Solar Panel Plant @ Batu Kawan

I can't believe they managed to keep this under wraps and concentrate on Lynas.
Neither can I believe that no one is protesting over this issue.
Dogs with scalded behinds rank higher than their human brethen for their innate ability to milk funds out of foreign sympathisers.

All I know is that the current brylcreem gang is going around our wetmarkets and handing out communist style boring newspapers doled out by horny looking unkept housewives who ask you if you want it in English or Chinese.
I gave her the F sign

And then some bafoon from the other side,squeals that there's another plant already established in Kulim by his baffoonmates as well as up and running in other parts of Malaysia.Great.
Letting the cat out of the bag all boils down to who lost the contract and who secured it.

The article below is taken from a blog with a strong affinity to the egotistical political party with the kissable  weapon, but they have a point here so do take time out to read ....

(lifted from stopthelies.my)

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SOS – Great health risk put under wraps by Guan Eng

Penangites better be warned that great health risk is lurking at your doorsteps. A massive RM2.2bil solar panel manufacturing plant had been given the go ahead by the State government.
And this was despite that a plant with similar manufacturing operations in China was forced to close down not too long ago because of health risks.
The reason – effluent from a large solar cell manufacturer in Zhejiang Province had wiped out a local fishing industry. It is a known fact that the manufacturing of Photovoltaics would pollute the environment and affect human health.
A similar threat is now looming over the Province Wellesley people in Penang where a similar plant is being built in Batu Kawan. Their fate is now in the hands of the Penang government to stop the setting up of the plant.
Although Robert Bosch GmbH claims it is delaying construction of the plant, its president for South East Asia Martin Hayes had said that the company remained committed in the construction of the plant in Penang.
However there are contradictions here. InvestPenang general manager Loo Lee Lian had said that the state government would do its best to expedite the solar panel project.
She also said that Robert Bosch had started to make payments to fulfill the terms and conditions of the sale of the 80-acre site for the plant in Batu Kawan.
Construction of the plant was scheduled to start end of last year with production process to begin end of 2013.
Ironically Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had been vocal on the Lynas rare earth plant in Gebeng but had failed to see the great significance and even greater health risk confronting the people with the setting up of a solar panel plant.
He had also pledged that he would never allow any rare earth plant to be built in Penang but surprisingly had closed a blind eye and given the nod to the solar panel manufacturing plant to be built.
Probably Guan Eng is suffering from temporary blindness or is adopting selective criticism on health hazard projects so long they are not located in states governed by Pakatan Rakyat.
But when unfavourable or danger projects are at the doorstep of Penang, Guan Eng as usual would turn a blind eye or worse still sing a different tune.
What is even more interesting is that unconfirmed reports had said that Robert Bosch was asked to “slow down” on its construction plans until DAP retains the state in the coming general election.
Does that mean that after the general election and if the DAP still holds the Chief Minister’s seat, then the project to build the plant could go ahead full steam, regardless that it poses health risk to the people.
If I may coin the slogan for DAP, it should be – Winning First, People Last, in comparison to Barisan Nasional’s 1Malaysia slogan People First, Performance Now.
For those who do not know the dangers of photovoltaic, below are some of the scientific findings about its dangers.

• Photovoltaics involves the conversion of sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity through the use of thin layers of materials known as semiconductors.
• Solar energy doesn’t pollute the environment when they generate electricity. But the manufacturing and waste-storage part involve hazardous and toxic chemicals.

One main area of concern is the waste chemicals and materials used and produced from the manufacturing process which include:

1. Lead: highly toxic to the central nervous system, endocrine system, cardiovascular system, and kidneys.
2. Brominated flame retardant like brominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are recognized as toxic and carcinogenic. Described as endocrine disrupters.
3. Cadmium : extremely toxic. Cadmium is used in the manufacturing of Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) cells. Potential health impacts include kidney, liver, bone, and blood damage from ingestion and lung cancer from inhalation. The acute health effects from inhalation of Cadmium include pneumonitis, pulmonary edema, and death.
4. Sulphur Hexafluoride: used to clean the reactor used in silicon production. If it escapes,  it would be a very potent greenhouse gas.
5. Arsenic compounds increases risk of cancer.

These substances are harmless if safely contained and not leaked into the environment, but will be hazardous to health if not properly stored and handled.
There is also the concern of occupational hazard in the PV production line; a solar panel is made of pure silicon, a hard metalloid with a metallic luster that is basically harmless. However, inhaling silicon dust can cause harmful effects to the respiratory system and may result in silicosis, which are scars that form on lung tissue and interfere with oxygen transport.
Well I hope Guan Eng or his cronies read all of the above so that they cannot claim ignorance of the dangers of having a solar manufacturing plant.
Guan Eng owes an explanation to Penangites on why he had allowed such a plant to be set up in Penang when it obviously poses great health risk to the people.
He should also reveal how much did Robert Bosch paid for the 80-acre state land.
Was an Environmental Impact Assessment Study carried out before the approval was given to Robert Bosch to set up the plant.
If at all, no EIA was carried out, why was it overlooked when DAP is always the first to call for such studies to be done or is there more than what meets the eye. Let us have the answers?

Restoran Yasmeen @ Penang Road

If you don't know where this is located,it's just next to Line Clear nasi kandar.

From what I have observed,this Yasmeen fella has been regularly 'pulling' customers intending to try out Line Clear over to their place.
Not only that,his signage is brighter,bigger and more extended than that side lane operator.

Rivalry?
Imagine....what would happen if the two Beraturs were to face off like this.

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Penang Eatery Loses Over RM10,000 In Thug Attack
(dailychilli.com)
The owner of Restoren Yasmeen in Jalan Penang in George Town lost more than RM10,000 when two men broke a glass cupboard storing cooked food and crockery at the restaurant on Friday morning.
Restaurant manager Abdul Latif Thulkarunai said in the 6.30am incident, two unidentified men suddenly went on a rampage by breaking the cupboard with their helmets without warning. 

He said the attack could be due to other nasi kandar operators who were jealous as he could open for 24 hours. 

"Two weeks ago, we received a verbal threat from a man who wanted the business stopped. I believed the attack today is related to the man," he said. 

Latif said at that time, there were no customers in the restaurant and five workers ran off in fear during the attack. 

He arrived two hours later at the restaurant and made a police report.

"The CCTV recorded the attackers and the tape has been handed over to the police," he said.   

North East district police chief ACP Gan Kong Meng has confirmed the report and investigation is being carried out.
Source: Bernama
Published Feb 24 2012

Satay Seller,Child abuser @ Jalan Baru

No,she's not the crazy old bird selling the weird Batu Maung satay at New Lane.
Which Jalan Baru it happened in,is not specified.Might as well name it Jalan Sehala.

Of late,many child abuse cases have been emerging, due to reports lodged by neighbours or strangers who fear for the children's safety.

This is a chinese lady wearing a bob cut.
According to local reports,the kid was bashed in front of other hawkers until he bled.
Outraged,someone,alerted the authorities.
When the police turned up at their home,both husband and wife threw plates at reporters covering their run in with the law.

If you want to view a video of the wife, click on the link below.
Just in case you're wondering,nope I don't earn a cent from it.

http://www.ntv7.com.my/7edition/local-en/SATAY_SELLER_NABBED_FOR_ALLEGEDLY_ABUSING_ONE_YEAR_OLD_BOY.html

Source : NTV7
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Satay Seller Nabbed For Allegedly Abusing One Year Old Boy
14th January 2012

A satay seller in Georgetown, Penang was arrested by police for allegedly abusing a 12 month old toddler.

Timur Laut OCPD, ACP Gan Kong Meng said the 40 year old woman was arrested following a report lodged by the Welfare Department.

The one year old boy was purportedly being abused at a food stall in Jalan Baru, Penang.

The Welfare Department officer who visited the boy, found bruise marks on his face and back.

The victim was sent to Penang Hospital for treatment.

The satay seller is being remanded for four days to facilitate investigations.

Doc stabbed twice @ Magazine Road

I know where this clinic is located.
It's the only semblance of a medical option that still remains open till so late on this busy road,while other practitioners have long packed up and gone home by 5pm.

The first impression,one gets, is that the clinic is always full because the doctor is one of the better ones around.
In reality,one can say that it is a brilliant/clever/sneaky marketing strategy.
Good coverline for a Sipeh Cialat slow coach who is essentially just another businessman if you remove the white coat .

Yea,most GP's in Penang are a damned lousy bunch.
Only good for overcharging patients,buying lousy medications from sleazy salesmen peddling China made drugs and piling a ton of unneccessary vitamins on you.

Coming back to this particular clinic,patients still make a beeline irregardless of the notorious waiting period,due to the lower fees that they charge.

Now,let me relate to you what was reported on a local tv station,which the newspaper article below,left out.

Why did the old man go bonkers?


First of all,he had a sleep disorder.


Next,he had to wait till his butt grew stiff and pointed.

Then,when he finally got to see the doctor and related his predicament,he prescribed him.....get this....
just PANADOL and nothing else.

Goodness gracious.
Only a kayu,would be thoroughly anasthesized against one unable to sleep like a Log and take him for an imbecile.
There could have been plenty of kopitiams and convenience stores where the old man could have just as easily cured his sleeplessness.

Huhuhu....

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Doctor Stabbed By Patient
The Star,16th dec 2011


GEORGE TOWN: Commotion rocked a clinic here when a 67-year-old male patient stabbed the doctor twice while undergoing a check-up.
Dr Lee Kok Seng  in his 50s, was wounded on the left side of his waist in the 9pm drama at the private clinic in Magazine Road here yesterday.
A nurse at the clinic said she heard Dr Lee screaming some 20 minutes after the suspect entered the consultation room.
Rushing inside, she saw the doctor bleeding while the suspect was lying on the floor.
A member of the Penang Island Voluntary (Security) Patrol unit Lim Teong Lean, who happened to be at the clinic, alerted the police and summoned for an ambulance.
He had barged into the room when he heard the doctor screamed.
“Dr Lee had (somehow) managed to subdue the suspect when I rushed into the room.
“I asked the two nurses to tie the suspect's hand with a rope to prevent him from becoming rowdy,” said Lim.
It is learnt that Dr Lee was sent to the Penang Hospital where he was given outpatient treatment.
Police arrived shortly after and detained the suspect.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said the motive is yet to be ascertained.
“The police have also recovered the knife used in the attack,” he said, adding that the case was classified under Section 324 of the Penal Code for causing grievous hurt.

