Friday 5 September 2014
'My hero... what I want most is to have my dad home for good': Heartbreaking wish of British hostage's teenage daughter reveals family's anguish at kidnapping horror
- David Haines, security expert from Scotland, is father of girls aged 17 and 4
- Eldest daughter spoke of 'really tough year' while he has been in captivity
- Revealed family have been ordered not to talk about his kidnapping
- Croatian wife posted image of him and baby with words: 'This is my world'
- Hostage snatched by ISIS last March as he worked at Syrian refugee camp
- The 44-year-old was threatened after execution of journalist Steven Sotloff
- David Cameron today vowed to 'squeeze ISIS out of existence'
- The PM said he was not ruling out using the RAF to bomb the terrorists
- Military chiefs have briefed ministers on options for rescue operation
- Former colleagues said Mr Haines was described as 'The Crazy Scotsman'
- He worked extensively with Muslim communities during the Balkans war
Mr Haines, a 44-year-old father of two, was threatened with execution at the end of the ISIS video released this week in which American journalist Steven Sotloff was beheaded.
The British aid worker was snatched from a Syrian refugee camp in March last year, and his 17-year-old daughter has spoken of him being her ‘hero’ and wanting him ‘home for good’.
It came as David Cameron said he will try ‘every option’ to rescue Mr Haines and revealed that the Government had attempted to negotiate with his captors.
The girl – who lives in Perth, Scotland, and is his daughter from his first marriage - described her agony in a series of online posts over the past year.
In an online question-and-answer forum, she was asked what she wanted most in her life. The schoolgirl, who is not being named by MailOnline, replied: ‘To have my dad home for good.’
In March, Mr Haines’s daughter uploaded a picture of a Fathers’ Day card she had written him, stating: ‘Hey Daddy, just because you’re not here doesn’t mean you should miss out.’
Alongside the card was a picture of them together when she was a little girl.
She also uploaded a photograph of him cradling his younger daughter from his second marriage to Croatian Dragana Prodanovic in 2010. The child is now four.
Mr Haines’s elder daughter described her father as her ‘biggest influence’ and her ‘idol’, adding: ‘It’s been a really tough year without my dad. I think heroes exist, but they don’t all show off in a stupid cape.
‘This sounds really cheesy, but I think my dad’s a hero.’
Speaking this week, the girl, who lives with her 43-year-old mother, said she had been told not to talk about her father’s abduction.
She told The Times: ‘We’ve been told we are not allowed to speak to anyone about my dad. It’s been like that for ages.’
Christopher Porritt, who went to school with Mr Haines in Perth, said they have had no direct contact with the aid worker since he was kidnapped.
He said: 'We all know where Britain and America stand when it comes to not paying for terrorism, so you can't really blame David Cameron for the situation.'
He told The Times: 'We have been instructed by the Foreign Office not to say anything this whole time. Even though his name and details of his situation are now out on Facebook and across the internet, we still can't talk about family are just trying to get through it. The world just heard about it yesterday but they have been living with this for more than a year.'
Mr Haines’s Croatian wife has also posted heart-breaking pictures online – many of their wedding day – and a series of photographs of his toddler wearing T-shirts bearing the words ‘I love my dad’ and ‘Daddy’s girl’.
She has also posted a song called Far Away, with a note reading: ‘For my hubby... far away... miss you darling.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2742558/British-aid-worker-David-Haines-husband-father-ISIS-hostage.html
American extremist from NC reveals his quest to join ISIS
Don Morgan, 44, said he was answering a higher calling.
“It was months and months and months of asking Allah to guide me or to give me the answers I needed,” he told NBC News in an exclusive interview this summer in Beirut.
Morgan answered our questions on camera as asked by a freelance journalist. Morgan believed U.S. and other law enforcement agencies were already on his trail. He said he knew his desire to join ISIS would likely get him into trouble with American authorities.
The factors that drove Morgan to embrace the ideology of the terror group responsible for beheading two American journalists and killing thousands in Syria and Iraq appear to be rooted in more than faith, based on the extensive conversation with Morgan himself and some of those who know him. Personal disappointments and desires and exposure to increasingly radical social media also contributed to Morgan's actions.
Most crucial in Morgan’s case may have been the order and discipline that he says he found in practicing Islam –and in ISIS’s interpretation of the Muslim faith and its determination to spread it in the form of a caliphate.
“My reason for the support of ISIS is because they’ve proven time and time again to put Islamic law as the priority and the establishment of an Islamic state as the goal,” Morgan told NBC News.
So in place of the order of a military life, this southern son turned to a different, brutal, terrifying kind of discipline and belonging.
‘A practicing Muslim’
Just days after Morgan spoke to NBC News, he was picked up by U.S. officials at JFK airport in New York City. He was arrested not for links to terrorism, however, but on a weapons charge: he’s accused of trying to sell a rifle online. Morgan had previously been convicted of a felony, so it’s illegal for him to possess a gun. An FBI agent testified at a court hearing in Brooklyn that investigators had been following his on-line statements of support for ISIS and his desire to join the group. Morgan pleaded not guilty.
“I think [if I go back to the US] there’s a strong possibility that they’ll charge me with supporting terrorist organizations and with supporting terrorist activities,” Morgan had said.
But Morgan does not view himself as a terrorist. “I would not classify myself as a radical, but by western definition I would be classified as a radical,” he said. “I just consider myself to be a practicing Muslim.”
