Latest news with #Butterworth
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
With new ETS on track, KTMB preps Johor, Butterworth, Padang Besar routes
BUTTERWORTH, June 5 — Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) has received two out of 10 new Electric Train Service (ETS) sets, worth RM400 million, which are expected to be gradually deployed for operations starting next year. ETS and Intercity Services general manager Nurul Azha Mokmin said that both train sets are currently undergoing testing and commissioning. She said that the acquisition of the new train sets aims to enhance both the quality and capacity of the ETS service, which continues to see strong demand. 'ETS passenger numbers grow by about 10 per cent annually, indicating high user satisfaction. With the upcoming completion of the Gemas (Negeri Sembilan) to Johor Bahru (Johor) route, KTMB plans to expand ETS services to several new destinations. 'We have procured 10 ETS train sets, which are expected to operate on the Gemas-Johor Bahru route, beginning next year. Subsequently, new routes from Johor Bahru to Butterworth and Padang Besar (Perlis) will also be introduced,' she said. She said this to reporters after officiating the Ruby Lounge at Butterworth Station, an exclusive waiting area for ETS Business Class passengers, and attending the distribution of Aidiladha souvenir packs by KTMB chief technical officer Ahmad Nizam Mohamed Amin. She added that over 250,000 ETS and Intercity train tickets, including additional tickets released for the Aidiladha celebration, had been sold as of yesterday, since sales began on May 29. She said this included the sale of 119,000 tickets for the Ekspres Selatan service, which covers the Johor Bahru-Gemas route, and remains in high demand. 'KTMB is also continuing its special service, the Ekspres Lambaian Aidiladha, for the KL Sentral-Tumpat and Tumpat-KL Sentral routes, as in previous years. This year, the service offers two trips, with a total of 872 tickets available,' she said. One-way fares range from RM80 to RM95, with options including premier and superior class seating, superior class sleeping coaches, as well as 'chillax' and cafe coaches for added passenger comfort. As of now, she said that 762 out of the 872 tickets have been sold. The train is scheduled to depart tonight and return to KL Sentral on June 8. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
The Soon family's amazing military odyssey
Retired lieutenant Soon Tet Leong's journey in the Royal Malaysian Navy was all about service, sacrifice and solidarity. PETALING JAYA : On Lorong Berani ( lane of the brave) in Butterworth, Penang, a modest home exudes quiet heroism. Inside, framed moments and keepsakes of the Soon military family chronicle a tradition defined by sacrifice. Each item whispers of courage passed down through the Soon family, whose Chinese heritage has been intertwined with Malaysia's uniformed ranks for decades. Seven Soons once stood in uniform together across the army, air force and navy. From World War II medics to modern elite officers, the Soons' proud line of service stands as a testament to loyalty beyond ethnicity. The family's narrative reminds us that allegiance to king and country can be as much a family heirloom as a well‑worn photograph. Retired navy lieutenant Soon Tet Leong, 74, who is of Chinese-Gujarati parentage, is the family's chronicler. In the 2019 anthology, 'Memoirs of the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans', he challenged claims that Malaysian Chinese lack patriotism or shun national service. Some of the Soons who stood shoulder to shoulder in uniform, (from left) Tet Leong, Tet Loy, Tat Kong and Tet Seong pictured during Chinese New Year in 2018. (Tet Leong pic) 'Our story depicts all the good ingredients of citizenry, loyalty, and love for the homeland,' he declared in a chapter tracing his lineage. Tet Leong said his article, titled 'A family serving the nation', was a typical Malaysian story about migration, ancestry, homeland and loyalty. Tonight, he will help launch the book's follow‑up, 'Memoirs: Malaya and Borneo at War', published by the Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association (Macva). It is a collection of firsthand recollections spanning the Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation and decades of counter‑insurgency. The first Soon In the early 1800s, Soon Ah Yoong fled the turmoil in Guangdong, China, and arrived in Malaya. Born around 1790, he settled in Bukit Mertajam, where his descendants would make their mark. Ah Yoong died in 1862 and stands as generation one in the family's ancestral archive. By mid‑20th century, his family members, including Tet Leong's late father, Boon Sooi, from generation five, were on the front lines of defence. The Soons during Chinese New Year last year at their family house in Butterworth. Roots in wartime sacrifice In 1942, brothers Boon Sooi and Boon Leong enlisted in the royal army medical corps at Tanglin Barracks, Singapore. Hoo Eng Chong, the future husband of their sister, Boon Chin, joined them. Together, the medics dubbed themselves the band of brothers. Boon Chin joined the police force at a time when it was uncommon for women to be educated, let alone be proficient in English. She was the stenographer to the British chief police officer for Kedah and Perlis during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960). The band of brothers endured the fall of Singapore, makeshift field hospitals under fire, and captivity as prisoners of war after the British surrender on Feb 15. Released on separate marches home, Boon Sooi and Boon Leong trekked overland. Eng Chong remained interned until June 1943, when the Japanese sent him to build the death railway in Siam. Generations three, four and five in 1929 at the Soon family house in Bukit Mertajam. Tet Leong's uncle, Boon Leong and father Boon Sooi are the young ones seated third and fifth from right respectively. (Tet Leong pic) Their survival forged the family's ethos of grit and unity. Both brothers passed away in 1988, six months apart, but their tradition lived on. In the 1950s, as Malaya moved toward independence, the