Monday 10 March 2014
Art of Living yoga centre set afire in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: An Art of Living yoga centre on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital has been set afire, allegedly by unknown miscreants, police said.
The centre, which is based in Peace Street in Bani Gala area, was set on fire last evening after some people reportedly entered the premises asking for money, Islamabad police sources told PTI.
"There were just two guards there. Around eight people came and asked where the money was kept. On told that they didn't know, the guards were tied up and the building was set on fire," a source said.
The culprits fled the scene after the incident. However, Meena Gabeena, an official at the centre said, as per her information, the attackers did not speak a word.
"They just tied the guards and set the building on fire," she told PTI.
Gabeena also drew attention to a recent programme aired by a news channels which had made some allegations against the centre.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had visited Pakistan in 2012 and inaugurated the centre for his Art of Living movement.
He had also offered to hold talks with the Taliban to usher in peace in the region, saying it would help foster understanding among people with divergent views.
"I am ready to go and talk to the Taliban. I want to talk to them, understand them and give them my opinion. So we can definitely make a difference. We should try it again and again even if we have to try it 100 times," Shankar had said.
Art of Living operates globally in 152 countries.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Art-of-Living-yoga-centre-set-afire-in-Pakistan/articleshow/31727822.cms
The centre, which is based in Peace Street in Bani Gala area, was set on fire last evening after some people reportedly entered the premises asking for money, Islamabad police sources told PTI.
"There were just two guards there. Around eight people came and asked where the money was kept. On told that they didn't know, the guards were tied up and the building was set on fire," a source said.
The culprits fled the scene after the incident. However, Meena Gabeena, an official at the centre said, as per her information, the attackers did not speak a word.
"They just tied the guards and set the building on fire," she told PTI.
Gabeena also drew attention to a recent programme aired by a news channels which had made some allegations against the centre.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had visited Pakistan in 2012 and inaugurated the centre for his Art of Living movement.
He had also offered to hold talks with the Taliban to usher in peace in the region, saying it would help foster understanding among people with divergent views.
"I am ready to go and talk to the Taliban. I want to talk to them, understand them and give them my opinion. So we can definitely make a difference. We should try it again and again even if we have to try it 100 times," Shankar had said.
Art of Living operates globally in 152 countries.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Art-of-Living-yoga-centre-set-afire-in-Pakistan/articleshow/31727822.cms
Suspected aircraft fragments found, says Vietnam ministry website
A Vietnamese search aircraft on Sunday located fragments floating in waters off southern Vietnam that are suspected to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the Wall Street Journal reported late today.
The report quoted the Vietnam ministry of information and communication's website, which said the fragments were believed to be a composite inner door and a piece of the Boeing 777-200ER's tail. The debris was located about 50 miles south-southwest of Tho Chu island.
Vietnamese officials had also released a photograph of one fragment floating in the water.
However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Malaysia Airlines said it had received no confirmation regarding the suspected debris.
MAS flight MH370 went missing early Saturday on a redeye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
International search and rescue efforts have been operating for more than 40 hours scouring waters in the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea. The search has also expanded to the Straits of Malacca as Malaysian authorities said a military radar showed trace of an "aircraft turn back" or ATB.
It was reported earlier on Sunday that a Singaporean aircraft had found a yellow floating object south-southwest of Thu Chu and dispatched ships toward the area.
The Vietnamese ministry's statement also said that the aircraft could not land near the objects to investigate them further because of darkening conditions but would continue the identification process on Monday morning.
The MAS Boeing 777-200 disappeared with 239 people on board, including 12 crew, early Saturday morning some 40 minutes after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
The Vietnamese navy had earlier reported two oil slicks near the island while the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has also spotted oil slicks 20 nautical miles (37km) away from the passenger jet's last known position.
A Chinese passenger in a plane flying over the area has also taken pictures of what is possibly debris near where flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic controllers.
The business paper also said a team of American aviation accident investigators, led by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) experts, is en route to Asia to provide assistance regarding the missing jetliner.
China's navy said today that it had sent two warships to help with the search. Beijing had already sent at least one coast guard vessel and two search and rescue ships toward the area, according to state media. – March 9, 2014.
Excruciating wait for fresh details on MH370
Almost two days
after contact was lost with MAS flight MH370, there is still little
concrete information about the fate of the aircraft and the 239 persons
on board.
This
theory emerged after it was reported that two of the MH370’s passenger
had boarded the flight using stolen passports, and that the aircraft had
been unable to send a distress call, the latter of which suggests
something abrupt and catastrophic had happened.
The
meeting had decided on what information can and cannot be shared with
the public, but there is little further details. Hishammuddin is also
the defence minister and the former home minister.
MV Swift Rescue had been erroneously identified in some media reports earlier today as a 'rescue submarine'.
The search area has been expanded from 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres)
from the aircraft’s last know location between Malaysia and Vietnam to
50 nautical miles (93 kilometres).
As for the search and rescue (SAR) team, it has expanded from 22
aircraft and 40 vessels as of 1pm today, to 34 aircraft and 40 vessels
as of 8pm today - excluding those from Vietnam - and more are on the
way.
At least eight countries are involved in this effort, including
Thailand, USA, Singapore, and Indonesia, while two Australian maritime
patrol aircraft will be arriving in Malaysia separately beginning
midnight today to join the effort.
Nevertheless, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general
Azharuddin Abdul Rahman announced that as of about 8pm, there is still
no sign of the aircraft.
He is in overall command of the multinational SAR effort.
Terrorism theory
Instead, what was found was an oil slick in Malaysian waters, constant
news reports of unknown debris in Vietnamese waters and large amount of
speculation floating on the Internet.
Thus far, authorities are trying to determine if the oil slick has to do
with the missing aircraft while the Vietnamese authorities are unable
to link the debris to the incident.
Similarly, there is little development on the theory that the aircraft
had fallen victim to a terrorist attack. The authorities, including
Azharuddin, is keeping mum on the matter, other than repeatingly state
that "all possibilities are being investigated".
This
theory emerged after it was reported that two of the MH370’s passenger
had boarded the flight using stolen passports, and that the aircraft had
been unable to send a distress call, the latter of which suggests
something abrupt and catastrophic had happened.
"I have to repeat again: Our main focus here is to find the missing
aircraft. If we cannot find the missing aircraft, it is very difficult
for us to determine what actually happened.
"So please, bear in mind that finding the aircraft is of utmost
importance for all of us," Azharuddin said when reporters repeatedly
pressed him for details regarding the two imposters and the possibility
of a terrorist attack.
Intelligence units to meet
To a question, he said he is unaware of a letter that has surface on the
internet that appeared to be from a China-based group purportedly
claiming responsibility for MH370’s disappearance.
"The Chinese authorities have not contacted us in this aspect, however
the authorities that will be investigating on the false passports will
be investigating on all angles," he said.
Meanwhile, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had revealed
that international counter-terrorism intelligence units had met this
afternoon and he was part of the meeting.
