Indonesian lawmaker apologises for haze situation
Indonesian Member of Parliament (MP) Hamdhani Mukhdar Said has apologised to Malaysia for the current haze situation. He said that the annual haze was not intentional but was caused by droughts that affected parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Hamdhani, who is in charge of environment and international relations, said the issues would be raised with the Indonesian parliament to deal with the haze situation. The Indonesian government has allocated US$1 million (RM4.35 million) to help with the peat and forest fires. The dry spell is further acerbated by extensive forest clearing for oil palm plantations in Indonesia. (The Malay Mail Online)
Boustead sells Kulaijaya land to YTL for RM60mil
Boustead Plantations is disposing of six parcels of freehold land totalling 104.4ha in Kualaijaya, Johor to YTL Cement Bhd for RM60.67 million cash. The plantation group estimates a gain of RM52.37 million from the land sale, equal to about 3.3 sen per share for FY15. The sale of the land was carried out in two parts, the first deal being the disposal of three parcels of land amounting to 52.69ha for RM30.06 million, and the second deal of quarry lands for RM30.61 million. The group expects the deal to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2015. (The Edge Markets)
OSK fails to take over PJD
OSK Holdings Bhd proposed takeover of PJ Development Holdings Bhd (PJD) has fallen through, as OSK only holds 89.36% of PJD at the close of the offer yesterday. 90% shareholder acceptance is required to privatise the company. Earlier this year, OSK Holdings’ largest shareholder Tan Sri Ong Leong Huat had planned to take over OSK Property Holdings Bhd and PJD in a merger to diversify its business portfolio, particularly in the property sector. In a separate filing, OSK Property Holdings counter will be suspended from October 22, 2015 as its public shareholding spread (5.92%) is less than 10% of the total OSK Property Shares in issue. (The Malaysian Insider)
Chua: Report errant real estate negotiators to BOVAEA
Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Chua Tee Yong said that complaints against unethical real estate agents and negotiators should be brought up with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers and Estate Agents (BOVAEA), and that 30 to 40 cases of unethical practices were reported fortnightly. Many cases could be resolved by a managing committee, and the public needed to know that action would be taken against irresponsible agents. The board would refer to the police if the issue involved illegal real estate agents. Chua noted that as many as 90% of court cases were related to agent issues, including not returning deposits or property misrepresentation. (The Star Online)
EKVE project encroaching onto gazetted forest reserve land
The planned East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) project will encroach onto gazetted land, reflecting a failure in governance. A Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM) member said that the project will jeopardise the integrity of the Ampang Forest Reserve and by extension the Selangor State Park. She said it was important to understand and respect the integrity of natural systems and for basic sustainable development principles. Despite thousands of objections, including those from residents and environmental groups such as WWF Malaysia, Treat Every Environment Special and the Malaysian Nature Society, the Selangor state authorities have decided in favour of the expressway. (The Star Online)
Impending encroachment: An aerial view of the Ampang Forest Reserve with markings showing the proposed alignment of the EKVE. Parts of the Hulu Langat, Gombak, Ampang and Bukit Sungei Puteh are suggested for degazettement to make way for the highway. — Filepic from The Star Online
Football match halted as fans throw smokebombs onto pitch
Malaysia’s fourth match in the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup qualifying campaign against Saudi Arabia at the Shah Alam Stadium last night was brought to a halt due to smoke bombs thrown by fans onto the pitch. The match referee had to direct all players into the changing rooms in the 88th minute after a group of football fans started to throw smoke bombs and firecrackers onto the field. The match was stopped for 30 minutes, and latest announced to be officially abandoned. (Bernama)