Morgan’s commitment to Islam has taken different forms over the years. Morgan said he was first exposed to the religion as a university student in a course called “Contemporary Islam.” But he didn’t actually convert until some years later, after failing to complete the boot camp that would have allowed him to deploy with the National Guard to Kuwait during Desert Storm. He then found out that local law enforcement, where he served as a sheriff’s deputy, was not the brotherhood he sought either.
“My entire life growing up was surrounded by the idea that I would be 82nd Airborne, I would be Special Forces, I would serve dutifully – duty, honor and country,” Morgan said. Later, “I thought that I would make this [law enforcement] my substitution for what I thought was going to be, in the beginning, a military career, an achievement, leadership,” he said. Yet after a year and a half, his deputy job was terminated. An official at the sheriff’s office would not give NBC News a reason for the termination.
Morgan describes spiraling out of control after these twin disappointments – drinking, fighting, partying. He ultimately spent just over two years in prison after a melee in which he fired a pistol into a crowded restaurant.
Upon release, as he looked for some structure to his life, he found work as a finance manager in the auto business in Salisbury, North Carolina, and threw himself into amateur bodybuilding.
“He took it very seriously,” Quincy Roberts, his coach at the time, told NBC News. “Everything I told him to do, he took it very seriously.”
In 1999, Morgan married another bodybuilder, Tangela Horne and, in 2001, they had a son together. Morgan and Tangela were well known in the small community of bodybuilders. But the marriage didn’t last. They divorced in 2007.
“I would not classify myself as a radical... I just consider myself to be a practicing Muslim.”
A year later, Morgan converted to Islam.
He realized, he said, that “Islam presented this package that said: ‘this is, this is it…this is the path and this is the way you’re going to go. There is not going to be this way, that way.’”
At first, Morgan said, his faith wasn’t a major factor in his life.
“If you would have met me in the street and you would have said ‘hey I’m Catholic, what are you?’ I would have said ‘I’m a Muslim,’ but was I praying? I wasn’t. Did I even know how to pray? Not at all.”
But he said he underwent a dramatic transformation in 2012, when he realized "that at some point you have to make a commitment.” His faith quickly became all-consuming.
“It was… right before Ramadan that my life changed. And what changed that was me making the decision to practice what I preach,” Morgan said.
The Journey
Around this time, Morgan was closely following the wars in the Middle East and began posting Islamist statements on his Facebook page. Bryan Beaver, who worked with Morgan in the auto sales business and has known him on and off for 15 years, noted the activity.
“(Morgan’s) Facebook posts were a bit extreme at times, and there were some volatile statements in there. Some things that he would say that would make me think, ‘you know this guy was going to the extreme with this,’” Beaver said. “Derogatory statements toward Israel, some statements about infidels. Things like that.”
Morgan stopped bodybuilding and began to spend less time at the gym, according to some who used to work out with him. He only worked out at odd hours, and kept mostly to himself. And he changed his appearance: Morgan grew a beard, shaved his head and donned a skull cap. And he founded an Islamic Center in a small building not far from downtown Salisbury. The center's Facebook page shows Morgan posing with apparent members of the community.
In January, Morgan traveled to Lebanon and remained there through July. He began to use the handle Abu Omar al-Amreeki on Twitter, describing himself as a mujahid, or holy warrior. He made contacts with members through social media who he said ‘vetted’ him and advised him how to cross the border.
On June 29, 2014 he wrote "officially” pledge his allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In subsequent postings, he retweeted photos and videos praising al-Baghdadi. He described himself as "Mujahid pledging allegiance to al-Baghdadi and Islamic state commanding good and forbidding evil."
He wrote, "To brothers in Iraq, be patient. Many of us trying to come." ... "Allah, you brought me here and I need to take rest of my journey to join the most beautiful brothers on earth" ... "Give me martyrdom, wherever I may be"
When NBC News interviewed Morgan in Lebanon this summer, he said he'd already tried to enter Syria through Turkey, but was stopped at the airport in Istanbul.
“It was planned” he said of his attempt. "I mean, after a considerable amount of prayer and planning everything through, I began to dissolve my effects in the U.S., personal property, items that I owned…. I began to set up things that would protect those that I was leaving behind and then, after all of that, I purchased the ticket with the intent of entering to Syria, either joining up with medical and food aid convoys or directly with Islamic State.”
Morgan said after Turkey turned him away, he was looking at other ways to get into Syria. But at the time we interviewed him, he was low on money. This may be why, after our interview, he returned to the United States. He knew it would be risky.
At a detention hearing after Morgan was arrested in New York, prosecutors mentioned the tweets and suggested that he was dangerous. Morgan’s lawyer argued that, while his client expressed support for ISIS, and even talked about planning to go to Syria to join the group, he never actually went through with it.
Our interview and reporting suggest that it was not for lack of trying.
Al Qaeda launches India wing to 'raise the flag of jihad' in subcontinent
In a 55-minute video posted online, Zawahri also renewed a longstanding vow of loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, in an apparent snub to the Islamic State armed group challenging al Qaeda for leadership of transnational Islamist militancy.
Zawahri described the formation of "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" as a glad tidings for Muslims "in Burma, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir" and said the new wing would rescue Muslims there from injustice and oppression.
Zawahari said al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, "break all borders created by Britain in India", and called on all Muslims in the region to "unite under the credo of the one god".
The new organisation, named the Jamaat Qaidat al-jihad fi'shibhi al-qarrat al-Hindiya, or Organisation of The Base of Jihad in the Indian Sub-Continent, also released online manifestos written by al-Zawahiri, spokesperson Usama Mahmoud, and organisational chief Asim Umar, said a newspaper report.
