TM awarded RM15.2bil High Speed Broadband services project

Thursday September 27, 2007
MYT 8:05:24 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Telekom Malaysia has been awarded the RM15.2bil High Speed Broadband (HSBB) services project to be rolled out under a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the service, which will enable speedier Internet connectivity, would offer competitive rates to encourage more broadband usage.

“If the rate is too high people will not subscribe,” he told reporters after receiving contributions at Mindef from Bakti (Association of Wives of Ministers and Deputy Ministers) and 61 other bodies for Hari Raya goodies to be presented to armed forces personnel.

Najib, who is the Defence Minister, said TM had been directed to start initial work but the physical rollout was only possible six months after the partnership agreement was signed.

As such, he said Government hoped to sign the agreement as soon as possible. He said the RM15.2bil was an estimate cost over 10 years, with the Government investing a third of the amount.

“We have asked the Finance Ministry to verify the figure, which includes the cost of ‘last mile’ fibre, core network and international connectivity,” he added.

Najib said the Cabinet Committee on Broadband which he chairs had decided that TM was the best partner to embark on the future development of HSBB, as the key considerations were cost and deployment speed.

“We want the service to be rolled out quickly, in a cost-efficient manner so that Malaysia would not be left behind in terms of competitive edge.

“The Government is committed to ensure this materialising in the shortest possible time and the best way is choosing TM as our partner,” he said.

TM’s existing infrastructure meant that additional investment would be done on lower cost basis and at faster speed, he said, adding that with over 90% of broadband market share it provided the highest chance of service take-up.

He said the role of other industry players in the project would be determined later, adding that chargers for industry players interested to access the network were being discussed.

Asked if the Government was confident of achieving a 50% household broadband penetration rate by 2010 with the partnership, Najib said supply and demand needed to be addressed.

“To support a quick rollout the Government announced in Budget 2008 financial incentives such as investment allowance, import duty and sales tax exemption on broadband equipment and consumer devices,” he said.

The broadband project target is to cover 2.2 million premises in key economic areas in the country, with the service covering fixed and wireless transmission

KL Hospital to get RM1.5bil facelift

Wednesday September 26, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) will be redeveloped under a RM1.5bil facelift programme to transform it to the country’s best medical and healthcare facility.

The redevelopment – slated under the Ninth Malaysia Plan – would focus on specific specialised medical and health disciplines, said hospital director Datuk Dr Zaininah Mohd Zain.

Under the plan, the number of hospital beds would be halved to 1,200 from the current 2,400 to allocate more funds to specialised expertise and professional services.

Dr Zaininah said that basically, the hospital would have a spanking new premises without having to relocate to another place.

She said the facelift would be implemented in stages.

Speaking to reporters after receiving Raya goodies from the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council yesterday, Dr Zaininah said the hospital treated about a million patients last year, of whom 380,000 were outpatients.

Meanwhile, the council has allocated more than RM2mil this year to provide medical equipment and financial aid to patients at HKL, University Malaya Medical Centre and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital in Cheras.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Abdullah Md Zin said the council extended the aid during Ramadan every year.

Abdullah, who is the council’s chairman, handed RM250,000 to the HKL Hospital Welfare Fund and medical equipment worth about RM96,300. – Bernama

Government to fund 47% of the bill

Monday September 24, 2007

BACHOK: The Federal Government will foot 47% of the RM112bil project proposed under the Eastern Corridor Economic Re-gion, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said.

He said the remainder would be borne by private development initiatives and government-linked companies.

Dr Awang Adek said the heavy expenditure by the Government showed its confidence in the strategies drawn up by Pet-ronas to jumpstart opportunities in the east coast.

He said this after handing over a funeral van to the Tok Bachok mosque before breaking fast on Saturday.

Dr Awang Adek said once the projects were implemented, residents would be able to see the emergence of new sub-sectors such as property, services and technology transfer to sustain the economic growth in the east coast for up to two decades.

He said the first group to experience spillover benefits would be farmers and fishermen.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will launch the regional masterplan on Oct 29.

“Fishermen will also be given ample fun-ding opportunities to open up chalet accommodation beside the seafront so they can supplement their income through tourism promotions,” Dr Awang Adek added.

The ECER could also lay the groundwork for the east coast states to tap the regional economic prospects of Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Laos.

It could also eventually be a hub for trade into and out of China.

Dr Awang Adek noted that the proposed multi-billion oil pipeline project linking Yan in Kedah and here was not part of ECER but was initiated by a private firm with international links including with the Middle East oil suppliers.

During the event, Bank Kerjasama Rak-yat Malaysia also handed out zakat am-ounting to RM10,000 contributions to the poor, senior citizens and single mothers.

RM4.5m aid for the needy in Kelantan

Sunday September 23, 2007

BACHOK: Needy Kelantan folk are in for some Hari Raya cheer, thanks to the Federal Government.

A RM4.5mil allocation has been made for senior citizens, single mothers, and the underprivileged in the state.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin, who will distribute the Ramadan aid, said the special allocation had been personally approved by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for Kelantan due to its high incidence of poverty.

The aid is a form of zakat contribution from the Federal Government to the state, said Dr Awang Adek, who is Kelantan Umno deputy head and Bachok MP.

He gave an assurance that the aid would be distributed to the needy regardless of political affiliation in the PAS-ruled state.

The deputy minister said Kelantan Umno head Datuk Seri Annuar Musa led a state party delegation to meet with the Prime Minister on Wednesday, seeking a zakat contribution and also briefed him on the state Umno’s insurance scheme, Takaful Merdeka.

“We are grateful that the Prime Minister approved the zakat contribution which is the highest ever received by the state,” Dr Awang Adek told newsmen after presenting aid to 1,000 senior citizens and single mothers at the Jelawat state constituency here.

He said Kelantan Umno was committed to helping eradicate hardcore poverty in the state by 2010.

Petronas dispatches team to contain oil spill in Kertih

Friday September 21, 2007
MYT 6:45:22 PM

KEMAMAN: Petronas dispatched its emergency response team with the support from Marine Department and Petroleum Industry of Malaysia Mutual Aid Group to contain an oil spill about 1.2km from Kertih Port, late Thursday night.

Petronas in a statement said that the oil leak occurred at the floating hose of a single buoy-mooring chamber while loading to an oil tanker was underway.

The leak occurred while an oil product known as low sulphur waxy residue (LSWR) was being piped from the Kertih refinery to the oil tanker. About 50 barrels of oil spilled.

The statement also said that the Department of Environment and related authorities had been notified.

Petronas is currently carrying out work to contain the oil spill and a clean-up operation is underway to recover LSWR tar balls.

A shore clean-up team is on standby for shore cleaning should the tar ball reach the shore.