EDITIO

JANUARY 2004

ISSUE 3

KDN PP 8664/12/2003 www.hssgroup.com.my

Complimentary Copy

HSSPM
ISO Certified

WESTPORT

A Laymans Experience

PENANG BRIDGE
Lane Widening

BEROGA INCINERATOR
The Treatment Plant

TUN DR MAHATHIR
Tributes from HSS Staff

SPORTS & ANNUAL DINNER

Events that went by

EDITORIAL CORNER EDITORS NOTE

editorial committee wishes to thank our engineers and staff for all their articles, jokes and contributions, not forgetting the Sports Club committee for their sports and social activity updates. Editio is a bi-annual newsletter, published by HSS Integrated Sdn. Bhd. Consulting Engineers (173265-T). Editor-in-Chief Datuk Ir. Kuna Sittampalam Editor Ms. Bonnie Chong Technical Editor Dr. Chow Chee Onn Staff Writer Ms. Jadryn Loh Mr. Anand Graphic Designer Ms. Anita Mohammad Cover Designer Mr. L. Yoogarajah Publisher Wisma HSS Integrated, B1 (1-4), Block B, Plaza Dwitasik, No. 21, Jalan 5/106, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, 56000 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: 03 - 9173 0355 Fax: 03 - 9173 0939 Printed by Akitiara Corporation Sdn. Bhd No.1 & 3, Jalan TPP 1/3, Taman Industri Puchong, Batu 12, 47100 Puchong, Selangor. Tel: 03 - 8061 9988 Fax: 03 - 8061 9933

We welcome feedback and comments on any of the topics featured. Sensitivity to any of the articles is apologised. If you wish to be on our mailing list, please email your details to anita@hssi.po.my. Thank you.

THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

BONNIE

DR. CHOW

PRINTING ERROR
In the feature article entitled Dedicated Highway: An Indication of our Dedication published in Editio 2, HSSI was not the Design and Build Contractor. It should have read, HSSI was appointed to manage the Design and Build construction services for the Dedicated Highway. We apologise for the printing error.

DATUK KUNA

ANAND

JADRYN ANITA YOGA

Message from the Editorial

that truly put Malaysia unto the Map of the World, we shall miss him. Alas, we must embrace the fact that he too needs to retire. As we embark into 2004, we welcome our new Prime Minister, YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to the helm. Renown for his diplomacy and calm amidst the storm, we are truly blessed by his wisdom and experience. As usual, we would like to share our blessings with everyone. Through our involvement in numerous projects, either in a big or small way; we believe that as engineers, we have indeed contributed to the growth and the economy of this country. Our work truly has taken a deeper meaning and value, as many of the infrastructure projects we helped to develop over the years, are applauded today for their many intangible positive spin-offs such as, better socio-economic opportunities and higher standards of living for the people. Never one to be resting on her laurels, HSS Group is poised to continuously improve and upgrade to meet all challenges in the coming year. Most importantly, we truly wish to thank all our valued clients, suppliers and friends for the support shown to us in 2003 and we look forward to continuously serving you better in 2004. Last but not least, on behalf of the Management of the HSS Group of Companies, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our readers a Very Happy and Healthy 2004!! Yours Sincerely,

Greetings from EDITIO...

As we usher in 2004, we can truly look back at 2003 as a very eventful year, both locally and internationally. As we braved through calamities and uncertainties, one thing is certain; as Malaysians, we are resilient! Reflecting back on 2003, we must be thankful for lessons learnt, in addition to the peace and stability experienced in this country. In this issue of EDITIO, we pay tribute to our out-going Prime Minister, YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. A great leader

Datuk Ir. Kuna Sittampalam Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director

P/S This pix of me is merely my Halloween costume. Im actually quite an angel!

Contents
FEATURE ARTICLES
1 2 3 6
HSSPM is ISO Certified! WESTPORT A Laymans (or a Womans) Experience PENANG BRIDGE WIDENING DRIVING TO PORT DICKSON...? Project Pasir Panjang to Linggi
0 ROADS THROUGH 20c Project Lojing to Pos Blau

COVER STORY
4
BEROGA Thermal Waste Treatment Plant A TYPICAL GUIDE to Types of Incinerators

HUMOUR
10
JOKES ASIDE

HAPPENINGS
Sports Club

SPECIAL TRIBUTE
8
IN MY OPINION TRIBUTES from HSS Staff

11 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2004

PHUKET PARADISE

12 13

THE NIGHT THE DEAD WALKED! OTHER EVENTS THAT WENT BY SPECIAL HIGHLIGHTS

DID YOU KNOW..?

