MORE PICS – Massive LANDSLIDE – 231.9 Km N-S Expressway- 1 South Lane closed; Federal Road between Padang Rengas & Bukit Gantang Closed; No Causality

Malaysiakini would have an interest in this landslide if there are massive causalities but news that matter now is the coming Hindraf Demo this Sunday with stories On
Police roadblocks jam up roads, again and
Hindraf rally: American group lends support with
Malaysiakini.tv still On Lingam gives evidence on brother's insanity
UPDATE: Nov 23 07, from NST

Landslide causes traffic snarl on expressway

ABOVE: Lorry swept from the adjacent Federal Road to the N-S Expressway

KUALA KANGSAR: A landslide along the North-South Expressway near here caused a massive traffic snarl which stretched for more than five kilometres yesterday. A 10-tonne lorry was badly damaged after it was hit by tonnes of earth, trees and vegetation in the 10am incident along Federal Route 1 at Km231.6 of the NSE. "The lorry driver, 56-year-old Tay Hock Kee, was extremely lucky as he escaped with minor injuries," said Kuala Kangsar district police chief Supt Zakaria Pagan. Tay was on his way from Trong, in Taiping, to a cement factory nearby when the slope suddenly gave way causing tonnes of earth to smash into his sand-laden lorry. "Luckily, another lorry managed to stop in time," Zakaria said at the scene yesterday. Both lanes of the trunk road were covered with earth and tree trunks while Tay's lorry landed on its side on the southbound lane of the expressway. Due to this, both the trunk road and expressway had to be closed to traffic and a contra flow was activated on the remaining lane.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali visited the site. Meanwhile, state Public Works Department director Datuk Wong Wai Ching said the landslide was caused by water which overflowed from two fish ponds situated at the top of the slope. Initial findings revealed that the downpour over the past two days might have caused the bunds to break.

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November 22, 2007 19:56 PM
Mudslide Causes Jalan Kuala Kangsar-Taiping To Be Closed

KUALA KANGSAR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Jalan Kuala Kangsar-Taiping between Padang Rengas and Bukit Gantang has been closed to all traffic as result of a major mudslide which happened near a cement factory in the area today. No casualties were reported although a lorry was dragged away by the falling debris. Its driver was reported to have jumped away in the nick of time. Kuala Kangsar police chief Supt Zakaria Pagan said the mudslide happened all of a sudden at 10am and even dragged the lorry onto the North-South Highway running parallel. The weather was also fine at the time of the incident.

Zakaria told Bernama that police investigations showed only the lorry fell victim while another laden with sand behind it managed to stop in time. Personnel from the highway concessionaire and the Public Works Department immediately swung into action to clear the debris, which also caused a south-bound lane at Km231.6 of the North-South Highway to be closed. Zakaria advised motorists to heed instructions from policemen controlling traffic in the area. Taiping and Kuala Kangsar have been experiencing heavy rain since the last two days. Yesterday, low-lying areas in Kampung Talang Hulu and Kota Lama here were hit by flash floods. Two houses located on the banks of the Perak River were washed away.

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ABOVE: Location of Landslide at 64km Kuala Kangsa-Taiping Federal Highway (insert the unlucky lorry with a lucky driver) and BELOW - the Spot next to the N-S express way. NOTE: The Landslide is massive on the other side of the Federal Road which is not shown. What we see is the tail end of the landslied from the N-S expressway.

November 22, 2007 15:28 PM

Kuala Kangsar-Taiping Road Closed Due To Landslide

ABOVE: Supt Telling stories how it happened, he did not see it but reconstruct what happened after interviewing the lorry driver

KUALA KANGSAR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Jalan Kuala Kangsar-Taiping has been closed to all traffic following a landslide at 10am today. Kuala Kangsar police chief Supt Zakaria Pagan (ABOVE) said a lorry driver cheated death when he was caught by the landslide at Bukit Berapit near here. The lorry driver, in his 40s, made a miraculous escape after his lorry was swept away by the landslide.” The landslide happened so fast.

ABOVE:The back of the loory and: BELOW the front view of the submerged lorry.

The lorry was swept to the North-South highway next to the federal road. The weather was fine at that time," he added. The lorry was the only vehicle trapped by the landslide. A lorry laden with sand which was following behind managed to brake just in time.

