“WHY DON’T YOU PUT THE TOWER IN YOUR HOUSE IF IT IS SAFE?”

Reporter loses it at conference on telco towers

GEORGE TOWN, October 6, 2009: A press conference on telecommunication transmission towers on Tuesday turned hostile when a reporter lost his cool with a state executive councillor.
A Chinese press reporter hit the table angrily in the midst of a press conference by state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow, accusing the latter of being “no better” than his predecessor Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.
The reporter, an environmentalist and active member in non-governmental organisations, became agitated when Chow was briefing the media on the state’s stand on the towers.
Answering the reporter’s question, Chow said such towers were allowed if they were erected 30m away from residential areas as this was in accordance with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission guidelines.
He then hit out at Chow and the government for not caring about the people, saying, “You all are no better than the previous administration. We voted you in for change but you are doing the same things.”
“Why don’t you put the tower in your house if it is safe?” he shouted.
A surprised Chow kept his cool and continued briefing the press but said he would lodge a formal complaint against the reporter with his company.
“At last week’s state exco meeting, we decided to give telecommunication companies until June 30 next year to obtain the necessary licences for operating the towers.
“About 65% out of more than 840 telecommunications in the state currently do not have the necessary permits for their towers. We are giving them time to make the necessary applications for the structures.
“Those that do not meet the local council and Commission guidelines will have to take down the towers,” he said, adding that PDC Telecommunications Services Sdn Bhd -- a subsidiary of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) -- would assist the companies with their applications.
“So far, 32 sites on state land have been identified for telecommunication companies whose existing towers do not comply with the guidelines to apply and use the sites there,” he said.
Chow noted that the state was still finalising the guidelines for such structures as it was important to strike a balance between the impact of electro-magnetic fields and consumer demands for better telecommunication coverage.



Anxious over telco towers