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Brunei: ‘Stone the gays’ law to be phased in from tomorrow

The Sultan of Brunei has confirmed that a law calling for homosexuals to be stoned to death will be phased in from tomorrow.

The law was announced earlier this month, and replaces the maximum ten-year prison sentence for homosexuality with death by stoning.

It was condemned by the UN, and a host of celebrities including Stephen Fry, Ellen DeGeneres and Sharon Osbourne, who targeted the Brunei-owned Dorchester Collection for boycotts.
The sweeping law was initially due to come into effect on April 22, but was postponed due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

Despite the delays, the Sultan today confirmed the law, which will apply to both Muslims and non-Muslims, will be phased in over a two-year period from tomorrow.

He said: “Today, I place my faith in and am grateful to Allah the almighty to announce that tomorrow, Thursday 1 May 2014, will see the enforcement of Sharia law phase one, to be followed by the other phases.”

According to the Brunei Times, the first phase of the sweeping law will increase fines and prison sentences for various crimes.

Phase two, which restores corporal punishment including amputations for thieves, will come into effect within 12 months, and phase three, which introduces the death penalty, will come into effect within 24 months.

Under the law, the death penalty can be applied for rape, adultery, sodomy, extramarital sexual relations for Muslims, insulting any verses of the Quran and Hadith, blasphemy, declaring oneself a prophet or non-Muslim, and murder.

UN Spokesman  Rupert Colville said: “Application of the death penalty for such a broad range of offenses contravenes international law.”

“Under international law, stoning people to death constitutes torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and is thus clearly prohibited.”

MH370 preliminary report raises questions on reaction time by authorities

Map released by Transport Ministry shows the flight paths and likely locations where MH370 may have ended, based on different projections of the aircraft’s speed, shown on the map in knots, distance by nautical miles (nm) and altitude (ft). – The Malaysian Insider graphic by Kamarul Arif Husain, May 1, 2014.
Putrajaya today released the preliminary report on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which showed that the search for the aircraft was activated close to four hours after all contact with the plane was lost.

Included in the preliminary report was a document detailing the actions taken by the Malaysian authorities between 1.38am and 6.14am on March 8, the day the Boeing 777-200 vanished. (See full table below)

The document showed that the search and rescue operation was activated only after the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control (KL-ATC) had contacted all other ATCs in the region.

The four-hour reaction time for Malaysian authorities to activate the search and rescue operation was one of two gaps that stood out from the report pertaining to the timeline and actions taken.

The other gap was the 17 minutes from when the plane disappeared from radar, that is 1.21am, and when Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh ATC informed KL-ATC that no contact was made by the crew of MH370. This could indicate that the KL-ATC had not noticed the disappearance of the plane, or took no action on it for those 17 critical minutes.

The report, which was sent to the International Civil Aviation Organization last week, indicated that the Kuala Lumpur Rescue Coordination Centre was activated at 5.30am after all efforts to communicate and locate MH370 failed.

The preliminary report, released by the Transport Ministry this evening, included the cargo manifest, recordings of all communication that took place between the cockpit and air traffic control, maps detailing MH370's flight path and the likely area it ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean.

Search and rescue operations were immediately carried out in the South China Sea where flight MH370's position was last seen on radar by the KL-ATC.

A review of data from the military radar revealed a signal from an aircraft, which could possibly be that of MH370, had made an air turn back crossing peninsular Malaysia.

"The aircraft was categorised as friendly by the radar operator and therefore, no further action was taken."

At 8.30am on March 8, the radar data was reviewed in a playback and the information was sent to the Royal Malaysian Air Force operations room at 9am.

"After further discussion up the chain of command, the military informed me, as the Defence Minister, at 10.30am of MH370's possible air turn back," Hishammuddin said.

"I then informed Najib, who immediately ordered that search and rescue operations be initiated in the Strait of Malacca, along with the South China Sea operations which had started earlier."

