate their position relative to other traffic.

That takes longer than the more sophisticated radar separation used in Singapore and elsewhere in the world, which allows a controller to more quickly take stock of radar returns from all aircraft in the area.

A lack of up-to-date equipment and volatile weather conditions were cited by pilots and aviation experts in the 2013 crash of a Lion Air Boeing 737, when the pilot reported the plane being "dragged down" by wind into the sea just short of the runway.

That was considered a classic example of wind shear – the sudden change in wind speed and direction. Airports in the region's popular island resorts, including Bali, Koh Samui, Langkawi and Cebu, don't have on-ground wind shear detection equipment to help pilots land and take off.

Pilots said critical decisions often come down to experience.

"In my opinion, if I don't get permission (to change course) and there's weather ahead, I'll just deviate and deal with the authorities later," said another former SIA pilot who is now with a Gulf carrier.

- TMI

Ahmad Zahid tells FBI gambling kingpin not a triad member, says report

Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly vouched for a Malaysian who is facing illegal bookmaking charges in Las Vegas, saying Paul Phua Wei Seng has helped the government. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, December 31, 2014.

The home minister reportedly vouched for a Malaysian who is facing illegal bookmaking charges in Las Vegas, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported today.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was reported to have sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in support of Paul Phua Wei Seng, who was arrested in Las Vegas in July.

"Phua is neither a member nor is he associated with the 14K Triad in Malaysia," Zahid said in the letter addressed to FBI deputy director Mark F. Giuliano.

"Phua has, on numerous occasions, assisted the government of Malaysia on projects affecting our national security.

"Accordingly, we continue to call upon him to assist us from time to time and as such, we are eager for him to return to Malaysia."

The SCMP reported that Phua, a former Macau junket operator, was facing illegal bookmaking charges in Las Vegas after being arrested during the World Cup.

Phua's defence team submitted Zahid's letter, marked “private & confidential”, to the United States District Court in Las Vegas on Monday.

Phua's lawyers have consistently refuted allegations that their client had any ties with Hong Kong's organised crime groups since his arrest in July.

In the letter, Zahid did not elaborate on what matters of national security Phua had assisted Malaysia nor could his office be reached for immediate comment, the SCMP reported.

Phua, 50, and his son stand accused of running an illegal gambling operation from suites at the Caesar’s Palace Hotel in Las Vegas during the World Cup in Brazil earlier this year.

An online message found on his computer during a police raid suggested that bets of the alleged operation reached a "grand total" of HK$2.7 billion (RM1.22 billion), according to court documents.

American federal prosecutors alleged the group made a profit of US$13 million (RM45.5 million) in June and July on football bets.

Phua’s lawyers are challenging the admissibility of evidence, including the online message in court.

The allegation that Phua was a triad member was based on an FBI internal document previously submitted to the court, according to the Royal Malaysian Police.

Malaysian police are reported to have informed the FBI’s representative in Kuala Lumpur, of Phua's ties to the criminal organisation.

“The RMP has identified the 14K Triad as a local organised crime syndicate involved in illegal drugs, illegal gambling and money laundering activities in Malaysia,” the internal FBI document dated July 17, 2008, read.

“The RMP has also identified Malaysian Phua Wei Seng as a 14K Triad member.”

The Malaysian with roots in Sarawak was Macau’s top earning junket operator a decade ago, before becoming a prominent high-stakes poker player.

In 2011, he was granted a diplomatic passport by the European microstate of San Marino as its ambassador to Montenegro.

In June, Phua was arrested in Macau in a crackdown on an online betting ring that, according to Macau police, took HK$5 billion in bets. He was deported from the territory.

The raid remains the largest strike on illegal bookmaking in the gambling hub’s history.

The Las Vegas trial’s other defendants – including three Hong Kong residents and Malaysian junket operator Richard Yong Seng Chen – this week pleaded guilty to misdemeanours and were sentenced to unsupervised probation and fines.

- YMI

RON 95 should be RM1,91, diesel RM1.94 tonight, says lawmaker

Ahead of the goverment's announcement of the new price for petrol and diesel, MP Rafizi Ramli has calculated that RON 95 petrol should be priced at RM1.91 a litre, and diesel at RM1.94 a litre. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 31, 2014.Ahead of the government’s announcement of the new price of petrol and diesel starting at midnight, a Pakatan Rakyat lawmaker has come up with his own calculations on what they should be.

