Tuesday 28 August 2012
Muqadas Kainat Murdered after allegedly being Gang Raped by Muslims
A Christian minor girl from Sahiwal, a city in Punjab, Pakistan, was recently murdered after being “gang raped” by a group of five Muslim men.
The young girl’s name, Muqadas Kainat, was revealed to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net) by the Legal Evangelical Association Development (LEAD Family Pakistan), an organization that provides free legal aid, settlement and spiritual support to Christian persecuted and destitute,
The group said that they had discovered news of this terrible crime after being visited in their office by two rights campaigners who told them that the father of child, Mr. Rafique Masih, had been working as a brick maker and had lived in the area for the past 15 years. Also that he, and his wife, had seven children.
They were told that on August 14, 2012, he was visiting a local hospital where his wife was having her appendix removed and during that time, the group were told that the minor girl had gone into a local field to relieve herself and was then viciously set upon by a gang of men and gang raped and murdered.
“The father’s elder brother, Arshad Masih, came to hospital and told Rafique Masih that his daughter had not come home since the morning,” said a spokesperson for LEAD Family Pakistan.
“Rafique Masih rushed to home and searched for her in area of the brick kiln company [where he worked] and also in the homes his neighbors, but did not find his daughter.
“Then, on August 15, 2012, the Muslim clerk of the brick kiln company told Rafique Masih that he had received a phone call on his cell phone from an unknown caller that Muqadas Kainat was in fields. On hearing this, Rafique Masih, along with other people, started searching the nearby fields and eventually found dead body of his daughter.”
The spokesperson went on to say that her body was taken to the police station for a postmortem which, he said, proved that she had been “gang raped and later strangled to death by five men.”
The Farid Town Police Station has since registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown rapists and killers and started an investigation, but at this time none of culprits have been found and arrested.
Now Missionary Pastor, Mushtaq Gill, President/National Director of LEAD, is pledging for legal help and support for this case.
The group said that they had discovered news of this terrible crime after being visited in their office by two rights campaigners who told them that the father of child, Mr. Rafique Masih, had been working as a brick maker and had lived in the area for the past 15 years. Also that he, and his wife, had seven children.
They were told that on August 14, 2012, he was visiting a local hospital where his wife was having her appendix removed and during that time, the group were told that the minor girl had gone into a local field to relieve herself and was then viciously set upon by a gang of men and gang raped and murdered.
“The father’s elder brother, Arshad Masih, came to hospital and told Rafique Masih that his daughter had not come home since the morning,” said a spokesperson for LEAD Family Pakistan.
“Rafique Masih rushed to home and searched for her in area of the brick kiln company [where he worked] and also in the homes his neighbors, but did not find his daughter.“Then, on August 15, 2012, the Muslim clerk of the brick kiln company told Rafique Masih that he had received a phone call on his cell phone from an unknown caller that Muqadas Kainat was in fields. On hearing this, Rafique Masih, along with other people, started searching the nearby fields and eventually found dead body of his daughter.”
The spokesperson went on to say that her body was taken to the police station for a postmortem which, he said, proved that she had been “gang raped and later strangled to death by five men.”
The Farid Town Police Station has since registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown rapists and killers and started an investigation, but at this time none of culprits have been found and arrested.
Now Missionary Pastor, Mushtaq Gill, President/National Director of LEAD, is pledging for legal help and support for this case.
Taliban behead 17 caught dancing to music at party
Taliban militants pictured in Musa Qala in 2007. Photo: AFP/GETTY
Taliban militants beheaded 15 men and two women for holding a late night party with music and dancing, according to Afghan officials.
The insurgents executed the guests, who included two women, after attacking the party in northern Helmand late on Sunday because they considered it immoral.
Hamid Karzai ordered a full investigation into the “mass killing”. “This attack shows that there are irresponsible members among the Taliban,” the Afghan president said in a statement.
The attack occurred in an area of Musa Qala district which is almost totally under Taliban control and Afghan officials said an investigation into the deaths was being hampered because they could not reach the area.
Nematullah Khan, governor of Musa Qala, said the Taliban had tried to stop the party. “They were having a music party and the Taliban came and killed them and cut off their heads,” he said.
Shooting was heard at the scene, he said, and it was unclear if they had been shot dead first.
There was no claim of responsibility from the Taliban and their spokesmen were unavailable for comment.
Parties and social occasions in Afghanistan are usually strictly segregated and there is no mixing of men and women unless they are related.
An elder from the area confirmed a group of young men had held an “immoral” party at a house and had been attacked and killed.
Juma Khan said: “Unfortunately the young men do this sometimes. They had a party with music and dancing and they were behaving badly with the women.”
