New smart I-cards for foreign students

CYBERJAYA: All 66,580 foreign students registered in universities and colleges will receive their new smart I-cards over the next three months. The light green card is valid for up to five years, depending on the duration of their studies. It will replace the current student identification card and must be carried at all times in lieu of passports.

The student I-cards have 17 security features, including a ghost image on the photograph, micro-text, ultra-violet logos, embossed printing and biometric information. Incorporating new locally-developed technology, the cards don’t need to be authenticated by a smart card reader. Instead, enforcement officials need only to key in the serial number and send it via short messaging service (SMS) to a certain number for verification.

Twenty-nine foreign students from seven institutions of higher learning received their new I-Cards yesterday at a ceremony at the LimKokWing University of Creative Technology. The cards were handed out by Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamad. "Foreign students have the freedom to move about in Malaysia with this card, as long as they abide by the law," Radzi said.

The cards will be issued free for the current batch of 66,580 foreign students. They do not have to apply as data from their student passes, which must still be renewed yearly with the Immigration Department, will be automatically used to produce their new I-Cards. Radzi said the government had not decided if subsequent batches of foreign students would have to pay for the cards. However, there will be a fee to replace lost or stolen cards.

The I-cards, together with the online visa or e-pass and the one-stop processing centre for foreign students applying to study here, are meant to curb the abuse of student identification documents for work purposes. At a joint press conference with Radzi, Mustapa said the e-pass would be available from Friday and it would be processed at the one-stop centre in the Immigration Department. "At the centre, officers from Immigration and my ministry will process applications for student visas together. It will facilitate entry for legitimate foreign students and stop those who want to abuse the system." Radzi said smart cards similar to the student I-cards would be issued soon for expatriates and foreign workers.


The new Straits Time

Eight Killed In Accident At Toll Plaza

ALOR STAR, May 29 (Bernama) -- Eight people, including seven members of a family, died when a container lorry rammed into a car that was queuing up at the Hutan Kampung toll plaza on the North-South Expressway, near here today.

A police spokesman said the seven family members, including three children, were in a Proton Iswara car from Penang heading north. The eighth victim who was killed was a woman who was in a Kancil car which was rammed by the Proton Iswara following the impact of the crash.

The victim was believed to be the mother of the woman who was driving the Kancil from Lubuk Batu, Jitra. The woman driver and her daughter suffered injuries. According to the police, the incident occurred about 3.50pm as the cars were queuing up to pay toll when the container lorry rammed into the Proton Iswara.

All the victims were extricated from the vehicles by members of the Fire and Rescue team and sent to Alor Star Hospital.

-- BERNAMA

Contract: Action To Be Taken

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- The Finance Ministry will take action against contractors who fail to complete their projects on time or fail to keep to schedule if it was informed by the ministries involved with the contractors.

Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said: "If we are told of the contractors who should be blacklisted we will do so," he told reporters when asked whether his ministry would blacklist contractors who failed to complete their work according to agreement. Earlier, Nor Mohamed closed a Young Leaders Forum held in conjunction with the World Islamic Economic Forum held at the Putra World Trade Centre here today.

Nor Mohamed said the contractors were not under the supervision of his ministry, adding that departments such as the Public Works Department under the Works Ministry were managing the contractors. He said if the PWD gave contracts to the contractors who later failed to follow the work schedule, the Works Ministry could take the appropriate action including informing the Finance Ministry to blacklist the contractors.

Several government buildings were found to have leaked or parts of their ceilings damaged recently. This had led to speculations that the contractors had failed to follow the proper schedule.

-- BERNAMA

Stronger ringgit due to weaker dollar and yen

KUALA LUMPUR: It is the weakening of the US dollar and the Japanese yen that is giving strength to the ringgit as well as other currencies in the region, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said yesterday.

That is why the government contends that there is no problem over a strengthening ringgit, he explained to reporters after he spoke at the conclusion of the Young Leaders Forum of the World Islamic Economic Forum here. “We also must remember that the flow is two-way, as people both buy and sell the ringgit, so this is reflected in the movement of the unit,” he said. “We also need to see the ringgit in the context of other currencies, which are also strengthening against the US dollar.

“So, the performance of the ringgit is in line with the performance of other currencies following the weakening of the US dollar and the yen.” Nor Mohamed said that in terms of the cross-rate between the ringgit and other regional currencies, the local currency has not strengthened, in fact “against some currencies we are slightly weakened.” “So, it is only the dollar and yen that have weakened, so it is not really a case of the ringgit that has become too strong. “At this point of time, we do not have any problem (with the ringgit’s valuation).”

The ringgit scaled to as high as RM3.39 against the US dollar last Monday due to aggressive buying of the local unit after Asian currencies rose in reaction to China’s decision to widen the yuan’s trading band. Last Tuesday, it continued to strengthen to a new nine-year high of RM3.38 per dollar.


— Bernama