Photo of Jaya Supermarket on the day of the collapse
PETALING JAYA, 29 May 2009: The Selangor government has issued a stop-work order on all demolition activities at the Jaya Shopping Centre in Section 14 here pending investigations into its partial collapse yesterday.
“Until the causes of the collapse are determined, only search and rescue work is allowed to continue,” Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said in a statement today.
He said the decision was made following a briefing this morning on the tragedy by the Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) engineering unit, Institute Kerja Raya Malaysia (Ikram), and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).
“Today’s briefing…has revealed a serious lack of proper guidelines in monitoring [the] demolition of buildings. The state government intends to rectify [this] to ensure that such [a] tragedy does not recur and affect future development plans in Selangor,” said Khalid.
He added that MBPJ’s engineering unit and Ikram would conduct the investigations into why the abandoned building, better known as Jaya supermarket, collapsed. Khalid said they would submit a detailed report to the Selangor Economic Action Council on 5 June.
As of 5.30pm today, four Indonesian workers have been found dead under the collapsed building. Two Indonesian workers were saved yesterday on the day of the collapse, while another three are still missing under the wreckage.
Khalid said the MBPJ would also monitor the area round the clock to ensure that no machinery or equipment used for the building’s demolition was taken out of the site.
He said MBPJ has been instructed to treat all the deceased with dignity in accordance with their religious belief, and ensure that their families were well informed about developments.
“The city hall will also be working closely with the Indonesian embassy on this matter,” he added.
Khalid also said the area would be cordoned off for public safety.
He added that an information centre would be set up near the site and MBPJ would be sending flyers to nearby residents to inform them of the state authorities’ actions to ensure public safety.
“We appeal to residents to cooperate with the relevant authorities to avoid any further mishaps and apologise for any inconvenience caused,” said Khalid. 