The Assassin @ Prima Tanjung

Update :
According to local gossip and hearsay amongst the business community in Fettes Park,the incident is connected to a Taiwanese.
A week before the shooting incident,their car and premises were splashed with red paint Ah Long style.
End of speculation.

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Tsk tsk...things are really heating up here in Fettes Park.
Not enough that the hitman was overpowered,he also didn't manage to dodge the bouncing bullets in time.
Super duper fail.

Having said that,you might think that it should be fairly easy to pin point exactly which shop is involved based on the clues given in this article

1. It has no break shift and is open even past 3.30pm
2. There is a clinic next door to it

But seeing that reporters these days do a good job of bungling the simplest reports,let's go through the list of all the restaurants in Prima Tanjung shall we? With a plausible reason why someone would want to hurt another over mere food.

1. Old City Food Court -faced with almost no business yet stubbornly refuses to light up his signboard probably due to quack fengshui advice
2. Sumida Japanese Restaurant -original Japanese owner Passed Away,leaving his Malaysian wife in charge...hmmmm
3. Spring Cafe - a Borhochiak.blogspot nominee who has now jumped on the group discount bandwagon to pump up sales
4. No Eyed Deer - opens past 3.30pm on a Saturday,and like no.3,has also resorted to bulk couponing
5. Aji Noren
6. Taipei Food Avenue

Did a quick reconnaisance,and found that out of all the outlets,only Spring Cafe stayed shut.
Sumida,the nearest to the said clinic was up and running.

So who is it?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Thus,if you're really curious,it's best for you to go check it out yourself.

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Restaurant Owner's Son Stops Gunman In His Tracks
The Star, December 18th 2011

GEORGE TOWN: A young man suffered only light injuries despite grappling with a gunman who fired three shots during a struggle at a restaurant in the Prima Tanjong commercial complex in Tanjong Tokong.
The gunman had gone to the restaurant at about 3.30pm yesterday where the victim, 24, who is the son of the restaurant owner, was enjoying a meal with another customer.
Upon seeing the gunman with a revolver tucked in his waist, the son rushed towards to the gunman to prevent the latter from using his gun as panicked customers and workers ran outside the restaurant upon seeing the struggle.
The gunman managed to fire a shot, grazing the left side of the head of the restaurant owner’s son.
A second shot ricocheted off the floor before the gunman let off a third shot that grazed his own neck.
The gunman then dropped the gun and fled in a car.
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said a Smith & Wes­son revolver was recovered from the scene.
He added that the police had obtained leads on the identity of the suspected gunman.
“The injured son was treated at a clinic next to the restaurant for minor injuries,” he added.
A manhunt has been launched a search for the gunman, who is be­­lieved to be a hired assassin.

Meiji Milk Powder Recall alert

Would you trust the statement issued by Liow? Nope. Fat hopes in me believing a word.I would say vested interest in GE donor protectionism is more likely the cause of his rather 'positive' reassurance to us.

So if he says that its not imported from Japan then where from is Meiji Milk produced ? Made in China,double routed from Indonesia or what? This is just opening up a can of worms.
Are we at risk of consuming melamine milk from China? or gonna have the next generation of  glow in the dark,X men style of mutants cruising past Padang Brown 20 years from now?

As for FoSim's claims I say fiddlesticks. They're just protecting the importer's asses from suffering huge losses.Not in the least bothered about us.
Why not ask them to feed Meiji milk to their kids or their grandkids if it's so safe?

Let's just try not to eat anything Japanese or fly there for the next 50 years or so,just to be on the safer side.

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Liow : No Danger In Food Products From Japan
The Star Online 8th Dec


KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians need not worry about radioactive contamination in food products from Japan, Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said.
Liow was responding to media reports that manufacturer Meiji Holdings Co had recalled 400,000 tins of Meiji Step baby formula from Japanese markets after it was found to be contaminated by radioactive material.
Meiji is based in Saitama prefecture, Japan. Its factory is located about 200km from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where damaged reactors experienced a meltdown following the March 11 quake and tsunami.
According to reports, the contaminated milk powder contained 22-31 becquerel (bq) of the radioactive materials Cesium-134 and Cesium-137 per kg.
“The Health Ministry wants to make clear that the (Meiji Step) baby formula has not been imported into Malaysia,” Liow said.
According to Liow, this was based on information he had received from the Food Safety Information System of Malaysia (FoSim).
He added that all food imported from areas in Japan that were at risk from radioactive contamination, including Saitama prefecture, underwent Pemeriksaan Tahap 5 (Tahan, Uji & Lepas) as part of FoSim's procedure.
“Through this examination process,” Liow said, “samples from the food consignments are analysed for radioactive contamination. The consignment is cleared only if the sample complies with safety standards.”
He added that if members of the public still had doubts about the safety of any food product, they could make a report to the Health Ministry at their nearest district health office (PKD) or state health department (JKN).
Alternatively, they could do so online at the ministry's website

Food Safety Issues @ Penang Supermarts,Hypermarts.

Update :
11 dec 2011

Amazing ! I don't know if it is a coincidence,or if someone extremely influential is reading my blog.Or a little bird passed the info to those who wield the big stick.
This weekend,marked the first time that the Giant in Penang Plaza was smell free,the floors of its Prangin outlet actually CLEAN ! Same case for Tesco. NO STENCH !
Thank you to you,whoever you are,for taking time out to read all the poundings from my heart.Woah,you really went ahead and did something about it.

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I wouldn't just play the broken record in KR1M stores alone.
A check on their website shows just two stores on the mainland.One in Bagan Serai,the other at Air Tawar,Butterworth.Pretty insignificant if you ask me.

Everyone knows that Tesco,an arm of Khazanah,dares sell food products of questionable standards.It is so easy to adopt a German cockroach especially at its E-Gate outlet.
I once bought some Meatyfoods sliced ham from its deli that was tough as plastic and tasted like Maling luncheon meat.Another time I made the mistake of picking up some Gourmessa halal breakfast sausages near the cheese section,that made me utter PKM.
Its presence in Tg Pinang brought out the worst in the many makan places I patronise.
The quality of the 'fresh' eggs lining their shelves are a horror story waiting to be told.
Especially when it comes to flour related products bought from this retailer.Mamak canai and malay kuih is now as chewy and tasteless as a Jewish diet.

Also,Cold Storage and most Giant stores,run by hongkies, are notoriously infested with rats.Their chiller department displays spoilt meats and rotten vegetables.Both have non halal delis stocking fresh gone sour choices.
When the Mawai brand of fresh milk from Johor first made its debut and started selling out faster than hotcakes,they decided to substitute it with their in house First Choice brand thinking that we're stupid.Their milk has not been selling.

All three places are reknowned for rotting perishables.

Grocery shopping at the Sunshine Group, is like a hit and miss episode.After a bad experience,I now avoid buying potatoes from there.

Inspected the Bandar Baru supermart in Pulau Tikus and found its chiller to be full of decaying greens.
Pacific has a problem with an unsavoury stink emenating from the butcher's area.

I hardly shop at Mydin,Econsave and Carrefour,thus it would be unfair of me to compare.

Let's look at the list of recalled products

1. fresh milk
2. ice cream
3. evaporated milk
4. sweetened creamer
5. ghee
6. fruit jam
7. oyster sauce
8. canned sardines
9. canned curry chicken

Add to that MY OWN list of food products which I really think should be subjected to tests

• Bumblee Bee brand of tuna from thailand
• cereals,dried legumes
• Baba's curry powder
• ready to consume birds nest
• ready to drink chicken essence
• most sardine brands
• canned mushrooms
• locally produced Campbells Soup in tin
• all Munchy's brand of coffee products
• London biscuits
• every cheap flour brand
• Gardenia and High Five white sliced breads which never turn mouldy even after 2 weeks in the open
• rejected food products from mainland china and hongkong,repacked and sold in Giant stores
• First Choice,Gooday,Marigold,Dutch Lady fresh milk and fresh chocolate milk
• hams and sausages sold in delis at Cold Storage and Tesco stores
• various cheap single packed sliced cheese brands
• long cabbage,round cabbage,brocolli,cauliflower sold at Tesco
• carrots,potatoes,smoked garlic from Sunshine
• fresh chicken,beef,fish and offals sold at Tesco,Cold Storage,Giant.
• eggs supplied to all hypermart chains
• all cordials and chilled juices
• mouldy mushrooms and strawberries sold at Tesco and Giant.

Now,what is really worrying is the domino effect when mamaks,hawkers and restaurants try to save cost and shop in these places.
And what happens when that ends up in our stomach.
Going through the list,I tell myself to remove teh tarik,tosai ghee,cheap ice cream,unbranded breakfast jams,just about every chinese chu char dish,cheap canned sardines,cheap canned curry chicken off my list.
But,that's about IMPOSSIBLE

As well as another matter altogether.
The question is NOT a matter of why major newspapers hushed up,Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai's confirmation as to the existence of E. coli bacteria in the 1Malaysia fresh milk.
But why just confine the attack exclusively to KR1M stores when  surely the bloodbayers must know,that there are many spoilt apples and eggs in the basket as well.Unless they leave it to their maids or close one eye as long as kiamsapness does the job of saving for them.