The
meeting had decided on what information can and cannot be shared with
the public, but there is little further details. Hishammuddin is also
the defence minister and the former home minister.
Meanwhile, armed forces chief Zulkifli Mohd Zin (right) has clarified that a "rescue submarine" is not amongst the three Singaporean vessels involved in the SAR operation.
Instead, it was MV Swift Rescue, which is a submarine support and rescue
vessel (SSRV), or sometimes also known as submarine escape rescue
vessels.
No submarines used
It is a surface vessel designed to find and rescue submarines stranded
underwater and is fitted with a complement of mini-submarines.
"There is no submarine coming from our friendly countries from overseas.
What they are sending is what we call 'submarine escape rescue
vessels'.
"They are not sending submarines... even the Royal Malaysian Navy is
deploying its submarine escape rescue vessel. It is a totally different
thing," he said, referring to the Malaysian vessel MV Mega Bakti.
MV Swift Rescue had been erroneously identified in some media reports earlier today as a 'rescue submarine'.
This - coupled with Hishammuddin’s statement that Malaysia’s Scorpene
class submarines are not equipped for SAR missions - had drawn ridicule.
Netizens had poked fun at the issue by playing on the fact the
Malaysians cannot perform SAR missions, whereas their Singaporean
counterparts supposedly can.
The search for MH370 by air continues at first light tomorrow at 7am,
while the sea search is ongoing round-the-clock. Barring any surprises,
the government has scheduled its next press conference at noon tomorrow.
Meanwhile, MAS’s Kuala Lumpur – Beijing flight has already resumed, using the same flight number MH370.
New leads explored in hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- The mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and the true identities of some of its passengers, are as deep as the southeast Asian waters where multinational search teams are searching for the jet.
Navies from two of Malaysia's neighbors were pursuing new leads as Sunday turned into Monday in southeast Asia.
Vietnam's navy has spotted a floating object about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Vietnam's Tho Chu Island, which is located off the country's southwest coast in the Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam National Search and Rescue Committee Spokesman Hung Nguyen told CNN. The object was spotted by a Vietnamese navy rescue aircraft at about 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday (6:30 p.m. local time). Due to the dark, the navy aircraft could not get close enough to identify the floating object, and was recalled to base. Three search and rescue boats have since been deployed to that location.
Meanwhile, Thailand's navy is shifting its focus in the search away from the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, Thai Navy Rear Adm. Karn Dee-ubon told CNN on Sunday. The shift came at the request of the Malaysians, who are looking into possibilities the plane turned around and could have gone down in the Andaman Sea, near Thailand's border, Karn said.
The Andaman Sea lies to the west of a narrow strip of Thailand that ends in the Malaysian peninsula, while the Gulf of Thailand lies to the east of that Thai isthmus.
One promising lead has turned out to be a dead end. A "strange object" spotted by a Singaporean search plane late Sunday afternoon is not debris from the missing jetliner, a U.S. official familiar with the issue told CNN on Sunday.
A U.S. reconnaissance plane "thought it saw something like debris but it was a false alarm," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
By the end of the day Sunday, more than 40 planes and more than two dozen ships from several countries were involved in the search. Two reconnaissance aircraft from Australia, and one plane and five sea vessels from Indonesia were the latest additions, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director general of civil aviation in Malaysia, told reporters Sunday. In addition, the Chinese navy dispatched a frigate and an amphibious landing ship, according to a online post by China's navy. Those ships are expected to arrive on site Monday morning (Sunday night ET).
Those reinforcements join the rescue teams already scouring the South China Sea, near the Gulf of Thailand, for any sign of where the flight, operated by Malaysia's flagship airline, might have gone down, Malaysian authorities said.
The area in focus for most of the search, about 90 miles south of Tho Chu Island, is where a Vietnamese plane reportedly spotted oil slicks that stretched between 6 and 9 miles.
Malaysian authorities have not yet confirmed the report of the oil slicks, which came from Vietnam's official news agency.
Big questions far outweigh the few fragments of information that have emerged about the plane's disappearance.
What happened to the plane? Why was no distress signal issued? Who exactly was aboard?
The flight may have changed course and turned back toward Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian military officials said at a news conference Sunday.
But the pilot appears to have given no signal to authorities that he was turning around, the officials said, attributing the change of course to indications from radar data.
As the search continues, the agonizing wait goes on for relatives of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board the plane. Video from Reuters showed Malaysia Airlines personnel in Beijing, where Flight 370 was headed, helping family members apply for expedited passports so they could fly to Kuala Lumpur early this week.
Among the passengers, there were 154 people from China or Taiwan; 38 Malaysians, and three U.S. citizens. Five of the passengers were younger than 5 years old.
Stolen passports
Interpol tweeted Sunday that it is "examining additional suspect #passports in connection" with the missing flight.
Earlier, the international law enforcement agency said at least two passports -- one Austrian and one Italian -- recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database were used by passengers on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The passports were added to the database after being stolen in separate incidents over the past two years, Interpol said.
Italy and Austria have said that none of their citizens were on board the plane.
The Italian man whose passport was allegedly used, Luigi Maraldi, contacted the Italian consulate in Phuket, Thailand, on Saturday, after receiving a call from his parents, Italian Consul Franco Cavaliere told CNN on Sunday.
Maraldi told Reuters he was inundated with phone calls, texts and social media inquiries asking if he was alive and well. He soon discovered that he was the subject of stories about the missing plane.
Maraldi is staying on Phuket Island as a tourist, and his passport disappeared in July 2013, Cavaliere said. Maraldi told Reuters he got a new passport after his old one was stolen.
"Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in INTERPOL's databases," said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble in a statement.
The two passengers who used the passports in question appear to have bought their tickets together.
The tickets were bought from China Southern Airlines at identical prices, paid in Thailand's baht currency, according to China's official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.
The two tickets booked with China Southern Airlines both start in Kuala Lumpur, flying to Beijing, and then onward to Amsterdam. The Italian passport's ticket continues to Copenhagen, the Austrian's to Frankfurt.
Authorities say they are investigating the identities of some of those on board who appear to have issues with their passports.
"I've seen these reports about the passports. We're looking into that, but we don't have anything to confirm at this point," U.S. deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "The reports certainly raise questions and concerns, and that's exactly why we're looking into them. But right now, it would be premature to speculate," he said.
Plane was 'at safest point' in flight
Terrorism Concerns
A fuller picture of what happened may not become available until searchers find the plane and its flight data recorder.
"We have not been able to locate anything, see anything," Rahman told reporters Sunday.
The passport mystery raised concerns about the possibility of terrorism, but officials cautioned that it was still too early to arrive at any conclusions.
Malaysian authorities have been in contact with counterterrorism organizations about possible passport issues, acting Transportation Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Sunday.
He didn't specify how many potential passport issues there were, saying authorities are looking at the whole passenger manifest.
Additionally, no inquiry was made by Malaysia Airlines to determine if any passengers on the flight were traveling on stolen passports, he said. Many airlines do not check the database, he said.
