The old building was in a poor state and required maintenance and the Perak Public Works Department (JKR) was appointed to carry out the repairs.

However, during the construction, the original century-old roof structure went missing.

The original structure, timber trusses and beams, worth an estimated RM1mil, were removed by the contractors and have been unaccounted for since.

The damage has since been minimised with the installation of aluminium trusses to replace the exposed roof while repair works are still ongoing.

In July last year, a bargeboard fell from the front portion of the roof due to a thunderstorm, which resulted in the school being closed and the students moved to an adjacent building for safety reasons.

Following the incident, in May this year, JKR approved RM300,000 as the initial cost for the repair of the ceiling and floorboards.

Historical building

Built in 1906, the SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom (SMKRPK) building is a historical structure as it exudes the Victorian revival style of classical architecture.

It was the residence of Sir Hugh Low, who served as the fourth British Resident of Perak.

SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom alumnus Thaljit Kaur Dillon, who is an architect, said the works done by the contractor were an insult to heritage buildings.

“The timber roof was part of the century-old building and they should not have removed it.

“I was told the contractors said the building was not yet listed as a heritage building, which means they knew of the significance (of being listed in the heritage registry) and were aware that there was already an application made to register the building, yet they still chose to ignore it,” she said.

Thaljit, who is also a member of the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) Heritage and Conservation Committee, explained that what was even more heartbreaking was that the school’s headmistress together with the alumni group had jointly submitted an application to nominate the school building to be listed in the National Heritage list.

“We wanted the timber roof restored. However, this is highly unlikely now because when we asked the contractors about the whereabouts of the roof structures and timber, they could not provide an answer as the sub-contractor they hired had already taken them away.

“Also, without proper roof protection, parts of the school’s interior were damaged and we were told that the contractors will not repair the damage even though they were responsible for it,’’ she added.

“We hope this incident will not affect the building’s nomination as a heritage site,” Thaljit said.

According to Thaljit, the move to nominate the school as a national heritage site was mooted on Nov 16, 2016 at an alumni meeting.

Subsequently, PAM’s Heritage and Conservation committee was informed about the building at the beginning of 2017 and a letter was sent to the school in March 2017 asking for a courtesy visit.

PAM had also highlighted 15 recommendations for building repairs to help the school preserve its structure.

Storied past

The building has a lot of history to begin with. The original owner of the land it sits on was Che Midah, a wealthy Malay woman whose photos and memorabilia can still be found in the school.

From 1878 to 1906, it was owned by the Federated Malay States (FMS) as a house for the FMS Residents and High Commissioners.

It was used as an office during the Japanese occupation, then as a Malay College Boys hostel and finally as the Government English Girls School (GEGS) in Kuala Kangsar, which was later renamed to SMK Raja Perempuan Kelsom in 1970 by the late Sultan Idris II in honour of his mother.

Architect Arthur Benison Hubback, who also designed several other notable buildings in the country, renovated it to its current design in 1906.

In 1962, the building was taken over by GEGS under headmistress N.C. Partridge until she retired in 1976.

Former Malay College Kuala Kangsar student and International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) Malaysia council member Rosli Mohd Ali visited the school earlier and said the community must appreciate the importance of heritage buildings.

“The buildings should be preserved as it is unique and bears witness to history.

“The roof showed no warping or any sign of rotting but it was just slightly weighed down after a long period of time. There was no need to take the whole thing out,’’ Rosli said.

“They should not have disturbed the original state of the building as this is not in line with heritage conservation,” he added.

Rosli also feared that certain irresponsible parties had taken advantage of the situation to recycle the century-old timbers as it can fetch a high value in the market.

“In Australia, contractors that demolish old buildings will take materials of heritage value and recycle it in other renovations.

“It might be what happened here and I suspect there is a syndicate doing the same thing in Malaysia,” he said.

Still a chance for repair

Rosli added that there was still a chance to replace the metal roof with timber.

“However, this will come after the school is listed as a heritage site when there will be a federal budget for restoration,” he explained.

However, he said that restoring the original timber would be difficult as the materials that had stood intact for more than 112 years were no longer produced or easily available.

MGS/GEGS/RPK Alumni Association president Mabel Muttiah said JKR should have clear perimeters while repairing a building.

