What next for Mont’Kiara?

Please read this article on the latest development in Mont Kiara/Dutamas
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/284505

To summarize:
1) New project scheduled to launch this year

• Kiara 163 serviced apartment by YNH
• Boutique condominium by SunKiara
• MK22 by Sunrise
• Amverton Condo by A&M Realty Berhad
• SunSuria Kiara (SOHO) by Sunsuria

2) Launched project

• Verdana by BRDB
• Concerto Kiara by BCB
• MK28 by Sunrise
• Kiara 163 (SOHO) by YNH

3) Proposed plan to improve accesibility

• MRT near Solaris Mont Kiara
• Access road from Verdana into jalan Segambut
• Acess road from MK28 into Jalan Segambut

Are we experiencing market slowdown? At least I know, Changkat View units are currently selling in the market for RM390-400 psf. For the past few months, I'm sure you will noticed those real estate agents are desperately for unit either for lease or sale. Somehow they managed to send SMS besides flyers and notice hung along Jalan Dutamas Raya. This shows that Changkat View Condo is highly sought in the market right now. On the contrary, just wondering how do they obtained our personal details.

But anyhow, let's see whether our property can achieved to RM450 psf by end of this year.

Safer streets in Mont’Kiara

Thought you might interested in as many cases of theft were reported at Mont Kiara's condo. But really not sure, this program actually gonna to be implemented in our area as I know Sunrise has not vested interest in this area.

RESIDENTS of Mont’Kiara and Dutamas can look forward to a safer living environment with the launch of the Sunrise Community Watch.

Recognising the importance of a safe and secured environment, Sunrise Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of UEM Land Holdings Bhd, spearheaded the community-based campaign in partnership with the police.

“With this campaign, we hope to minimise crime besides promoting closer community ties with the law enforcers,” said UEM Land Holdings Bhd CEO Datuk Wan Abdullah Wan Ibrahim.

The campaign includes joint patrols by the police as well as the auxiliary force in addition to crime prevention talks, dialogues and exhibitions by the police.

“Sunrise is currently incorporating modern technologies and we are running trials on the Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) system that can detect and send alerts instantaneously in response to a crime,” Wan Abdullah added.

The neighbourhood has adopted innovative solutions to enhance security; there are foot patrol beats, LED screens to display safety tips and emergency numbers and regular crime prevention awareness activities at the Community Centre. Sunrise had been implementing several security measures since 2005.

As of last year, Sunrise Bhd had set up an Auxiliary Police Unit with 60 trained personnel patrolling the Mont’Kiara and Dutamas vicinity as well as monitoring CCTV surveillance of public roads for suspicious criminal activities.

“We have a total of 45 cameras with the installation of seven additional units at the end of Jalan Kiara to provide coverage for our latest development,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur chief police officer DCP Datuk Mohmad Salleh said this initiative could only be successful with the cooperation and assistance of people who frequented the area. “Neighbourhood watch schemes can help reduce crime by keeping an eye on suspicious behaviour within the neighbourhood. A partnership with the police is the best weapon to fight against crime,” he said.

The launch also featured several booths from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department, Commercial Crime Investigation Department, Rakan Cop and traffic police displaying illegal drugs, fake bank notes, photos of road accidents as well as informative brochures on the departments.

Source: The Star Paper

New project in Dutamas

After the successful launch of Verdana North Kiara, we saw another reputable developer jumping on the bandwagon. It is known that IJM owned a land behind Menara Duta 2 beside Changkat View. And this week, there's massive land clearing going on.

Some photos i just took.

Based on the report available, IJM did proposed to build high-end luxury condominium. But due to the termination of the JV, possibly a new project will be taking in. At the moment, Jalan Dutamas Raya is the only road access serving few condominiums mainly Prima Duta, Prima Ria, Changkat View, Menara Duta 1& 2, Villa Makmur, Duta Ria, Sutramas, Anggunpuri, Mesra Terrace and Duta Ria. Not to forget, the popular French School which directly increase the density of population in this area.

And in the next couple of years, more condo will be built and includes recent launched Verdana which will ready in 2013-2014. Though there's plan by DBKL to link Jalan Segambut to Jalan Kiara 3 and my personal view is that, an increased of traffic will gonna further increased the congestion issue in Dutamas. I tried to search for more information regarding this project but to no avail. I hope they review this project by building townhouse, villa or probably less densed condo. Anyone with info, do share.