Five passengers ended up not boarding the aircraft. Their bags were removed and were not on board the jet when it disappeared, Hussein said.
A U.S. intelligence official said that no link to terrorism had been discovered so far, but that authorities were still investigating.
Another possible explanation for the use of the stolen passports is illegal immigration.
There are previous cases of illegal immigrants using fake passports trying to get into Western countries. And Southeast Asia is known to be a booming market for stolen passports.
Disappearing during cruise
There is a precedent for a modern jetliner to fall from the sky while "in the cruise" and lie hidden for months, according to CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest.
On June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447 was en route from Rio De Janeiro to Paris when communications ended suddenly from the Airbus A330, another state-of-the-art aircraft.
It took four searches over the course of nearly two years to locate the bulk of flight 447's wreckage and the majority of the 228 bodies in a mountain range deep under the ocean. It took even longer to find the cause of the disaster.
In May 2011, the aircraft's voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the ocean floor after an extensive search using miniature submersible vehicles.
It was not until July 2012 that investigators published their report, which blamed the crash on a series of errors by the pilots and a failure to react effectively to technical problems.
The missing Malaysia Airlines plane had suffered damage in the past, airline CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said Sunday. The aircraft had a clipped wing tip, but Boeing repaired it, and the jet was safe to fly, Yahya said.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced late Saturday that a team of its investigators was en route to Asia to help with the investigation, the agency said.
If all those on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are found to have died, it will rank as the deadliest airline disaster since November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a New York neighborhood, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.
MAS flight crashed, says Viet Navy
The Vietnamese High Command of Navy has announced that the flight crashed off Vietnam's Tho Chu Island
UPDATED
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing Saturday crashed off Vietnam’s Tho Chu Island, northwest off the country’s southernmost Cape Ca Mau, the Vietnamese High Command of Navy announced.
According to a High Command of Navy statement, the plane went down at the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia, some 153 nautical miles (300km) off Tho Chu Island in Kien Giang Province, the Vietnamese Tuoi Tre online news service reported.
“The Naval Zone 5 is ready for the search and rescue mission. There were no immediate reports of casualty,” the news report said.
The flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport, according to AFP. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).
It was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members. China’s state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese.
Families start converging at KLIA
Meanwhile about 20 family members of several passengers of a missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane have arrived at the KL International Airport to get updates.
They were eager to obtain the latest information on the whereabouts of Flight MH370 which went missing over the South China Sea during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
They started gathering from about 10 am at the fifth floor departure hall of KLIA.
Reporters were disallowed from interviewing the family members, who were shielded by five guards from Malaysia Airports Berhad.
In BEIJING, a search-and-rescue team has been set up at the Beijing international airport to work closely with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) over the airline’s plane, Bernama reports.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) posted on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, on Saturday that there had been no report of any aircraft having crashed in China’s waters.
CAAC, citing spokesperson of the airport, Li Xiaomin, said emergency teams were working on alternative solutions and family members of the passengers were calm without being emotional.
It said it had instructed the Beijing International Airport to appease family members of the passengers and that it would provide updates on the situation regularly.
The public may contact the MAS offices in China — Beijing: 010－65052681, Shanghai: 021－23293999，Guangzhou: 20－83358868，Xiamen: 0592－2106088 and Kunming: 0871－67085770 — for information.
UPDATED
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing Saturday crashed off Vietnam’s Tho Chu Island, northwest off the country’s southernmost Cape Ca Mau, the Vietnamese High Command of Navy announced.According to a High Command of Navy statement, the plane went down at the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia, some 153 nautical miles (300km) off Tho Chu Island in Kien Giang Province, the Vietnamese Tuoi Tre online news service reported.
“The Naval Zone 5 is ready for the search and rescue mission. There were no immediate reports of casualty,” the news report said.
The flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport, according to AFP. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).
It was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members. China’s state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese.
Families start converging at KLIA
Meanwhile about 20 family members of several passengers of a missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane have arrived at the KL International Airport to get updates.
They were eager to obtain the latest information on the whereabouts of Flight MH370 which went missing over the South China Sea during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
They started gathering from about 10 am at the fifth floor departure hall of KLIA.
Reporters were disallowed from interviewing the family members, who were shielded by five guards from Malaysia Airports Berhad.
In BEIJING, a search-and-rescue team has been set up at the Beijing international airport to work closely with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) over the airline’s plane, Bernama reports.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) posted on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, on Saturday that there had been no report of any aircraft having crashed in China’s waters.
CAAC, citing spokesperson of the airport, Li Xiaomin, said emergency teams were working on alternative solutions and family members of the passengers were calm without being emotional.
It said it had instructed the Beijing International Airport to appease family members of the passengers and that it would provide updates on the situation regularly.
The public may contact the MAS offices in China — Beijing: 010－65052681, Shanghai: 021－23293999，Guangzhou: 20－83358868，Xiamen: 0592－2106088 and Kunming: 0871－67085770 — for information.
Immigration Dept under probe over stolen passports
The investigation will give special attention to the department's KLIA branch for allowing passengers with stolen passports to board the missing plane.
PUTRAJAYA: An internal investigation on the Immigration Department has commenced following reports that two passengers were using stolen passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370.
Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the detailed investigation would give special attention to the department’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) branch.
“We will conduct an internal probe, particularly on the officers, who were on duty at the KLIA Immigration counter during flight MH370.
“I am still puzzle how come (immigration officers) cannot think, an Italian and Austrian (passengers) but with Asian facial features,” he told reporters at the Kembara Bumi Suci 2014 convoy participants meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at Seri Perdana here today.
Ahmad Zahid said the investigation was conducted by a special team, led by Immigration Department Director-General Aloyah Mamat.
Currently no conclusion could be made pertaining to the issue as the investigation had only commenced once the actual passport holders claimed that their passports were stolen, he said.
Ahmad Zahid said it was difficult to determine the authenticity of an international passport that was being brought by a passport holder because not all countries used the biometric system and bar code as in Malaysia.
Civil Aviation Director-General Azharuddin Abdul Rahman in a media conference in Sepang today that only two passengers had false passports to board flight MH370, which was its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Both passengers involved had used the Italian and Austrian passports.
Flight MH370, with 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members was reported missing from the radar at 1.30 am yesterday, about an hour after departing from KLIA.
The plane carried passengers from 14 countries, including 153 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.
Bernama
PUTRAJAYA: An internal investigation on the Immigration Department has commenced following reports that two passengers were using stolen passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370.Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the detailed investigation would give special attention to the department’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) branch.
“We will conduct an internal probe, particularly on the officers, who were on duty at the KLIA Immigration counter during flight MH370.
“I am still puzzle how come (immigration officers) cannot think, an Italian and Austrian (passengers) but with Asian facial features,” he told reporters at the Kembara Bumi Suci 2014 convoy participants meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at Seri Perdana here today.
Ahmad Zahid said the investigation was conducted by a special team, led by Immigration Department Director-General Aloyah Mamat.