Two Malaysian vessels, KD Mahamiru and KD Laksamana Muhamad Amin, were in the Strait of Malacca on patrol duty and reassigned to conduct search and rescue operations.

The last message received by the satellite ground system from the ACARS system on MH370 was at 8.19am.

With the primary analysis of the satellite data and aircraft performance data, the investigation established that flight MH370 flew along either a northern or southern corridor.

The last transmission occurred when the aircraft was on an arc of 40 degrees from the satellite.

Based on this new development the search area was moved from the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca to the northern and southern corridors.

The preliminary report indicated that MH370 flew the southern corridor and ended its flight in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, based on Inmarsat satellite data.

Hishammuddin said the preliminary report had been drafted with the cooperation of the United States National Transport Safety Board, the UK Air Accident Investigations Branch and other international aviation agencies.

"Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak appointed an internal team of experts to review all the information Putrajaya possessed on MH370."

"The review was conducted with a view to releasing as much of information as possible to the public," Hishammuddin said.

"The principle set by Najib was as long as the release of a particular piece of information did not hamper the probe or search operation, it should be made public."

Hishammuddin said Putrajaya wanted to be as open and transparent as possible, hence the information was released once the internal team concluded its review. – May 1, 2014

What are your contributions to the nation, says Isma warning non-Muslims over hudud issue

Abdullah Zaik speaking at the International Muslim Thinkers Conference in Kuala Lumpur today. He believes that the country is still not ready for hudud laws to be implemented. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, May 1, 2014.
 Muslim rights group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has warned non-Muslims in the country that they have no right to oppose the plan to implement hudud, and said non-Muslims should understand that there are limitations to what they can say.

Its president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman said non-Muslims “should be thankful that they have more than what they need in this country”.

“I don't see what their contributions are for them to be given so many privileges in the first place,” he said on the sidelines of a two-day International Muslim Thinkers Conference organised by the group in Kuala Lumpur today.

"Their strong stand against hudud gives the impression that they are in a dream world; they must realise that they have no say in determining the future of Muslims in this country," he added, in a comment on PKR and DAP opposing the plan by their Pakatan Rakyat coalition partner PAS to implement hudud in Kelantan.

Abdullah also said that while Isma felt that Malaysia was not ready for hudud, they were supportive of it since it was a meeting point for two Malay parties - PAS and ruling party Umno.

"To us, the more important factor is the sanctity of Islam and putting power in the hands of the Muslim people.

"We need to strengthen our position to secure our hold in this country," Abdullah said.

Abdullah added that his only concern over the implementation of hudud was that the current situation was not ideal for the law to be introduced, but added that Isma supported Umno’s and PAS’s plan to implement the Shariah criminal law in stages.

He also said the only reason former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was against the implementation of hudud was because he was not properly briefed on it.

"I don't see him as being against hudud, it is just that perhaps those who presented the idea to him in the past did not give a clear and accurate picture," Abdullah ssid.

The controversial hudud issue flared up again when PAS announced plans last month to introduce two private members’ bills in Parliament to allow it to enforce the Islamic law in Kelantan.

This triggered an exchange of words between Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah and DAP’s national organising secretary Anthony Loke.

Nik Amar told PAS's Pakatan partners that they had "no right to interfere" in the Islamist party's plan to implement hudud in the east coast state, prompting Loke to tell PAS to leave Pakatan if the party was adamant on going ahead with its plan.

DAP has always been against the implementation of hudud in Malaysia, with its late chairman Karpal Singh arguing that it was against the Federal Constitution and national interest.

Meanwhile, Abdullah told a press conference today that he will lead a delegation of 30 Muslim scholars to meet Dr Mahathir tomorrow to present the findings of the two-day conference and get the former PM's feedback on how the Muslim community the world over can move forward.

Abdullah said they also wanted to secure Dr Mahathir's support for an even bigger conference bringing together thinkers from Muslim countries in November.

