KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) — Gardenia Bakeries (KL) Sdn Bhd Thursday assure buyers that its breads are produced in accordance with international standards and are safe for consumption.

– BERNAMA

PENANG: He distributed thousands of flyers at va-rious kampungs in Balik Pulau offering housewives and students a chance to earn extra money in their free time. 

About 30 of them took up the 32-year-old man’s offer. 

But instead of making money, they ended up being fleeced of more than RM10,000 between April and August this year. 

The victims had each de-posited between RM50 and RM200 into the man’s bank account after being pro-mised that they would get a machine to encase pens in plastic packets. 

But the machines never came and the man refused to answer their SMSes or calls.  

A 44-year-old housewife and a 21-year-old college student lodged police reports on the scam at the Balik Pulau district police station last month.  

The case was handed over to the state commercial crime department. A team led by Chief Insp A. Ganeson picked up the suspect at a temple in Butterworth on Thursday. 

State Commercial Crime chief ACP Tajuddin Md Isa (pic) said the suspect was likely to be charged with cheating in a magistrate’s court here today. 

“We are now trying to determine if he had an accomplice,” he added

THE Penang Municipal Council is organising a competition to find the island’s cleanest toilets in conjunction with the World Toilet Day on Nov 19. 

The competition will be held from Oct 7 to Nov 30. The competition will comprise four categories of toilets - those at schools, petrol stations, shopping complexes and council public toilets. 

Penang municipal councillor Geeta Suresh Chand said the three top winners in the first three categories would be given RM2,000, RM1,500 and RM1,000 respectively. 

The contractor who wins in the council toilet category would receive a plaque and a certificate, she said. 

“The competition is aimed at promoting awareness on the importance of having clean toilets, especially when Visit Malaysia Year 2007 is just around the corner,” she told a press conference yesterday. 

She said an exhibition and forum on toilets would also be held on Nov 11 and Nov 12. 

“We will display an Automatic Street Toilet (AST) at the exhibition. It may very well be the toilet of the future.  

“In the evolution of toilets, remember how we used to use pails instead of the flushing system? So, self-cleaning toilets could be the next trend setter,” she pointed out. 

Geeta also said she had appealed to the Housing and Local Government Ministry to sponsor 10 AST units for Penang in view of the Visit Malaysia Year. 

She said the council could not afford to buy one as it cost about RM500,000 each. 

Private companies who wish to sponsor ASTs could contact the council, she said. 

Application forms for the competition are available at the council’s office at Komtar, Level 4. For details, call 04-2682167. 

PENANG: Outgoing Komag Inc chief executive officer Datuk T. H. Tan has set two conditions before he substantiates his allegations against Penang’s investment arm, InvestPenang. 

Tan, who is currently in California, wants the state to give a guarantee that the small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) would not be victimised after they turn “witnesses against the state”. 

He also wants an inde-pendent commission consisting of auditors from major international accounting firms to interview and look into records and cor-respondences handled by the Penang Development Corporation and Invest-Penang. 

“They need to look into when the applications were received, who were first in line, and what happened to these applications from ‘womb to tomb’,” he said in an e-mail sent to The Star from California yesterday. 

Tan was commenting on the statement by Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon that he (Tan) should be specific with his complaints so that the state could carry out a proper investigation. 

“As I have said, I am fed up with the delays and the run-arounds given to new investors, especially SMEs. 

“There is one incident where a third party tries to pose as someone who can solve problems for SMEs and demanded a hefty commission,” Tan said. 

Commenting on Dr Koh’s statement that he should have complained to him (Dr Koh) directly instead of going through the press, Tan said: 

“I have raised these issues with Dr Koh for the past two years but nothing was done to resolve them. 

“I had even sent e-mails to him including one on last Friday but did not receive any reply,” he said in a telephone interview. 

Tan, who retires from his post on Oct 1, said Invest-Penang failed miserably in fulfilling one of its four missions concerning better co-ordination between the public and private sectors. 

Dr Koh could not be contacted for comment. 

Last Friday, Tan called for the disbanding of the entity as it had failed to support the setting up of factories by local and foreign SMEs. 

He said InvestPenang lacked power and co-ordination.  

