YouTube clip of man hitting, shaking animal incites fury (Malay Mail)

By Faizal Nor Izham

Tuesday January 25, 2011

BARBARIC: In a sequence of screenshots from the clip, a man is seen forcing the dog to stand on its hind legs. He then slaps the animal and it falls

KUALA LUMPUR: Outrage has broken out among Malaysian animal-lovers over a YouTube video allegedly showing a man abusing a puppy after it failed to follow his instructions.

The 15-minute-long-clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWRtZM2fbAc), which featured the man yelling at the canine in an attempt to make it stand on its hind quarters, has since gone viral after it was posted on social networking site Facebook on Friday.

A Malaysian who posted the clip on Facebook had claimed it was on a pen drive she found at Suria KLCC. She said she then uploaded the video onto her profile page.

The video showed a man grabbing the puppy roughly, hitting it repeatedly on its body and shaking it vigorously. The dog, which appeared to be a poodle, was tossed to the ground and was flung across the room after it was smacked.

The man, speaking Cantonese, is repeatedly heard telling the puppy to "stand still and don't move". In one instance, he is also heard telling the puppy to "diam, diam" (quiet) when it struggled to free itself from his grip.

Yelps could also be heard from the animal as the man hit it repeatedly.

The clip drew horrified comments from Facebook users, who, at Press time, posted more than 1,000 comments.

One user described it as a "shameful act", while another lambasted the man for hitting a defenceless animal.

"This is horrible; watching someone do something like this to a dog," wrote another user.

The clip, posted on YouTube yesterday, also drew similar responses. "Does anyone know him personally? Share his Facebook profile so the world can see who he is," wrote one viewer.

Another, in venting his anger, reckoned the man "may have been a bully victim when he was young, which explains his behaviour".

The clip drew the attention of Singapore's Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In its Facebook posting, the SPCA said it wasn't yet clear where the abuse occurred but a Malaysian connection was possible as the pen drive was found in the city.

"We alerted our contacts in Malaysia and they are trying to identify the abuser," read the statement.

A spokesman for SPCA Malaysia said they were aware of the incident. "We are investigating it and will issue a statement sometime today."

While SPCA has hit out the alleged abuser, Veterinary Services Department ask the public to provide them with information on the identity of the man featured. The accused is identified as:

His girlfriend named as Doreen Loo was holding the video camera to capture the video.

We still don't know who is the guy in the video, some people said Allan Tan is the guy, but some other said Champ Alan is the guy.

1 - Alan Tan's profile: From Kepong, OUG Green Park and drives Proton Wira NBC 8313.

2 - Champ Alan's profile: Working at Yong Peng Fishball coffee shop Melaka Raya with contact no. 010 2683001.

Hunt explodes for YouTube clip's puppy abuser (Malay Mail)

By Nadia Fernandez

Wednesday January 26, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: "If you know this man, come forward and give us his details so we can catch him."

This was the call by the Veterinary Services Department to the public to provide them with information on the identity of the man featured in a YouTube clip of a poodle being brutally abused (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWRtZM2fbAc).

Department director Dr Fazilah Aini Abdul Kadir said this morning: "We need concrete evidence on the identity of the person so we can take further action."

"If there is enough evidence, we will charge them in court under Part IV of the Animals Act 1953."

Under the Act, if found guilty, a fine of RM200 or imprisonment of six months, or both, can be imposed.

The department c an be reached at its hotline number 03-88702000; via email at pro@dbs.gov.my; or via text message at DVS HQAduan (Your Complaint) to 15888.

The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said their investigation unearthed two possible identities of the people involved in the clip.

A spokesman said they received feedback from the public.

"We received hundreds of phone calls, emails and text messages since yesterday, and we thank all those who have passed us information.

"We hope that friends or relatives of the suspect will come forward to confirm the identity of this person and provide the authorities with a statement on any history of animal abuse by the suspect."

Meanwhile, The Paper That Cares was inundated with phone calls from readers expressing their outrage.

An American, who identified herself as Sharon, even rang up all the way from California to offer a reward for the identity of the abuser.

"I read the news on your website and was shocked at the disgusting behaviour of the culprit. I'm willing to offer a cash reward to anyone who comes out in the open and reveals the perpetrator."

Yesterday, The Malay Mail broke the story of the expanding circulation of the video clip and ensuing outrage among animal lovers.

The 15-minute clip, which featured the man physically abusing the dog, went viral after it was posted on social networking site Facebook on Friday.

A Malaysian who posted the clip on Facebook had claimed it was on a pen drive she found at Suria KLCC.

The video showed a man grabbing the dog roughly, hitting it repeatedly on its body and shaking it vigorously in an apparent bid to teach the dog how to stand on its hind legs. The dog, which appeared to be a poodle, was tossed to the ground and flung across the room after it was smacked.

The man, speaking Cantonese, is repeatedly heard telling the puppy to "stand still and don't move".

In one instance, he is also heard telling the puppy to "diam, diam" (quiet) when it struggled to free itself from his grip.

In pictures:


Metzelder says: Indeed a sad story in run up to Chinese New Year festival. The possible sentence is just too light for the abusers (fine of RM200 or imprisonment of six months). I hope all of us public to be alert with any information or leads from Facebook to share with the authority.

Malaysia Airlines cancels flights to Kuching for today
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 1:37 PM GMT +8. Please check this page for regular updates.

Malaysia Airlines has cancelled all flights to and from Kuching today due to the temporary closure of the runway at Kuching International Airport. Other flights to or from other destinations to Kuching are also cancelled.

The only 2 flights that will be operating out of Kuching for today will be:-

Kuching to Kuala Lumpur (MH2515) departing at 2.05pm
Kuching to Kuala Lumpur (MH2597) departing at 8.00pm

The following flights have been cancelled:

Passengers on the affected flights have several options:

> Re-book on the next available flight tomorrow, however this is subject to the re-opening of Kuching airport.

> Change the travel date at no fee (regardless of ticket type) by 18 January 2011.

> Get a full refund depending on the terms and conditions of the fare type. Restricted tickets can be converted to a travel voucher with a 3-month validity.

Malaysia Airlines urges passengers who are booked on our flights to and from Kuching to check the status of their latest flights status or to call the MAS Call Center 1300-88-3000 (within Malaysia) or +603-7843 3000 (outside Malaysia) or visit our ticketing offices before leaving to the airport.

Passengers can also check the flight status on their mobile phone by visiting flymas.mobi

As for the 'lousy' AirAsia their flight details as below:

AirAsia plane skids at Kuching airport (The Star)
By Shaun Ho

KUALA LUMPUR: An AirAsia flight to Kuching skidded off the runway Monday night and landed on the grass verge, leaving four passengers with minor injuries.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said flight AK5218, an Airbus A320, was carrying 124 passengers and six crew members.

Cranes are used to remove the plane off the runway Tuesday

"The plane was landing during a downpour and that is when it skidded," he said Tuesday.

Kong said the plane had landed on soft soil on the edge of the runway. AirAsia and Kuching International Airport staff are working to remove the plane for checks.

As a result of the incident, services at the airport have been was disrupted, with up to 11 flights to the airport affected.

"I expect services at the airport to resume by noon," he said after opening the National Maritime Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia Group Chief Executive Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes tweeted: "Working hard to remove aircraft. All passengers are home."

Related stories:

Kuching airport closed temporarily (The Star)

KUCHING: The Kuching International Airport has been closed Tuesday until further notice, a Malaysia Airports Bhd statement said.

This is becaused of an incident Monday night, when an AirAsia aircraft (flight AK5218 from Kuala Lumpur), skidded and veered off the airport's runway 25, when landing at 10.02 during heavy rain.

All passengers were evacuated safely from the aircraft.

Efforts to remove the aircraft Tuesday were hampered by continuous heavy rains.

 An AirAsia flight to Kuching skidded off the runway Monday night and landed on the grass verge, leaving four passengers with minor injuries.

Only one flight was released for departure from the airport, flight MH2505 to Kuala Lumpur.

All AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines flights from the airport have been effected.

Passengers are advised to contact their airline's offices to enquire about their flight status.

The real-time experience by one of the passengers on-board.

ADUN had narrow escape when plane skidded (Sarawak Update)

KUCHING – An Air Asia aircraft that carry 124 passengers that include an ADUN and his wife, skidded from the runway of Kuching International Airport at 10.15 pm last night.

The passengers were panic when they saw smoke billowing from the aircraft engine.

Passengers were screaming and crying in the plane as they waited for the emergency doors to be opened which the air-hostess appeared to be slow in doing it.

Passengers all rushed to the exit doors and flee from the plane.

Four panic passengers, one of them a male were rushed to the Sarawak General Hospital at midnight due to the incident.

All the passengers were drenched to the skin while waiting for help in the runway.

The plane AK2518 made a bad start when it was delayed for one hour at the KLIA. It departed to Kuching at 8.30 pm.

An angry passenger, Ling said the plane from KL was supposed to land at 10 pm at Kuching International Airport but they landed in the grass verge amid pouring rain at the time.

He said the pilot announced that there was drizzling in Kuching 10 minutes before landing and when they were about to land, they saw it was pouring heavily.

A passenger who did not wanted to be identified said their ordeal were not over yet as they got out of the plane as they were forced to wait over an hour at the grass verge in heavy downpour with women and children.

He said he was upset as help seemed to be slow and a bus later arrived. The bus was able to ferry 20 passengers each time with women and children getting on first.

He said a few passengers were too scared to even walk. Some of the passengers who got impatient with waiting walked towards the arrival hall.

Despite seeing vehicles driving towards the plane and trying to wave them down, none bothered to stop.

Snowdon Lawan, Balai Ringin and his wife who were among the passengers lamented at the poor services given at the airport.

A passenger said when they reached the arrival hall at the airport drenched to the skin, there was no towel or hot drinks for them. Most of the passengers, he said were shivering and shaking with cold and fear.

Due to the mishap at the runway, an AirAsia plane from Kota Kinabalu, AK6037 meant to land at 10.25 pm transit to Singapore.

Another from JB AK5840 meant to arrive at 22.05 pm flew to KL. A flight AK6038 leaving to KK at 10.55 pm was cancelled.

Two of MAS flights were also diverted. One was MH2530 arriving from KL at 10.45 pm while MH 2534 from KL expected to arrive at 11.59 were diverted.

A tweet from AirAsia claimed that KIA has been temporarily closed down due to the unfortunate accident.

The latest tweet by @tonyfernandes at 2:18 pm - Good progress on moving plane. Plane should be cleared in 90 mins. We are trying to ensure everyone who wants to go to kuching will go. Good cooperation from MAB and MAS. Thank you

More to come.

Metzelder says: It is a clear reason why you should not choose this budget airline as your preferred airline choice. This incident doesn't cause any causalities but who can guarantee this will not happen again.

Looking back with so many complaints against them, they should really take a chance to restructure them and not just lobbying for new routes from Government.

Secondly based from the article of Sarawak Update, it reflects Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) is doing a poor job in helping the victims getting out from the airplane and treatment while at arrival hall of so called 'Kuching International Airport'.

I come across a detail report of the past accident happened involving AirAsia.

Its time to check the operations, in detail (WordPress)

These landing mishaps happen far too frequent for this airline. On 19 March 2007, KCH saw flight operation disruptions because of the same problem, by the same airline.

On 9 Nov 2004, AK 106 skidded of the runway during landing at BKI.

Disrupted flight operations took two days to normalise. Disruptions cause a lot money. Especially when an airline’s business is dependent on the minimal turnaround time as one of the KPIs.

