RM1 MILLION FROM TM GROUP FOR FLOOD VICTIMS

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) today announced that it has allocated RM1million to assist flood victims including its customers and employees in various parts of the country.

More importantly, TM will tap into its staff strength and resources to provide humanitarian support wherever possible to these victims. TM has readily made available its fleet of vehicles at the disposal of relief units in the affected areas. These vehicles can be used to evacuate victims and transport basic necessities to relief centres. TM trucks and four wheel drive vehicles will be deployed during this flood operation.

In consideration that flood victims will be in need of basic necessities, TM has also already begun distributing 100,000 bottles of mineral water to evacuees at relief centres in the flood affected areas.

In addition, under the assistance package, Celcom, TM’s mobile arm will donate all SMS revenues on Monday, 25 December 2006, from 11 pm to 12 midnight between Celcom customers nationwide towards the relief efforts.

Celcom will also be organising a charity drive to collect funds for the victims. Customers who are interested in donating can watch the Mentor vs Bintang Cari Bintang concert this Sunday on TV3 at 9 pm for further details. Customers will also be notified via SMS on this charity drive.

“In the spirit of volunteerism, some 100 TM employees will be assisting in numerous relief centres in Johor, Melaka and Pahang. I am happy with the considerable support given by TM employees in volunteering their services to assist these victims,” said Dato’ Abdul Wahid Omar, Group CEO of TM.

As a caring employer, TM has not forgotten its employees who are affected by the floods. Each affected employee will immediately be given RM500 in cash to ease their financial burden.

“We realize that the new school term will be starting soon and we hope that this cash relief assistance will help them in preparing for their school going children,” added Dato’ Wahid.

In addition to the RM500, employees whose houses were severely affected by the flood will receive financial assistance from the Group’s Staff Welfare Fund to help them to get back on their feet.

TM employees have also come together quickly in this time of need to help their fellow colleagues who are affected by the floods by starting a donation drive in the Group.

Current Status of TM’s services
TM Network Operation Centre in Cyberjaya and the State Operation centres have been operational since 20 December 2006 to TM Exchanges in the respective states. TM personnel are manning the network centres round the clock to keep a check on the situation. At point of reporting, all TM Exchanges are in good working condition with the exception of several exchanges that are running on Genset power.

However, due to the high levels of water, TM’s telephone cabinets in some areas have been affected hence disrupting fixed line services. Nevertheless, Celcom’s coverage in these areas is not affected.

“As TM technicians are unable to gain access to these areas, it is not possible to gauge the extent of the damage at this stage and time required to restore the services. TM technicians will be working round the clock to restore services once we are able to enter these affected areas,” said Dato’ Abdul Wahid Omar.

"We are saddened by the loss of life and damage to property of all flood victims in the affected areas and wish to assure all our customers that we will be working to restore telecommunication services in the affected areas as soon as possible," he concluded.

With floods threatening other areas in Malaysia, TM wishes to assure its customers that it is monitoring the situation closely and will do everything possible to maintain and restore communications for its customers as quickly as possible.

Affected customers are advised to call the numbers below for further information:

About TM
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), a leading regional information and communications group, offers a comprehensive range of communication services and solutions in fixed-line, mobile, data and broadband.  As one of the largest listed companies on Bursa Malaysia with an operating revenue of more than RM13 billion, TM is driven to deliver value to its stakeholders in a highly competitive environment.

The Group places emphasis on continuing customer service quality enhancements and innovations. Currently, with investments and operations in 13 countries around Asia and globally, TM is focused on sustainable growth in both the local and international markets.

For further information on TM, visit www.tm.com.my.