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No Charge For KR1M
The Sun (Pauline Wong)

PETALING JAYA (Dec 6, 2011): The suppliers of Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), which has been hit by food item recalls, will not be punished for mislabelling the products – despite this being an offence under two food laws.
Health Ministry director-general Datuk Seri Hasan Abdul Rahman confirmed that the KR1M management has been told to remove 13 affected products from its shelves and relabel them accordingly.
Mislabelling or providing inaccurate information on a product’s nature and content is an offence under the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985. Those found guilty face a fine or three years jail term under the Food Act, and RM5,000 fine and maximum two years’ jail, or both under the Food Regulations 1985.
Pressed again if KR1M suppliers will be charged, Hasan replied, “No, we have asked them to relabel the affected products.”
However, the decision not to charge KR1M has riled the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca), whose president Datuk Marimuthu Nadason berated the ministry for its lack of action.

“Shame on the Health Ministry for not taking firm action. The law is the law. There can be no double-standards (in this matter).

“Our food regulations are some of the best in Asia but if they look good only on paper, without implementation, you might as well disregard them,” he said.

A senior official of the Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Ministry, which oversees the KR1M initiative nationwide, said it had no jurisdiction over food items. The officer, however, said, “We are serious about asking suppliers to adhere to Health Ministry regulations.”
The officer said the mislabelling could be a mistake born of ignorance as many suppliers were small-medium enterprises and stressed that it was not a food safety issue.
However, Marimuthu claimed mislabelling was not the only concern and hit out at the management of KR1M, which sells generic household items and foodstuff at up to 50% cheaper than other house brands.
“We want those who are responsible for these stores to follow the standards and regulations as laid out in the Food Act and Food Regulations,” he said.
He said the intention might have been noble, but the products must be capable of building “confidence” among consumers or it would go to waste.
The products sold at the KR1M came under scrutiny after several opposition MPs raised issues of contamination, misleading food labels and products not compliant with regulations.
On Saturday, the Health Ministry ordered 13 KR1M branded products – fresh milk, sweetened condensed creamer, condensed milk, oyster-flavoured sauce, fruit jam, canned chicken curry, mango cordial, ghee compounds, peanuts, peanut butter and sardines – removed from the shelves for relabelling. It also confirmed that the KR1M fresh milk tested positive for E. coli bacteria contamination, a strain of bacteria which cause food poisoning.
Following this, KR1M management said in a statement on Sunday that it will re-test some 250 products. It said the tests for all 250 1Malaysia products would cost up to RM300,000 and be borne by the suppliers and manufacturers.
Marimuthu said Fomca had tested the products and will present its results to the Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Ministry on Thursday. He did not reveal what the tests were, but said he would clear up the matter and seek assurance of consumer safety.
When contacted, Mydin Mohamad Holdings managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said the management had taken appropriate action to address concerns, starting with recalling the mislabelled products.
Mydin manages the KR1M stores, including supplies. “Like any responsible retailer, when there is an issue with the products, the priority is to recall the products and return to the market as soon as possible,” he said.
He dismissed concerns over food safety, insisting that it was only mislabelling, and added that some of the products had been relabelled and put back on the shelves. Ameer Ali said consumers who bought any of the 13 recalled products could return them for a full refund.

Kopitiam hot gossip @ Penang

Owner of a famous kopitiam selling noodles in the morning has reportedly gone AWOL.
Not content with the business his father passed down to him,he is now said to be on the run from loansharks whom he owes a substantial amount of money.
Holding fort at the corner shop now,is his wife.I wonder how long she can last before they start intimidating and harassing her into coughing up the sum owed.
Not confined to him alone,his main draw plying his trade here too has had a run of bad luck over the past few years.Personal tragedy,illness and such.
A famous 'new' trader who relocated from another location to this shop also was not spared and quickly folded up after a short period.
Thus,quick,go get your fill of cockles,spices n bloodcakes,at this 'not exactly cheap' place,before something untoward happens.

Hint : it's not Seribu

Remember,you heard it here first.

Gay and Lesbian Trail @ Penang

Yep,there is a gay and lesbian guide to Penang.
Complete with listings of gay run or gay friendly establishments,pick up points,spots etc.
Everywhere you turn,there's another couple hand in hand.

Penang is just so gay n les,we straights are beginning to feel a little bit odd.
They're all over the place and they're certainly not shy about their sexuality and not in the least hiding at all,I tell you,no matter how many raids have supposedly caused them to go underground.
It hasn't.
They're on tour,staying two doors down,dining with their partners,next to you at the traffic lights,serving you fried chicken while checking you out.

Look,I don't wanna jabber on and on .
Am posting this up so that you don't end up passing the wrong message to the same sex across your table,at a rocky beach,in the complex,at the pool etc etc.Like what happened to me, when my antenna swung the wrong signal in the direction of a tomboy,drawing unwanted clothes piercing attention while waiting for my order to arrive at Nando's in Gurney.Had to keep my eyes peeled on my chicken for the entire duration to ensure she understood that I wasn't interested .

You might want to keep tabs on this list,so that your children don't get mistakenly identified by predators as the new blood,unless of course.....you made the mistake of herding them into Chung Ling or PCGHS,two reputed hotbed breeding grounds for unleashing the next wave of urm fresh cattle upon us =__=

Jack and Jill hiked up Penang Hill,
each searching for a partner,
Jack got down on John  ,
as Jill came,romping with Esther.


Reference : utopia-asia.com/malapena.htm.
                : letsbookhotel.com
Here are the excerpts taken from those sites.

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Food

• Perut Rumah .Gay-owned and specializing in nyonya baba specialties
• Mews Kafe.Gay and Lesbian friendly.is generally busy with in-the-know locals who appreciate the freshly homemade faire, including daily specials.
• Suffolk House,Jln Air Itam.Waiters are gay friendly
• Northam Beach Café .Near Gurney Dr. Reported to have gay customers week nights after 7pm. Good food, clean facilities.
• Gurney Plaza Starbucks

Bars/Clubs

• Bagan Lounge(used to be the only gay bar) has now closed down.New bar opening soon probably in Macalister Road.Same owner runs Thirty Two at the Mansion
• Nine Krub Cafe Nagore Road.Friendly gay crowd
• Boom Boom,next to Segafredo.Sat nights gays gather upstairs. Young, Chinese crowd.
• 69 Mansion Club,next to Holiday Inn.Busy from Thu-Sat.Some transgender and gay guys

Hotels

• Campbell House , Lebuh Campbell - gay friendly
• Gurney Park Condominium , Jalan Kelawei -gay friendly
• Baan Talay Homestay , Tg Tokong - gay friendly
• Noble Villa Apartment , Jalan Macalister - gay friendly
• Palanquinn Heritage Suites , Bangkok Lane - gay friendly
• Straits Collection Hotel , Stewart Lane - gay friendly
• Clove Hall , Jalan Clove Hall - gay friendly
• Muntri Mews , Lebuh Muntri - gay friendly
• Mango Tree Place , Jalan Phuah Hin Leong - gay friendly

Meeting Places/Hunting Spots

• The small trail off the road, just past the Moon Gate as you head towards the Botanical Gardens. Popular with joggers in the daytime. You'll need to walk thru the bushes to discover this place with lot of activity, especially weekends (early morning 6-7am to late night past 11pm) and weekdays (after 5pm till midnight). Lots of joggers and hikers. Beware of decoys. At your own risk (take along a local friend if you can).
• Gurney Plaza.G/F facilities can be crowded on weekends.
• Batu Feringhi beach area near the international hotels.
• The beach at the back of Ship restaurant is very cruisy after 4pm most days. Always good looking guys there. Lots of caucasians.
• Tanjung Bunga beach, between Paradise Hotel/International School and at the rocks at the end. Especially afternoons and early evenings.
• Teluk Bahang beach.In front of closed hotel.Few PLUs at very quiet beach.
• Penang Youth Park.Facilities near the shop and area behind shops with tables to play checkers. Afternoons from 2-5pm.
• Komtar Shopping Mall, 2/F and up facilities.
• Midlands Park shopping center (formerly called, and still known as, One-Stop), including G/F and 2/F facilities. Sit outside at KFC to catch passersby.1/F and 3/F packed with action on Saturday nights
• Queensbay Shopping Mall.G/F and 2/F and up.
• Sunshine Farlim.Facilities in the evening.
• Permata swimming pool at Farlim, Air Hitam. A nice place to meet others, 4pm onwards, especially on Wed and Thu evenings after 7:30pm. Some of the good looking and fit guys don't mind showing off in the shower room
• Seberang Jaya swimming pool after working hours. There are a number of PLUs in the pool and facilities. Staff who are gay like to check out the scene,too
• Ampang Jajar Garden near Permatang Pauh, noon-5pm. Young Malay and Chinese guys.
• Park in Butterworth between the old British Fortress and city hall. After 10pm. At your own risk. Beware hustlers and police decoys.
• Swimming pool in Seberang Jaya, Butterworth. On Sat and Sun, you can see lots of PLUs (all races) hunting in the facilities.
• The garden on the hill inside Taman Bukit Indah (beside St. Annes). A nice place to meet at night.
• Taman Hwa Seng (just opposite Wonderful Mini Market beside Jln Rozhan, around the Alma, Bukit Mertajam area). There is a river beside a playground. You can find the Taman signboard beside the road. Go to the playground to look for the same species, mostly after 8pm. You may find young PLU sitting alone. If you click, just walk down to the quiet river bank.

Dice with Danger @ Penang Road Shoulders

The double standards are in place till today (refer to Ng Wei Aik Tantrum post).
While Chinese and Malay hawkers are given free hand to operate their stalls from road shoulders,the Mamaks still cannot open a single table on any road,even if it is a dead end with a bicycle path.

Now,that this tragic accident has happened,hear me out,as I am familiar with the driving habits of the people on this particular stretch of road.

