SHAH ALAM, June 8 — Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire that razed 13 shipping containers belonging to Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, near Jalan Pelabuhan Utara, Port Klang.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the investigations by the Port Klang Authority (PKA) and Northport are ongoing and will involve all aspects, including false declarations.
“We still are investigating the cause of the fire and I do not want to speculate.
“If the declarations were false, then stern action will be taken against those responsible,” he told the media after the presentation of the ISO 37001:2016 Certificate of Compliance for the Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS) to the PKA, here, today.
Loke said his ministry is concerned about the declaration of goods in the containers to ensure safety, adding that some controls will be tightened to prevent such incidents from recurring.
On a separate matter, Loke has slammed Singaporean comedian Jocelyn Chia who used the tragedy of the missing Malaysian flight MH370 as a joke.
“What the comedian said was rude, insolent and inhumane because she used the tragedy as the brunt of her joke. The tragedy involved more than 200 lives and nobody in their right mind would do such a thing,” he said.
Loke said following the issue, which also received negative reactions from various parties, he had sent a message to his Singaporean counterpart S. Iswaran.
“He also expressed his dismay and Singapore has taken immediate steps to ensure that the matter is not turned into an issue that can be polemised by any party that can affect the relationship between the two countries,” he said.
Loke said this following the controversial jokes disparaging Malaysia made by Chia, including about the tragedy of MH370 that disappeared on March 8, 2014 and comparing the progress between Malaysia and Singapore.
He added that Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, Vanu Gopala Menon, also issued a statement yesterday expressing regret and apology for the matter and criticising the joke that left a bad taste in the mouth.
Loke said that even though Chia felt it was a joke, every joke should have its limits and should not exploit any tragedy.
“This matter should be used as a lesson to all parties including comedians in our country.
“We welcome stand-up comedians but we mustn’t turn tragedy and national relations into a joke,” he said.
— Bernama