However he said the killing may have been driven by a local feud, with enemies of the guests either tipping off the Taliban, or pretending to act with their authority.
A statement from the provincial governor’s office later claimed the massacre was caused by two Taliban commanders fighting over the women, but did not explain how so many civilians came to be beheaded.
Hours after the massacre, an Afghan army checkpoint was stormed elsewhere in the province and 10 soldiers killed.
A spokesman for the governor said the post in Washer district was believed to have been betrayed by insiders and five soldiers who were missing after the attack were being investigated.
Meanwhile two American soldiers were shot dead by an Afghan comrade after an argument during a joint patrol.
Monday’s shooting in the eastern province of Laghman brought the Nato coalition death toll from so-called green on blue killings to 42 this year, and 12 in August alone.
American soldiers returned fire and shot dead the Afghan soldier.
Bowler escaped jail for rape of minor as he did not use force, coercion or violence, says court
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — A lengthy jail sentence would have been imposed on national bowler Noor Afizal Azizan for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl when he was 19 if he had been older or had used force, coercion or violence, the Court of Appeal said today in a written judgment explaining why it had controversially substituted imprisonment with a good behaviour bond for five years.
The court said, however, that its decision should not be considered a precedent for all future cases involving statutory rape and should be judged on its own merits.
Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Raus Sharif (picture) said in the judgment released today that Noor Afizal, who is now 21, was a “young boy who was extremely remorseful for what he had done and had thrown himself to the mercy of the court by pleading guilty to the charge.”
Raus, who sat with Justices K.N. Segara and Azhar Ma’ah, wrote the grounds of judgment.
Noor Afizal was let off with a RM25,000 bond instead of being jailed after he pleaded guilty to statutory rape, sparking a firestorm online over the court’s message on sex with minors even as it raised questions about the Penal Code and other criminal laws.
Incensed Malaysians have taken to Twitter and Facebook to vent their outrage against the judiciary after the Court of Appeal reversed earlier this month a High Court decision to jail the bowling ace for five years — suggesting that fame and a bright future are enough to ensure a convicted offender gets a ticket away from jail.
But the Court of Appeal pointed out today that its decision to let the bowler off with a bond did not have blanket application, or applied to all cases involving young offenders committing a similar offence.
“If the appellant (Noor Afizal) had been older or if he had used force, coercion or violence on the victim, or if he had tricked the victim... or he had not co-operated with the police and he had not shown any remorse to his act or there is no guarantee that he will not be committing the same offence in future, we would not have any hesitation, as we have done in many other cases of similar nature, to impose a lengthy custodial sentence,” said Raus.
In the Malacca Sessions Court, the judge had imposed a RM25,000 bond with good behaviour for five years on Noor Afizal after he pleaded guilty to raping the girl at a hotel in Ayer Keroh, Malacca on July 5, 2010.
However, the public prosecutor had appealed to the High Court on September 20 last year and obtained a five-year custodial sentence, the mandatory minimum for rape under the Penal Code.
According to the facts of the case which was laid down in the written judgment of the Court of Appeal today, Noor Afizal had checked into a hotel in Malacca on July 5, 2010 together with the girl who was then 13 years and four months old.
The two had what was described as consensual sex. The next morning Noor Afizal sent the girl home.
The girl did not complain to anyone and the incident only came to light when her father read about what she had done in her diary.
Raus pointed out today that Noor Afizal’s bond was in fact a suspended jail sentence and that he would always have a criminal record as a rapist.
The court said, however, that its decision should not be considered a precedent for all future cases involving statutory rape and should be judged on its own merits.
Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Raus Sharif (picture) said in the judgment released today that Noor Afizal, who is now 21, was a “young boy who was extremely remorseful for what he had done and had thrown himself to the mercy of the court by pleading guilty to the charge.”Raus, who sat with Justices K.N. Segara and Azhar Ma’ah, wrote the grounds of judgment.
Noor Afizal was let off with a RM25,000 bond instead of being jailed after he pleaded guilty to statutory rape, sparking a firestorm online over the court’s message on sex with minors even as it raised questions about the Penal Code and other criminal laws.
Incensed Malaysians have taken to Twitter and Facebook to vent their outrage against the judiciary after the Court of Appeal reversed earlier this month a High Court decision to jail the bowling ace for five years — suggesting that fame and a bright future are enough to ensure a convicted offender gets a ticket away from jail.
But the Court of Appeal pointed out today that its decision to let the bowler off with a bond did not have blanket application, or applied to all cases involving young offenders committing a similar offence.