9
THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA DATUK IR. SHANTHA KUMAR Board Member of BEM THE CITIGROUP CENTER

EMERGENCY WORKS on Sungai Langat & Sungai Semenyih Bridge WATER IN THE FUTURE

CORPORATE AFFAIRS
14 ANOTHER MILESTONE
for Dr. C.O.Chow

10

THE BANKRUPTCY (Amendment) Bill 2003

HSSPM

is ISO Certified!
Both these quality certifications have added value and placed HSSPM in the global market for Project Management Services. Despite the shortage of resources within HSSPM during the course of development of this Quality M a n a g e m e n t S y s t e m , I r. P. Vimalanathan, General Manager (HSSPM) is in the opinion that the SIRIM/UKAS certification would not have been possible if not for the support from the management and resources from the HSS Group. Lastly, HSSPM would like to thank Dr. Yeap Ming Keong, the Group's Quality Assurance Manager and his team of qualified trained staff for their dedication throughout the whole exercise. CONGRATULATIONS HSSPM!

HSS Project Management Sdn Bhd (HSSPM) is proud to announce its recent achievement the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management certification. With globalisation approaching, HSSPM has placed itself as one of the quality management certified companies to meet challenges in the international market for the provision of Project Management Services. Upon fulfilling the Adequacy Audit requirements on 4th July 2003, HSSPM moved further to adhere to the compliance audit conducted by SIRIM on 29th and 30th September 2003. This led to the successful achievement of the SIRIM and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) certifications.

Feature Article 1

WESTPORT
As the saying goes, you will never know until you experienced it yourself. This was exactly how I felt recently when I toured Westport with seven other colleagues. We often tend to take things for granted, even ports. I must confess, I am guilty as charged. Armed with my camera, I came prepared though to be awed. And I was. HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI) has been inv olved with the development of Westport since 1992, providing consultant engineering and design services for the ov erall which Westport Development,

A layman's (or a woman's) exp

Written By: Bonnie Chong, Business Dev. & Corp. Comm. Manager

Our ferry departed from a temporary jetty at LBT 4 construction site. From this jetty, we were fortunate enough to witness the on-going piling activities plus the launching of the first 28m prestressed beams!!

orchestrating the whole port network and operations to the final note. Thus, while we assumed that many of our imported goods conveniently pop up at shops for us to buy: the many, many layers of services, especially engineering services involved in getting the goods to the shelves, were by no means, modest. Yes, I was overwhelmed. Furthermore, the long-limbed container crane structures overlooking the pier dwarfed us into thinking that we were on the set of the STAR WARS movieThe Attack of the Clones.

Every function has its purpose, orchestrating the whole port network...
We witnessed the many aspects of the port operations, from vessels being pulled in by tug boats, to containers being lifted by huge container cranes, which stretched out to 59m towards the sea! The material handling equipments were equally busy with the loading and unloading stevedores. Dr. Chow, being the meticulous person he normally is, was literally on all fours showing, explaining and demonstrating the engineering aspects of the whole setup. He kept saying Bonnie, take this picture, take that picture I will explain later. Okay, okay, I muttered. Every function has its purpose, activities at the docks, supervised by many serious looking

included liquid bulk handling, storage facilities, multi-purpose cargo and container berths. To date, HSSI oversaw the completion of container terminals (CT) 1, 2 and 3.* Currently, HSSI is involved in the design and implementation of Liquid Bulk Terminal (LBT) 4, which has the capacity to accommodate vessels of up to 120,000 DWT in capacity; and CT 4 which can cater for container vessels of up to 10,000 TEU in capacity. The best way to view Westport is perhaps, from the sea. With Dr. Chow, our Senior General Manager (who

Attack of the Clones

Going forward...
Since its operations 8 years ago, Westport has grown leaps and bounds. The tremendous promotional efforts of the Westport management and the Ministry of Transport, has won Westport man y accolades and recognitions for its performance in the international scene. Westport is perpetually growing and expanding, so much so that studies for land reclamation and soil

Feature Article

knows the port like the back of his hand) and Ir. Muslim, our Resident Engineer of LBT 4 as our guides, we sailed our ferry into the sunset... (Hello It was after all 6pm then). Overhead container crane in action

investigation works, both on the land

and in the channel has been ongoing. As it so happens, HSSI is providing consultancy services for the current land reclamation work that includes engineering investigation works of both

land and marine based studies. In addition, Dr. Chow commented that Westport is proposing to extend the wharf by another 2.4km from the current CT3. As we headed back to our docking area, I checked with our tour guides on what else Westport is famous for. Soil Investigation Rigg Fishing and seafood. On that note, we dutifully marched to Teluk Gong for

Reclamation works (Dr. Chows finger doubling up as pointer!)

dinner.

