New Straits Times, Sunday, June 22 2008
Sleepy Tambun town awakes to explosion
By : P. Chandra Sagaran
IPOH: The anxious one-week wait by 4,000 residents in Tambun ended yesterday when a live 454kg World War 2 bomb was detonated on the banks of Sungai Pinji, the spot where it was found.
The residents from Taman Tambun, Taman Tambun Jaya, Kampung Baru Tambun and Kampung Malay Reserve started to vacate their quarters from as early as 7am.
They were ferried to waiting areas at the Tambun mosque and the Royal Malay Regiment army base in Jalan Tambun.
The roads leading to the site were blocked.
Ipoh city police chief ACP Azisman Alias, who was coordinating operations, said the bomb disposal unit got started at 8.30am.
Assisting the unit were about 200 men from the Fire and Rescue Department, Public Works Department, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Ipoh City Council, Kinta district office, the army, and Mineral and Geoscience Department.
Sandbags were placed around the bomb before detonation.
The 20 members of the bomb disposal unit, headed by ASP Ong Fah Lim, detonated the bomb at 10.03am.
But the bomb was not completely destroyed and the bomb disposal unit began work on it again. It was detonated for the second time at 10.50am.
The bomb was found by an angler on June 14 at 5.30pm.
It could not be moved as it was risky and had be to detonated on the spot.
Azisman said the British- made bomb could have been dropped during the Japanese Occupation to blow up the bridge over the river, which linked Tambun town and the city.
The bomb, which could have been manufactured in 1945, had a killing zone of 300 metres.
"The detonation went on smoothly and the explosion did not cause any untoward incidents, injuries or damages," Azisman said.
"I thank the public for their cooperation."
Azisman said that the bomb fragments would be kept at the Tambun police station as souvenirs.
Factory worker Tipah Mat Kassim, 48, whose flat is about 300 metres away from the site, said she was happy that the bomb had been detonated as her family had been living in fear.
"I came to know about the bomb last Saturday when I heard Tambun residents talking about it," said Tipah.
"My children had a look at the bomb in the river but I dared not go near."
Pekan Tambun yang lengang pada pagi Sabtu lalu apabila 5000 orang dipindahkan demi keselamatan mereka.— Pictures by Ikhwan Munir and Muhaizan Yahya (NST)
Ulasan
Tahniah kepada pihak polis kerana berjaya memusnahkan bom di pinggir pekan Tambun tanpa mendatangkan kemusnahan harta benda penduduk sekitar. Bom yang mempunyai killing zone sehingga 300 meter radius ini adalah buatan British tahun 1945 dan dipercayai terbenam ke dalam lumpur semasa digugurkan.
Tetapi, sekiranya Jepun menyerah pada Ogos 1945 manakala bom tersebut dibuat pada tahun 1945, apa alasan bahawa bom tersebut digugurkan untuk menyekat kemaraan tentera Jepun padahal Tambun jatuh ke tangan Jepun pada tahun 1942.
Mungkin lebih tepat, bom tersebut digugurkan bagi membunuh pekebun-pekebun Cina yang bersatu dengan pengganas komunis yang pada waktu itu menguasai pekan Tambun dengan bermaharajalela melakukan kemusnahan harta benda dan jiwa raga.
Tetapi tidakkah ianya merupakan tindakan pengecut yang menjebakkan penduduk Melayu yang tidak berdosa yang merupakan penduduk asal Tambun? Dengan killing zone seluas 300 meter radius, bukan sahaja jambatan Sungai Pinji yang musnah, kematian mungkin mampu mencapai beratus-ratus orang yang terdiri dari berbagai kaum yang mendiami pekan Tambun termasuk orang-orang hindu.
Kekejaman British dilupakan begitu sahaja dan sesetengah orang hindu masih mengadu nasib dan mengharapkan British menjadi tuan mereka hari ini dengan mengusulkan petisyen menyelamatkan mereka dari 'penjajah' Melayu melalui HINDRAF pada tahun 2007. Pelik tapi benar. Menghuni di tanah orang Melayu dan menyatakan orang Melayu menjajah mereka. Kelakar dan seakan-akan tuntutan orang mabuk todi.
