Poor telco service delays PM’s email to Kpg Skio

KUCHING: The father of Catherine Janet Tiwi, the teacher who was killed in a fire that struck a rural primary school in Mulu on Wednesday, has yet to receive the message of condolences from Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – no thanks to poor Internet connectivity at Kampung Skio, Jambusan in Bau near here.

Tiwi Nios disclosed that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had messaged him on Thursday night, requesting for his email.

“I have not read his (Dr Mahathir’s) email because there is no telecommunication service in this village,” he told reporters yesterday.

It was apparent that reporters were struggling to find connection.

“Telecommunications (telco) and Internet are very important aspects of our daily lives. Sadly, the coverage in our village is in a very sad state,” one of the villagers said.

Whenever they saw reporters struggling to find any signal, the villagers would tell them: “We have (telecommunications) towers here, but no telco service.”

Catherine, 25, lost her life in her attempt to rescue two fellow teachers out of the hostel at SK Batu Bungan in the wee hours of July 25.

It is said that the three teachers were accompanying the pupils attending a fiveday Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) motivation camp.

One of the two teachers who survived suffered 22 per cent burns and was rushed to Miri Hospital via helicopter, while the other suffered minor injuries on her foot and received treatment at a clinic in Mulu.

In his remarks, Tiwi said he really did not expect the presence of many people coming to pay respects to his late daughter.

“I am very moved and humbled by this, and on behalf of my family, I must thank all of you.

“I cannot repay what you have done for me – all I can say is thank you,” he said.