Gempar : Raja Bomoh Buat Ritual Seru Mayat MH370

Tinjauan: Kehilangan pesawat MH370 ubah persepsi rakyat kepada kerajaan

Pakistani Christian Gets Death in Blasphemy Case

A court convicted a Pakistani Christian man and sentenced him to death Thursday in a blasphemy case that sparked a riot last year in the eastern city of Lahore, according to his lawyer.

Naeem Shakir, the lawyer for Sawan Masih, said a judge announced the verdict during a hearing at the jail where the trial has been held out of fears that Masih might be attacked on his way to court. Shakir said he would appeal.

Although Pakistan has never executed anybody under the law, crowds angered over blasphemy accusations have been known to take the law into their own hands and kill those they suspect of violating it. Once an accusation is made it is extremely difficult to reverse, in part because law enforcement personnel do not want to appear to be going easy on suspects.

Such vigilantism has created a climate of fear, forcing frightened judges into holding court sessions inside jails and keeping witnesses from coming to the defense of those on trial.

Many human rights activists say the blasphemy law, which allows for punishment of life in prison or death, is misused as a way to target people for personal gain or revenge.

The incident that led to Thursday's conviction began March 7 last year when a young Muslim man accused Masih of maligning the Prophet Muhammad. Police arrested Masih, but the next day a mob ransacked the neighborhood where he and other Christians live, setting fire to homes and destroying household possessions.

Fearing for their safety, hundreds of Christian families fled the area overnight ahead of the riots. Many in the neighborhood have since moved back, and their homes have been rebuilt.

The police arrested 83 suspects following the rampage, including the man who brought the complaint against Masih, said a Lahore police official, Rana Taseer Riaz. But so far none of the suspects have been convicted and all were released on bail, he said.

Pakistan's blasphemy law has existed since even before the country's 1947 founding. During the 1980s, the U.S.-backed military dictator, Gen. Mohammed Zia-ul-Haq, amended it to add the death penalty and single out Islam as the religion that may not be insulted, among other changes.

Killer of far-right Dutch gay politician Pim Fortuyn to be freed early

The man who shot dead far-right Dutch gay politician Pim Fortuyn is to be freed in May.

Volkert Van der Graaf, 44, is serving an 18-year sentence for the 2002 murder of Fortuyn.

The animal rights activist said he killed Fortuyn because he was worried about the way he stigmatised vulnerable groups, including Muslim immigrants and asylum seekers.

Van der Graaf “can be freed on parole from May 2,” junior Justice Minister Fred Teeven told journalists on Wednesday.

Mr Teeven rejected freeing Graaf in October last year as he still “posed a threat to public order.”

Van der Graaf is eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of his sentence and had asked the State to rule on his request to push forward his release date.

“All the advice and enquiries indicate the same thing, that there’s little chance of re-offending,” AAP reports Mr Teeven said.

On release Van der Graaf will have to report to authorities once a week and wear an electronic ankle tag. He will not be allowed to go to Rotterdam, the city where Fortuyn was a politician, or to Hilversum, where he was killed.

Fortuyn provoked controversy with his views about multiculturalism, immigration and Islam.

He called Islam “a backward culture”, and said that if it were legally possible he would close the borders for Muslim immigrants.

During his life, Fortuyn always rejected being labelled a far-right populist by the Dutch media.

Fortuyn was assassinated by Van der Graaf on 6 May 2002. The attack took place in a parking lot outside a radio studio where Fortuyn had just given an interview. This was nine days before the general election, for which he was running.

The assassination shocked many residents of the Netherlands and highlighted the cultural clashes within the country.

Officials warned last year that Van der Graaf’s early release could reopen old wounds, given the widespread public anger that followed Fortuyn’s assassination.

Don’t wait for black box, set up panel to probe MH370 disaster immediately, say DAP

The Cabinet should not wait until the black box from the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is retrieved to begin a probe into the disaster, said DAP parliamentarian leader Lim Kit Siang.

Calling on Putrajaya to support an opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee to look into the events surrounding the disappearance of the aircraft 20 days ago, Lim said the Cabinet should immediately lay the basis for a full-scale investigation.

He was responding to the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, that the government would consider setting up a parliamentary select committee or a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the MH370 disaster only after the black box was discovered.

"More and more questions have come up with each passing day since MH370 went missing, many of which have nothing to do with the technical explanations of the disaster or the retrieval of the black box," Lim said in a statement today.

Describing Shahidan's statement as "highly debatable and questionable", he asked if there would be no investigation into the incident if the black box was never found.