* For more details on our projects in Westport, please visit our website at www.hssgroup.com.my

PENANG BRIDGE WIDENING

Contributed By : Anand, Senior Engineer

A great bridge is a great monument which should serve

enang, or better known as the

Pearl of the Orient, is one of the most picturesque and charming

to make known the splendour and genius of a nation

~Jean Peronnet
In addition, construction activities may also affect the stability of the existing foundation and possibly worsen current traffic conditions. Hence, the preliminary engineering study on the widening of the Penang Bridge will concentrate on the following aspects : Collection technical, of additional geoand

cities of the East. Established as the first British trading post in 1786,

Penang today is a bustling and colourful city reflecting a unique yet exotic blend of both the East and West. The state of Penang consists of the island of Penang and a strip of land on the mainland linked by the Penang Bridge, one of the longest bridges in Asia at 13.5km. HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI) was appointed by Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd to undertake the preliminary engineering study and detailed design of the widening works to the existing Penang Bridge. With an approximate project value of RM400 million, the project is undertaken in accordance and specifically phased to meet requirements of the Terms of Reference (TOR). It is mandatory to conduct the

env ironmental

hydraulic data Study and review of existing

foundation capacity Development of widening options Preliminary Environmental Impact Study Traffic Management Study With a preliminary engineering study underway ensuring the best and most cost effective widening like solution,

preliminary engineering study for the widening of the third lane on the Penang Bridge, as the additional load imposed due to widening may exceed the structural capacity of the substructure of the existing bridge.

cuisine, Penang char kway teow and Penang laksa, amongst others, will be easily accessible and in less time and traffic in the year 2007!

Feature Article

paradise

favourites

Ny onya

BEROGA
You've smelt those stinking landfills, and seen rats scurry and rummage through the garbage. You thoroughly disapprove but until today, the most common method of disposing municipal solid waste in Malaysia is through open dumps where vermin have a field day , flies breed uncontrollably and toxic substances seep into groundwater ending up in wells. There is no such thing as a sanitary landfill in Malaysia: one that waste is (MSW) expected to in by 2609MT/day 3,433MT/day y ear 2025. continue to generate daily.

Written By : Anand, Senior Engineer

THERMAL WASTE TREATMENT PLANT

Further to that, the municipal solid gener ation increase within from to ENTER THE INCINERATOR By definition, this is a technical unit dedicated to the treatment of wastes. It diminishes the need to look for new dumping grounds every few years. They can be designed to treat different types of waste such as municipal solid waste, hospital and industrial waste. In April 2001, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government appointed Yachiyo Engineering Company Ltd. in association with HSS Integrated Sdn. Bhd. (HSSI), Minco Sdn. Bhd., and EEC Sdn. Bhd. as Project Management Consultants (PMC) for the first of its kind Thermal Waste Treatment Plant project in Malaysia. The role of the PMC is to assist the Government of Malaysia to ensure that the project is planned, designed, constructed, operated conditions. approach shall be Initially to be located on a 20-acre site at Kampung Bohol in Puchong, the Government of Malaysia subsequently decided to relocate the plant to Beroga, Semenyih. The plant will have a capacity of treating 1200 ton/day of MSW from the south-western areas of FTKL and State of Selangor Darul Ehsan. in international commissioned conformance standards and and with local Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur (FTKL) 1996 expected to be landfilled, 35% shall be thermally treated and 22% shall be recovered and recycled by year 2025.

Therefore,

there is a need for a comprehensive Solid Waste Management (SWM) Plan for FTKL to manage, treat and dispose the increasing amounts of combustible and non-combustible waste that we

An artists impression of the incinerator at Semenyih, Selangor effectively manages hazardous Under these circumstances, FTKL has implemented an integrated strategy to manage its MSW. THE BURNING ISSUE A Land suitable for these dumps is running out. This can be a real problem, as in the Klang Valley where one-third of the nation's total solid three-prong adopted to manage the disposal of MSW; i.e., by recycling and recovery activities, landfilling at engineered sanitary the art landfill facilities and by In thermal treatment employing state of combustion system. accordance to the above projections, 43% of MSW generated within FTKL is

substances emitted from such dumps.

Cover Story 4

waste is generated; the only refuse disposal site at Taman Beringin has reached its saturation point two years ago.

STATE OF THE ART The plant will utilise the state of the art Gasification and Ash-Melting Technology. This technology reduces total dioxin generation and emission of heavy metals to the lowest amounts, it is capable of meeting stringent environmental discharge standards, it enables glass, aluminum and steel to be recovered and finally, it maximizes the generation of electricity for export to neighbouring communities at relatively high efficiencies.

Energy consumption efficiency is less, compared to the conventional incinerator.

designed to comply with all environmental emission standards. The new allocated site for Malaysia's first incinerator is approximately 270 acres, out of which 47 acres will be

It is expected that in the future, this technology will become the principal thermal treatment system overtaking the popularity of conventional waste combusting plant. Hence, Malaysia will become the export centre for this technology regions. SAFETY FIRST to the neighbouring

used for the plant. The landfill-dumping site that stinks, discharge green gases and leak toxious liquids polluting groundwater are filling up too fast because of continuous mountains of garbage, will become a thing of the past. Incinerators similar to the Beroga plant will be the way of the future. The construction for Thermal Waste Treatment Plant at Beroga is expected to start in year 2004 upon the approval of Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report by the Department of Environment and is scheduled to be operational by year 2008.