KCH, March 2007

Every time these accidents happened, Malaysia Airlines ground handling and engineering are asked to resolve the stranded-aircraft-of-the-runaway. This is because AirAsia has no adequate engineering facility at these airports and the disruptions also adversely affected Malaysia Airlines operations.

Its time for Department of Civil Aviation to go through operations and safety procedures of AirAsia. Too much at stake. Somebody should pay for the losses of business incurred by Malaysia Airlines and Malaysia Airports. Then again AirAsia was reluctant to settle their dues with Malaysia Airports.

Never fly with AirAsia!!

Our capital city, Kuala Lumpur will be boosted with a new tourist attraction with the launch of Kuala Lumpur City Walk, a new tourist hub for Malaysian food and products, is expected to open as soon as next month, after 13 years in the making (never realise that long).


The 450-metre sidewalk is located along a small strip of land that links Jalan P. Ramlee to the connecting road between Jalan Pinang and Jalan Perak. It is surrounded by high-rise office and residential buildings.

There were 50 retail kiosks along the walk and each was between 100 and 300 sq ft in size.

Deputy Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk M. Saravanan visited the walk recently to check the area in place. He also expressed hope that the project is comparable to Bintang Walk which is most happening spots in city

What to check out:
The walk, which featured three themes — Heritage, Contemporary and Future, and would operate from 6am to 3am daily.

There will be selling assortment of local products, souvenir and handicrafts.

> Emporium Grand Cafe The Lounge
Named for its keen attention to detail create an ambience that is influenced by the name and is one of the finest venues that Kuala Lumpur has to offer.

This Lounge and "supper club" idyllic setting for those in search of distinction and quality unsurpassed. Unwind in the extensive lounge with a live Jazz Band in the background and Embracing The Urbanite with cacophony of the Mediterranean crossing all frontiers with taste and verve to match and accompanied by the finest collection of wines and luscious culinary.

In pictures:


Looking for this place, here the map:


Note: This is the first posts of the year, so I keep it short and light for everyone.

Singapore often referred as tiny red dot of South East Asia but with so many attractions, ethnic enclaves, parks and distinctively different atmosphere to explore. Just to name a few, two world-class Integrated Resorts that recently welcomed visitors - Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

The little red dot history started when Singapore's first names can be found in the 3rd century when a Chinese account referred to it as "Pu-luo-chung". Only until the 14th century, when it was given the newer name of Temasek (Sea Town). Singapore's modern-day name was born when a visiting royal prince mistook what a probably a tiger for a lion (lions were not indigenous to the country) that the island was named "Singa Pura" or "Lion City".

Finally time has called for a visit to the republic last weekend. We started our journey by KTMB intercity train (Train no.25 Senandung Sutera) from Seremban. We had sleeper berth for the night journey with fares of RM36.

By 6am, the train reached Johore Bahru Sentral for disembarking passengers and Malaysian Immigration inspection on board. The train proceeded to Woodlands Train Checkpoint for Singapore's CIQ clearance.


The train stopped at Tanjong Pagar station as final stop at around 8am, and we proceed to Tanjong Pagar MRT (first MRT station in Singapore)



Next, we moved to Bugis MRT station where our hostel situated. We booked Footprints Hostel located at Perak Road.


First stop: Chinatown
> Across Chinatown, where heritage and cultural values immerse. One main attraction is The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a Buddhist temple and museum complex located in the Chinatown district of Singapore. The temple is based on the Tang dynasty architectural style and built to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha. The whole temple consists of 5-6 level, so take your time.

Admission: Free, but donations are welcomed most.

Chinatown has a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, called the Chinatown MRT Station, in the middle of Pagoda Street (which is closed to traffic) and serves the vicinity, as well as several public bus routes.

For lunch or whenever you feel need to fill your tummy, do visit Albert Centre Market Food Centre 270 Queen Street, 180270. To read more, click here.

Second stop: VivoCity and Resorts World Sentosa
> Next, we come across to Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), which you can take MRT from Chinatown towards HarbourFront MRT. You will come across VivoCity which is the largest shopping mall in Singapore.

At VivoCity's rooftop, a tall Christmas tree was set up. We proceeded to RWS by Sentosa Express (Monorail) which is same level with VivoCity's rooftop.





Third stop: Merlion Park
On evening, we make a move to City Hall MRT station en route to Merlion Park that is located near Marina Bay, Singapore. We passed through CityLink Mall, an underground mall. Merlion (with the head of a lion and the body of a fish), used as a mascot of Singapore.


Fourth stop: Orchard Road
During the night as in the Christmas month, we went to discover the 'Orchard Road', as I linked it here.

On Sunday, its time to left the "unique" city. Before we leave, we go to shop at vicinity of Bugis, shopping till you drop, name it you will have it. It won't hurt your pocket much!!

In Bugis area (part of city centre), there are handful of shopping malls:
OG Albert Complex, Bugis Street, Iluma and Parco Bugis Junction.

I visited OG and Bugis Street, with crowds flooding the area. Most of malls open by 11am, so time management is important. I advised you to visit the malls after your breakfast and sightseeing around Bugis area.

We left hostel quite early as we are not sure about direction to Golden Mile Complex where we board StarMart Express bus.

I expect  the double dex from StarMart but instead Suasana Edaran  turned up as Suasana Edaran buses that are operated to Singapore are on behalf of Starmart Express as additional buses.

The bus is double decker with the seat configuration of 1-2. Seat pitch is wide with much leg room for taller people and come along with on-board entertainment and seat massage.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 - I'm satisfied as they kept the whole journey 5 hours and will travel again with them in future.

Accommodation:
This few sites should be helpful for booking a hotel accurately.
> Expedia
> AsiaRooms

This review is all about my 2 days 1 night travel to the Lion City.

For lunch or whenever you feel need to fill your tummy, do visit Albert Centre Market Food Centre 270 Queen Street, 180270.