“They should have checked with the relevant departments about century-old buildings and they should have known that the school was old.

“I was also told that the repair works were expected to be completed by Nov 30 and students were then supposed to move back to the school,” she said.

A letter has been sent to Perak JKR department about the existing condition and the future of the heritage building on Sept 20 but there has been no reply yet, she said.

Meanwhile, calls to the National Heritage Department for comments on the issue proved futile.

When contacted, Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said the school building was not on the department’s national heritage list.

“Regardless, we are concerned if the repair work has affected the heritage value of the building.

“The department will carry out investigations into the issue,” he said.

A career diplomat, Tasneem belongs to BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.

In her distinguished diplomatic career, Tasneem served in Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and Bangladesh High Commission in London in various capacities. At the headquarters, she served as Director General for United Nations and External Publicity wings.

Tasneem obtained her B.Sc. (Engineering) degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET), Dhaka in 1988. She also did her M.Sc. in Public Policy and Management from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, says the release.

She is married and blessed with three sons, the release adds.

The breakthrough follows the implementation of a “solar leasing” concept with better profits for those producing excess solar power.

“We have decided to improve and expand the Supply Agreement for Renewable Energy (SARE) programme to allow consumers to install solar panels in their homes under a solar leasing concept.

“Under solar leasing, there will be zero upfront cost where individuals need not come out with any initial cost for installing solar panels,” said the Energy, Science, Environment and Climate Change Minister in reply to a question by

She said the business model was akin to purchasing handphones but is now applicable to solar panels.

“The monthly payments for solar power or repayments to the solar power company can be done through the TNB bill,” she added.

Depending on the size of the roof or area to be fitted with the solar panel, she said consumers will see a reduction in their monthly electric bills.

Also to be implemented from Jan 1,Yeo said, was the improved Net Energy Metering (NEM) mechanism to allow consumers producing solar power to enjoy better rebates from TNB.

She said the current NEM system was not well received and as of October this year, only17MW (megawatt) or 3%, out of the 500MW quota was taken up.

She said this was because consumers, commercial businesses and industries were selling excess solar power at a displaced cost to TNB.

Currently, solar power producers are selling excess electric to TNB at 31sens pkwh (per KiloWatt per hour) compared with purchasing electricity at about 50sens pkwh.

“We have decided that starting Jan 1 next year, there will be no difference in sale and purchase prices of electricity.

“The TNB bill calculation will be based on a one-on-one or equivalent to consumption minus generation times the tariff,” she added.

She said that solar power had vast potential as a source of renewable energy, noting it contributed 380MW out of 566MW renewable energy.

To a question by Hasanuddim Mohd Yunus (PH-Hulu Langat), Yeo said that wind farming was found to be less feasible for Malaysia compared with other sources of renewable energy.

All eight cars of the express train ran off the tracks on a bend near the Xinma Station in Yilan county at 4.50pm on Sunday (Oct 21).

The Chinese-language United Daily News (UDN) reported that rescue workers found many body parts near the sixth train car. Some passengers were thrown out of the carriage.

Most survivors were on board the four cars which did not topple over.

Fifteen of the 18 causalties were in the first three cars, reported local media. Among those who died, the youngest was nine years old.

Two students aged 12 and 13 from a junior high school in Taitung – where the train was headed – were also killed, according to the transport ministry.

The victims include a family of eight who was returning home after attending a wedding in Taipei and a tour guide.

One lucky passenger, identified only by his surname Khoo, said he heard a loud crash before the car he was travelling in overturned. He broke the safety window and managed to get three other passengers out in time.

“The world is turned upside down in three seconds,” he was quoted as saying by UDN.

Khoo, who was on his way home after attending a gathering of ex-classmates in Yilan, said that he suspected the poor design of the platform at the Xinma Station had contributed to the accident. He believed the train derailed after hitting the platform, adding that the train was going at high speed even as it was approaching a bend.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, but local media quoted several survivors who pointed to the high speed at which the train was travelling.

The rail authorities said the train could hit a maximum speed of 130kmph. Local media said footage showed that it was going at a speed of 140kmph just before the derailment.

Passengers who survived the accident recalled how the train had been shaking intensely during the journey and was going “very fast” before it derailed, reported Agence France-Presse.

