Indonesia: Two Arrested in Orangutan Slaughter Case

Jakarta Globe 21 Nov 11;

Samarinda, East Kalimantan. Two people in Muara Kaman subdistrict in Kutai Kartanegara have been arrested in connection with a mass slaughter of orangutans, a village chief said on Sunday.

Kadir said he could not confirm the identity of the suspects or their alleged role in the case.

“National Police and Forestry Ministry officials arrived on Wednesday to probe the allegations,” he said.

Allegations of the mass killing of the protected animals first surfaced in September, though police at the time said they needed more evidence before a formal investigation could be launched.

Yaya Rayadin, a researcher from Mulawarman University in Samarinda, the provincial capital, said people in the area had been killing orangutans since 2008.

“The forests are the natural habitat of orangutans, including forests that have been converted into palm oil plantations,” the researcher said. “However, [the orangutans] adapt to changes very well and they survive by observing and learning from the environment around them.

“The only food available is palm, so they eat it.”

One orangutan is capable of eating fruit from up to 30 to 40 palm trees a day, he said. “Therefore, plantation firms consider them pests that must be controlled to prevent losses.”

Kadir said he was ashamed that his village was now associated with the massacre.

“The killings took place on the plantation, which is quite a distance from our village,” he said.

He admitted, however, that many of the villagers worked on the plantation and may have been involved in the slaughter.

A recent study estimates 750 orangutans are killed by people in Indonesian Borneo each year.

Antara

Manager Probed Over Orangutan Deaths
Farouk Arnaz Jakarta Globe 23 Nov 11;

Police are investigating the manager of a palm oil plantation for reportedly ordering two workers to slaughter orangutans in an attempt at “pest control,” an official said on Tuesday.

The manager of the Khaleda Agroprima Malindo plantation in Kutai Kartanegara district, East Kalimantan, is being treated as a witness, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Saud Usman Nasution said.

“Our officers in the field are developing this case to determine whether we will go on to name him a suspect,” he said.

“All those involved in this incident and found to have committed a crime will be named a suspect.”

The announcement comes a day after police said they had arrested two workers from the plantation who admitted to trapping and shooting 20 orangutans and monkeys since 2008.

Saud said both the current plantation manager, identified only as P., and his predecessor, A., had ordered the animals killed because they had taken to eating palm fruit on the plantation. Neither has been taken into custody.

The company paid Rp 200,000 ($22) per monkey and Rp 1 million per orangutan, Saud said.

The workers, who are being detained at Kutai police station, could face fines of up to Rp 100 million for killing protected species under the 1990 Law on Natural Resource Conservation.

The evidence — 20 photographs of dead animals and some remains — is under examination as police are working to identify the people behind the policy of treating the endangered animals as pests to be killed.

Saud said that rumors of the involvement of a retired police general in the slaughter were absolutely untrue.

“There is no policy by police or retired police to kill orangutans,” he said.

Orangutans have long been extinct in Java and mainland Southeast Asia. Sumatra and Borneo are now their last refuge.

Police grill 25 witnesses in orangutan killing case
Antara 24 Nov 11;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) -The National Police have grilled 25 witnesses in the orangutan (pongo pygmaeus morio) and monkey killing case at Puan Cepak, Muara Kapan Sub District, Kutai Kartanegara District, East Kalimantan Province.

"So far, we have questioned around 25 witnesses. They consisted of PT KAM management officials, local residents and experts," Senior Commissioner Antonius Wisnu Sutirta, a spokesman of the East Kalimantan Police, said on the phone Thursday.

The Kutai Kartanegara police would continue to investigate the case to find more evidence and possible suspects, he said.

"The investigation is still going on, and there is a possibility that the number of suspects will increase. We will find out who had instructed (the orangutan murders) and who had paid them to commit the crime," Wisnu said.

PT Khaleda Agroprima Malindo (KAM) is a Malaysian oil palm company which considers orangutans and monkeys pests.

"According to the arrested suspects, they killed two orangutans and 20 monkeys , and the evidence was the animals` skeletons, an air rifle, spears and ropes," Wisnu said.

Police have named two suspects, namely M alias G and M, in the Kalimantan orangutan and monkey killing case .

The two suspects are pest eradication workers of PT KAM.

They said they had killed the animals on instructions from P and A , PT KAM managers, two years ago. They were paid Rp200,000 per one monkey and Rp1 million per orangutan.

They are now liable to a five-year jail sentence and payment of a Rp100 million-fine in accordance with Law No 5/1990 on Natural Resource Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation.

East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak recently denied the reports about orangutan killings in the province.

