Share to help stimulate good governance, ensure future of people & M’sia
No News Is Bad News
Does any sane Malaysian believe a site inspection report on the landslide to be submitted to the Penang government by the consultant and developer?
Consultant and developer’s landslide site inspection report has no integrity!
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30, 2026: The Penang government says the developer is to submit a site inspection report after the Paya Terubong landslide that killed a doctor.
So what?
Realistically do you expect the consultant and developer to admit any liability?
Only an independent state commission of inquiry, as proposed by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), has the integrity to probe with public confidence. No?
What garbage damage control is Penang Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye spewing after a doctor was killed by the landslide?
No News Is Bad News reproduces below the following news reports on the property project site and the killer landslide:
Developer to submit site inspection report after Paya Terubong landslide
Among others, the developer has been instructed by MBPP to map out risky slope areas at the site and outline mitigation plans.
State executive councillor H’ng Mooi Lye showing a photo of mitigation measures undertaken by the developer at the slope area in Taman Sri Rambai, Paya Terubong. Others are MBPP mayor A Rajendran and MBPP engineering director Cheah Chin Kooi.
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has ordered the consultant and developer of the condominium project linked to the Paya Terubong landslide to prepare a site inspection report and outline mitigation measures.
Local government, town and country planning committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said the inspection report should include maps of the risky slope areas and mitigation plans.
The developer has also been ordered to amend its erosion and sediment control plan based on the site’s present condition and undertake temporary stabilisation measures.
“MBPP has also ordered the developer and consultant to control surface water flow by diverting runoff from the top of the slope.
“This will be done by setting up temporary drainage, inspecting existing drainage for overflows or leaks, and covering exposed slopes with geotextiles or appropriate temporary protection,” H’ng said at a press conference at the state assembly building today.
MBPP mayor A Rajendran said the occupational safety and health department (DOSH) has been carrying out a site investigation since Oct 26 to determine the cause of the landslide.
“They will summon all involved parties to ascertain what actually transpired at the site, followed by legal action should there be any negligence or failure by any party,” he said.
The council issued a stop-work order for the project, which includes the construction of a road, following the landslide on Sunday which killed a 73-year-old doctor at a house in Taman Sri Rambai.
SAM calls for state commission of inquiry
At another press conference earlier, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) urged the Penang government to establish a state commission of inquiry to investigate the landslide.
A similar commission had been established to investigate the Granito landslide that claimed 11 lives in Tanjung Bungah in 2017.
SAM president Meenakshi Raman said this commission was needed to determine the root cause of the landslide and if there were elements of negligence.
The commission would also outline measures that need to be taken to prevent similar tragedies from happening in future, she said.
Soil scientist and environmentalist Kam Suan Pheng of Penang Hills Watch said repeated slope cementing works were done on the area near the affected row of houses from 2018 to this year.
This indicates that the slope was already unstable, she said.
Project approved after multiple assessments
Rajendran said the project was approved after several assessments conducted by consultants as well as MBPP, DOSH, and the mineral and geoscience department.
He said the slope stabilisation works were required, as per the approvals given to the project’s consultant and developer.
Separately, H’ng dismissed SAM’s call for a state commission of inquiry, saying the state government wants to wait for DOSH’s investigations to be completed first.
Monday, 26 October 2026
Family of doc killed in landslide should sue so that those responsible stop compromising public safety
Share to help stimulate good governance, ensure future of people & M’sia
No News Is Bad News
For image info, go to https://says.com/my/news/penang-landslide-kills-doctor-paya-terubong
Family of doc killed in landslide should sue so that those responsible stop compromising public safety
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26, 2026: The 73-year-old doctor who was killed in a landslide in Paya Terubong, Penang was no natural disaster.
It was most likely caused by property development and hill clearing.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia has claimed that repeated warnings of landslide risks went unheeded and Dr Wong Kar Lin himself had also complained to the authorities on his fears of the bare hill slopes.
Wong’s family members should not hesitate to sue the Penang government and local authorities for failing to stop such risky development.
Those responsible for the hill clearing should also be sued so that public safety must not be compromised.