“If the appellant (Noor Afizal) had been older or if he had used force, coercion or violence on the victim, or if he had tricked the victim... or he had not co-operated with the police and he had not shown any remorse to his act or there is no guarantee that he will not be committing the same offence in future, we would not have any hesitation, as we have done in many other cases of similar nature, to impose a lengthy custodial sentence,” said Raus.
In the Malacca Sessions Court, the judge had imposed a RM25,000 bond with good behaviour for five years on Noor Afizal after he pleaded guilty to raping the girl at a hotel in Ayer Keroh, Malacca on July 5, 2010.
However, the public prosecutor had appealed to the High Court on September 20 last year and obtained a five-year custodial sentence, the mandatory minimum for rape under the Penal Code.
According to the facts of the case which was laid down in the written judgment of the Court of Appeal today, Noor Afizal had checked into a hotel in Malacca on July 5, 2010 together with the girl who was then 13 years and four months old.
The two had what was described as consensual sex. The next morning Noor Afizal sent the girl home.
The girl did not complain to anyone and the incident only came to light when her father read about what she had done in her diary.
Raus pointed out today that Noor Afizal’s bond was in fact a suspended jail sentence and that he would always have a criminal record as a rapist.
Pakatan beri jamin hak Melayu dan kaum lain
Negara tidak akan bangkrap jika ditadbir Pakatan Rakyat.
PETALING JAYA: Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menegaskan bahawa hak keistimewaan orang Melayu dan lain- lain kaum akan terjamin jika Pakatan Rakyat berjaya membentuk Kerajaan Pusat pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.
Katanya, antara tawaran Pakatan termasuklah menurunkan harga minyak dan kereta serta membatalkan Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN).
“Rakyat tak bodoh…..menurut Umno-BN (Barisan Nasional), negara akan bankrap sedangkan kita bagi fakta,” katanya merujuk tawaran berkenaan ketika berucap pada Ceramah Perdana Demi Rakyat di Bagan Serai malam tadi.
Beliau yang juga Ketua Umum PKR berkata, rakyat tidak bodoh untuk terus percaya dakwaan Umno-BN bahawa negara akan bangkrap jika ditadbir Pakatan.
Anwar berkata, semua golongan akan mendapat keuntungan daripada tawaran tersebut, terutama rakyat miskin dan kebanyakannya Melayu.
Beliau turut menyangkal tohmahan sesetengah pihak mengatakan nasib orang Melayu tidak akan terbela di bawah pentadbiran Pakatan.
Menurutnya, PKR, PAS dan DAP bersetuju memberi jaminan untuk terus membela Melayu dan pada masa sama hak kaum lain sebagai warganegara yang sah.
“Ini kerana Malaysia tidak akan selamat kalau orang Melayu sebagai kaum majoriti tersisih dan tidak kuat,” kata Anwar lagi. Jelasnya, orang Melayu tidak mendapat pembelaan sebenar di bawah pemerintahan Umno-BN yang hanya mengkayakan keluarga dan kroni.
“Ahli-ahli Umno yang bawah dapat apa? Itupun ahli masih lagi melaungkan ‘Hidup Melayu’,” kata Anwar.
PETALING JAYA: Ahli Parlimen Permatang Pauh Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menegaskan bahawa hak keistimewaan orang Melayu dan lain- lain kaum akan terjamin jika Pakatan Rakyat berjaya membentuk Kerajaan Pusat pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.Katanya, antara tawaran Pakatan termasuklah menurunkan harga minyak dan kereta serta membatalkan Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN).
“Rakyat tak bodoh…..menurut Umno-BN (Barisan Nasional), negara akan bankrap sedangkan kita bagi fakta,” katanya merujuk tawaran berkenaan ketika berucap pada Ceramah Perdana Demi Rakyat di Bagan Serai malam tadi.
Beliau yang juga Ketua Umum PKR berkata, rakyat tidak bodoh untuk terus percaya dakwaan Umno-BN bahawa negara akan bangkrap jika ditadbir Pakatan.
Anwar berkata, semua golongan akan mendapat keuntungan daripada tawaran tersebut, terutama rakyat miskin dan kebanyakannya Melayu.
Beliau turut menyangkal tohmahan sesetengah pihak mengatakan nasib orang Melayu tidak akan terbela di bawah pentadbiran Pakatan.
Menurutnya, PKR, PAS dan DAP bersetuju memberi jaminan untuk terus membela Melayu dan pada masa sama hak kaum lain sebagai warganegara yang sah.
“Ini kerana Malaysia tidak akan selamat kalau orang Melayu sebagai kaum majoriti tersisih dan tidak kuat,” kata Anwar lagi. Jelasnya, orang Melayu tidak mendapat pembelaan sebenar di bawah pemerintahan Umno-BN yang hanya mengkayakan keluarga dan kroni.