"I have reiterated that, the provincial government, the Kutai Kartanegara district administration and the local police did not find any evidence of orangutan killings," Awang Faroek told the media in the East Kalimantan capital of Samarinda, on November 18, 2011.
(Uu.F001/HAJM)

Police name two new suspects in orangutan killing case
Antara 25 Nov 11;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The National Police on Thursday named two more suspects in the case of orangutan (pongo pygmaeus morio) killings at Puan Cepak village, Muara Kaman sub district, Kutai Kartanegara (Kukar) District, East Kalimantan Province.

"Based on the investigation by the Kukar and East Kalimantan Police offices today, we name and detain two new suspects, namely W bin W, 29 years old and an employee, and PCH, 46 years old and a senior manager," Inspector General Saud Usman Nasution, a spokesman of the Indonesian National Police, said here on Thursday.

W was suspected as the person who had recruited the main suspect, caught and shot orangutans. He had also provided the facilities.

PCH, the senior manager, was the person who had suggested and instructed the establishment of a team to hunt pests (including orangutans and monkeys) in the plantation area of PT. Khaleda Agroprima Malindo (KAM), an oil palm plantation company belonged to Malaysia.

"For some others, we are still waiting for further investigation. For sure, whoever was involved in this case will be thoroughly processed, without discrimination, including the company`s employees or others," Saud said.

The National Police have grilled 25 witnesses in the orangutan and monkey killing case.

Police had earlier named two suspects, namely M alias G and M, in the Kalimantan orangutan and monkey killing case.

The two suspects are pest eradication workers of PT KAM.

They said they had killed the animals on instructions from PCH and A, PT KAM managers, two years ago. They were paid Rp200,000 per one monkey and Rp1 million per orangutan.

They are now liable to a five-year jail sentence and payment of a Rp100 million-fine in accordance with Law No 5/1990 on Natural Resource Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation. (*)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono

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Malaysia: Keep wildlife in the wild

T.N. Alagesh New Straits Times 21 Nov 11;

The Orang Asli prefer to keep protected species at home and Perhilitan has to convince them to surrender the animals

One wanted to raise a tiger cub, saying that it would fetch a lucrative price when sold later, while another demanded cash to return a baby tapir (Malayan Tapir).

Such situations were encountered by Pahang National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) personnel when they responded to tip-offs and arrived at the doorsteps of the house owners, especially at the Orang Asli settlements in Pahang.

Its director, Khairiah Mohd Shariff, said it was not easy to convince the people to surrender the protected species, mostly involving animals barely a few months old.

She said when caught "red- handed" for keeping the animals, some owners would give lame excuses while others admitted that the animals under their care were meant for the cooking pot.

"Some claimed they found the animal injured in the jungle and brought it home to nurse it back to health.

"They later formed a close bond with the animal and decided to keep it.

"When our officers told an owner that it was an offence to keep the tiger cub, he replied that it was meant to be sold at a good price," she told the New Straits Times.

In a separate incident, Khairiah said an Orang Asli had refused to hand over a young female tapir in his possession and coldly said the animal would be served as an exotic dish.

"Even after realising that he could be in trouble for keeping the protected animal, he still refused to surrender it and demanded that we pay him for the animal.

"After agreeing to the amount, he surrendered the animal to us, but it took some time for our officers to coax him to part with the animal."

To help tackle such problems, Khairiah said they had appointed 10 Orang Asli to serve the department at several districts in Pahang.

"Apart from carrying out their routine jobs with the department, they will also play the role of ambassadors.

"The Orang Asli folk will also feel more comfortable contacting them to provide information about poaching activities in their area.

"In fact, we have seen results when some of the Orang Asli villagers acted as eyes and ears for the department about the wild animals reared in their neighbourhood."

Khairiah said investigations also revealed that some villagers had opted to keep and bottle-feed the young animals.

However, she said they had to learn that the animals belong in the wild and had their own moods, which could sometimes turn fatal.

"These young animals are like babies and love the attention they get from people. Trouble starts when the animals grow and become uncontrollable.

"People should not keep the young protected animals that they rescue from the jungle. Instead, they should always surrender the animals to Perhilitan and we will send it to zoos."

Khairiah said many people were still unaware of the amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which provided for stiffer penalties for offenders, since many had been found to be keeping protected animals, including civet cats and squirrels.

There are 2,120 protected endangered species and sub-species under the new law with several non-endangered animals, such as wild boars and monkeys. These animals are also protected to preserve the natural habitat.

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Hong Kong hotel group strikes shark fin off menu

Stephen Coates (AFP) Google News 21 Nov 11;

HONG KONG — One of Asia's most prestigious hotel chains said Monday it would stop selling shark fin from January, in a move hailed as a historic breakthrough by campaigners to protect the threatened predators.

