By K.M. LEW

More than 20 people have been subpoenaed to attend the inquest into the cause of the dragon boat tragedy, which claimed lives of a teacher and five students, off Macallum Street Ghaut, Penang, on Jan 17
 
GEORGE TOWN: A coroner’s court was told Monday that one of the six victims of the dragon boat tragedy early this year was not wearing a life jacket.
      Fireman Abdul Muni Abdul Aziz, the operations officer at Beach Street Fire Station then, said Cheah Zi Jun, the fifth victim, did not wear life jacket when his body was fished out near the Tanjung City Marina seafront.
      He, however, said he was not aware of three other bodies which were also recovered from the same area on the second day of the incident as it was done by marine police.
      He added that the bodies of two other victims - teacher Chin Aik Siang, 28, and student Jason Ch’ng, 17 - which were found on the first day of the incident, had life jackets.
      Abdul Muni was among four witnesses who testified in the inquest into the Jan 17 dragon boat tragedy.
      The others were Corporal Salleh Che Dit, 55, Lance Coporal Zalaluddin Jaafar, 39, and Lance Coporal Wan Idris, 46, who testified before coroner Noor Aini Yusof at Magistrate Court here on Monday.
      Deputy Public Prosecutors Suhaimi Ibrahim and Tan Guat Cheng assisted in the inquest while counsel Tham Shein Shyong was representing Chung Ling High School.
      A total of 28 witnesses are scheduled to testify in the inquest.
      In the Jan 17 incident, a teacher and five students from Chung Ling High School drowned after their dragon boat capsized during a training session at the sea off Macallum Street Ghaut.
      The boat, with 18 people on board, became unstable after it was hit by strong waves. It crashed into a tugboat moored nearby and capsized after it was slammed by a second wave.
      The group had gone out to sea for their weekly training in preparation for a competition in July.
      The event had always been held at the Teluk Bahang Dam but the venue was changed last year to the Bandar Sri Pinang fishermen’s jetty off Jelutong Expressway.
     Among those to be called up to testify are friends of the victims who were onboard the boat when the incident occurred and those involved in conducting the dragon boat training.
     Police have recorded statements from 26 witnesses over the tragedy.
     Penang Forward Sports Club chairman Lim Choo Hooi, whose club assisted the school’s dragon boat training, said he welcomed the inquest.