Among the speakers at the conference was Jamal Isa, chairman of Hamas political bureau from Palestine, who thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for sponsoring the conference.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who was to have addressed the conference attended by 40 Islamic thinkers from 14 Muslim countries, was unable to attend at the last minute.

Among the issues raised by the international Muslim speakers were the destruction and bloodbath faced by Muslim nations due to outside interference and the need to unite for the Palestinian cause. – May 1, 2014.

DAP's Teluk Intan MP dies

 

DAP's Teluk Intan MP Seah Leong Peng died this morning due to cancer.

The 48-year-old's politician’s death was announced by the party on its official Twitter account.

This paves the way for a sixth by-election since the May 5, 2013 general election.

In the 2013 general election, Seah defeated Gerakan's Mah Siew Keong and independent K Moralingam with 7,313 majority in the last general election. Mah is currently Gerakan president.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Seah passed away at University Malaya Medical Centre at about 7.30am

Ipoh Timur Member of Parliament Thomas Su said Seah was found to be suffering from cancer in February.

"Since then, his condition worsened and he received treatment in Kuala Lumpur," he said.

He said Seah's remains was expected to arrive at his residence in Teluk Intan this afternoon.

The late Seah was also Pasir Bedamar state assemblyman for three terms since 1999.

Build more affordable homes in Penang

Workers earning RM3,000 to RM5,000 monthly cannot afford to buy houses in Penang today, says MTUC.

BUTTERWORTH: The Penang branch of Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) wants both the federal and state governments to build more affordable homes for lower income workers in the state.

Its chairman S Ravindran said both governments should also improve the public transportation system to reduce the cost burden of workers.

He cited that even workers earning RM3,000 to RM5,000 monthly cannot afford to buy houses in Penang today.

“More affordable homes should be available for lower income workers.

“Public transportation, especially buses, should be more efficient, affordable and reliable.

“This would reduce the cost burden of already squeezed low income workers in Penang,” said

Ravindran during the state-level MTUC May Day rally

This year’s rally, dubbed as the anti-GST rally, was held from 10am until 12pm in an open space at Jalan Siram – Jalan Telaga Air junction here today.

Some 400 workers turned out for the rally, holding placards and banners calling on the federal government to withdraw the implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST) for it would add to the cost burden of the workers.

MTUC already submitted a memorandum to Putrajaya demanding the withdrawal of GST citing solid reasons, said Ravindran.

“We want the government to meet and discuss the issue with us.

“This is something that we had never experienced before. Suddenly the government wants to introduce 6% GST. We want GST withdrawn,” he demanded.

Other MTUC demands to the government were to increase the minimum wage from current RM900 to RM1,500 per month; introduce cost of living allowance (Cola) of RM300 monthly to workers in private sector; increase petrol subsidy; subsidise medical treatment and essential food items; and reduce cost of basic utilities.

Ravindran said it was social responsibility and public duty of governments at all levels to implement policies to ease the cost of living and provide free and affordable basic amenities, facilities and utilities to the people.

“Workers are the backbone of the country. Their welfare and well-being must emphasised with utmost importance in public policies,” insisted Ravindran.

More than 15,000 at anti-GST rally

A threat of a heavy downpour also failed to diminish the spirit of the participants from taking part in the rally.

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 15,000 people gathered at Dataran Merdeka today in support of the anti-GST rally, and by 4pm, thousands more were expected to join the crowd. Organisers believe the final number could be closer to 20,000.

A threat of a heavy downpour also failed to diminish the spirit of the participants from taking part in the rally.

Earlier the rally kicked off with a strong crowd support and speeches from NGO leaders in front of the iconic KLCC twin towers.

By 2pm, more that 3,000 people had gathered at the scene, with more people joining in as the crowd started to march towards Dataran Merdeka.

The rally started with speeches from civil society leaders – including Bersih chairperson Maria Chin

Abdullah and her predecessor S Ambiga – who lambasted the government’s plan to implement the GST. They also called for equal rights for local and foreign workers in conjunction of May Day.

“Everyone is going to suffer under GST. But the rich are only going to get richer,” said Maria.

