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SK Tamil Rawang new building already cracking

January 6th, 2010
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Well, why doesn’t this kind of news surprise us anymore? Kind of resigned to hear buildings cracking and roofs falling down nowadays.

THE SK Tamil Rawang Parents Teachers Association (PTA) is concerned over cracks appearing in the new four-storey school building despite it being only half-completed.

PTA chairman C. Paramasivam questioned the safety of the new building, and some of its facilities.

He said the gutter on the fourth floor of the building, and the drainpipe leading from it were too small to accommodate the large volume of water during a heavy downpour.

“Eventually, the centre of the building will give way and the roof will collapse.

“There is also a problem of stagnant water on all the floors,” he said, adding that they were worried over the safety of the pupils.

“There is also evidence of water leaking through the ceiling fan point,” he said.

Teacher Paskaran Krishnan, who is also the school warden, said he had organised a programme in the building about two weeks ago but found water leaking through the ceiling fan point during a heavy downpour.

“This happened even though the building has not been officially launched yet. After we lodged complaints, it was repaired.

“I hope the contractor will do a proper job and ensure there will not be any mishap in the future,” he said.

An electrical contractor who was in the school but did not want to be named, admitted that water had been coming down from one of the ceiling fan points and he had had to repair it.

Paramasivam added that the cement flooring was of poor quality and there were several cracks which had been patched up by the contractor.

“When I walk along the corridor, I can feel that the floor is not really solid and hear the hollow sound.

“If, say, it were hit hard by a table or chair, it might crack.

“There are also signs of the cement flooring cracking although the premises has not been used by the teachers and children,” he said.

Paramasivam hoped those responsible would ensure that the building was completed according to specifications before it was handed over to the school.

The school is the only Tamil school in Rawang that can accommodate 1,600 pupils.

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Another battle that goes to court

January 6th, 2010
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While most Malaysian are focused on the case between Herald and Home Ministry, another dispute is taking place, this one being between employer and employee. Hopefully the employees get a good deal.

The dispute over wages and terms and conditions of employment between the Malayan Agriculture Association and National Union of Plantation Workers will be decided in court.
This followed the collapse of their 2008-2011 collective agreement negotiation last year.

Union executive secretary A. Navamukundan said the matter was conciliated by the director-general of the Industrial Relations Department and the Human Resources Minister, but a settlement was not possible.

“The Minister then referred the matter to the Industrial Court,” he said.

Hearing on the dispute was fixed for two days since yesterday. A. Ramadas is appearing for the association while Ragunath Kesavan is representing the union.

Industrial Court chairman Amelia Tee Hong Geok Abdullah and two panel members last month went on a field visit to the West Estate in Carey Island, Klang.

The collective agreement will decide the benefits of 75,000 plantation workers nationwide like palm oil mill workers, supervisors and loaders.

The union, in its proposal, is seeking reforms in the payment system and a quantum of increase that reflected a “living wage” that the government is promoting.

The association, meanwhile, said its salary adjustment and other benefits were based on prevailing economic conditions.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia

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Selangor MB worried about Tamil schools UPSR results

January 5th, 2010
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Worrying is good start, dear MB. Question now is, what’s next? How about yearly allocation of RM10 million and land allocation/conversion for 5 schools per year?

About 45% of Tamil School pupils in Selangor do not fare well in the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) examination and this was something that had the state government worried, said Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

He said this could be due to a lack of support from parents who were mainly in the lower income group or the absence of an effective mechanism to help them achieve better performance.

He said this when handing over financial aid from the state government to Tamil schools at the Selangor state secretariat building here on Tuesday.

At the function, 31 Tamil schools received financial aid totalling RM704,000 while Parent-Teacher Associations of Tamil schools received a total of RM508,000 in aid.

Khalid said there were 97 Tamil schools with an enrolment of 34,000 pupils in Selangor and that 80% of the pupils came from families in the lower income group. — Bernama

The funds given (704k/31 schools) is about RM22,710 per school.  If same number of PTAs got the 508k allocation (508k/31 = RM16,387), then its RM39,097 per school. Not sure how that amount can help the schools.

Its clear that Tamil school problem needs a massive and immediate action from the Education Ministry and state governments in terms of financial allocation, land procurement, school relocation, and school status conversion, but it had not been happening as fast as it should be. Instead, its worse than snail’s pace.