"This will make Malaysia an even bigger laughing stock," he added.

The DAP adviser and Gelang Patah MP noted there were many questions surrounding the plane's disappearance which has nothing to do with the black box.

The fact that the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) had not intercepted MH370 when it was detected on military radar flying in Malaysian air space on March 8 due to the "assumption" that the flight had been ordered to turn back by the civil aviation control tower, was one such question, Lim said.

Yesterday, Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri told Parliament that the RMAF had detected the plane but as it was a non-hostile aircraft, they had assumed that it was under instructions from the control tower located in Subang.

Today, Abdul Rahim retracted his statement. He said his statement in Parliament was "just an assumption and that it might be incorrect".

"Wasn't the failure to cross-check with the civil aviation authorities a gross dereliction of duty, especially as national security was involved?" asked Lim.

Besides that, whether or not the search and rescue operation was launched in a timely manner, "when time was of the essence in an air disaster to ensure the safe rescue of passengers and crew", should also be investigated, he said.

"I call on the Cabinet to decide tomorrow to support an opposition-headed Parliamentary Select Committee on MH370 to be established at the current meeting of Parliament."

Lim said the establishment of a select committee on the MH370 disaster is imperative to restore national and international confidence in Malaysia and to lay a basis for a larger investigation into the incident later on.

"It will send a clear and unmistakable message that the Malaysian government has nothing to hide and wants a full and transparent accounting of the whole series of events constituting the MH370 disaster," he added. – March 27, 2014.

Rare closed court called in ex-sultanah's case - Malaysiakini

 

In an unprecedented move, the Johor Syariah Court of Appeal today ordered the appeal to the divorce proceedings of former Sultanah Johor Tuanku Zanariah Tuanku Ahmad be conducted in a closed court.

The court also disallowed her children by the late Johor sultan Mahmud Iskandar (right), - Tuanku Masera and her siblings, to be present in court.

Tuanku Zanariah, who filed the application to appeal the earlier Johor Syariah High Court decision that affirmed the divorce, could not be present as she was unwell and wanted her daughters to represent her.

Even lawyers who are assisting the lead counsel for Tuanku Zanariah were given the boot by the court.

One of Tuanku Zanariah's lawyers, Kamar Ainiah Kamaruzaman, confirmed that this was what transpired at today's court proceedings.

A closed court is only normally called in civil cases involving sex crimes, when the victim is testifying, or when a child is testifying in custody battles.

However, even then the lawyers assisting the lead counsel are allowed to be present.

The Syariah Court of Appeal is the highest religious court in the state.

'Never happened before'

The court session began with a three-member panel led by justice Syed Ali Syed Abu Bakar, Marsid @ Morsid Mahrof and Jainuddin Mt Sum.

It is understood the proceedings took place in a special court that was to hear the Johor Islamic Religious Department as an intervener in the case on the side of the respondents, that also comprises the fatwa council.

It is learned that the Syariah Court of Appeal had not sat for some time, and was hastily formulated to hear the present appeal.

The proceedings began with one of the judges reciting the Al-Fatihah for the late sultan Mahmud.

It then proceeded with the judges ordering those in the public gallery to leave the court.

“This resulted in reporters and special branch officers having to leave the court,” said Kamar Ainiah.

She added that the judges then ordered the late sultan's children to leave the court as well.

“Tuanku Masera then stood up and said, 'We are the siblings by our mother whom the court and fatwa council may have accused of committing zina (adultery),” Kamar Ainiah said.

"But the court remained persistent and ordered them to leave the courtroom."

Kamar Ainiah said when she wanted to sit beside the lead counsel, the court also ordered that lawyers assisting the lead counsel to leave.

“This has never happened before. I do not know what to say,” she said, adding that the court then postponed proceedings to Monday.

Divorce backdated after sultan's death

Tuanku Zanariah’s plight began last August, after she received a letter informing that the divorce which had been backdated to Jan 23, 2009, despite Sultan Mahmud Iskandar having passed away on Jan 22, 2010.

The letter from the Johor mufti Mohd Tahrir Syamsuddin to her, was accompanied by three other documents including a divorce certificate dated Oct 8, 2010, that states the divorce took place on Jan 23, 2009.

The second letter was from the former Johor menteri besar Abdul Ghani Othman dated Dec 9, 2010, informing her of the Johor fatwa committee’s decision on Aug 6, 2010 that recognised the validity of the divorce.

The final document was from the Lower Syariah Court dated Sept 30, 2010 that affirmed the divorce.