“Ahli-ahli Umno yang bawah dapat apa? Itupun ahli masih lagi melaungkan ‘Hidup Melayu’,” kata Anwar.
‘Suspend all who attended meeting’
The recent leak of a closed-door meeting involving Penang DCM Mansor Othman was a 'clear act of sabotage', claims PKR.
GEORGE TOWN: PKR’s top brass must immediately suspend those who attended the now leaked closed-door unofficial meeting with state chairman Mansor Othman, pending a probe on their alleged internal misconduct.
State PKR information chief Johari Kassim insisted that the leadership should not hesitate to sack any of them if found guilty as charged in the internal investigation.
He said the leak was a clear act of sabotage on the party that the central leadership cannot ignore and step aside.
He said it was obvious that one or more among them could have leaked out the information to serve own selfish interests and the party disciplinary committee must act fast to punish them.
“Obviously the culprits who leaked the meeting details did not hold dear the party’s best interests.
“All those who attended the meeting should be hauled up to the dock and suspended immediately pending investigation.
“If anyone is found guilty, sack instantly to teach others a lesson. It’s the best way to deal with it or else it will happen again,” warned Johari.
Lim ‘cocky and arrogant’
Details of the closed-door meeting between Mansor and party local grassroots Chinese leaders, including elected representatives, were posted in a blog Gelagat Anwar in June.
The meeting was held in May in Mansor’s DCM office in Komtar.
In the leaked details, Mansor had allegedly described Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as “cocky and arrogant”.
However, last Friday, Mansor denied describing Lim as “cocky and arrogant” but admitted saying that Lim was being revered like a “tokong” (deity) by Chinese voters in Penang.
In its postings in June 16, 18 and 19, the blog revealed that PKR’s state deputy chief and Batu Kawan division chief Law Choo Kiang; Bukit Bendera division deputy chief Felix Ooi; Bayan Baru deputy chairman Tan Seng Keat; 2004 candidate for Bayan Baru parliament seat Raymond Ong; Tanjung Youth chief Ng Chek Siang; Batu Uban branch chief Cheah Peng Guan and Mansor’s assistant John Ooi attended the meeting.
Party insiders and political observers view the controversy as part of a conspiracy by certain PKR local reps to kick out Mansor from state PKR altogether.
GEORGE TOWN: PKR’s top brass must immediately suspend those who attended the now leaked closed-door unofficial meeting with state chairman Mansor Othman, pending a probe on their alleged internal misconduct.State PKR information chief Johari Kassim insisted that the leadership should not hesitate to sack any of them if found guilty as charged in the internal investigation.
He said the leak was a clear act of sabotage on the party that the central leadership cannot ignore and step aside.
He said it was obvious that one or more among them could have leaked out the information to serve own selfish interests and the party disciplinary committee must act fast to punish them.
“Obviously the culprits who leaked the meeting details did not hold dear the party’s best interests.
“All those who attended the meeting should be hauled up to the dock and suspended immediately pending investigation.
“If anyone is found guilty, sack instantly to teach others a lesson. It’s the best way to deal with it or else it will happen again,” warned Johari.
Lim ‘cocky and arrogant’
Details of the closed-door meeting between Mansor and party local grassroots Chinese leaders, including elected representatives, were posted in a blog Gelagat Anwar in June.
The meeting was held in May in Mansor’s DCM office in Komtar.
In the leaked details, Mansor had allegedly described Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as “cocky and arrogant”.
However, last Friday, Mansor denied describing Lim as “cocky and arrogant” but admitted saying that Lim was being revered like a “tokong” (deity) by Chinese voters in Penang.
In its postings in June 16, 18 and 19, the blog revealed that PKR’s state deputy chief and Batu Kawan division chief Law Choo Kiang; Bukit Bendera division deputy chief Felix Ooi; Bayan Baru deputy chairman Tan Seng Keat; 2004 candidate for Bayan Baru parliament seat Raymond Ong; Tanjung Youth chief Ng Chek Siang; Batu Uban branch chief Cheah Peng Guan and Mansor’s assistant John Ooi attended the meeting.
Party insiders and political observers view the controversy as part of a conspiracy by certain PKR local reps to kick out Mansor from state PKR altogether.
Merdeka ‘no relevance’ to Sabah, Sarawak
The true 'National Day is Sept 16, according to Sabah opposition STAR as that was when Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya committed themselves to a 'common identity.
RANAU: The federal government should stop duping Sabah and Sarawak into celebrating Merdeka Day when the 55th anniversary had “no relevance” to the two states, STAR Sabah chairman Jeffrey Kitingan said.