DHL opened its RM6 million new service centre/distribution hub in Penang on Sept 15, demonstrating the world’s leading express and logistics company’s continued commitment to Malaysia.

DHL Express Malaysia country manager Sam Leong said the new centre would dramatically boost DHL’s services to customers in Penang and would help facilitate Malaysia’s continued growth in the global market.

“We’re creating this new facility in direct response to customer demands for greater capacity, convenience and reliability. While we also want to attract new business, our priority remains being able to provide our loyal customers with greater convenience and better service,” he said in a statement.

 

Leong said DHL would continue to help drive global trade by enabling Malaysia’s businesses to quickly and reliably source their goods and raw materials from markets around the world, and to express deliver their shipments across the globe.

The new hub would help ensure significant improvements for DHL customers by offering convenient, time-definite service and direct connection to Asia, Europe and America via DHL’s extensive air network, it said.

The 31,000 sq ft facility would have 15,400 sq ft of office space and 17,700 sq ft of warehouse space, and would feature a fully automated material handling system, ball decks to handle containers and spot cooling in the warehouse.

The station’s equipment and manpower would enable DHL to sort about 4,000 packages daily, allowing for guaranteed delivery times to be met throughout the station’s area of coverage.

Leong said DHL was confident about its growth in Malaysia and of Malaysian-manufactured goods in the global market. His optimism was based on the bright outlook for growth in export demand and in the domestic market.

The Penang hub also reflected DHL’s belief in Malaysia’s bright economic outlook. It said Malaysia continued to be an attractive destination for multinational companies (MNCs) to grow their business.

PENANG: Popular brands of bread have been found to contain a preservative called propionic acid in amounts of up to five times more than the permitted limit. 

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president S. M. Mohamed Idris said out of the 50 samples gathered from a variety of breads bought here and in Kuala Lumpur, 46 were found to contain excessive amounts of the preservative. 

“Under the Food Regulations 1985, bread is only allowed to contain propionic acid in amounts that must not exceed more than 2,000mg per kilogram. 

“Burger buns from two popular international fast food chains have also been found to contain 1.5 and 3.6 times above the permitted limit,” he told a press conference yesterday. 

Idris said studies had shown that propionates were linked with migraine. 

“A 2002 Australian study found that calcium propionate was capable of causing aberrant behaviour in children. 

“It is shocking that millions of Malaysians are consuming breads with such high levels of preservatives. They should refrain from eating bread until it is proven safe by the Health Ministry. 

“The results of our findings will be submitted to the ministry over the next few days. The ministry should test all the breads in the market and ensure that those with excessive amounts of preservatives are withdrawn,” he said. 

When contacted, Health Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Lee Kah Choon said he would instruct his officers to conduct tests on breads following CAP’s recent findings. 

“The ministry will not hesitate to haul up the bread makers who used excessive chemicals in their products. Such irresponsibility will not be tolerated as it involves the people’s health,” he added. 

Propionic acid prevents the growth of mould and some bacteria and is usually used in cheese, breads and other baked goods to keep them fresh.

By CHOONG KWEE KIM

A shelter for HIV/AIDS victims has been set up in Penang to provide care and food for those who have been abandoned by their families. 

State Health, Welfare and Caring Society Committee chairman P.K. Subbaiyah said the Penang Municipal Council had offered a bungalow in Bukit Dumbar for the shelter. 

“There are quite a number of HIV/AIDS patients who have been abandoned by their families,” he said. 

“Instead of letting them roam around spreading HIV/AIDS, they can come to the centre du-ring the day or stay in. 

“They will be given food and basic medication,” he told newsmen after opening the HIV/AIDS Project 2006 themed Anywhere, Anytime, Anyone, HIV/AIDS Does Not Discriminate in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) on Tuesday. 

It was jointly organised by AIESEC in USM and the AIDS Action and Research Group (AARG). 

Subbaiyah said the centre, the first of its kind in the northern region, could accommodate up to 15 residents. 

But it would not be a centre for treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS but a venue to provide them support, he added. 

The centre has taken in three residents since last month. It is managed by Community AIDS Service Penang (CASP), a non-governmental organisation. 

It reaches out to people living with HIV/AIDS and hopes to create awareness and provide education to the public on HIV/AIDS issues. 

