Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
NIK Nur Damia Batrisyia Hairol Amry, 20, from Kampung Padang Bemban in Kota Baru, Kelantan, is drawing attention not only for her skill at operating an excavator but also repairing it, Sinar Harian reported.
She said she developed an interest in heavy machinery as a child as she used to accompany her father, Hairol Amry Ab Manaf, 48, who worked as a driver for a heavy vehicle rental company.
She added that she first went behind the steering wheel of an excavator when she was 11 and was capable of fully handling one by 13. Besides being able to drive an excavator and lorry, Nik Nur Damia Batrisyia, the eldest of three siblings, said she is also able to carry out repairs on the vehicles when they break down.
She said many of her customers had initially doubted her abilities but eventually accepted her skills.
She said she usually carries out clearing work with the excavator in orchards, open fields and even drains.
The former SMK Chung Cheng student, who speaks fluent Mandarin, hopes to take over her father’s business one day.
Her skills recently went viral on TikTok.
> Nor Azman Abdul Manan, 60, could only watch in horror as his RM800,000 white villa was slowly swallowed up by the sea in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, due to coastal erosion, Kosmo! reported.
He said that he built the villa along Pantai Sauh, Kampung Mengambang Lekor, as a source of income and as a place for family gatherings.
“I built the four-room Villa Putih in 2017. At the time, the shoreline was about 100m away.
“Erosion has been rapid, with the coast almost disappearing within five years,” he said.
He added that he tried to repair the home about two years ago, but it was futile against large pounding waves and strong winds when the North-East monsoon hit.
He said he has given up saving the villa and hopes that authorities will build a wave-breaker to prevent other homes from facing a similar fate.
The above articles are 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.