Currently no conclusion could be made pertaining to the issue as the investigation had only commenced once the actual passport holders claimed that their passports were stolen, he said.
Ahmad Zahid said it was difficult to determine the authenticity of an international passport that was being brought by a passport holder because not all countries used the biometric system and bar code as in Malaysia.
Civil Aviation Director-General Azharuddin Abdul Rahman in a media conference in Sepang today that only two passengers had false passports to board flight MH370, which was its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Both passengers involved had used the Italian and Austrian passports.
Flight MH370, with 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members was reported missing from the radar at 1.30 am yesterday, about an hour after departing from KLIA.
The plane carried passengers from 14 countries, including 153 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.
Bernama
M’sia launches terror probe on missing plane
After more than 30 hours without contact with the aircraft, MAS has told family members to "prepare for the worst".
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Sunday launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a passenger jet carrying 239 people and the United States sent the FBI to investigate, as anguished relatives begged for news of their loved ones.
Concern over a possible security breach grew as Malaysia’s government said it was investigating four people who were on the Boeing 777 plane.
At least two passengers boarded using stolen European passports, officials and reports have said.
“At the same time our own intelligence have been activated, and of course, the counterterrorism units… from all the relevant countries have been informed,” Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sending agents and technical experts to assist the probe, US media reported.
US officials told The Los Angeles Times that they were trying to determine whether there was any terror link to the flight’s disappearance, but stressed there was no evidence to support that yet.
“Just because they (the passports) were stolen doesn’t mean the travellers were terrorists,” a Department of Homeland Security official told the paper.
“They could have been nothing more than thieves. Or they could have simply bought the passports on the black market.”
Asked to confirm the reports, an FBI spokesman told AFP: “We are ready to assist if needed.”
‘Airline didn’t contact me’
The flight went missing about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board, and relatives camped out at the main international airport in China’s capital bemoaned the lack of news Sunday.
“The airline company didn’t contact me, it was a friend,” a middle-aged woman surnamed Nan told reporters, holding back tears, after finding out her brother-in-law was on the flight.
“I can’t understand the airline company. They should have contacted the families first thing,” she said.
Vietnamese boats reached the scene of two large oil slicks detected overnight but found no sign of the plane, army deputy chief of staff Vo Van Tuan told AFP early Sunday, adding search aircraft were deployed at first light to scour the area.
The search area has been expanded to 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 square miles), Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Department said.
However, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman of Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation said he “could not confirm” the existence of the oil slicks.
“We have not been able to locate or see anything,” he told a news conference on Sunday.
Asked about the stolen passports, he said “we are investigating this at the moment” but declined to give further details.
An Austrian reportedly named Christian Kozel had his passport stolen in Thailand in 2012, while Italian Luigi Maraldi lost his to theft last year, also in Thailand.
Despite their names being on the passenger manifest, neither man was on the plane to Beijing, European officials said.
In Washington, a US administration official said authorities were aware of the passports issue.
“We have not determined a nexus to terrorism yet, although it’s still very early and that’s by no means definitive. We’re still tracking the situation,” the official told AFP.
Earlier, when asked whether terrorism could have been a factor, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said: “We are looking at all possibilities but it is too soon to speculate.”
‘Pray for flight MH370′
Flight MH370 had relayed no distress signal, indications of rough weather, or other signs of trouble. Both Malaysia’s national carrier and the Boeing 777-200 model used on the route are known for their solid safety records.
The flight was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew. A US company based in Texas said 20 of its employees were among the missing passengers — a dozen from Malaysia and eight from China.
Thirty-eight Malaysians and seven Indonesians were aboard, as well as a range of other nationalities including Australian, Indian, American, Dutch, and French.
Malaysia Airlines urged “all Malaysians and people around the world to pray for flight MH370″.
“The airline is continuously working with the authorities in providing assistance. In fearing for the worst, a disaster recovery management specialist from Atlanta, USA will be assisting Malaysia Airlines in this crucial time,” it said.
The plane’s disappearance triggered a search effort involving vessels from several nations with rival maritime claims in the tense South China Sea.
China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore threw vessels and aircraft into the effort, as did the US Navy with a surveillance plane and a destroyer carrying two helicopters.
If the worst is confirmed, it would be the second fatal crash in the nearly 20-year history of the popular Boeing plane. A 777-200 operated by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines skidded off the runway after hitting a sea wall in San Francisco last year, killing three people.
Malaysia Airlines has suffered few safety incidents in the past. Its worst occurred in 1977, when 93 people perished in a hijacking and subsequent crash in southern Malaysia.
New developments
Meanwhile military radar indicated that the missing Boeing 777 jet turned back before vanishing.
Malaysia’s air force chief Rodzali Daud disclosed this today, as authorities were investigating up to four passengers with suspicious identifications who may have boarded the flight.
A massive international sea search has so far turned up no trace of the plane.
The latest revelations add to the uncertainties surrounding the final minutes of flight MH370.
Rodzali didn’t say which direction the plane might have taken or how long for when it apparently went off route.
“We are trying to make sense of this,” he told a media conference.
“The military radar indicated that the aircraft may have made a turn back and in some parts, this was corroborated by civilian radar,” he added.
Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said pilots were supposed to inform the airline and traffic control authorities if the plane does a U-turn.
“From what we have, there was no such distress signal or distress call per se, so we are equally puzzled,” he said.
After more than 30 hours without contact with the aircraft, Malaysia Airlines told family members they should “prepare themselves for the worst,” Hugh Dunleavy, the commercial director for the airline told reporters.
UPDATED
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Sunday launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a passenger jet carrying 239 people and the United States sent the FBI to investigate, as anguished relatives begged for news of their loved ones.
Concern over a possible security breach grew as Malaysia’s government said it was investigating four people who were on the Boeing 777 plane.
At least two passengers boarded using stolen European passports, officials and reports have said.
“At the same time our own intelligence have been activated, and of course, the counterterrorism units… from all the relevant countries have been informed,” Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sending agents and technical experts to assist the probe, US media reported.
US officials told The Los Angeles Times that they were trying to determine whether there was any terror link to the flight’s disappearance, but stressed there was no evidence to support that yet.
“Just because they (the passports) were stolen doesn’t mean the travellers were terrorists,” a Department of Homeland Security official told the paper.
“They could have been nothing more than thieves. Or they could have simply bought the passports on the black market.”
Asked to confirm the reports, an FBI spokesman told AFP: “We are ready to assist if needed.”
‘Airline didn’t contact me’
The flight went missing about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board, and relatives camped out at the main international airport in China’s capital bemoaned the lack of news Sunday.
“The airline company didn’t contact me, it was a friend,” a middle-aged woman surnamed Nan told reporters, holding back tears, after finding out her brother-in-law was on the flight.
“I can’t understand the airline company. They should have contacted the families first thing,” she said.