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli claimed that RON 95 petrol should be priced at RM1.91 per litre. while diesel whould be set at RM1.94 a litre.

These prices he said were calculated according to standard market rates used in this region, together with the standard profit and cost guarantee given by the government to oil companies.

If Putrajaya’s new prices were higher than these figures, Rafizi said, the administration has to explain whether they are collecting a secret “petrol tax” from the public.

Rafizi has previously claimed that Putrajaya has been quietly profitting from higher pump prices that Malaysians had to pay as the world market prices for petrol and diesel have steadily fallen in December.

- TMI

[VIDEO & GAMBAR] Terkini QZ8501: 3 Mayat Lagi Ditemui, Seorangnya Berpakaian Pramugari

Enam mayat daripada pesawat AirAsia Indonesia QZ8501 ditemui setakat ini, termasuk seorang anak kapal, kata Ketua Badan Mencari dan Menyelamat Nasional (Basarnas) Indonesia Bambang Soelistyo hari ini, lapor CNN Online. 

Empat hari selepas Airbus 320-300 itu terhempas di Laut Jawa ketika dalam perjalanan dari Surabaya ke Singapura, pasukan mencari kini memberi tumpuan di kawasan berhampiran di mana serpihan dan mayat dikesan semalam di Selat Karimata, di perairan barat daya Kalimantan di pulau Borneo.

Pakar penerbangan percaya fiuslaj mungkin boleh ditemui dengan mudah kerana pesawat itu barangkali hanya pecah ketika ia mencecah air, iaitu hanya pada kedalaman kira-kira 40 meter.

Penyelam, kapal dan pesawat memulakan pencarian baru hari ini, selepas menemui petanda pertama serpihan daripada QZ8501 semalam. Pencari semalam turut menemui “bayang” seperti pesawat di dasar laut dan kini menggandakan usaha mengesannya sekali lagi selepas terhalang arus deras semalam. Peralatan sonar diturunkan ke dasar laut, kata CNN memetik Pengarah Operasi Basarnas SB Supriyadi sebagai berkata.

CNN turut melaporkan berdozen ambulans bersedia di Surabaya, untuk membawa mana-mana mayat yang berjaya dibawa keluar.

Penerbangan QZ8501 yang membawa 162 penumpang dan anak kapal terputus hubungan dengan menara kawalan pada pagi Ahad selepas meminta kebenaran untuk terbang lebih tinggi bagi mengelak ribut.

Rakaman televisyen menunjukkan mayat terapung di lautan semalam mencetuskan kemarahan di kalangan keluarga dan waris yang menunggu berita mengenai nasib insan kesayangan mereka yang menaiki pesawat itu.

Presiden Indonesia Joko Widodo malam tadi mengumumkan keutamaan akan diberikan untuk mengenal pasti mayat yang dapat ditemui.

Kira-kira 30 kapal dan 21 pesawat dari Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Singapura, Korea Selatan dan Amerika Syarikat terbabit dalam pencarian pesawat itu

TNI Siapkan 47 Penyelam Untuk Pencarian Lanjutan Korban
TNI Siapkan 47 Penyelam Untuk Pencarian Lanjutan KorbanSejumlah Tim SAR membawa serpihan pesawat Air Asia QZ 8501 yang ditemukan KRI Bung Tomo di Lanud Iskandar, Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan Tengah, Selasa (30/12). (ANTARA/Kenarel) Jakarta, CNN Indonesia -- Panglima TNI, Jenderal Moeldoko menyatakan tentara bakal sepenuhnya membantu tim pencari dalam proses pencarian lanjutan terhadap korban dan bagian kapal Air Asia QZ8501. Dengan kekuatan yang mereka miliki, TNI bakal menerjunkan 47 orang penyelam dari TNI Angkatan Laut yang diiikutkan ke dalam tim SAR, esok hari.