We warned Penang govt, says SAM after doctor killed in landslide
Sahabat Alam Malaysia says repeated warnings of landslide risks went unheeded, urges Penang government to explain why tragedy was not prevented.
Dr Wong Kar Lin, 73, was killed when a landslide struck the back of his house in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, in Penang. Two other occupants escaped. (JBPM pic)
GEORGE TOWN: Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) has criticised the Penang government following a landslide in Paya Terubong that killed a 73-year-old doctor, saying it had repeatedly warned of the dangers of hillside development in the area.
SAM president Meenakshi Raman said residents and environmental groups had long raised concerns about extensive hill cutting and the risks posed to nearby homes and the general public.
She said Paya Terubong was already known to be prone to landslides, making major construction works on its hillsides particularly dangerous.
“We have been proven right once again, unfortunately,” she told FMT, expressing shock over the death of Dr Wong Kar Lin.
Meenakshi said the Penang government must explain how the landslide happened and why it was not prevented despite repeated warnings from residents and environmental groups.
She said photographs of the area showed bare, unprotected slopes, questioning whether the authorities had properly monitored the hillside and taken enough steps to prevent a landslip.
She also called for urgent action against any company found responsible for the incident, saying the authorities must not let negligence go unpunished.
Meenakshi added that immediate work must be carried out to stabilise the affected slopes to protect nearby residents.
Wong was killed when a landslide struck the back of his house in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong. Two other occupants, including his wife, escaped.
The cause of the landslide is being investigated, but the Penang Island City Council has ordered a nearby condominium project to stop work.
Paya Terubong assemblyman and state executive councillor Wong Hon Wai maintained that no link had been established yet.
Doctor killed in landslide died of blunt force injuries, asphyxia
The post-mortem on Dr Wong Kar Lin was completed at 3am today.
Dr Wong Kar Lin was killed when the landslide struck his house at 8.36am yesterday, while his wife and mother-in-law managed to escape. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: The doctor who died in a landslide yesterday at Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, Penang, succumbed to blunt force injuries to the chest and traumatic asphyxia, according to the post-mortem findings.
Timur Laut police chief Abdul Rozak Muhammad said the post-mortem on Dr Wong Kar Lin, 73, conducted at Penang Hospital’s forensic department last night was completed at 3am today.
“The post-mortem report confirmed that the causes of death were blunt force injuries and traumatic asphyxia,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama after inspecting the landslide site today.
Rozak said police had tightened security in the affected area, particularly around six evacuated houses, to prevent trespassing or looting as the residents had been ordered to relocate.
Wong was killed when the landslide struck his house at 8.36am yesterday, while his wife, Chang Mei Nuo, and mother-in-law Wong Poh Lim managed to escape.
Rozak said the affected area remained closed because of the risk of another landslide, particularly in the event of rain.
He advised local residents and the public to comply with the authorities’ instructions and refrain from entering the restricted area to avoid putting themselves in danger.
“Police will remain at the site to ensure security. No timeframe has been set for the area’s closure, as this will depend on the assessment and decision made by the team investigating the site,” he said.
Rozak said the case had been classified as a sudden death and that no other reports related to the incident had been received so far.
There are striking similarities between this case and the ongoing issues I have raised regarding the Vistana Heights project in Kota Kinabalu. A soil investigation report prepared after the initial Development Plan (DP) was submitted in 1995 recommended the construction of a retaining wall behind a row of 18 semi-detached houses. This recommendation was subsequently mandated by Dewan Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (DBKK).
ReplyDeleteDespite this, the retaining wall was never built. A major landslip later occurred, eroding the drainage reserve and reducing the usable land length of six of the semi-detached houses. The architect, engineer, developer, and Lembaga Perumahan dan Bandar have claimed that trees growing at the base of the slope can serve as an adequate substitute for the retaining wall. As noted in the report above, cement patching of the narrow strip of land behind these houses has become a common sight.
Must we wait for a disaster involving loss of life before a proper investigation is carried out?
The main difference is in the above case disaster has occurred. In the Vistana Heights case it is waiting to happen.
Read more at https://luqmanmusings.blogspot.com/