PUTRAJAYA: The worsening haze conditions in Kuching and Serian will affect outdoor events planned for the Malaysia Day celebrations on Sept 16, says Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said the Cabinet had taken note of the haze situation in the two areas, meaning outdoor activities could not be carried out as planned for Malaysia Day.
“However, the main Malaysia Day celebration will proceed at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on the night of Sept 16, with the event to be held indoors,” he said at a press conference after the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
Fahmi said the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) had also prepared for possible cloud seeding operations in Sarawak.
“The operation would depend on the Malaysian Meteorological Department’s (MetMalaysia)assessment of weather conditions and the availability of suitable clouds,” he said, adding that several groups of clouds had been detected but were found to be unsuitable as wind movements were pushing them towards the South China Sea.
He said the Cabinet was also updated on preparations for Malaysia Day and the impact of the haze on outdoor activities.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the Cabinet had recorded its appreciation and congratulations to those involved in organising the National Day celebrations at Dataran Putrajaya on Aug 31.
He said more than 100,000 people attended the celebration, while more than 10,000 participated as members of contingents or in the human graphics performance.
He said the programmes held alongside the main celebration also provided visitors to Putrajaya with a new and positive experience during National Day.
On the 1,476 Myanmar refugees who have agreed to return home voluntarily, Fahmi said they will be safe.
He said the Cabinet had been informed by the Foreign Ministry that the group would be safe in Myanmar and was expected to be repatriated by the end of September.
He was responding to concerns over the planned repatriation, including concerns that Myanmar remained unsafe for refugees to return.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has also said it was not involved in the repatriation process.
Fahmi said more than 10,000 Myanmar nationals were currently being held at Immigration Department detention depots.
He said about 5,000 names had been screened by the Home Ministry and forwarded to the Myanmar Embassy.
From that number, Myanmar had agreed to receive 1,476 individuals, who had signed documents indicating that they wanted to return voluntarily.
Fahmi said the first phase of the repatriation programme involving the 1,476 individuals was scheduled for Sept 29.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said a claim that Malaysia planned to recruit 200,000 Bangladeshi workers was not an official statement by the Bangladesh government.
He said the claim came from a junior minister in Bangladesh and did not represent the official position of the country’s government.
Fahmi said he had spoken to Human Resources Minister, Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, who confirmed the matter.
He said the government would continue to deal with such matters through appropriate channels and distinguish between statements made by individual officials and the official position of a foreign government.