“Semua akan berfokus kepada satu objek dan titik pencarian,” katanya menjawab pertanyaan wartawan usai bertemu dengan jajaran tim SAR Nasional di kantor Badan SAR Nasional, Jakarta, Selasa (30/12). Pilihan Redaksi

Selain penyelam menurut Moeldoko, TNI juga bakal menurunkan semua kekuatannya untuk melakukan evakuasi dan penerbangan jenazah hingga ke Surabaya. Satu Hercules mereka siapkan untuk kemudian bisa melakukan penerbangan korban ke keluarga mereka.

“Prinsipnya semua yang mempercepat tugas SAR akan kami lakukan,” ujarnya.

Lima negara, kata Moeldoko, melalui armada lautnya kini sudah berada di perairan dekat lokasi penemuan serpihan dan korban AirAsia QZ8501. Mereka adalah kapaldari Australia, Singapura, Malaysia, Amerika Serikat dan Koera Selatan. “Semua sudah dibagi ke dalam sektor pencarian, dan sudah mendapatkan restu dari pemerintah,” katanya.

Badan SAR Nasional (Basarnas) dipastikan telah menemukan puing pesawat AirAsia QZ8501 dan enam jasad diduga penumpang, Selasa (30/12).

Kronologi penemuan pesawat mulai jelas ada pukul 10.05 WIB hari ini setelah pesawat C-295 milik TNI Angkatan Udara menemukan benda berwarna putih. Setelahnya, pada 11.30 WIB, pesawat C-130 TNI Angkatan Udara juga menemukan potongan logam.

Setelah itu, puing-puing lain seperti pintu darurat pesawat kemudian ditemukan. Kepala Basarnas Masdya TNI F Henry Bambang Soelistyo menyatakan, 95 persen yakin bahwa puing yang ditemukan berasal dari AirAsia QZ8501. -cnnindonesia

Kisah Pramugari Nisa dan Salam 'I Love You dari 38 Ribu Kaki'

Jakarta - Salah satu awak pesawat di AirAsia QZ8501 adalah pramugari Khairunisa Haidar Fauzi (22). Perempuan yang akrab disapa Nisa ini cukup aktif di media sosial.

Instagram menjadi salah satu media sosial tempat Nisa aktif bersosialisasi. Dia banyak memposting foto-foto kegiatannya di media sosial yang berbasis foto tersebut.

Setelah hilangnya AirAsia QZ8501, ada salah satu foto dari Instagram Nisa yang banyak tersebar di media sosial. Foto itu diambil sekitar dua pekan lalu.

Foto tersebut menampilkan sebuah kertas yang ditempelkan di jendela pesawat. Di kertas berwarna coklat itu terdapat tulisan tangan Nisa 'I LOVE YOU FROM 38000 ft'. Di balik kertas itu ada pemandangan sayap pesawat yang berada di atas awan.

Diduga foto itu diambil saat Nisa sedang bertugas sebagai pramugari di AirAsia. Nisa juga membuat caption tulisan atas foto tersebut, 'Yes! I love you :x #love #caption #wings #aircraft'.

Setelah QZ8501 dilaporkan hilang, ratusan komentar pengguna Instagram meramaikan foto tersebut. Kebanyakan memberi emoticon sedih, ada juga yang berharap Nisa bisa membaca semua komen tersebut.

Tersisip harapan dari keluarga dan kerabat agar perempuan berusia 22 tahun itu bisa selamat. Ayah Nisa, Haidar, sangat berharap putrinya bisa ditemukan dengan selamat.

"Harapanya semoga Nisa bisa ditemukan dengan selamat," ujar Haidar di kediamannya Jl Pipa Nomor, Kelurahan Pipa Reja, Kemuning, Palembang, Minggu (28/12) lalu.

Nisa menjadi pramugari AirAsia sejak 2013. Dia merupakan anak bungsu dari tiga bersaudara itu lahir di Palembang pada 11 Mei 1992. Setelah lulus SMA, dia diterima di Fakultas Hukum Universitas Sriwijaya. Namun karena cita-citanya, dia kemudian mendaftar sebagai pramugari AirAsia. Kontak terakhir Nisa kepada keluarga dilakukannya dari mess AirAsia di Surabaya pada malam sebelum dia bertugas di penerbangan jam pertama AirAsia QZ8501 pukul 05.35 WIB Minggu (28/12/2014). Saat itu dia menyebutkan rencananya bertahun baru di Palembang. -detik.com

Keluarga Penumpang MH370 Cemburu QZ8501 Dapat Ditemukan Lebih Cepat
Washington - Serpihan dan beberapa jenazah penumpang pesawat AirAsia QZ8501 berhasil ditemukan. Ini yang membuat keluarga penumpang Malaysia Airlines MH370 merasa iri.

