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THERE will be a massive water cut in the Klang Valley affecting more than a million consumers in Kuala Lumpur, Gombak, Petaling and Hulu Selangor from today until Friday.

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) corporate affairs department executive director Abdul Halem Mat Som said the disruption was due to upgrading and maintenance work being carried at the Sungai Selangor water treatment plant Phase 1 in Bukit Badong, Ijok, by Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash) as well as upgrading work by Syabas.

“Work is being carried out to fix the Sluice valves and pumps and the cleaning of the water treatment plant by Splash. We are working to upgrade the water supply systems,” said Abdul Halem.

“We will have our emergency response plan on standby to provide water tankers to consumers. But we advise the public to store water,’’ he said.

Abdul Halem added that the public could call the Syabas Hotline for details on the areas affected as well to get water tanker services.

“We have an activated pre-recorded voice mail service to help you,’’ he said.

Other affected areas include:

Bukit Kiara, Royal Selangor Club, Bukit Kiara Resort, Bukit Kiara Sports Complex, National Science Complex, National Institute of Public Administration, Securities Commission, Sime Darby Convention Centre, Jalan Segambir; Jalan Belimbing; Jalan Setiabistari; Jalan Setiamurni 1 hingga 12; Jalan Setiabudi; Jalan Setiarasa; Jalan Setiaraya; Jalan Setiajaya; Jalan Medan Setia; Jalan Setiabakti; Jalan Setiakasih; Plaza Damansara; Taman Seri Beringin.

Kampung Serai, Kuang; Kampung Kuang, Kuang; Kampung Cempedak, Kuang; Kampung Gombak, Kuang; Kampung Baru, Kundang; Kampung Melayu Sri, Kundang; Kampung Permata, Kundang; Taman Desa, Kundang; Bandar Baru Kundang, Kundang; Kundang Jaya, Kundang; Taman Rahmat Jaya, Kundang; Kundang Industrial Zone; Bandar Tasik Puteri.

Bandar Sri Damansara; Kepong Industrial Park; Industrial Park Tago; Sunway SPK; Wangsa Permai; Desa Park City; Taman Bukit Maluri; Manjalara Kepong; Desa Aman Puri; Medan Putra.

For details, call 1-800-88-5252 or SMS PUSPEL and send to 39222 or log on to www.syabas.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara has warned about an e-mail aimed at deceiving the public into disclosing their personal banking details.

The scam e-mail, purportedly sent out by Bank Negara, urges the recipients to update their account details through a hyperlink in the e-mail.

“Once the victim clicks on the link, he will then be directed to a website requesting disclosure of personal financial details such as credit or debit card details, including card code verification, or other personal identification numbers (PIN),” the central bank said in a statement.

Bank Negara added that financial institutions, including credit card issuers, would never ask for personal banking information when contacting customers be it via telephone calls, SMS or e-mails.

Those who receive such e-mails are advised to contact their respective banks or contact the Associations of Banks in Malaysia toll-free service at 1-300-88-9980.

For more information on financial scam activities, visit the financial fraud alert site at http://fraudalert.bnm.gov.my.

The public can also contact BNMTELELINK (Customer Contact Centre) at 1-300-88-5465 or e-mail bnmtelelink@bnm.gov.my. - theStarOnline

PETALING JAYA: In a bid to combat piracy, the Government has declared war on filesharing websites with 10 such websites now blocked by the telecommunications industry watchdog.

The websites were among the most visited sites by Malaysians to illegally download movies.

On May 30, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had written a letter to all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) ordering the block.

The letter was signed by Digital Security Services division acting seniordirector Eneng Faridah Iskandar.

The letter, which was leaked online, also stated that the websites were being blocked for breaching Section 41 of the Copyright Act 1987, which deals with pirated content.

An MCMC spokesperson confirmed the ban and said it was done on the request of the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry.

The ministry's enforcement division director-general Mohd Roslan Mahayudin confirmed that the request was made.

“It is standard procedure for the ministry to request MCMC to block sites that violate the Copyright Act 1987,” he told The Star.

Roslan said the ministry had requested that 19 websites, including the 10 listed in the letter, be blocked for violating the Act but added that it was up to MCMC to decide on which ones to block.

When asked about the fate of surfers who legally use the websites such as for storing non-pirated content, Mohd Roslan said they could always write to the ministry.

“Anyone who feels the ban is wrong can write to us and we will look into it,” he said.

Film maker Norman Abd Halim of KRU Studios said the move was long overdue.

“The unauthorised use of copyright work is destroying the industry. If everyone feels that works should be shared, then there is no value in these works,” he said.

Norman equated the move to South Korea's three-strikes law, where a person guilty of copyright infringement can have their Internet access suspended for six months.

However, irate users have vented their frustration by creating aFacebook page to protest.

By 8.30pm yesterday, there were 410 supporters who “liked” the page that was named “1M Malaysians Don't Want Block File Sharing Websites.”

FilesTube Media Search Engine, one of the sites ordered blocked, also commented on the page.

“We have posted information about this on our wall. We are with you.”