Sultan Mahmud Iskandar passed away on Jan 22, 2010. He and Tuanku Zanariah were married on Aug 19, 1961. It was Mahmud's second marriage and they have 10 children.

Tuanku Zanariah claims the divorce is not valid and wants the Lower Syariah Court order to be set aside as she was not called for any divorce proceedings.

She also sought the court to investigate whether Sultan Mahmud Iskandar's proclamation in Jan 2009 that was allegedly witnessed by Abdul Ghani and the Johor royal committee chairperson Tengku Osman Tunku Temenggong Ahmad was valid, based on a statutory declaration they made.

"A person who passed away on Jan 22, 2010 does not have the legal capacity to initiate any court proceedings unless it is for the administration of its estate.

"Furthermore, during his lifetime the sultan had not filed for any divorce proceedings at any Johor syariah court against me,” she said in court documents challenging the divorce.

Her title as a former sultanah was also revoked following this.

However, the Johor Syariah Court had dismissed the review application in upholding the Lower Syariah Court's decision and issued a gag order not to report it, resulting in this proceeding.

Thai satellite sights 300 objects near search area

The Thailand Earth Observation Satellite (Thaichote) has spotted 300 floating objects in the Indian Ocean, some 200 kilometre southwest of the area being searched for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.

 

Thailand is the fifth country that has produced satellite images of floating objects in the same area after Australia, France, UK and China.

According to the AFP, the floating objects were identified by Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. 

 

It said that the objects ranged from two to 15 metres in size, scattered over an area about 2,700 km southwest of Perth.

The images were taken on March 24, top financial daily The Wall Street Journal reported.

 

Thai newspaper The Nation reported that the images have been submitted to the caretaker premier it will be forwarded to Malaysia. 

Yesterday, acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced that French satellites spotted 122 pieces of suspected debris in the search area, which is slightly larger than the size of Sabah. 

 

The multinational search, which resumed this morning was called off after about four hours due to bad weather in one of the roughest seas in the world. Ships, however, remain in the ocean. 

 

The Nation said that Thaichote is a remote sensing satellite for natural resources observation.

Japan reports sightings

Meanwhile in the evening Japan's Kyodo News and NHK reported a Japanese satellite has spotted about 10 "suspicious objects" about 2,500 km south-west of Perth in the vicinity of other similar sightings.

The objects were seen drifting in a roughly 10km radius, with one measuring about 8m long and 4m wide

According to government sources, the images were taken from 9am to 3pm Japanese local time on Wednesday.

Malaysia has been briefed on the sighting, it said.

Hisham: Malaysian delegation to leave for Perth

The team, which will include officers from DCA, MAS and the military will assist the Australians in the search for MH370.

PETALING JAYA: A Malaysian delegation would be leaving for Perth, Australia soon to assist in the search and rescue operation in the Indian Ocean

In a press statement today, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that the high level team will comprise officers from the Department of Civil Aviation ( DCA), Malaysia Airlines, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force.

“The team will work closely with the Australian Rescue Coordination Centre to assist with the search operation, “ he said.

Earlier today, British media Sky News reported that the Thai satellite had picked up images of about 300 objects floating in the Indian Ocean, possibly from the crashed flight MH370.

The items’ size were said to be in the range from two to 15 meters (6.5 to 50 feet) and were scattered over an area of about 1,700 miles southwest of Perth.

The sightings was announced by Thailand’s Geo Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISDA)

However, search and rescue effort at the area was hampered due to bad weather in the Indian Ocean

There are now five different satellite leads which are pointing towards debris, possibly from MH370′s wreckage.

Hishammuddin, who is also Defence Minister, said that he had met a Chinese delegation yesterday, led by Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui, to brief him on the technical aspect of the search and rescue work and their findings that led to the conclusion that MH370 has crashed in the Indian Ocean.

“And today, Zhang met the Chinese relatives of those on board flight MH370, who are currently in Kuala Lumpur.

“Rest assured that Malaysia is committed to working closely with China and will share all information pertaining flight MH370,” said Hishammuddin.

On the search and rescue operation, he said that nine planes were deployed to the Indian Ocean to find the debris today, which included planes and ships from China, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

“However, the SAR operation was suspended at 11.40am due to bad weather conditions,” said Hishammuddin.

Why cops mum on MH370?

The world is waiting for the police to clear the air on the ill-fated MH370.

The Malaysian police have been overly cautious in revealing information on the investigations into the ill-fated Beijing-bound MH370 flight which has crashed in the southern Indian Ocean according to satellite data received.