Cars jostle for space like it were a race to the finish,starting from the large funeral parlour,all the way to Hong Seng estate traffic lights,avoiding residents making sudden,unannounced turns to their respectives homes on the right hand side of the road.
After which they are overcome with craze trying to not let anyone on the inner lane overtake them as everybody makes a mad dash towards the small intersection.
Along the way,depending on the time of day,some daredevil motorbikes and irrate motorists from the oncoming lane,who think they are Ironman's offspring, like to take risks and speed head on,into your path.

Once the light turns green and everyone is going up the gentle hillslope itself,residents staying at the housing estate next to the wetmarket,have a sinister fondness to road hog both lanes uphill.until the turn off into their homes.
This insanely selfish behaviour is peculiar ONLY,to the mentally unstable culprit/residents staying on this left hand side housing estate (known as Taman Evergreen) after the market and the chinese temple.
A sizeable number of them that live there simply will not give way.
Doesn't matter if they are retirees or wet behind the ears,most delight in forcing you to toddle along at a torturous pace until you find a wider berth as you approach the wetmarket.
By then,it would have irritated enough testestorones and fallopian tubes,causing a long cemetery lining clog,that it again becomes a madhouse as all and sundry,step on the accelerator,to be the first in line,at the next traffic lights down the road.

That was then.
Today,the presence of Tesco,massive construction and new dwellers,multiple the inherent danger.
Mixing a plethoria of tanjong rambutan delivery truckers,asylum construction lorries,together with siao schoolbus operators,gila parents and bas kilang maniacs,white knuckle fearless ah lians,ah bengs,abangs,aweks,minachis and machas,not forgetting rempit aunties and uncles.....(yes i don't know anyone,not even senior citizens below 65 who are not speed fiends)
delivers a deadly cocktail that would delight the denizens of Mount Erskine and guarantee more friends into their fold quicker than before.
Heck if you are on Jln Tg Tokong between 11am to 4pm,it is not out of the blue to encounter Speedy Gonzales blond expatriates(those on holiday,driving W plates are amongst the worst offenders),having 'gone with the flow',and are prone to showing locals a hairy white fist,as they seeth,grit their teeth and break a litany of traffic rules,to tear away from the pack.
But that's a different kettle of fish altogether.

Now,veering back to Mount Erksine again,as I mentioned before,in that path,between the first entrance to Taman Evergreen and the Red means stop lights down below, lies this hawker centre.
Complete with nonchalant patrons,who especially like to suddenly turn their vehicles,without warning,just so they can park or exit the road shoulder next to this makan place,oblivious to those gone beserk and hurtling downhill.
So sure are they,that madmen will avoid striking them down like pins in a bowling alley.

This is an attitude inherited.
Young parents,with small kids seated near the motorcycle basket,demonstrate,the real meaning of guts and glorious joyride.Motorcyclists only know how to travel in a straight line.
No driving school could ever convince them to avoid vehicles.
It was once said that these are the very people who would horn at a tree and a brick wall while stubbornly maintaining their speed with no signs of conceeding defeat.
Earlier this year,one of their species,blamed a cow for 'attacking'him on the road.
Me thinks he horned it,thinking it would 'moo've to the mountains,because surely the stupid cow must have,understood his staunch stand on swerving.
Next we have pedestrians who think they are made of steel,who expect everyone to stop for them.
So cocky are they that they will not even bat an eyelid in your direction as the entire family crosses the road at such a leisurely pace,unafraid for their lives,as if egging you on,to "do it if you dare"plough into them.
They seem to forget what would befall them,when we cannot avoid them in the nick of time,or if they so happened to be in a blind spot.

Sadly,it was an accident just waiting to happen.
As for the roads leading past Pepper estate into Lembah Permai,Tanjong Bungah,an overturned bus complete with dazzed schoolkids and a flying motorcyclist that died upon impact at a florist's corner home compound,all made it to this year's eerie edition.


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Lorry Rams Salesman And Two Cars
(The Star,Metro North)

GEORGE TOWN: A lorry crashed into two parked cars and overturned near some food stalls, killing a salesman and injuring his younger sister.
Siblings Koay Kheng Tiong, 31, and Hooi Chin, 28, were on their way to the stalls at Jalan Mount Erskine here to have breakfast when the incident occurred at about 11.15am yesterday.
It is believed the lorry driver had lost control of the vehicle.
Kheng Tiong was rushed to the Penang Hospital but was pronounced dead on arri- val. His sister, who suffered light injuries, received outpatient treatment at the same hospital.
Food seller Hor Sin Fong, 46, said he rushed to help Hooi Chin after the accident.
“She went to help her brother who was unconscious with blood oozing out from his ears, about 15m away,” said Hor.
Police are using a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage from the stalls in their investigation into the case

Elton John @ Genting Highlands

How is it that we forget so easily?
Back in 2004 he insulted the Taiwanese people as a nation of
"rude,vile pigs".

When a reporter confronted him and asked him why he didn't get the heck out,
he was quoted spewing
"We'd love to get out of Taiwan if it's full of people like you. Pig! Pig!"

For this I refuse to go see Sir Racist Piglet Egoness himself in flesh neither have I stopped switching channels when his songs are played on air.
Not over his sexuality which has PAS youth up in arms.
He needn't get my dollar towards upkeeping his partner.

See the report below

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Elton John calls Taiwan cameramen 'rude, vile pigs'
agencies  23.09.2004
Sir Elton John warmed up his vocal chords for a Taiwan concert Thursday by calling photographers a bunch of "rude, vile pigs."
The media ambushed the rock star after he arrived by private plane Thursday shortly after midnight at Taipei.
John was angry that police allegedly did not properly restrain the pack and protect him "from the ensuing chaos," a statement issued by the singer said.
ETTV cable news showed footage of John, dressed in a royal blue track suit and matching sunglasses, berating the photographers and TV crews as he cleared immigration.
The fuming star was also shown clenching his teeth and muttering expletives as he stood with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.
"Rude vile pigs," shouted John, who was to perform in Taipei. "Do you know what that means? Rude vile pigs. That's what all of you are."
One of the photographers shouted back, "Why don't you get out of Taiwan?"
John answered, "We'd love to get out of Taiwan if it's full of people like you. Pig! Pig!"
The star, who recently performed in Shanghai and Hong Kong, said, "We had a great tour of the Far East and then we come to Taiwan."
John's statement said, "Despite this frightening arrival, his spirits remain high and he is looking forward to performing the concert."

7 year old choked to death @ Bah Kut Teh,Jalan Tembikai,Bukit Mertajam

Update : 25th october

Again the problem of vastly differing reports,while Nanyang Siang Pau mentioned that it happened at breakfast,
NST says it was during dinner and specified that the outlet involved is located in Jalan Tembikai.
Metro,a malay paper gets into gorier details which I won't put up here.
What I will quote from that paper is the following
"Mulanya saya tidak tahu dia tercekik apa, tetapi hanya dapat mengetahuinya selepas pihak hospital mengeluarkan bebola daging itu,......Menurutnya, anak sulungnya itu tidak menghidap sebarang penyakit kronik tetapi sejak kecil kerap batuk. Katanya, dia pernah diberitahu doktor yang pernah merawat anaknya sebelum ini, kerongkong Ugo agak kecil berbanding saiz normal"

Mention this road and Good Master dry bak kut teh immediately comes to mind.
In any case,it's advisable for them to arrange a press conference
to clear the air over any misconception or otherwise.

-------------------------------------------------------
While I extend my condolences to the family that lost their 7 year old at the breakfast table,
at the same time I would like to remind parents to use common sense when taking kids out for treats.

Check to see if the food items that you have ordered are too large,dry or long for their little mouths.
It is best to chop up meats,even fish with skin on,meatballs,jellies,long uncut veges into smaller pieces just for the young ones sake.
While you may like your balls whole,food operators are ever willing to go the extra mile and cut them up with a pair of scissors just for the little ones.
No matter how busy they are,you can always tell them point blank to bring them out of their uncooperative slumber and spring them into action with the above reason, as I am sure they do not want a fatality on their hands to smear the good name of their premises.
Dry roasted peanuts too are hazardous as they tend to get lodged all over the mouth when bitten up.
Also do your kids have a tendency to talk excitedly while eating?
At this point you have to insist they keep quiet until they have safely swallowed their food, even though you may look like a spoilsport.
Last but not least if you are one of the many horribly impatient parents and relatives found all over Penang,that frown at the kids like a hostile bunch of outlaws and gang up on them at the table, in order to force them to finish/gobble up their meal way too fast,put a stop to your nasty habit will you?

Scroll below and notice that I did mention earlier,that the chicken meat in the wantan mee sold at Sawara is so tough and dry,it could cause a child or old person to choke.

As for the culprit?
Your guess is as good as mine that it has to be one of those dry bah kut teh places.
Whose bright idea was it in the first place?


----------------------------------------------------------------

Ugo Does Good One Last Time
New Straits Times 22.10.2011

BUKIT MERTAJAM: It was an emotionally charged moment for Sim Cheng Ang when she accepted a posthumous trophy on behalf of her 7-year-old son for his excellent results in Chinese. The trophy was for Ugo Teoh, a Year One pupil of SJK (C) Keow Kuang in Jalan Betik here.
Teoh died from choking on a meatball while he and his family were having dinner to celebrate his examination results on Wednesday.
Sim, 36, recalled seeing Teoh's happy face when he showed her his report card with many As, and her promise to accompany him on prize-giving day on Friday.
As a reward, she said they decided to take the boy and their two other children, Udix, 4, and Peyi, 2, to a restaurant in Jalan Tembikai that evening.
During dinner, Ugo suddenly choked on a meatball, suffered breathing difficulties and a seizure. He later died at Bukit Mertajam Hospital.
"I promise him that I would attend the prize-giving ceremony.
"All I can do now is to put the trophy next to his photo. I still can't believe he is gone," she said when met at her mother's house in Taman Belimbing here on Friday.