In spite of all the shortcomings and problems faced by Tamil schools, 55% have done well in UPSR. That’s something to ponder about. And given the effort by the schools, parents, community and NGOs, hopefully the percentage increases year after year.

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Posted in Indian, Tamil-Schools

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If it was not a church but…

January 5th, 2010
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I couldn’t help but wonder, if this was not a church/tokong/temple/gurdwara but you-know-what, would the outcome be different? Maybe the land would have been gazetted, allocations provided, and grand officiating ceremony performed. Hmm…

Temerloh High Court Tuesday dismissed the application by two orang asli who sought a judicial review of the decision by a local district and land office which had cut off water and electricity supply to a multi-purpose building that was also used as a place of worship by 70 Jahut Christians in Kampung Pasu.

Judicial Commissioner Justice Akhtar Tahir said that the decision to cut the water and electricity supply was proper because the building was illegally erected.

He added that under Section 6 and 7 of the Aborigines Act, the state authority was empowered to gazette an area as orang asli reserve land.

“However, in this case, the land or area is not gazetted for the orang asli and as such, the application is dismissed.

”The decision made by the Temerloh District Land Administrator is proper,” Justice Akhtar said.

The judicial review was initiatied by father and son, Wet Ket, 59, and Yaman Wet, 33, who named Temerloh district and land office and Pahang government as respondents.

They filed the application in December 2007.

Senior federal counsel Kamal Azira Hassan represented the respondents while counsel Annou Xavier and Kenny Ng appeared on behalf of Wet and Yaman.

The applicants were accompanied by 10 people in the court here Tuesday.

In July 2003, the applicants erected the building, which was also used as a church by the Jahut Christians.

They, however, received a notice by the district office at the end of July stating that the building was illegally built on government land.

In Dec 2006, Wet and Yaman lodged a police report and complained to the Government and following some negotiations, they were given a compensation of RM35,000 to rebuild the place.

Their application for water and electricity was, however, rejected by the Temerloh district and land office on the grounds that it was erected on an ungazetted land while the building was constructed without the approval from the authorities.

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Posted in BornInMalaysia, Religion

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Tamil movies 2009

December 31st, 2009
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2009 saw the release of some interesting Tamil movies, but that’s usual for an industry that spews out movies non-stop.

I managed to catch some of the movies and present a very, very short report of those movies., in alphabetical order.

Aadhavan – Surya’s second release of the year. Not so strong as Ayan, since it had a similar story track. The songs and action scenes are OK, but the main plus point is comedy track with Vadivelu and sidekicks. Oh, and of course a better looking Nayanthara.

Achchamundu! Achchamundu! – A story tributed to the sexual abuse cases that is happening in India and elsewhere, but funnily, the story takes place in US. Prasanna and Sneha act as a couple with a kid. The movie is quite short, and the ending predictable. Nevertheless, it’s a bit different from the run-of-the-mill stuff normally found in Tamil movies.

Ayan – One of the top movies for 2009. Glamour, sophistication, comedy, songs, scenery. Surya scores a hit in this movie. The storyline focuses on smuggling and piracy industry. Heroine Tammana had nothing much to do, other than the usual heroine stuff.

Eeram – Another movie with good reviews from the public. Seldom does a horror movie manage to enthrall the audience. The actors Adhi (his second movie I think), Sindhu Menon, Saranya and Nanda performed well. The director also made use of the water and color elements creatively throughout the movie.  The plot is about a revengeful spirit that kills those people that caused its death. The investigating police officer was ex-lover of the ghost.

Kandaswamy – One of the highly anticipated and underachieving movie for 2009. I’m still undivided if this is comedy or action movie. Kids seem to enjoy the rooster routine, while youths enjoy Shreya scenes. Songs were catchy, but Vikram’s role is wasted here.

Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum – Another movie based on love, this time with actors who are not famous (yet), Ramakrishnan and Tananya (she’s a med student in real life). Set in typical village setting. Sad story but lovely song or two. Not suitable to watch if you want to relax or have a fun time.

Malai Malai – Prabhu’s getting some decent roles in his twilight years. Acted well in Ayan, but average in this movie. There’s Vedika for eye candy, and hero is Vijay Kumar’s son Arun Kumar. Story is normal love+action+ rowdy stuff. Some nice songs. Watch if you have nothing much to do or  ardent fan of Arun or Vedika.