“It is important for everyone to know the truth about GST and it is important for us to oppose the implementation of the GST,” she added.

“(And) not to forget free and fair election,” she further said.

Her views were later mirrored by speakers from PSM and the anti-Lynas activists.

Apart from KLCC, people had also gathered at selected locations in Dataran Maybank, opposite Sogo shopping complex and Masjid Negara. They would all march towards Dataran Merdeka.

Traffic police could be been assisting in managing the traffic to allow a smooth march towards Dataran Merdeka.

Gasak sampai tumbang

Earlier it was all well at all major roads leading to the city ahead of the May 1 rally – also dubbed as the anti-Goods and Services Tax (GST) protest – scheduled for the later part of this afternoon.

The scene at the KLCC – one of the meeting points – shows hundreds of people starting to gather.

Likewise, people have started gathering at Dataran Maybank, Sogo and Masjid Negara, all awaiting the green light from the organisers to start their peaceful walk towards the Sultan Abdul Samad building opposite Dataran Merdeka.

Chanting ‘Gasak Sampai Tumbang’ and ‘hidup rakyat‘, the majority of them are walking about or standing by the roadsides under the watchful eyes of the police who are there to avoid unnecessary incidents from occurring.

Opportunistic hawkers selling mineral water bottles and canned drinks have also been spotted plying their wares to the people present.

On April 21, IGP Khalid Abu Bakar urged rally organisers not to gather at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur but a three-member Appeals Court panel ruled last Friday that the 10-day notice requirement under Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act was unconstitutional.

Meanwhile Bernama reported that some of the participants had defied the police advice by taking along children and carrying placards.

Yesterday, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said the participants were allowed to gather

around the Merdeka Square but barred from entering the field and podium as they were being upgraded.

They are also not allowed to take along children, loud hailers, placards, banners, and weapons as the actions violated the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, he added.

Policemen and Kuala Lumpur City Hall enforcement personnel are manning Dataran Merdeka, the focal point of the rally where the participants are expected to assemble between 2 pm and 5 pm.

For PAS, choice between hudud and Pakatan

(Bernama) - PAS, that is adamant in implementing the hudud laws in Kelantan by moving a private bill in Dewan Rakyat, continues to earn the wrath of its partners in Pakatan Rakyat namely the DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

PAS’ hudud seems to be the bone of contention for the opposition pact to the extent DAP has given its piece of mind to PAS that it is only proper that the Islamic party quit the Pakatan pact established in 2008.

PKR’s de facto head Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who earlier had said PAS was free to go ahead with the laws governing Islamic way of punishment for certain offences but PKR and DAP were not obliged to support the private bill in Dewan Rakyat, now seems to be at a loss.

In the latest development, Anwar said PAS has to bring the matter with Pakatan Rakyat Supreme Council before tabling the bill in Parliament.

Political observers see DAP and PKR mount pressure on PAS to drop its Islamic State agenda and eat the humble pie that the hudud is not what agreed upon by the partners in Pakatan.

Now the question remains whether PAS should conform to the pressure of its allies and drop the hudud idea for the sake of continuing its stay with Pakatan Rakyat or stand firm on its crusade to implement Islamic laws and quit Pakatan?

DAP and PKR have no respect for PAS’ crusade

A senior political science lecturer at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Dungun, Terengganu Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali noted that PAS could only daydream of getting the support of PKR and DAP in its hudud crusade.

“Right from the onset both parties have been against hudud. Therefore it is impossible to win support as hudud was not agreed upon by the parties within Pakatan,” he told Bernama.

While the antagonists view PAS cynically, the party is now trying to win the non-Malay support to get its bill through the Parliament in June.

Even if all Muslim Member of Parliament (MPs) within PAS, Umno and PKR give their support to the private bill, PAS still needs support from another 23 MPs to see the two-third majority to amend the Federal Constitution.

The two-third majority

In realising the hudud, PAS is fully aware that it cannot do it alone and needs the support of 148 MPs to amend the constitution.