EARLIER CONFLICTING REPORT

A seven-year-old boy is believed to have died after choking on a meatball while having a bak kut teh meal at a coffeeshop in Bukit Mertajam, Nanyang Siang Pau reported.
The meatball got lodged in Chang You Ke's throat. He tried to vomit it out but to no avail.
Customers tried to help when Chang started suffocating and gasping for air.
Family members sent him to a nearby clinic and he was referred to the hospital as his condition worsened.
But it was too late for the boy. He was declared dead at the Bukit Mertajam Hospital.
Chang had gone to the coffeeshop with his parents and his two-year-old brother when the incident happened

Crime Prevention : Malaysian Style

I shamelessly lifted this off someone's facebook posting cos I find it highly relevant even though it may seem comical and bordering on paranoia at times.
It's sad when the Malay people cannot trust anyone anymore.Today they too watch their children like hawks and are extremely wary of strangers.
They attribute a majority of crimes committed to the Indonesians who employ black magic to gain entry into their homes.

Will post the entire Malay transcript up with a brief explanation in English after each tip.

HOW TO PREVENT THEFT,ROBBERY AND RAPE IN YOUR OWN HOME
ELAK KECURIAN, DI ROMPAK DAN DI ROGOL DALAM RUMAH SENDIRI

Banyak kes pecah rumah dan ada ahli keluarga dibunuh atau dirogol oleh perompak.... Muhasabahkan diri kita. Adakah kita pernah mengabaikan tanggungjawab sebagai ketua dalam keluarga menentukan anak-anak dan isteri kita selamat ketika tidur waktu malam hari? Adakah kita pernah memagar rumah kita secara fisikal dan dipagari dengan pendinding ayat Al-Quran.

Rumah yang dipagar dengan keluli atau mangga solex, sekiranya perompak menggunakan ilmu sihir boleh membuka semua kunci. Kerana ilmu sihir itu kerja iblis dan syaitan. Terutama perompak dari Indonesia yang mahir menggunakan ilmu sihir memukau dan pembuka kunci. Hanya dengan menepok mangga ia terbuka tanpa kunci. Jadi mari kita pagar rumah kita dengan ayat suci Al-Quran dan baca tip pencegahan ini.

Tips menghalang kecurian.

 

(1) Jangan biarkan anak-anak tidur di ruang tamu seorang diri (Mereka mungkin menggunakan anak sebagai tebusan).

DO NOT ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO SLEEP IN THE HALL ALONE AS THEY MAY BE USED AS HOSTAGES SHOULD THERE BE A BREAK IN

 (2) Kunci atau sorokkan semua pisau-pisau yang terdapat di dapur sebelum tidur (Kesemua kes kecurian di dapati pisau hilang dan menurut polis mereka akan mencari pisau dahulu sebelum mencuri bertujuan untuk melindungi diri mereka).

HIDE ALL KNIVES IN THE KITCHEN BEFORE TURNING IN FOR THE NIGHT

(3) Sekiranya terdengar/terlihat paip air di luar rumah terbuka pada tengah malam (pukul 12:00 ke atas), jangan keluar rumah untuk menutup paip tersebut kerana ini adalah taktik terbaru mereka di mana mereka telah menunggu diluar pintu rumah untuk masuk (Kes terbaru berlaku di Dungun dan Petaling Jaya).

SHOULD YOU HEAR RUNNING WATER RUNNING FROM THE GARDEN TAP AFTER MIDNIGHT DO NOT GET OUT TO TURN IT OFF AS IT IS A NEW RUSE TO GAIN ENTRY INTO YOUR HOME

(4) Beritahu anak-anak sekiranya hendak ke tandas (jika tandas jauh) di waktu tengah malam, kejutkan ibubapa untuk bersama mereka.

ALWAYS ACCOMPANY YOUR KIDS TO THE LAVATORY IF IT IS SITUATED FAR OUTSIDE THE HOME

(5) Jangan simpan barang-barang kemas di dalam almari baju (Cara lama ...)

STOP KEEPING YOUR VALUABLES IN THE CUPBOARD,TOO PREDICTABLE .

(6) Bawa alarm kereta bersama semasa tidur, in case terjaga tengah malam, cuba on and off kan balik untuk menakutkan pencuri (Menandakan kita sentiasa alert).

BRING YOUR CAR ALARM TO BED WITH YOU SO YOU CAN TRY SCARING OFF INTRUDERS BY SETTING IT OFF EVERY NOW AND THEN DURING THE NIGHT

(pity the neighbours)

(7) Tekan button merah alarm kereta anda jika anda suspect pencuri sudah masuk ke dalam rumah.
PRESS THE RED BUTTON ON YOUR CAR ALARM IF YOU SUSPECT THAT SOMEONE HAS BROKEN IN

(8) Sekiranya terlihat orang-orang yang agak aneh dan asing di kawasan rumah anda, sila dapatkan plet no motor/kereta mereka (Selalunya naik motor dan mereka ni biasanya berdua, setiap kali kita lalu depan mereka, mereka akan menundukkan kepala).
MARK STRANGERS ,TAKE NOTE OF THEIR VEHICLE MAKES AND NUMBER PLATES. THEY  WORK IN A PAIR AND WILL AVOID EYE CONTACT WITH YOU

(9) Pesan kepada jiran, sekiranya ada sesiapa yang datang ke rumah kita dan mengaku saudara kita bertujuan untuk mengambil barang-barang, jangan benarkan, beri nombor telefor pejabat anda kepada jiran supaya mereka boleh double check dengan kita.
TELL YOUR NEIGHBOURS THAT SHOULD ANYONE CLAIM TO BE YOUR RELATIVE ,ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK WITH YOU FIRST

(10) Semasa tidur, pastikan handphone anda berada di sisi atau pastikan juga Cordless Phone anda berada di sisi anda ataupun sambungkan satu extension dalam bilek tidur anda. Ini memudahkan anda membuat panggilan kecemasan sekiranya anda terasa kehadiran pencuri di dalam rumah anda.
ALWAYS ENSURE YOUR MOBILE OR CORDLESS PHONE IS NEXT TO YOU AT ALL TIMES.

(11) Adakan senarai nombor telefon kecemasan seperti polis kawasan anda, bomba kawasan anda, 999 atau sebagainya. Pastikan nombor-nombor ini disimpan dalam handphone anda. Kalau boleh, hafalkan nombor tersebut. Ini memudahkan anda membuat panggilan telefon.
HAVE A LIST OF EMERGENCY NUMBERS READY

(12) Kalau berkemampuan, pasangkan alat pengesan kecurian di rumah atau automatik alarm.
FIX A HOME ALARM SYSTEM IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT

(13) Lampu porch & lampu belakang rumah sepatutnya terpasang secara automatik bila malam, baik semasa kita ada di rumah atau pergi bercuti.
INSTALL AUTOMATIC LIGHTS IN THE FRONT AND BACK OF YOUR HOME

(14) Kalau cuti lama, pesan jiran kutip surat-surat dalam peti surat. Peti surat yang penuh membantu pencuri menghidu ketiadaan tuan rumah.
GET NEIGHBOURS TO COLLECT MAIL FROM YOUR POSTBOX WHEN YOU ARE ON HOLIDAY

(15) Kalau kawasan anda kerap berlaku kecurian, buat permohonan rasmi dari Balai Polis berdekatan supaya ada anggota polis buat rondaan yang kerap di kawasan anda.
IF YOU LIVE IN A HIGH CRIME AREA,MAKE AN OFFICAL APPLICATION FOR POLICE TO PATROL YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD

(16) Kereta Proton adalah paling mudah dicuri. Kalau kereta anda brand new, sekurang-kurangnya anda perlu lock gear & steering sebelum tidur (Sebenarnya masih boleh dicuri, tetapi akan berjaya melambatkan pencuri).
THE PROTON IS THE EASIEST CAR TO STEAL.iF YOU HAVE A BRAND NEW ONE,TAKE NOTE THAT A GEAR AND STEERING LOCK WOULD DELAY BUT NOT COMPLETELY PREVENT THEFT OF YOUR VEHICLE


(17) Kalau ada anak-anak perempuan, sebaik-baiknya pintu biliknya dikunci dari dalam (Sebab ada pencuri yg mengambil kesempatan seksual) dan anda perlu ada kunci pendua in case berlaku kebakaran.
INSTALL LOCKS FROM WITHIN YOUR DAUGHTERS ROOM

(18) Sekurang-kurangnya simpan kayu hoki atau baseball di bawah katil anda buat mempertahankan diri dari pencuri yang ganas.
KEEP A BASEBALL BAT OR HOCKEY STICK UNDER YOUR BED FOR SELF DEFENCE
(19) Jangan letak kunci bawah pasu bunga/mail box/alang pintu/tepi tingkap bila keluar (Pencuri dah lama tau taktik ni...). Lebih selamat beri pada jiran yang kita kenal rapat.
NEVER LEAVE YOUR KEYS WHERE THEY CAN BE EASILY FOUND BY INTRUDERS

(20) Kalau sewa rumah baru pastikan anda tukar padlock baru, mana tau bekas-bekas penyewa lama simpan kunci pendua.
IF YOU ARE RENTING A NEW HOME,CHANGE THE PADLOCKS

(21) Kurangkan pendedahan dan pergaulan anda dengan pekerja asing.MINIMISE CONTACT WITH FOREIGN WORKERS

(22) Pastikan keadaan selamat sebelum buka pintu rumah (Tak kira siang atau malam, terutamanya balik lepas 11:00lam). LOOK AT YOUR SURROUNDINGS BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR DOOR,DOESN'T MATTER IF IT IS NIGHT OR DAY

Robber aka Taxi Driver & Crimes @ Penang

Update :
The Star newspaper carried a report on the same taxi today.But funnily the reporter or stringer mentioned that the driver was ambushed by police for being a firearms runner who was waiting for a buyer to turn up.
Strange indeed.
Either the Malay tabloid reporter doesn't understand English or The Star reporter has a poor command of Malay as well as English,for this to happen.

