Lest We Forget

DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH BORNEO BULLETIN ARCHIVES

Eight die as plane crashed in storm

February 8, 1986 – Bad weather hampered rescue operations after the crash of a Royal Malaysian Air Force twin-engined Cessna in hilly terrain on the Sabah/Sarawak border on Monday night.

Eight RMAF officers lost their lives in the crash, the third worst in Sabah history.

The aircraft is believed to have come down about 7.45pm, five minutes after the RMAF base in Labuan received the last signal.

The rescue operation swung into action soon after the crash and the Cessna 402 was located the same night because its signal light was still on.

But the bad weather and the difficult terrain forced the operation to be abandoned for the night and rescue efforts did not get underway again until Tuesday morning.

By 3pm, all bodies had been flown to Labuan where special rites were held – they were flown on to Kuala Lumpur the same night for burial in their respective home towns.

All of the victims were attached to the Region 2 Air Command, which covers the whole of Sabah and Sarawak.

They had left Labuan early in the morning for Sandakan to check the progress of flood relief operations in the area, and to take a look at a Nuri helicopter, which was being used in the relief operations but had broken down.

The aircraft returned to Labuan from Sandakan in the evening and is believed to have hit a storm while crossing the last hills along the Sabah/Sarawak border.

It is now known why the pilot was so far south of the direct route from Sandakan to Labuan.

The aircraft crashed just inside Sabah territory between Malaman and Sindumin/Meropok about 50 kilometres southeast of Labuan.

Save kids from one-arm bandit

February 5, 1996 – Indiscriminate operators of amusement centres are luring children to their shops with slot machines and other gambling games, including the new fangled ‘one-arm bandits’.

No longer contented ripping off money from children with usual video games, they are reportedly promoting gambling oriented hi-tech games, observers said.

They are slowly turning their shops into virtual gambling dens, complained several worried parents yesterday.

According to them, some shops have introduced the one-arm bandit machines and other devices to rip off money, particularly from children.

According to them, many children are now lured to the amusement centres equipped with a variety of slot machines and other paraphernalia, which could promote gambling.

“They patronise these centres in the hope that they would hit the jackpot. But they do not realise that they are losing their pocket money and wasting a lot of time,” said one concerned parent.

Parents are also victimised as children usually nag them for cash to play the ‘bandits’.

In one recent case, a 12-year-old boy came home crying when he lost as much as $30 in just few minutes playing the slot machines and other gaming gadgets in one amusement centre in Belait.

According to informed sources, the boy had told his mother earlier that he needed the money to buy some books. He thought of trying his luck at the slot machine. He did not crack the jackpot. Instead, he lost all the money he had and did not know how to explain to his mother.

According to observers, these unfortunate activities are proliferating in commercial areas of the country.

“We are not against such amusement centres, but when operators put up games that have gambling elements, that is too much,” said a young mother.

Many parents urged relevant authorities to check on these unhealthy activities mushrooming in the country.

According to them, some school children who have become addicted to these slot machines and other video games are playing truant. They miss classes just to spend their time at these amusement centres, parents complained. – Malai Hassan Othman

‘Syabu’ backlash

FEBRUARY 11, 2006 – A rise in the consumption of the deadly narcotic ‘Syabu’ Methylamphetamine by drug abusers could lead to a serious mental health problem in the country, medical experts warned recently.

Dr Ramli Hassan, Head of Administration of Psychiatry Department of RIPAS Hospital in a presentation entitled “Mental Health and Services at the Psychiatry Department to residents of Mukim Berakas ‘B’, made this serious observation.

Last year (2005), some 556 grammes of Syabu or Methylamphetamine were seized, the highest since 2002. It surpassed other drugs confiscated in the Sultanate like cannabis herb, ecstasy, heroin and morphine.

On another note, he revealed people suffering from physical diseases like diabetes have a 10 per cent to 25 per cent chance of experiencing depression, 20 per cent to 40 per cent in cancer patients, 20 per cent in strokes and 15 per cent to 20 per cent in those suffering from heart attacks.

Dr Ramli Hassan delivering his speech

Dr Ramli also highlighted ways to avoid stress by taking into account financial aspects such as through proper financial management, wise economic planning, avoiding long-term debts especially relating to credit cards and high-risk investments and the determination to deposit money not less than 10 per cent of the salary.

In terms of family, stress busting could be achieved by spending more time with children and family, finding parenting techniques to suit child development and playing the role as parents in a healthy manner.

He also underlined the need to strengthen one’s religious faith, share problems, build a good social network, avoid revenge, live in moderation and to avoid chasing after perfection as well as being willing to accept and forgive. – Azlan Othman