First one is Angel Horse Teochew Fish Soup. The sweetness and depth of the soup stock is derived from hours of simmering fish bones over a low fire, and not from milk which other stalls use to artificially enhance the flavour of the soup.There's a reason why this stall is so popular, there always seems to be queue. The Sliced Fish Soup ($4 for a medium) is served with silken tofu, tomato, sliced fish, lettuce and garnished with crispy fried onions and seaweed. The fish is unbelievably fresh and smooth. Another attraction is that it serves the unusual combination of salted bean sauce with sliced chili padi, giving the kick but does not overwhelm the delicate freshness of the fish.

But the minus point, I stressed that their customer service is bad, with the aunty serving the food is impolite and brag as she know her stall is famous.


Price: Varies

Angel Horse Teowchew Fish Soup
270 Queen Street, 180270
#01-95 Albert Centre Market Food Centre

Second to be introduced in Albert Food Centre is Teochew Braised Duck - Kway Chap.

At first, Kway Chap is totally unknown to me but mum told me is a Teochew cuisine with duck meat and typical dark soy sauce and others. According to Wikipedia, it is Teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs.

The queue is unbeatable long as Angel Horse Fish Soup which is just few stalls apart. It serves variety of braised duck meat:- rice, noodles, yam rice, porridge and whole plate.

I give a try on rice and Kway Teow, with a serving of pig offal (internal organs), beancurd and braised egg. Kway Teow come with soup yjat is not too concentrated and the authentic five spices flavour is quite strong which give the soup extra. The Kway Teow used is not the same as Char Kway Teow which is thinner. The flat rice sheets is smooth, and texture is good. I guessed it is hand made by the owner for his stall only.

For the rice, you can see the grain in its shape while the aroma fulfill you appetite to finish the bowl of rice.

You will not satiated to eat again as chili's is provided.

Price: S$2.50 - 12

Teochew Braised Duck - Kway Chap
270 Queen Street, 180270
#01-98 Albert Centre Market Food Centre

Overall Albert Food Centre serves variety of famous local food where it is after renovated and moved back since Dec 2009. But be prepared to clean up the leftovers on tables as the cleaner over there only cleans their identified utensils.

If you don't act on your own, you might have to wait for ages to get the mess off.

Singapore is well regarded around the world as a shopping paradise. It has the ever-famed Orchard Road that has seen great transformation with enhancement done on its streetscape and the opening of new malls.

At these modern shopping temples, you can browse and buy many brands and labels under one roof, and refuel at a huge selection of restaurants and cafes, making it truly "A Great Street".

This year's light-up theme is "A Starlit Christmas", and the road will be lined with star-shaped decorations. Now in its 27th year (my 1st year), Orchard's annual Christmas light-up promises to be bigger and better than before.

Orchard Road received its name from the orchards that used to encompass the area until the early 19th century, when a mysterious disease wiped out the nutmeg plantations. Since this area was surrounded by valleys, floods were also common here.

Lists of malls:

DFS Galleria — This shopping mall located in Scotts Road, it mainly sells luxury item such as Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Hermès, Loewe and Bvlgari.

ION Orchard — ION Orchard opened on July 21, 2009 and houses six double-storey flagship stores of close to 9,000 square feet (840 m2) each, including Prada, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier and Patek Philippe. Its signature glass façade doubles up as a giant media screen as well.


Ngee Ann City — The mall opened in 1993 and is the largest shopping mall in the Orchard Road shopping belt. It houses branded boutiques such as Vacheron Constantin, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Burberry, Loewe and Chanel as well as Japanese department store, Takashimaya. The mall is also home to Southeast Asia's second largest bookstore, Books Kinokuniya.

Wisma Atria — Opened in 1986, it underwent renovation recently with its trademark blue facade replaced with a glass facade. There is a 900 seat food court on the 4th floor which is run by the BreadTalk Group. The mall is directly connected to Orchard station. It stands on the former site of Wisma Indonesia which used to house the Indonesian Embassy.

Plaza Singapura — Located next to the Istana, the mall opened in 1974 with a now defunct Yaohan department store. It was revamped twice, in 1998 and 2003 with the former having a totally revamped now and the latter with a new tenant mix. It houses a Golden Village cineplex, Carrefour and other shops.

Lucky Plaza — A shopping mall that somehow became the main focal point for domestic Filipino workers to meet their friends during their off days. The place is known to be very crowded on Sundays with many shops selling products from the Philippines.

Far East Plaza — Far East Plaza opened in 1982 with a Metro which has since closed down. Popular with students with its cheap fashion items, the plaza is also known for its cheap food outlets. The mall has since undergone renovation.


Mandarin Gallery — Located inside Meritus Mandarin Singapore housing international high-end brands like Y-3, Bape and Hugo Boss.

The Paragon — The Paragon is a high-end shopping mall selling branded items such as brand like Gucci which open flapship store here and Miu Miu, Prada, Coach and Burberry with a Metro department store and a Marks & Spencer store as well. The place also has a Toys 'R' Us and a number of restaurants. It underwent expansion around 2002, taking over the land once occupied by another shopping centre The Promenade. The Promenade was built on the former location of Fitzpatrick's supermarket.



How to go there:
The whole stretch of Orchard Road is served by three different MRT stations - Doby Ghaut Exchange (CC1/NE6/NS24), Orchard (NS22), and Somerset (NS23).

Christmas Light-up
Every Christmas season, Orchard Road and Marina Bay are lit up with stunning electric light displays that blaze through Singapore's prime shopping and entertainment districts. This, combined with the late mall hours put in place during Christmas season, make nighttime shopping in Singapore way more fun.

From my previous posts, MAS has received their new B737-800 and started operating it on its maiden flight to Kota Kinabalu International Airport on Nov 15.

Media Release
160 First To Fly On MAS' New B737-800

Nov 15, 2010

Subang (15 October 2010): Some 160 guests and MAS’ senior management team were the first to fly on Malaysia Airlines’ new B737-800 which departed for Kota Kinabalu today.

