Golfer who stepped on crocodile awarded £8,500 damages

Hong Kee Siong, a 48-year-old businessman, said he was "lucky to be alive" after he was bitten by a crocodile while looking for a golf ball.

Mr Siong, who received £8,500 after a six year legal battle, was attacked while playing a round of golf at the A'Famosa Golf Resort in southern Malacca state.

The businessman slipped into a marshy lowland and stepped on the crocodile, thinking it was a log.

Mr Siong, a father of two, told The Malay Mail: "I have gone through so much.

"People, golfers and friends have been spreading rumours about me.

"They said I used a golf club to hit and play around with a crocodile. Maybe it was meant to be a joke, but it was hurtful.

"I could not correct the story as the matter was in court."

Even after all these years, the memory of how he narrowly escaped death still haunts him.

"Seeing images of the attack in my head, I can still feel the pain," he said.

"When I am down, that feeling would return. When I dream, the panic of being unable to escape would come back. It's a recurrent nightmare."

Doctors have twice diagnosed that he was suffering from post-traumatic disorder, he said.

He managed to fend off the 16 foot (five metre) reptile by hitting it on the head, but was bitten on his left leg and had to get 38 stitches.

The case, dating back to 2004, was settled out of court.

Lawyer Keppy Wong said that since the attack the resort has fenced off the area – a crocodile rearing ground – and erected warning signs.

Optimism on auto sector running high

PETALING JAYA: Analysts are upbeat about the outlook of the local automotive industry for 2010, saying “the current state of the auto industry is one of optimism not seen since 2005.”

“We believe the TIV (total industry volume) will exceed our initial forecast of 546,000 units as consumer and business confidence improves,” said Kenanga Research in a report yesterday.

The research house said it was revising upwards its 2010 TIV forecast to 568,000 units from 546,000 units originally due to the commendable sales performance in the first six months of the year.

The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has revised upwards its 2010 TIV forecast to 570,000 units from 550,000 units initially due to the stellar sales performance in the first half of the year.

File photo shows a woman walking past Proton car models on display at a showroom in Shah Alam. — AP

The TIV in the first half grew 19.8% to 301,077 units compared with 251,305 units in the previous corresponding period.

However, Kenanga said that it anticipated TIV in the second half of 2010 to “normalise” as the period was expected to be “seasonally slow.”

RHB Research, in its report, said it was maintaining its 2010 TIV growth forecast of 9.5% to 587,698 units.

“We are keeping our 2010 to 2012 TIV projections. We expect TIV to grow 9.5%, 4% and 3.2% in 2010 - 2012, following a 2% contraction in 2009,” it said.

TIV for 2009 was 536,905 units.

RHB Research said it was positive on the earnings outlook for local automotive companies, namely Proton Holdings Bhd, Tan Chong Motor Holdings Bhd, UMW Holdings Bhd and MBM Resources Bhd.

It noted that UMW was looking to increase localisation of its Toyota models, in particular the Camry by 2012 as part of the company’s RM170mil assembly plant upgrading programme.

“The Camry is currently assembled in Thailand and selling for between RM144,000 and RM174,000 as a CBU (completely built-up) unit. Once locally assembled, we believe this price would be brought down by at least 5% as import duty will no longer be imposed,” it said.

The research house also said UMW was looking at increasing the local content of its Toyota Vios, which had 40% local content.

RHB Research also said it was optimistic about the launch of Proton’sWaja replacement model in the final quarter of 2010.

The vehicle is expected to be similar to the Mitsubishi Lancer and priced RM20,000 to RM40,000 cheaper than the actual Lancer.

It also said Proton could be consolidating its plants in Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim and secure contract manufacturing to optimise plant utilisation which would further improve profitability via better cost control and economies of scale.

Sales of Toyota vehicles rose to 34,943 units in the first half of 2010 versus 30,147 units previously, making it the market leader in the non-national passenger car segment.

Sales of Proton vehicles increased to 80,051 units from 67,770 units during the same period.

RHB Research said it was also positive on the outlook for Tan Chong (which distributes Nissan vehicles) and MBM Resources (which has a 20% stake in Perodua).

Perodua sold 94,936 vehicles in the first half of 2010 compared with 77,045 units previously, making it the market leader in the local passenger market.

Sales of Nissan vehicles increased to 13,406 units from 11,220 previously.

An analyst from a local bank-backed brokerage said the TIV performance in the first half of 2010 was within expectations, adding that he had revised upward his forecast to 573,000 from 561,000 initially due to the good industry performance.

He said he was positive on the outlook of the local auto industry, noting that many car companies were offering low interest rates to boost sales.

economy of malaysia

Malaysia is a South-East Asian country separated into two regions by the South China Sea. The two parts are Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Kuala Lumpur is its capital city. As of 2009, Malaysia’s total population stands at over 28 million. Its neighboring countries include Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Brunei. Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia are the major national carriers of the country. Malaysia can be reached by air from destinations, such as Australia, China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

Malaysia Economy: Profile

Malaysian economy witnessed an economic boom in the 1970s, following which it expanded to become a multi-sector economy from being a raw materials producer. The country’s rich natural resources ensure sound developments in agriculture, forestry and mining. Economic growth is also attributed to its border with the Strait of Malacca which is an important international shipping crossroad, which promotes the country’s international trade. Malaysia’s well developed manufacturing sector produces a diverse range of goods. The first three quarters of 2009, however, witnessed steep decline in the country’s economic growth. Volume of exports reduced drastically due to reduced consumer goods demand globally. The situation, however, improved somewhat in the Q4FY09. The Tenth Malaysia Plan is all set to be introduced in June 2010.