More features of gasification and ashmelting furnace are as follows: It generates combustible gas with considerably high calorific value and is used to melt the residue from the gasification. The amount of dioxin formation is less than the conventional stoker type because of further low temperatures in the gasification and further high temperatures in the melting furnace. No hazardous substance will be leached from the molten slag. The slag can be used as construction material. Some types can treat many kinds of waste, not only MSW but also liquids and sludge. Higher efficiency of heat recovery can be expected because of higher temperature gas. Much valuable metal can be in the ash-melting furnace and smaller amounts of flue The common types of incinerators are: Rotary kiln Fluidised bed Liquid injection Multiple hearth Catalytic combustion Waste-gas flare Direct flame Rotary kiln, fluidised bed and liquid injection are the most prevalent in the industry because of their applicability to large-scale use and versatility. Source : Facts excerpt from The Basic Environment Engineering by H.R. Bungay The highest consideration is of course, the health and safety issues of the people, given especially the highest those who by live all nearby. Care and due diligence were priority concerned to ensure these issues were addressed. Perunding Utama Sdn. Bhd. carried out a detailed EIA study where the findings were published to the public for comments. This plant will set new standards in solid waste disposal

A Typical Guide to Types of Incinerators

The choice of an incinerator depends on the wastes' combustibility and its characterisation as liquid, sludge, solid or gas. The waste combustibility characteristics, such as ignition temperature, flash point and flammability limits determine the necessary operating temperature, oxygen concentration, and residence for greatest waste minimisation.

recovered because excess oxidation is not performed in the gasification.

Cover Story 5

Driving to Port Dickson...?

Written By : Begum Irdawati, Graduate Engineer

Port Dickson, a local tourist destination, is well known for its beaches and marinas. Identified as a new development area for Negeri Sembilan, the need to upgrade the existing coastal route has risen. Thus, the Pasir Panjang-Port Dickson Highway project, a four-lane single carriageway road linking Kampung Sungala to Pasir Panjang (Package A) and the upgrade of existing roads from Pasir Panjang to Linggi (Package B), came into conception. As the Engineering Consultant for Package B, HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI) is involved in the upgrading works to the existing alignment.

Project PASIR PANJANG to LINGGI

This project, valued at RM185 million, is set to take off in January 2004, for the duration of 30 man-months. It starts from Linggi Town at the existing FR5/N9 Junction and follows the existing FR5 alignment before finally ending about 1km after Pasir Panjang Town. The total length of the alignment is approximately 20km. The proposed alignment generally follows the existing road alignment with localised improvement to the geometric design at certain areas so that the required standard geometrics and crosssectional features can be achieved. This will, in days to come ensure smooth driving all the way to Port Dickson!

ROADS THROUGH 20

Project LOJING to POS BLAU

Written By : Ahmad Termidi bin Ali, General Manager (Highway)

impang Pulai-Lojing-Gua Musang -Kuala Berang highway was planned as the second East-West connection in the northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia after the existing Gerik-Jeli road. Traversing through four states namely Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu, the highw ay measures 316.5km, costing approximately RM1.64 billion. Appointed as the engineering consultant by JKR Malaysia, HSS Integrated Sdn. Bhd. (HSSI) was responsible for the design of Package 3 of this project. The scope of works included the conceptual, preliminary and detailed engineering design. HSSI was also appointed to carry out the Environmental Impact Assessment

Study to evaluate and propose the mitigation measures to minimise the impact of the project to the surrounding environment. Package 3, comprising of three construction packages will start from Lojing through to Pos Brooke before terminating at Pos Blau, with an overall length of 56.3km. Pos Brooke has been planned as the administration centre for the sub-district of Lojing. The key design features of this project would be a wider lane of 3.5m and a paved shoulder of 2.5m to improve the road safety, especially for motorcyclists. The design speed for this mountainous road is 50km/h with a maximum gradient of 10%. About 42.5% or 23.9km of the road is a dual two-lane carriageway with the New Jersey

Barrier as the separator provided for the climbing lane. The construction of this road project requires 360 hectares of site clearance, with 20 million cu/m of earthworks excavation and 7.5 million cu/m of embankment fill. A total of 17 bridges and viaducts were constructed. A team of professionals and sub-professionals were selected to supervise the construction and quality works. An Environmental Officer and a Senior Geotechnical Engineer were also present to provide required support for the mountainous terrain project. This project is scheduled to open to public traffic by early 2006.

Feature Article 6

EMERGENCY WORKS
on Sungai Langat Bridge &
Sungai Semen yih Bridge
Written By : Lee Yew Seng, Chief Engineer

HSS Integrated Sdn Bhd (HSSI) was appointed by PLUS Berhad in November 2002 to furnish a proposal to provide emergency protection works on Sungai Langat Bridge using rock amour. Constructed in mid-1970, Sungai Langat Bridge and Sungai Semenyih Bridge have since been extended with additional lanes. The bridges form part of the North-South Expressway, which link Kuala Lumpur and Seremban. Due to lowering of the riverbed, the substructures of bridges were found scoured by 4.0m and 3.0m respectively, causing piles to be exposed. Emergency temporary works commenced upon appointment in 2002 and was completed in January 2003. To date, the services provided by HSSI for this work were hydrologic and hydraulic

modelling, structural analysis, geotechnical and foundation studies. Future permanent protection works scheduled for early 2004 would subsequently comprise of the following : R.C. retaining wall to support local JKR road Underpinning existing pile cap with micro-piles Encase the concrete exposed piles with

Emergency Temporary Works:

The Before...

