Snatch Thefts in Penang

2 Known Snatch Thefts in Penang in May and June 2008
Dear friends, These are just two cases shared by members of the group. Surely there are many more out there. With the fuel price increase, it simply means that the ‘mat rempits’ and crooks increase their activity as well. It would be no surprise if the crime rates go up along with the price of food and everything else. So please take extra care everyone. Be smart and safe.
Case 1 // by Lik Chuen
When: 23 May 2008, Friday afternoon, around lunch time
Where: Jalan Service
What happened: One guy who's in office wear on a bike came from behind and rode away with cash and valuables worth up to RM800 plus minus from my friend. According to her, that guy doesn't even look like a criminal to the public eyes. Anyways he came from behind and caught my friend off guard by swerving in and took her handbag without any effort. It just happened with a blink of an eye! The horrible thing is, it happened while I was just a few meters behind! Thank god my friend's car keys were in her hands and she is safe and escaped the incident without a scratch.
Motorbike Plate Number: Too shocked to even notice.
Police report made: Yes right after it happened.
-The first thing you must do is to cancel your credit cards (if any) and phone line (if cellphone is in the handbag) right away! -Lesson here is NOT to carry your handbag especially during lunch hour (come on ladies, you can powder up after you get back to the office right?) Besides, just bring some cash, car keys, cellphone and packet of tissue will do, rather than being robbed of all your valuables (eg. digicam, iPod, PSP, debit cards, cash, etc) -Obviously this is an on going occurrence and would normally happen to females who are oblivious to their surroundings. One has to smarten up and take heed of these petty snatch thieves! -Come on people, I'm sure in some ways, yourself or some of your friends or relatives have had this kind of encounters before, so please share it.
Reenactment of snatch thieves in action.
Case 2 // by Vin Ong
When: 14 June 2008, Saturday morning, 3 am
Where: Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, EPF/KWSP Building
What happened: Friend finished clubbing at SS, The Garage, Upper Penang Road. Parked her car at the new EPF/KWSP building. Walked alone about 300m to her car. A bike with 2 guys came from opposite. One of them came down the bike and walked towards her. She's smart enough to continue walking towards them. The walking guy took out a blade and tried to slash her face. Her smart reflex move saved her face but not her ear. The guy didn't get anything as there were cars passing now. She ran to her car and drove away with the bleeding ear. She came across a police road block. Told the cops but the cops asked her to drive to the hospital. She then drove to a hospital. Her case was also reported in the Guang Ming newspaper.
Motorbike Plate Number: Not noticed
Police report made: Yes
If you know of any recent snatch thefts, do share at the group discussion board or mail to pinangroup@gmail.com. Share it so we can help raise even more awareness on the matter.
A friendly reminder brought to you by PINANG. Also at Facebook.

Did you queue up to pump petrol the other night?

Come every fuel price hike announcement, we will see long lines at petrol stations.

Vehicles waiting to fill up at a petrol station in Kampung Baru Wednesday night (The Star).

The next time another announcement come along, please consider this:

A 45L petrol tank (a Proton Wira/Satria/Putra's petrol tank capacity)
Price hike RM0.78 per litre x 45L = RM35.10
Thats the maximum amount of money you can save provided you have an empty tank.
Does it make sense to queue for half/one/x hour just to save RM35.10.

Did you know that while you were queuing, you cars' timing belt, alternator belt, air-conditioning belt, compressor and fan, radiator pump and fan, pulleys, shafts, bearings, fuel pump, accelerator, clutch and brake line, engine, brake, gear, power steering fluids , brake and clutch pads and many more individual moving objects / parts / fluids in your cars are involved.

Do u know how much it will cost to maintain/replace these parts???

Not to mention the fuel that you burned while waiting to enter the station. And the time, depending on how much your time is worth.

Unless you really need to fill up because your tank is running empty. Please consider the hidden costs. Obviously, not only are you not saving much, but you also clearly inconvenienced other drivers by causing a traffic jam.

Anyway, we hope that you are happy with the money you saved and will put it to good use.

