Malaysians are great when it comes to getting facts and rumours all campur (mixed) in rojak (a type of salad) style. It's very hard to believe which is for real. For instance, the latest facts which were then denied and reclassified as rumour is about some buayas (crocodiles) experiencing freedom as a result of the flooding in the Kota Tinggi district.
What is most puzzling is this piece of news about buayas on the loose first appeared on national newspaper on Christmas Day where the Penghulu of Kesang Ishak Abu Bakar said that between 15 and 20 crocodiles were believed to have escaped from a farm here after it was flooded last Saturday. The reptiles were spotted in villages like Kampung Parit Ponorogo, Kampung Bumi Hijau and Kota Tinggi. To lend credence to the news, Rela members were reported to have spotted some of these reptiles. Hey, with all these facts and figures, I really thought it's for real and have been hoping that no untoward incident happen to the villagers there. It would be most tragic for the villagers to lose their belongings as a result of the floods and to lose their life or limbs to these escaped buayas.
In the same evening of Christmas, Bernama reported that there are no buayas on the loose according to a spokesman of the Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm. Kota Tinggi District Deputy Police Chief DSP Muhammad Samsuddin when contacted said the police had not received any reports of killings of 2 buayas on the loose. Johor Lama Assemblywoman Asiah Ariff also said the same.
So, who are we to believe? Are there any buayas on the loose or not? I mean the reptiles, not the homo sapiens who think or behave like reptiles. Hmmm....come to think of it, I wonder which is higher in population : real crocodiles or homo sapien crocodile-wannabes...but that's a side-track issue.
At this time of havoc caused by the floods, the villagers of the areas reported need assurance from the relevant authorities that buayas on the loose are merely rumours spread by irresponsible people or rumours propagated by reporters who failed to check and verify their facts prior to printing. If indeed there are such crocs on the loose, then the public needs assurance that the authorities are stepping up efforts to catch these reptiles whilst being given advice on how to prevent themselves from being victims of these reptiles. The last thing these unfortunate villagers need is to live in fear and constantly watching over their foot for some buayas on the loose whilst rebuilding their lives when in actual fact, it's only a rumour.
Meanwhile, be extra wary of cheap crocodile skin handbags being sold...they could very well be from Kota Tinggi.
What is most puzzling is this piece of news about buayas on the loose first appeared on national newspaper on Christmas Day where the Penghulu of Kesang Ishak Abu Bakar said that between 15 and 20 crocodiles were believed to have escaped from a farm here after it was flooded last Saturday. The reptiles were spotted in villages like Kampung Parit Ponorogo, Kampung Bumi Hijau and Kota Tinggi. To lend credence to the news, Rela members were reported to have spotted some of these reptiles. Hey, with all these facts and figures, I really thought it's for real and have been hoping that no untoward incident happen to the villagers there. It would be most tragic for the villagers to lose their belongings as a result of the floods and to lose their life or limbs to these escaped buayas.
In the same evening of Christmas, Bernama reported that there are no buayas on the loose according to a spokesman of the Teluk Sengat Crocodile Farm. Kota Tinggi District Deputy Police Chief DSP Muhammad Samsuddin when contacted said the police had not received any reports of killings of 2 buayas on the loose. Johor Lama Assemblywoman Asiah Ariff also said the same.
So, who are we to believe? Are there any buayas on the loose or not? I mean the reptiles, not the homo sapiens who think or behave like reptiles. Hmmm....come to think of it, I wonder which is higher in population : real crocodiles or homo sapien crocodile-wannabes...but that's a side-track issue.
At this time of havoc caused by the floods, the villagers of the areas reported need assurance from the relevant authorities that buayas on the loose are merely rumours spread by irresponsible people or rumours propagated by reporters who failed to check and verify their facts prior to printing. If indeed there are such crocs on the loose, then the public needs assurance that the authorities are stepping up efforts to catch these reptiles whilst being given advice on how to prevent themselves from being victims of these reptiles. The last thing these unfortunate villagers need is to live in fear and constantly watching over their foot for some buayas on the loose whilst rebuilding their lives when in actual fact, it's only a rumour.
Meanwhile, be extra wary of cheap crocodile skin handbags being sold...they could very well be from Kota Tinggi.