The owner of the Peninsula Hotels group said the decision was made "in recognition of the threat facing the global shark population and in line with the company's sustainability vision".

"The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd., parent company of The Peninsula Hotels, today announced that it will stop serving shark fin at all its group operations, effective 1 January 2012," the company said in a statement.

The company will honour banquet bookings involving shark fin products made prior to November 21, it added. Shark fin soup is an expensive staple at wedding parties and business banquets in the Hong Kong hotel.

Peninsula operates nine hotels including in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo and New York.

Chief executive officer Clement Kwok said: "By removing shark fin from our menus, we hope that our decision can contribute to preserving the marine ecosystem for the world's future generations.

"As Asia's oldest hotel company, we also hope that our decision will inspire other hospitality companies to do the same and that our industry will play a role in helping to preserve the biodiversity of our oceans."

The ban was announced as the European Commission called for a full ban on shark finning at sea -- the practice of slicing off the valuable fins and throwing the body overboard to drown.

Environmental activists have long campaigned for governments to ban or severely restrict the sale of shark fin, commonly used in soup which is regarded as a delicacy and health tonic across much of Asia, especially China.

WWF-Hong Kong says the consumption of shark fins is a driving factor behind the threat to shark populations, with more than 180 species considered threatened in 2010 compared with only 15 in 1996.

An individual serving of shark fin soup includes about 30 grams (one ounce) of fin, and a 12-person bowl sells for HK$1,080 (about $140).

A kilogram (two pounds) of premium dried fin can fetch up to HK$10,000 on the street in Hong Kong, or as little as HK$200 for fins of lesser quality.

The demand is such that Hong Kong is the global focus of the shark fin trade, with WWF estimating that around half of the world?s fin catch passes through the city.

"Hong Kong is the global shark fin capital," WWF shark conservation programme officer Silvy Pun said, adding that this made Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels' decision all the more important.

"We think that this is a very brave act and it can inspire others to follow," she said.

Claire Nouvian, founder of the Bloom Association for marine conservation, said: "I view this as a historical tipping point in Hong Kong and sure hope it will spur change amongst other leading hotels in Hong Kong and its vicinity."

About 73 million sharks are killed every year, with Hong Kong importing about 10,000 tonnes of fins annually for the past decade, WWF said.

Shark fin soup is regarded as an important status symbol for hosts wanting to demonstrate their wealth in Chinese banquets, and is believed to have various health benefits in traditional medicine.

A Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels spokeswoman would not comment on how much shark fin the chain sold in a normal month. She said commercial considerations were not central to the decision.

"Shark fin is only a small part of the food and beverage selection that we offer to our guests," she told AFP, asking not to be named.

"Obviously the adoption of this policy will have some revenue implications but this is a challenge and we are happy to acknowledge that we are doing the best thing for the environment."

November to January is seen as the peak season for shark fin consumption in Hong Kong, because of end-of-year office parties and a number of "lucky days" which are popular wedding dates.

The European Commission called Monday for all vessels fishing in EU waters and EU vessels fishing elsewhere "to land sharks with the fins still attached", in a proposal that must be adopted by parliament and 27 member states in order to become law.

EU nations account for 14 percent of the world's shark catches.

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Chinese Medicine Driving Rhinos to Extinction

Benjamin Radford | LiveScience.com Yahoo News 22 Nov 11;

Biologists and game park officials in South Africa say that rhinos are being slaughtered at the rate of one each day, and that most of these animals are killed to feed a demand for traditional Chinese medicines and cures.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, more than 340 rhinos have been killed so far this year in South Africa, and the problem is getting worse. Last week, the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued a report on endangered species, concluding that the western black rhino is now officially extinct. Two other species, the black and white rhinos, are also seriously endangered and could be gone from the wild within a few years.

The rhinos are being poached to extinction largely for their horns, which are sometimes sold as trophies or decorations, but more often are ground up and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Sometimes the powder is added to food, or brewed in a tea, as some people believe that African rhino horns are a powerful aphrodisiac and panacea. These animals are not being killed for meat or to control their population, but because of misinformation and superstition.

It's not just rhinos that face this threat. Throughout Asia, the penises, claws and bones of various animals — including tigers, rhinos, and bears — are sold in folk medicine shops to cure everything from arthritis to asthma, impotence to cancer. Some people believe that tiger bones and claws can cure a variety of maladies, including back pain, arthritis and fatigue.

