NST Online: Topnews
NST Online: Topnews |
| KTMB not amused by healing-track seekers Posted: 21 Aug 2011 04:41 PM PDT KTMB not amused by healing-track seekers2011/08/22 KUALA LUMPUR: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) said it has encountered trespassers lying on railway tracks in the mistaken belief it could improve their health. A spokesman said they were mainly foreigners, particularly Bangladeshis. "We are not sure if this works, but it is clear to us that this is a dangerous act," he said.
Under the Railways Act 1991, trespassers may be fined RM1,000. The origins of such "cures" can be traced to the village of Rawa Buaya, near Jakarta, and a Chinese report.
They believe the mild current passing through their bodies when they lie across the track makes their pain go away and eases the symptoms of conditions ranging from diabetes to arthritis. International media reports said what inspired this was the tale of a paralysed Chinese who tried to commit suicide on the railway tracks but ended up being miraculously cured instead. Air your comment on this issue: KTMB not amused by healing-track seekersLog in with your Facebook account or use the form below to comment. New Straits Times reserves the right not to publish offensive or abusive comments and those of hate speech, harassment, commercial promos and invasion of privacy. Your IP will be logged and may be used to prevent further submission.The views expressed here are that of the members of the public and unless specifically stated are not those of NST. |
| ‘Big Brother’ on roads Posted: 21 Aug 2011 04:39 PM PDT 2011/08/22 KUALA LUMPUR: Motorists will soon have a sense of "Big Brother" watching over them on roads and highways, officials said. Under the delayed Transport Ministry's automated enforcement system (AES), cameras will be installed by year-end at 600 to 800 accident-prone areas with signs alerting motorists to the camera spots. Motorists who speed, beat traffic lights, overtake at double lines, weave dangerously or use a mobile phone while driving, are the targets.
"It is to give a feeling that Big Brother is watching. The cameras are useful because we do not have enough manpower to deploy, especially at accident-prone areas," said a road safety expert, Professor Farhan Sadullah. He said the project would benefit motorists in the long run as they would be reminded constantly not to drive recklessly.
A Transport Ministry source said the one-year delay was partly because of negotiations between the ministry and the two companies appointed to manage the system. This had zeroed in on where the signs and cameras would be placed and how best to inform and warn motorists that "they were being watched".
A source said the companies had argued that it would be difficult to make money if motorists knew the exact location of the cameras, because they would slow down at the spot and continue to speed at other areas. But ministry officials felt that the objective was to deter motorists from breaking road rules. "If the signs were in a 14km radius, motorists would be burdened with too many summonses, and that is not the aim of the project. "It is not about making money, but to save more lives and reduce accidents," said another official. Under AES, two types of digital cameras will be installed — static and mobile cameras. The cameras are the Australian Redflex and the Robot System from Germany. The official said a compromise was reached earlier this year where both parties agreed to have the some signs at the exact spot for the static cameras while keeping an element of surprise with the mobile cameras. "It is not only a win-win solution for both parties, it also meets the objective of road safety experts — to force motorists to drive cautiously at some of the most accident- prone areas." The camera idea was first mooted five years ago. The ministry had hoped to implement the first phase of the project last year. The delay was also caused by failure to reach an agreement on the companies' cut from each summons. Both companies had proposed taking RM16 for each summons issued, after issuing summonses worth RM5 million. The ministry is looking into this. A Transport Ministry source said the one-year delay was caused partly because of negotiations between the ministry and the two companies appointed to manage the system. They had debated over where to place the signs and cameras and how to inform and warn motorists that "they were being watched". The ministry had wanted the signs to be placed at the locations of the cameras, while the companies wanted them placed within a 14km radius of the cameras so that motorists would be warned that they were only passing a hotspot area. A source said the companies had argued that it would be difficult to make money if motorists knew the locations of cameras as they would slow down and then speed in other areas. But a ministry official said: "If the signs were within a 14km radius, motorists would be burdened with too many summonses, and this is not the aim of the project. "It is not about making money, but about saving more lives and reducing the number of accidents." Under AES, two types of digital cameras -- static and mobile cameras -- will be installed. The cameras are Australia's Redflex and Germany's Robot System. The official said a compromise was reached earlier this year where both parties agreed to have signs at the exact spots for static cameras while keeping an element of surprise with mobile cameras. "It is not only a win-win solution for both parties, but it also meets the goals of road safety experts, that is, to force motorists to drive cautiously in accident-prone areas." The camera idea was mooted five years ago. The ministry had hoped to carry out the first phase of the project last year. The delay was also caused by failure to reach an agreement on the companies' cut from each summons. Both companies had proposed taking RM16 for each summons issued, after issuing summonses worth RM5 million. The ministry is looking into this. |
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