Serious disciplinary allegations at the JB CIQ

Mazlan: Serious disciplinary allegations at the CIQ

Officers surfing their handphones during working hours is among the complaints highlighted at the Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ) here.

There are also some officers who turn up late for work, resulting in some counters in Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex not opening on time.

This is the feedback that has reached the ears of Johor Works, Infrastructure and Transport committee chairman Mazlan Bujang.

To counter this, a special committee has been formed to look into the issues, including the possibility of having CCTV cameras at all Immi­gration booths at the CIQ.

“We need to improve the situation at the CIQ to ensure that we can help reduce congestion.

“And, there is no point in playing the blame game as many agencies operate at the CIQ,” said Mazlan.

He said there was a lack of CCTVs and more needed to be added to urgently boost security, adding that some RM90mil had been set aside for the CIQ’s maintenance.

“We need to look at long-term measures,” he said, adding that he recently paid a two-hour visit to the CIQ.

Recently, The Star reported that the state’s two land crossings with Singapore – the JB CIQ and the other CIQ at the Second Link – were in need of an urgent overhaul.

Among the issues highlighted included the need to have more manpower, gantries, speed breakers and CCTVs.

Besides the Immigration Depart­ment, the Customs Department is also facing problems as it does not have adequate scanning machines at both the CIQs, resulting in bottlenecks.

The scanners also often break down, causing jams.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Artist adds colour to streets

Artist adds colour to streets



For the love of art: Akeem posing in front of one of his artworks at Taman Saujana in Johor.

When Iskandar Noor Rahim caught his first glimpse of street art as a boy, he was hooked.

He wondered how a simple artwork painted on the wall could do so much in bringing life to an otherwise empty street.

“I have been painting since I was about five but back then, I only painted on canvas.

“Eventually, I taught myself to paint on walls and through a series of trial and error, I managed to train myself to be a street artist,” he said, adding that he had been doing it full time for about 13 years now.

He was also invited by the Kluang city council to paint Laman Kreatif and Laman Pesona in Kampung Masjid Lama, which has since become an iconic landmark among Johoreans.

Akeem said there was more appreciation for street art today with people starting to see how this could attract more visitors and make the town look more colourful.

“When I first started, not everyone welcomed the art form as many looked at it as vandalism.

“However, today, demand for street art is increasing and people have started inviting artists to paint on their walls,” said the 38-year-old.

Akeem said he had received invitations to paint on cafes, barber shops, schools and community centres in the past few years.

Akeem, who specialises in portraits and characters, said he preferred to use spray paint instead of brushes as he felt that this created better effects as well as allowed him to work faster.

“By using sprays, I am able to create effects and colour gradient that would have been difficult to achieve with a paint brush.

“Painting the wall is the easiest part of the process as I am already used to it. The real challenge is to come out with a sketch that is best suited for it,” he added.

~Courtesy of The Star~

Roti canai

Roti canai (pronunciation: tʃanai), also known as roti cane (tʃane) or roti prata, is an Indian-influenced flatbread dish found in several countries in Asia, including Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore.

It is usually served with dal or other types of curry, but can also be cooked in a range of sweet or savoury variations made with a variety of ingredients such as sardines, meat, egg, or cheese.

Roti canai is a popular breakfast and snack dish in Malaysia, and one of the most famous examples of Malaysian Indian cuisine.

It is said that the dish was brought over from India by Indian Muslims, also known as "Mamaks" in Malaysia, and is served in mamak stalls located in both rural and urban Malaysia.

~Wikipedia~

New scanners to check buses entering Tuas Checkpoint

New scanners to check buses entering Tuas Checkpoint

Security for buses entering Singapore through Tuas Checkpoint will be stepped up in a move to fight terrorism, contraband items and stowaways.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has set up two imaging scanners that all buses will have to go through from the second half of this year.

A controlled trial began earlier this month (April) with officers travelling through the scanners with bus drivers to familiarise them with the new process, according to Assistant Commissioner (AC) Colin Tan who heads the checkpoint.

They will help officers detect modified bus compartments and explosives.

The change is not expected to extend passengers' waiting time, said AC Tan, adding: "Clearances for both bus and passengers will be conducted simultaneously... we will strive to have buses waiting for their passengers."