“How can these leaders continue to twist history to suit their political interests without considering our feelings and the truth?
“How could they [federal government] insist we must celebrate Malayan independence which has no relevance to Sabah and Sarawak?” asked Kitingan when launching STAR’s Kundasang zone in Pinampadan near here.
He said what was important and relevant to Sabah and Sarawak is their own independence – July 22, 1963 for Sarawak and Aug 31, 1963 for Sabah – and that of Malaysia Day or the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.
“This date – Sept 16, 1963 – is the true ‘National Day’ that gives all three territories of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, a common identity as Malaysians”, said Jeffrey.
He said that by continuing to impose Malaya’s version of history on Sabahans and Sarawakians, “the government is alienating the two territories”.
“By insisting that Malaysia is 55 years old now and not 49, the federal government is sending the wrong message to the people.
“Firstly, what the government is doing is teaching the people how to lie and manipulate the facts of history.
“Secondly, the Peninsula-controlled federal government is now telling Sabahans and Sarawakians [intentionally or not] that Malaysia was nothing more than a ‘takeover’ project for Malaya and that Sabah and Sarawak are now Malayan states/territories so they [Sabah and Sarawak] must now adopt Malayan historical independence,” he said.
Jeffrey, who is expected to take on his elder brother Joseph Pairin, the president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), a Barisan Nasional member, for the Keningau parliamentary seat in the coming general election, also described the BN’s Janji diTepati (Promise Fulfilled) as an empty slogan.
“If this was indeed Malaya’s real intention, then those promises, assurances, undertakings and persuasions by Tunku Abdul Rahman and other Malayan leaders were all lies or Janji Terang Bulan.”
“And if they were mere Janji Terang Bulan, then the slogan Janji diTepati is an empty and hollow slogan as far as Sabah and Sarawak are concerned.
“If we Sabah and Sarawak have been cheated, we have to stop all this nonsense and start putting things right,” added Jeffrey.
RANAU: The federal government should stop duping Sabah and Sarawak into celebrating Merdeka Day when the 55th anniversary had “no relevance” to the two states, STAR Sabah chairman Jeffrey Kitingan said.“How can these leaders continue to twist history to suit their political interests without considering our feelings and the truth?
“How could they [federal government] insist we must celebrate Malayan independence which has no relevance to Sabah and Sarawak?” asked Kitingan when launching STAR’s Kundasang zone in Pinampadan near here.
He said what was important and relevant to Sabah and Sarawak is their own independence – July 22, 1963 for Sarawak and Aug 31, 1963 for Sabah – and that of Malaysia Day or the formation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963.
“This date – Sept 16, 1963 – is the true ‘National Day’ that gives all three territories of Malaya, Sabah and Sarawak, a common identity as Malaysians”, said Jeffrey.
He said that by continuing to impose Malaya’s version of history on Sabahans and Sarawakians, “the government is alienating the two territories”.
“By insisting that Malaysia is 55 years old now and not 49, the federal government is sending the wrong message to the people.
“Firstly, what the government is doing is teaching the people how to lie and manipulate the facts of history.
“Secondly, the Peninsula-controlled federal government is now telling Sabahans and Sarawakians [intentionally or not] that Malaysia was nothing more than a ‘takeover’ project for Malaya and that Sabah and Sarawak are now Malayan states/territories so they [Sabah and Sarawak] must now adopt Malayan historical independence,” he said.
Jeffrey, who is expected to take on his elder brother Joseph Pairin, the president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), a Barisan Nasional member, for the Keningau parliamentary seat in the coming general election, also described the BN’s Janji diTepati (Promise Fulfilled) as an empty slogan.
“If this was indeed Malaya’s real intention, then those promises, assurances, undertakings and persuasions by Tunku Abdul Rahman and other Malayan leaders were all lies or Janji Terang Bulan.”
“And if they were mere Janji Terang Bulan, then the slogan Janji diTepati is an empty and hollow slogan as far as Sabah and Sarawak are concerned.
“If we Sabah and Sarawak have been cheated, we have to stop all this nonsense and start putting things right,” added Jeffrey.
Is Malaysia’s IPO Boom Overhyped?
Malaysia is marking itself out as the IPO destination to beat this year with a string of billion-dollar-plus deals. Impressive, for sure, but don’t take the booming IPO market as a sign that Malaysia is poised to become a regional financial hub, experts say.
The reasons for this, they add, are simple: once the slew of big Malaysian companies seeking new listings runs out there is likely to be a dearth of initial public offerings (IPOs) in Malaysia. Because Malaysia is still developing open and liquid capital markets, foreign firms looking to list in the region are likely to pick Singapore and Hong Kong over Kuala Lumpur.
