Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) attends a press conference on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 6, 2015. Verification had confirmed that the debris discovered on the Reunion Island belongs to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced here early on Thursday. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)
Thursday, 6 August 2015
MH370: Aircraft debris found on La Reunion is from missing Malaysia Airlines flight
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (C) attends a press conference on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 6, 2015. Verification had confirmed that the debris discovered on the Reunion Island belongs to the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced here early on Thursday. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)
Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Malaysian construction projects shrunk in Q1
The real property gains tax, the difficulties in obtaining housing loans from banks and the impact of the goods and services tax had affected demand, which in turn slowed down the number of new property launches, Penang Master Builders and Building Materials Dealers’ Association president Datuk Lim Kai Seng (pic) told StarBiz.
GEORGE TOWN: The value of construction jobs given out in the country in the first quarter of this year fell to RM11.6bil from RM12.5bil in the corresponding period a year ago.
The number of jobs contracted out in the nation has also declined to 614 from 671, according to the latest Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) report.
The real property gains tax, the difficulties in obtaining housing loans from banks and the impact of the goods and services tax had affected demand, which in turn slowed down the number of new property launches, Penang Master Builders and Building Materials Dealers’ Association president Datuk Lim Kai Seng (pic) told StarBiz.
“During the first-quarter of 2015, the number of residential projects dropped to 179 from 207 in the same period in 2014, while the non-residential figure shrunk to 239 from 268.
“In the corresponding period, the number of private projects given out also plunged to 459 from 537, while the number of government projects increased to 150 from 131.
“Normally, the first quarter is a slow period for the construction industry, due to the Chinese New Year celebration and holidays,” he said.
Lim said the rapid progression of mega projects such as the light rail transit (LRT) and mass rapid transit lines in the Klang Valley, and the efforts by the Federal Government to revive 74% of the abandoned housing projects in the country, should see more jobs being contracted to the construction industry this year.
Last December, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had said some 10.7% or 23 of these abandoned projects were in the process of rehabilitation, while 33 or 15.35% were in the planning stage.
“The total value and the number of construction jobs to be given out in 2015 are expected to improve by a strong single-digit percentage in 2015.
“Last year, a total of 7,180 projects worth RM149.5bil were given out nationwide,” Lim said.
In Penang, the number of projects contracted out for the first quarter 2015 was 55 compared with 44 in the same period a year ago.
br /> Lim said the delay in the issuance of advertising permits and developer licence by the Federal Government to developers in Penang had led to fewer projects being awarded in the first quarter of 2015.
“This delayed the commencement of work for most of the projects, slowing down the jobs awarded.
“The residential projects given out declined to 10 from 16 in the first quarter of 2014, while the value of the residential projects contracted out increased substantially to RM936.89mil from RM391.50mil.
“The value has appreciated because the density of units per project has increased.
“The units launched are also of higher value,” Lim said.
According to the CIDB report, the number of government projects given out in first-quarter 2015 was nine compared with 17 in the corresponding period in 2014, while the number of private projects shrunk to 35 from 38.
Lim said with the implementation of the RM27bil Penang Transport Master Plan, scheduled to take off this year, the local construction industry could expect some RM400mil to RM500mil worth of jobs to be outsourced.
“These jobs are related to the alignment and soil studies for the LRT system,” he said.
By David Tan The Star/Asia News Network
Monday, 3 August 2015
By-laws governing strata property management in Malaysia, part 1
Third Schedule of Strata Management Regulation 2015
WITH the demise of the Deed of Mutual Covenants, the Third Schedule of the Strata Management Regulation 2015, now known as by-laws and any additional by-laws made under the Strata Management Act 2013 (“the Act”) shall bind the developer, the joint management body, the management corporation or the subsidiary management corporation, as the case may be, along with the purchaser, parcel owners or proprietors.
It also binds any chargee or assignee, lessee, tenant or occupier, of a parcel to the same extent as if the by-laws or the additional bylaws have been signed or sealed by each person or body mentioned above, and contain mutual covenants to observe, comply and perform all the provisions of the bylaws or additional by-laws.
These by-laws shall apply to any development area:
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE BY-LAWS
Functions of the management corporation are to maintain in a state of good condition, service and repair, where necessary, including:
COMMON PROPERTY FOR COMMON BENEFIT
The management corporation shall control, manage and administer the common property for the benefit of all the proprietors, provided that the management corporation, by written agreement with a particular proprietor, grant him for a defined period of time, the exclusive use and enjoyment of part of the common property or special privileges in respect of the common property or part of it, subject to appropriate terms and conditions to be stipulated by the management corporation.