The national carrier is the first full service airline in the world to operate the B737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior.

Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Tengku Dato' Sri Azmil Zahruddin said, “We are delighted to have our guests enjoy an interior which is based on that of the B787 Dreamliner including the use of mood lighting to enhance comfort. The new cabin offers bigger stowage bins, higher ceiling, and larger windows.

“One of the latest features is the touch-screen inflight entertainment units in every business and economy seats, individual power supply and USB ports for electronics.”

Guests included Deputy Minister of Transport, Dato’ Abdul Rahim Bakri; Department of Civil Aviation’s Director-General, Dato’ Azharuddin Abdul Rahman; MAHB’s Senior General Manager (Operations), Dato’ Azmi Murad, corporate clients, travel agents and many more.

The 160-seater aircraft sports a new dynamic livery with red and blue lines, Malaysia Airlines' corporate colours.

He said, "The dynamic livery epitomises our determined spirit to provide Malaysian Hospitality to our guests.

“When deciding on the new livery, we considered a number of designs including those that were similar to our very popular hibiscus and heliconia designs. However, these designs added a significant amount of weight to the aircraft, which would not have been very environmentally responsible. Therefore, we went for a cleaner design that is more flowing and environmentally friendly.

"We will receive 3 B737-800 this year, and our first A330-300 next year. These are exciting times for Malaysia Airlines and our customers who will enjoy the latest generation aircraft."

Upon the aircraft’s arrival in Kota Kinabalu, the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman will launch the city as Malaysia Airlines’ Eastern Hub.

Malaysia Airlines is leveraging on the strategic location of Kota Kinabalu as an ideal gateway to promote travels to and from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea.

The first commercial flight on the B737-800 will be from Kota Kinabalu to Haneda, Tokyo, departing at 4.35pm.

Malaysia Airlines have ordered up to 55 B737-800, 25 A330-300 and 6 A380. By the end of 2010, there will be 3 B737-800 in service. Next year, there will be 6 B737-800 and 5 new A330-300 in operations – the first of which will arrive in April 2011.

Malaysia Airlines’ new B737-800 inaugural flight to Kota Kinabalu (L-R) Malaysia Airlines MD/CEO Tengku Dato' Sri Azmil Zahruddin and Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Transport, Dato’ Abdul Rahim Bakri.

Cabin crew inside the new B737-800

Issued by:
Media Relations Unit/Communications Division, Malaysia Airlines

And again Malaysia Airlines has been voted the “World’s Leading Airline to Asia” by World Travel Awards (WTA) which gives recognition to the very best in travel, tourism as well as hospitality products and services.

Since 1993, Malaysia Airlines has flown over 17 million passengers from outside Asia to its hub in Kuala Lumpur. On an annual basis, the national carrier brings in over one million customers from outside Asia to Malaysia.

Malaysia Airlines is an award winning airline. This year alone, the airline was accredited with “Staff Service Excellence for Asia Award 2010” and “World’s Best Economy Class Award 2010” by Skytrax. It is also recognized as the “Best Airline in Southeast Asia” by GT Tested Awards, Global Traveller Magazine and ranked 7th in the Top 10 Airlines Worldwide category for Best in Travel Poll 2010 by Smart Travel Asia.

By 2015, Malaysia Airlines will have one of the youngest and most environmentally friendly fleets in Asia Pacific.

(from left to right) MAS Regional Senior Vice President, UK and Ireland, Mr Syed Abdillah Syed Abdul Aziz; WTA Global Sales & Marketing Director, Mr James Khan; MAS Chairman, Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid ;and WTA President and Founder, Mr Graham E. Cooke, with a model and MAS cabin crew.

Local airlines expanding too quickly? Firefly, MAS and AirAsia may get 24 new aircraft next year (The Star)

Monday November 15, 2010

By Jeeva Arulampalam

PETALING JAYA: Can the local aviation sector support the rapid expansion plans of local airlines over the next several years? An educated guess may suggest otherwise.

Firefly, a wholly-owned unit of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), announced last week that it would commence jet aircraft operations out of the main terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in January.

It aims to operate six B737-800 aircraft from KLIA next year to East Malaysia, on top of its turboprop aircraft operations for domestic and regional routes out of Subang Airport.

Maybank Investment Bank Research, citing data compiled by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd, said that the domestic sector recorded passenger volume of 13.5 million last year and has been growing at a 10-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.7%. The international sector carried 12 million passengers and has grown at a 10-year CAGR of 7.3%.

“Assuming these growth rates continue, it implies four to five additional aircraft will be required per annum to meet both domestic and international demand growth,” the research house said in a report issued last week.

Now, the local airline industry would see more than just four to five planes entering the market on a given year.

For instance, Firefly, MAS and AirAsia may receive as many as 24 new aircraft next year.

In total, MAS will receive up to 86 new passenger planes by 2016 (this is larger than its entire fleet of 60 planes today), but only 56 of the new orders are firm.

MAS is undertaking a fleet renewal exercise and will see it retiring its older aircraft.

Firefly plans to have 44 new planes, jets and turboprops, by 2015 compared with its current fleet of seven turboprop planes.

AirAsia has defered its order from 23 to eight planes next year. The company has made 175 firm orders of A320 aircraft, which should see the final aircraft delivery made in October 2014.

However, industry observers noted that AirAsia’s decision to defer aircraft could be due to slower anticipated passenger growth in tandem with the global economic recovery.

AirAsia, which has Thai and Indonesian affiliates, also has the luxury of redeploying next year’s aircraft orders to its neighbouring operations.

“We don’t think the (local) air traffic growth rate will be able to support (Firefly’s) fleet deployment plan, given that AirAsia and MAS also has their own fleet growth plans. It is looking very likely that somebody has to give in, and MAS is the most probable candidate to relent,” the report said.