Meanwhile, reuters citing counter-terrorism experts said al Qaeda's ageing leaders are struggling to compete for recruits with Islamic State, which has galvanised young followers around the world by carving out tracts of territory across the Iraq-Syria border.
Islamic State leader Abu Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi calls himself a "caliph" or head of state and has demanded the loyalty of all Muslims.
Zawahri's announcement has also made two references to Gujarat.
"In the wake of this al Qaeda video, we will be on a higher alert. We will work closely with the central government to tackle any threat posed to the state," SK Nanda, the seniormost bureaucrat in the home department of Gujarat, told Reuters. A high security alert in the state involves activating informer networks in sensitive areas.
Zawahri described the formation of "Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent" as glad tidings for Muslims "in Myanmar, Bangladesh, Assam, Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir" and said the new wing would rescue Muslims there from injustice and oppression.
A senior police official said that Gujarat has been high on the list of militant organisations, including al Qaeda, since the 2002 riots.
The ISIS fell out with Zawahri in 2013 over its expansion into Syria, where Baghdadi's followers have carried out beheadings, crucifixions, and mass executions.
The announcement could pose a challenge to India's new prime minister Narendra Modi.
However, while al Qaeda is very much at home in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, due to influential contacts and a long presence there, it is a minnow compared to local militant groups in terms of manpower and regional knowledge.
Kashmir has long attracted foreign mujahideen fighters as well as home-grown separatist militants. In June, al Qaeda released a video urging young radicals in Kashmir to draw inspiration from militants in Syria and Iraq and join the "global jihad."
Intelligence sources in Kashmir told Reuters on Thursday that they had so far detected no traces of al Qaeda in the Himalayan region that borders Pakistan and China.
Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/al-qaeda-new-branch-indian-subcontinent-renews-loyalty-to-taliban-chief/1/380797.html
Nik Nazmi questions PAS for being fickle about Selangor MB candidate
PKR Youth leader Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad tonight questioned ally PAS for its fickle-mindedness in naming candidates for the Selangor Menteri Besar post despite an earlier Pakatan Rakyat (PR) consensus.He noted that PAS had finalised its decision on August 17 by naming PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and her deputy Azmin Ali for the job but the PR leadership council met the same day and had agreed on only submitting Dr Wan Azizah's name.
"Why is there now a earlier letter acknowledged by the PAS secretary-general that three PAS leaders have been nominated?
"Why has the latest statement mentioning one PAS name and two from PKR been sent? Doesn't this go against the agreement that the candidate for the Selangor Menteri Besar is a PKR state assemblyman," Nik Nazmi asked in a statement issued in Petaling Jaya tonight.
The Selangor palace has asked the three allies in PR – PKR, PAS and DAP – to submit more than two candidates each by yesterday but PKR and DAP have stuck to Dr Wan Azizah as a replacement for Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
Nik Nazmi said there were a number of questions that have arisen from the statements made by PAS leaders after PR made its decision last month.
"Why doesn't the PAS secretary-general want to confirm the candidates names that was sent? Are the names of the PKR candidates in the letter this time different from the PAS decision on August 17, 2014?" he asked.
The Selangor deputy speaker said it was important for Selangor citizens to get an immediate clarification to ensure all questions and doubts are answered.
Nik Nazmi was referring to a report in PAS's online portal Harakahdaily today, which quoted PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali as saying that the party had given the names of three candidates after the palace had asked for more than two names.
"So we sent more than two names,” he said while stating the names were sent yesterday.
It is thought that the Islamist party had given the same two names as per their August 17 decision plus the name of a third candidate from within its own ranks.
The Palace had sent an official letter to PKR, PAS and DAP last week decreeing that more than two names should be submitted by September 3.
The letter was addressed to the PKR president and copies were also sent to the PAS president and DAP secretary-general.
It was specifically stated in the letter that the candidate should be a Malay who is a practising Muslim.
However, both PKR and DAP maintained their stand of only submitting Dr Wan Azizah's name as a candidate.
A day before the letter was issued, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had postponed the resignation of Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
The postponement was until a new menteri besar had been appointed.
The Sultan of Selangor had instructed the three Pakatan Rakyat coalition partners to submit more names for his perusal. – September 4, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/nik-nazmi-questions-pas-for-being-fickle-about-selangor-mb-candidate#sthash.Q5je3bJi.dpuf
PAS admits it nominated own MB candidate - Malaysiakini
He, however, declined to reveal the names of the candidates, reports PAS organ Harakah Daily today.
This
is, however, contradictory to PAS’ claims that they respected Pakatan
Rakyat’s consensus for the state to be led by a PKR candidate.The palace previously instructed each of the Pakatan parties to submit more than two names but PKR and DAP, citing convention, said they would only propose PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Meanwhile, a source close to PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said he was in the dark over this.
"All we know is that PAS sent three names and had nominated Azmin, Wan Azizah and Iskandar," he said.
The Star Online today reported that PAS had reportedly submitted the names of three of its state executive councillors to the palace.
Quoting sources, the report said the three are Selangor PAS chief Iskandar Abdul Samad, Sallehen Mukhyi and Ahmad Yunus Hairi.The trio are state executive council members.
PAS denies Star report
However, a senior PAS leader, who declined to be named, told Malaysiakini that the daily's report is untrue.
Separately, Iskandar (below) stressed that Selangor PAS did not nominate anyone among its ranks for the post.