Currently, officers manually inspect the buses by boarding them and looking out for transgressions after passengers have alighted at the arrival hall.

The scanners will perform another layer of checks.

About 40 officers have been trained to study their X-ray images and to detect possible dangers and contraband items.

During a demonstration on Thursday (April 26), bus drivers entered the scanner through an automatic barrier that lifts after a camera captures the bus's licence number.

The bus then goes through a sensor that detects radioactive materials before moving forward to approach a control panel where the driver presses a button located near an intercom to start the scan.

A green light flashes on, and the driver drives through the scanner. Images are sent to a control room facing the scanners.

AC Tan said that the scanners will help officers conduct more targeted checks.

He added: "Some buses have modified compartments that can be hard to detect. With the X-ray images, they can know where to focus their attention." The ICA is studying plans to implement bus scanners at Woodlands checkpoint but they may take on a different form due to space constraints.

~Courtesy of Straits Times~

City Express Bus Service

Tangkak-Muar/Johor Bahru / Singapore.

Johor Bahru – Muar/Melaka-Putrajaya-Shah Alam-Klang/ Muar- Kuala Lumpur / Singapore

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Johor Bahru –Melaka- Kuala Lumpur- Penang

Singapore – Melaka – Kuala Lumpur

Johor Bahru – Seremban – Shah Alam – Klang

Visit http://cityexpress.com.my/

U Mobile & WeChat Introduces Unlimited Data For Chinese Tourists

U Mobile and WeChat Introduces Unlimited Data For Chinese Tourists

U Mobile today announced a partnership with WeChat to launch the U Mobile WeChat Go SIM. This new prepaid SIM will offer Chinese tourists unlimited data to enjoy social messaging on the WeChat app and free Lingcod TV subscription whilst having unlimited data to stream over 100,000 hours of high-definition movies, documentaries, and educational content out of China.

The new U Mobile WeChat Go SIM will be the only WeChat Go cobranded prepaid SIM in the country and it is packed with other value-added services including 1GB of free roaming data for Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia and 60 minutes’ worth of IDD calls to China or calls made in Malaysia.

The launch of U Mobile WeChat Go SIM is very timely as the Malaysian Tourism and Culture Ministry is targeting to attract eight million Chinese tourists by 2020. With more and more tourists from China visiting Malaysia, the U Mobile prepaid WeChat Go SIM is well positioned to meet all their connectivity demands.

“With the new U Mobile WeChat Go SIM, the whole WeChat ecosystem goes beyond just social messaging. Together with WeChat, we will work on packing even more benefits like mobile commerce into the WeChat Go SIM not just for Chinese tourists but for anyone who is a user of WeChat,” said Jasmine Lee, Chief Marketing Officer, U Mobile.

U Mobile WeChat Go SIM will be available from 6 December 2017, and Chinese tourists may opt to purchase the prepaid SIM pack from Sunway Media retailers in China prior to travelling. The SIM card will also be available at 138 U Mobile outlets in Malaysia as well as the various international airports in the country such as KLIA and KLIA 2.

Resourced from Tech ARP | 6 December 2017

JB-S'pore RTS Link to open by 2024

Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link on track to open by 2024, should cut down Causeway jams: Khaw Boon Wan



Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan visiting the site of the future RTS Link and Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) stations at Woodlands North.

Works on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which will allow commuters to take the train across the border, are on track for completion in 2024, the Land Transport Authority said on Tuesday (April 17).

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan shared photos and videos of the progress of the RTS Link.

He visited the sites at the Woodlands station, as well as Bukit Chagar station in Johor.

"We are bullish about the upcoming RTS Link, linking Woodlands North Station to Bukit Chagar Station in JB," he wrote. "When completed in 2024, it should be the preferred mode of transport for commuters crossing the Johor Strait."

He added that the trip between the two stations takes just five minutes.

"Over at Bukit Chagar, ample provisions will be made for Malaysian commuters to park their vehicles," wrote Mr Khaw.

He added that the development "should shift commuters currently using the Causeway", and said the RTS Link is expected to "significantly cut down the Causeway jams".

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak had witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement to build the RTS Link on Jan 16. 

~News courtesy of Straits Times~