Parliament: Nuke lab will fend off accusations

The Star (9/7/08): The setting up of the Nuclear Monitoring Laboratory will help fend off accusations that Malaysia is using nuclear for anything other than friendly purposes, such as the development of nuclear weapons.

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Fadillah Yusof told Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (PAS - Hulu Langat) that the construction of the laboratory was proposed in the interest of the country.

"The facility will ensure that activities on the use of nuclear and radioactive material in the South-East Asian region will be mainly for peaceful purposes.

"It will also act as a check and balance mechanism to fend off any baseless claim on the use of nuclear in our country," he said in Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.

Fadillah told Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis (BN -Rompin) that this was because Malaysia had the intention to eventually use nuclear for electricity generation.

"For this to happen, we need to get the world's approval that we are using it for energy and not to build nuclear weapons. Having this laboratory will prove our commitment," he said, adding that besides this, the facility could also offer nuclear forensic services to other countries.

For example, Fadillah said, it would be able to trace the source of a sample of nuclear material.

"Only five countries in the world are allowed to export nuclear material - China, United States, Britain, France and Russia. Nuclear material from anywhere else is considered illegal and thus is probably used for other purposes," he said.

Fadillah said Malaysia was the first country among many, including within Asean and the Organisation of Islamic Conference, to be given the trust by the International Atomic Energy Agency to have such a facility.

"The facility will have use of technology that is controlled. The presence of this laboratory will also help to enhance the human capital development in sensitive and sophisticated technology in a controlled manner," he said, adding that the ministry was currently conducting a feasibility study for such a facility.

"Malaysia's Atomic Energy Licensing Board has also asked the Government permission to appoint the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) as a consultant for the study," said Fadillah.

So far, the Government had identified two sites in Pahang and Malacca for the facility.

"The Pahang state government has offered their land for free in Rompin," he said.

Drama unfolds as cops step in to block road

The Star (24/4/08): More drama unfolded at Bandar Mahkota Cheras yesterday when the Kajang police temporarily closed the controversial road offering toll-free access to the Cheras-Kajang Highway.

Several patrol cars were used to block the road under the flyover leading to the Cheras 11th Mile toll plaza from 8am to 9.50am. This led to a large group of angry residents gathering at the site to protest the move.

No through road: Police officers were at the junction at 8am to close the road.

Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, who arrived at the scene at 9am, called Kajang OCPD Asst Comm Shakaruddin Che Mood to seek an explanation.

“I have spoken to the OCPD and he said it was done to protect road users’ safety as the traffic lights at the junction have not been synchronised.

“The police fear accidents may occur,” Tan said.

He appealed to ACP Shakaruddin to allow residents to use the road for another day, pending the outcome of the survey to determine who has the right of way over the road at a meeting at Menara MPKj in Kajang at 3pm.

Police personnel later removed their vehicles to allow motorists to pass through.

Temporary measure: (From left) Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, Tan, Serdang MP Teo Nie Chin, Hulu Langat MP Che Rosli Che Mat and PAS representative Mohd Sany Hamzan trying to calm the residents.

The access road built by Bandar Mahkota Cheras developer Narajaya Sdn Bhd was opened in September 2005 and closed soon after by highway concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd, who cited a loss of toll collection as the reason for the closure.

On Monday, residents defied an order from the Selangor government and opened the road.

The government had wanted a survey to be carried out with reports from the Hulu Langat Land Office, Kajang Municipal Council, Narajaya and Grand Saga.

At a press conference later, the surveyor said he needed a few more days to prepare the report and it would be ready soon.

Angry residents remove barrier at access road

The Star (22/4/08): Joy turned to despair and anger when Bandar Mahkota Cheras residents learnt that the toll-free access road to the Cheras-Kajang Highway would not be opened yesterday as earlier anticipated.

More than 700 angry residents who had gathered at the barricade under the flyover before the Cheras 11th mile toll plaza and at the junction to Bandar Tun Hussein Onn took matters into their own hands by forcefully removing the blockage.