While the B737-800 is the direct rival for the A320, Maybank said it was difficult to say which aircraft would be better as it boiled down to the purchase price and operational costs.

Analysts anticipate that competition would intensify between both low cost carriers, especially for domestic routes to East Malaysia, causing yields to come under pressure.

As it is, the fare war has begun with Firefly offering 50,000 seats as low as RM9 and AirAsia responding with a million free seats.

What remains to be seen is how quickly Firely can turn its jet operations profitable given the intensified landscape.

Little is known about Firefly’s financials as it was not disclosed by MAS’ management. The media and analysts were told in separate briefings last week that Firefly was profitable with its ATR operations and its net profit margin was above industry average.

What was disclosed was that the breakeven seat factor for an ATR is below 70%. The aircraft needs less than 50 passengers per flight to breakeven.

Possible shortage of pilots seen as airlines expand (The Star)
By Lee Kian Seong

PETALING JAYA: Airlines in Asia are increasing the recruitment of pilots and maintenance crew to meet growing demand for such professionals in the coming years because of aggressive expansion in the industry.

Although the airlines industry does not face a shortage of pilots at present, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) operations director Captain Azharuddin Osman sees a possible pilot crunch over the next few years as airlines take delivery of more new aircraft.

“We will see more demand for pilots in the next few years as airlines all over the world are taking delivery of more new aircraft,” he told StarBiz.

He said the recruitment of co-pilots in Malaysia was not difficult and in fact, a lot of young Malaysians had expressed an interest to join this profession. MAS currently has about 1,400 pilots.

“Demand for pilots is normally based on the company’s expansion plans and the number of aircraft in the system. We address the demand for pilots in two ways– through our own internal promotion and via our own cadet pilot training. We have also external recruitment from Malaysia or other countries,” Azharuddin said.

It was reported that there was a need for more than a million pilots and maintenance crew in the global commercial aviation industry in the next 20 years, with Asia accounting for almost 40% of the demand.

It was estimated that from 2010 to 2029, world demand for pilots and maintenance personnel would be 466,650 and 596,500 respectively. Of that amount, 180,600 pilots and 220,000 mechanics would be needed in Asia.

MAS executive vice-president of engineering and maintenance Mohd Roslan Ismail said that while there was great interest in maintenance crew recruitment in Malaysia, it was becoming more challenging to as the general level of English proficiency was a concern.

“This is a global industry where the medium of communication is in English and all aircraft manuals and documentation are in English,” he said, adding that MAS had currently more than 1,050 trainees and over 3,000 qualified technicians and engineers.

To meet manpower demands, Roslan said MAS worked with local academic institutions like Politeknik Shah Alam and the Malaysian Institute of Aviation to offer on-the-job training.

“We also train students sponsored by Yayasan Terenganu, Yayasan Johor and Felda to churn out engineers and junior technicians at our MAS Engineering Training Centre,” he said.

A Cathay Pacific spokesperson said the aviation industry was facing a shortage of engineers and that the airline was very keen in developing local aviation engineering professionals as well as attracting qualified engineering professionals to join the company.

“Pilot shortage is a phenomenon that affects all airlines, but it is not a particular problem for Cathay Pacific at the moment as we are not currently recruiting pilots.

“We have our own pilot training programme based in Adelaide, Australia, from which 341 pilots have graduated since our programme began in 1988. We currently have 106 cadets undergoing training in Adelaide,” the spokesman said.

A spokesman for Singapore Airlines (SIA) said: “SIA has always taken a long term view of our plans for pilots to ensure we have a pool to meet our operational requirements.”

The spokesman said its Singapore Flying College (SFC) trained cadet pilots from the early stages, adding that SIA had been recruiting cadet pilots in recent months and this was due to the fact that there were lengthy training lead times.

“At the moment, we are not hiring trained pilots but we do conduct occasional exercises where we hire them depending on operational requirements,” the spokesman said.

About 150 cadet pilots graduate from SFC every year, although this number could vary according to the company’s long term plans and crewing situation.

“Our turnover rate of pilots has been consistently low over the years and we are not short of pilots. We have over 2000 pilots and the response to our recruitment exercises for pilots has always been good,” the spokesman said.

MAS gets first B737-800 (Bernama)

Tuesday November 2, 2010

SUBANG: Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAS) yesterday received its first B737-800, the latest generation aircraft which promises both economy and business-class passengers a better travel experience.

MAS' new B737-800 was welcomed with a water-cannon salute when it arrived at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

Passengers will enjoy an in-flight entertainment system which will include audio and video-on-demand, roomier interior, better ambience, higher ceiling and mood lighting.

The national carrier had placed an order for 55 such aircraft with Boeing and would take delivery of three more by the year-end, said managing director and chief executive officer Tengku Datuk Seri Azmil Zahruddin.

“We are proud to announce that we will be the first full-service airline in the world to operate B737-800 with the new Boeing Skyline Interior,” he said after taking delivery of the new aircraft at Skypark Airport here.

Boeing B737-800 pilot Capt. Muhammad Affindy Abd Rahman (right) chatting with (from left) MAS CEO Tengku Datuk Seri Azmil Zahruddin, engineering and maintenance executive vice president Mohd Roslan Ismail, MAS chairman Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid and operations director Capt. Mohamed Azharuddin Osman in the plane's roomy interior after flying it back from Seattle yesterday.

The 160-seater aircraft sports a new dynamic livery with red and blue lines representing MAS’ corporate colours.

MAS has also ordered 25 A330-300 and six A380 aircraft. It is expected to take delivery of the first A330-300 next year. — Bernama

In pictures:

The arrival of Malaysia Airlines’ new B737-800 aircraft at SkyPark Subang Terminal.

Malaysia Airlines’ Chairman and MD/CEO welcoming the Captains and the new aircraft.

Firefly to add more domestic destinations (The Star)
Monday November 8, 2010

By Jeeva Arulampalam

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has finally turned to wholly-owned unit Firefly to compete head-on with low-cost carrier (LCC) AirAsia as Firefly looks to add more domestic destinations now and Asean routes eventually.