All the big companies listed in Malaysia this year are local firms. To really develop itself as a centre for IPOs, Malaysia needs to attract new listings from big foreign firms in the way Singapore and Hong Kong have done in the past, analysts add.
“Part of the boom in the Malaysian IPO market can be explained by the well-developed pension system in Malaysia, which has allowed for growth in domestic demand for equities,” said Herald Van Der Linde, Head of Equity Strategy, Asia-Pacific at HSBC in Hong Kong.
“However, when it comes to comparing Malaysia with Singapore and Hong Kong, these markets are much larger, more diversified and much better developed. As such, they can compete for global IPOs. This is unlikely to happen in Malaysia yet,” Van Der Linde said.
Pay-TV company, Astro Malaysia last week said it would launch an IPO, worth about $1.75 billion. The new listing, expected by the end of September, would be Malaysia’s third largest this year and follows a $3.3 billion listing in June by palm oil firm Felda Global Ventures and a $2.1 billion IPO by state-backed IHH Healthcare last month.
The high-profile listings – Felda’s IPO is the biggest globally so far this year after the listing of Facebook – have certainly made investors sit up and pay attention to the developments in the Southeast Asian economy.
The hot IPO market in Malaysia also compares with a generally lackluster market globally as the fragile state of the global economy prompts many companies to shelve their IPO plans. Jeweler Graff Diamonds postponed a $1 billion listing in Hong Kong in May, while motor racing company Formula One earlier this year postponed a listing, worth up to $3 billion, in Singapore.
Despite these setbacks, the long-term outlook for IPOs in Asia still favor Hong Kong and Singapore over Malaysia, analysts said.
“To have a large IPO market, you need an international investor community and that isn’t there in Malaysia,” said Sanjay Mathur, Director of Research Strategy Asia ex-Japan at Royal Bank of Scotland in Singapore.
“You need to have an unfettered flow of capital, a diaspora of fund managers and a strong linkage with other financial centers,” Mathur added, referring to the things Malaysia would need to turn its booming local market into a regional one.
Domestic Focus
According to research firm Dealogic, Malaysia has moved to third place after the U.S. and China in rankings of new listings in value terms globally. That’s up from twelfth place last year.
Analysts point out that the boom in the Malaysian IPO market must be seen in the context of what is happening in Malaysia locally and not as a sign of what is changing in terms of Malaysia’s role regionally.
The Malaysian government, keen to open up the equity market, has encouraged firms to list and the growth of large domestic pension funds has meant there has been strong demand locally for the new listings.
HSBC says that the core of Malaysia’s pension system is the Employees Provident Fund, which covers around half of the country’s work force. It adds that the equity portion of the fund is estimated to have grown to almost 30 percent of total assets in 2010 from below 5 percent in 1991 and 20 percent in 2000.
Against this backdrop, the momentum in Malaysia’s IPO market was expected to continue for a little while longer. Malaysian Power firm Malakoff and Karex, the world’s biggest condom maker, are both said to be considering listings in the months ahead.
“The IPOs will continue for a while. Remember there is a herd mentality, so if one company does well that encourages others,” Mathur at RBS said.
From the perspective of a foreign investor, what Malaysia lacked was a regional exposure, analysts said. Hong Kong has attracted new listings from global companies keen to tap into the China growth story – examples of this are the listings of commodities trader Glencore and luxury goods firm Prada in 2011.
“We are looking at very different markets here,” said Chris Wong, Senior Investment Manager at Aberdeen Asset Management in Singapore. “Hong Kong is the market centre for the greater China story and Singapore is a magnet for the regional story.”
While Malaysia’s equity market [.KLSE 1648.13 -0.09 (-0.01%) ] has attracted a lot of attention because of the large IPOs, the benchmark stock index is up about 7.8 percent year-to-date, this is a similar performance to Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index [.HSI 19798.67 -81.36 (-0.41%) ]and perhaps not as impressive as the 15 percent rally in Singapore’s stock index [.FTSTI 3044.49 -6.00 (-0.2%) ] .
“As for the outlook on IPOs in 2013, I would think that this is very dependent upon global growth and how Europe will resolve its crisis,” said HSBC’s Van Der Linde. “If it was up to Asia, it should be a good IPO market - demand for equities is rising and companies need to invest more and can tap equity markets for this.”
- By CNBC's Dhara Ranasinghe
Nazri looks into bid to close court
The New Straits Times
by JASPAL SINGH
by JASPAL SINGH
TAIPING HIGH COURT: Minister to discuss matter with chief justice
PADANG
RENGAS: WITH pressure from the public and the legal fraternity
mounting against the proposed closure of the Taiping High Court, the
government will hold talks with the judiciary to resolve the issue.