KL road closures and diversions around Kuala Lumpur

Source: The Sun Daily

THE following routes are affected in relation to the Bersih 2.0 rally scheduled for Saturday.

Road closures and diversions around Kuala Lumpur
Seremban to Kuala Lumpur / Jalan Istana Baru
Jalan Sungai Besi / Sungai Besi roundabout (Seremban to KL)
Sungai Besi roundabout
Jalan Sungai Besi / Pudu roundabout
Pudu roundabout / Jalan Pudu
Pudu roundabout / Jalan Pasar
Jalan Kajang / Sungai Besi roundabout
Jalan Chan Sow Lin / Jalan Tun Razak
Jalan Cochrane / Jalan Tun Razak (Jalan Pasar)
Jalan Tun Razak / Ezora Condominiums
Ezora Condominiums / Jalan Sultan Ismail Imbi turnoff
Kampung Pandan roundabout
Jalan Selatan
Jalan Tun Razak turnoff / Jalan Bukit Bintang
Tun Razak traffic lights / Jalan Bukit Bintang
Jalan Kampung Pandan / Flyover to PD92
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Kia Peng
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Eaton
Jalan Tun Razak / Persiaran Stonor
Jalan Tun Razak / Lorong Kuda
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Ampang turnoff (Esso)
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Ampang
Jalan Tun Razak / Megan Phileo
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Yap Kwan Seng
Jalan Tun Razak / KLCC tunnel
Jalan Tun Razak / Perkeso building
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz
Jalan Tun Razak / National Heart Institute parking
Jalan Tun Razak / National Heart Institute new building
Jalan Tun Razak / Kuala Lumpur Hospital field
Tun Razak turnoff / Jalan Pahang roundabout
Jalan Pahang roundabout
Jalan Genting-Klang / Jalan Pahang roundabout tunnel
Jalan Pekeliling / Pekeliling bus station
Pekeliling turnoff / Jalan Ipoh
Jalan Ipoh / Jalan Rahmat
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Tun Ismail
Jalan Tun Razak / Jalan Kuching turnoff
Jalan Tun Razak / PWTC turnoff (Maxwell school)
Jalan Tun Ismail / Jalan Kuching exit
Jalan Tun Ismail / Jalan Putra
Jalan Putra / Jalan Raja Laut
Jalan Pahang / Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz / Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Jalan Mahameru / Parliament turnoff
Jalan Duta / Jalan Parlimen turnoff
Jalan Mahameru / Parliament turnoff
Jalan Mahameru / Wisma Tani turnoff
Wisma Tani overhead bridge
Jalan Mahameru / Carcosa Seri Negara exit
Jalan Damansara turnoff / Jalan Travers
Jalan Bangsar / Jalan Travers
Jalan Travers / Jalan Damansara (Old Travers station)
Jalan KL Sentral / National Museum
Jalan Klang Lama / Federal Highway
Jalan Klang Lama / Salak Expressway (U-Turn)
Federal Highway / Jalan Syed Putra
Jalan Tun Sambathan / Jalan Sulaiman
Jalan Sulaiman (KTM old station)

New development around Dutamas

Besides the on going project of Matrade by NAZA and Solaris Dutamas, I heard rumours Sunway is in the process acquiring a land somewhere near the Kompleks Kerajaan. Anyone can verify this? I got this information from here. If it's true, we would expect billion of investment pouring in around Dutamas in the next 5 years.

And i think there's another development going to take off soon. It is situated between ICON Mont Kiara and Kensington Park, see here. Tips? Previous rumor was saying an interchange will be built. Was it still in the process of some other residential/commercial project in the pipeline?

Property price hike

I got this information from the website stated as above. Lately I'd received many sms stating a ready buyer interested in my units. To be surprised, the price offered is in the range of RM430k and above. A quick check in the iproperty also found out that most of the units for sale starts from the price of RM400K or 363psf. Just wondering anyone of you obtain a real transacted price. Any valuer from bank can verify this.

Those earlier investor who bought in from block A must laughing all the way to the bank as the margin had come close to 50% of the developer price (RM160 psf). But i don't think so there's that much of supply in the market right now to meet the demand.

Najib wants MRT project to take off by July

Here are some info I gathered. News on the plan, click here Greater KL

These are the proposed location MRT station. But i cant verify it.

