Kota Baru river shellfish contaminated

Found in Translation logo 2014

Compiled by RAHIMY RAHIM, ADRIAN CHAN and R. ARAVINTHAN

POISONOUS toxins usually linked with shellfish have been discovered in oysters and cockles in Sungai Geting, Kota Baru, reported Kosmo!

The state Fisheries Department warned the public against collecting or eating these contaminated oysters and cockles, usually found in the river bed.

Its director Mohd Zain Saad said research by scientists from Universiti Malaya, via its research lab in Bachok, found traces of Alexandrium (bacteria) in the waters of Sungai Geting.

“Those who consume these contaminated oysters or cockles could suffer poisoning or other serious implications including death. I have asked the department to issue an advisory,” he said.

The toxin is produced by tiny phyto-plankton, but it can accumulate in the tissues of the mussels, oysters and cockles.

Among the common symptoms experienced by those who consume the shellfish are nausea and numb lips.

Mohd Zain said although his department had yet to receive any reports of poisoning from Sungai Geting, the authorities were not taking the situation lightly.

“We have submitted water samples to Pahang and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for further investigations,” he said.

> A bilal was stabbed with a military “rambo-style knife” by an assailant who wrongly assumed the young man had stolen his motorcycle in Kuantan, Pahang, reported Harian Metro.

Tengku Shafiq Tengku Adam Azli was attacked at a fun fair in Tanah Putih in the incident at 12.30am on Monday.

The 21-year-old serves as a bilal at the Tepian Putra mosque. He was immediately rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan after he was stabbed with the knife that almost punctured his lungs.

His friend Muhammad Riduan Md Nazri, 26, said Tengku Shafiq had found a Yamaha 135Z motorcycle with the key left on the seat near the car park area.

“He decided to temporarily keep it while trying to locate the motorcycle owner.

“He even updated a Facebook status to inform the owner that he had found the motorcycle and urged the owner to contact him. By 11.30pm, we still could not find the owner and worried the motorcycle was actually stolen from someone,” said Mohammad Riduan.

He said that while waiting at a shop nearby, Tengku Shafiq tried to lock the motorcycle with his own locking chain when he was suddenly stabbed by the assailant.

“The people at the surrounding area thought that Tengku Shafiq had really stolen the motorcycle. No one helped and the assailant fled,” he said.

Kuantan OCPD Asst Comm Abdul Aziz Salleh said a 26-year-old suspect surrendered himself at the police station an hour after the incident.

Found in translation is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.