THEY usually interview people from all walks of life in the course of their work, but veteran journalists – S. Arulldas and V. Sivaji – have to play a reverse role after being conferred awards by Penang governor Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak in conjunction with his 73rd birthday celebration.
Arulldas, 67, received the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) which carries the Dato’ title today while Sivaji, 62, received the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) award from Ahmad Fuzi yesterday at the Dewan Sri Pinang. There are a total of 1,380 recipients of the state awards this year.
Both Arulldas and Sivaji have worked for different news organisations in their over four decades in journalism.
For Arulldas, he started as a journalist with Tamil Osai, then moved to The Sun, News Straits Times, Malay Mail, The Vibes and now Malaysiakini.
The greatest scoop of his career thus far was when he exposed the migrant prison camps and the mass graves in Wang Kelian, Perlis, in a report for Malay Mail in 2015. He still vividly remembers he reached the site on a hill in Wang Kelian, together with photographer Sayuti Zainuddin, on May 13, 2015.
His report became world news as it was picked up by international news agencies and magazines. Later, about 400 security personnel and relevant agencies exhumed a total of 139 bodies from the graves. Following the discovery, the Government set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry.
“This was one of the greatest inhumane acts against the migrants. It’s a human tragedy. People can be so merciless. I feel I have done justice to the migrants through my reports.
“And I am now writing a book on human trafficking, including this indelible incident, and my journey as a journalist,” Arulldas said.
For their expose, Arulldas and Sayuti clinched two awards, an Outstanding Reporting by Human Rights Commission in Malaysia (Suhakam) and Best Investigative Reporting by the Malaysia Press Institute-Petronas Awards in 2015.
He had other major stories.
In 2014, Arulldas exposed the killings of about 30 Myanmar nationals in Penang who are believed to be victims of communal clashes. They were savagely murdered before their bodies were dumped into bushes and plantations.
In 2015, he reported on the dumping of about 25 bodies of foreigners, linked to human trafficking, into rivers, cemeteries or oil palm plantations.
Another big scoop came in 2018. He reported about thousands of containers laden with electronic waste from the United States and Europe at Port Klang waiting to pollute our land. That kept the authorities on their toes.
In 2020 while working for The Vibes, an online news portal, Arulldas exposed the illegal entry of an Iranian vessel that berthed at the North Butterworth Container Terminal.
He also wrote about the bullying of housemen by senior doctors at the General Hospital after one of them committed suicide. The story was shared 35,000 times.
“I never thought I would get a Datoship. I am thankful to the state government, CM Chow, and Prof Dr Ramasamy for the award. My gratitude also goes to Pertubuhan Kebajikan dan Sosial Kaum India Pulau Pinang (a non-governmental organisation), its president Balan Nambiar and adviser Datuk Subramaniam, and my friend Datuk Seri R. Arunasalam,” said Arulldas, who is the NGO’s auditor.
This is the third time Arulldas was conferred the state award. He received a Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) in 2002, Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (PKT) in 2006 and a Darjah Johan Negeri (DJN) in 2013.
To rejoice with him yesterday were his wife, Theresa Arulanthu, and two children – Precilla Shantini, 37, and Calvin Jeevananthan, 33, granddaughter Samantha Darren David, sister-in-law Catherine and nephew Philip.
For Sivaji, he currently focuses on ‘feel good’ stories for his news portal after having worked for NST and Malay Mail for several years.
“Just before Covid-19, I launched my portal, called Penang Hyper Local. As the name suggests, it is all about local news – Community news, CSR (corporate social responsibility), hotel beat, travel and tourism.
“I feel happy to get this award. My recognition, I think, comes from my work done for Penang Hyper Local. I do a lot of writeups on investments, tourism, housing, and transport being carried out by the state government.
“I thank the state for this award. It will inspire me to do more,” said Sivaji, who also owns the Where2 magazine which has migrated from print to online.
Being from Ipoh, Sivaji said he is also passionate about his hometown and is also running another portal, called Ipoh Hyper Local.
With the international borders already opened, he is looking forward to writing more stories, including on foreign hotels, airlines and cruise tourism.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat