Tragedy Waiting to Happen...Again

Wednesday, 30 January 2008

Tragedy Waiting to Happen...Again

Enter at your own risk...danger lurks in the water

Multiple entry points into the abandoned project site makes it accessible to many....

Concerned....MPSJ YDP Dato' Adnan Md Ikshan and USJ8 Police Chief Inspector Foo at the site.

STOP PRESS: BODY OF MAN FOUND AT 3PM ON JANUARY 29 2008.

Drowning case at the abandoned Subang Twin project in USJ

SUBANG JAYA, JAN 28: What started out as a routine fishing excursion for Jerry Ramayan, 36 and his friend Mohd Firdau Sipih bin Alang, 38 has turned into a tragedy.

The former, slipped into the deep waters at an abandoned project site in USJ and is still missing at press time.

Two days earlier, Jerry and Firdau, armed with “spear guns” headed for the abandoned Subang Twin project between Persiaran Subang Mewah and Persiaran Kewajipan at midnight to do some fishing.

The site was cordoned off with zinc sheet hoardings to keep trespassers out but that did not deter them from making their way into the area.

The two Sabahans, then made their way into the water. According to Firdau, Jerry dived into the water and surfaced several times before disappearing. That was the last Firdau saw of his friend.

“Jerry can hold his breathe for about 3 minutes underwater and is the best swimmer among us all,” he said.

The water, unfortunately is not a natural lake or pond. It is an accumulation of rain water over a long period of time. The project has been left abandoned for almost 10 years now. It is understood that the project is under receivership and handled by Danaharta.

From what is known, the water is deep, with almost 3-storeys of basement car park submerged below it.

Search and rescue operations are being carried out round-the-clock but the hope of finding Jerry alive grows dimmer by the tick of the clock.

Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) president Dato' Adnan Md Ikshan who was on site on Sunday upon being notified of the incident, looked disturbed by the incident.

When approached, he said the land was private and all the council could do was to cordon off the area with hoardings.

“This is not the council's property and we cannot do anything other than putting up hoardings.”

“If people still pry open the hoardings and enter, then it is at their own risk,” he said.

On suggestions that efforts be made to pump out the water regularly, to reduce the risk, Adnan said it could be done in the short term but questioned who would bear the cost of such an effort.

“How long can we keep pumping out the water? It will incur cost and there's no owner we can go back to, to claim the expenses,” he said.

Efforts to recover Jerry's body are being carried out by divers from the Fire and Rescue Department while the police from USJ 8 were on standby to keep curious onlookers away from the site of the search and rescue.

Keeping vigil is Jerry's wife and four young boys.