North Abutment

and the After...

Amour rock to protect slopes The amalgamation of both emergency and future permanent protection services provide the bridges with a new lease of life; up and ready for years to come.

KL Abutment 100% Completed

Water In The Future... your

~ Ourfuture depends on actions today.
Contributed By : Bonnie Chong, Business Dev. & Corp. Comm. Manager

Two hundred scientists in 50 countries have identified water shortage as one of the two most worrying problems for the new millennium (the other was climate change). Since 1950, global water use has more than tripled. On current trends, over the next 20 years humans will use 40 percent more water than they do now. The number of people living in waterstressed countries is projected to climb from the current 70 million to 3 billion by 2025. Most of these people live in the developing world. To achieve the target of year 2015 for fresh water provision, water supplies will have to reach an additional

1.5 billion people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Nearly 200 million people in Africa are facing serious water shortages. By 2025, nearly 230 Africans will face water scarcity, and 460 million people will be living in water -stressed countries. Water problems are more related to mismanagement than scarcity. Up to 50 percent of urban water and 60 percent of water used in agriculture is wasted through leaks and evaporation. Logging and land conv ersion to accommodate human demand has shrunk the world's forest by half,

contributing to increased soil erosion and water scarcity. Between 300 and 400 million people worldwide live close to and depend on wetlands. Wetlands act as highly efficient sewage treatment works, absorbing chemicals and filtering pollutants and sediments. Urban and industrial development has claimed half the world's wetlands. Sustainable development and poverty alleviation will only be achieved through better management of and investment in rivers and wetlands that drain into them. Source : Facts from United Nations Environmental Programme

Feature Article 7

In My Opinion...
Written By : Suzette Chong, CEOs Secretary

31 October 2003 may, to many people, dawn the end of an era, and yet to others the beginning of another. It was to be the day our Prime Minister, Dato Seri Dr Mahathir to retire to a quieter life, after 22 years of active involvement in local affairs and in the international scene. How has the PM, in his high office, impacted us? How will we remember him? How will history judge him? There will be many versions and many different answers from different levels of our society. As far as I could remember, Dr Mahathir, or Dr M, as we used to call him from the early days of his prime-ministership, has been a major part of my adult life, and the PM in my children's generation, the only

st

Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

one they ever knew. I remembered them calling out Dr Mahathir! whenever I quizzed them Who is the Prime Minister of Malaysia?. Now adults themselves, they try to emulate him, and hopefully to become the future which Dr M has laid the foundations for. For me, Dr M came into the '80s as a brash, outspoken, bold, no-nonsense character, which set the mood for a bersih, cekap, amanah civil service. I recalled vaguely, pamphlets dropping from helicopters with the above slogan, flying in the air as it reached the ground. There was also the cartoon by LAT featuring the clock-in required of civil servants, which I believed still stands to this day. I even remembered him telling overweight police officers to trim down or risk losing their positions. This speaks of his clear -cut uncompromising attitude towa rds indiscipline. So after 22 years of coaxing, pleading, persuading, cajoling, reprimanding, encouraging, what can we, as citizens of Malaysia, expect without Dr M in the driver's seat? Should we continue to languish in mindless reliance on others? Should we sit on our laurels and bask in the glory of the many firsts that we have achieved? I should think not, and I believe that we should all strive towards the goals set, and the foundations laid down, and work towards the vision of a better Malaysia, with enthusiasm and vigour. I know we have arrived, and it's because of his labour and persistence. Why? Because wherever I am, when asked, I said that I am from Malaysia. And the response I got was always one of recognition, respect and admiration. Compared to the days when the response had been one of confusion and ignorance, we've come a long way. Thanks, Dr M.

TRIBUTES FROM
Ms. Claire Chan Assistant Accountant
Dr Mahathir has done a very good job and his contribution for the past 20 years has been admirable. Thanks to his vision, we have many physical landmarks such as The Petronas Twin Towers, Putrajaya etc.

STAFF.
Datuk Ir. Shanta Kumar Executive Director
Dr Mahathir is the biggest Prime Minister in our Malaysian history. A great leader for the third world and Islamic world. His political and philosophical thoughts are revolutionary. People should listen and take note on what he says.

En. Kamal Redzuan General Manager - Corporate Affairs

Simply put - he is able to see what we don't see. His foresight has propelled our nation to greater heights.

