Sons not happy with 'five-star' treatment at home

MALACCA: Two sons of a retired couple have to make reservations to stay in their own home in Lorong Hang Jebat here.

Their parents have turned the family home into a boutique hotel and occupancy is full on most days.

Thor Keng Boon, 64, and Lian Yoke Ting, 60, had earlier bought a dilapidated building in the historic city as their retirement home. They then turned it into a hotel.

Lian said they had three sons, aged 37 to 21. The youngest stays with them.

“We have no choice but to ask our two sons to make an online booking if they want to come here,” Lian said in an interview.

“This is because the hotel only has seven rooms and all the rooms are taken up, especially during the weekends.”

Lian said she and her husband shared a common interest for anti­quity and heritage.

“We decided to purchase a rundown building here and turn it into our home, and also boutique hotel,” she added.

Lian said the building was pre­viously used as a rubber trading outlet and later a furniture storeroom.

They then turned it into a hotel, retaining its original geometrical motifs and architectural design.

The couple spent their retirement funds to restore the building and after seven years of delicate construction works, the building was handed over to them in 2012.

They converted it into a hotel in August the same year.

Lian said Malacca Heritage Trust president Debbie Lee Chay Hwa shared her expertise in preserving the house the way it was a century ago.

Lian said the hotel, which was named “Wayfarer”, was for tourists and backpackers to stay in.

Business has bloomed and tourists from Europe, China and even locals book into the “Wayfarer” each time they visit Malacca.

“My sons complain that they are treated like hotel guests who have to book a place to come visit us,” Lian said.

“But we need to run our business as we need to generate income in our golden years.”

Source: ThestarOnline

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Najib: RM30,000 aid for first-time house buyers under MyHome Scheme

Najib chairing the National Housing Council meeting in Putrajaya on Thursday.

PUTRAJAYA: The Government has set RM30,000 as the maximum financial assistance for the public to purchase low-cost houses under the MyHome Scheme.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the financial assistance was for houses that were being constructed and new projects.

"The application will be opened starting April 1," said Najib.

"It is for those with a monthly household income of RM3,000 and buying their first house," he said at a press conference after chairing the National Housing Council first meeting here on Thursday.

Under the programme, qualified applicants could purchase the units at the price defined as low-cost by the respective state government while the balance would be borne by the government.

"For instance, if the price of low-cost houses is fixed at RM40,000 a unit by a state government while the developers have to sell them at RM70,000 each, qualified applicants will be able to buy it at RM40,000 while the balance of RM30,000 will be paid by the government," he added.

He said developers could apply for the programme to a special committee under the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

Once approved, they can advertise the units eligible for the subsidy that will be paid directly to them by the government, he added.

"This will enable prospective buyers to benefit from this scheme, and make it easier for them to get a bank loan as they are already eligible for consideration," he said.

Najib said RM300mil had been allocated for the scheme.

Source: ThestarOnline

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Former Mimos general manager jailed 56 years, fined RM5mil for bribery

A former Mimos financial general manager was sentenced to a total of 56 years' jail and fined RM5.02mil by a Sessions Court here to eight counts of accepting and asking bribes from a businessman amounting to more than RM1mil.

Judge Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain jailed Khairuddin Khalid, 53, to seven years for each of the charges.

However, he instructed the sentences to run concurrently beginning Thursday, meaning Khairuddin needed to serve only seven years' jail.

He also sentenced Khairuddin to five years and three months' imprisonment if he failed to pay the fine.

Judge Ahmad Zamzani handed down the decision after the prosecution had succeeded in establishing the case beyond reasonable doubt against Khairuddin.

"The defence given was a bare denial, baseless, unreasonable and was an afterthought.

"Thus, I find you guilty and convicted you of all charges after defence called," he said when delivering his verdict.

Earlier, in mitigation, Khairuddin's counsel Azi Azlin Zulkifli said he was married with two school-going children and his wife was not working.

Azi said her client played an important role to secure Government projects, among others was the KLIA2 project.

She also applied for a stay and a bail be given under Section 311 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutor Mohd Nur Lokman Samingan objected, saying that Khairuddin had abused the trust given to him.

He said he hoped that the court would mete out a maximum jail sentence against Khairuddin as a deterrent to others.

Judge Ahmad Zamzani later granted an application for a stay on the jail sentence.

However, he ordered Khairuddin to pay the fine.

Khairuddin was charged with four counts of accepting a total of RM502,002.37 via four cheques from 66-year-old businessman Muhamad Khalid Ismail.

He was also charged with four counts of asking the bribes involving similar amount.

He allegedly committed the offences in the office of investment company Corporate Eight Asset Management Sdn Bhd (CEAM) at Menara Weld, Jalan Raja Chulan, here, between May 23, 2001, and Feb 8, 2002.

The money was alleged to be an inducement for Khairuddin to ensure that the national ICT research and development centre to invest money in CEAM.

Source: TheStarOnline

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