Pernyataan ini antara lain disampaikan oleh Sarah Bajc, salah satu kekasih penumpang Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370. MH370, hingga saat ini belum diketahui keberadaannya sejak hilang kontak pada Maret lalu. Sarah Bajc merasa iri karena keberadaan QZ8501 bisa ditemukan dalam waktu singkat.

"Saya sedikit merasa iri dalam hal karena, Anda tahu, setidaknya mereka memiliki kemampuan untuk mendapat kejelasan atas insiden tersebut," tutur Sarah Bajc kepada acara CNN 'New Day' seperti dilansir CNN pada Rabu (31/12/2014).

Pernyataan tersebut disampaikannya sesaat setelah serpihan AirAsia QZ8501 ditemukan di perairan Pangkalan Bun, Kalimantan Tengah. Kekasih Bajc yang warga negara Amerika Serikat dan juga eksekutif IBM, Phillip Woods, berada di dalam MAS MH370 yang hilang nyaris sejak 10 bulan lalu.

"Kami masih tidak jelas. Tidak ada bukti maupun kejelasan atas apa yang terjadi terhadap pesawat tersebut," ucapnya sembari menahan air mata.

Dalam keterangan sebelumnya, Bajc menyampaikan simpatinya bagi keluarga penumpang QZ8501. Dia menyebut dirinya juga merasakan rasa sakit yang sama dengan keluarga penumpang QZ8501.

"Ini merupakan rasa sakit fisik yang dirasakan di seluruh tubuh Anda. Dan membayangkan seluruh keluarga penumpang itu, saya bisa merasakannya, saya bisa membayangkannya. Saya tahu tepat apa yang mereka alami," sebutnya.

Tidak hanya Bajc, Danica Weeks yang suaminya berada di dalam MAS MH370 juga merasakan yang sama. Mengetahui ada insiden sama menimpa pesawat lain, seakan membangkitkan semua kenangan buruk dalam hidupnya.

"Beberapa hari terakhir bagai siksaan. Membangkitkan semuanya. Kami serasa menghidupkan lagi apa yang kami rasakan. Ini adalah mimpi buruk mengerikan," ujar Weeks.

Kendati demikian, Weeks mengaku tidak memiliki pilihan lain selain menunggu. "Kami tidak akan pernah mendapat kedamaian hingga kami melakukan hal yang benar bagi orang-orang terkasih kami, dan itu adalah membawa mereka pulang kepada kami," tandasnya. -detik.com

ISTERI HAMPIR TELANJANG DICEKUP SUAMI BERSAMA AWANG HITAM

Luluh hati seorang lelaki sejurus menangkap isterinya sedang bersekedudukan bersama seorang lelaki ‘Mat Afrika’ di dalam bilik hotel mewah di Bukit Bintang di sini, kelmarin.

Dalam kejadian kira-kira jam 2.30 pagi itu, mangsa yang juga seorang kontraktor dilapor menyerbu bilik hotel bersama dua anak saudara dan diiringi anggota polis.

Menurut sumber, lelaki berusia 50-an itu mengesyaki isterinya mempunyai kekasih gelap dan sering datang ke ibu kota untuk bertemu lelaki warga Nigeria itu.

“Susulan itu lelaki berusia 50-an terbabit mengatur jerat dengan berpura-pura mahu pergi ke selatan tanah air atas urusan perniagaan.

“Lelaki itu bagaimanapun menggunakan kenderaan lain untuk memantau rumah sebelum mengekori isterinya itu yang didapati meninggalkan rumah,” katanya.

Menurutnya, lelaki terbabit kemudiannya mengekori wanita itu sehingga ke ibu kota.

Sumber itu berkata, lelaki terbabit yang yakin isterinya mendaftar masuk ke sebuah bilik hotel di Bukit Bintang, di sini, bergegas ke balai polis berhampiran meminta bantuan pihak berkuasa untuk melakukan serbuan.