In July, officials along the border between Russia and China intercepted a truck carrying more than 1,000 bear claws and 26 elk lips — weighing 143 pounds in total — that were destined for medicine shops across Asia. The bears and elk were most likely left to bleed to death after their paws and lips were sliced off by the poachers.

Shark populations have also declined dramatically in recent years, due in part to the demand for shark fins, eaten as a delicacy and used in Chinese medicine. The live, but finless, sharks are often thrown back into the ocean to die.

There is no scientific evidence that any of these animal body parts treat or cure any disease or medical problem, but old beliefs die hard. The threat to Earth's biodiversity doesn't just come from pollution and human demand for food, and the extinction of the rhino reveals a dark side to belief in alternative medicines.

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"Green" palm oil demand growing, but not fast enough: WWF

* 87 out of 132 firms surveyed pledged to buy green palm oil by 2015
* WWF scorecard results released during RSPO meeting
* WWF says some buyers have fallen behind on their commitments
Niluksi Koswanage Reuters 22 Nov 11;

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Manufacturers and retailers in Europe, Australia and Japan are buying more eco-friendly palm oil compared to two years ago although more firms need to display a stronger commitment to preserving forests, environment group WWF said on Tuesday.

A scorecard devised by WWF showed 87 out of 132 firms, including Nestle and Unilever , had pledged to meet their palm oil needs by 2015 or earlier from planters in Asia, Africa and South America who do not cut forests and destroy wildlife.

That signals growing demand for green palm oil, which now stands at half of the five million tonnes currently supplied to the market.

It also shows some progress from the first scorecard in 2009 when only 10 out of 59 European firms pledged to take up the edible oil from sustainable sources.

"There are no excuses for all companies not to take action now," said Adam Harrison, senior policy officer with WWF who represents the group on the industry-driven Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil's (RSPO) executive board.

"But 2015 is just around the corner -- all companies, even some of the top performers, need to move faster," he added.

WWF published the scorecard during the RSPO meeting in Malaysian's Borneo island state of Sabah where oil palm growers, consumers and environment groups assessed the edible oil's green credentials over the years.

The scorecard tracks the companies' purchasing decisions, green policies and willingness to join the RSPO.

LIMITED TAKE-UP

WWF said the buyers scorecard showed the companies source just half of their palm oil needs from eco-friendly planters, a sign that their commitment to protect the environment was not too strong.

Data showed nearly half of the 43 retailers and more than a fifth of 89 consumer goods manufacturers scored poorly in taking responsibility for the environmental impact of their palm oil buying.

"So it is clear that some manufacturers and retailers have fallen behind on their commitments to 100 per cent sustainable palm oil, while others haven't even started at all," Harrison said.

The slow sales of eco-friendly palm oil have angered palm oil producers in Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's top two exporters, who say they spend more per hectare to ensure they meet voluntary green standards set by the RSPO.

Last month, the Indonesian Palm Oil Association withdrew its membership from the RSPO, saying it the lobby was pandering to green groups. Indonesia is also starting a mandatory certification scheme for green production.

Malaysia's government also plans to start its own scheme for local growers.

The WWF urged palm oil buyers to become more transparent about how much they buy from environmentally friendly plantations, to encourage green practices.

"WWF wants far more openness in this industry. Unless there is greater transparency, oil palm growers will remain unwilling to commit to certification," said Harrison.

"If we want growers to act responsibly, buyers of palm oil need to show what their future demand for certified sustainable palm oil is going to be." (Editing by Miral Fahmy)

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Global cooperation needed to protect pathways of migratory species – UN

UN News Centre 21 Nov 11;

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) called today for the international community to step up its efforts to protect the pathways and networks of migratory species, which are being threatened by human activity, endangering the future of wildlife hubs.

According to UNEP, if action is not taken immediately, by 2050 there will be a loss of abundance and species of wildlife equivalent to eradicating all fauna and flora in an area roughly the size of the United States or China.

To mobilize a response to this issue, representatives from some 100 governments are meeting at a UN conference in Bergen, Norway, organized by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) of the UNEP.

The six-day conference taking place this week is putting particular focus on the importance of ecological networks as an efficient instrument to protect a wide range of migratory animals.

“For all the frequent travellers of the animal world, ecological networks are essential for their migration and survival. International cooperation is crucial to manage these large transboundary networks,” said CMS Executive Secretary, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema.

“The commitment of all countries is needed, so that future generations can still marvel at and benefit from these nomads connecting our planet.”

UNEP also launched a report at the conference on how to protect migratory networks, highlighting stories where international collaboration has led to positive outcomes. For example, in the Pacific island country of Palau, sharks that have roamed the oceans for over 400 million years were becoming endangered due to the demand for the fins for soup, but new measures helped not only to protect the species but also stimulate the local economy.