Ir. Ahmad Termidi Ali General Manager - Highway Special Tribute

He is simply the best! A visionary leader who has won the respect of all, both here and abroad. His sheer determination and ability to achieve his goals reflects much of his energy and vision. I hope that Dr Mahathir will stay on to advice the

Dr. C. O. Chow Senior General Manager

As our PM, he has put Malaysia on the map. While I was in China, I was amazed that even taxi drivers knew of him and gave their 'thumbs-up'. A hardworking PM who make all Malaysians proud.

Thank You Dr. M,

from the Management and Staff of the HSS Group of Companies

THE BEGINNING OF A
Written By: Bonnie Chong / Jadryn Loh

Another page to our Malaysian history was created on 1st November 2003. After 22 years as Prime Minister, YAB Tun Dr Mahathir ceremoniously handed over the Prime Ministership to his successor, YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. YAB Dato Seri Abdullah has been in several prominent portfolios. In 1978, he was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Territory Ministry, and promoted as the Deputy Minister in the same ministry two years later. YAB was then appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in 1981, followed by posts as the Minister of Education (1984-1986), Minister of Defence (1986-1987) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1991-1999). Prior to the current appointment, YAB was the Deputy Prime Minister as well as the

NEW ERA
Minister's job. I am glad it's him. Recently, YAB explained to Malaysians that he is the No. 1 servant to the nation. A noble act of humility by far, I believe, that should be emulated by everyone in the country irregardless of whether they serve in the government or private sector. With all the challenges ahead, as a nation, I believe, we are in good hands. YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is indeed the role model for the Rakyat.

Reason and calm judgement, the qualities specially belonging to a leader

Minister of Home Affairs. Needless to say, the skills and experiences acquired during these formative political years have garnered well to prepare YAB for the ultimate post as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Much has been written about him, his background and his family. In short, he is just a regular person like you and I. A glimpse of his humble, demure yet affirmative stance in all that he believes in, has already been noted in his short term in office thus far. It takes a special person to do a Prime

Datuk Ir. Shantha Kumar

Board Member for
BEM
Our co-founder and Executive Director Datuk Ir. Shantha Kumars membership to the Board of Engineering, Malaysia (BEM) was extended for another year recently. A member since August 2002, Datuk Shantha also sits on the BEMs bulletin (Bulletin Ingenieur) Board as Chairman. Hailing from University of Birmingham, UK with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and Masters of Science, Datuk Shantha is best known for his open door management style. Always having time to listen, Datuk Shantha's generous and jovial personality has earned him the respect of many, both from his staff and business associates. A multi-talented man who has a hidden passion to be a rock singer, Datuk Shantha believes in the philosophy that All work and no play, makes one a dull engineer.

The view of the Citigroup building from Lexington Avenue, New York City.

The Citigroup Center

The Citigroup Center building in New York City had a structural flaw, and had the potential to collapse. There was a misthe understanding between Engineer and the Contractor and the building was not built right. When the flaw was caught in 1978 (a year after completion) it was found that there was a 50% chance of collapse during winds over 78mph (typical in a hurricane). At the same time there was a hurricane heading up the East Coast, heading straight for New York City. The Engineer and building owner secretly had the flaw corrected in the middle of the night (some of the bracings the glowing Citibank building because the welding could be seen across the skyline. It was estimated that 156 blocks would have been demolished due to the domino effect the building would start had it fallen over. Source: Archived in the Boston Globe were bolted instead of being welded). There were rumours about

Did You Know? 9

The Bankruptcy (Amendment) Bill 2003

Written By: Anthony Francisco, HSS Legal Department

exhausted, and only then will the court allow a bankruptcy action to be filed against a Social Guarantor.

A proposal to amend the Malaysian Bankruptcy Act 1967 has been tabled and debated upon. One of its main aims is to persuade financial institutions to renegotiate and reschedule payments due from debtors instead of the current practice of filing bankruptcy actions, without further consideration. Besides the above, the Bill seeks to amend the following: From the current minimum debt of RM10,000 that allows the borrower to be declared a bankrupt, to RM30,000, allowing those owing below RM30,000 to reschedule their debts without the worry of being declared a bankrupt. A further provision to be included in the Bill will be the definition of a Social Guar antor, this is to

differentiate him from a business guarantor. In the current scenario there is no differentiation as to the type of Guarantor, they all fall under the same category. Under the Bill a Social Guarantor will be defined as a person who provides guarantees for the following : Loans, scholarship or other kinds of financial schemes for educational purposes; Purchase of non-business vehicle under a hire-purchase scheme and which is for personal use and, housing-loan guar antees for personal dwellings. Under this proposed Bill an action for bankruptcy cannot be brought against a Social Guarantor unless it can be proven to the satisfaction of the court, that all attempts to recover the loan from the actual borrower has been

Petition for Bankruptcy

The amendment Bill proposes to increase the minimum benchmark figure from RM10,000 to RM30,000 to bring a bankruptcy action against a debtor. This will further ensure that a rash of indiscriminate bankruptcy actions are not brought by financial institutions against hapless Social Guarantors, as well as indirectly helping the economic recovery of the nation as bankruptcy actions have increased ten-fold since the 80's. So for those who might be caught-up in a bankruptcy situation, especially those who fall under the Social Guarantor category, there maybe some relief yet on the horizon. Disclaimer : This article is not intended as legal advice. It is merely general information and is not the full text of the enactment, only a summarised version.