Before the page was put up, some Malaysians were already protesting via Twitter.

“You can't create a walled-up Internet garden,” read one tweet.

Some also made reference to the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees which states that the Government will not censor the Internet.

MSC Malaysia is a national initiative that kicked off in 1996 and is aimed at transforming the nation into a knowledge-based economy. - theStarOnline

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians can afford to eat less because they are either overeating or wasting food, throwing away up to 930 tonnes of unconsumed food daily, say experts.

This is equivalent to us throwing away 93,000 10kg bags of rice each day.

The experts warn that people must change or adapt their eating habits in the light of rising prices and a looming food shortage, adding that the country was already experiencing a food crisis.

Universiti Malaya Prof Dr P. Agamuthu said wastage was a growing trend, adding that almost 50% of the 31,000 tonnes of waste produced daily by Malaysians comprised organic kitchen waste such as leftover food.

“Malaysians discard about 930 tonnes of unconsumed food daily. Wastage of unconsumed food alone in Malaysia has doubled over the past three years. This does not even include leftover food,” he said, adding that the unconsumed waste mostly consisted of expired bread, eggs and old or rotten fruit.

Dr Agamuthu, who specialises in solid and hazardous waste management, said Malaysia was close to developed country status in terms of waste generated compared to developing nations like India and Bangladesh, which had almost zero unconsumed food.

He said food wastage was higher in urban areas due to the difference in income levels over rural areas.

Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee Ee Siong said many Malaysians tended to overeat, usually taking more food than they should.

He said it was a common sight to see Malaysians pile too much food on their plates, especially during meals at restaurants and buffets.

“It could be because they don't want the hassle of going back for a second helping or they are worried that the food will finish before they can return.

“When we have too much food on our plates, we tend to overeat,” he said, adding that overeating was also the main reason for obesity among Malaysians.

According to Health Ministry statistics, 30% of Malaysians are obese while another 30% are overweight.

Dr Tee said those preparing food in households should be more accurate in their estimations on how much they needed to cook to avoid wastage.

“Parents need to be more sensitive about the wastage of food and teach their children by example,” he said.

Marditech Corporation Sdn Bhd group CEO Anas Ahmad Nasarudin said non-alcoholic foodstuff had registered an average of 4.7% increase in prices from last year.

He said an investigation by the body showed that the price of meat had increased by 7.6%, milk and eggs by 7.9%, vegetables by 11.4%, jam and sweetened products by 10.9%, fruits by 6.8% and fish by 3.8%.

Marditech consultant Ahmad Zamzam Mohamed said the country was already in a food crisis and Malaysians would have to change their eating habits to lessen its impact.

“The Government has been shielding Malaysians from the real impact of the crisis with various subsidies,” he said, adding that they would soon face reality as subsidies were slowly removed.

“We should learn to eat accordingly and not over-indulge,” he said during a press conference on the 7th Malaysia International Agro-Bio Business Conference here yesterday.

The two-day conference, which will gather experts to discuss the challenges of the emerging global food crisis, begins on July 13. - theStarOnline

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumers can now check and compare prices of products sold at 1,255 retail outlets nationwide by clicking on the 1Malaysia Pengguna Bijak (1MPB) portal.

The prices of products will be monitored and updated daily by 1,200 price watch officers from the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry.

“This is to ensure that all participating outlets sell their products at reasonable prices,” minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

He said the price list comprised 355 consumer products sold at 110 hypermarkets, 100 products at 404 supermarkets, 50 products at 360 wet markets and 100 products at 24-hour convenience stores.

The products range from fresh produce like eggs, fish, meat and vegetables; dried goods such as anchovies, flour, rice, sugar; to other essentials like baby formula, diapers, soap and toothpaste.

“Hypermarkets will key in the data on changes in their daily price lists.

“However, for other outlets, the price watch officers will do it,” he told reporters after launching the portal here yesterday.

Developed at a cost of RM1.4mil, the portal can be browsed at www.1pengguna.com.

Ismail Sabri said consumers could also file complaints with the Malaysian Consumer Claims Tribunal through a link provided in the portal.

In his speech, he said the public would be able to get first-hand information on changes in the price of a variety of consumer products nationwide through the 1MPB portal.

Fomca secretary-general Muhd Sha'ani Abdullah said consumers would benefit greatly from the portal.

“The ministry should make this information available not only on the Internet, but also through mobile phones via SMS, because not everyone has access to the Internet,” he said.

“It is a harder job for hypermarkets like us to enter prices daily,” Giant hypermarket marketing manager Ho Mun Hao said, adding that the company would still be happy to do all it could to help consumers. - theStarOnline

KUALA LUMPUR: A clerk who lost her boyfriend after a procedure to enlarge her breasts went awry may now lose these as well.

The 30-year-old woman, known only as Tham, said the procedure had left her with severe infections and itchiness on her breasts.

Tham, who is from Pahang, said she visited a surgeon here two months ago for the procedure as she had wanted to surprise her boyfriend of five years with larger breasts.

“My boyfriend always told me that he wished I was thinner and had bigger breasts,” she said.