“Telahan lelaki itu terhadap kecurangan isterinya ternyata tepat apabila serbuan mendapati wanita itu sedang bersekedudukan dengan lelaki warga Nigeria.

“Malah ketika ditemui, wanita itu dilapor dalam keadaan tidak berpakaian lengkap,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu, lelaki terbabit tampil membuat laporan di Balai Polis Tun HS Lee di sini, untuk tindakan lanjut.

Dalam laporannya, lelaki terbabit yang juga ahli perniagaan menegaskan wanita terbabit masih isterinya.

Sementara itu, sumber Bahagian Penguatkuasaan Jabatan Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur (JAWI) mengesahkan perkara itu dan kes berkenaan disiasat mengikut Seksyen 27 Akta 559 (Akta Kesalahan Jenayah-Jenayah Syariah 1997).

Biadap!! Baju dan Seluar Dalam Terpakai, Antara Didermakan Kepada Mangsa Banjir

Apa rasionalnya derma kasut tumit tinggi?


Sukarelawan yang berkhidmat di pusat pengumpulan barang sumbangan untuk mangsa banjir kesal apabila terdapat segelintir individu menjadikan pusat berkenaan sebagai tempat untuk ‘membuang’ barangan tidak diingini.

Tinjauan di pusat pengumpulan Pertubuhan Penyayang Islam Malaysia (Muslim Care) mendapati keadaan di pusat berkenaan berbau selain dipenuhi barang lama yang sudah rosak.

Pakaian kebanyakannya sudah rosak malah terdapat pakaian yang tidak dibasuh selain kasut yang sudah rosak dihantar ke lokasi itu.

“Namun dikesalkan apabila terdapat segelintir penderma menjadikan pusat pengumpulan sebagai tempat untuk membuang barang yang mereka tidak gunakan lagi.

“Bukan semua bersikap demikian namun jika ingin membuat kebajikan lakukanlah dengan ikhlas seolah-olah mahu memberi hadiah kepada mereka yang memerlukan,” katanya ketika ditemui di sini semalam.

Pakaian dalam terpakai juga didermakan...

Pihaknya terpaksa mengasingkan barangan berkenaan dan ia mengambil masa lama.

Aktivis Muslim Care Amina Tahir, 25, berkata, dia pernah dimarahi penderma kerana enggan menerima pakaian terpakai yang didermakan mereka.

Antara barangan yang diperlukan untuk mangsa banjir ialah:-

1. Air minuman
2. Makan kering 
3. Susu bayi 
4. Pek penjagaan diri 
5. Tuala wanita
6. Lampin bayi Selimut
7. Pakaian yang masih berkeadaan baik dll..

Sama-sama lah kita menderma untuk mangsa banjir dengan memberi barangan bantuan yang benar-benar boleh diguna bukan sekadar untuk membersihkan stor rumah anda 

- Apahell

Why snub Ku Li's Gua Musang, Pas-held Kuala Krai: Kit Siang mocks in-alert Najib for only now realizing Kelantan floods a MAJOR DISASTER

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said after his visit to Gua Musang and Kuala Krai yesterday that the floods disaster is a “disaster” or even “major catastrophe”, describing Gua Musang and Kuala Krai as two of the worst-hit districts in Kelantan.

I have been brooding over the Prime Minister’s comments since reading them on online news portals yesterday evening, and the question which kept returning to my mind was why the Prime Minister had not visited the two worst-hit flood-damaged areas when he rushed back from Hawaii last Saturday on 27th December.

Was the Prime Minister misled by the National Security Council (NSC), which gave the Prime Minister a special briefing on the floods situation when Najib arrived at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, Pengkalan Chepa, Kota Bharu at 1.40 pm last Saturday?

I would imagine that the Prime Minister would have wanted to visit the worst-hit flood-damaged areas on his immediate return from Hawaii.

Did the NSC withhold the information from the Prime Minister that Gua Musang and Kuala Krai were the two worst-hit areas, or did the Prime Minister decide on his own not to visit the two worst-hit areas of Gua Musang and Kuala Krai to bring immediate reliefs and comfort to the stranded people in Gua Musang and Kuala Krai?