"I know nothing of this new development (the Star Online report). I just found out through the news," Iskandar (right) told Malaysiakini.
Selangor
PAS secretary Khairuddin Othman also told the portal that PAS only sent
one nomination letter to the palace, and did not nominate anyone from
PAS."Where did The Star get its facts?" he asked.
Selangor exco member Ahmad Yunus also said that he has no information about his so-called nominated.
In recent weeks, the contradicting stands on the issue taken by PAS have strained ties with its Pakatan allies.
It initially decided to propose Wan Azizah and Azmin, but a few days after decided it would not nominate anyone, after failing to get consensus among the central committee members.
It then reverted to the two names after the sultan decreed that each party name "more than two" candidates.
Zahid didn't say non- Malays 'arrogant' but... - Malaysiakini
In fact, a check of the audio transcript by Malaysiakini revealed that he did not use the word “arrogant”.
Nor did Zahid specify whom he was referring to when he said in his speech at the Segambut Umno annual general assembly that some people are "indebted".
However,
he did agree with Segambut Umno chief Kamaruddin Embok, who at the same
event lamented that “non-bumiputera” individuals were growing more
“insolent” towards Malays and Islam.“What was raised by Kamaruddin is something that comes from the hearts of the Umno grassroots members nationwide.
“What he read out (in his speech) is a handful of many posts that not only insult Umno, but Malays and Islam.
“This insult is ongoing in the name of democracy, openness, liberalisation and globalisation,” Zahid said in the speech, which he later accused theSun of misinterpreting.
In his speech, Zahid also told reporters from the Chinese language media to report Kamaruddin’s speech “properly”.
“This is our fate. They can read Bahasa Malaysia, but can we read Mandarin? We can’t… But remember, many in our police and military intelligence officers can read Mandarin.
“Don’t ever think that we don’t know how to pick up news in any language. We are monitoring closely,” Zahid warned.
'Price of being nice'
Speaking in general terms, the home minister later said that what society faces today is “the price of being too nice”.
“This is the price we have to pay for our liberal policies, for being open, for allowing people to be indebted to us without the need to pay,” he said.
Earlier, Kamaruddin in his speech said Malaysia is now littered with “greedy” people who have “forgotten their roots”.“Since 2008, inter-racial unity is in tatters. They - forgive me for saying this - the non-bumiputera have become more rude and insolent (biadap dan kurang ajar),” he said.
Kamaruddin said that while the government’s vision is for Malaysia to become a developed nation by 2020, the “rude quarters” have a different goal.
“They dare to insult Malays, leaders, royalty, Islam and our prophet. Why? Because Malays are not united. Now, there are even Malays joining DAP and DAP uses Malays,” he said.
He then read out a list of Facebook postings, allegedly by non-bumiputera individuals, maligning Islam.
For example, Kamaruddin said, one of them likened fasting Muslims to “starving dogs” and described Islam as a “deviant” religion.
“I apologise, I don’t mean to say this but he wrote this: ‘F**k Islam’. Can we accept this? Datuk Seri (Zahid), there has been no action on this case,” he said.
theSun’s report quoting Zahid as saying that non-Malays are arrogant and ungrateful to Malays has led to an outcry, including among BN leaders.
However, Zahid said his remarks were not directed to all non-Malays, just at those involved in DAP.
Latest twist: Azmin, Azizah not in PAS' list
This was confirmed by several PKR senior leaders.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one senior leader told Malaysiakini this means that PAS had "played out PKR".He added that senior PKR leaders would be meeting with their PAS counterparts on the issue soon.
The Islamic party nominated three candidates despite both PKR and DAP agreeing to nominate Wan Azizah only.
Earlier today, PAS secretary-general Mustafa Ali confirmed that the party submitted three names, two from PKR and one from PAS.
However, he declined to reveal the names of the candidates.
This is contradictory to PAS' claim that they respected the consensus among Pakatan parties for the state to be helmed by a PKR candidate.
Three PAS candidates?
The Star Online, meanwhile, reported that PAS had submitted the names of three of its state executive councillors to the palace.
Quoting sources, the report said the three are Selangor PAS chief Iskandar Abdul Samad, Sallehen Mukhyi and Ahmad Yunus Hairi.
However, a senior PAS leader, who declined to be named, told Malaysiakini that the daily's report is untrue.
On Monday, Mustafa told Malaysiakini that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's office would send the names to the palace as he needed to sign the letter.He also refuted a New Straits Times report which claimed that PAS would nominate a third person to replace Khalid.
"No, there is no such thing. We will only submit two names as decided during our meeting on Aug 17," he said.
PAS on Aug 17 announced that it would back both Wan Azizah and Azmin for the menteri besar post after its central committee meeting.
The palace had instructed DAP, PKR and PAS to nominate "more than two" candidates each, and had reportedly reprimanded PKR for only nominating one person in a letter yesterday.
DAP has yet to get a reply to its nomination.
PKR to reply in 48 hours
At a press conference earlier, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said that PKR would reply to the palace within the next 48 hours.
Asked on the next course of action, he said the party is "going back to the drawing board" and is looking at all scenarios.
"We discussed (various) scenarios. The first is for PAS to nominate its own assemblyperson."The second is that Mustafa said they nominated two from PKR, and one from PAS," Saifuddin said after the political bureau meeting which lasted for about four hours.
"We also discussed possible scenarios from the second case as we don’t know who PAS nominated from PKR.
"We discussed all of that. We are going back to the drawing board," he added.