“Two years ago, Palau became the first country to declare its coastal waters a shark sanctuary –scientists now estimate that shark diving tours are generating around eight per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and that a single shark generates revenues from ecotourism amounting to 1.9 million over its lifetime,” said Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director.

Other successful examples include a 10-year programme to restore and conserve seven million hectares of wetland in China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Russia, which has boosted the prospects of survival for the Siberian crane and improved drinking water supplies, and a transboundary enforcement measure to protect the population of mountain gorillas on the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Uganda.

In spite of these successes, UNEP expressed its concern about large countries which account for almost 36 per cent of the global land area that are still not parties to the Convention, posing challenges for protecting migratory species worldwide.

In addition, practices such as poaching are on the rise, particularly in the grasslands and savannahs of Africa and Central Asia.

“Organized poaching on animals such as rhinos, elephants and antelopes is increasing rapidly in Asia and Africa and support is desperately needed to address this at a wider international scale,” said Christian Nellemann, of UNEP’s GRID-Arendal centre in Norway.

UNEP’s report provides recommendations to secure ecological networks for migratory species. These include assessing national infrastructure development projects to ensure migratory pathways are not blocked, combating environmental crime, increasing anti-poaching training and enforcement, increasing marine protected areas, and restoring wetlands and coastal zones.

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Best of our wild blogs: 21 Nov 11

Latest Green Jobs in Singapore [14 - 20 Nov 2011]
from Green Business Times

The Hantu Blogger Speaks!
from Pulau Hantu

Endangered raptors - Changeable Hawk-eagle
from Life's Indulgences

2012 calendar features our wild shores!
from wild shores of singapore

Belongkeng
from Monday Morgue

Snake laundering rampant in the Indonesian reptile export market
from Mongabay.com news by Rhett Butler

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Fish farm co-op under probe

Registry of Cooperative Societies acting on feedback about the way co-op operates
Jessica Lim Straits Times 21 Nov 11;

THE Singapore Marine Aquaculture Cooperative (Smac) is under investigation after questions were raised about the way it has been run.

The Registry of Cooperative Societies, which regulates the activities of cooperatives here, said it is acting on feedback it has received recently about Smac's governance and administration, and is checking if any rules of the Cooperative Societies Act have been broken.

It has been a series of fits and starts since 18 fish farmers banded together to register Smac as a co-op in January.

Jointly owning eight fish farms off Changi and Pasir Ris, the group hatched ambitious plans to boost the farm yields of its members and operate a sea ambulance. Neither of these has happened.

The membership fee, originally tagged at the one-off sum of $10,000, had to be slashed to $1,000 when members baulked at the sum; only the co-op's five board members have paid up so far.

Several high-level members have quit in the last few months, notably Mr Alan Chia, the co-op's chief executive, who threw in the towel last month.

The 32-year-old former business consultant claims he was hired at $3,000 a month, but has not been paid since he started work in July. He also claims Smac owes him $7,000 for overseas work trips he helped pay for, and several cheques he has tried to cash have bounced.

He said: 'The chairman keeps saying, 'Wait, wait... soon, we'll have more members and investors and I can pay you back'.'

Smac's chairman and founder is Mr Philip Lim, 49, who owns three fish farms in Pasir Ris.

Mr Chia, who said he is consulting a lawyer, added that the amounts spent so far had not been approved by the co-op's members. 'It's all in a mess. There are no investors, no funds, nothing,' he said.

The Straits Times understands that the co-op owes a food caterer $5,500 for a media event Smac held in September, and that it had unveiled plans to build a US$4 million (S$5.2 million) processing plant in Indonesia with input from investors.

Mr Lim, denying the allegations, said Mr Chia had never been formally employed by Smac; no employment contract had been signed.

To Mr Chia's claim about having paid for the work trips, Mr Lim said the payments had been made on someone else's credit card, and Mr Chia had not produced the receipts.

The chairman, noting that the co-op made decisions only after meetings with its members, said it was looking into the matter internally.

Contrary to what Mr Chia said, Mr Lim countered that Smac did have investors, though he was unable to reveal who they were or how much they had sunk into Smac for 'confidentiality reasons'.

In response to Smac's grand plans coming to nothing, Mr Lim said production goals had not been met because of a fish fry shortage here, and no landing base has been found for the sea ambulance.

Smac member Joseph Neo, 38, said there has been 'a lot of misunderstanding', and that the co-op was trying to sort things out. 'There was a lot of change in membership. Everything is quite messy. It's very haphazard,' he said.