With the use of heavy machinery, they removed the barrier placed by highway concessionaire Grand Saga Sdn Bhd in 2006 and defied an order from the Selangor state government to wait till Wednesday.

An excited crowd lead by Bandar Mahkota Cheras Open Access Road Committee chairman Tan Boon Wah had earlier gathered at the location yesterday, expecting the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) to remove the barrier at 10am.

This came about because on Friday, Selangor State Local Government, Study and Research Committee chairman Ronnie Liu had said that the land belonged to the state and gave the council the power to act.

In their own hands: Residents tearing down the barricades yesterday.

At 10.20am, heavy machinery brought in by the Bandar Mahkota Cheras Open Access Road Committee with the help of developer Narajaya Sdn Bhd which built the road, began drilling holes into the concrete barriers, amidst cheers from the residents.

Elected representatives who addressed the jubilant crowd in the morning were Hulu Langat MP Che Rosli Che Mat of PAS, Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, both of the DAP.

Work was stopped at 10.40am when MPKj president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abdul Rahman arrived to announce the bad news that the wait would be prolonged.

“The council has received orders from the state government to appoint a surveyor to determine who has right of way over the road.

“The surveyor will collect reports from the Malaysian Highway Authority, Narajaya and Grand Saga and deliver his findings on Wednesday,” Hasan told the crowd who booed and jeered at him.

Calls were then made to the state government to ascertain if this was true.

The elected representatives then left for Menara MPKj to view the letter purportedly from Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, asking for all work to stop and for the crowd to disperse peacefully.

“We were told to wait but the federal and state governments must understand that we cannot wait any longer. Who is Grand Saga to flex its muscles so that we residents have to live with traffic jams every single day?” Tan asked.

Bandar Mahkota Cheras residents Phoon Chee Kai, 68 and Kelly Moh, 35, said they were tired of battling traffic every day just to access the highway using a longer route that measured 4.5km.

Residents were unanimous in their decision to ignore the calls to stop work and the barriers were removed by 4pm. Re-surfacing work was carried out soon afterwards.

PAS MP vows to end Bandar Mahkota Cheras residents’ frustrations

Open to the public: Khalid signing on the plaque to commemorate the opening of the Hulu Langat parliamentary and Kajang state assembly service centre in Kajang. With him is Lee.
(The Star 7/5/08)

The Star (14/3/08): Little can be done about the Bandar Mahkota Cheras road closure issue because the case has gone to court.

Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) deputy president Abdullah Marjunid conveyed this to new Hulu Langat MP Che Rosli Che Mat and Mohd Sany Hamzan, who contested on a PAS ticket in the Dusun Tua state seat in the recent general election.

The duo had sought a meeting with Abdullah recently to request that the road be opened.

The toll-free road leading from the township next to Bandar Sungai Long has been closed since 2005 because Grand Saga Sdn Bhd, concessionaire for the Cheras-Kajang Highway, has deemed it illegal.

Soon after the road was built, the council gave the green light for its opening.

However, Grand Saga barricaded the road and the matter was then referred to the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and the Works Ministry.

Bandar Mahkota Cheras developer, Narajaya Sdn Bhd, is now suing Grand Saga because both companies cannot reach an agreement over the issue of compensation.

Grand Saga is reputed to be asking for RM400mil for loss of toll collection over the years.

Opening of the road is on Che Rosli's agenda as the new MP for Hulu Langat.

Speaking to the media later, he said all avenues would be explored to allow for the opening of the road that has caused frustration among residents.

Mohd Sany who lost to Dusun Tua assemblyman Ismail Sani said he would continue to fight for the cause because Bandar Mahkota Cheras and Bandar Sungai Long residents had asked for his help too.

Related: Deklarasi Buka Jalan (Bandar Mahkota Cheras Buka Jalan)

Road barricade is illegal, says Liu

Bandar Mahkota Cheras residents showing their disapproval over the fracas on Thursday night.