ABOVE & BELOW: The fallen trees in the hillsope

Zakaria said Jalan Ipoh-Kuala Kangsar was also closed to all traffic to allow cleaning work by the Public Works Department and PLUS. It is closed at Padang Rengas from the south and at Bukit Gantang from the north. One south-bound lane at 231.6 KM has also been closed.

ABOVE & BELOW: The VIP crowd were the first to be briefed and wanted to be first to know. As Head of State Government he must showed his concern just like the Collapse of the RM4.5 M building in Tasek Banding, Grik

ABOVE: MB Perak Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli explaining what should be done AFTER what happened.

Zakaria urged motorists to abide by the directions given by police. Kuala Kangsar district has experienced heavy rainfall since two days ago, flooding several low-lying areas including Kampung Talang Hulu and Kota Lama. Two houses also collapsed when the river bank gave way.

ABOVE: Samy Vellu , the Works Minister in Parliament lobby n with his usual "act of God" reply and "a through investigation"

Meanwhile in KUALA LUMPUR, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu (ABOVE) has asked the ministry's Slope Engineering Division to investigate the landslide. He said the director and several engineering officers had been dispatched to the scene by helicopter to check out the situation. "I have asked for a full investigation to find out what had caused the landslide," he told reporters at the parliament lobby. Samy Vellu said the landslide could be due to heavy rainfall over two days and land clearing on a hill nearby.

ABOVE: After clearing the immediate debris & (BELOW) carting them away, traffic as usual on the N-S Expressway

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= == and MORE threats from the Polis

November 22, 2007 20:11 PM
Illegal Assembly Will Harm National Economy, Says IGP

MELAKA, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- The planned illegal assembly on Sunday by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) is merely to stage a street protest that will harm the national economy. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan (ABOVE) said Hindraf had ulterior motive in holding the assembly, taking the cue from the Nov 10 street march staged by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) in collaboration with opposition parties. "To me, the illegal assembly will not only undermine internal security but also jeopardise the national economy. "Are they trying to show (to the world) that this country is in disarray, this is not right," he told reporters when responding to the protest gathering at the British High Commission at Jalan Ampang on Sunday. The gathering is to submit a petition with 100,000 signatures to Queen Elizabeth II to appoint a Queen's Counsel to represent the Indian community in a class action suit against the British government for bringing Indians as labourers to the then Malaya and thereafter exploiting them. The suit, filed at the Royal Courts of Justice in London by Hindraf chief P. Wathyamoorthy in August, sought compensation of up to US$4 trillion (RM13.5 trillion), or US$1 million (RM3.4 million) for every Indian in Malaysia.

Musa advised the people to stay away from the gathering as police would take stern action against the protesters. Musa said based on the information he had received, Hindraf was fanning sensitivities of other races which may lead to racial clashes. "I understand undesirable elements will be used," he said.

The country's top cop also said children are barred from participating in the assembly and parents risk being charged in court if their children were caught attending the gathering. Under the Child Act 2001, children should not be manipulated for unlawful activities, he added.

In KUALA LUMPUR, City Police chief Datuk Zul Hasnan Najib( ABOVE) Baharuddin urged the public to steer clear of the gathering as no permit has been given by the police, rendering it illegal. He said Hindraf's second appeal to him for a police permit was rejected as police intelligence showed racial issues and sensitivities of other races that could harm prevailing racial harmony would be highlighted at the assembly. "We fear the gathering will spark racial friction leading to more serious crimes," he told a press conference. Zul Hasnan said people found to be directly or indirectly involved in the gathering would be detained and charged under Section 27 of the Police Act. He also advised the people not to wear orange colour clothing to avoid being mistaken as supporters and participants of the assembly.

= == =nothing to worry with chemical-water cannons & tear gas

November 22, 2007 21:38 PM

Let Police Handle Illegal Assembly - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the police will handle any illegal demonstration held in the city over the weekend. "Let the police handle it. Illegal demonstrations only inconvenience the public," he told reporters here today. Najib was asked to comment on a protest planned by the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) in front of the British High Commission's office here on Sunday. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said today police will take stern action should the planned demonstration proceed and urged the public to stay away from it as it could touch the sensitivities of other races and spark racial friction.