ENGINEERS GUIDE ON A DATE

P
First Base: Your body has the nicest arc length I've ever seen. You fascinate me more than the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. Second Base: My love for you is like a concave up function because it is always increasing. Since distance equals velocity times time, let's let velocity and time approach infinity, because I want to go all the way with you. Third Base: Wanna come back to my room? and see my 2.6G Pentium IV? Let's convert our potential energy to kinetic energy. Home Run: Hey baby, let's make a stress-strain curve together! Or where time constrain beckons: How about you and me go back to my place and form a covalent bond?

I C K
M E

es Jo k e sid a
fIrST pRIzE wInNeR : sAFEtY At wORk!

Send em back to...

Did You Know? / HuMoUr

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Calendar of Events
Here are the Events for 2004
16th January Muhibbah Night 14th February Pool 6th March 20th March 3rd April 17th April 15th May 5th June 19th June Volleyball Table Tennis Bowling Treasure Hunt / Team Building Futsal Track & Field / Family Day Squash 3rd July 17th July 31st July 14th Aug Basketball Badminton Sepak Takraw Snooker

28th - 31st Aug Trip 18th Sept 9th Oct 27th Nov Dart Annual Dinner Elections & AGM

NOTE : The above dates are subject to change

Phuket Paradise...
Written By : Bonnie Chong, Business Dev. and Corp. Comm. Manager

Sawadeekap!

Phuket is synonymous to sea, sand and sun. In short, paradise.

tretching over the long Merdeka weekend in August, 63 HSS staff and family members left for Phuket for 4 days to shop, relax, party and whatever else (we shall leave that to your imagination!!!). Boy... Did we party! The trip started very innocently with the usual sight-seeing expeditions to Wat Chalong temple, scenic Rawai Beach (an excellent sunset view!) and wild shopping trips to the cashew nut and T-shirt factories. The common theme for the day was Buy 10 and get 1 free!!!. What can go wrong? You won't get such bargains anywhere else in Phuket, beamed our tour guide, Odd! (Trust us to trust a guy called ODD!) Our second day was to visit the famous Coral Island. Despite the rain, most of us maximized the day by continuing to swim, snorkel, para-

sail, etc. After lunch, we went back to the mainland, where once again our beaming tour guide, Odd took us to, this time The World's Biggest Jewelery Store. No more Buy 10 get 1 Free gimmicks. Its every man for himself. Credit cards were quickly fished out and serious haggling were in high motion. Yes, there were casualties, including myself. Day 3 and 4 were spent free and easy. Last minute shopping, sight-seeing, pub-hopping and 'makan-makan' expeditions were fast and furiously piled in by everyone. At night, traditional massages and shopping at Patong beach were the crowds' favourites. While small groups went for tr aditional shows such as Fantasea Show etc, Anand Inc. were spotted once again at Patong pubs! The 4 days were relaxing. Most importantly, it was an opportunity for the staff to mingle and to get to know each other better. Group pictures, memorable funny incidences and experiences shared with good company, make us await in anticipation for the next company trip.

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Happenings

The Night the Dead Wal

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble!
One of the biggest events of the year, The HSS Annual Dinner and Dance 2003, occupied the main ballroom of Crown Princess Kuala Lumpur on 4th October, with witches on broomsticks flying across the room, green ghosts howling scary faces alive!! Halloween Night, the theme for this year's dinner, was a much awaited event with over 320 HSS staff and their spouses gracing the occasion. Amidst dr aculas, vampires, witches, and walkingpumpkins, the evening was further spooked b y an outstanding opening performance by entertainers Soul Perfection. Following speeches by Mr. L. Yogarajah, President of HSS Sports Club and Datuk Kuna Sittampalam, Executive Director of HSS Engineering Sdn Bhd, a sumptuous 8-course dinner was served to soothe the tummy, whilst our traditional slide-show presentations of social events and sports activities held throughout the year, generated laughs from the crowd! The Ten-Year Service Awards was another highlight. 19 loyal staff were awarded exquisite watches by Dato' Abu Bakar and Dato Sivasubramaniam in appreciation for their long services and dedication. Other highlights for the night were the sports trophy presentations, lucky draws, prizes for best-spookily dressed - male and female categories, and live performance by the hip reggae band La Viva, that got everyone on their feet dancing into the night.

The HSS Management and the HSS Sports Club wish to thank all sponsors for their generous contributions and support, without which the party would have been only half the fun!

Other events that went by ...