At present, PAS has 21 MPs while Umno has 88, and still falls short of the two-third majority needed. Even if the 16 Muslim MPs in PKR lend their support, it is still a tall order for PAS. PKR has a total of 29 MPs in Dewan Rakyat.

On the government’s part, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on April 24 was quoted saying that the government had never rejected hudud but there were many things to look into before it is implemented.

The Umno president said there were many shortcomings and priorities that have to be dealt with beforehand and fine-tuned before hudud could be implemented in the true spirit of Islam.

A political game?

The communication and media studies faculty lecturer from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) in Shah Alam Associate Professor Dr Ismail Sualman noted that PAS is fully aware that getting the two-third support in Parliament is an uphill task, yet it decided to go ahead.

Claiming that it is a political ploy, he said that PAS is trying to exonerate itself from any blame when the private bill fails to see the light of the day.

“Parliment will be blamed. They will say PAS has taken its hudud bill up to the Parliament but has yet to see the two third majority,” he said.

Elaborating further, Ismail noted that it would have been better for PAS to table a draft or brief on the hudud that it wanted to implement.

“However, is the hudud that the party is seeking to implement is in line with Al Quran or it is just PAS’ own brand of hudud? This is what we need to know because it we are to follow the Al Quran the non-Muslims are not exempted.

“Yet PAS says its hudud does not apply to non-Muslims. This is unjust. It is not that we are not agreeable with hudud but it is not time yet and the society is still on the dark over hudud,” he said.

Leave the pact

Then is PAS ready to lose its ally with its adamant stand on hudud? At the least this will serve as a face saving gesture for PAS.

DAP’s National Organising Secretary Loke Siew Fook was reported saying that PAS has to leave the pact if it was still adamant with its decision to implement hudud in Kelantan.

Che Hamdan is confident that PAS will not take drastic measures and leave Pakatan as it is a threat for its own political survival.

“And there is nothing new of PAS’ inconsistencies in its policies like the flip-flop from Islamic State to Welfare State. Then there are the two faction in PAS, one all out to implement hudud and the other want it to be postponed and this has put Pakatan Rakyat in a fix,” he said.

The political analyst said the PAS-DAP conflict over the hudud only provided a political mileage for DAP and would help the party win over more Chinese votes during the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary by-election on May 25.

“This is the time for DAP to show its unwavering stand over the issue as the Chinese voters closely watch the developments,” he said.

The Bukit Gelugor by-election is being held after its incumbent Karpal Singh, former DAP Chairman, died in a road accident on April 17.

Hudud has no place in present constitutional structure, say legal experts

 

Legal experts say Malaysia is a secular state and Islamic criminal law cannot co-exist with other federal penal legislation. – The Malaysian Insider pic, May 1, 2014.

Hudud can be enforced in Malaysia only after a new constitution is drawn up to make the nation an Islamic state, constitutional law experts said.

They said the 1957 Merdeka constitution declared that Malaysia was a secular state and Islamic criminal law cannot co-exist with other federal penal legislation.

The lawyers said a legal challenge could be mounted even if the constitution was amended to implement hudud as this would amount to causing irreparable damage to the basic structure of the supreme law.

Furthermore, they said any attempt to introduce a private member’s bill to implement hudud in Kelantan could be legally challenged for going against the constitution.

They were referring to the move to table the bill in Parliament to allow Kelantan to enforce its shariah penal code in the state which has been controlled by the Islamist party PAS since 1990.

If passed by a simple majority vote, the bill will give effect to the Kelantan Shariah Criminal Code Enactment II of 1993.

The Malaysian Insider understands that the bill seeks power from Parliament for Kelantan to make laws in respect of criminal matters which come under federal jurisdiction.

It further wants the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1988 which limits sentencing power of religious courts to three years jail, RM5,000 fine and six strokes of the rotan, to be replaced.