NST (date unknown): The Cheras-Kajang Expressway operator, Grand Saga Sdn Bhd, can not block the access road to Bandar Mahkota in Cheras as the road is on state land.

State executive councillor for local government and research Ronnie Liu said what the company did, by placing concrete barriers on the road, was illegal.

He said a survey by the state Survey and Mapping Department (Jupem), which he received on Friday, confirmed that the land belonged to the state.

"I have forwarded the report to state legal advisor (Datuk Zauyah Lothy Khan) for necessary action, including informing the company on the status of the land," he said during his visit to the area on Saturday.

Also present were Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching, Hulu Langat MP Dr Che Rosli Che Mat and state executive councillor for new village development and illegal factory Ean Yong Hian Wah, who is also Seri Kembangan assemblyman.

Liu said so far, the company had not showed any documents to prove that the land was theirs or belonged to the Federal Government.

He said the company did not employ any land surveyor to determine the status of the land before erecting the barriers.

"In a way, no one can block the access road and the residents have the right to use it."

Liu said to find an amicable solution on the issue, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had agreed to hold a meeting between the residents, company and the federal governmment's this week.

He said to avoid another controversy, the state government would also check with the Public Works Department to determine whether the other access roads to the expressway belonged to the state.

Bandar Mahkota residents have been fighting for their right to use the toll-free access road since three years ago, after Grand Saga barricaded the road.

Upset with the company's move, residents had several times dismantled the barriers but the company continued to erect new ones.

The dispute turned ugly last Thursday when 2,000 residents in the area demonstrated and demanded the authorities to stop the construction of the concrete barrier.

More than 1,000 Federal Reserve Unit personnel were present and had to resort to using water cannons to disperse the crowd. Police also arrested four people.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who was present, suffered cuts and bruises on his arms and body.

He had claimed that he was kicked and punched by plainclothes policemen while trying to prevent the FRU from using water cannon on the residents.

Lim had sought treatment at Kajang Hospital.

Following the incident, Grand Saga applied for an injunction against Bandar Mahkota Cheras Open Access Committee head Tan Boon Wah, Kajang Municipal Council and Liu to stop them from entering the disputed land.

On Friday, an injunction to stop the company from erecting a barricade along the access road was filed at the High Court by Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching.

It was reported that the access road was built by Bandar Mahkota Cheras developer, Narajaya Sdn Bhd, to enable easier access for the residents to the expressway.

After the road was built, the Kajang Municipal Council gave the green light for its opening. Grand Saga, however, was against the access road as it bypassed the Batu 11 toll plaza and blocked the road.

The company was also reported to have asked for RM400 million from Narajaya for the loss in toll collection if the access road was to be allowed.

MOSTI actively researching use of nuclear as alternative energy source

Bernama (27/5/08): The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) is actively researching the use of nuclear as an alternative energy source of electricity in view of the decline in current energy sources, its Deputy Minister, Fadillah Yusof, said.

The results of the research, in which the Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications is also involved, will be presented to the Cabinet for a decision, he said.

The current sources of energy are on the decline and the use of nuclear energy is seen to have less green-house effect while one rod of nulear can be used for a longer term and can last between three and 20 years compared with the energy from petroleum and gas, he said at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here, Tuesday.

"Here we can see the ministries' commitment to do the research and present it (to the Cabinet) with the hope that nuclear energy could be a choice for our country so that in the long term we will be capable of competing in various fields especially in the provision of power," he said.

Fadillah said this in his reply to a question from Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (Pas-Hulu Langat) on the status of nuclear energy as an alternative power source against the increasing cost of world oil price.

He said his ministry had also taken the initiative to prepare a comprehensive working paper on the political, economical, social and technological aspects of nuclear energy as well as the environment, legal and security aspects.

The working paper will provide for further assessment and detailed study of all the aspects involved before the country can develop a programme for nuclear based energy source in the future, he said.