To impose a fine, the management corporation may, by a resolution at a general meeting, do so, of such amount as shall be determined by that general meeting against any person who is in breach of any by-law or any additional bylaws made under the Act.
It is important to note that defaulters of service charges et cetera, can have theirs and their family’s access card denied and also be imposed a fine.
A defaulter is a proprietor who has not fully paid the charges or contribution to the sinking fund in respect of his parcel or any other money imposed by or due and payable to the management corporation under the Act, at the expiry of the period of 14 days of receiving a notice from the management corporation. Any restriction or action imposed against a defaulter shall include his family or any chargee, assignee, successor-intitle, lessee, tenant or occupier of his parcel.
If any sum remains unpaid by the proprietor at the expiry of the period of 14 days, the proprietor shall pay interest at the rate of 10% per annum on a daily basis or at such rate as shall be determined by the management corporation at a general meeting, until the date of actual payment of the sum due.
The management corporation may prepare a defaulters’ list showing the names of the defaulting proprietors, their respective parcels and the amount of the sum that remains unpaid. The management corporation may also display the list of defaulters’ names on the notice boards at the building, provided that such a list shall be updated by the management corporation at the end of every following calendar month.
The management corporation may, at the expiry of the period of 14 days, and without prior notice, deactivate any electromagnetic access device, such as a card, tag or transponder, issued to a defaulter until such time, that any sum remaining unpaid in respect of his parcel has been fully paid, together with a charge not exceeding RM50 that may be imposed by the management corporation for the reactivation of his electromagnetic access device. During the period of the deactivation of his electromagnetic access device, the management corporation may require the proprietor to sign in a defaulters’ register book each time that the defaulter requires any assistance for entry into or exit from the building or the development area. The management corporation may also stop or suspend a defaulter from using the common facilities or common services provided by the management corporation, including any car park bay in the common property that has been designated for the use of the defaulter.
The management corporation may accept payment of any sum due by a defaulter which is made by his chargee, assignee, successor-in-title, lessee, tenant or occupier, and any of the aforesaid persons, who had made such payment, shall be deemed to be irrevocably authorised by the defaulter to do so.
Follow part two of our article next week touching on the general duties and prohibitions of strata title proprietors.
By DATUK PRETAM SINGH DARSHAN SINGH The Sun (Malaysia)
Related post:
WITH the demise of the Deed of Mutual Covenants, the Third Schedule of the Strata Management Regulation 2015, now known as by-laws and any additional by-laws made under the Strata Management Act 2013 (“the Act”) shall bind the developer, the joint management body, the management corporation or the subsidiary management corporation, as the case may be, along with the purchaser, parcel owners or proprietors.
It also binds any chargee or assignee, lessee, tenant or occupier, of a parcel to the same extent as if the by-laws or the additional bylaws have been signed or sealed by each person or body mentioned above, and contain mutual covenants to observe, comply and perform all the provisions of the bylaws or additional by-laws.
These by-laws shall apply to any development area:
- during the management by the developer before the joint management body is established;
- during the management by the joint management body;
- during the management by the developer before the first annual general meeting of the management corporation;
- during the management by the management corporation after first annual general meeting of the management corporation ; and
- during the management by the subsidiary management corporation after it has been established in respect of the limited common property .
SALIENT FEATURES OF THE BY-LAWS
Functions of the management corporation are to maintain in a state of good condition, service and repair, where necessary, including:
- renew or upgrade the fixtures and fittings, lifts, installations, equipment, devices and appliances existing in the development area and used or capable of being used or enjoyed by occupiers of two or more parcels;
- maintain, repair and, where necessary, renew or upgrade sewers, pipes, wires, cables and ducts existing in the development area and used or capable of being used in connection with the enjoyment of more than one parcel or the common property;
- where applicable, establish and maintain suitable lawns and gardens on the common property;
- where applicable, manage, maintain and secure suitable operators for any of the common utilities, amenities and services in the common property, such as launderette, convenience store, cafeteria, nursery and others, to reasonable standards of safety and health for the convenience, comfort and enjoyment of the proprietors and occupiers;
- renew and upgrade common property where necessary for the purpose of retaining and adding the market value of parcels in the development area;
- on the written request of a proprietor of a parcel and on payment of a fee, which shall not exceed RM50, furnish to the proprietor, or to a person authorised in writing by the proprietor, the copies of all policies of insurance effected under the Act or effected against such other risks as directed by the proprietors by a special resolution, together with the copies of the receipts for the last premiums paid in respect of the policies;
- set up, manage and maintain proper procurement procedures and tender process in a fair and transparent manner for all purchases, acquisitions or awards of contracts in connection with the management and maintenance of the common property;
- set up, manage and maintain a good credit control system in the collection of maintenance charges and contribution to the sinking fund and any other charges lawfully imposed by the management corporation; administer and enforce the bylaws and any additional by-laws made under the Act; and
- and without delay, enter in the strata roll, any change or dealing notified to it by any proprietor.