However, he stressed that all 13 PKR assemblypersons supported Wan Azizah to replace current Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim.
PAS gave 3 names for Selangor MB, sec-gen now admits
The politician had previously insisted that Islamist party was nominating only two people from PKR.
“So more than two names, at least three,” he told PAS-controlled paper, Harakah Daily today.
Mustafa said the names were sent yesterday directly from the office of its president to the ruler, and included three names because the Sultan had insisted for more than two names.
However, he refused to disclose the names of the trio.
“Let it be for the time being,” he was quoted saying on the daily’s website.
Earlier today, Mustafa denied rumours that his party had nominated Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and two PAS members as candidates for the Selangor mentri besar post when contacted by Malay Mail Online.
Sources told Malay Mail Online that the incumbent Selangor MB may have been among those nominated by the Islamist party in its list to the Selangor Sultan.
Last week, Mustafa confirmed that the PAS leadership will nominate two assemblymen from PKR for the post of Selangor mentri besar and none from among its own state lawmakers.
Mustafa also suggested that the two will likely be PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and deputy president Azmin Ali, despite a request from PAS Youth to nominate state deputy Speaker Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
“We have not sent an official letter, so I do not want to pre-empt it. But more or less it will be the two,” Mustafa told Malay Mail Online on the phone, referring to Dr Wan Azizah and Azmin.
Mustafa also had clarified last week that the party would keep with its suggestion of two PKR assemblymen for the post.
In a previous report by Harakah Daily, Mustafa had also insisted that PAS will not be suggesting one of its own for the post.
The Star Online reported today that PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had submitted the names of three of his party’s executive councillors in Selangor ― Iskandar Abdul Samad, Sallehin Mukhyi and Ahmad Yunus ― as candidates for the MB post.
PKR and DAP had insisted on PKR President Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the sole candidate, a decision which was agreed on in Pakatan Rakyat presidential council meeting on August 17.
MyWatch to Zahid: Arrest your nephews
The crime watch group alleges that one nephew impersonated a ministry spy and another abused his power.
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Crime Watch Task Force (MyWatch) alleged today that police had released a nephew of Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after arresting him for impersonating a government official using a fake identity card.
According to a press statement from MyWatch Chairman R.Sri Sanjeevan, Special Branch Police in Alor Gajah arrested Mohd Shamsul Azren Atan for possession of fake documents indicating he was a spy for the Home Ministry.
Mohd Shamsul is believed to have obtained the identification card from Mohd Azrul Azli Amer Hamzah, who is a Special Officer to Zahid.
“Further investigation revealed that both Mohd Shamsul and Mohd Azrul are nephews of Zahid. Mohd Shamsul was released from custody following the instructions of the Alor Gajah CID chief,” Sanjeevan said.
“MyWatch questions the release of Mohd Shamsul as he has committed a serious crime for impersonating a spy from the Home Ministry.
“MyWatch also requests for a fair and transparent investigation of Mohd Azrul, who abused his power as a government official.
“We seek the clarification of Zahid on the offence committed by his nephews.
Referring to the mass arrest of members of the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) last Sunday, Sanjeevan said, “Before arresting PPS members, it is better to arrest your nephews first.”
According to a press statement from MyWatch Chairman R.Sri Sanjeevan, Special Branch Police in Alor Gajah arrested Mohd Shamsul Azren Atan for possession of fake documents indicating he was a spy for the Home Ministry.
Mohd Shamsul is believed to have obtained the identification card from Mohd Azrul Azli Amer Hamzah, who is a Special Officer to Zahid.
“Further investigation revealed that both Mohd Shamsul and Mohd Azrul are nephews of Zahid. Mohd Shamsul was released from custody following the instructions of the Alor Gajah CID chief,” Sanjeevan said.
“MyWatch questions the release of Mohd Shamsul as he has committed a serious crime for impersonating a spy from the Home Ministry.
“MyWatch also requests for a fair and transparent investigation of Mohd Azrul, who abused his power as a government official.
“We seek the clarification of Zahid on the offence committed by his nephews.
Referring to the mass arrest of members of the Penang Voluntary Patrol Unit (PPS) last Sunday, Sanjeevan said, “Before arresting PPS members, it is better to arrest your nephews first.”
Kula’s judicial review application dismissed
The Court of Appeal upholds a High Court decision against declaring the appointments of two ministers and two deputy ministers as unconstitutional.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Court of Appeal has dismissed Ipoh Barat MP M.Kula Segaran’s application for a judicial review to nullify the appointments of four senators as ministers and deputy ministers after the last general election as unconstitutional.
The bench, presided by Linton Albert, Rohana Yusoff and Vernon Ong Lam Kiat, dismissed the application without cost.
Lawyers representing the Attorney-General’s (AG) chambers earlier asked for cost of RM10,000.
But Kula Segaran’s counsel R.Kengadharan objected, emphasising that in a public interest case, award of costs should not be awarded. The court concurred.
Kula Segaran now plans to take the matter up to the Federal Court.
On June 19 last year, Kula Segaran filed the application for a judicial review to nullify the appointments of Abdul Wahid Omar and Paul Low Seng Kuan as Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, J Loga Bala Mohan as Deputy Minister of Federal Territory and Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism.
In his affidavit, Kula Segaran argued that it was a requirement of the Federal Constitution that ministers and deputy ministers must be appointed from among members of either house of Parliament.
He said the appointment of the respondents as ministers and deputy ministers on May 15 2013 was unconstitutional because they were at the time not yet sworn in as members of either house.