Vietnamese boats reached the scene of two large oil slicks detected overnight but found no sign of the plane, army deputy chief of staff Vo Van Tuan told AFP early Sunday, adding search aircraft were deployed at first light to scour the area.
The search area has been expanded to 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 square miles), Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Department said.
However, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman of Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation said he “could not confirm” the existence of the oil slicks.
“We have not been able to locate or see anything,” he told a news conference on Sunday.
Asked about the stolen passports, he said “we are investigating this at the moment” but declined to give further details.
An Austrian reportedly named Christian Kozel had his passport stolen in Thailand in 2012, while Italian Luigi Maraldi lost his to theft last year, also in Thailand.
Despite their names being on the passenger manifest, neither man was on the plane to Beijing, European officials said.
In Washington, a US administration official said authorities were aware of the passports issue.
“We have not determined a nexus to terrorism yet, although it’s still very early and that’s by no means definitive. We’re still tracking the situation,” the official told AFP.
Earlier, when asked whether terrorism could have been a factor, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said: “We are looking at all possibilities but it is too soon to speculate.”
‘Pray for flight MH370′
Flight MH370 had relayed no distress signal, indications of rough weather, or other signs of trouble. Both Malaysia’s national carrier and the Boeing 777-200 model used on the route are known for their solid safety records.
The flight was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew. A US company based in Texas said 20 of its employees were among the missing passengers — a dozen from Malaysia and eight from China.
Thirty-eight Malaysians and seven Indonesians were aboard, as well as a range of other nationalities including Australian, Indian, American, Dutch, and French.
Malaysia Airlines urged “all Malaysians and people around the world to pray for flight MH370″.
“The airline is continuously working with the authorities in providing assistance. In fearing for the worst, a disaster recovery management specialist from Atlanta, USA will be assisting Malaysia Airlines in this crucial time,” it said.
The plane’s disappearance triggered a search effort involving vessels from several nations with rival maritime claims in the tense South China Sea.
China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore threw vessels and aircraft into the effort, as did the US Navy with a surveillance plane and a destroyer carrying two helicopters.
If the worst is confirmed, it would be the second fatal crash in the nearly 20-year history of the popular Boeing plane. A 777-200 operated by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines skidded off the runway after hitting a sea wall in San Francisco last year, killing three people.
Malaysia Airlines has suffered few safety incidents in the past. Its worst occurred in 1977, when 93 people perished in a hijacking and subsequent crash in southern Malaysia.
New developments
Meanwhile military radar indicated that the missing Boeing 777 jet turned back before vanishing.
Malaysia’s air force chief Rodzali Daud disclosed this today, as authorities were investigating up to four passengers with suspicious identifications who may have boarded the flight.
A massive international sea search has so far turned up no trace of the plane.
The latest revelations add to the uncertainties surrounding the final minutes of flight MH370.
Rodzali didn’t say which direction the plane might have taken or how long for when it apparently went off route.
“We are trying to make sense of this,” he told a media conference.
“The military radar indicated that the aircraft may have made a turn back and in some parts, this was corroborated by civilian radar,” he added.
Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said pilots were supposed to inform the airline and traffic control authorities if the plane does a U-turn.
“From what we have, there was no such distress signal or distress call per se, so we are equally puzzled,” he said.
After more than 30 hours without contact with the aircraft, Malaysia Airlines told family members they should “prepare themselves for the worst,” Hugh Dunleavy, the commercial director for the airline told reporters.
Q&A: What happened to flight MH370?
These are some of the scenarios being mulled over by regional authorities, investigators and industry experts.
KUALA LUMPUR: The sudden disappearance Saturday of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 — with no distress call or other signs of trouble — has ignited intense speculation over what happened to the jet and its 239 passengers.
Following are some of the scenarios being mulled over by regional authorities, investigators and industry experts.
Q: Is mechanical or structural failure likely?
Sudden, accidental structural failures leading to explosions or a sudden loss of cabin pressure are considered extremely unlikely in today’s passenger aircraft.
This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200 model, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.
“From a crack, there can be a whole structure breakdown that allows for no response. But in the last two to three decades there have been next to nil such incidents,” said Ravi Madavaram, an aviation analyst with Frost & Sullivan.
Indonesia-based aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said based on the MH370 plane’s maintenance records, “there is nothing that would jump straight out of the page”.
Q: How likely is human error in this case?
The MH370 case may draw comparisons with the crash in 2009 of an Air France into the Atlantic Ocean, which killed more than 200 people.
An investigation said speed sensors failed, causing the Airbus jet to stall and lose altitude. But it also said pilots failed to react correctly, losing control of the jet.
Soejatman said despite all the safety features on modern aircraft, well-trained pilots taking proper action in an emergency also is essential.
“If the crew is not on the ball, they quickly lose control of the situation,” he said.
Q: Was it an attempted hijacking or terror attack?
This spectre has loomed after authorities said at least two passengers had boarded with stolen passports. Malaysian officials also said Sunday radar data indicated the pilot may have inexplicably tried to turn back to Kuala Lumpur.
Analysts said the absence of any distress signal raises eyebrows, as it could indicate an event so sudden that the crew could not respond.
“There was not even time for the pilot or crew to raise an alarm. It could have happened due to a deliberate act — by a pilot or a terrorist — but this is all very speculative,” Ravi said.
The terror theory’s credibility is hurt by the fact that — so far — no claim of responsibility has surfaced.
“What’s the motive? If they didn’t bring any weapons, it is extremely difficult to get into the cockpit,” said Shukor Yusof, aviation analyst with Standard & Poor’s.
He also noted that stolen passports do not necessarily equate to terrorism.
Large numbers of illegal workers, as well as criminal syndicates, are known to move between Malaysia and neighbouring countries such as Thailand. The two suspect passports were reportedly stolen in Thailand.
Q: Is lax security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to blame?
The modern facility does not have a history of known security breaches.
But Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the passport issue could indicate a “glaring flaw” in the airport’s immigration clearance.
He noted that Interpol maintains a database of stolen passports that should have raised red flags at the immigration counter.
“There are two categories of people who use these (stolen passports) — criminals and terrorists,” he said.
However, Shukor said the sheer volume of travellers moving through airports likely means not all forgeries can be caught.
“To blame Malaysian authorities for this is probably unfair — they have to get it right all the time and potential hijackers just have to get through once,” he said.
Q: Could violent turbulence or bad weather have brought down the plane?
This possibility is being widely discounted as all indications are that the weather was fine in the area where contact with MH370 was lost.
Q: Could it have run out of fuel?
Malaysia Airlines has said the plane was fuelled for at least eight hours of flight. The Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route lasts six hours.
Aircraft typically carry two hours’ worth of fuel on top of what is needed.
Adds Ravi: “If there was a fuel loss, the pilot would have enough time to call for distress signal, and to turn around and glide back to land.”
KUALA LUMPUR: The sudden disappearance Saturday of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 — with no distress call or other signs of trouble — has ignited intense speculation over what happened to the jet and its 239 passengers.Following are some of the scenarios being mulled over by regional authorities, investigators and industry experts.