Minister
in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said he would
be meeting Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria to discuss the matter.
Nazri,
who is also the de facto law minister, said the government respected
the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary.
"(However),
I will be meeting the chief justice to discuss the closure proposal in
the very near future," he said at a community programme in his
constituency here yesterday.
Acknowledging
that the closure was related to changes made in the jurisdiction of the
Sessions and magistrate's courts, Nazri said the proposal was not
advisable after taking into account the long-term needs for a court in
Taiping.
"Perak
is not a small state. It is one of the bigger states in Peninsular
Malaysia," he said, adding that the proposal to close down the High
Court, which was set up 20 years ago, was a regressive move.
"In
the future, the Taiping High Court may serve not only the northern
regions of Perak but also Penang and southern parts of Kedah."
The closure was suggested following amendments to the Subordinate Courts Act two years ago.
Under the amendments, magistrates have jurisdiction to hear claims of up to RM100,000. Previously, the limit was RM25,000.
Sessions Courts have been empowered to preside over civil claims of up to RM1 million, from RM250,000 previously.
On
Saturday, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir had urged the
Federal Government and the judiciary to reconsider closing Taiping High
Court.
Police Supt Gets Two Years Jail, RM1.75 Million Fine For Money Laundering
JOHOR BAHARU, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- A police superintendent was today
sentenced to two years jail for each of the four counts of money
laundering by the Sessions Court here.
Azmi Osman, 55, was also fined RM1.75 million for the offences committed between 2002 and 2005.
Johor Baharu Sessions Court Judge Salawati Djambari ordered the sentence on Azmi Osman to run concurrently after finding him guilty under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.
Salawati later allowed Azmi to be freed on RM900,000 bail in two sureties and a stay of execution pending an appeal on the decision.
Azmi Osman, 55, was also fined RM1.75 million for the offences committed between 2002 and 2005.
Johor Baharu Sessions Court Judge Salawati Djambari ordered the sentence on Azmi Osman to run concurrently after finding him guilty under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.
Salawati later allowed Azmi to be freed on RM900,000 bail in two sureties and a stay of execution pending an appeal on the decision.
Cover-up suspected as shootout witnesses detained
At a press conference today, she said four people who had witnessed the fatal shooting of D Dinesh, 26, in Ampang on Aug 21 were re-arrested and sent to the Sea Park police station after their remand order expired on Aug 25.
“This
is what is called ‘chain-smoking remand’ (tukar gari). If the police
can’t get an extension of remand, they pass (the suspect) to another set of police... defying the magistrate’s order,” said Latheefa (right).
Two of Dinesh’s cousins and four of his friends who had visited him in Hospital Ampang were nabbed there, but released last night after four days in remand.
“They were nowhere near the shootout. If (police) did nothing wrong, there is no reason to do this,” she said.
Dinesh died from close range gunshot wounds to the head and arm two days after the shooting.
Police have claimed that the shooting occurred after patrolling officers were attacked with a parang.
Ampang Jaya district deputy police chief Md Nazri Zawawi was reported by dailies Kosmo! and Harian Metro as saying that the car which Dinesh was in tried to rear-end a patrol car.
He also said that those in the car with Dinesh, allegedly from the Viva Nanda gang, also smashed the windscreen of the patrol car with parangs.
They were said to be involved in a gang fight in Pandan Perdana earlier, and were on the way back to resume the fight when intercepted at about 2am.
When contacted, Ampang OCPD Amiruddin Jamaluddin, who is still on leave, said he stands by his deputy’s statement but pledged to conduct a “thorough investigation”.
According to PKR
vice-president N Surendran (extreme left in photo), the police statement
on the matter smells of a cover-up as eyewitnesses said Dinesh was unarmed and retreating when he was shot.
He said that, instead of trying to cover up the matter, police should classify the case as murder, suspend all personnel who were involved and begin investigations.
“They are interfering with key witnesses. I am warning the home minister and the inspector-general of police ... We have other witnesses. Do no touch, harass or intimidate these witnesses.
“Don't try to go after these witnesses, or you’ll face street protests."
Latheefa noted that the police reaction has not changed since the fatal shooting of 14-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah, despite vows to review the standard operating procedure.
Echoing him was his son Rajan (right in photo), who tearfully defended his brother’s innocence.
“My brother was always teaching me how to do business. I didn’t expect things to end up like this. I want justice for him. Please,” he pleaded, alongside his mother Florence Abeyesekera and sister Sharon.
Citing statistics provided in Parliament, Kapar MP S Manickavasagam said that from 2000 to 2009, 279 people had been shot dead by police, the majority of whom were Indonesian nationals.