Although the response from Malaysia Airlines, Department of Civil Aviation and the Transport Ministry has been good, there is lack of information from the police.

Of course, the police will not disclose the full information which may jeopardise their investigation but this is not a normal case.

Citizens from 14 nations were on the plane and the governments of these countries want to be kept abreast with the status of investigations.

To make matters worse, more than half of MH370′s passengers were Chinese nationals. China is demanding answers and pressure is mounting for a full disclosure of information related to the case.

The families of the 50 Malaysians on board the plane are also demanding answers.

The lack of information on the outcome of investigations has resulted in Malaysia being accused of withholding information.

But the police are also in a quandary. Should they reveal what they know? What happens if the families decide to sue MAS or the government based on police information?

Critics say the authorities owe it to the families of those on on board and a full disclosure is necessary.

Now, after 19 days since the Boeing 777-200ER went missing, the police have yet to come out with any solid information of what might have happened on board the aircraft.

All eyes are now on Bukit Aman CID director Hadi Ho Abdullah, who is heading the investigation.

The Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar has so far only announced that more than 100 people have been questioned as part of their investigations.

Khalid, who has attended several daily press briefings on the MH370 alongside Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, has been tight-lipped on the status of investigations and this has lead to speculations, some absurd.

For now, MH370 pilot Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah remains the main suspect. Some reports have even labelled him as a political fanatic. Some reports have mentioned that he decided on a suicide mission due to marital problems.

Close friends of the pilot have come out in droves to defend the man. They say Zaharie was a successful and kind man with no ill intention to hurt anyone.

Burning questions

There are several questions unanswered.

If hundreds have been quizzed, what sort of information have the police gathered and what can be concluded from it.

Have the police retrieved the deleted flight simulator data with the help of computer geeks?

If yes, was there any concrete proof that Zaharie has practised flying over the Indian Ocean? How many times did he succeed or fail?

If he did commit the act, where is the note explaining his action? What is the point of undertaking the act if the world does not know why he did it?

What about the four angles of investigation “Sabotage, hijack, personal differences between the crew and passengers and psychological problems of the crew and passengers”? Have the police narrowed down the angle of the investigation? Are they going to cancel out all four angles or add more to it?

Intelligence agencies have cleared the passengers for terrorism so it leaves 12 crew members as suspects. What have the police received so far?

These and many other burning questions need to be answered by the police. They owe this to the family and friends of relatives of those on board.

The foreign governments are also waiting for answers so that they can move on from this tragedy.

This is not a minor case which can be swept under the carpet. It is not only Malaysians, the whole world is waiting as well.

The police must not only disclose what they have found but also be answerable to the method of the investigations.

They must also explain how they came to a conclusion. The onus is now with the police. Will they do it?

Marina Mahathir questions need to interrogate Kassim Ahmad until 4am

(The Rakyat Post) - Social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir today lashed out at the way former political and social activist Dr Kassim Ahmad was charged by religious authorities.

“It’s so cruel and unfair. They (authorities) had questioned the elderly man until 4am, what is that?

“They even wanted to have him remanded for a week, I don’t think that is the best solution,” she tearfully told reporters at the Syariah High Court here today.

Marina appeared in the court today as Kassim’s surety after the court agreed to a bail with one surety on condition that the guarantor resides in the Federal Territory.

Kassim, when asked to comment on the conditions set by the court, said the existing law should be changed because it is difficult for the accused to find a guarantor.

“The system needs to be changed. A guarantor must reside in the Federal Territory?

“This law is trivial and stupid. The conditions are ridiculous. We cannot continue to live in a stupid system like this.”

In a related matter, the Sunnah Wal Jamaah Association of Malaysia (Aswaja) has shown its support to the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) for arresting Kassim, who is believed to have sown anti-Hadith sentiments in the country.

Aswaja’s president Zamihan Mat Zin said the ideology of Kassim had been deemed as deviant by some states as it may lead to apostasy.

“Aswaja gives full support to the arrest and charges made by Jawi because Kassim’s ideology is clearly against the teachings of Islam and is upsetting to the Muslims in the country,” he said in a statement.

“Aswaja supports the arrest that was done in a “civilised” manner and followed protocol.”

Zamihan said that his group once had a meeting with Kassim to persuade him to repent and return to the true path of Islam, but he remained defiant and continued to defend his anti-Hadith leanings.

MH370 mystery complicates last rites for the missing

A relative of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has said all 239 people aboard flight MH370 are believed dead, but the failure to recover bodies is complicating efforts to lay their souls to rest, relatives and religious leaders said on Thursday.