“The train stopped twice and we were told that there were problems that needed repair but the train restarted not long after,” one passenger who identified herself as Mrs Chiu told reporters.

Another passenger Henry Tseng, who was onboard one of the overturned carriages, told Reuters: “The train was going very fast. I thought to myself: Why was it not slowing down on a curve?”

“I hit a wall when the car started to flip. Around five to six people were thrown out of the carriage door…There’s no time to think what happened. Everyone was in a rush to get out,”said the 30-year-old. He suffered eye injuries.

Hundreds of rescuers and military personnel worked through the wreckage with spotlights on Sunday night in search of survivors.

Cranes were used to lift the battered train cars, some of which were lined in a zigzag pattern near the tracks. “Check there, check there,” several rescuers shouted while lifting a deformed car with a crane to look for survivors.

Some rescuers climbed onto the top of an overturned carriage which had hit a pole carrying electricity.

“It’s terrifying. I really did not know how it happened. After a scene of terror, the train flipped, the seats were broken and suitcases were all over the place,” a seventh-grader with the surname Yang told the news agency.

The train driver and a rising baseball star from Taitung were among those who were seriously wounded in Sunday’s accident.

Setn.com reported that the train driver suffered serious head injuries and was wedged in his seat following the accident. Local media reported that the driver was a supervisor with the operations and logistics department and was usually tasked with planning the roster. He would help out as a train driver on weekends.

Baseball player Wang Yu suffered serious lung injuries in the accident.

An investigation was under way to find out the cause of the crash, Taiwan Railways Administration said.

“The train was in pretty good condition,” its Deputy Chief Lu Chieh-Shen told a news conference.

An American woman was slightly injured, according to Yilan firefighters. The authority was checking whether more foreigners were on board.

Chengdu, in southwest China’s Sichuan province, announced on Tuesday it was planning to launch an “illumination satellite” by 2020, People’s Daily reported, adding that it would have eight times more light than the real deal.

“Is this The Onion?” asked one Weibo user, referring to the US satirical news site. “Chengdu, have you lost it?” asked another.

Other users invoked Hou Yi, from Chinese mythology, who shot down nine suns, to come and shoot down the extra moon. Some called the plan an outright scam.

The bizarre idea – essentially a giant mirror that will reflect sunlight – was also called a ploy to start implementing 24-hour work shifts by some Weibo users, while others joked how happy it must have made the manufacturers of insomnia medication.

This is not the first time a city has attempted to light up using fake moons. The Norwegian town of Rjukan installed three large computer-controlled mirrors to track and reflect sunlight in 2013; in the 1990s, Russian astronomers succeeded in launching a satellite into space to deflect sunlight back to Earth, but a second attempt in 1999 failed.

The idea of an extra moon, which is said to be able to produce enough light to illuminate an area between 10 and 80km (six to 50 miles) in Chengdu, is fraught with real environmental threats.

According to the New World Atlas of Artificial Sky Brightness, light pollution in Chengdu now completely obscures the night sky, to the point that the sky is just not visible from the city.

According to the International Dark Sky Association, which advocates for the protection of night skies, living under light-polluted skies is a grave health hazard as our biological clock evolved to match the day-night cycle, and exposure to artificial light at night has been linked to an increased risk of obesity, sleep disorders, depression and more.

Artificial light also throws animals off their natural day-night rhythms. Baby sea turtles, for example, which find their way to the ocean by detecting the light coming from the horizon, often get lured into streets by city lights, where they are crushed by vehicles or die from lack of water.

In an opening ceremony at Ma Xie Naval Base attended by all 11 countries, Singapore chief of navy, Rear-Admiral Lew Chuen Hong, emphasised the sea’s importance to the region, and how prosperity could be possible only if the sea is stable and secure.

“To allow the stable and collective use of a shared space, a set of common rules and understanding is very important,” he said, giving the examples of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, adopted in 1982, and a naval code agreed to by Asean and regional powers last year.

RADM Lew and his counterpart, Vice-Admiral Yuan Yubai, commander of the People Liberation Army Navy’s Southern Theatre Command, jointly opened the exercise involving more than 1,000 people on Monday.

Singapore and China are co-organising the six-day drill, which is expected to involve helicopter cross-deck landings and a joint search and rescue operation.