Instead, the bill wants Kelantan to be given the power to enforce punishment like death, flogging and amputation of limbs for crimes under hudud.

Lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar said the constitution, in letter and spirit, was secular and any attempt to introduce hudud ran contrary to the supreme law as stated under Article 4 (1).

"All actions by all organs of the state, including the legislature and the executive, at the federal and state levels, must act consistently with that supreme law," he said.

Terengganu which was ruled by the Islamist party PAS between 1999 and 2004 also passed its Shariah Criminal Enactment of 2003, which additionally introduced Qisas (retaliatory) offences and punishment.

Malik said both the Kelantan and the Terengganu enactments did not come into force because of challenges to their constitutionality as well as public outcry.

He described the attempt to introduce the bill in Parliament as a "back door" effort to amend the constitution to facilitate the implementation of hudud in Kelantan.

The late Karpal Singh, who had strongly opposed the implementation of hudud, had articulated similar views on the immutable structure of the constitution.

“There are certain provisions which form the basic structure of the constitution. Any attempt made to change that basic structure will be working towards the destruction of the constitution, which we can’t do.

“The matter of hudud has been questioned in court in 1988. In that instance, the federal court unanimously ruled that the country operates by secular law, which means that Malaysia is not an Islamic state. You can’t have an Islamic state where secular law is the order of the day,” Karpal had told the DAP mouthpiece The Rocket in an interview.

“The basic structure of the constitution has to be completely changed. It will be destroying the document upon which all Malaysians abide by. It’s a social contract and the terms of the contract must be adhered to,” Karpal had said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Shukor Ahmad noted that Kelantan and Terengganu passed the enactments to appease the public despite knowing the secular constitution did not allow it.

"Hudud cannot be enforced under the present constitutional scheme, even if the two-thirds majority requirement is satisfied as the basic structure of the constitution will be affected," he said.

He also said it must be remembered that in Malaysia it was the constitution that was supreme, not Parliament.

"An affected party can always to turn to the judiciary to test the validity of a law against the constitution," he said.

Shukor cited the recent case of the Court of Appeal striking out a provision in the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 as unconstitutional as it violated the right to assemble peacefully.

"So Parliament can use its brute majority to pass a law or amend the constitution but its validity can only be determined once tested in the court," he said.

Shukor said hudud could be implemented only if a new unitary constitution was approved to set up an Islamic state.

Lawyer Shahredzan Johan said Kelantan wanted to impose punishment under hudud for serious crimes like rape, murder, theft and robbery but such crimes were already provided for under the Penal Code which also spelt out the appropriate punishment.

He said Muslims in Kelantan would be subjected to different laws and punishment compared with non-Muslims and this would amount to inequality and discrimination.

Another lawyer, Fahri Azzat, while saying that an aggrieved party could go to the court to obtain solutions to matters that affected everyone, questioned if that was the better option.

Citing the controversy over the use of the word Allah, he said: “Instead of settling it politically, the matter has been passed to the court to rule."

Fahri said a court ruling was no guarantee that it would satisfy all parties as a binding precedent has to be followed.

He also said the people's representatives to Parliament should always place the welfare of the people and country above partisan politics.

Most importantly, they must act to defend, preserve and protect the constitution, he said. – May 1, 2014.

British marine archaeologist claims to have found flight MH370 3,000 miles from the search zone after spotting debris painted in the colours of Malaysia Airlines

• Tim Akers believes he has discovered MH370 debris off the coast of Vietnam
• He says satellite images appear to show tail, wings and other debris
• Claims it is more likely plane crashed in South China Sea than Indian ocean
• Authorities have been searching for aircraft off coast of Western Australia
• Mr Akers had previously been studying Australian waters off Perth for years in search for remains of lost WWII ship - the HMAS Sydney
• It comes as airline boss tells relatives of passengers onboard MH370 to go home and wait for further news

By James Rush and Richard Shears

A British marine archaeologist claims to have found the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 more than 3,000 miles from where authorities are currently searching.

