A Camerons high for The Star journalist

The Star journalist Isabelle Lai Lin Hui clinched Petronas - Best Environment Journalism award at the Malaysia Press Institute - Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards yesterday. IZZRAFIQ ALIAS / The Star.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Star journalist Isabelle Lai Lin Hui has clinched the Petronas-Best Environment Jour­nalism Award at the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI)-Petronas Malaysian Journalism Awards 2012.

She was among 16 winners who received cash prizes totalling RM300,000.

Lai won RM15,000 and return flight tickets to Hong Kong. She wrote a series of articles for The Star on the land and water problems plaguing Cameron High­lands due to unsustainable land clearing for agriculture.

“I did two months of research and made several trips to the highlands to study the issue,” she said after receiving the award from Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Wednesday.

The award ceremony was graced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Meanwhile, Berita Harian journalist Sophia Ahmad won the Kajai Award for her report on “Fake Degrees”.

Sophia received RM30,000 and a 100gm gold coin worth RM16,000 for her exposé of syndicates selling fake degrees through a private higher learning institution in Petaling Jaya.

The other winners of the various categories were Tuan Mohd Asri Tuan Hussein (Harian Metro), Datuk Zainul Ariffin Mohamed Isa (New Straits Times), Khairul Mazzaman Ghazali (New Straits Times), Mazlan Samion (Bernama), Aminhayat Abd Rahim and Fifi Izwan Roslan (TV9), and Za’im Helmi Zaini (TV3).

MPI chairman Datuk Chamil Wariya said 264 journalists representing 26 organisations sent in 491 entries for scrutiny by the panel of judges comprising academicians as well as independent veteran journalists.

In his speech, Najib said the Government would not impose licensing requirements for news portals, as implemented by neighbouring countries.

“Instead, to maintain the country’s harmony, the Federal Government will enforce laws already in place to ensure action is taken against anyone who fans hatred and racial sentiments or belittles the monarchy, and those who try to subvert parliamentary democracy,” he added.