DTC fire a sabotage: Kayveas
updated version
The fire that destroyed Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC) in Universiti Malaya was a work of sabotage, said deputy minister for housing and local government M Kayveas today, countering an earlier news report which stated that the blaze was caused by a short-circuit."After the investigation and studies done by myself, (I conclude) it's a sabotage. It's very clear," Kayveas said when asked on the findings of the investigations into the June 29 fire.
On July 11, The Malay Mail reported that the investigation conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department showed that the fire was the result of an old and overloaded wiring system.
However, Kayveas refuted the report. "I am yet to see a report from the Fire and Rescue Department saying that it was a short-circuit."
The deputy minister was speaking to reporters after officiating a seminar and exhibition on the usage of carbon dioxide and other alternative fire-fighting substance in Kuala Lumpur.
Pressed for the exact content of the final report from the six-man special task force headed by Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department director Othman Abdullah, Kayveas said that he did not get a copy of the report.
"I was told that the Fire and Rescue Department sent a copy of the final report to Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting and he sent it directly to the prime minister during a cabinet meeting. Ong did not give me a copy (of the report)," he explained.
On July 6, Ong had said it was up to the police to determine if the fire was caused by arson or not.
The pre-dawn fire had led many Barisan Nasional leaders, including Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to speculate that it was the work of 'militant students' who wanted to prevent the premier from attending a function at the university the next day.
Hard to prove
Kayveas, too, questioned the coincidence of a short-circuit occurring a day before an event that was to be officially opened by Mahathir.
updated version
The fire that destroyed Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC) in Universiti Malaya was a work of sabotage, said deputy minister for housing and local government M Kayveas today, countering an earlier news report which stated that the blaze was caused by a short-circuit."After the investigation and studies done by myself, (I conclude) it's a sabotage. It's very clear," Kayveas said when asked on the findings of the investigations into the June 29 fire.
On July 11, The Malay Mail reported that the investigation conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department showed that the fire was the result of an old and overloaded wiring system.
However, Kayveas refuted the report. "I am yet to see a report from the Fire and Rescue Department saying that it was a short-circuit."
The deputy minister was speaking to reporters after officiating a seminar and exhibition on the usage of carbon dioxide and other alternative fire-fighting substance in Kuala Lumpur.
Pressed for the exact content of the final report from the six-man special task force headed by Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department director Othman Abdullah, Kayveas said that he did not get a copy of the report.
"I was told that the Fire and Rescue Department sent a copy of the final report to Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting and he sent it directly to the prime minister during a cabinet meeting. Ong did not give me a copy (of the report)," he explained.
On July 6, Ong had said it was up to the police to determine if the fire was caused by arson or not.
The pre-dawn fire had led many Barisan Nasional leaders, including Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, to speculate that it was the work of 'militant students' who wanted to prevent the premier from attending a function at the university the next day.
Hard to prove
Kayveas, too, questioned the coincidence of a short-circuit occurring a day before an event that was to be officially opened by Mahathir.
Asked if the allegation was merely his own opinion, Kayveas said that he arrived at this conclusion after carefully analysing the reports that he received.
"If anybody disagrees with me, I don't know, but I can give a very clear picture of what happened," he said.
According to Kayveas, a short-circuit could not have possibly occurred at 3am when all electricity outlets in the hall were supposed to have been switched off.
"There's a guard down there. Every hour, there's a security guard checking the place. The doors are locked. How can there be a fire inside?" he asked.
"But this (the sabotage) is hard to prove. The problem with bringing the matter to court is, we need to charge someone. We need to have a suspect. Who are we going to catch now? No one. All have fled," Kayveas said.
"When the press asked for the reports, the prime minister did not want to give an answer because he did not want to pinpoint anybody. (It's) not fair for the prime minister to accuse anybody. So he said all the reports are not the same," he said.
"It's because he wants to be very fair. He doesn't want to accuse anybody. This should be appreciated. It shouldn't be turned into something else," he added.
The deputy minister also said the alleged sabotage could be the handiwork of anyone in the university.
He explained that the saboteurs could be the students, lecturers or even the security guards. He did not rule out the possibility of the involvement of outsiders.