Tim Akers, 56, had been studying Australian waters off Perth for years in a search for the remains of the country's lost WWII ship - the HMAS Sydney.

The search for the vessel was in the same waters that are believed to contain the missing flight MH370 off the coast of Western Australia.

A massive search operation involving satellites, aircraft, ships and sophisticated underwater equipment capable of scouring the ocean floor has failed to turn up any trace of the Boeing 777, which disappeared on March 8.

But Mr Akers, of North Yorkshire now thinks he might have discovered where the flight, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went down after it went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

He claims to have identified what he believes is part of the tail of the jet off the coast of Vietnam - just around 1,000 miles from where the plane took off.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2617647/British-marine-archaeologist-claims-flight-MH370-3-000-miles-search-zone-spotting-debris-painted-colours-Malaysia-Airlines.html#ixzz30UrRpQ8O

Klia2 Takes Off

SEPANG, May 2 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2), the world's largest purpose-built low-cost terminal for low cost carriers officially commenced operations today with the arrival of Malindo Air Flight OD1027 from Kota Kinabalu at 12.05am.

The first aircraft scheduled to take off from the airport will be a Cebu Pacific Airways flight (Flight 5J502) to Manila with estimated time of departure at 3.15am also today.

Present at the airport to witness the historic moment were Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) chairman Tan Sri Dr Wan Abdul Aziz Wan Abdullah, MAHB Managing Director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad and Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) Director General Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.

'Goodie bags' were distributed to the 110 passengers of the Malindo Air flight will also be given to the 147 passengers who will be on the Cebu Pacific Airways flight.

Earlier at 10.20pm (yesterday), the check-in process began and proceeded without any hitches.

The first passenger to check in, Gemma Camarinta, 39, who was travelling to her hometown in Bohol, Philippines said she was happy and excited to be part of the historical event.

A frequent user of the previous Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) here, she said the new hub was more comfortable, and easier to reach where one could use the Express Rail Link (ERL) straight to the terminal.

Another passenger, Ace Perez, 30, said compared to the LCCT, klia2 was much more better because it was spacious, comfortable and clean.

"I like the route because it is easy to be reached from the highway. I am happy with this new building compared to LCCT because there I had to walk very far to get to the aircraft," he said.

Meanwhile, MAHB in a statement said airlines starting to operate from klia2 today were Malindo Air, Cebu Pacific Airways, Lion Air and TigerAir while AirAsia will move to klia2 by May 9.

MAHB expects 7,000 passenger traffic movements daily for the initial phase of operations, and 50,000 passenger traffic movements from May 9 onwards.

Gateway@klia2, which duals as a public transportation hub that has a fully gated car park which can accomodate 6,000 vehicles, ERL, taxi and bus service, and retail mall of 350,000 sq ft with over 200 outlets also commercially opened for public today, according to the statement.

MAHB said the LCCT will cease operations after May 9, and for the convenience of passengers, complimentary shuttle bus service between klia2 and LCCT will be provided from May 1 until May 15, and is available every 15-20 minutes.

The immigration, security and customs counters at LCCT will also continue to operate until May 9, and passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines to confirm details of their flights to avoid any inconveniences.

The klia2 is designed to handle 45 million passengers a year, replacing the LCCT which had a capacity for only 15 million passengers a year.

At a press conference after the arrival of the Malindo Air flight, Abdul Aziz said the opening of the terminal went very smoothly and as planned.

"We have proven that everything would proceed as scheduled as we hand announced before. We are proud as this (klia2) has become the latest Malaysian icon," he said.

Abdul Aziz said the cost of the terminal was within the RM4 billion budget which had been allocated earlier, and that a total of 22 million passengers were expected to use the terminal this year.

He said the government was optimistic that more airlines would want to set up their operations there in the future.