1.Green Line (To East)

Sungai Boluh - Kepong - JinJang - Ipoh Road - ChawKit - KL City - Cheras Maluri - Connought - Kajang

2. Red Line (To West)
Sungai Buloh - Kota Damansara - Mutiara Damansara - Damansara - KL City - Cheras West (Orkit Height) - Balakong - Sri Kembangan

3. (KL City Circle Line)
5km radius in KL City, include Golden Triangle - KL Sentral - Bangsar - Midvalley - UM - Hartamas, etc

 

Solaris On The Park

I found this piece of info which i think its worth to share with all of you. The photo is courtesy of http://www.myrealestate.com.my/. It is quite shocking to know that actually Sunrise got another big project coming soon located beside the National Mosque KL. We have to admit that, the size of the land is not big for this proposed plan but nevertheless Sunrise is good in creating value on their project.

Click on the to get the actual site here Solaris on The Park Solaris On The Park proposed site. With the developement of NAZA Matrade, these both huge project will definitely increase more commercial activities in dutamas and drawing more crowd (investor) to this area. With that, the ultimate outcome will be the huge potential of nearby residential area.


Following are the proposed Solaris Dutamas Phase 2, Kuala Lumpur:
1) 2 blocks of 30-storey office towers
2) 2 blocks of 6-storey shop offices
3) 2 blocks of 8 to 12-storey shop office
4) 3 blocks of 10-12 storey service apartment
5) 1 block of 5 storey shopping mall
Client: Ibarat Duta Sdn Bhd ( Sunrise Berhad )
Project Cost: RM1.3 Billion

Plenitude to see RM400m in projects by FY2011

By Racheal Lee of The Edge Malaysia
Thursday, 28 October 2010 10:28

KUALA LUMPUR: Property developer Plenitude Bhd planned to launch seven projects — valued at about RM400 million in total — in its financial year ending June 30, 2011 (FY2011).

Speaking to a press conference on Thursday, Oct 28, chairman Elsie Chua said the launches were located at Taman Desa Tebrau in Johor, Taman Putra Prima in Selangor, Bandar Perdana and Lot 88 Perdana Heights in Sungai Petani. They are a mix of residential and commercial developments of landed and high-rise properties.

However, Chua declined to reveal the exact launching date.

"Everybody said the market is good, and there are many purchasers. It is a good sign, but many people forecast that 2012/2013 won't be a good period because the downturn will come again. This coming year is picking up, and it has been good since the beginning of this year," she added.

Plenitude currently has projects in Johor Bahru, Puchong, Sg Petani and Kuala Lumpur, with main developments being affordable houses, which pricing benchmark varies depending on locations.

Over the next two years, the developer will roll out the construction of a new township project in Balik Pulau in Penang, on a 52.63-acre freehold plot it recently acquired for RM40.12 million. As the company's first township in Penang, the mixed development has a gross development value of RM230 million and will comprise terrace houses, superlink homes and a neighbourhood commercial centre.

The company has an annual earnings and net profit growth target of 5% to 10%, which Chua said has been the trend for the past 10 years. She expects FY2011 to see similar growth, sustained by its ongoing township developments. Its dividend policy is 20% to 25% of its net profit.

Plenitude's net cash position now stands at RM325 million, and it is looking to acquire more landbanks in Klang Valley for both township and niche developments. Currently, the developer has a landbank of 1,800 acres, which can last for at least 10 years.

Plenitude has also been looking for overseas projects in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos but nothing is concrete.

PM to launch majestic Matrade project in Nov

 More interesting news to share with interesting photo...

Article by CT Print
Courtesy of TnT Exclusive

News that the Naza brothers are to finalize their exit from Jetson soon (Star, Thurs 23 Sept) is poised to set the property-construction industry ablaze with excitement as expectations rise that Naza-TTDI is now able to finally set a date for the launch of the megalith and magical MATRADE project.

Sources have told us at TnT that the Prime Minister himself has consented to a date in November for the launch event of the year.

We are placing a wager that the momentous event will be held on Thursday, the 11th of November.

The MATRADE development will see the Naza-TTDI undertaking the construction, including planning and design, of an RM800 million expo centre off Jalan Duta, which will include world-class infrastructure to take in the biggest and longest exhibitions anyone dares to organize.

The project will also include construction of several mega-towers on an 63 acre land that was swapped with the government under of the largest of PFI (private financed initiative) deals.