Subbaiyah also commended AIESEC and AARG for organising the project to minimise the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS. 

AARG chairman Assoc Prof Dr Ismail Baba said it was the first time the organisation combined efforts with AIESEC, the largest youth organisation in the world, in educating youth on HIV/AIDS. 

“I hope to see the continued involvement and support of the Malaysian youth and the Malaysian society towards ma-king Malaysia a country free of HIV/AIDS,” said Dr Ismail, who is also CASP chairman. 

AIESEC USM advisor Junai-mah Jauhar said people living with HIV/AIDS were not any different from people who had a cold. 

“They should be treated with as much care and love as any other person as the best medicine for them is happiness and peace of mind,” she said. 

The HIV/AIDS project director Shobana Nair said the pro- ject comprised road shows to school and colleges in the state from Sept 11 to Sept 25 with games and activities targeted at creating awareness on HIV/AIDS. 

An exhibition featuring educational games, power point presentations and movie screenings related to HIV/AIDS will be held from Sept 26 to Sept 29 in USM while a youth conference themed Break Out Day will be held on Sept 30.  

By Opalyn Mok Brady Technology Sdn Bhd has opened a new RM4 million facility in Penang, just four years after its first plant at the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone.

The manufacturer of identifications, specialty tapes, graphics and safety products has invested a total of RM30 million since the setting up of its manufacturing operations in Penang in 2002.

Brady will be making high-performance labels, die-cut materials and also undertake engineering and assembly of portable printers and cartridges at its new facility.

Brady-Asia Pacific vice president Allan Klotsche believed that there were significant opportunities for long-term growth in Malaysia.

“This country has a strong industrial base and has continued to attract multinational companies in telecommunications, electronics, manufacturing and other Brady markets,” he said after Penang Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon officially opened the new facility on Sept 19.

He said Brady was just one of the many corporations that were setting up manufacturing facilities in Penang because of the high quality workforce and infrastructure.

“Brady has recently launched our portable printers in retail chains in the United States and we expect that the consumer demand for the printers will be much higher than the industrial market,” he said.

Brady Corporation was founded in the US in 1914 and has grown to include locations in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

“In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has become an important part of Brady’s growth as a company and a supplier to multinational companies.

“Previously, less than 6% of the company’s total sales came from Asia-Pacific but now the sales in this region is over 20% of the total company sales of more than US$1 billion (RM3.67 billion) in 2006 and continues to grow,” he said.

By Tamimi Omar

Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) is close to securing a multi-million ringgit construction project in one of the Middle East countries, said its managing director Shahril Ridza Ridzuan.

“We are in final negotiations with several parties in the Middle East and around the region and expect to announce the outcome soon,” he said.

If the company is successful in securing the contract, that will help MRCB to hit its 20% annual growth target in overseas contribution to the group’s revenue in the next three years from the current 10% or less than RM50 million.

Speaking to reporters after launching MRCB’s refurbished industrial complex in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 14, Shahril said among the overseas projects in hand is the construction of an airport in Bangladesh

On the domestic front, he said MRCB expects the government to open the bidding for the Penang monorail in the next few months.

“We understand the RFP (request for proposal) process would start within the next one to two months, but there is no indication on when the government would award the (Penang monorail) project,” he said.

He said the proposal covers the construction and financing aspects, which made it difficult to determine the cost.

On MRCB’s outlook, Shahril said the company is confident of achieving a RM2.5 billion order book by year-end as it expects to secure an additional RM1 billion worth of construction jobs before 2007.

He said MRCB would spend about RM4 million this year to refurbish two old commercial buildings in Shah Alam and Kuala Lumpur. It has already spent RM2 million to refurbish the 562,000 sq ft Kompleks Sentral’s flatted industrial complex in Kuala Lumpur and a similar amount for Kompleks Alam Sentral in Shah Alam.

“The occupancy rate for Kompleks Sentral is already 60%, which is more than enough to cover the cost, while any additional tenant will only be a bonus for us,” Shahril said.

He said the upgrading of Kompleks Sentral included new paint jobs, building repair works, toilet repairs, road works, improving the elevator system and the construction of a new canteen.