All the 85 co-ops here, bound by the Cooperatives Societies Act, are required to have a minimum number of members, to vote on decisions and to hold annual general meetings.

Co-ops here do not pay corporate taxes, but are required to contribute 5 per cent of the first $500,000 of their surpluses to a Central Cooperative Fund used to develop the co-op movement here. In addition, 20 per cent of any surplus in excess of $500,000 will go to the Singapore Labour Foundation or the Central Cooperative Fund.

If Smac has breached these rules, it could be wound up or fined.

Meanwhile, about 40 other fish farmers have formed the Fish Farmers Association of Singapore. Formally registered in May, it aims to buy fry and fish feed in bulk to bring down costs.

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New-look Punggol Point: Waterfront buzz

Former seafood haunt features a park, 1.2km section of promenade
Jessica Lim & Shuli Sudderuddin Straits Times 21 Nov 11;

PUNGGOL Point - once home to popular seafood restaurants in the 1980s and 1990s - is ready to show off its spruced-up new face.

The 0.6ha Punggol Point Park was officially opened in the area yesterday, and with it, a 1.2km section of the Punggol Promenade, called Punggol Point Walk.

The park also features two lily ponds and a sand-filled playground.

The old seafood restaurants are gone, but in their place is a 300 sq m viewing deck giving visitors views of Pulau Ubin and the Strait of Johor.

Land measuring 11,000 sq ft in area has been set aside there for food and beverage outlets, which may well be set up later.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, an MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC overseeing this north-east corner of Singapore, said these facilities represent the Government's commitment to building 'wonderful, affordable homes for Singaporeans'.

He was meeting about 2,300 residents from the area who had turned up at the park for a senior citizens' sports day.

The latest facilities, built by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, follow the March opening of the 1.3km Riverside Walk section of the promenade, which runs along the banks of Serangoon Reservoir.

The cycling and jogging tracks, food outlets and lookout points of Riverside Walk, set near the Lorong Halus Wetland, are all part of the plan to make Punggol a waterfront housing estate.

More is to follow: A 2.5km nature walk zone will open next year.

Punggol Promenade links Punggol Point and Punggol East and connects further south with the park connectors along Serangoon Reservoir and Punggol Reservoir, making up 17km of the north-eastern part of the Park Connector Network.

Mr Teo, referring to Punggol Point Park and Punggol Point Walk, noted that the facilities were developed in consultation with residents and grassroots leaders.

The area's seafood restaurants were a part of his childhood, he told residents.

'This place was always farmland, and not many people were living here. It had a completely different character.

'Now we have transformed this place,' he said.

But a nod has also been given to the history of Punggol amid all these developments: The tree-lined road leading to Punggol Point Walk has been earmarked as a heritage road.

Bishan resident Tay Siew Kian, 50, visiting the park with her sister, a Punggol resident, said: 'The park is very pretty. I'll probably come here often with my sister to take walks.'

Grassroots leader Rebecca Tan said the Punggol 21 Community Club plans to ferry senior citizens to the park by bus for brisk-walking sessions; sports events will also be held there.

Punggol East MP Michael Palmer said: 'Sengkang and Punggol are getting a lot more populated. You see a lot more congestion in terms of traffic and living space. It's important in this sort of urban environment that people have space to go take a walk and feel some open scenery. This creates that space.'

Rustic spots a boon for residents
Punggol parks an example of the space for quality housing, says DPM Teo
Wayne Chan Today Online 21 Nov 11;

SINGAPORE - Despite an increasing population, the Republic can still have good quality housing in "a wonderful setting", Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday.

And the newest zone at Punggol Promenade - Punggol Point Walk and Punggol Point Park - is an example of how this can be achieved, Mr Teo said at its opening.

"These parks around Punggol illustrate that we can still find the space for good quality housing for Singaporeans, provided we design and plan them well, and also that Singaporeans pitch in to help look after all the facilities that we have," he said.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority, as lead agency, engaged the grassroots and residents in planning and designing the park and its facilities.

Mr Teo also said the park signals the Government's commitment to building affordable housing for Singaporeans.

The quality of public housing is a recent talking point, following comments a fortnight ago by the Housing and Development Board's chief executive officer that smaller public flats have not lowered the quality of life here.

In his speech yesterday, Mr Teo noted how recreational developments such as at Punggol have been a value-add for residents.

"As you know, Singapore has very limited land for competing uses. Even as we plan the whole island, land is specifically set aside for different types of parks and open spaces," he said.

He added that facilities in recreational areas have also become more elderly-friendly, making it easier for an ageing population to enjoy active lives.

The 1.2-km Punggol Point Walk, for instance, will offer visitors better access to fishing spots along Punggol's coast.

It is the second zone to be opened in the S$16.7-million Punggol Promenade, which will be fully completed next year. The 4.9-km waterfront promenade will then connect two recreational clusters along the north-eastern coast of Singapore.

"What we're trying to do is to bring people back to Punggol Point, make it as a recreational node by building this nice park," said Mr Lee Howe Ming, executive architect of Conservation & Urban Design Group at the URA.

"It's also well connected along the coastline to other recreational options along Punggol such as your My Waterway@Punggol, Lorong Halus Wetlands."

A new waterfront destination launched

Punggol Point Walk has a viewing deck, which marks the end of Punggol Road, that can hold some 300 people and also serves as a shelter to users of the jetty. There is also a giant lily pond, a children's playground and an events plaza.

Meanwhile, footpaths and cycling tracks will link up with park connectors along Punggol and Serangoon reservoirs, forming a continuous 17-km loop around north-eastern Singapore.

When the last stage of the promenade, the Nature Walk measuring 2.5km, is completed early next year, the public can make their way from Riverside Walk in Punggol East to the Sengkang Riverside Park.

"This will also be connected in the future to the round island cycling routes, so that's about 150 kilometres," said Mr Lee. "Singapore is a small island, but by doing all these park connectors, we're giving more recreational options to residents."

A horse riding school will also be opened soon at Punggol Point, while a site has been reserved for food and beverage outlets in the future.

"We hope that Punggol Point Walk will offer respite from the hustle and bustle of city life to the residents in Punggol and allow visitors of all ages to relax and soak in the idyllic atmosphere," said URA chief executive officer Ng Lang.

"This latest recreation destination is a collective effort from the project team, leaders and residents from the grassroots and constituency, the agencies from the public sector and supporters from the private sector."

Punggol Promenade is the latest in a series of improvement projects that the URA has undertaken to enhance the living environment. Others include the Southern Ridges, the Woodlands Waterfront and the soon-to-be completed Labrador Nature and Coastal Walk.

It is also part of the URA's Rustic Coast Proposals, which aims to connect the five coastal areas - Pulau Ubin, Changi Point, Pasir Ris, Coney Island and Punggol Point - and open them up so that residents can enjoy new recreational activities and amenities.

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Crowns of green for more flats, carparks

Another 9ha of such gardens being planned for next 5 years
Daryl Chin Straits Times 21 Nov 11;

THE greening of the tops of multi-storey carparks and public housing blocks has taken root here.

Fourteen carparks and 17 residential blocks in older estates - 4ha in all - now wear crowns of green.

The cost: $4 million.

Another 9ha of such high-rise gardens are being planned for the next five years, with the top deck of the multi-storey carpark at Block 129A, Bukit Merah View, among the next lined up for greening.

Aside from being low-maintenance, these gardens reduce the glare of sunlight reflecting harshly off bare concrete roofs which residents in neighbouring buildings would otherwise have to put up with.

The gardens also make the environment cooler, and beautify the estate.

There is one crucial difference between these Prefabricated Extensive Green (PEG) Roof Systems and the rooftop gardens built in newer Housing Board estates: The public cannot access PEG gardens.

Rooftop gardens in estates built after November 2005 typically have more shrubs, trees and communal facilities such as playgrounds or fitness areas. As the weight of such facilities exact a toll on the roof, such gardens must be incorporated into the design from the planning stage, said the HDB.

PEG gardens have been retrofitted in selected blocks in older estates since 2006. They comprise a series of trays hosting hardy plants that can withstand the tropical heat.

Green roofs came about after the HDB and the National Parks Board (NParks), in a 2003 experiment, converted the top of a multi-storey carpark in Punggol into four green plots about half the size of a football field.

It was found that this reduced heat on the building's surface by as much as 18 deg C, and the surrounding air temperature by 3 deg C. Glare was also cut down by as much as 15 per cent.

UGL Premas, which worked with the HDB on the system, said the purpose was to introduce instant, no-fuss greening to rooftops in an urban environment.

No structural retrofitting or heavy construction works need to be done to house the trays, which can weigh up to 120kg per sq m.

A UGL Premas spokesman said that by lowering the temperature of the roof and reducing heat transferred into the building, PEG gardens enable cost savings in energy that would have otherwise been used to run fans or air-conditioners.

The HDB typically bears the costs of building such installations, then hands them over to the town councils to manage.

Member of Parliament Indranee Rajah said that in response to requests by Bukit Merah View residents for more greenery, she checked with the HDB and found that a garden on top of the carpark would cost $250,000, or $110 per sq m.

She has asked the HDB to consider including a communal space in the garden, so residents can enjoy the plants up close.

The HDB is looking into it.

Housewife Kurra Madhavi, 27, who lives in a block near the carpark, said: 'It would be refreshing to see plants rather than concrete, and I believe it is something all in the neighbourhood, especially the children, will enjoy.'

Retiree Sang Guan Shao Xin, 73, said it would be a good use of the space.

'Nobody parks on the top deck because of the rain and sun, so why not have plants there?'

Background story

COOL AND GREEN

A green roof pilot project in 2003 found that rooftop gardens:

Reduced heat on a building's surface by up to 18 deg C.

Lowered surrounding air temperature by 3 deg C.

Cut down glare by up to 15 per cent.

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Two hit by lightning on fishing trip; one dies

Leonard Lim & Elizabeth Soh Straits Times 21 Nov 11;

A PAIR of friends on a fishing trip to Coney Island were struck by lightning on Saturday evening, leaving one dead and the other in critical condition.

Mr Tan Guan Yin, 40, and Mr Eng Yang Huat, 41, are believed to have been taking shelter under a tree when a storm hit the island, which lies off Punggol.

Mr Tan, a dispatch rider and bachelor, was killed instantly, and Mr Eng, whose occupation is unknown, was left lying in spasms, and badly burnt.

A Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) spokesman confirmed the incident yesterday, saying a call for help came at 5.19pm. SCDF officers arrived at the scene 11 minutes later and rushed Mr Eng to Changi General Hospital, where he is in intensive care.

Secluded island a peaceful spot for anglers

When The Straits Times visited him in hospital yesterday evening, he appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness. Parts of his body were swathed in bandages.

He was not known to have had any visitors.

Over at Mr Tan's flat in Yishun Avenue4 yesterday evening, four of his relatives were waiting outside for a locksmith to break the locks.

When they were finally let in, they saw a home that was a shrine to fishing: Fishing rods were propped upright against the furniture, and the walls had mounted moulds of fish along with descriptions.

Neighbours told The Straits Times that Mr Tan had been living there for about five years, and that they had never seen anyone enter or leave the flat with him.

They also remarked that he seemed absent-minded; he frequently left his keys in the lock.

Madam Salma Hussein, 53, a librarian, said: 'I last saw him about a week ago. He always returns home from work late. He rides a motorbike, he fishes. Sometimes, he goes out carrying a rod and sometimes, he doesn't come home.'

His relatives, who declined to be named, said they were not close to him, but will arrange a wake for him.

The Straits Times understands that Coney Island, also known as Pulau Serangoon, is a fenced-off area slated for redevelopment.

Angling enthusiasts know that the easiest way to get to it without a boat is to walk across at low tide. It is believed Mr Tan and Mr Eng did this from a spot along Lorong Halus off the Tampines Expressway. They would have had to climb over a series of wave breakers and a fence to get on the island.

Fishing enthusiasts told The Straits Times that they enjoy going to Coney Island because it is secluded.

Technician Fazrul Suleiman, 28, said: 'Not many people know about the area, so I don't have to fight for space. It's peaceful and scenic.'

Singapore is notoriously lightning prone, getting on average 186 lightning days a year. November is the month with the most lightning activity, followed by April and May.

In the most recent reported lightning incident this year, a golfer escaped with burns to his head and hand after being struck by lightning at the Laguna National Golf and Country Club.

Additional reporting by Lim Yan Liang

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Malaysia: Weatherman issues monsoonal surge alert for four states

The Star 21 Nov 11;

PETALING JAYA: The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for heavy rain and thunderstorms in Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang and Kedah.

The yellow alert is the first of three warnings where a monsoonal surge is possible in the next 24 to 48 hours.

The department also issued a first category warning of strong winds and rough seas expected to occur over the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, East Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.

It warned that intermittent rain from today to Thursday may cause flooding in low-lying areas and also strong winds and flash floods.

The department also said strong northeasterly winds of 40 to 50 kph with waves of up to 3.5m were expected over the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, East Johor, Sarawak, Labuan, Sabah (Interior, West Coast and Kudat), Samui, Condore, Reef North, Layang-Layang, Tioman, Bunguran, Reef South and Palawan until Nov 29.

“The strong winds and rough seas are dangerous to small craft and recreational sea activities,” it said.

On Saturday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said flood relief centres with more than 1,000 occupants would have a team of doctors and nurses on standby.

The minister will also issue an order to freeze leave for public health personnel in flood-prone states for December and January.

More than 28,000 government personnel will be ready to use land, air and water vehicles to move people and aid to victims.

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