This week's Pemandu road show confirms that part of the so-called greater KL redevelopment will include MATRADE, the US$5 billion Sungai Besi redevelopment projects, and the RM10 billion UDA-led Pudu redevelopment. This is in addition to the 1 Malaysia Financial District that is to take shape around the Jalan Imbi-Tun Razak area, which used to house colonial era government quarters. The 1MFD is to complement the Sungai Besi development, and Tnt has been made to understand that it will be the most likely project to launch as early as next year after Matrade.

These projects are the first under the government's RM1.3 trillion or US$444 billion Economic Transformation Program that will see Malaysia achieved developed status by year 2020.

Under our radar for some time now, the next Taikor (look out for our Taikor watch) and his sibling could be our own ‘boys to men’ fairy tale. Having had to take over the reigns of Naza on the premature demise of the family patron Tan Sri Nasimuddin Amin, the brothers are finally carving their own niches.

The MATRADE project is a major addition to the Naza-TTDI's on-going Platinum Park Project along one of KL’s most expensive realty, Jalan Stonor. The ground-breaking ceremony for the Platinum project was also officiated by Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak

The two Naza brothers have along the way acquired a 33% stake in Jetson (Kumpulan Jetson Berhad) in a move analysts and market observers saw as a statement of intent by the brothers to start making their mark. They had bought their shares ion Jetson from the company's co-founders - Isnin Rahim (then chairman and executive director) and brothers Teh (group managing director) and Tee Keng Kok (executive director), among others.

According to sources quoted by the Star, the Naza brothers decided to exit Jetson in view of some "unsettled financial issues" facing Jetson. It was learned that the brothers have been approached by suitors hoping to take Jetson's place. Among them are foreign players.

Meanwhile, the industry will also be celebrating UDA's 40th anniversary (next year) with a big bang. The redevelopment of the former Pudu Jail site by UDA will herald the return of the entity that was behind the development of Bukit Bintang and the sprawling Bandar Tun Hussein.

UDA was launched in 1971 by Tun Abdul Razak, and is currently under Chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, son of former Information Minister Tan Sri Mohamed Rahmat, a well supported man in UMNO.

The former Pudu Jail site, along with the Sungai Besi Airbase, slated for urban renewal under 1 Malaysia Development Berhad will certainly create a greater landscape that is set to propel KL further. 1MDB is headed by CEO Shahrol Azral, the son of a fireman who rose through the ranks from his days as an executive partner in the dynamic Accenture group.

The one thing that stands out in this greater Kl expansion is that it is spearheaded by young capable Malaysians, and the future it brings along with it makes it all the more interesting for us to keep watch on.

New Matrade Expo Centre by 2014

Is not a latest news but at least to confirm what's going on with NAZA. They had has terminated the shareholders agreement with Kumpulan Jetson Bhd to build a new trade exhibition centre for the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) on a joint-venture basis. This is due to dispute on certain commercial terms relating to the project cost. But the project still on.

Anyhow, pls continue to read New Matrade Expo Centre by 2014 courtesy of Hartamas Regency Condo.

Good news from JMB ( Available parking lot for rent)

I know some of you (including myself) had waited this for quite some time. Especially those who had more than 1 car than their own allocated parking lot. JMB have decided to rent out total of  77 car park bays located in level 1 starting 1st October 2010. However there are terms and conditions applied before owners storm to management office tomorrow morning.

Requirements:
1) First come first serve basis
2) One parking bay for each condominium unit
3) No outstanding in the maintenance account (I like this!)

Rental: RM150/month (to be paid 6 months in advance) wow...
Available date: 1st October 2010
Tenancy: 6 months
Deposits: 1 month rental plus RM 50 for access card and sticker

It is stated clearly that those interested are advised to check on the rental starting 1st October 2010. So I don't think you can start queuing at the management office before the date. Assuming on the first month itself, if all bays are able to rent out, so we're looking at total of RM73,150 of money collected that can channel to building fund.

Try to imagine with that amount of money, variety of services can be upgraded including the previous proposed plan. I'm positive that we can foreseen better facilities in the future.

Segambut woes Part II

Not less crime, just fewer reports
As for the crime rate, not a day passes without a break-in, snatch theft or robbery sullying his constituency. Lim pours scorn on KL chief of police Muhammad Sabtu Osman's report of a 30% drop in the KL crime rate during the first two months of this year. “It's not the crime rate that has fallen but the number of police reports made because people have lost confidence in the police,” Lim opined. “And the crime rate in Segambut is solely the government's doing.” According to Lim, certain plots of land in Segambut which belong to the ministry and DBKL were once earmarked as sites for police stations. One plot is in Sri Hartamas and the other in Sri Sinar. The former now functions as a hawker centre while a badminton court and hypermarket sit on the latter.
 