Swamped: Motorists inching their way to two petrol kiosks at Jalan Baru in Prai after the announcement by the Prime Minister Wednesday. (The Star)

A friendly message brought to you by pinangroup.blogspot.com

Something about mudslides

The recent mud slides (May 2008) on the hill slopes near Batu Ferringhi is a serious cause for concern. It is obviously due to the land stripped bare naked of vegetation - trees and shrubs that have been growing naturally for heaven knows how many years.

This is not about environmentalism or social activism, heck I don't even live anywhere near that area. This is about having a conscience and the awareness that our home is not merely the confines of the four brick walls around us, but also the vast landscape - beaches, forest, and hills that surrounds us. For our lives, whether we see it or like it or not, hang precariously in the balance of nature.

Nature can be the gentlest cool breeze on a warm night or the violent storms that ravage the land. It is one and the same. The recent devastations and unfortunate death tolls in Myanmar caused by Cyclone Nargis is believed to be due to the massive clearing of mangrove and coastal forests in the Irrawady Delta, which was started more than a decade ago. Despite its economic benefits to the locals by providing open land for paddy fields and shrimp farms, nature knows not and does not differentiate or discriminate.

The hill slopes are there for a reason and if it is to be developed for premium housing for those prosperous few, that is fine, but when the developments are carried out without taking into consideration the obvious mudslides come tropical downpour, there has got to be something wrong somewhere (or more accurately somebody wrong somewhere). We may not pay a financial cost now or will it cause an immediate upset as the red mud is washed into the sea, but what should definitely be worried are the 'hidden costs' that will only be revealed in time.

From,

Your fellow Penangite (who doesn't even live in Batu Feringghi).

References and images from:

Anil Netto: Penang Govt should establish its green credentials fast

Betel Nut Chronicles: Soil Erosion in Batu Ferringhi

Nature News: Forest clearance boosted power of Cyclone Nargis

PINANG?

Why?
The idea came about from wanting to do something despite the feeling of helplessness, which we are sure is a mutual feeling shared by many. Penang is a marvelous place to live in, it was not called the Pearl of the Orient for no reason. Yet, of late, many years now to be exact, it is slowly losing that something that made it such a special place to live in.

What?
It is a social experiment! There is nothing to lose but everything to gain. And at worst, nothing has changed, but we will help please the many pessimists amongst us. So it is a win-win situation.

It is open to everyone and anyone, to submit ideas with doable action to issues either at the work place level or school or your housing area or the island or mainland or the whole of Penang.

We want to harvest the power of individual connectivity on the internet and email forwarding for a good cause.

Who?
As individuals, it is difficult to do much but nevertheless we should still try to, perhaps initially on the internet, to come together to find solutions that are pertinent to the people of Penang.

It will be a people's initiative, apolitical of course, with no personal agendas, not money making, not charity, not anti-government or anti-anything for that matter, and even non-non-governmental, it is simply an attempt to connect people together to try to make a difference. The 'Group' refers to everyone who simply to wants to do their bit to make things better.

There are many bright souls here, so we are calling for everyone to come forward with ideas to help make our lives better. We wish to identify issues and find practical, applicable solutions to situations that affect everyday living. People are always hesitant of a sudden huge change, so we wish for calls to action that is small enough that can be done on a personal level, without a huge time or effort invested yet the outcome will be felt through the sheer numbers itself. Just like what we saw with the nasi kandar boycott, except it is for a positive result that will improve the lives of everyone. A subconscious people's movement of sorts.

How?

As an example,

Issue: Massive traffic jam on the bridge after work on Fridays.
Ideas: Get people to car pool or make plans to get together and avoid going back all at the same time, just for one designated Friday so the outcome can be observed to see if it is to be adopted or abandoned.
Action: Finalize details and send information out to be forwarded.

So? Send your IIA (Issue, Ideas and Action) to pinangroup@gmail.com.

We will post it here and simultaneously send it out through email. All credit goes to the person who submits it. Anonymous posts are accepted as well.

Also join us at Facebook.