However, he left her soon after the surgery. “He was angry because I had spent so much money on the surgery,” she said, adding that the ex-boyfriend was also uncomfortable with the wounds on her body after the procedure.

Tham had borrowed RM13,000 from her father to pay for the procedure.

“The surgeon told me he would remove the fat from my hip and waist, and transfer this to my breasts.

“A week after the surgery, there was pus oozing out from where he had injected the fat,” said Tham.

She added that she had been conscious throughout the painful two-hour ordeal because the surgeon claimed he was not licensed to anesthetise her.

“My breast area also became swollen and turned black,” she said.

When Tham went back to the clinic, the surgeon had offered to re-do the entire procedure.

“I decided to consult a skin specialist instead,” said Tham who is now undergoing treatment for her injuries.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said he would engage a lawyer to fight Tham's case.

“We believe that the surgeon is not licensed,” he said, adding that the man, who operates at a clinic near a major shopping centre here, had refused to compensate Tham for his mistake.

He urged women who chose to go for cosmetic or plastic surgery to only consult licensed doctors.

“This will reduce the risks of having such side effects,” he said.

Chong also said he would check with the Health Ministry to determine if surgeries transferring fat from the abdomen to the breasts were legal.

The department had received 12 such cases since 2009. - theStarOnline

MALACCA: The state has become the first in the country to gazette five areas – including the entire districts of Alor Gajah and Jasin – as no-smoking zones.

Offenders caught puffing in these districts from June 15 onwards could be slapped with a maximum compound of RM5,000.

The five areas designated as free from cigarettes are the 4.2sq km World Heritage City, Taman Melaka Raya, the Malacca International Trade Centre in Ayer Keroh as well as the Alor Gajah and Jasin town centres.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai declared these areas as strictly no-smoking zones and said enforcement would be based on the provisions of the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004.

“These five areas totalling about 338ha will be free from cigarette smoke, making Malacca the maiden state to have a gazetted no-smoking zone.

“Those caught will be hit with a compound of RM300 although the maximum penalty is RM5,000,” Liow told reporters at the World Tobacco Free Day celebrations in Bandar Hilir here yesterday.

He said enforcement efforts would be conducted by state Health Department officials complemented by city and local councils’ enforcement units.

Liow said his ministry had previously gazetted 21 sites, among others, cinemas, shopping complexes, hospitals, air-conditioned and en­­closed restaurants, recreational parks and sports complexes as no-smoking zones, but this is the first time such a prohibition covers a vast public area like the whole of the Jasin town centre, for example,

Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state government was serious about declaring more tourist destinations in the state smoke-free zones.

He said state agencies would be asked to display the Malacca – A Smoke Free Zone message on its official websites starting immediately.

Alor Gajah MP Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn welcomed the move to gazette the town centre as a no-smoking zone but wanted the ministry to carry out an extensive awareness campaign prior to issuing compounds.

“Any enforcement exercise should not catch local residents off-guard. Awareness needs to be created first,” he said.

A check with traders at Jonker Street, which is part of the World Heritage City, elicited a mixed response.

Restaurant owner Lee Teck Kim, 52, said the state government should provide an area for smokers.

“We can’t stop foreigners from smoking in our premises,” he said.

Another trader, who wanted to be known only as Uncle Yong, said he supported the move as the street is a major tourist attraction. - theStarOnline

PETALING JAYA: Visitors to Europe from May 1 who are down with bloody diarrhoea have been advised to undergo medical examination at nearby health centres.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said he received a report from the World Health Organisation on a recent bacterial outbreak in Germany.

It was reported that the recent E. coli outbreak stemming from cucumbers in Europe has so far resulted in the deaths of 15 Germans and one Swede while hundreds of others have fallen seriously ill.

The cucumbers carried the Entero­haemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) pathogen, a particularly virulent strain of E. coli.

“Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS) resulted from contamination of the EHEC bacteria.

“It ruptures red blood cells, thus causing haemolytic anaemia, acute renal failure and low platelet count (thrombocytopenia),” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Dr Hasan said the symptoms were abdominal cramps, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea (dysentery).

“The symptoms can cause dehydration, tiredness, lethargy, anaemia, uraemia and bleeding tendencies.

“They can be seen in three to eight days and victims usually recover after 10 days without any complication,” he said.

The mortality rate resulting from the bacterial infection stood at between 5% and 10%.

Outbreak of the bacterial infection was first reported on April 25.

In a related development, the Federation of Malaysian Vegetable Growers Associations has assured the public that cucumbers sold locally are not imported from Europe.

Its secretary-general Chay Ee Mong said the small portion of imported cucumbers sold locally was sourced from China, Thailand or Indonesia.

“But most of the cucumbers sold in supermarkets are grown locally.

“We have ample supplies from Johor,” he added.

Chay said Malaysia did not import cucumbers from Europe because the costs of transportation were too high.

Federation of Vegetable Sellers Associations Malaysia president Soo Cheng Kee said there was no need to import cucumbers from Europe when there was ample local supply. - theStarOnline