Thesun 2009-01-06 Page01 Battle For Gaza

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PLUS toll concession now public

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by Tan Yi Liang and Karen Arukesamy

No. 4672 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Tuesday

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KUALA LUMPUR: The country’s biggest highway concession contract – that for the North-South Expressway – was made public yesterday, ending concern over why this agreement was not made available together with 16 others last Friday, although it had been declassified. Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed confirmed that he had the letter from the concession holder, PLUS Bhd, agreeing to the contract being made available for public scrutiny. Later, just before the viewing venue closed for the day, some reporters managed to view the contract but said some supplementary agreements were not available. Replying to questions at the ministry, Zin said the number of people allowed to view the contracts at any one time has also been doubled. “I have asked the ministry to expand the room and give access to 10 people (at a time),” said Zin, in reply to grouses over access to the documents (see also page 2). Hitherto, only five people were allowed to view the contracts for a twohour stretch at the ministry library. Asked why greater access could not be given, Zin said the ministry had to examine the concession agreements before releasing them further. “Any copy of agreement showed to a third party has to be done according to the provisions of the agreement,” he said, adding that the ministry was seeking the advice of the AttorneyGeneral with regards to this matter. There had been suggestions that the contracts be uploaded on the Internet for all to view. On Friday, Highway Authority of Malaysia director-general Datuk Mohamad Razali Othman had said that copies of the agreements could not be distributed until Section 3 of the Fees Act (1951) was amended to enable the collection of fees. On that day, the agreements released were those involving the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP), Guthrie, Sprint, Besraya, AmpangKuala Lumpur Elevated Highway, SMART, NNKSB, Metramac, Kesas, Grand Saga, Lebuhraya Pintas Selat Klang Baru, NPE, MTD, Penang Bridge, SILK and BORR. Zin also dismissed calls for the government to buy back the concessions to reduce the public burden. “(Buying back the highways) is a question of money ... At the moment, we are not looking at the option,” said Zin, who then reiterated his call to the concessionaires to “give back” to the highway users. Yesterday, four DAP parliamentarians and MCA youth leader Wong Nai Chee and four lawyers viewed the contracts, each taking one concession. Journalists made up the bulk of those who registered for the viewing.

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Entertainment

Battle for Gaza REUTERSPIX

ASSAULT CONTINUES AS ENVOYS APPEAL FOR TRUCE; DEATH TOLL PASSES 530

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AZA: Israeli tanks, planes and ground forces pounded Gaza yesterday and the defence minister said the offensive against Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave would go on until Israel is safe. International efforts to secure a ceasefire moved ahead with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Middle East special envoy Tony Blair visiting the region, but they seemed able to offer little beyond words. The death toll in besieged Gaza rose yesterday to at least 530 people. Victims included three Palestinian children and their mother when a tank shell hit their home in Gaza City and seven members of another family were killed in a refugee camp. The Israeli army said “many dozens” of Islamist fighters had been killed since ground troops went in on Saturday in a stated attempt to end rocket fire by Hamas into southern Israel. “Hamas has so far sustained a very heavy blow from us, but we have yet to achieve our objective and therefore the operation continues,” Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said. A Hamas official said a delegation from the Islamist group would head for talks in Egypt, which has also opened contacts to achieve a ceasefire. But senior Hamas political leader Mahmoud Zahar urged Hamas forces to fight on “in the name of God”. They legalised for us knocking down their synagogues when

RM3.6m humanitarian aid for Palestinians – page 4 A Palestinian boy wounded by an Israeli tank shell is carried into Shifa hospital in Gaza yesterday. A tank shell killed three children in their home in eastern Gaza City yesterday, medical officials said.

they hit our mosques, they legalised for us knocking down their schools when they hit our schools,” he said in a speech broadcast in Gaza. Gunbattles intensified in eastern Gaza City and in the north of the strip yesterday. Militants fired mortars and grenades and detonated mines, and claimed to have hit a troop carrier. A military spokeswoman said the air force bombed more than 30 targets, including homes of Hamas members used as weapons depots, tunnels and a suspected anti-aircraft rocket launcher. Israel launched its offensive with an air blitz on Dec 27 to curtail the rocket attacks from Hamas-ruled Gaza before an Israeli national election next month. Four Israelis have been killed by salvoes fired into Israel since the offensive began. An Israeli soldier was killed in fighting on Sunday and 48 have been wounded since the invasion.

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