The HSS Sports Club had a fantastic year of social and sports events. 2003 has been by far, the most active year, clocking an overwhelming and enthusiastic participation from its members! The second half of 2003 saw badminton, bowling, futsal, snooker, dart and pool tournaments, in addition to the Phuket trip during the Merdeka weekend. The staff at HSS remains united at work and at play!

Happenings

Badminton

Futsal

Snooker

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Futsal Tournament
The more the merrier - the perfect phrase to describe the Futsal Tournament that took place at the Indoor Soccer Stadium, Jalan Kuching on 21 June 2003. Nine teams took part. Family and friends made up the huge thirty spectators, lending support and making new friends along the wa y. The likely and unlikely highlights of the games were: Some players slipped and were injured but they soldiered on to finish the game! Determination, team spirit and high levels of pain threshold! A certain player was spotted in an upside down bib on the field. Hint Player No. 5 of Highway Team! Another player, in the heat of the game, kicked an uncontrolled ball into the fuse box causing a minor black out and hushed voices! Team Batu Pahat wins again! Secret behind the success: Practice makes Perfect. (Ed: Guess we know what they do during Happy Hour in Batu Pahat!) The results are as follows :

Special highlights straight from the HSS Sports News Room!

Bowling Tournament
Nearly 90 participants, in addition to the hundred over supporting crew of family members and friends of HSS staff, HSS Intesys and Virinchi turned up for this bowling tournament. It was a huge event where we took up ten bowling alleys at The Mines Shopping Fair on 26 July 2003. The rules were simple. Four players per alley, with the top two scorers proceeding to the next level. Many players had their first attempt at bowling and impressed us with their hidden talents. Our CEO, Ir. Chan Kin Pooi even brought his own good luck charm, his dark blue bowling ball - a calming factor! It was a day filled with chaotic laughters especially when most bowling balls decided to masuk longkang! Nevertheless, everyone was a good sport and kept up with the spirit of the game.

The Final Match Batu Pahat 3

vs.

SPD 36

Congratulations to all players and winners for a game well played! The results are as follows: Men's Group Chan Kin Pooi (204 points) Azroisam Ibrahim (175 points) Chow Peng Neng (115 points) Women's Group Elliza Azudin (102 points) Siu Sui Leng (99 points) Norazlin Jamalludin (90 points)

Joke of the Day

Spongebob!

Dart

Pool

Pre-Halloween Annual Dinner

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Happenings

My ball's name is

Another

Dr Chow Chee Onn, our Senior General Manager (Technical) is indeed a much sought-after engineer. Many a times, he was invited to share his knowledge and experiences in the fields of bridges. In April 2003, Dr Chow along with our Executive Director, Datuk Ir. Kuna Sittampalam, presented a technical paper entitled The Elevated Guideway of LRT, Kuala Lumpur for the 3rd International Conference on New Dimensions in Bridges, Flyo vers, Overpass & Elevated Structures. This well-received paper was awarded the Highly Commendable Paper Award

MILESTONE

For Dr. C. O. Chow

2003 at the conference. Dr Chow was once again invited to present a paper on bridges, this time entitled Design of Bridge - Time Dependent Losses to BS 5400 for the Sabah JKR Road Conference New Technology for Better Roads. A lengthy paper of 18 pages, the paper covered various characteristics and different practical mathematical models and computational sequences using the BS model to evaluate common losses associated with a balanced cantilever bridge construction.

As we gather around and reflect over the past year, We are truly blessed for all that's dear, Wishing all friends and clients a merry cheer, Let peace and prosperity bloom for your coming new year. Happy New Year from the Management and Staff of the HSS Group of Companies.

KGKR

Golf Tournament
Check out that swing! photo sessions and the prize giving ceremony. On behalf of KGKR, HSSE would like to thank all sponsors for their support. We would especially like to thank Tan Sri Dato' Ir. Hj. Zaini Omar (Ketua Pengarah Kerja Raya) for taking time off from his busy schedule to participate in the tournament, and also to Dato' Ahmad Suffian Abd. Majid (Deputy President KGKR) for his support to the club. Congratulations to all 50 winners from the 8 various golf categories plus lucky draw prizes. With all the smiling faces on that day, everybody was a winner!!

I still swing the way I used to but when I look up, the ball is going in a different direction ~ Lee Trevino
The Kelab Golf Kerja Raya (KGKR) Annual Championship & JKR/ex-JKR Golf Tournament was recently held on 4th October 2003 at the Sungai Long Golf & Country Club. Over 120 golfers turned up for a people's tournament made possible by the generous sponsorships from participants. Prize giving ceremony by our M.C Ir. Chan Kin Pooi Organised by HSS Engineering Sdn Bhd (HSSE), the tournament turned into a serious battle-ground from the very first tee off at 8am sharp. Overcast clouds loomed throughout the day, with our infamous hujan di sana sini appearing now and then. Despite all the birdies, bogeys, double bogeys... humour was all around, especially during group

Chow Time!

No-lah darling, I am playing golf...

Keep that pose, thats your good side, Nitchi...