PEACEFUL RALLY A POSITIVE OUTCOME OF COOPERATION AMONG ALL PARTIES INVOLVED

SURUHANJAYA HAK ASASI MANUSIA MALAYSIA
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION OF MALAYSIA
T el: 603-2612 5600
TINGKAT 11, MENARA TH PERDANA, Fax: 603-2612 5620
JALAN SULTAN ISMAIL, Email:humanrights@suhakam.org.my
50250 KUALA LUMPUR Web:www. suhakam.org.my

“Hak Asasi Untuk Semua”
“Human Right s For All”

EDITOR, NEWS DESK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENT : PEACEFUL RALLY A POSITIVE OUTCOME OF COOPERATION AMONG ALL PARTIES INVOLVED

Kuala Lumpur (1 May 2014) - The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) commends the peaceful conduct of today’s anti-GST rally around the streets of Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. The Commission deems it a positive outcome resulting from good cooperation among the rally organisers, participants and the authorities.

The Commission further commends the police and the organisers for their positive engagement through a series of dialogues prior to the rally leading to the mutual agreement of both parties on several key aspects relating to the rally, particularly the police’s agreement for the organisers to use the road near Dataran Merdeka despite the square itself being closed for upgrading work.

The Commission is pleased to observe that no Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) was being deployed during the rally and that major roads and public transport stations were not closed. The police, with the assistance of the organisers’ marshals, had also successfully facilitated the traffic control and crowd movement throughout the rally so as to ensure rally participants could move from all points without much hassle.

The Commission is heartened by the positive improvement in the professionalism of the police and other enforcement authorities in handling public rallies as demonstrated through the KL112 and anti-price hike rallies as well as today’s rally. Similarly, the Commission also praises the organisers and participants for their positive engagement with the authorities.

The Commission looks forward to continued cooperation, understanding and respect in future peaceful rallies thereby ensuring that the people’s fundamental right to freedom of assembly can be fully observed at all times.

-END-
“HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL”
TAN SRI HASMY AGAM
Chairman
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)

Survival condemns regressive election pledges on Jarawa tribe

Election candidates have promised to remove a protective buffer zone and to bring the Jarawa tribe into the mainstream, despite the threats this poses to the tribe.© Survival

 

Survival International has condemned dangerous pledges made by political candidates during the Indian 2014 Lok Sabha elections, which would put back the Jarawa’s rights by decades.

The regressive pledges include: bringing the Jarawa tribe into the mainstream; removing a protective buffer zone around their reserve; and building two bridges along the illegal Andaman Trunk Road – all of which could be devastating to the welfare of the Jarawa.

In what have become known as ‘human safaris’, the Jarawa already face degrading intrusions into their forest home by hundreds of tourists traveling along the Andaman Trunk Road each day intent on spotting members of the tribe.

Hundreds of tourists pass through the Jarawa reserve every day.

© www.andamanchronicle.net /Survival

The current administration has promised an alternative route to the Andaman Trunk Road by March 2015, which would remove tourists from the road. But new pledges by both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates to build two new bridges along the existing route inside the Jarawa reserve make the opening of an alternative route increasingly unlikely.
Currently, no commercial or tourist establishments are allowed within a buffer zone around the Jarawa reserve. But political candidates from both the BJP and the Congress Party have now promised to remove the buffer zone – a highly regressive step.
The current MP for the Andamans and candidate for the BJP, Bishnu Pada Ray, has also promised to bring the Jarawa into the mainstream should he get re-elected – a policy viewed as entirely unacceptable by the international community. India’s President also recently condemned attempts to forcibly assimilate tribal peoples as it has led to the disappearance of entire tribes.
Policies of ‘mainstreaming’ tribes have had devastating consequences in the past and have been particularly destructive for the Jarawa’s neighbouring tribe, the Great Andamanese, who were decimated by attempts to settle them. Only 53 members survive today.
Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said today, ‘Bishnu Pada Ray’s scandalous proposals show utter contempt for the Jarawa’s survival – attempts to force the tribe to integrate will destroy them. The very notion of mainstreaming is rooted in a colonialist attitude and the outmoded conviction that governments know best. In fact, this approach is always disastrous.’