The flight carried passengers from around the world following a number of major religions, and the failure to achieve closure via last rites has added to the anguish of grieving relatives.

Hindus traditionally perform special prayers on the first, 16th and 30th day after a person's death.

"I will not do any solemn prayers until I am really convinced my son is dead," said Subramaniam Gurusamy, 60, a Malaysian Hindu whose son was on the plane.

"How can we say everyone is dead when we have not found the plane or the black box?" he added, referring to the trove of on-board flight data that is being sought for clues to what happened.

"There have been instances when someone is lost in the jungle and is believed to have died but comes out alive after many years."

The Malaysia Airlines flight went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8. Malaysia believes it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean but no wreckage has yet been found, despite an ongoing multi-nation search.

Jamil Khir Baharom, Muslim-majority Malaysia's minister in charge of Islamic affairs, was quoted by local media as saying Muslims aboard MH370 were still seen as "missing", and that proper funeral rites cannot be performed until the search is called off.

Hindus were being advised, however, to "accept fate" and go ahead with their prayers, said Mohan Shan, president of Malaysia Hindu Sangam, the country's main advisory body on Hindu worship.

"They can't do the funeral rites until they get the bodies. But they can perform prayers at home or in temples on the 30th day," he said.

"It's a difficult time to pass through. Without the body we cannot 100 per cent confirm they are dead. But we have to ask them to accept the fate. There is no point in waiting."

Usually in a deadly accident, Taoists must perform funeral rites at the site where the death occurred, said Tan Hoe Chieow, president of the Federation of Taoist Associations Malaysia.

But he said due to the unprecedented nature of MH370, families could go ahead with such ceremonies elsewhere, perhaps in their homes.

"We hope they can come to terms with this unfortunate incident. They have to come to terms with the reality. Some are still holding on to hope," he said. "In this particular disaster I don't think it's possible to retrieve the bodies."

Christians also could lay their loved ones to rest without a body if they are convinced they died, said Reverend Wong Kim Kong, a Christian community leader.

"They should not be discouraged, but acknowledge the fact that their loved ones are in a better place, that is - heaven," he said.

Need For Asean To Address Conflict-Hit Areas - Najib

From Muin Abdul Majid

MANILA, March 27 (Bernama) -- Following the historic signing of a Malaysia-brokered peace accord for southern Philippines Thursday, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has expressed hope that Asean would have addressed trouble spots in this region by the time Asean Community 2015 comes into being.

"We must ensure that all areas that have become areas of conflict no longer continue to be in conflict but strive to find a political solution.

"This is so that when Asean is declared a community, it will truly portray the image of a region that is truly peaceful and progressive," the prime minister told Malaysian media after witnessing the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement (CAB) on the Bangsamoro here.

The peace agreement between the Philippine government (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) seeks the creation of the self-governing political entity called Bangsamoro that will have greater political and economic powers.

The new entity will replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in accordance with the Bangsamoro Basic Law to be passed by the Philippine Congress and ratified by the affected populace.

Najib said Kuala Lumpur hoped that the momentous pact, hammered out following arduous negotiations spanning 17 years between GPH and MILF, would result in a more peaceful and prosperous southern Philippines that may well benefit people living across the border in places like Sabah.

Malaysia came on board the peace process in 2001.

"The spill over effects (of peace) will continue to be felt, more so by Malaysians particularly in Sabah. They will get to enjoy a situation that is more peaceful. Besides this, economic development that will follow in the area will also have spill over effects in Sabah," said Najib.

The prime minister pointed out that Malaysia had shown a leadership role in the crafting of the CAB.

"It means that Malaysia is acknowledged as a country that's able to help out in conflict resolution, especially in this region.

"It goes to show that we're not only a peace-loving country but also one that's prepared to play an active role in contributing towards the good of our Southeast Asian region," Najib said.

He reckoned that Malaysia's image had been given a boost in the eyes of the international community as a result of its role in the Bangsamoro peace accord.

The prime minister said Malaysia was committed to continuing its role as peace facilitator and part of the International Monitoring Team in southern Philippines.

"Our role will continue until we reach the end, that is the creation of the Bangsamoro government," he said.

He added that Kuala Lumpur was prepared to extend a helping hand in skills development and creating economic opportunities in southern Philippines, including in the field of agriculture.

Najib was accompanied on his working visit to Manila by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

Also in his delegation were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Armed Forces Chief Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zain, as well as senior government officials.

Najib is scheduled to leave Manila tonight after attending a dinner at Malacanang Palace.