Timber industry players donate RM2 mln worth of PPEs to frontliners

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Awang Tengah (fourth, left) together with officials from STIDC and STA and others seen holding boxes containing PPEs which were shipped from China at the Senari Port. The items donated by STIDC and STA arrived at the port today. Photo by Muhammad Rais Sanusi

KUCHING: The personal protective equipment (PPEs) donated by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) and Sarawak Timber Association (STA) will be handed over to the State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) tomorrow, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

Speaking to reporters after receiving the PPEs from STIDC and STA officials today at the Kuching Senari Port (Custom Clearance), he revealed that the donated PPEs are worth RM2 million and had been ordered and shipped from China since the middle of last month (March).

“We received a total of 5,000 pieces of Protective Medical Coverall (Sterile), 10,000 pieces of Isolation Gown (Non-Sterile), 200 boxes of Medical Vinyl Examination Gloves, 10,000 pairs of Medical Boots Cover, 5,000 pieces of Medical Goggles, 5,000 pieces of Face Shield, 10,000 pieces of KN95 Medical Protective Masks, 105,000 pieces of Disposable Medical Masks and 10,000 pieces of Medical Head Cover. These items will be used for the purpose of helping frontliners fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the state,” he added.

The boxes of PPEs worth RM2 million, ready to be distributed to frontliners.

Present to hand over the PPEs to Awang Tengah were STIDC general manager Hashim Bojet and STA honourary secretary Dato Henry Lau Lee Kong, permanent council member Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi and STA chief executive officer Annie Ting.

Awang Tengah revealed that the PPEs were initially intended to be sent via a special cargo flight from China to Kuching but would involve long wait times and the approval of flight permits from the Chinese aviation authorities and strict release procedures by local authorities there.

“The PPEs were thus sent via ship to our area here and were shipped directly from China to Kuching’s Senari Port. The items were loaded into two 40-foot containers,” he said.

Hashim, who also spoke to reporters, said the assistance from STIDC and STA was a form of support and commitment from them as the timber industry players in Sarawak to the state government in combating the Covid-19 threat.

“It is our hope that with the help of all parties including non-governmental organisations or any other party, we can ease the burden on the state and national governments to break the Covid-19 chain,” said Hashim.

Also present during the handing over of the PPEs were Assistant Minister International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, Assistant Minister of Urban Development and Resource Datu Len Talif Salleh and Kuching Port Authority (KPA) chairman Datuk Awang Bemee Ali Basah.