Tanjong Bunga remembers the landslide victims

On 11 November around 50 volunteers answered TBRA’s call to remember the 11 landslide victims by planting trees at the site where they lost their lives.

Old and young residents came with hoes and spades to plant 30 trees on
Lorong Lemba Permai roadside. 

Quiet thanks to migrant workers whose families will miss them most. Also a reminder to their employers and to the Penang government that Tanjong Bungah residents expect them to compensate the families promptly and adequately.

The volunteers worked so well and so fast that all was done by 10 am. When the press arrived only few remained on the site. An official picture was sent to MBPP to show TBRA did its part in the Tree Planting event that took place all over the State.

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Tanjong Bunga remembers the landslide victims

On 11 November, the Tanjong Bunga Residents’ Association (TBRA) will be planting trees at the site of the fateful landslide, which cost the lives of 11 men, all except one, migrant workers. “We have heard painfully little about plans to compensate the families in Bangladesh and Indonesia who lost sons, fathers, brothers as well as their source of income”, says Agnes James, Deputy Chair of TBRA.

Since the landslide happened in Tanjong Bunga, the residents want to commemorate the preventable deaths of these victims. Foreign workers, who build our houses, keep our streets and homes clean, are people, not just numbers, not dispensable statistics, now here and gone tomorrow. #

Our town wants to thank and remember them, wants to ensure their families far away are not forgotten and be given adequate information, recognition and compensation.

# The Star of 22 October listed 14 victims by name: 1 Malaysian, 1 Pakistani, 1
from Myanmar, 2 Indonesians, 7 Bangladeshis and 2 others, Jamal and Rahman of “unknown” nationality. 11 bodies were found. There were rumors that more workers were swept to their deaths by the sudden mudflow but no confirmation

A week later, a picture in The Sun, shows SOCSO handing a cheque for funeral expenses to the Malaysian victim’s mother. It also says his parents will receive a monthly pension of RM1062 for the rest of their lives. It says nothing, however, about the funerals of the foreign workers, nor of any compensation for their families. Don’t companies need to pay SOCSO for all workers they employ? AND surely, the company must pay its own compensation; SOCSO is just a small part ?

TBRA chose this site to plant the 30 trees to commemorate the 11 innocent lives lost in the October 21st tragedy

Penang: 11-11-2017

Press Release TBRA

The Tanjung Bunga Residents’ Association (TBRA) is pleased to be part of the Penang Island City Council’s “Most Amenity Trees Planted in 24 Hours” initiative today.

This project is certainly in line with TBRA’s objective to retain the green image that Tanjung Bunga is famous for. We believe that planting trees will not only deliver health benefits by encouraging more people to walk and cycle in more pleasant surroundings, but also help to reduce air pollution and provide much-needed shade.

TBRA has chosen this site to plant the 30 trees provided by the MBPP, to commemorate the 11 innocent lives lost in the October 21st tragedy.

We have been concerned with over-development of our town over the past few decades and have been urging the State to temper development, and ensure that any new projects are in tandem with retaining a safe and healthy quality of life before approving them.

The recent spate of landslides and sinkholes, particularly in Tanjung Bunga, shows how wanton disregard and disrespect for the environment has dire consequences.

The unprecedented and unsustainable number of construction projects have resulted in deadly environmental degradation. Cutting into hill slopes to make “flat land” for tall buildings, ignoring unstable water tables and flimsy covering up of erosion sites have been criticized by TBRA and landed the association into often contentious and difficult situations.  

We are fearful that the future of our environment and natural resources seems to depend more on economic and political gains rather than on independent and scientific understanding of the value of protecting nature.

TBRA hopes to work closely with the Penang State in the future so that we can have clear guidelines to support both quality development and sound preservation to sustain Tanjung Bunga’s character. We want development for people, not for cars. We want parks, not parking lots. Pedestrian-friendly patterns exist which support healthy lifestyles and do not destroy but enhance neighborhoods.

Perhaps with the planting of all these trees, more residents in Penang will be spurred to understand the value of trees and welcome more of them, instead of cementing up their surroundings. This would certainly help flood mitigation even in a small way. The more trees we plant, the more there will be a regular drainage of rainwater into streams and rivers, the less erosion. Roots and vegetation beneath the trees will help prevent floods and landslides.

