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Fomca wants green
strategy in policy review
PETALING JAYA: The Federation
of Malaysian Consumers Associa-
tion (Fomca) has called on the gov-
ernment to ensure that the review
of the National Automotive Policy
(NAP) emphasises “the people-first
approach” to protect consumers.
Its president Datuk N. Mari-
muthu said the present NAP merely
outlined “easier way to get cars
into consumers’ spending list by
increasing fuel subsidy and easy
car loan facilities”.
The review should also integrate
a green technology policy into the
NAP so that less carbon dioxide
were emitted into the environment
by reducing the number of cars on
the road, he told Bernama when
commenting on the government’s
intention to review the NAP.
The reduction, he said, could
be done by improving the public
transport system and making it
more efficient, convenient and
user-friendly.
He said the NAP should also
200 to get free cleft
surgery in Medan
by Himanshu Bhatt
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: Some 200 peo-
ple with cleft lips and palates who
are unable to afford reconstructive
surgery will have the chance to get
the best available treatment for free
in Medan in November.
An international team of sur-
geons under Operation Rainbow
Canada (ORC), a Vancouver-based
organisation dedicated to helping
poor people with such medical
conditions, is scheduled to oper-
ate without charge in Medan on
humanitarian grounds over two
weeks.
The charitable programme is
organised by the Association of
Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA)
and relief organisation Masyarakat
Pancasila Indonesia.
AMDA Malaysia president
Dr B. Anthony said there was a
substantial number of low-income
and poor people with cleft lips and
emphasise the efficiency of the car
itself.
“Consumers in Malaysia de-
serve fuel efficient and eco-friendly
cars with alternative energy that
helps reduce fuel usage and carbon
dioxide emission,” he said.
Marimuthu said the NAP should
also address traffic management
issues because putting more cars
on the road caused parking woes,
traffic congestion and pollution.
He suggested that an “end-of-life
vehicles” scheme be incorporated
into the NAP to make it more af-
fordable for consumers to own new
cars.
According to him, many coun-
tries like Japan and the United States
had such a scheme which helped to
develop a new industry based on
recycled car components.
“Base on statistics, 90% of car
components can be recycled, thus
helping to reduce pollution and
preserve mother nature,” he said.
– Bernama
palates in the region who could not
afford the expensive treatment.
The ORC, founded and led by
Malaysian-born Dr Kimit Rai, an
internationally recognised plastic
surgeon, has over the last decade
helped nearly 1,800 children in
Mexico, Lebanon, the Philippines,
Cambodia and India.
Anthony said the ORC team also
specialises in surgeries for burns.
“We will also accommodate
cases from Malaysia that are
genuine and serious,” he said at
a press conference last week.
“Our focus is to help people
who are poor and cannot afford
such surgeries.”
The ORC team will also
spend time training local doctors
to treat and care for patients in re-
constructive surgeries, he added.
For information on the pro-
gramme, call 012-4830354, or
email amda_balavendrian@yahoo.
com or dr_balavendrian@hotmail.
com.
Food safety and quality
to be beefed up
by Meena L. Ramadas.
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The Health
Ministry aims to increase the role of
its Food Safety and Quality Division
in controlling and monitoring food
items.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk
Rosnah Shirlin Abdul Rashid Shirlin
said monitoring, testing and enforce-
ment should be conducted by the
division instead of relying on inter-
national agencies.
“The recent ban on (a number
of) preserved fruits was only imple-
mented after the US Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA) agency
warned its public not
to consume the food
items,” she said
after launching
Mahsa University
College Masters
in Science
programme
ANUAR FAIZ/THESUN
briefs
Keep clean to prevent
H1N1 infection
KUALA LUMPUR: The public have
been urged to maintain cleanliness,
practise a healthy lifestyle and adopt
influenza A H1N1 guidelines, said
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr
Mohd Ismail Merican.
He said although H1N1 cases had
dropped and no new deaths were
reported, the flu was still active in the
community.
A total of 81 people with influenza-
like illness were admitted nationwide
while 152 more were discharged
yesterday, he said in a statement.
He said eight H1N1 patients were
still in intensive care and were high-
risk patients – three were children
below five, three suffering from
chronic diseases, an obese person
and another a child below five with a
chronic disease. – Bernama
yesterday.
She said the division has to be
“stepped up” possibly as an authority
to be a frontline body that ensures
food items fulfil the nutritional crite-
ria determined by the ministry.
However, she said the ministry
lacked staff in general and gradu-
ates with an environmental health
background are crucial to beef up the
division.
“We are depending not only on
governmental but also private uni-
versities to provide skilled and able
workers to fill the positions,” she
said.
She said the ministry is looking
to establish more
laboratories to test
food products.
The ban
on 18 dried
plum and prune
products was an-
Fingerprints not clear
for identification
SHAH ALAM: Fingerprints present
on a letter threatening the life of
Selangor opposition leader Datuk
Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo were
not clear enough to identify the
sender, said Selangor police chief
Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.
He said the forensic examina-
tion done on the letter, that was
sent a month ago, also did not find
sufficient DNA residue to be able to
identify the culprit.
“With the forensic examiners
unable the find any leads, we will
have to resort to other means to
trace the suspect,” he told report-
ers after opening the Section U9
community police station here
yesterday.
Mohd Khir, the former mentri
besar and currently also the as-
semblyman for Sungai Panjang,
lodged a police report on the letter,
handwritten in Bahasa Malaysia,
on Sept 17. – Bernama
| MONDAY OCTOBER 12 2009
nounced by Health Minister Datuk
Seri Liow Tiong Lai last Thursday.
The products were banned after a
report titled “Consumers warned not
to eat certain imported dried plums”
was posted on the USFDA website
on Oct 1.
The report highlighted that cer-
tain dried plum and prune products
from China, Taiwan and other Asian
countries were found to contain more
lead than the agency’s administered
criterion of two parts per million
(ppm).
The products had between 11 and
30ppm of lead which can cause nerve
damage in adults and hinder brain
development among children.
For the full list of banned preserved
fruits, go to http://fsq.moh.gov.my.
Hefty humerus
... Winner of the 2009
Selangor Arm Wrestling
Competition (85kg and
above category) Hariz
Joseph Abdullah
(right) shows his
final opponent
Shah Rizad how
it’s done. Hariz
was crowned Mr
Selangor upon
winning his
category
yesterday.
Workers protest
against spats
CAMERON HIGHLANDS: A group of
Indonesian workers held a peace-
ful gathering in front of Kayangan
Mosque in Brinchang, here, yesterday
to protest against the actions of
certain groups in Indonesia to create
tension between their country and
Malaysia.
The group, led by construction
worker Ahmad Thoyib Ma’sum, began
gathering at 10.15am and held ban-
ners with words such as “We Have
Peace in Malaysia” and “No Ganyang,
Yes Kenyang”.
They, however, dispersed peace-
fully 10 minutes later on police
order.
Ahmad Thoyib, 53, from East
Java, told reporters the group who
represented more than 500 Indone-
sian workers in Cameron Highlands
hoped that any issue involving the two
countries be amicably resolved
through consultations and not through
force.