Q: Is mechanical or structural failure likely?
Sudden, accidental structural failures leading to explosions or a sudden loss of cabin pressure are considered extremely unlikely in today’s passenger aircraft.
This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200 model, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.
“From a crack, there can be a whole structure breakdown that allows for no response. But in the last two to three decades there have been next to nil such incidents,” said Ravi Madavaram, an aviation analyst with Frost & Sullivan.
Indonesia-based aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said based on the MH370 plane’s maintenance records, “there is nothing that would jump straight out of the page”.
Q: How likely is human error in this case?
The MH370 case may draw comparisons with the crash in 2009 of an Air France into the Atlantic Ocean, which killed more than 200 people.
An investigation said speed sensors failed, causing the Airbus jet to stall and lose altitude. But it also said pilots failed to react correctly, losing control of the jet.
Soejatman said despite all the safety features on modern aircraft, well-trained pilots taking proper action in an emergency also is essential.
“If the crew is not on the ball, they quickly lose control of the situation,” he said.
Q: Was it an attempted hijacking or terror attack?
This spectre has loomed after authorities said at least two passengers had boarded with stolen passports. Malaysian officials also said Sunday radar data indicated the pilot may have inexplicably tried to turn back to Kuala Lumpur.
Analysts said the absence of any distress signal raises eyebrows, as it could indicate an event so sudden that the crew could not respond.
“There was not even time for the pilot or crew to raise an alarm. It could have happened due to a deliberate act — by a pilot or a terrorist — but this is all very speculative,” Ravi said.
The terror theory’s credibility is hurt by the fact that — so far — no claim of responsibility has surfaced.
“What’s the motive? If they didn’t bring any weapons, it is extremely difficult to get into the cockpit,” said Shukor Yusof, aviation analyst with Standard & Poor’s.
He also noted that stolen passports do not necessarily equate to terrorism.
Large numbers of illegal workers, as well as criminal syndicates, are known to move between Malaysia and neighbouring countries such as Thailand. The two suspect passports were reportedly stolen in Thailand.
Q: Is lax security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to blame?
The modern facility does not have a history of known security breaches.
But Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the passport issue could indicate a “glaring flaw” in the airport’s immigration clearance.
He noted that Interpol maintains a database of stolen passports that should have raised red flags at the immigration counter.
“There are two categories of people who use these (stolen passports) — criminals and terrorists,” he said.
However, Shukor said the sheer volume of travellers moving through airports likely means not all forgeries can be caught.
“To blame Malaysian authorities for this is probably unfair — they have to get it right all the time and potential hijackers just have to get through once,” he said.
Q: Could violent turbulence or bad weather have brought down the plane?
This possibility is being widely discounted as all indications are that the weather was fine in the area where contact with MH370 was lost.
Q: Could it have run out of fuel?
Malaysia Airlines has said the plane was fuelled for at least eight hours of flight. The Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route lasts six hours.
Aircraft typically carry two hours’ worth of fuel on top of what is needed.
Adds Ravi: “If there was a fuel loss, the pilot would have enough time to call for distress signal, and to turn around and glide back to land.”
Wan Azizah for Kajang
PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim announces his wife as the new candidate to replace in the Kajang by election.
UPDATED
KAJANG: PKR today announced its party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as the new PKR candidate after its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was disqualified on Friday due to a conviction in court.
The announcement was made by Anwar himself at the party main election machinery office in Sungai Sekamat.
“The courts have blocked my candidacy. So we are announcing Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new candidate,” he said.
When asked on why party secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not nominated, Anwar said: “I was keen on Saifuddin but he wanted to continue as secretary general.”
“Azizah is the most suitable candidate,” he added.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, who was also present, said that Azizah was the most suitable candidate and the DAP supports the candidacy.
Yesterday a party insider revealed to FMT that PKR is considering to field outgoing party president Wan Azizah.
This was despite Anwar’s announcement a day earlier that PKR had short listed 12 candidates to replace him.
On Friday, the Court of Appeal found the 67 year old Opposition Leader guilty of sodomy and sentenced him to serve five years in prison. He was however allowed to post RM10,000 bail.
The ruling derailed his plans to contest in the Kajang by-election.
The Kajang state seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent assemblymen Lee Chin Cheh of PKR on Jan 27. The Election Commission fixed March 23 as polling date and nomination day on March 11. Early polling would be held on March 19.
The state seat comprises 39,728 registered voters. At the last general election in May 2013, the seat saw a voter turnout of 87.9% with 541 spoilt votes.
MCA is pitting its vice president, Chew Mei Fun. Former Kita party founder Zaid Ibrahim and Herman Tino are also interested in contesting the by-election as independents.
’Not a seat warmer’
Meanwhile Wan Azizah dismissed the notion that her nomination would only serve as a seat warmer for Anwar.
“I thank the party for the trust they put on me. People can say anything they want but this struggle is Important. It is important to continue to fight the injustice.
“I represent the values of the ordinary people especially the women,” she said.
When asked on why party secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not nominated, Anwar said: ”I was keen on Saifuddin but he wanted to continue as secretary general.”
“Azizah is the most suitable candidate,” he added.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang who was also present said that Wan Azizah was the most suitable candidate and the DAP supported the candidacy.
PAS election director Dr Hatta Ramli who is Kuala Krai MP said that his party would continue its work on the ground to ensure victory for PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.
UPDATED
KAJANG: PKR today announced its party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as the new PKR candidate after its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was disqualified on Friday due to a conviction in court.The announcement was made by Anwar himself at the party main election machinery office in Sungai Sekamat.
“The courts have blocked my candidacy. So we are announcing Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new candidate,” he said.
When asked on why party secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not nominated, Anwar said: “I was keen on Saifuddin but he wanted to continue as secretary general.”
“Azizah is the most suitable candidate,” he added.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, who was also present, said that Azizah was the most suitable candidate and the DAP supports the candidacy.
Yesterday a party insider revealed to FMT that PKR is considering to field outgoing party president Wan Azizah.
This was despite Anwar’s announcement a day earlier that PKR had short listed 12 candidates to replace him.
On Friday, the Court of Appeal found the 67 year old Opposition Leader guilty of sodomy and sentenced him to serve five years in prison. He was however allowed to post RM10,000 bail.
The ruling derailed his plans to contest in the Kajang by-election.
The Kajang state seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent assemblymen Lee Chin Cheh of PKR on Jan 27. The Election Commission fixed March 23 as polling date and nomination day on March 11. Early polling would be held on March 19.
The state seat comprises 39,728 registered voters. At the last general election in May 2013, the seat saw a voter turnout of 87.9% with 541 spoilt votes.
MCA is pitting its vice president, Chew Mei Fun. Former Kita party founder Zaid Ibrahim and Herman Tino are also interested in contesting the by-election as independents.
’Not a seat warmer’
Meanwhile Wan Azizah dismissed the notion that her nomination would only serve as a seat warmer for Anwar.