Putting myself in their shoes
I presume if the Malay reporter heard wrong it,he probably misheard runner as robber.And cooked up a sensational story to go with it.
In The Star reporters case,if he is proven to have muddled up the report,I dare say,he didn't understand much English or had a poor command of Malay,thus in his haste he simply submitted the report to the blur norther editor who accepted it without qualms.
Epic fail!
Unless one is proven correct,please disregard the Harian Metro article below as well as todays The Star newspaper report, for the time being,as incompetently fabricated junk that's half fantasy,part truth stuffed with many helpings of unbelievable lies by reporters so hard of hearing.

-----------------------------------------------------------

This was not reported in the English newspapers but a in Malay tabloid.
By the time a report hits the newspapers,it would mean that many many crimes would have been committed already.
Not by him alone,there are bound to be others who have gone down a similar path.
Not surprising since there are too many for comfort bad apple taxi drivers in Penang,who also happen to be sex crazed maniacs behind the wheel.

Contrary to what that CM with a bad hairdo,may want Singaporeans to believe,I do know a number of  'chicken' mainlanders who won't travel out at night for fear of getting their cars hijacked.Ask them out and they'll tell you pointblank that they are scared cos they don't wanna risk getting waylaid and robbed. Malay people from the mainland,like to enquire if a certain area they are not familiar with has, cases of...of all things stolen car tyres

Just this year a local girl got kidnapped from a Jln Masjid Negeri petrol station toilet after a night out.She appeared hours later in a daze and unable to recall what had happened to her.The most horrifying part was that she was daringly dragged from the toilet and kidnapped in full view of many members of the public.

Ever heard reports of a kereta sapu (illegal taxi) operator raping his passengers before.How many victims he had before the monster was finally caught.

Let's not just talk about taxi drivers,the inner city is simply not safe anymore.

A poor washerwoman got bludgeoned to death for a few dollars she had in her pocket while walking home.This occured this year too.
Old people who used to sell newspapers on their own,now have more than one companion beside them.Nobody leaves their doors open anymore.
Even the shop that sells prayer paraphernalia opposite 1st avenue mall nows carries on their craft behind closed gates.In the past,their gates were left wide open.
The pork wholesalers behind Chowrasta market never open once daylight has past today,when they used to stay open till 11pm last time.

Past horrific cases include a 2009 murder at Prangin Mall and a 2010 paedophile kindergarten owner who was spotted entering the school premises even after he was brought to book.

I myself had the misfortune of being cornered in the taxi years ago,by a driver who was adamant I had to down two pills inside his taxi,as he sincerely wanted to 'improve'my complexion.It was probably an ulterior motive to rape.I practically had to yikkity yakkaty yak,talk my way out of it.Thank goodness,the journey ended with nothing untoward happening to me as he wasn't the agressive kind.

Our taxi drivers here are crooks.They wait like vultures and charge you a bomb.Their rates are the highest in the country.There are plenty of illegal taxis,even operating under the auspices of the airport limousine counter.Please,do me a favour,if you arrive here by flight,try to arrange for transport that is arranged by the hotel.
Yet they have to resort to crime for reasons best known to themselves.And rape just to satisfy their lust.
So to,the fella that shares the same hairdresser as his father,you have got to be joking.Lots of us prefer to stay at home and not travel out past midnight,after 10 in prai is a no no,cos the state is increasingly unsafe,didn't he know?

Read on after the first article,as I unearthed a first hand account of a violent incident on the Penang Bridge

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Polis Pulau Pinang tahan pemandu teksi dan rakan yang aktif samun guna pistol

Harian Metro 30th september 2011

GEORGE TOWN: Polis Pulau Pinang menahan seorang pemandu teksi dan rakannya yang dipercayai aktif menyamun bersenjatakan pistol dalam operasi di Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Cheong Eu, di sini malam tadi.
Ketua Polis Pulau Pinang, Datuk Ayub Yaakob berkata, pihaknya turut merampas dua pucuk pistol jenis Browning dan Walther daripada kedua-dua lelaki terbabit dalam operasi 11.45 malam itu.
"Pemandu teksi berusia 38 tahun dan rakannya, 58, berada dalam teksi ketika ditahan dan hasil siasatan mendapati mereka sedang merancang untuk melakukan jenayah samun," katanya kepada media, di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata polis menemui kedua-dua pucuk pistol terbabit yang cuba disembunyikan masing-masing di tepi pinggang dan belakang badan.

Katanya modus operandi mereka ialah dengan mengambil penumpang terutama pelancong asing, sebelum membawanya ke kawasan yang agak tersembunyi sebelum disamun. - Bernama

-----------------------------------------

ROBBED BY MAT REMPIT! DAMN IT! Date : 10th Dec 2006

At approx 4.00, we started our journey to Pacific Mall, Perai to meet up
with 2 friends who were supposed to pick us up and head to Cameron
Highland.

Towards the last 200m of Penang bridge, we saw a grey colour Satria in
front of us turned into the fast lane. We then realized there was a
helmet lying on the floor in the middle of the slow lane. We couldn�t
avoid the helmet and ran over it.
The helmet got stuck beneath the front part of the car.

It was around 4.30 am then. We had to continue driving as we couldn�t
stop on Penang Bridge. As soon as we exit from Penang Bridge, we decided
to stop by the roadside because the friction and noise caused by the
helmet was too great. As we slowed down, one motorcycle with 2 Malay guys
approached us. We stopped the car and my dad went down to check on the
helmet which got stuck under the car.

Out of a sudden, more than 20 over Malay guys, all on motorcycles
approached our car out of nowhere with very angry faces. They surrounded
the front and side perimeter of our car.

We thought they were after the helmet that we ran through and we
apologized to them. They shouted at us to get out of the car. Panicked,
we locked the car. One of the guys started hitting the driver seat
windscreen with his helmet and smashed the windscreen. They then unlocked
the car. One guy grabbed my handbag which I�ve placed near to the
gearbox. The other guys opened the right door behind the driver seat and
grabbed my sister�s bag pack. At that very same moment, they threw a
whole lot of an unidentified powder (which we later find out that it
might be sulfur) which caused us to lose our vision and suffocate.
Another guy opened the back door on the left and start grabbing my
friend�s waist pouch but to no avail. They gave up and sped away.

Later after the incident, my dad told us that as soon as he got out of
the car, he saw 2 guys approaching and shouted to him about the helmet.
When he is facing the guys, they shouted that they want bag. He is scared
for the safety of the girls; therefore, he held both his hands up to
indicate �slow down and I�ll give you�. That was when they started to
surround him until he has no space to move and snatched off his wallet
from his back pocket. My dad then made a turn to have a look at the girls
and at that instance; he was attacked with the powder which caused him to
lose his vision and breath.

We immediately called the police after the gang sped away. We also called
our friends who were nearby. Before the police arrived, a few of the
motorbikes actually turned back and waited under some trees after the
exit of the Penang Bridge, waiting for their next victim. One of them
came quite near to us and looked at us as if telling us �Poor fellas,
what can you do to us!�

It all happened in less than 2 minutes. In this incident, we lost
approximately RM 3500 including cash, hand phones, a digital camera, a
smashed windscreen, and a damaged interior of the car.

Worse, all four of us were traumatized by the incident. We could have
lost our lives.

While we were lodging police report at Balai Polis Perai, another girl
came to lodge a police report at the same police station. She too was
followed and robbed by a group of 20 over Malay guys on motorcycles, whom
the police suspected were committed by the same gang.

The policemen who have came to us and whom we met at the police station
seems to be aware of the so-called Mat Rempits and what they have been
doing, and they pitied us with what happened. One of them even commented
that �we were lucky that they did not sprayed chilly powder instead�.(
this is what they can do-empathy)

We also need to highlight that we arrived at the police station at
approximately 5.30am. The entire report process took us around 6 hours
which was also ridiculous.( where is the Barisan rep, where is the MCA
rep?, where is tw direc

Empire Shopping Mall explosion @ Subang Jaya

Yes,we have another foodcourt linked explosion.No,not due to terrorism but what I call Slipshodcuttingcornerism.
Would like to bring you,the readers,back to December 2009 where the first foodcourt explosion happened in AEON Jusco Malacca.

Looking at the similarities,
both had a problem with gas piping leakage.
Both were foodcourts.

Imagine if it were lunchtime and this were to happen.
Which brings us to the damning question of how safe our shopping complexes are when it comes to dining there.Are enough regulations put in place to ensure everyone's safety?How come developers have to press contractors for low pricing when it comes to electrical cables,wiring and for goodness sakes,a gas piping system.

Here is the recipe for disaster.

1. Take one bright spark caused by a Sekolah Teknik Ah Too Ah Kau drop out who can't do proper wiring nor installation.
2. Add One stubborn slip shod Bangla or Indon worker who doesn't want to listen to instructions cos he has gotten an immunity shot against verbal diarrhea.
3. Don't forget a cock eyed Supervisor who only has eyes for Lengluis and 4D numbers.
4. Mix it together with One foul mouthed bullying contractor who is too lazy to check that his workers have done a proper job cos he simply can't wait to go caress the GRO's thighs tonight at the lounge.
5. Last of all top the whole thing off with One Half Baked Potato Cut Corners So He Can Have More Mistresses developer for a mushroom cloud to envelope your town.

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The Star December 14th 2009

MALACCA: The much anticipated grand opening of the largest AEON Jusco mall in the country here in Jalan Legenda in Bachang this Dec 17 is likely to be postponed following a fatal gas explosion that killed a 25-year-old supervisor while injuring 16 others on Monday.
The explosion was said to have happened at the food court section located on ground floor of the three-storey complex just before 1pm when workers and tenants were busy making final preparation for the opening.
The force of the blast blew a 2m hole in the building’s sidewall while showering glass and debris over a 25m radius before starting a small fire.
Firemen from the Kubu fire and rescue station, who arrived on the scene six minutes after receiving a distress call at 12.59pm, immediately put out a small fire and found two injured victims lying outside the building.
A search and rescue operation was mounted for other victims when it was learned that there were several others missing or trapped under the rubble.
Five victims were later pulled out alive from the rubble while another, Tiau See Peing, 25, a supervisor from Batu Pahat with Old Town White Coffee was found dead with a fatal neck wound cause by flying debris.
State Fire Departments operations deputy director R. Ezhumalai said the blast is believed to have been caused by a leak when workers were testing the gas meters from the centralised Liquid Petroleum Gas system.
“We believe that the explosion was due to a gas leak as victims mentioned the smell of gas shortly before the blast.
“Although there was a small fire, the injuries and damage were caused by the blast and flying debris,” he said when met at the scene here.
Initial investigations, he added, indicated the blast originated from a leak in the gas system near the food court next to the Food & Tea restaurant.
“We are still investigating to determine the exact location of the blast or what may have caused it,” he said, adding that several other victims were earlier rushed to the hospital for treatment.
At press time, seven victims were reported to have suffered serious injuries while three are said to be in critical condition at the Malacca Hospital. Six other victims received outpatient treatment.
Meanwhile, state human resources committee chairman Datuk Yaakub Md Amin said the Department of Occupational Safety and Health has been directed to investigate the blast.
Investigations will focus on whether the contractors had followed safety measures.
“Action will be taken against them if they had not done so, resulting in the explosion,” he said.
He added that it was fortunate that the blast happened before the opening of the shopping complex when there were fewer people around

Kopikat HK & Tamil movie gangster scene@ Island Glades Kopitiam

I will snoop around and keep you updated once (if at all I do manage to)get the juice on this one

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Havoc At Coffee shop (The Star)21st sept 2011

A COFFEE shop operator and several of his customers were injured after a group of men attacked them in Island Glades in Penang.
The men, numbering at least seven, armed with iron rods, parang and sticks, rushed into the coffee shop and started damaging the tables, chairs and hawker stalls.
One of them also attacked the operator, 60, who was sitting at the cashier counter at about 10pm on Monday. He suffered multiple body injuries and was treated at the Penang Hospital before being transferred to a private hospital.
A customer, also in his 60s, was also slashed several times during the attack. He was not seriously injured.
Initial investigations showed that revenge could be the motive of the attack as a day earlier, two men believed to be friends of the attackers were beaten up inside the coffee shop following a misunderstanding
George Town OCPD Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said police had identified two of the attackers, aged 18 and 19, but they were not home when a team went to their homes in Padang Tembak and Gelugor.
“Closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) footage showed at least seven people were involved in the attack. They were wearing helmets and jackets and came in four motorcycles.
“They fled the scene after the attack. We believe they could have stolen RM1,000 from the cashier drawer,” he said when contacted yesterday.
ACP Gan said a steel rod was recovered from the scene, adding that the case was being investigated for possession of weapons or missiles during a riot under Section 148 of the Penal Code

KLites in Penang

There are so many of them in the island and on the mainland today.

Comprising of job seekers and holders,some of whom were transplanted by KL head offices and factories,another segment consisting of property speculators even traders and especially of late an influx of those in the food related chain,they arrive thinking that this is an easy place to settle into,just a wee bit laid back,that's all.

From the conversations I have carried out on my own with them,I do gather that the transition is not all a bed of roses and am gonna highlight the differences between the 2 societies today.

Just in case you are from the busy capital,think you have had enough of the city and just want to getaway to this little hideaway,here's a list of things that you might want to seriously consider

1. The Cantonese Language

Nobody speaks Cantonese well here.Thus there will be much miscommunication or lack of it. 

In certain parts of the city and markets,speaking to people above the age of 40 could invite a rather hostile reception due to clan clashes between the Hokkein speaking and the Cantonese centuries back.

You might feel as if you offended or brushed people the wrong way if you do not pick up Penang Hokkein in due time.

In anyway when you come here equipped with Klang Hokkein,some will look down on you as uncouth,others will make fun of you.

You WILL feel extremely lonely.

2. Racial Polarisation

Anyone can strike up a conversation with another race in KL and happily yap away like a pair of long lost friends but this does not happen in Penang.Unless of course you know the person,In fact even another Chinese does not take too kindly to empty banter over nothing if they have no ties or friendship with you.

This is not a friendly place comparatively.Each race sticks to his own kind.And the chinese to ONLY their acquaintances.

Malays and the Chinese are hardly seen even going out for lunch together here.Indians sit amongst themselves.

Malays will try as far as possible to avoid Chinese populated shopping centres and the Chinese vice versa.

As such if you have been used to just walking up to total strangers and striking up a conversation,people here might give you a "do I know you look" and will give you the cold shoulder irrelevant of whether they are Malays or Chinese.Indians are a whole lot friendlier but sometimes it IS hard to tell a Malay apart from an Indian person.This takes some getting used to.

3.Food

From the thousand and one complaints I have heard over this matter,the general consensus is......the food here is too sweet,the assam laksa is not sour and food portions are a complete rip off bordering on the profiteeringly pathetic.

PLUS

You won't be able to find a good Hokkein Mee(the black wok fried KL version).

The Kung Fu Chow noodles will be irritatingly darker and comes with no egg.

The wantan mee will be one of the most horrible.

Economy rice mostly bad and outrageously expensive.

Your curry mee will start to loose its appeal since it doesn't come with Chicken Curry and long beans.

You can forget about finding a hearty bowl of Mee Yoke.

Same goes for a good plate of Nasi Lemak.

You will absolutely swear off Yong Tau Foo and will find the Tau Foo Pok,Foo Chook unpalatable.

You will not be able to track down a good plate of Chee Cheong Fun with all the sidelines.Nor will you be able to find a decent Teo Chew Porridge meal to sweat it out.

The Nasi Kandar will be too oily.Paus will be hopeless.

On top of that.the Chicken Rice versions sold here will be plain and downright weird.

Conclusion : 3 bowls of noodles on the island still cannot fill the tummy

4.Interstate Travel

Some Penangites have been known to get out to Komtar ONLY ONCE A YEAR.

Others have never crossed Penang Bridge till they became teenagers.I kid you not.

Thus for one to travel from Komtar to Tanjong Tokong will be considered "Waaaaaaa! Soooooo farrrrr aaaahhhh???"

Perplexing of course for KLites who will not bat an eyelid to drive all the way to a Selangor oil palm plantation for a packet of beggars chicken.

5. The Kiamsap Factor

No kiam sap person worth his salt on the island buys another a drink here in the pubs.You can forget it."Belanja" is only for suckers.Don't be viewed as one.

Should you decide to hold a birthday party for your child here,do be prepared to receive broken seashells encased in an old coconut shell given by the rich boy living in a four storey mansion.Again another true account.

6. The Beautiful Penang Girl Myth

The gorgeous ones either originated from Ipoh or came from Alor Setar(where the menfolk can be more stunning than the women) or have indigenous Kadazan/Caucasian bloodlines.

Tip: just take a good look at the schoolgirls and old women on the roads,it should give you the true picture.

The little enclave of Tanjong Tokong's Malay girls,well those are unpolished brown caramel stunners but only before they hit their twenties wherein they just start to loose their shine.

Lastly (with great reluctance )upon some 'peoples' insistence,I just have to include some very doll like Butterworth Ah Lians on this list of beauties too.So there.

I hope all this helps you decide before you take the plunge to relocate here and I have to offer another shoulder to cry on should our paths cross somewhere along the line

Happy reading and do choose wisely.

100 Rich Insurance Agents Gate Crash Durian Party For 500 Poor Labourers

The crime : Robbing durians,rambutans and mangosteens meant for poor labourers that keep our island clean
The culprits : Rich conmen Insurance agents that were in the vicinity for a 3 day seminar meant to fatten their asses up with buffets,tea breaks etc.
The victims : Poor labourers who cannot afford the better grades of durians on their measly salaries

The culprits who were last spotted donning green t-shirts,greedily gulped down up almost $10,000 worth of expensive grade durians in less than an hour.Not satisifed with their loot they proceeded to tapau balik(takeaway)
Who needs Bersih (I would like to state that I am not a supporter of their cause)when you have scumbags like these that act the way they did?
No amount of pleading nor reasoning could get these vultures to back off.
They just HAD to polish everything up.

If you check on the clue given by the paper,Takaful is the only company with a green logo.
I'm not saying that they are the prime suspects,but if yes,they should be ashamed of themselves.
Anyhow the next time you renew any policy or pay up,do try your best to grill your agent(let's try all the insurance companies ok?) if their people were involved.

Read on

----------------------------------------------------
Bittersweet Treat For Labourers
(9th July) The Star

A  LOCAL fruits party which was meant as a treat for about 500 Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) labourers turned out to be a bittersweet affair when about 100 gatecrashers ended up eating most of the durians.
Penang municipal councillor Ong Ah Teong, who is the council’s public health standing committee alternate chairman, has lodged a police report against the group, said to be agents of an insurance company.
He said the councillors had bought 2,000 high quality durians of over 20 varieties and other fruits worth a total of RM10,000 out of their own pockets for the party, as a mark of appreciation for the labourers who had been working hard to keep the island clean and tidy.
Ong said the open-air fruit party was held on Wednesday near the council’s premises at the Esplanade but just as the labourers were about to savour the fruits, about 100 individuals clad in green T-shirts with the insurance company’s logo showed up in trishaws and started eating the durians.
He said the gatecrashers were told that it was a private function for the MPPP workers but they ignored the organisers and continued eating
He said in less than an hour, most of the durians were snapped up by the intruders and some of them were even spotted packing the fruit to take home.
“The event started about 5pm and was supposed to go on until 8pm but by 5.30pm, only a few basketfuls of durians and some rambutans and mangosteens were left behind.
“We had pooled together our own money to buy the durians, and we really think it’s unfair of them to just gatecrash and consume most of the durians, despite repeatedly being told that the event was not meant for them,” Ong told reporters after lodging the report at the George Town police headquarters yesterday.
He said the individuals appeared to be well-off and able to afford to buy their own durians.
“We bought high quality durians such as ‘Ang Hae’, ‘Khun Poh’, ‘D6’, and ‘Ang Sim’,” he added.
He also said a few of the gate- crashers claimed they were informed by trishaw riders who were taking them around George Town that the durian party was part of their three-day seminar programme held nearby.
The insurance company was not available for comments at press time.