He pointed out that the four did not stand for election at any parliamentary constituency during the 13th General Election held on May 5 2013.
However, the AG’s Chambers, represented by Amarjit Singh and Suzana Atan objected that the application for judicial review and appeal filed by Kula Segaran was frivolous and did not disclose an arguable case.
They said Kula Segaran had based his argument on non-existing words or words that he himself had added to the Federal Constitution.
The AG’s chambers noted that the oath was taken by the respondents after their appointment as members of the Senate.
In his statement today, Kula Segaran expressed disappointment on the swift disposal of the appeal.
“Being a serious constitutional issue with wide implications and the first of its kind in the country, the government lawyers were not even invited to address the bench.
“In light of the outcome, I am now keen to appeal to the Federal Court,” he said.
The bench, presided by Linton Albert, Rohana Yusoff and Vernon Ong Lam Kiat, dismissed the application without cost.
Lawyers representing the Attorney-General’s (AG) chambers earlier asked for cost of RM10,000.
But Kula Segaran’s counsel R.Kengadharan objected, emphasising that in a public interest case, award of costs should not be awarded. The court concurred.
Kula Segaran now plans to take the matter up to the Federal Court.
On June 19 last year, Kula Segaran filed the application for a judicial review to nullify the appointments of Abdul Wahid Omar and Paul Low Seng Kuan as Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department, J Loga Bala Mohan as Deputy Minister of Federal Territory and Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah as Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism.
In his affidavit, Kula Segaran argued that it was a requirement of the Federal Constitution that ministers and deputy ministers must be appointed from among members of either house of Parliament.
He said the appointment of the respondents as ministers and deputy ministers on May 15 2013 was unconstitutional because they were at the time not yet sworn in as members of either house.
He pointed out that the four did not stand for election at any parliamentary constituency during the 13th General Election held on May 5 2013.
However, the AG’s Chambers, represented by Amarjit Singh and Suzana Atan objected that the application for judicial review and appeal filed by Kula Segaran was frivolous and did not disclose an arguable case.
They said Kula Segaran had based his argument on non-existing words or words that he himself had added to the Federal Constitution.
The AG’s chambers noted that the oath was taken by the respondents after their appointment as members of the Senate.
In his statement today, Kula Segaran expressed disappointment on the swift disposal of the appeal.
“Being a serious constitutional issue with wide implications and the first of its kind in the country, the government lawyers were not even invited to address the bench.
“In light of the outcome, I am now keen to appeal to the Federal Court,” he said.
PKR fully behind Wan Azizah
Saifuddin Nasution says the party "will respond appropriately" to the palace within 48 hours.
PETALING JAYA : PKR appears insistent that its president Wan Azizah Ismail’s name be submitted for consideration by the palace for the post of Menteri Besar of Selangor.
Speaking to reporters after the party’s Political Bureau meeting this evening, PKR Secretary General Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said, “The unanimous support for Wan Azizah has not changed one bit. It is consistent with our agreement with our coalition partners on August 14.”
He said the decision was reached after discussing various options at length.
“We discussed multiple scenarios during the meeting and we will respond appropriately to the palace within 48 hours,” Saifuddin told reporters.
When asked about the additional names that the party would be suggesting to the palace, Saifuddin responded that details of the party’s next move will be made known in due course.
He refused to speculate on DAP’s submission saying,”We cannot speak for DAP.”
Saifuddin also refused to comment on reports that PAS has submitted a list of three names – two from PKR and one from its own ranks.
“We are not sure of their correspondence with the palace,” he said.
Saifuddin’s statement came after almost three hours of deliberation at the party’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya.
The meeting was held to determine the party’s response to the Selangor Sultan’s letter requesting more than one name to be submitted.
Speaking to reporters after the party’s Political Bureau meeting this evening, PKR Secretary General Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said, “The unanimous support for Wan Azizah has not changed one bit. It is consistent with our agreement with our coalition partners on August 14.”
He said the decision was reached after discussing various options at length.
“We discussed multiple scenarios during the meeting and we will respond appropriately to the palace within 48 hours,” Saifuddin told reporters.
When asked about the additional names that the party would be suggesting to the palace, Saifuddin responded that details of the party’s next move will be made known in due course.
He refused to speculate on DAP’s submission saying,”We cannot speak for DAP.”
Saifuddin also refused to comment on reports that PAS has submitted a list of three names – two from PKR and one from its own ranks.
“We are not sure of their correspondence with the palace,” he said.
Saifuddin’s statement came after almost three hours of deliberation at the party’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya.
The meeting was held to determine the party’s response to the Selangor Sultan’s letter requesting more than one name to be submitted.
Appeals Court lets Sodomy 2 investigator practise law
Former cop Jude Blacious Pereira (pic), who was the investigating officer in Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim's second sodomy case, kept alive his life-long ambition to practice law when the Court of Appeal today set aside a High Court order that prevented his admission to the Malaysian Bar.A three-man bench chaired by Datuk Linton Albert said the High Court judge, Datuk Zaleha Yusof, made her ruling based on a notice of objection and notice of caveat filed by the Bar Council.
The judge said any objection to admit a candidate must be done only after a petition was filed.
"We are allowing the appellant’s appeal because he has yet to file his petition to be called to the Bar," he said of the unanimous ruling.
Albert said the court could only hear the council's objection to admit Pereira after he had filed his papers.
The bench ordered the High Court to fixed mention of the case on September 18.