“I thank the party for the trust they put on me. People can say anything they want but this struggle is Important. It is important to continue to fight the injustice.
“I represent the values of the ordinary people especially the women,” she said.
When asked on why party secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not nominated, Anwar said: ”I was keen on Saifuddin but he wanted to continue as secretary general.”
“Azizah is the most suitable candidate,” he added.
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang who was also present said that Wan Azizah was the most suitable candidate and the DAP supported the candidacy.
PAS election director Dr Hatta Ramli who is Kuala Krai MP said that his party would continue its work on the ground to ensure victory for PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.
Chinese NGOs want fair polls, end to discrimination
They are calling for an end to religious discrimination, free and fair elections, an end to the New Economic Policy (NEP) and quotas favouring the Bumiputras and equivalent treatment for mother tongue education.
K Pragalath, FMT
A group of three Chinese NGOs have put forth four demands and want the Kajang by-election candidates to endorse them. The by-election is on March 23.
The three NGOs are Sahabat Rakyat Working Committee, Melaka Chinese Assembly Hall’s youth division and the youth wing of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.
A group of 15 individuals also have endorsed the demands.
They are calling for an end to religious discrimination, free and fair elections, an end to the New Economic Policy (NEP) and quotas favouring the Bumiputras and equivalent treatment for mother tongue education.
“We have seen how the Selangor Islamic Religious Department manipulated the the Allah name in the Bible issue.
“Hence we are calling upon the candidates to support moves to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 that was suggested by three DAP lawmakers in January,” said Sahabat Raya working committee spokesperson, Choo Shin Chei.
The NGOs are also calling for the preservation of all faiths and religions practiced by the minorities and want equal treatment to be given to all places of worship.
On the call for free and fair election, they are supporting election watchdog, Bersih’s demands.
Speaking about their third demand, Choo said that the implementation of the NEP and quotas for Bumiputera have only served to enrich the elite capitalist Malays.
On calls for mother tongue education, the group are supporting demands by Chinese educationist group Dong Zong.
Dong Zong wants all parties to give the Unified Education Certificate (UEC) its due recognition, land for the construction of additional building for Yu Hua secondary school in Kajang and resolve land issues that is confronted by New Era College in Sepang for the past 14 years.
READ MORE HERE
K Pragalath, FMTA group of three Chinese NGOs have put forth four demands and want the Kajang by-election candidates to endorse them. The by-election is on March 23.
The three NGOs are Sahabat Rakyat Working Committee, Melaka Chinese Assembly Hall’s youth division and the youth wing of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.
A group of 15 individuals also have endorsed the demands.
They are calling for an end to religious discrimination, free and fair elections, an end to the New Economic Policy (NEP) and quotas favouring the Bumiputras and equivalent treatment for mother tongue education.
“We have seen how the Selangor Islamic Religious Department manipulated the the Allah name in the Bible issue.
“Hence we are calling upon the candidates to support moves to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 that was suggested by three DAP lawmakers in January,” said Sahabat Raya working committee spokesperson, Choo Shin Chei.
The NGOs are also calling for the preservation of all faiths and religions practiced by the minorities and want equal treatment to be given to all places of worship.
On the call for free and fair election, they are supporting election watchdog, Bersih’s demands.
Speaking about their third demand, Choo said that the implementation of the NEP and quotas for Bumiputera have only served to enrich the elite capitalist Malays.
On calls for mother tongue education, the group are supporting demands by Chinese educationist group Dong Zong.
Dong Zong wants all parties to give the Unified Education Certificate (UEC) its due recognition, land for the construction of additional building for Yu Hua secondary school in Kajang and resolve land issues that is confronted by New Era College in Sepang for the past 14 years.
READ MORE HERE
Judicial process and timing in Anwar’s case implies persecution not prosecution, says Bar Council
The Malaysian Insider
The charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the manner in which his appeal was handled fuels the perception that the opposition leader was persecuted and not prosecuted, the Bar Council said.
Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong said that in the first place, the archaic provision under the Penal Code which criminalises sodomy and oral sex should never have been brought against Anwar.
“The case has unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public funds, and has muddied the waters of our justice system.
“We also have grave misgivings with respect to the manner and timing in which the appeal was handled, especially over the way in which mitigation and sentencing proceeded,” Leong said.
The Court of Appeal had found Anwar guilty of sodomy on Friday, overturning the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s January 2012 decision that had found him innocent.
Leong, in a statement today, said that Anwar’s legal team was notified on February 27 that substantive appeal would be heard on March 6 and 7, and that lawyer Karpal Singh only had seven days to prepare for a criminal appeal over a case that had gone through a lengthy trial and which involved 32 witnesses, including expert evidence.
According to Leong, prior to this, the Court of Appeal registry had informed Anwar’s lawyers to reserve April 7 to 10 as the proposed hearing dates, to which the team agreed.
However, these dates were abandoned and replaced with earlier dates.
“If this is true, it raises the question as to why the Court of Appeal brought forward the appeal to be heard when the April dates had been agreed on.
“After all the defendant was facing a possible 20-year jail term and the April dates would have given the legal team more time to prepare,” he said.
Leong further said that while the hearing of the appeal which extended until past 6pm was not unheard of, it was a rare occurrence.
Further to this, after hearing submissions on March 7, the court had taken approximately 90 minutes to consider before giving a unanimous decision in reversing the acquittal by the High Court.
The panel then rejected Karpal’s request for an adjournment to the following week for the mitigation and sentencing for the purpose of obtaining a medical report on Anwar and instead gave the legal team one hour to prepare.
The Court of Appeal then sentenced Anwar to five years jail that evening with proceedings ending only at 7pm.
“These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked, Leong said.
He said that questions that must be answered was whether the cause of justice was best served by the manner and timing in which this appeal was handled and whether the administration of justice was compromised or interfered with.
“Justice and independence are not only facts to be established, it is imperative that they are seen to be so established,” Leong said. – March 9, 2014.
The charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the manner in which his appeal was handled fuels the perception that the opposition leader was persecuted and not prosecuted, the Bar Council said.
Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong said that in the first place, the archaic provision under the Penal Code which criminalises sodomy and oral sex should never have been brought against Anwar.
“The case has unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public funds, and has muddied the waters of our justice system.
“We also have grave misgivings with respect to the manner and timing in which the appeal was handled, especially over the way in which mitigation and sentencing proceeded,” Leong said.
The Court of Appeal had found Anwar guilty of sodomy on Friday, overturning the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s January 2012 decision that had found him innocent.
Leong, in a statement today, said that Anwar’s legal team was notified on February 27 that substantive appeal would be heard on March 6 and 7, and that lawyer Karpal Singh only had seven days to prepare for a criminal appeal over a case that had gone through a lengthy trial and which involved 32 witnesses, including expert evidence.
According to Leong, prior to this, the Court of Appeal registry had informed Anwar’s lawyers to reserve April 7 to 10 as the proposed hearing dates, to which the team agreed.
However, these dates were abandoned and replaced with earlier dates.