The written reply by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said this is in accordance to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Inspector-General of Police Standing Order.
However, Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah said the figure could be understated.
“In 2008 alone, police figures state that 27 people were shot, but human rights NGO Suaram documented at least 44 cases that year alone (as) published in their documents.
“The Human Rights Party which also monitors this, found 82 cases the same year."
“Since then we have had other shootings, like the Glenmarie shootings which involved three youths who were also claimed to be part of a gang. The parang said to be found in Aminulrasyid’s car is also still unaccounted for,” she added.
Family refutes police claims
Like the family of Aminulrasyid and the three youths gunned down in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, Dinesh’s family members who were present today refuted claims that he was part of a gang.
“My son is a very pious and simple boy. He won’t do anything like this. I want justice, I want the person (responsible) to be charged,” his father W Darmasena said.
Echoing him was his son Rajan (right in photo), who tearfully defended his brother’s innocence.“My brother was always teaching me how to do business. I didn’t expect things to end up like this. I want justice for him. Please,” he pleaded, alongside his mother Florence Abeyesekera and sister Sharon.
Citing statistics provided in Parliament, Kapar MP S Manickavasagam said that from 2000 to 2009, 279 people had been shot dead by police, the majority of whom were Indonesian nationals.
The written reply by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said this is in accordance to the Criminal Procedure Code and the Inspector-General of Police Standing Order.
However, Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah said the figure could be understated.
“In 2008 alone, police figures state that 27 people were shot, but human rights NGO Suaram documented at least 44 cases that year alone (as) published in their documents.
“The Human Rights Party which also monitors this, found 82 cases the same year."
Eyewitness: Cops shot unarmed man point blank
Entrepreneur D Dinesh, 26, who died two days after he was shot in the wee hours of Aug 21, was not
carrying anything when he got out of a white Proton Perdana, said his friend Y Ilavarasen, 24 (right).He said the Proton had been blocked by an unmarked car at a traffic light near Ampang Waterfront.
"I was a few cars ahead of him and could see him from the back. He wasn't holding anything, Ilavarasen told a press conference called by PKR today.
"(Police) were shooting point blank, up and down. Everyone panicked. The shooting was haywire and there was no warning, neither did they identify themselves as police. They just started shooting, pointing towards people and cars.”
Ilavarasen said he had seen the Proton behind him after he sped off, and thought that Dinesh had escaped unscathed.
“When I pulled to the side of the car, I notice that he was not the one driving, but another person. The driver told me Dinesh had been shot. I found out from his cousin that he was taken to Ampang Hospital,” he said.
The second eyewitness and another friend, K Moses, 23, (left) had stopped at the traffic lights two cars behind the Proton. He said Dinesh was “running back” to his car when he was shot.“Then I saw beside my car (that) a guy was shooting. I didn't know who he was. He shot everyone, whatever that was moving,” he said.
“I sped off, but one bullet hit my car. I was lucky it didn't hit the side window. The way he was shooting, it looked like he wanted to kill people. He didn't stop. I heard more than 10 shots. (One bullet hit) a taxi.. If I knew they were police, I would not have left.”
Asked if he would be able to recognise the officer who released the shots, he said: “Yes.”
Ilavarasen, who works in logistics and Moses who works at a car dealership, were driving separate cars and were planning to have supper with Dinesh in the area, after receiving a call from him.
“We had not decided where to go. Just to meet around Ampang, maybe go to Pandan, to Steven's Corner, but on the way there, we saw Dinesh's car so we just followed him,” Ilvarasen said.
He did not know if Dinesh's car was part of a 14-car convoy - as the police have claimed - as the supper plan only involved Dinesh, Moses and himself.
Police report lodged
The duo lodged police reports today at the Tropicana police station with their respective accounts of the incident.
They were accompanied by PKR MPs for Subang and Kapar, Sivarasa Rasiah and S Manickvasagam, PKR vice-president N Surendran and PKR supreme council bureau member Latheefa Koya.
"After that, four men carrying parangs got out of the car and smashed the (windscreen of the) patrol car," Ampang Jaya deputy police chief Md Nazri Zawawi was reported as saying in Malay daily Kosmo!.
Police also claimed that the Proton had been intercepted as it was part of a 14-car convoy which was on the way to resume a gang fight which had taken place at the Pandan Perdana flats.
Harian Metro quoted Md Nazri as saying that the Dinesh was part of the ‘Viva Nanda’ gang which is suspected to be involved with loan shark syndicates.
He said police were on the hunt for the gang members after the gang fight was reported to have left three injured.
Dinesh's father W Darmasena has lodged a police report to seek an investigation into the death of his son.
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