Maid In Hell

Update :
If you have information on human trafficking or if you suspect your neighbours maid is a victim of it please call 999.
Or check the website http://www.moha.gov.my/  for more info.
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Do you know where your neighbour's maid comes from?
Do you care if she was forcefully trafficked here?or if she was tricked into her thankless miserable job washing two cars twice a day inclusive of the floor mats,bathing and walking the family dog,gardening,cooking,babysitting,changing nappies,picking the other kids up from school,running the hawker stall,moping,cleaning,etc etc all in one day?
If you report an illegally employed maid will you be saving her or damning her?
Thousands of Cambodian families have been unable to locate their loved ones once they step on Malaysian shores.
Can we do anything about this?
Can you sleep easy knowing some of these girls have been kidnapped and held hostage in nice neighbourhoods doing the above chores from 5am to 1.30am?
Is there any difference we can make instead of closing one eye to cruel neighbours?
They have no one to turn to.The only person I know brave enough to fight for their rights here is Irene Fernandez who has done time behind bars for their cause.
I want to do something proactive and I will start by highlighting this issue which is not highlighted by any local paper yet due to the many restrictions in place to clamp their mouths shut.

In my forays overseas I have been asked this question."Why is Malaysia notorious for credit card fraud worldwide?"to which I had no answer.
But on the 29th of May I read the article below from the Bangkok Post on a flight back from the capital,after indulging my tastebuds in everything Thai and so much more.
This was an eye opener since I personally know of one "Maid Per Hour" illegal business operator staying in the Tanjong Bungah area who managed to upgrade from a medium sized apartment to a sprawling bungalow in the space of six months.
I don't usually poke my nose around so much but from what I understand,I know that he supplied maids by getting them via a complicated way that involved them travelling up to Penang via buses from many entry points around Malaysia.This part time maid venture has made him cash rich,really cash rich.
Reading the article below shocked me.
You come to your own conclusion after reading it.
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Cambodia's Recruitment Nightmare

Despite government denials,rights groups have uncovered evidence that licensed agencies are sending thousands of women and underaged girls to work as domestic servants in Malaysia, frequently under abusive conditions.

On the final day of her investigation earlier this month into firms recruiting Cambodian staff for foreign markets _ primarily girls and women destined for Malaysian households _ Human Rights Watch's Jyostna Poudayl noted she was "surprised" that not a single recruitment agency had been shut down.
She was also surprised to find that in Kuala Lumpur, where she began her one-month investigation, the Cambodian embassy did not even have a labour attache to handle the often desperate phone calls it receives from women and girls trapped in abusive households, their passports confiscated by their employers or the firms that placed them.
Ms Poudayl might have been less surprised had her investigation included more interviews with Cambodian and international detectives investigating the 34 recruiting firms licensed by the Labour and Vocational Training Ministry.
"There is no doubt that the Labour Ministry is receiving bribes from companies wanting to avoid scrutiny," a senior officer with Cambodia's national anti-trafficking police said on condition of anonymity. Payments are made in the office of a deputy director-general at the Labour Ministry who is one of the architects of Cambodia's overseas job placement strategy. During a lengthy interview with him at his office in mid-March, staff from recruiting agencies delivered bundles of bank notes to his staff in exchange for the certified applications required to send recruits overseas.
Besides accepting cash from firms, Labour Ministry officials also have financial interests in some of them, and this is creating "unfair competition" within the industry, an Association of Cambodia Recruiting Agencies (Acra) board member said on condition of anonymity.
Opposition MP and former minister of women's affairs Mu Sochua said she suspects that corruption may be rife at the Foreign Affairs Ministry as well, pointing to the unusual speed with which thousands of passports have been issued to women and girls bound for Malaysia.

Licensed companies have also subcontracted recruiting to multiple unlicensed firms, which have in some cases destroyed files, making it next to impossible to trace some of those who have "disappeared" in Malaysia, according to police.
"It's an investigative nightmare," said British detective Eric Meldrum, who is working with Cambodia's anti-trafficking police to investigate recruiting firms, through the Australian not-for-profit organisation Southeast Asia Investigations into Social and Humanitarian Activities (Sisha). "We have hundreds of family members who have not been heard from by their families since they were sent to Malaysia, and no one is looking for them."
"The sheer magnitude is unbelievable," Sisha founder, former Australian detective Steve Morrish, said. "If one Australian tourist went missing in Malaysia you'd have a national taskforce investigating," he said. "In the six years I have been in Cambodia this is the pinnacle of human trafficking, it's the most extreme exploitation."
The recruitment of underage girls has been a focal point for anti-trafficking groups. Legally, domestic servants must be 21 to work in Malaysia, but girls as young as 12 have been recruited.
The Labour Ministry deputy director-general admitted that his ministry makes no effort to verify the authenticity of birth certificates delivered by recruiting firms. But he insisted that their forging had been stamped out last year by the Interior Ministry.
Human Rights Watch, however, found new cases last month, as did the rural-based Sao Sary Foundation (SSF) and Sisha, which obtained the release of a 12-year-old girl from a training centre in April. All three organisations also found new cases in which women had had up to a decade shaved off their birth certificates so they could slip in under the 40-year-old age limit imposed by Malaysia.
Mr Meldrum and Mr Morrish also believe that criminal activity in the recruiting industry is vastly under-reported because the recruiting occurs in villages where outreach by Phnom Penh-based human rights organisations is scant, and high rates of illiteracy prevent families from filing complaints with authorities, some of whom are also working as agents for recruiting firms.
Rights groups and opposition MPs have also focused on the more than 90 training centres in and around Phnom Penh where girls and women are often detained in overcrowded and unhygienic buildings, some wrapped in razor wire. These prison-like centres have also provided the local media with a buffet of shocking stories to select from, including suspicious deaths and desperate attempts at escape.
In one high-profile case, Heng Hak, a 31-year-old mother of two, was left with broken bones in both legs after she became entangled in razor wire and fell while trying to climb down from a third-floor balcony. Mu Sochua said the woman wanted to return to her village to visit her children. But the Labour Ministry official had a different theory. "She was trying to sneak out to visit her boyfriend," he said.
Cases accumulated by rural NGOs and Sisha, however, have come primarily from distraught families whose daughters or wives have disappeared in Malaysia. They have also found corruption permeating local governments.
Some recruiting companies are paying commune councillors and village chiefs to identify the most impoverished households in a village _ those with single or crippled parents, those who are landless, or those who in debt to microfinance institutions and unable to feed their children, according to Martyna Gacek, a criminal lawyer working as a child protection officer at the SSF.
The recruiting agents offer immediate financial assistance, sacks of rice and promises of high-paying jobs in Malaysia.
Once they get to Malaysia, however, they have no rights under that country's labour laws because they are classified as "domestic servants" rather than employees, according to the pre-departure guides produced by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) last year. The guidebooks are printed in English and Khmer, but despite the great care the IOM put into producing them, it has neglected to ensure that they are distributed, police and NGO staff say.
"What was striking was the lack of information among the migrant workers, and the level of deception. They have no idea what their rights are," Ms Poudayl explained the afternoon before she flew back to New York. She explained that the purpose of her report would be to "widen the discussion".
However, by the time it is published in September, several thousand more Cambodian women and girls will have joined the estimated 40,000 already in Malaysia. And, like the carefully researched and produced reports on the same issue that have preceded it since 2006, Human Rights Watch may fail to influence a government that includes officials at all levels who are profiting from a booming and lucrative industry.
The number of recruiting firms in Cambodia has more than doubled since Indonesia placed a temporary freeze in 2009 on sending new domestic helpers to Malaysia, following reports of extreme abuse there. But exactly who owns these firms remains murky. An Bunhak, president of Acra, said it was difficult to trace ownership of the companies because those named on the licences were often nominees. He also pointed the finger at Malaysian-owned firms as the worst offenders, accusing some of recruiting mentally ill women from villages. "All the Malaysians care about is quantity," he said.
All costs, from advance payments to families, HIV screening tests, food and accommodation in training centres, plane tickets, and bribes to forge birth certificates and expedite the processing of passports, are paid by the recruit. Sisha alleges that these costs are often inflated, and estimates that it takes about six months of domestic servitude to repay them.
Unlike Human Rights Watch, however, it is not interested in widening the discussion. "Recruiting companies are turning Cambodian women and girls into commodities and no one in government seems to care," Mr Meldrum said.
The detectives want arrests, and they are going after the company owners rather than the agents scouring the countryside.
So far, they have helped police gather evidence of alleged criminal activities by six of the licensed firms. These case files have been forwarded to Phnom Penh prosecutors, and include evidence of criminal activity by the country's oldest firm, Cambodia Labour Supply, as well as one owned by a member of Acra's board of directors.
But these files are sitting on a prosecutor's desk, and even if they move forward, they will have to navigate a court system that Cambodians themselves, according to a survey by Transparency International earlier this year, regard as the most corrupt institution in their country.
Still, Mr Morrish does not think the situation is hopeless. "The government is dancing around the issue, but the problem is very easily fixable," he says. "If the police, courts and government take a stern stance and enforce the laws in place they could fix this mess in three months."
But he adds a note of caution, saying this would also require a change in mindset to one in which the rule of law takes precedence over culture. It's unclear what he means by "culture", but Cambodia has had a recurring pattern of exploitative, corrupt and ultimately self-destructive governments, and there is increasing alarm here that the current government is stifling dissent when the challenges it faces requires a more sustainable approach.