As the global airline industry recovers, full-service carriers (FSC) in Asia are swiftly looking at ways to enter the low-fare segment and regain lost market share as more travellers opt to fly with LCCs.

While MAS plans to expand aggressively into Asia with its new fleet, it will not want to lose out on the short-haul market given that 78% of the 24 million tourist arrivals in Malaysia last year came from this market (more so neighbouring markets), 15% from medium-haul markets and 7% from long-haul markets. Firefly’s expansion can help address this concern.

StarBiz reported last week that Firefly, which operates turboprop aircraft from Subang, will start flying jets as early as the first quarter next year from KL International Airport.

Firefly will start flying jets from KLIA as early as the first quarter next year.

Citing sources, the report said that Firefly will initially use four to six B737-400s to provide cross-over flights to Sabah and Sarawak and add Asean destinations once it receives the relevant approvals.

To facilitate the expansion plan, MAS may continue to lease the B737 aircraft and charge Firefly a fee for the utilisation of these planes.

Firefly managing director Datuk Eddy Leong will reveal Firefly’s expansion plan today to the media.

HwangDBS Vickers Research viewed the expansion as positive for MAS, given Firefly’s profitable operations and ability now to help partly subsidise the loss-making routes.

“The expansion will also help MAS compete with AirAsia, which is estimated to have a bigger market share in Malaysia compared to MAS,” said the research house in a report last Thursday.

AirAsia Bhd group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes remains unfazed by the expansion plans.

“We are beyond worrying about what legacy airlines do. AirAsia has grown and will continue to grow positively due to a disciplined focus on cost and the short haul single class model,” he told StarBiz.

It can be an uphill task for a FSC to operate its own LCC, considering that many LCCs have gone bust or were bought over by LCC rivals. For instance, Easyjet bought over British Airways’ LCC Go for £374mil in 2002 while Europe’s Ryanair purchased KLM Royal Dutch Airline’s loss-making LCC Buzz at £15mil in 2003.

Closer to home, Garuda Indonesia is now focused on fixing itself before it looks to mend its LCC Citilink Airlines.

There have been exceptions such as Qantas Airways’ successful LCC Jetstar Airways. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines’ associate Tiger Airways has also done well in the regional LCC space.

HwangDBS said its main concern with Firefly’s expansion plan was the higher operating costs of the old B737s, which could affect its bottom line despite Firefly’s low-cost business model.

A local aviation analyst said the fuel consumption for the older Boeing aircraft was higher, at an average of 10% to 15% more per seat basis than the newer models.

Many of the LCCs like Jetstar, Tiger Airways and AirAsia operate relatively newer A320 planes.

Fernandes added that MAS’ decision to move into the LCC space would remove the last hurdle for AirAsia X.

“This removes the last blockage for AirAsia X and allows us to build a world class hub. Now MAS has entered our space, the long-haul market should be fully liberalised for AirAsia X,” he said.

Fernandes may not be too far off the mark, as the Government has stated its intention under the Economic Transformation Programme to enhance connectivity to priority medium-haul markets.

The plan is to increase frequencies to 10 priority cities, which include Beijing, Delhi, Melbourne, Mumbai, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei and Tokyo. Malaysia is said to have a double-digit flight frequency gap to most of these cities compared with Singapore and Thailand.

The local transport ministry will be working on increasing air rights to the countries that have restricted air rights, primarily Australia, Japan and India. The distribution of subsequent air rights will also be done in a more transparent and liberalised manner, as the transport ministry develops an air rights allocation framework.

Metzelder says: The only thing I want to highlight is unethical biz plan by AirAsia. They merely accusing Government for over-protecting MAS as their 'golden child' after failed to lobbying for new route.

Besides that, please never compare MAS with AirAsia. Both are running different business model, MAS is a 5-star airline and is Full service carrier while AirAsia as World Best Low Cost Carrier will only remain as LCC. Comparison of fare prices is always an issue with passengers comparing it while the level of service and professionalisme is way different.

This is a very good prove to show how unethical are they.

The battle between AirAsia and Tiger Airways (The Star)
Friday Reflections - By B.K. Sidhu

Friday October 22, 2010

THE verbal spat between the two Tonys in the aviation sector reminds some people of how Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik had to fight for the survival of palm oil back in the 1980s.

Then it was Lim against the Western world, and at stake was Malaysia’s palm oil industry.

Lim succeeded and today Malaysia is one of the biggest suppliers of palm oil globally.

This week the clash is between Tony and Tony – Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, the boss of AirAsia Bhd; and Tony Davis, CEO of Singapore’s Tiger Airways.

Both helm award-wining airlines.

AirAsia has won numerous awards and so has Fernandes. The airline has a wide reach, has operations in Thailand via Thai AirAsia and in Indonesia via Indonesia AirAsia. Its sister airline, AirAsia X, is Asia’s first long-haul low-cost carrier.

To tease Tiger Airway for its recent flight cancellations, AirAsia ran full-page advertisements in Singapore newspapers with the tag-line “If Tigers were meant to fly, they would be born with wings”. The ads also featured a drawing of a tiger cub crying. But AirAsia regional head of commercial Kathleen Tan denies the ads had anything to do with Thai Tiger.

Tiger Airways is partly owned by Singapore Airlines. Based in Singapore, it flies to many destinations within Asia. On Tuesday it was named the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation’s Low Cost Airline of the Year. Tiger Airways also has operations in Australia. It is about to seal a deal to set up Thai Tiger Airways, a low-cost airline in Thailand.

The new venture is the thing that triggered the spat.

Fernandes described Tiger Airways as an “odd” choice business ally to Thai Airways. He said this in an interview with Bangkok Post. He was sceptical about having Westerners running any successful Asia-based business, referring to some of Tiger Airways’ management.