COMMON PROPERTY FOR COMMON BENEFIT
The management corporation shall control, manage and administer the common property for the benefit of all the proprietors, provided that the management corporation, by written agreement with a particular proprietor, grant him for a defined period of time, the exclusive use and enjoyment of part of the common property or special privileges in respect of the common property or part of it, subject to appropriate terms and conditions to be stipulated by the management corporation.
To impose a fine, the management corporation may, by a resolution at a general meeting, do so, of such amount as shall be determined by that general meeting against any person who is in breach of any by-law or any additional bylaws made under the Act.
It is important to note that defaulters of service charges et cetera, can have theirs and their family’s access card denied and also be imposed a fine.
A defaulter is a proprietor who has not fully paid the charges or contribution to the sinking fund in respect of his parcel or any other money imposed by or due and payable to the management corporation under the Act, at the expiry of the period of 14 days of receiving a notice from the management corporation. Any restriction or action imposed against a defaulter shall include his family or any chargee, assignee, successor-intitle, lessee, tenant or occupier of his parcel.
If any sum remains unpaid by the proprietor at the expiry of the period of 14 days, the proprietor shall pay interest at the rate of 10% per annum on a daily basis or at such rate as shall be determined by the management corporation at a general meeting, until the date of actual payment of the sum due.
The management corporation may prepare a defaulters’ list showing the names of the defaulting proprietors, their respective parcels and the amount of the sum that remains unpaid. The management corporation may also display the list of defaulters’ names on the notice boards at the building, provided that such a list shall be updated by the management corporation at the end of every following calendar month.
The management corporation may, at the expiry of the period of 14 days, and without prior notice, deactivate any electromagnetic access device, such as a card, tag or transponder, issued to a defaulter until such time, that any sum remaining unpaid in respect of his parcel has been fully paid, together with a charge not exceeding RM50 that may be imposed by the management corporation for the reactivation of his electromagnetic access device. During the period of the deactivation of his electromagnetic access device, the management corporation may require the proprietor to sign in a defaulters’ register book each time that the defaulter requires any assistance for entry into or exit from the building or the development area. The management corporation may also stop or suspend a defaulter from using the common facilities or common services provided by the management corporation, including any car park bay in the common property that has been designated for the use of the defaulter.
The management corporation may accept payment of any sum due by a defaulter which is made by his chargee, assignee, successor-in-title, lessee, tenant or occupier, and any of the aforesaid persons, who had made such payment, shall be deemed to be irrevocably authorised by the defaulter to do so.
Follow part two of our article next week touching on the general duties and prohibitions of strata title proprietors.
By DATUK PRETAM SINGH DARSHAN SINGH The Sun (Malaysia)
Related post:
Malaysian Strata Management Act 2013 will be enforced from June 1, 2015 in Penang
Saturday, 1 August 2015
MH370 Debris found in Reunion may give clues on when plane part broke
Saint-Denis, Reunion Island (CNN)When investigators get an in-person view of a wing component that likely came from a Boeing 777, they'll be looking for not only a serial number but clues as to why the part broke off the Boeing 777.
Story highlights
- Independent group says damage appears to indicate flaperon came off while plane was in air
- Plane debris will be sent to investigators in France on Friday, official in Paris tells CNN
- Investigators confident debris found on an Indian Ocean island comes from a 777 aircraft
One group of independent observers said Thursday that the damage to the component -- a right wing flaperon -- should give authorities a good indication that the piece came off while the plane was still in the air.
The group, led by American Mobile Satellite Corp. co-founder Mike Exner, points to the small amount of damage to the front of the flaperon and the ragged horizontal tear across the back.
The rear damage could have been caused if the airliner had its flaperon down as it went into the ocean, some members of Exner's group wrote in a preliminary assessment after looking at photos and videos of the component.
But the lack of damage to the front makes it more likely the plane was in a high-speed, steep, spiral descent and the part fluttered until it broke off, the group said.