other Soons branched into the tri-service. Military life became their hallmark, not merely a career choice. Generation six Tet Leong followed suit, and was commissioned as a Royal Malaysian Navy officer in 1979. He served in the navy's first frigate, KD Hang Tuah, that conducted operations like Ops Cabut to prevent arrivals of Vietnamese refugees fleeing their homeland. Tet Leong rose to engineering officer before taking optional retirement in 1992 at age 40. His second career was in the oil and gas industry. Husband and wife defenders, Soon Tet Leong and Loo Lee Fum, at the ministry of defence's central officers mess in 1980, the year they got married. (Tet Leong pic) His wife, retired Lt-Col Loo Lee Fum, cultivated the family's service spirit. In 1977, Loo and Toh Lian Sim, from Kuala Terengganu, became the only Chinese cadets admitted to the army's first women's intake. Both Loo and Toh were selected to join the royal intelligence corps due to their educational background, and ability to speak in multiple dialects and languages. Her father, Loo Yok Tian, a rubber trader turned home guard volunteer in 1953, once defended remote villages against communist insurgents in Baling, Kedah. Soon Boon Chin (seated fifth from right) sits proudly as the only woman among male Kedah police personnel during an event in 1957. (Tet Leong pic) The couple's sons, Pow Lee, 43, and Pow Yik, 39, both born on Feb 28, honed their discipline at the Royal Military College. Their seven-year-old granddaughter, Yu Hui, continues as the eighth-generation Soon. In retirement, Tet Leong and his wife lobby through Macva for better recognition of tri‑service contributions and improved veteran transition programmes. Inspiring the next generation Across the globe, countries celebrate military dynasties with pageantry and parades. Here, families like the Soons and others such as the Thongs, Yuens, Kwongs, Rodrigues, Stevensons and Lais remain largely unsung. Their sacrifices never grace school syllabi or national remembrance ceremonies. Worse, self-serving politicians forget the contributions of all races in nation-building. Yet their steadfast allegiance, captured in worn service registers and cherished photographs, is as vital to Malaysia's story as any battle plan. As the next generation weighs life paths, the Soon family's saga offers both inspiration and a challenge: to recognise that devotion to king and country can be the finest inheritance of all. To purchase 'Memoirs: Malaya and Borneo At War', visit Macva's website.
Free Malaysia Today
28-05-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
4 charged with injuring man with parang
Judge Nor Azah Kasran set bail at RM7,000 for each accused and fixed July 1 for mention of the case at the Butterworth sessions court. (File pic) BUTTERWORTH : Four men pleaded not guilty in the sessions court here today to charges of injuring a man with a parang on May 16. K Ravindran, 28, and D Sathea, 32, were jointly charged along with two others still at large with causing grievous injuries to Ooi Jing Wei, 36, using a parang. Ilyas Kalairasan Abdullah, 33, and B Thanabala Singam, 53, were charged with abetting the crime. Ravindran and Sathea were charged under Section 326 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, for voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a dangerous weapon. Ilyas Kalairasan and Thanabala Singam were charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 326, for abetment. The offence carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as a fine or whipping, upon conviction. Judge Nor Azah Kasran set bail at RM7,000 for each accused and fixed July 1 for mention of the case.
Free Malaysia Today
21-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Man charged with murder after 12 years on the run
Car accessories worker Ooi Chin Leng was charged with murder at the Butterworth magistrates' court today. (Rawpixel pic) PETALING JAYA : A car accessories worker who had been on the run from the police for the past 12 years after allegedly killing a nightclub bouncer was charged with murder today. Ooi Chin Leng, 38, nodded when the charge was read to him in Mandarin before magistrate Aini Adilah Faizal at the Butterworth magistrates' court, reported Berita Harian. No plea was recorded as murder cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. According to the charge, Ooi, along with an accomplice who is still at large, allegedly murdered Fouzi Hussen, 24, at Taman Desa Murni, Sungai Dua, at 5.25am on Jan 24, 2013. The charge, framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code, provides for the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 and 40 years. If not sentenced to death, Ooi may also be subject to not less than 12 strokes of the cane. Deputy public prosecutor Nurameera Shahrul Azrin prosecuted while Ooi was unrepresented. Nurameera did not offer bail and asked the court to set a date for Ooi's DNA test report as the case was from 2013 and he had just been arrested. Aini Adilah denied bail and set July 23 for the next mention of the case, including Ooi's DNA profiling.
Free Malaysia Today
18-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Two men arrested after parang attack at restaurant
Police said three masked men armed with parangs carried out the attack when the victim was about to alight from his car. PETALING JAYA : Two men in their 30s have been arrested in connection with a brutal parang attack on a restaurant customer in Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth, last Friday. Police are also seeking another man to assist in the investigation, Bernama reported. The 41-year-old victim was seriously injured. The attack, by three masked men armed with parangs, came as he was about to alight from his car when he and a friend arrived at a restaurant for a meal at about 7.20pm. 'The victim attempted to flee but was hit by the suspects' car and attacked by three masked men armed with parangs,' acting Seberang Perai Utara police chief C Tharmalingam said in a statement. The victim managed to escape to a nearby private clinic for treatment. He was later taken to hospital and is now in stable condition.