Or was the NSC at the time unaware that Gua Musang and Kuala Krai were the two worst-hit flood areas, as the NSC in its statement yesterday admitted that there was a “complete collapse” of its chain of command and communications at the district level in Kelantan and Terengganu when the NSC “front-liners”, the village headmen and district officers, fell victim to the floods?

Did the NSC confess to the Prime Minister at its first briefing on the floods disaster to Najib at the Pengkalan Chepa Airport in Kota Bharu last Saturday that the NSC had suffered a “complete collapse” of its chain of command and communications, or was the Prime Minister only informed of this “complete collapse” very much later – leading to the blooper of the Prime Minister admitting to the worst floods disaster in recent decades as a “disaster” or even “major catastrophe” on the fourth day of his return from Hawaii, after spending three days visiting flood areas in Kelantan on Saturday (but not the worst-hit areas of Gua Musang and Kuala Krai), Pahang and Perak on Sunday and Monday?

This does not enhance public confidence in the competence, efficiency and professionalism of the NSC in being the master body responsible for floods disaster management in the country!

This also put the two earlier statements by the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a very different light – his “I’m in charge” statement when he was not in charge as the entire NSC chain of command and communications had broken down, and his subsequent statement that “Putrajaya aware of flood victims’ plight” when it was clearly not so.

These are classic examples of Ministerial statements which are just meaningless gibberish for the Minister who made them did not know what he was talking about – like his infamous claim that Malaysia’s education system was better than in United State, Britain and Germany!

Muhyiddin promised yesterday that a post-mortem will be held to find out the actual cause of the worst flood disaster in decades once the flood issue has been resolved.

This is not good enough, not only because it sounds very self-serving as if Muhyiddin is preparing the ground to pin the blame on the worst floods disaster in recent decades on everybody but himself and the NSC.

This is why I have been calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the recent floods disaster, the deplorable Floods Disaster Management Preparedness including the shocking “complete collapse” of NSC chain of command and communications.

Will Muhyiddin agree to let Pakatan Rakyat nominate the Chairman of the RCI to demonstrate that the Federal Government wants the whole truth about the faults and weaknesses of the country’s Floods Disaster Management Preparedness to be probed and revealed, to ensure that Malaysia’s disaster management and preparations are not a standing joke in the world?

Such a RCI should be formed now, although it could start formal investigations after the floods had receded.

On the second day of his return from Hawaii on Sunday, when visiting flood-hit areas in Pahang, Najib ordered all Ministers vacationing overseas to return to the country to help in the flood-relief efforts.

Three days have passed. Have all Ministers returned from their vacation abroad to join the flood-relief operations? Who are the Ministers who are still vacationing abroad?

And will Najib issue specific instructions to ensure that Ministers and VVIPs do not hog the use of assets like helicopters as to cause the critically sick or wounded to risk their lives, as happened to two mothers with labour complications at the Badang health clinic in Kelantan on Sunday.

The 2014 floods disaster is a natural disaster which had been aggravated by man-made failures and excesses.

DAP and Pakatan Rakyat are prepared to put political differences aside and work with the Barisan Nasional government to bring relief to the flood victims.

It is therefore most deplorable that DAP MP for Kluang Liew Chin Tong and DAP Johor State Assemblyman for Mengkibol Tan Hong Pin were blocked by local authorities and village chiefs from giving aid to flood victims at relief centres in Kluang at Kampung Bentong and Kampung Bentong Dalam.

There have also been organised attempts to bomb my twitter site in the last two days, with scores of over 50 postings with the same incoherent message sent instantaneously from multiple robotic accounts at different times.

These are very petty and childish diversions at a time when the country is faced with a major disaster.

The worst floods disaster in recent decades is time for everyone to unite as Malaysians irrespective of race, religion, region or politics to help the needy and not to spread lies to incite racial and religious hatred and intolerance.

Malaysians whether Malays Chinese Indians Orang Asli must help each other in the humanitarian crisis because the country is faced with the worst floods disaster in decades.

DAP and Pakatan Rakyat are prepared to put aside our differences with Barisan Nasional and to work together in the flood relief operations as one team and unit to come to the help of the needy in the country’s worst floods disaster in decades and we hope that this readiness will be fully reciprocated.

Lim Kit Siang is the DAP adviser