Sleepy Tambun town awakes to explosion
By : P. Chandra Sagaran
IPOH: The anxious one-week wait by 4,000 residents in Tambun ended yesterday when a live 454kg World War 2 bomb was detonated on the banks of Sungai Pinji, the spot where it was found.
The residents from Taman Tambun, Taman Tambun Jaya, Kampung Baru Tambun and Kampung Malay Reserve started to vacate their quarters from as early as 7am.
They were ferried to waiting areas at the Tambun mosque and the Royal Malay Regiment army base in Jalan Tambun.
The roads leading to the site were blocked.
Ipoh city police chief ACP Azisman Alias, who was coordinating operations, said the bomb disposal unit got started at 8.30am.
Assisting the unit were about 200 men from the Fire and Rescue Department, Public Works Department, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Ipoh City Council, Kinta district office, the army, and Mineral and Geoscience Department.
Sandbags were placed around the bomb before detonation.
The 20 members of the bomb disposal unit, headed by ASP Ong Fah Lim, detonated the bomb at 10.03am.
But the bomb was not completely destroyed and the bomb disposal unit began work on it again. It was detonated for the second time at 10.50am.
The bomb was found by an angler on June 14 at 5.30pm.
It could not be moved as it was risky and had be to detonated on the spot.
Azisman said the British- made bomb could have been dropped during the Japanese Occupation to blow up the bridge over the river, which linked Tambun town and the city.
The bomb, which could have been manufactured in 1945, had a killing zone of 300 metres.
"The detonation went on smoothly and the explosion did not cause any untoward incidents, injuries or damages," Azisman said.
"I thank the public for their cooperation."
Azisman said that the bomb fragments would be kept at the Tambun police station as souvenirs.
Factory worker Tipah Mat Kassim, 48, whose flat is about 300 metres away from the site, said she was happy that the bomb had been detonated as her family had been living in fear.
"I came to know about the bomb last Saturday when I heard Tambun residents talking about it," said Tipah.
"My children had a look at the bomb in the river but I dared not go near."
Pekan Tambun yang lengang pada pagi Sabtu lalu apabila 5000 orang dipindahkan demi keselamatan mereka.— Pictures by Ikhwan Munir and Muhaizan Yahya (NST)Ulasan
Tahniah kepada pihak polis kerana berjaya memusnahkan bom di pinggir pekan Tambun tanpa mendatangkan kemusnahan harta benda penduduk sekitar. Bom yang mempunyai killing zone sehingga 300 meter radius ini adalah buatan British tahun 1945 dan dipercayai terbenam ke dalam lumpur semasa digugurkan.
Tetapi, sekiranya Jepun menyerah pada Ogos 1945 manakala bom tersebut dibuat pada tahun 1945, apa alasan bahawa bom tersebut digugurkan untuk menyekat kemaraan tentera Jepun padahal Tambun jatuh ke tangan Jepun pada tahun 1942.
Mungkin lebih tepat, bom tersebut digugurkan bagi membunuh pekebun-pekebun Cina yang bersatu dengan pengganas komunis yang pada waktu itu menguasai pekan Tambun dengan bermaharajalela melakukan kemusnahan harta benda dan jiwa raga.
Tetapi tidakkah ianya merupakan tindakan pengecut yang menjebakkan penduduk Melayu yang tidak berdosa yang merupakan penduduk asal Tambun? Dengan killing zone seluas 300 meter radius, bukan sahaja jambatan Sungai Pinji yang musnah, kematian mungkin mampu mencapai beratus-ratus orang yang terdiri dari berbagai kaum yang mendiami pekan Tambun termasuk orang-orang hindu.
Kekejaman British dilupakan begitu sahaja dan sesetengah orang hindu masih mengadu nasib dan mengharapkan British menjadi tuan mereka hari ini dengan mengusulkan petisyen menyelamatkan mereka dari 'penjajah' Melayu melalui HINDRAF pada tahun 2007. Pelik tapi benar. Menghuni di tanah orang Melayu dan menyatakan orang Melayu menjajah mereka. Kelakar dan seakan-akan tuntutan orang mabuk todi.