Boeing and Australian officials are confident the debris -- found Wednesday off the coast of a remote island in the west Indian Ocean -- came from a Boeing 777 -- and might be from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a 777 that disappeared in March 2014 with 239 people on board.
The plane debris will be transported to France on Friday evening, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor's office said. Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said the piece will arrive in Paris on Saturday and will be sent to Toulouse, the site of the nearest office of the BEA, the French authority responsible for civil aviation accident investigations.
Exner's group -- an informal cadre of aviation experts -- said that if the flaperon were still on the wing when the plane hit water, the front would have been damaged by hitting the part of the wing to which it was attached. And the rear damage looks like it was caused by stress rather than being bent and broken off when the plane hit the water.
But an aircraft component specialist who spoke to CNN disagreed.
The lack of damage to the front section "tells me that the component could still have likely been back in its original position inside the wing itself," said Michael Kenney, senior vice president of Universal Asset Management, which provides plane components to airlines.
'Highly confident' component from Boeing 777
Boeing investigators are confident that debris found on a remote island in the Indian Ocean comes from a 777 aircraft, according to a source close to the investigation.
Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, agreed.
"We are highly confident but it still needs confirmation that it is a part from a 777 aircraft," he told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront." "The only 777 aircraft that we're aware of in the Indian Ocean that could have led to this part floating is MH370. But as I said, we still need to confirm that through closer study."
People cleaning a beach found the debris Wednesday on Reunion, a French overseas territory in the western Indian Ocean.
The source said Boeing investigators feel confident the piece comes from a 777 because of photos that have been analyzed and a stenciled number that corresponds to a 777 component. A component number is not the same as a part number, which is generally much longer.
The search for MH370 48 photos
Images of the debris also appear to match schematic drawings for the right wing flaperon from a Boeing 777. A flaperon helps the pilot control the aircraft. It is lightweight and has sealed chambers, making it buoyant.
Despite this confidence, no one is saying the part definitely comes from a 777, much less MH370.
Finding the debris is a "significant development" in the search for MH370, Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said.
More debris
New debris, which washed ashore Thursday and appears to resemble remnants of a suitcase, is also part of the investigation, Reunion Island police officials confirmed to CNN.
Remembering the passengers of MH370 12 photos
The flight vanished March 8, 2014, en route to Beijing. So far, no confirmed trace of it has been found, making it one of history's biggest aviation mysteries and leaving relatives of passengers and crew members uncertain about the fate of their loved ones.
A preliminary assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, produced in the wake of the MH370 disaster, suggested it was likely someone in the cockpit deliberately caused the aircraft's movements before the Malaysian airliner disappeared.
Two U.S. officials briefed on the matter told CNN that the assessment, which was not intended for public release, was prepared months ago and was solely based on available satellite and other evidence.
The U.S. intelligence assessment was largely focused on the multiple course changes the aircraft made after it deviated from its scheduled Kuala Lumpur to Beijing route. Analysts determined that, absent any other evidence, it's most likely someone in the cockpit deliberately moved the aircraft to specific waypoints, crossing Indonesian territory and eventually toward the south Indian Ocean.
Malaysian investigators haven't reported finding any evidence that casts suspicion on the pilots.
The airliner's crew has been the focus of attention since the mysterious disappearance, but no proof has emerged indicating they intended to destroy the plane. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies from numerous countries examined the plane's manifest of crew and passengers and found no significant information to suggest anyone on board posed an obvious threat.
Missing plate
If it does turn out to be from Flight 370, the development would reassure Australian officials that they are looking for the rest of the plane in the right area, Truss and Dolan said.
Airplane debris found in western Indian Ocean 02:27
"It's credible that debris from MH370 could have reached the Reunion Islands by now," Truss said.
Malaysia Airlines is sending a team of investigators to Paris and a second team to Saint-Denis, Reunion, on Friday, an airline official in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, told CNN.
It's unclear how identification will be made.
Normally identification would be aided by a small serial number plate attached to a flaperon, but the part found on the beach appears to be missing the serial number plate, according to photographs.
Other markings may be found on the part, said Kenney, the executive from Universal Asset Management.
Australia is leading the underwater search for the remains of Flight 370 in the southern Indian Ocean, some 2,300 nautical miles (3,700 kilometers) east of Reunion. But Truss said that French and Malaysian authorities will be responsible for establishing whether the debris found off the island came from the missing jetliner.
Australia has offered its help, he said, including asking marine experts to look at photos of the debris to determine whether barnacles on it are "consistent with something that was floating in the oceans for 16 months or more."
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