Pereira's counsel, Dominic Selvam, said his client would file his petition before the mention date.
Pereira’s application to practise law after retiring from the police force and completing his chambering was rejected by the Bar Council on the basis that he had not been a “credible witness” in a hearing by the Malaysia Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) on five lawyers arrested for assisting people during a candlelight vigil.
Selvam in his submission told the judges his client had only filed papers to appear in chambers, after completing three months of pupillage in October 2012.
"He did not file a petition to be called to the Bar as he had yet to complete his nine-month pupillage as required under the Legal Profession Act."
Selvam said the council filed its notice of objection and notice of caveat before Pereira submitted his petition for admittance.
High Court judge Datuk Zaleha Yusof had on January 15 this year allowed the council's application to reject Pereira from being admitted to the High Court of Malaya, citing findings of the Suhakam inquiry that he was not fit.
The inquiry, based on the 2009 arrest of five lawyers for allegedly failing to disperse, found Pereira, who was deputy superintendent at Brickfields police, and then district police chief Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid, of having acted in bad faith and violating human rights.
In any event, Selvam told the bench today that it was for the Chief Judge of Malaya to determine the good character of a petitioner, not a High Court judge.
"The High Court prematurely decided the matter when there was no petition filed."
Lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar said the High Court made its ruling after having cited a petition filed by Pereira.
"She did not merely rely on the notices but the petition as well," he said, adding that Zaleha did not make an error that warranted intervention by this court.
Pereira was the main investigating officer in the Sodomy II trial against Anwar Ibrahim, who was initially acquitted on January 12, 2012. He retired with the rank of superintendent in 2012.
On March 7 this year, the Court of Appeal reversed the findings of the High Court and sentenced Anwar to five year's jail. Anwar's final appeal in the Federal Court will be heard on October 28. – September 3, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/appeals-court-lets-sodomy-2-investigator-practise-law#sthash.kjr57aro.dpuf
Malaysia Appeals For Truce In Ukraine To Gather More Remains Of MH17 Tragedy Victims
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) --
Malaysia is appealing for a truce between the warring factions in
Ukraine so that it can gather evidence and any remains left at the site
where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 went down, killing all 298 people on
board.This was stated Thursday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who said Malaysia was striving hard to have its security and probe teams gain access to the site for at least a week or two weeks.
The government would not stop looking for the rest of the remains of the 43 Malaysian victims of the tragedy, he said. So far, the remains of 31 Malaysian victims have been brought home.
"We will look for every evidence and the rest of the remains at the site. I will not be satisfied unless all the remains have been handed over to the respective families," he said.
Najib said this in his speech after handing over the National Sovereignty Medal to 129 people, among them seven ministers, who had participated in the 'Ops Daulat' operation against armed intruders in Sabah earlier this year.
Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.
The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot down over the troubled country.
Besides Malaysians, nationals from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were among the 298 people on board.
There have been reports that Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk was not agreeable to the truce proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia is reportedly backing the rebels.
Najib said Malaysia was caught in a geopolitical conflict that had nothing to do with it.
"In facing this major test, I took the unconventional step because I realised that our primary mission is to bring home the remains of the victims.
It is not the intention of Malaysia to get involved in the conflict or take sides, but without engaging with the warring factions it would have been impossible to remove the black boxes and remains from the site," he said.
Najib said the nation's security and efforts to handle the MH17 tragedy, the missing MH370 aircraft and the armed intrusion into Lahad Datu, Sabah, should be stepped up because these issues transcended borders and continents.
These were unexpected events and Malaysia was fortunate because the foreign policy it had adopted and its relations with other countries helped, he said.
"Twenty-six large countries, such as Australia and China, contributed a great deal to the search for MH370 and no country asked Malaysia payment to meet the cost of their search operations," he said.
Flight MH370 dropped off radar on March 8 as it flew from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board. The Boeing 777 aircraft has yet to be found, even after an exhaustive search in the southern Indian Ocean where it is believed to have gone down after veering off course.
On stepping up security patrols in the waters off Sabah's east coast, Najib said the government agreed with a proposal by the National Oil Corporation, Petronas, to have a vessel and a RM200-million platform that would go into operation in April 2014.
He said despite the high cost, the exercise would help establish the country's first line of defence against any intrusion in Sabah.
Najib said the government realised and appreciated the sacrifices of the security forces in various recent incidents, including in Lahad Datu.
"If we act as one, the nation can emerge unscathed from any incident at all, and I believe these incidents will not discourage us from continuing to move forward.
"Peace is precious and no one has the right to rob us of it," he said.
Elephants at the UN - Al Jazeera
Why the US can't - legally - bomb the Islamic State in Syria.
A life-sized, anatomically correct bronze elephant stands partially hidden on the North Lawn of the United Nations compound in New York. It's one of many treasures scattered around the UN campus, gifts from member states or, in this case, the Bulgarian artist Mihail Simeonov. This sculpture caused quite a scandal when it was unveiled back in 1998 for being just a bit too life-like in the case of its genitalia. As the story goes, the three-and-a-half tonne sculpture was cast from male who was sedated and, in the words of one observer at the time, "having a sweet dream”. As a result, the UN decided to strategically plant some bushes around its legs to hide the offensive part of his anatomy.
I was reminded of the statue this week, as the US threatened to extend its bombing campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State group in Iraq to include positions in Syria. If there's one thing on which world powers on the UN Security Council can agree, it is the fact that the Islamic State poses a serious threat to international peace and security. The Council recently passed a resolution saying as much and expanding sanctions to include anyone who helps recruit for the group.