We the residents and the State government have a responsibility to future generations to go even greener than GREEN, by respecting our natural resources.

Agnes James

Vice-chair TBRA

(019 4735980)

Adopt a tree on 11 November, this Saturday... 9 am !  

An hour (maximum 2) of your time.

Come and join us to commemorate the 11 victims of the landslide and at the same time make our town a bit greener.

The Penang State Government intends to plant 10.000 trees on that day, 11-11, and TBRA will be helping to do its part. We have received 30 trees from MBPP.

A Tabebuia rosea plant blooming in Bayan Baru, Feb 2017

Initially we hoped to plant them on the "Sore Thumb", our future Coastal Public Park but we are having serious access problems.

So, then we decided to plant them at the landslide site as a way for Tanjong Bungah to remember the 11 workers who died in a sudden and awful (and unnecessary) way right here in our own town.

Tools and water

The trees we will receive are both fairly tall (5') and small saplings so there is something for everyone because we will need to dig holes to plant them. We’ll collect as many tools as possible but if you have a hoe or a spade, please bring it. Also bring your own water. We don’t want to leave plastic bottles behind.

Please join us this Sat. morning 11 -11 as of 9 am

Venue:  Lemba Permai

Lorong Lemba 3, pass TAR College, keep going straight, just opposite the now closed construction site;

or, if you come from other side: pass Tenby School and turn right at T-junction.

We’ll be planting at the dead end of the road after the 2 Chinese temples. There will be a TBRA banner. Press will join at 10am

TBRA Press Release on Floods Today

Press Release, 5 November 2017

Penang: Tanjung Bunga Residents’ Association (TBRA) is once again calling for the State to halt all short-sighted and patchy urban planning that continue to cause more flooded homes, uprooted trees, power cuts, and making travel inconvenient.

TBRA wants the State to relook at all its urban and sub-urban development projects to see how it can improve the State’s ability to resist and absorb floods. Flood resilience should be a matter of intense and consistent focus by the government in light of the worsening flood conditions in Penang.

Yesterday’s storm hobbled the city’s infrastructure by nightfall, downing power in a number of areas and blocking roads. This happened despite the best efforts of the State and millions of Ringgit invested in flood mitigation projects over the years.

Penangites continue to suffer repeated flooding primarily in low lying areas; and are now facing new areas of flooding following developments on and near hillslopes. Residents must consistently struggle to replace lost belongings and pay for repairs to their homes and vehicles.

We therefore urge the State to develop a holistic flood prevention and mitigation initiative and to stop leaving crucial work like this principally in the hands of developers.

Penangites have seen how poor urban planning has resulted in the recent fatal landslide and today’s sinkhole that tore up a road in front a new luxury development in Tanjung Bunga. Both were cut into the hills which are known to be watershed areas.

These two projects had major accidents despite having been developed, approved and monitored by qualified experts.

By cutting into the hills, developers can claim to build on “flat land” but even without heavy rain the build-up pressure of the water most likely caused the landslide on 21 Oct.  Developers know this risk but profit pressure closes their eyes. Their luck is running out.

These are no longer isolated incidents and the residents of Penang will no longer be silent.

Clearly there has been a failure in hasty and risky development and we hope the State can employ qualified experts to help them draw up a checklist for all dangers surrounding high-rise construction as well as develop a comprehensive flood prevention plan.

Tropical storms are an annual affair, and their impact in the form of economic losses could well be more frequent and greater in the near future. 

Penang must be prepared.

Agnes James

Vice-chair TBRA

(019 4735980)

Resources for Storm and Flood Information for Penang

Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang - MBPP
https://www.facebook.com/majlisbandaraya.pulaupinang/
























Malaysian Meteorological Department
https://www.facebook.com/malaysiamet/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/malaysiamet/photos/
https://www.facebook.com/MalaysianMeteorological/ 






















 

Penang Alert
http://alert.penang.gov.my/
http://alert.penang.gov.my/arkib_berita.php














 





PenangKini
https://www.facebook.com/penangkini/

PenangMyHomeTown
https://www.facebook.com/PenangMyHometown/