“I confronted the former minister about this and he admitted that the sites were meant for police stations,” Lim said. “He told me that neither the police nor the government had funds to build one so rather than leave the land vacant, they decided to sublet it to generate income. This is the nonsense that's going on.” “I've also repeatedly asked Bukit Aman and the Home Ministry to set up mobile police stations or even pondok polis in the area but nothing has been done. The only development has been in Taman Sri Sinar where a police officer begged me to ask Bukit Aman to send more personnel to his station.” “Apparently, he is the only officer on duty during the day and is obviously unable to be at two crime scenes at one time. I put in the complaint and two officers have since been sent over. But the rest of the police stations in my constituency are severely understaffed.”

Forging ahead
Aside from putting pressure on the authorities, Lim also has two ideas which he believes would reduce the crime rate in Segambut. The first involves the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at 1km intervals. He has already submitted this proposal to the government only to have it shot down due to the projected high cost.

But Lim is undeterred; he is pressing forward with his second proposal: setting up an official Neighbourhood Watch. This would be different from the Rukun Tetangga, which he called a “failed project”. Even so, there was a hint of pride in his voice when he said that Malaysia's first Rukun Tetangga (RT) was set up in Segambut. But then his tone changed as he added that the centre is now locked up. “The RT people in Segambut are all from BN,” he said. “And since the government allocates RM600 a month to maintain and run an active RT centre, they hold a function there once a month and then lock it up again.” On his Neighbourhood Watch idea, Lim explained that it would require residents to contribute a certain sum to the Residents' Association for the hiring of guards to be stationed at each entry point into the residential area. This initiative is already in full swing in his residential area. “Some 90% of the residents are in favour but the 10% – who are senior citizens – can overturn the whole project,” he said. “In Taman Tun Dr Ismail, the senior citizens hated the guards monitoring the comings and goings of their guests, so they complained to DBKL and Bukit Aman and that was the end of it.” 

Government agency
While on the subject of government agencies, he was quick to commend DBKL and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) for their services. “Not many MPs say this but I am actually happy with DBKL,” he said. “I can honestly say that out of 10 complaints, it has resolved eight. The two unresolved ones could be due to political intervention or a genuine lack of resources.” “As for Syabas, it is the best government agency I have worked with. I would even call it superb! It responds to every single complaint with a report of its investigations and the action it will take and resolves the problem within 12 hours. If all government agencies followed suit, there would be many very happy MPs and constituents.”

Segambut woes

Part I

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com (By Stephanie Sta Maria)

SPECIAL REPORT ON KL Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng has been issued an ultimatum by his constituents -- either relieve Jalan Segambut of its snarling rush-hour traffic or prepare to be relieved of his seat during the next general election. It's a tall order for the first-term MP and he knows it. The perpetually congested Jalan Segambut is traversed by about 50,000 residents not just from within the constituency but also from neighbouring ones, who use it a shortcut to the city and Petaling Jaya. The already nightmarish traffic flow is further worsened by multiple roads converging into a single lane and traffic lights that confuse motorists. “I've witnessed it myself and it's terrible!” Lim nodded. “Some residents have to leave their houses as early as 6am to avoid the chaos and if they're late, the consequences include a one-hour crawl to cover a mere 100 metres.”

The solution lies in the form of a RM95 million road expansion project by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) that spans 4km and is split into two phases. The first 1.4km phase involves transforming the current single-lane road into a dual carriageway and building a flyover intersection at Jalan Segambut and the SPPK junction. It is a light at the end of the tunnel but one that irate residents have been waiting to glimpse for a decade now. Patience has been wearing thin and reached breaking point when the project appeared to face yet another delay early this year. Kuala Lumpur mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail has asked residents not to lose faith just yet and gave his assurance that the project would start as soon as DBKL receives funding approval from the Economic Planning Unit. But this has done little to pacify Lim. “The delay in itself is unacceptable.” he asserted. “And I blame it on the former KL mayor Abdul Hakim Borhan and former Federal Territories minister Zulhasnan Rafique. They completely messed it up.”