Representing Singapore is the Formidable-class frigate RSS Stalwart, which arrived on Sunday, while China is sending a destroyer ship, Guangzhou; a frigate, Huangshan; and a supply ship, Junshanhu.

The other ships participating are a patrol vessel from Brunei, a logistics support vessel from the Philippines, and a frigate each from Thailand and Vietnam.

RADM Lew Chuen Hong delivering his address at the opening ceremony of the Asean-China Maritime Field Training Exercise. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

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Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen to head to China to visit joint Asean-China maritime exercise, attend Beijing forum

Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar sent observers.

The field training exercise comes after a two-day table-top exercise held at the RSS Singapura – Changi Naval Base in August this year.

Then, naval officers from the 11 countries discussed plans to tackle simulated scenarios, such as search and rescue operations, and medical evacuation.

In his speech, RADM Lew said that since ancient times, the ocean carried trade across the Asia-Pacific, and ships plied the maritime silk route from ports in Guangzhou, throughout South-east Asia, to the Middle East, Africa and beyond.

“Asia’s phenomenal growth, especially in the last 50 years, has uplifted all our nations and our peoples. That growth is literally carried on the sea,” he added.

RADM Lew said that the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (Cues) is one example of promoting practical cooperation and norms – “it enhances operational-level communication and reduces risk of miscalculations”.

The code was adopted by the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus last year – a grouping which includes the United States, China, Russia and Japan.

He noted that Asean defence ministers had reaffirmed the Asean-China Maritime Exercise as an important confidence-building measure at the 12th Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore last week.

Speaking to reporters last Saturday, Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that the exercise was a “very positive engagement”, and that China was “very happy” with it.

“I think it’s always better that you have exercise and you have troops meeting each other, having the same mission, looking at each other eye-to-eye and planning together, rather than across the table at cross purposes and contending on issues on the opposite side.”

He will be visiting the exercise on Tuesday, before going to Beijing to attend the 8th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which brings together high-level defence, military and foreign affairs leaders from around the world to discuss security issues.

Images from the site showed the Puyuma Express train completely derailed and lying zig-zagged across the track in northeastern Yilan county.

All of the train’s eight carriages had derailed and five had flipped onto their side near Xinma station, the railways administration said, adding that 366 people were on board the service en route to the southern city of Taitung.

The emergency response centre said 168 people were injured in the accident, which happened at 4:50 pm local time (0850 GMT).

“There are four carriages that were overturned at 90 degrees and the worst casualties were in those carriages,” Jason Lu, head of the Taiwan Railways Administration told reporters.

“The exact cause of the accident is pending investigation,” he added.

Taiwan’s central emergency response centre had late Sunday revised down to 18 the previous official death toll of 22, without immediately clarifying why.

Authorities have not confirmed if any passengers remain trapped alive inside the train.

Bodies were seen being carried out of the wrecked carriages by rescue workers earlier Sunday evening.

Cranes were brought in to lift the carriages from the tracks one by one overnight in a search for any remaining passengers.

Chang Yi-long, 62, told AFP that he had “heard a loud bang” at the time of the accident while he was working at a construction site nearby.

When he arrived at the scene he saw local residents helping passengers escape the wreckage.

Video footage broadcast on local Taiwan television showed passengers smashing a window from inside and kicking it through to escape.

“I smashed the safety glass and crawled out and I helped to pull a young man out. There was a person sitting behind me. I’m not sure she survived,” a passenger told reporters.

‘Major tragedy’

One passenger told Apple Daily Taiwan that the train had put on its “emergency brake” twice on the journey and that the electricity supply had been patchy.

Hong Kong’s broadcaster RTHK reported another passenger saying the train had been preparing to accelerate before overturning and had been shaking intensely, adding that some passengers were asleep at the time of the accident.

The defence ministry said it had sent in 120 soldiers to help the rescue.

President Tsai Ing-wen described the accident as a “major tragedy” in a tweet Sunday evening.

“My thoughts are with all the victims and their families,” she added.

The crash was the worst rail accident in Taiwan since 1991, when 30 passengers were killed and 112 injured after two trains collided in Miaoli.

Thirty were also killed in 1981 after a truck collided with a passenger train at a level crossing and sent coaches over a bridge in Hsinchu.

