Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol THE drains are clogged, rubbish strewn everywhere. Rats run around as mosquitoes breed in stagnant waters. Children, some learning to walk, play in such unhygienic conditions. This sums up the living conditions of the pockets of refugee communities in Ampang. Mostly from Myanmar, they live in small houses and make do with what little they earn from carrying out odd jobs. Those staying there are mostly illiterate. They know many among them are sick and some have died. To them, it is a way of life. Heading to the nearest hospital — Ampang Hospital — is a pricey affair. They instead rely on advice by sinseh who run traditional medicine shops nearby their homes. Malay Mail Afternoon, on Jan 11,  highlighted a possible rotavirus outbreak among the community in Ampang following the death of a 15-month-old baby on Dec 26. Another four children, between the ages of six months and three years were admi...

As published in Malay Mail today. Haresh Says By Haresh Deol I ENJOY my daily walks with my Golden Retriever. It’s the best time of the day where I get to unwind and enjoy the cool midnight breeze. Occasionally my neighbour Mr Wong will join me. The retiree has plenty of exciting tales to share. Our conversations mostly revolve around politics and the nation’s economy. But lately, it has been about the hunger to build highways in Selangor. “Many say highways are good as it will ease traffic but it is a temporary measure. The population in the area will eventually increase and so would the number of vehicles on the road. And then what ... we build another highway on the highway?” questioned Wong. I share his sentiments, as highlighted in my previous column ‘Highways no more than cosmetic effect’ on Oct 15 last year. I had then said we must study our transportation system thoroughly and this includes providing quality public transportation service that connects ever...

The landslide at Jalan Hulu Langat that happened on Thursday evening certainly jogged memories. It is also baffling to how landslide issues are - most of time - taken for granted. Together with a fellow editor, I drove to the landslide incident at 6.50am yesterday and the policemen manning the area were kind enough to escort the both of us to the landslide area which has been cordoned off about 1km in both directions. I managed to take several snapshots while the other editor video-recorded the scene through a Blackberry mobile phone and the recording was even used for Astro Awani's tv news bulletin. The landslide occurred very near to the once famous Ampang Lookout Point . The famous eatery - and the best place to catch a glimpse of the city without having to go all the way to Genting - was shut down by the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) in January due to "serious soil erosion ". Read ' Ampang Lookout Point illegal ' and Ampang Lookout Point closed indef...