Power thefts using fishing rods in Tawau to be investigated

Electricity theft using fishing rods which resulted in 261 houses being razed to the ground in Kampung Hidayat, 4th Mile, Jalan Apas here will be investigated, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.

He believed the illegal wiring method was not done by individuals but was done by a syndicate.

"The syndicate may be selling electricity to the public and this matter will be investigated..this technique is extraordinary and bold because it used fishing rods to channel electricity to homes," he told reporters during a one-day working visit here today.

On Saturday, 261 squatter houses which were built on water were destroyed in a fire in Kampung Hidayat, 4th Mile, Jalan Apas, resulting in 1,960 victims including 819 non-citizens being left with only the clothes on their backs.

In the meantime, Shahidan, who is also responsible for national disaster management, said schooling aid would be given to 270 primary and secondary school students affected by the incident.

The schooling aid, he said were contributed by the Sabah Welfare Services Department and the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).

Meanwhile, on the proposal to set up a permanent relief centre for victims of disasters in every state, Shahidan said the centre would only be opened in the event of a disaster.

He said this was to facilitate the smooth distribution of aid under the stipulated standard operating procedure (SOP).

He also stressed that settlements on water would also not encouraged after this due to numerous problems which cropped up including fire.

-- BERNAMA