Since taking office, Lim has been deluged with complaints from his constituents who “don't care which side you're on or how you do it but you better solve this issue fast”. Taking heed, he asked DBKL for a temporary solution, to widen the 100-m stretch from the Jalan Segambut-Jalan Jambu Mawar junction to ease the traffic bottleneck there. That request, along with three letters to the current Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin on the issue, has been met with stony silence. But Lim refrained from blaming Ahmad Fuad. “I have to give credit where it is due,” he said. “Ahmad Fuad is a good guy and is trying his best to work with us but there are hidden hands holding him back.” And here, he made no attempt to hide exactly to whom those hidden hands belonged. “Raja Nong Chik is an Umno stooge and he's ignoring Segambut because it's not under the Umno banner.

Since taking office, he hasn't attended any of the quarterly meetings among the KL MPs. Instead, he said that he's had discussions with Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, which should suffice. But what does Khalid have to do with KL?” “Instead of spending time with KL MPs to understand and help fix the city's issues, he is busy bullying the Lembah Pantai MP (Nurul Izzah Anwar). It's very clear that he is only interested in snatching back Lembah Pantai for his party.”

Lim is also frustrated over the limited communication channels which, he said, had prevented him from properly explaining the situation to his constituents. Being an opposition member, he said, meant less access to the mainstream media, which has led him to turned to social media instead. “Unfortunately, this has only reached 20% of my constituents,” he noted ruefully. “The rest are still very upset with me over what they see as non-action. As far as they are concerned, they gave an opposition member a chance in a BN stronghold and nothing has changed.” And then he unexpectedly delivered a sharp rebuke to the latter group, calling them “selfish” and “insular”. “They don't care about the crime rate or flash floods in the city, they just want their issue solved,” he said. “It's understandable but there is a bigger picture here. There are innocent people dying in police custody. And squatters who have been waiting for a new home for 20 years. So don't come down hard on me over a road.”

A squatter dilemma
Traffic congestion is only the tip of the Segambut's woes. The other two issues trailing it are the squatter situation and the rising crime rate. While Lim is counting his lucky stars that the squatter issue in Segambut is nowhere near as serious as that in Lembah Pantai or Titiwangsa, he is also scratching his head over an unusual quandary. “The squatters in Segambut are confined to two areas – Kampung Sungai Penchala and Kampung Segambut Dalam,” he said. “Almost all are illegal immigrants who have set up longhouses in the hillside and back lanes.” The irony, he explained, is that the local residents are happy to live alongside them and have even asked Lim to leave the squatters alone because they are “good people”. Lim expressed admiration for their benevolence, but added that he could not turn a blind eye towards what he considers a potentially serious issue. Already, the squatters have integrated themselves into the community by setting up their own sundry shops and eateries by the road. “It almost seems like KL is an outlaw country!” said Lim. “I don't want Segambut to be a small-scale Sabah where half the population are foreigners. So every quarter of the year, I file a complaint with immigration, the police and DBKL. And here's where it gets interesting.”

“The police will conduct a raid in the morning, detain the squatters and release them by evening. It has become a routine. These days I feel reluctant to lodge a report because I'm merely creating an opportunity for the authorities to... you know what I mean.”

Stay connected for Part II...

Is KL Street crime really down by 45 per cent?

Dear all,

An interesting article to share:

By Elizabeth Zachariah, 22/7/2010

KUALA LUMPUR: The Rakan Cop programme has proved its worth with the ordinary man on the street by helping KL police to reduce street crime by at least 45 per cent in the first six months of this year. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said 2,819 cases had been reported between January and June, this year compared with more thanover 5,000 cases during the same period last year. “This proves that the proactive efforts and interactive relationship between members of the public and the police have been fruitful,” he said at the launch of Rakan Cop with the Federal Territory Taxi Drivers and Operators Association on Tuesday.

He said taxi drivers played a crucial role in helping police fight crime as they had access to information on crime that had just happened. He said they could become the “eyes and ears” of police. However, KL police chief Deputy Commissioner of Police Datuk Wira Muhammad Sabtu Osman said only 7,000 of the 27,000 taxis in the city were equipped with radios. “I hope more taxis will be fitted with radios, ” he said, adding that the radios could help police disseminate information easily to taxi the drivers more efficiently. He said it was hard for the 7,000 police personnel to do their job because there were to cover the 4½ million residents in the city, including 2 million immigrants. “That is why we need the co-operation of the public to help us combat crime, especially street crime,” he said.

Sabtu said there were 364,152 Rakan Cop members nationwide, including 84,878 members here.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles