FRU crash: Lorry company owner to face court action
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will take action against the company.
'Firstly, the operator's licence has been revoked. Secondly, legal action will be taken against the company owner in court through JPJ,' he told reporters at a press conference after officiating the Speed Limitation Device (SLD) for commercial vehicles' implementation, at Scania (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
Loke added that the families of the victims could also pursue civil action against the company, to seek damages and compensation.
The tragic accident occurred at 8.54 am on May 13, when a Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) lorry collided with a tipper lorry, which had allegedly veered into the opposite lane. The crash claimed the lives of nine FRU members, and left nine others injured.
In another development, Loke said the decision to return the authority to regulate tourism transport, particularly involving tour buses, to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is subject to Cabinet approval and he has no objection to the move, noting that the matter has been raised over the past two years.
'MOTAC had previously prepared a Cabinet Memorandum (MJM) and submitted it to the Ministry of Transport (MOT) even before the recent incident involving Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students,' Loke said.
'I want to stress that this issue is not a response to the tragedy. I've told the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing that I have no objection to returning the regulatory authority, provided that the safety of sightseeing buses can be guaranteed. I'm more than happy to hand it back, but ultimately, the decision lies with the Cabinet,' he added.
Last Wednesday, MOTAC, in a statement, called for the return of tourism transport regulatory authority to the ministry, following the fatal bus crash in Gerik, Perak, on Monday, which claimed the lives of 15 UPSI students.
MOTAC described the tragedy not only as a devastating incident, but also exposed deep issues within in the current tourism transport safety system.
Meanwhile, Loke said that the bus operators' association should inform the ministry and enforcement authorities, if they have any evidence or information regarding the alleged long-standing practice of leasing bus permits.
He added that, if the association had cooperated by providing such information earlier, the government could have taken appropriate measures to address the issue, and possibly prevent the recent fatal accident.
'Everyone is talking about permit leasing, but where is the evidence? The association should have assisted the MOT... they should have blacklisted or publicly exposed the company's actions, to help clean up the industry,' he said.
In the early Monday morning incident, 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students were killed, when the bus they were travelling in overturned at KM53, East-West Highway (JRTB), near Tasik Banding, Gerik.
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