Asked on the initial preparations being made especially in terms of expertise or researchers to prepare the country towards nuclear energy use, Fadillah said that the country currently had 352 energy expert scientists with 50 of them specialised in the area of nuclear energy.

"We have also made the initial preparation, where we have set up a nuclear plant in Selangor capable of producing one megawatt (MW) of nuclear energy," he said.

"But that energy is only for the purpose of research study being carried out by our experts and currently, Universiti Putra Malaysia is planning to set up another specialised faculty related to nuclear energy," he said.

Malaysia has set up the nuclear research and training centre in Bangi, Selangor.

Fadillah also said that the country currently had no national policy on developing nuclear energy as an alternative power source.

He, however, said that the government was following the current developments in the world where more and more countries are planning on the use of nuclear energy for their electricity power including neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

"Apart from that, countries from the Middle East such as Arab Saudi, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Turkey are also said to be getting more keen on developing nuclear energy programmes," he said.

As of December last year, there were 439 nuclear plants operating in 30 countries including China, Taiwan, Japan, Republic of Korea and India with a total electricity power production capacity of 371,825 Megawatts.

Nuclear energy could be used in future

The Star (27/5/08): A comprehensive paper on the use of nuclear energy in the country is being prepared by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.

Its deputy minister Fadillah Yusof said the paper, which was jointly produced with the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry, would look into all aspects including environmental protection and security, and even the possibility of using nuclear energy in the future.

"Under our national policy on energy, which was drawn up in 1979, nuclear energy is not included as one of the sources for the generation of electricity.

"At present, we are focusing too much on coal, gas and petrol to generate our electricity while hydro power tends to destroy a lot of the environment," he told Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (PAS - Hulu Langat) in Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday.

With the present energy crisis and the increase in the greenhouse gases, added Fadillah, there might come a time when Malaysia might have to use nuclear energy.

As a comparison to burning petrol and gas for electricity, he said nuclear energy was generally clean and that "one nuclear rod" could last up to 20 or 30 years.

He also told Razali Ibrahim (BN - Muar) that as of December last year, there were 74 nuclear plants being plannned for construction in countries like China, Japan and South Korea.

"Within Asean, countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are now considering using nuclear energy. Even countries in the Middle East are thinking of it, among which are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Egypt," he pointed out.

Earlier, Fadillah said Malaysia was ready to harness nuclear power for its electricity needs.

"We have 150 scientists, 50 of whom have PhD specifically in the study of nuclear science and energy, while others have at least a master’s degree.

"Currently, we have a nuclear energy plant in Dengkil which is capable of generating 1 megawatt of electricity, but this is mainly for scientific research," he said.

200 Petronas gas kiosks

NST (14/5/08): Petronas will have 200 kiosks supplying natural gas for vehicles in Peninsular Malaysia by the end of the year, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad. One hundred more kiosks will be built next year. The infrastructure will support more than 10,000 vehicles, the minister said in reply to Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (Pas-Hulu Langat). Shahrir also said more than 60 per cent of the natural gas supply was for energy generation.

200 NGV stations to encourage gas use

Bernama (13/5/08): Petronas had been directed by the government to have 200 stations ready for natural gas vehicles (NGVs) in a bid to encourage gas use in vehicles, the Dewan Rakyat was told Tuesday.

Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, said currently there were 73 such stations operating and two more would be ready this month.

"Twenty-five NGV stations will be ready by the end of this year while 100 more will be ready in 2009," Shahrir said in reply to Dr Che Rosli Che Mat (PAS-Hulu Langat).

Dr Che Rosli wanted to know the status of NGVs which used compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their energy source and whether there was sufficient infrastructure to encourage consumers to switch from petroleum to CNG and LNG.

Shahrir said the gases were being used as an alternative in private vehicles and commercial and public transportation vehicles in the country, adding that the gases were also exported.

The infrastructure to be developed would support about 10,700 NGVs, he said.

Shahrir said many in the industrial sector used CNG as an energy source and it was piped directly to factories and independent power producers.