“We’re Asians, not a bunch of white guys running the airline,” he said, explaining that Thai AirAsia was run by Thai management who know the local and Asian markets. Tiger Airways had also recently cancelled numerous flights that left thousands of passengers stranded due to manpower shortage and aircraft fault.

Tiger Airways in an immediate reaction said it was a “racist remark” made by Fernandes.

To rub salt into the wound, Fernandes also described Tiger Airways as “a tiny carrier”.

But Davis seemed unperturbed and he declared on Wednesday that Tiger aims to be among the top three global airlines.

This spat stems from competition. A new player in the Thai air market would mean more competition for Thai AirAsia.

To tease Tiger Airway for its recent flight cancellations, AirAsia ran full-page advertisements in Singapore newspapers with the tag-line “If Tigers were meant to fly, they would be born with wings”. The ads also featured a drawing of a tiger cub crying.

But AirAsia regional head of commercial Kathleen Tan denies the ads had anything to do with Thai Tiger.

“We thought it’s a great time to do things that are a little bit fun; a little bit wicked. It’s not meant as a one-up, we’re not attacking anyone, we were just being clever and witty to assert our marketing leadership. We love a good fight on the marketing front once in a while,” she said.

Whatever the campaign may be for, it did not stop Davis from saying, “It’s no wonder some of our competitors are getting so rattled.”

Thailand is a big tourism market. People from all over the world visit Bangkok and many other tourist destinations there so adding another player would keep the incumbents on their toes. Erosion of market share is to be expected.

Fernandes understands that and there is also nothing to stop Davis from entering the market since Thai Airways likes Tiger Airways.

These two Tonys may be taking a swipe at each other and coming up with all kinds to tactics to discredit each other but for the consumer, competition is great. Had AirAsia not set up operations in Malaysia we would probably still be paying premium airfares to travel and in the same vein, more budget airlines in Asia simply means even more people can fly.

Whatever the motivation of these rivals, what matters to the traveller is safety, good service, low airfares, more baggage room and comfort. The fiercer the fight, hopefully, the lower the airfares

Construction on Chedang Interchange has come to a halt (The Star)

Story and photos by Charles Fernandez
charlesf@thestar.com.my

Wednesday October 20, 2010

MOTORISTS on the Seremban Middle Ring Road (MRRS) will have to continue going in circles and making U-turns to reach their destinations because the Chedang Interchange will not be completed any time soon.

The Chedang, KGV and Hospital Tuanku Jaafar (HTJ) interchanges and radial roads will only be completed under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

While work is being done on the KGV and HTJ interchanges and the new RM26mil Taman Permai-Jalan Sungei Ujong link, the Chedang interchange linking the Rasah New Village has come to a halt.

Go the distance: One of the two U-turns on the unfinished stretch of the MRRS near the Bukit Chedang- Rasah New Village link.

Motorists heading to the Rasah New Village and the town centre from Seremban 2, Bukit Chedang, Senawang and Kuala Pilah are now forced to drive to the Bukit Chedang roundabout and make two U-turns before reaching their destinations.

The bridge to link Seremban 2 to Rasah New Village is also not completed because there is not enough allocation. If the bridge is completed together with other projects, traffic dispersal in Seremban will improve.

Bukit Kepayang assemblyman Cha Kee Chin said motorists wanted the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village link completed instead of concentrating on the Taman Permai-Jalan Sungai Ujong link.

He said because of this there was a bottleneck at the Bukit Chedang roundabout and at both the U-turns during rush hours.

He added that the matter was brought up at the last Negri Sembilan state assembly sitting.

Long way: Motorists from Senawang, Kuala Pilah and the town centre will have to take this roundabout to Seremban 2, Bukit Chedang and Rasah New Village.

“The Taman Permai-Sungei Ujong link can wait and the allocation could be used to complete the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village stretch because it will help ease traffic flow on the highway,’’ said Cha.

However, it is learnt that the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village stretch will cost much more than the Jalan Permai-Sungei Ujong link as it involves widening the Kepayang river and land reclamation at the new village.

“So until that is sorted out, projects that have been started will continue while motorists will have to bear with the inconvenience,’’ added Cha.

The RM500mil MRRS, which is a 28.8km two-lane dual carriageway, is toll-free with 16 interchanges.

The highway project, undertaken by Konsortium Temokin Vila-Jelas JV Sdn Bhd (KTVJSB), will be able to cope with traffic for up to 20 years.

Modifications will be done if the highway is unable to cope with the traffic within the stipulated time.

The first phase of the MRRS started in 2004 with the Rasah-Bukit Tembok stretch and the second phase from Taman Bidara to the Rasah Interchange.

Ongoing: Land clearing in progress at the Permai Interchange to link it to Jalan Sungei Ujong.

The first part of Phase 2 is the Bukit Chedang-Permai-Jalan Sungei Ujong stretch which was completed last year.

The only missing link to this stretch is the Seremban 2-Rasah New Village link.

The second part of Phase 2 includes the Taman Bidara Interchange connecting part of Bukit Chedang and the Permai Interchange.

Now, the project is in its first part of Phase 3 which includes the three interchanges at Chedang, Tuanku Jaafar Hospital and KGV.

All the missing links at the interchanges in Bukit Chedang and Permai as well as the link to Jalan Sungei Ujong will be completed in the final phase.

The final stretch from Taman Mutiara Galla to Temiang which cuts through an abandoned quarry is the only part of the ring road system with a 15% gradient.

Designed in 2002, the entire MRRS was under the Seremban Structure Plan 1975.

JKR (Federal) senior general manager Nor Azman Ismail had said that he was unable to give an exact date of the completion although some stretches of the MRRS were already open to traffic, giving motorists a faster and an easier access from the PLUS highway to link Kuala Pilah, Mantin and beyond by avoiding the traffic congestion in Seremban town.

Metzelder says: Time has passed by for about 8 years, stretching into three Malaysian Plan.