Malaysia Always Ready For H5N1 Virus, Says Abdullah

PENANG, March 17 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today the government is always in a state of preparedness for the bird flu or H5N1 virus outbreak.
The prime minister said the government had acted early to ensure that the disease did not spread and become an epidemic.
"We are always on the alert and we take immediate action to prevent the repercussions. The important thing is not to wait for it to spread before taking action. That's not our way. The way to do it is to act immediately," he told reporters after opening the Northern Region Marine Police base in Batu Uban here.
Malaysia was among the latest countries to be hit by the bird flu in the middle of last month when 40 free-range chickens at 4 1/2 Mile Jalan Genting-Klang died of H5N1 virus infection but no more deaths were detected there after the authorities conducted cullings and monitoring.
The latest cases were detected in Kampung Changkat Tualang and Bukit Merah Lake Town Resort in Perak on March 9 and active monitoring and health checks on the residents are being conducted within a 300m radius of the two areas.
On the action by the Public Service Department (PSD) to track down 10,000 former scholars who had yet to pay back their loans amounting to RM284 million, including 44 who had not returned home, Abdullah said it was not wrong for the PSD to go after them to recover the huge sum.
"Debts must be paid, no matter how old. Maybe they ignored it when the PSD sent them letters but it's time for the PSD to take action. It's not wrong to act to recover loans. The borrowers must understand this," he said.
He said they had to give valid reasons if they could not pay now but it did not mean that they could escape paying later.
A local newspaper had reported that the PSD was disappointed with 100,000 former scholars who refused to settle their education loans amounting to RM2 billion, causing the PSD to withdraw the 75 per cent discount offered to them.
In a brief speech after Friday prayers at Masjid Al MalikKhalid in the Universiti Sains Malaysia campus, Abdullah said Malaysia still needed thousands of scientists and technological experts to help the country achieve developed nation status.
He said higher institutions of learning in the country must strive harder to produce this human capital who should be as strong in their knowledge as in their faith in God.
The Prime Minister said people with knowledge but were not God-fearing could abuse what they knew and use it for destructive purposes.