The worst crash in recent years was in 2003 when 17 died and 156 were injured after a train on the Alishan mountain railway plunged into a chasm at the side of the track.

After a fortnight of denials, Saudi authorities admitted on Saturday that the Washington Post columnist was killed after entering the consulate on October 2, a disappearance that sparked outrage and plunged the Gulf kingdom into a spiralling international crisis.

Turkish officials have accused Riyadh of carrying out a state-sponsored killing and dismembering the body, with pro-government media in Turkey reporting the existence of video and audio evidence to back those claims.

Police have searched a forest in Istanbul where they believe his body may have been disposed of.

    After initially saying Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, and then that they were investigating his disappearance, Saudi authorities backtracked and admitted the 60-year-old was killed in a “brawl” with officials inside the consulate.

But that narrative — combined with the absence of Khashoggi’s body — quickly drew scepticism and scorn from many, including staunch allies.

Ankara vowed to reveal all the details of its own inquiry as US President Donald Trump said he was unsatisfied with Saudi Arabia’s response to the columnist’s death while the EU, Germany, France, Britain, Australia, Canada and the UN also demanded greater clarity.

The controversy has put the kingdom — for decades a key ally in Western efforts to contain Iran — under unprecedented pressure.

It has also evolved into a major crisis for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Trump administration favourite widely known as MBS, whose image as a modernising Arab reformer has been gravely undermined.

    – ‘Changing stories’ –

Canada is among the latest countries to question Riyadh’s version of events.

“The explanations offered to date lack consistency and credibility,” Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement Saturday.

Senior Republican Senator Marco Rubio was more stark in his assessment.

“Saudi Arabia’s changing stories on #KhashoggiMurder is getting old. The latest one about a fist fight gone bad is bizarre,” he tweeted, renewing his call for sanctions against those responsible.

Ankara said it had a “debt of honour” to reveal what happened.

“We are not accusing anyone in advance but we don’t accept anything to remain covered (up),” said ruling Justice and Development Party spokesman Omer Celik.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said many questions remained unanswered while German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged transparency, adding that “available reports on what happened in the Istanbul consulate are insufficient.”

“This cannot stand. This will not do,” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison added on Sunday.

The EU’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini and UN chief Antonio Guterres both called for a proper investigation and for the perpetrators to be held to account.

Trump initially said he found the explanation credible, but later expressed more scepticism — although he warned against scrapping a multibillion-dollar arms deal with the conservative kingdom.

“No, I am not satisfied until we find the answer,” he told reporters. “It was a big first step. It was a good first step. But I want to get to the answer.”

Saudi Arabia’s Gulf ally, the United Arab Emirates, welcomed the Saudi disclosures, as did Egypt and Oman.

The front pages of Saudi newspapers on Sunday were branded with headlines of support for the kingdom’s government.

Okaz’s front page said “Justice continues… accountability is coming”, while Al-Riyadh daily said there was a “wide welcome” of the government’s “justice and firmness” in the case of Khashoggi.

​​​​​​​    – Shielding crown prince –

In the Saturday admission, Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb also announced a series of moves including against people linked to the crown prince, who Khashoggi had criticised in his writings.

He said 18 Saudis had been arrested and two top aides of Prince Mohammed had been sacked, together with three other intelligence agents.

The Saudi king also ordered the establishment of a ministerial body under the chairmanship of the crown prince — his son — to restructure the kingdom’s intelligence agency and “define its powers precisely,” Saudi state media said.

Saudi officials have roundly denied that the crown prince had any involvement in the affair.

But one suspect identified by Turkey was said to be a frequent companion of the young heir to the throne, three others were linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic specialist, according to The New York Times.

The decision to overhaul the intelligence apparatus and sack members of Crown Prince Mohammed’s inner circle is designed to “distance the crown prince from the murder”, said analysis firm Eurasia Group.

In a recent off-the-record interview published posthumously by US magazine Newsweek, Khashoggi described the 33-year-old heir apparent as “an old-fashioned tribal leader”, but said he would have accepted an offer to work as his adviser.

“I’m not calling for the overthrow of the regime,” the one-time royal insider said. “I’m just calling for reform of the regime.”