“If this is true, it raises the question as to why the Court of Appeal brought forward the appeal to be heard when the April dates had been agreed on.
“After all the defendant was facing a possible 20-year jail term and the April dates would have given the legal team more time to prepare,” he said.
Leong further said that while the hearing of the appeal which extended until past 6pm was not unheard of, it was a rare occurrence.
Further to this, after hearing submissions on March 7, the court had taken approximately 90 minutes to consider before giving a unanimous decision in reversing the acquittal by the High Court.
The panel then rejected Karpal’s request for an adjournment to the following week for the mitigation and sentencing for the purpose of obtaining a medical report on Anwar and instead gave the legal team one hour to prepare.
The Court of Appeal then sentenced Anwar to five years jail that evening with proceedings ending only at 7pm.
“These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked, Leong said.
He said that questions that must be answered was whether the cause of justice was best served by the manner and timing in which this appeal was handled and whether the administration of justice was compromised or interfered with.
“Justice and independence are not only facts to be established, it is imperative that they are seen to be so established,” Leong said. – March 9, 2014.
Press Release | Conviction and Sentence of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim for Sodomy II: Justice is Not Only a Fact to be Established; It Must Also be Seen to be So Established
This item has been updated since initial publication.
The
Malaysian Bar is deeply troubled by the conviction and sentence to five
years’ imprisonment of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim by the Court of Appeal,
for what was essentially consensual sex between two adults.
Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was convicted and sentenced under section 377B, read with section 377A, of the Penal Code.
Section
377A of the Penal Code criminalises sodomy and oral sex (fellatio).
Section 377B provides that whosoever voluntarily commits the acts
described in section 377A shall be punished with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.
These provisions make no distinction between heterosexual and
homosexual consensual sexual acts, and are thus applicable to both.
A
law is only good and just if it is consistently and equally applied and
enforced. It is extraordinary that Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been
prosecuted and convicted twice, in a country that has rarely seen a
prosecution and/or conviction for an offence of consensual sexual acts
between adults under section 377A, read with section 377B, of the Penal
Code.
This
glaring anomaly and inconsistency brings the administration of justice
into disrepute. It also fuels a perception that Dato’ Seri Anwar
Ibrahim is being persecuted, and not prosecuted.
The
charge against Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is based on an archaic
provision of the Penal Code, and should never have been brought. The
case has unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public funds, and has
muddied the waters of our justice system.
The
Malaysian Bar also has grave misgivings with respect to the manner and
timing in which the appeal was handled. In particular, we are shocked
by the manner in which mitigation and sentencing proceeded.
The
Malaysian Bar makes no comment at present as to the grounds for the
reversal by the Court of Appeal of the acquittal by the High Court in
January 2012 of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim (“Respondent/Defendant”), and
his present conviction and sentence by the Court of Appeal, as no
written substantive grounds have been proffered as yet, save to say that
there appears to be doubt and reservations as to the integrity of the
DNA evidence in the case.
However, there are several aspects of this case that raise questions or concerns:
(1) The
haste with which the appeal proceeded in the Court of Appeal. No doubt
the appeal had been pending since about July last year, but time had
been taken with intervening applications on several issues and appeals
arising therefrom. It appears that the Respondent/Defendant had been
notified on 27 February 2014 that the substantive appeal was to be heard
on 6 and 7 March, thus providing his legal counsel with only seven
days’ notice to prepare for a criminal appeal arising from a lengthy
trial that had taken many weeks and involved about 32 witnesses,
including expert evidence;
(2) This
was despite counsel for the Respondent/Defendant having informed the
court that he was not available on those dates, as he was scheduled for
other cases in court;
(3) It
appears that about two weeks before the appeal was heard a registrar
from the registry of the Court of Appeal had informed the office of
Karpal Singh, the Respondent/Defendant’s counsel, to reserve 7 to 10
April 2014 as the proposed hearing dates for the appeal. The
Respondent/Defendant’s counsel apparently agreed to these dates;
(4) It
appears that these proposed dates when the Respondent/Defendant’s
counsel was available were subsequently abandoned and replaced with much
earlier dates;
(5) If
this is true, then questions arise in the mind of the public as to why
the Court of Appeal brought forward the appeal to be heard, when the
originally contemplated dates in early April had already been agreed to
by the Respondent/Defendant, and would have provided the
Respondent/Defendant, facing a possible sentence of 20 years’
imprisonment, more time to prepare for the appeal;
(6) The
appeal was heard on 6 and 7 March 2014. It is reported that each day’s
proceedings carried into the early hours of the evening, ie between
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Although this is not unheard of, it is nevertheless
rare;
(7) It
is not uncommon for an appellate court to reserve judgment for a few
days or months before handing down a decision, particularly where the
proceedings in the trial court have been lengthy, the evidence
substantial and the issues weighty;
(8) In
this instance, the Court of Appeal had, at the conclusion of
submissions by the parties on 7 March 2014, taken approximately 90
minutes to consider the matter, and then rendered a unanimous decision
in reversing the acquittal by the High Court and finding the
Respondent/Defendant guilty, at approximately 5:00 pm the same day;
(9) 5:00
pm is when the court usually adjourns for the day. On this occasion,
the Court of Appeal and the prosecution insisted on proceeding with
hearing mitigation and sentencing;
(10) The
Respondent/Defendant’s counsel requested an adjournment until the
following week, beginning 10 March 2014, to address the court on
mitigation and sentencing, and to obtain a medical report concerning the
Respondent/Defendant’s medical condition, which would be relevant in
considering the sentence to be imposed. The Court of Appeal refused
this request, and instead gave counsel one hour to prepare for
mitigation and sentencing;
(11) Upon
reconvening after about one hour’s recess, the Court of Appeal and the
prosecution accepted counsel’s contention that the Respondent/Defendant
suffers from medical conditions such as back pains, high blood pressure,
and a heart ailment. They accepted that these were relevant to
sentencing, but refused to allow time for a medical report to be
prepared and provided to the court.
(12) The
Court of Appeal had thus denied itself relevant medical information
pertaining to the particulars or peculiarities (if any), and extent of,
the Respondent/Defendant’s medical condition before considering the
appropriate sentence to be imposed; and
(13) The Court of Appeal pronounced a sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and the proceedings concluded at approximately 7:00 pm.
These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked.
The
questions to be answered, in the mind of the public, are thus, “Was the
cause of justice best served by the manner and timing in which this
appeal was handled?” and, “Was the administration of justice compromised
or interfered with?”
The
sanctity of the administration of justice and the independence of the
Judiciary are intertwined, and essential for upholding the rule of law
and instilling public confidence. Justice and independence are not only
facts to be established; it is imperative that they are seen to be so
established.
It
is heart-rending, for those who sacrifice and work hard in good faith
to protect and defend the administration of justice, and to maintain and
promote the independence of the Judiciary, when public confidence in
these two precepts may be shaken or in jeopardy.
Christopher Leong
President
Malaysian Bar
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