6 theSun | FRIDAY JANUARY 23 2009

news without borders

Intel: No
retrenchment
in Penang
by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: US chipmaker Intel
Corporation will only be closing down its
two smaller and older plants in Penang by
the end of this year, but no employees will be
retrenched.
Intel Penang corporate affairs manager
Loo Cheng Cheng clarified that it is more
of an exercise to move the manufacturing
facilities to its newer plants in Penang and
Kulim.
“We have a newer plant in Penang and
three plants in Kulim so we are gradually
moving to manufacturing facilities from these
two older plants to the newer plants,” she
said when contacted.
The factory does not plan to retrench any
workers as the 1,000-odd affected workers
will be given comparable positions in the
newer plants in Penang and Kulim.
“This is part of our exercise to consolidate
and streamline our manufacturing facilities
but our design and development and services
will continue to be based in Penang.”
With the closure of the two older plants in
Penang, there is still one larger, newer plant
here.
“We have three plants in Kulim and about
10,000 employees in Kulim and Penang,” Loo
said.
In its international press release from
Santa Clara, California, Intel announced its
restructuring plan with plans to close five
older factories, two of which are in Penang,
one in Cavite, Philippines and two others in
the United States.
Pua: Take back the highways
KUALA LUMPUR: The government
should buy out unfair toll concessions
to save money in the long run, espe-
cially as the conditions for expropria-
tions are “fair” to the government, PJ
Utara MP Tony Pua said yesterday.
“For a vast majority of the toll
concession agreements, the govern-
ment has been granted the option of
expropriation by providing three to
six months’ notice,” said Pua, who
described the expropriation compen-
PCTH’s sation as “fair”.
“The government has to pay for
rivals the value of construction works, less
pledge any loan or bond obligation which the
cash for government takes over, and to pay
12% interest returns per annum
Chap Goh to shareholders capital and loan
Meh invested in the concession, less
pg 10 any dividend or interest which has
already been paid.”
Pua, who spoke after presenting
a letter to Works Minister Datuk
Mohd Zin Mohamed on the findings
of his team of DAP MPs, cited a pos-
sible scenario using Litrak (LDP) as
an example.
“The government is already com-
pensating Litrak RM75 million per
annum for maintaining its current toll
rate of RM1.60 instead of the contracted
RM2.10 as of 2007.
“Assuming the compensation is
maintained for the remainder of its
20-year concession, it will cost the
government RM1.5 billion.
Govt starts issuing licences to 1, 419 cabbies
by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: The government
yesterday started issuing individual
taxi licences to 1,419 cabbies in the
Klang Valley and Seremban to help
ease their burden of paying rental to
taxi operators.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Tun Razak, who handed over
the licences to the cabbies, said by is-
suing such licences, the drivers could
now save between RM40 and RM55
daily from the rental they had to pay
to taxi companies.
“We need to be fair to the people.
“However, if the government were conviction of the people that cronyism
to expropriate the concession, it would
cost only RM1.4 billion,” said Pua,
is in place,” he said.
Meanwhile, asked about the recent
who cited a possible scenario with the Suhakam finding that police had used
North-South Expressway. excessive force during the Grand
“The exercise to expropriate the Saga incident, Segambut MP Lim Lip
North-South Expressway will cost the Eng said it will be the first matter to
government at least RM40 billion, and be raised by him when Parliament
it could be as high as RM80 billion. reconvenes in February.
“However, as Khazanah Nasional “I will ask the home minister if
already effectively owns 63.88% of Plus the government is willing to give
Expressway Bhd, it is certainly not us the identities of the police or the
beyond imagination that Khazanah FRU (personnel)who were involved
makes a voluntary general offer for in beating up the four victims, and to
the remainder of the shares at ap- state what action they are going to take
proximately RM6 billion.” against the culprits,” said Lim, who
called for Suhakam to be
scrapped.
The exercise to expropriate the Asked to comment on
North-South Expressway will cost Selangor Mentri Besar Tan
the government at least RM40 Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s threat
to withhold assemblymen’s
billion, and it could be as high as allocations if they do not
RM80 billion.” cooperate with local coun-
cillors, Teratai assembly-
man Janice Lee said that it
Asked why the government seemed was not right for Khalid to use such
hesitant to act on these options, Pua methods.
claimed that there could be an element “This shouldn’t be the case. The al-
of “vested interest” involved in the location is there, and is meant for the
concessions. assemblymen. There is no reason to
“The accusations of a lack of impose penalties on those who might
transparency, of cronyism and vested have conflicts with local councils.
interest all come in. So, the fact that the There is no provision to hold back the
government cannot reasonably explain allocation. Assemblymen and council-
why they cannot take action for the lors are learning how to communicate
benefit of the people strengthens the and work together.”
Taxi drivers work hard from day to deliver good service.
night and still they had to pay the “Put yourself in the shoes of pas-
rental and fuel. sengers and see what you want,” he
“With the licence, they can keep said.
all their earnings. “If you can do it, I am sure that
“If there is unfairness, it is the you will become a good driver, polite,
responsibility of the Barisan Nasional courteous, honest and always ready
government to rectify it,” he told the to help.”
taxi drivers in the licence presenta- Entrepreneur Development and
tion ceremony in Putra World Trade Co-operative Development Minister
Centre. Datuk Noh Omar said the cabinet had
Najib said the government is also agreed to issue only 3,000 individual
willing to listen to any proposal that taxi licences last year.
could help increase the income of taxi The Commercial Vehicle Licens-
drivers. ing Board had received a total of 7,566
However, he said, taxi drivers applications between July 15 and Oct
must learn to be good drivers and 14.

Probe into tainted with salmonella), called premium

cookie dough
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Min-
istry is investigating a cookie chain
after it withdrew dough from several
of its outlets here amid fears it was
contaminated by salmonella.
The action followed an outbreak
of salmonella poisoning in the US,
which has made at least 474 people
sick since September as a result of
infected peanut butter and peanut
paste dough, according to the US
Centre for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) website.
The ministry said yesterday it
had launched a probe into Famous
Amos based on information it
received that the infected dough
had been exported to Malaysia for
the company’s use. “The ministry
has investigated and found the
company is indeed using the dough
which contains peanut butter and
peanut paste which is imported
from the Peanut Corporation of
America,” it said in a statement.
“The company has withdrawn
the dough which is sold at three of
its premises,” it added.
Famous Amos representatives
said the company did use peanut
butter in cookies in Malaysia but
that all its cookies were safe for con-
sumption. “There is only one dough
(suspected of being contaminated
choice, which we had carried and
(which was only) available in limited
locations,” the company’s general
manager Jesrina Liew told AFP.
“The batch which they sus-
pected of contamination is still in
our inventory and has not been
distributed yet,” she added. – AFP
3 detainees escape,
1 recaptured
SUNGAI PETANI: Three detainees
escaped by jumping out of a van
taking them to the Sungai Petani
Prison from Ipoh but police man-
aged to recaptured one of them
shortly after with the help of
teachers yesterday.
Police said the three detain-
ees got out through the windows
when the van was slowing down
at the Sungai Petani Utara toll
plaza at 2.30pm.
At the time, there were three
police personnel guarding seven
detainees in the van. After three
detainees escaped, one of the
policemen gave chase while
the other two stayed behind to
guard the remaining prisoners.
The escapees climbed a wall
and entered the compound of SM
Teknik 2. One was caught after
several teachers joined the chase.
– Bernama