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Brunei Likely To Share Tsunami
Warning System With Malaysia
By Arman Gunsika
Bandar Seri
Begawan - Brunei Darussalam is reportedly keen to share a
tsunami warning system, which Malaysia will install in Sabah,
Sarawak as well as northern peninsular waters by yearend.
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Malaysia's Science, Technology and
Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jamaludin Jarjis said in
Kuantan yesterday that his ministry was discussing with American
maritime and Japanese experts on the installation of the US$5
million system, Bernama reported.
The minister said Brunei, which
borders Sarawak, is expected to share the system with Malaysia.
Dr Jamaludin had said then that
the system would be linked to Hawaii's Pacific Tsunami Warning
Centre and similar centres in Japan.
The news came in the wake of a
massive panic in Kota Kinabalu city and towns Saturday night
triggered by a false tsunami scare that followed a magnitude 7.2
earthquake in the neighbouring southern Philippines late
Saturday.
"We're now studying strategic
locations to place the system. Initially, we thought the system
should be installed in northern Peninsular Malaysia, but
actually we also need to have the system in Sabah and Sarawak
waters," Dr Jamaludin said.
Most of the people living
alongside the coastline and low lying areas in Sabah scrambled
to safety and a majority of them headed for higher ground
Saturday night |
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after being alerted of imminent
tidal waves coming their way.
Chaotic situations were
witnessed in Sabah's capital and in towns of Tuaran, Kota Belud,
Kudat, Sandakan, Semporna, Lahad Datu and Tawau.
The massive undersea quake,
similar to the one that occurred near Aceh, with its epicentre
in the sea south of Mindanao island, about 500 km from Dent
Haven near Lahad Datu on Sabah's east coast around 9.25pm,
forced the mass evacuation around 1 Ipm in the coastal areas.
With the devastating Dec 26,
2004 tsunami still fresh in their memory, thousands of Sabahans
arrived at the compound of the state mosque and various other
mosques and community centres in the capital. Even police
stations were not spared.
The Prime Minister's Crisis and
Disaster Centre issued Malaysia's firstever tsunami alert after
the meteorological department told it about the Philippine
earthquake, AFP reported.
Centre director Muhamad Muda
said parts of Sabah, especially the state capital Kota Kinabalu,
Tawau and several coastal areas, felt the tremor.
"Our department immediately
sent out the alert to the Malaysian Control Centre which relayed
the message to the Sabah police, military, the information
ministry and the local meteorological department," he said.
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Several seaside resorts on Sabah's
west coast immediately alerted their guests. News organisations in
Sabah were flooded with calls while people in Tuaran near Kota
Kinabalu were caught in traffic jams as they fled towards Mount
Kinabalu.
Police were seen in many places
calming the public after midnight as they refused to leave mosques
and other higher ground for fear that a tsunami might strike. Even
after the alert was scaled down, some Sabahans were still jumpy.
"We were not taking any chances,"
Mohamad Affendi, 44, said, as he made his way to the hills.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri
Musa Aman said Sunday the panic demonstrated the need for the
federal government to install an early warning system off Sabah.
"According to information relayed
by the Hawaii Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, the earthquake will
not cause a tsunami as it occurred 500km underwater," said Dr
Jamaludin, Bernama reported.
He said he immediately ordered his
officers to gauge the damage caused by the earthquake in Sabah and
the information he received was a 50m-long crack had appeared in the
Tawau Maybank area.
"We've sent officers to check
whether the crack was caused by the earthquake tremors or other
causes," he said. --
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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