Maasilamani – Well, what can you say – Nakul movie. Style, dance, dialogues – usual stuff. Famous for its songs, but nothing much on the acting. Again, watch this if very free.

Modhi Vilayadu –  I had high expectation for this movie, and boy, was I disappointed big time! Vinay and his funny voice was irritating. Kalabavan Mani was at his usual crazy antic stuff. Heroine Kajal Aggarwal was the standard eye candy. She was OK in Arjun’s Bommalattam, but not in this movie. Story is about a rich businessmen who raises an orphan as his own son, and his own son as the “pretend” son’s friend.  Reason? To protect his real son from any harm from business rivals or bad guys. Too bad, the real son actually dies when assassin attacks. How the “pretend” son handles the truth forms the rest of the story. Skip this if can.

Newtonin Moondram Vidhi – A different fare from SJ Surya. Its about a lover’s revenge with the clock ticking away. Can’t really remember the heroine. Story has some loopholes and the ending was copied from English movie, if I’m not mistaken.

Nadodigal – The scenes where the friends help the girl to escape from the parents is still vivid in my mind. One can empathise with the guys (one who broke his leg and the other who went deaf). A different take, but probably the acting skills could have been better. A must watch movie.

Pasanga – a different story indeed, focusing on children rivalry, a funny love story and a friendship between two families. Vega Tamotia’s second movie after Saroja (She’s a model and resides in Australia it seems). May not be your cup of tea, but I enjoyed this movie.

Pokkisham – Another good movie from Cheran, with one of his (and my) favorite actress, Padmapriya. Tale of love in the 1970s between an Hindu guy and Muslim girl. Sad story, told in flashback. Worth watching during those nostalgic moments.

Sarvam – Directed by Vishnuvardhan, so you think it will be a wee bit different at least. And it was. A wee bit different. Guy loves girl routine, but girl dies. Heart donated to a small boy. And someone is planning to kill the small boy. Our hero turns protector to protect his love’s heart. Arya and Trisha star in this movie. The movie had potential, but somehow fails to deliver. I wasn’t particularly enthralled with this effort. And yeah, Maestro sang a song for this movie.

Siva Manasule Sakthi – Entertaining love story between a delivery guy and a Radio RJ. Movie is corny, irritating, and even funny, but I enjoyed watching it. Ending was a bit unexpected. Stars Jeeva and new actress Anuya. Movie turned out to be hit as well.

Thoranai – Strictly for Shreya fans. Co-stars Vishal. Enough said.

Unnaipol Oruvan – Another of the highly anticipated movie for 2009 due to the actor – Kamal Haasan. A movie with no duets or songs, no heroine (well, there’s the chain-smoking reporter Anuja Iyer). Well taken movie, crisp, direct and great dialogues as expected of Kamal movies. Mohanlal acts as police officer. Story is about terrorism. Its adapted from the Hindi movie A Wednesday.

Vedigundu Murugesan – A super comedy movie starring Pasupathy (Veyyil, Kuselan). It’s about a poor guy who sells water to shops, and his brush with some local bad guys. Love comes in the form of local police constable Jothirmayi. A funny movie.

Villu – strictly for Nayanthara’s fans. And Vadivelu’s too. It also stars actors like Vijay. Some nice songs and scenery. Don’t ask about the rest, I barely paid attention.

Yavarum Nalam – A ghost story starring Madhavan! I think its a remake, but not sure. Its about a family that moves into an apartment. Later things that happen on a TV show depicts the real things the family goes through. A scared Madhavan investigates and story unfolds. A bit slow moving and short movie.I kind of enjoyed it because it was not the typical story. Watchable.

Movies I have not seen yet:

Adhe Neram Adhe Idam
A Aa E Ee
Ananda Thandavam (heard this is a good one)
Laadam
Naan Avan Illai 2
Naan Kadavul (heard this is a good one)
Ninaithale Inikkum (stars are Prithvi Raj and Priyamani – two of my favorite actors)
Padikathavan (heard this is a good one)
Peranmai (heard this is a good one)
TN 07 AL 4777 (remake from English movie?)
Vaamanan (heard this is a good one)
Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu
Vetaikkaran (been asked to avoid this)

My vote for best actors for 2009 (s0 far): Kamal, Santhanam, Cheran, Padmapriya, Surya, Nayanthara, Jeeva, Vega Tamotia, Tananya.

List of movies for 2009 can be viewed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_films_of_2009

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Posted in Indian, Movies