Yet no one at the UN wanted to talk about President Barack Obama's threats.
"It's the elephant in the room," veteran UN reporter and Huffington Post contributor Evelyn Leopold winked at me after a press briefing on Syria by the current Council President, the United Kingdom's Mark Lyall Grant.
The Security Council had just received its monthly briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria. Despite more access by aid workers in some locations, the UN says 240,000 civilians remain trapped in areas besieged by conflict. It also says Islamic State and the government are blocking aid deliveries and, as a result of intensified fighting between these groups, more people died in Syria in the month of July than since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. It's gotten so bad that literally half the population of Syria has had to leave home, fleeing either to another part of the country or, in the case of three million refugees, across the border.
Legality of military action
Given the UN's concerns, I asked Lyall Grant if the council had discussed the possibility of US air strikes in Syria, and whether or not such strikes would be legal under international law.
Lyall Grant, a key American ally on the council, never really answered the question. "There hasn’t been any discussions of that in the Security Council."
"But would it be legal?" I pressed.
"Well, the British Government is not currently planning any military actions."
He ignored the question and moved on to another. Similarly, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, through his spokesperson, refused to speculate on the legality of something that hadn't yet happened.
Syria has said it would welcome international assistance in fighting the Islamic State, as long as any strikes were coordinated with the government. President Bashar al Assad has always blamed his country's three-year civil war on "terrorists" after all. The West, however, blame Assad's repressive crackdown on Syrian civilians for giving rise to groups like the Islamic State. Needless to say, they are reluctant to help, much less collaborate with the Syrian government, on anything.
President Obama retorted that he did not have to coordinate with Syria when American interests were at stake. But technically, under international law he does.
The United States has been a leading critic of Russia for allegedly sending arms and soldiers into Ukraine against that government's will, charges the Russian government continues to deny despite mounting evidence. It would be hypocritical if the US were to take unilateral action against Syria without the approval of Assad or the Security Council.
So perhaps it's not surprising no one wanted to talk about it at the UN - or that Obama has since backed down from his tough talk. Never mind that Syria is now witnessing beheadings and other atrocities at the hands of the Islamic State, the same stuff which led the Americans and others to help the Iraqi government and it's citizens.
It's the elephant in the room, the dirty underbelly of international diplomacy which the UN chooses to keep hidden.
 |
| This sculpture caused quite a scandal when it was unveiled back in 1998 for being just a bit too life-like [UN Photo/Pernaca Sudhakaran] |
A life-sized, anatomically correct bronze elephant stands partially hidden on the North Lawn of the United Nations compound in New York. It's one of many treasures scattered around the UN campus, gifts from member states or, in this case, the Bulgarian artist Mihail Simeonov. This sculpture caused quite a scandal when it was unveiled back in 1998 for being just a bit too life-like in the case of its genitalia. As the story goes, the three-and-a-half tonne sculpture was cast from male who was sedated and, in the words of one observer at the time, "having a sweet dream”. As a result, the UN decided to strategically plant some bushes around its legs to hide the offensive part of his anatomy.
I was reminded of the statue this week, as the US threatened to extend its bombing campaign against the self-proclaimed Islamic State group in Iraq to include positions in Syria. If there's one thing on which world powers on the UN Security Council can agree, it is the fact that the Islamic State poses a serious threat to international peace and security. The Council recently passed a resolution saying as much and expanding sanctions to include anyone who helps recruit for the group.
Yet no one at the UN wanted to talk about President Barack Obama's threats.
"It's the elephant in the room," veteran UN reporter and Huffington Post contributor Evelyn Leopold winked at me after a press briefing on Syria by the current Council President, the United Kingdom's Mark Lyall Grant.
The Security Council had just received its monthly briefing on the humanitarian situation in Syria. Despite more access by aid workers in some locations, the UN says 240,000 civilians remain trapped in areas besieged by conflict. It also says Islamic State and the government are blocking aid deliveries and, as a result of intensified fighting between these groups, more people died in Syria in the month of July than since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. It's gotten so bad that literally half the population of Syria has had to leave home, fleeing either to another part of the country or, in the case of three million refugees, across the border.
Legality of military action
Given the UN's concerns, I asked Lyall Grant if the council had discussed the possibility of US air strikes in Syria, and whether or not such strikes would be legal under international law.
Lyall Grant, a key American ally on the council, never really answered the question. "There hasn’t been any discussions of that in the Security Council."
"But would it be legal?" I pressed.
"Well, the British Government is not currently planning any military actions."
He ignored the question and moved on to another. Similarly, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, through his spokesperson, refused to speculate on the legality of something that hadn't yet happened.
Syria has said it would welcome international assistance in fighting the Islamic State, as long as any strikes were coordinated with the government. President Bashar al Assad has always blamed his country's three-year civil war on "terrorists" after all. The West, however, blame Assad's repressive crackdown on Syrian civilians for giving rise to groups like the Islamic State. Needless to say, they are reluctant to help, much less collaborate with the Syrian government, on anything.
President Obama retorted that he did not have to coordinate with Syria when American interests were at stake. But technically, under international law he does.
The United States has been a leading critic of Russia for allegedly sending arms and soldiers into Ukraine against that government's will, charges the Russian government continues to deny despite mounting evidence. It would be hypocritical if the US were to take unilateral action against Syria without the approval of Assad or the Security Council.
So perhaps it's not surprising no one wanted to talk about it at the UN - or that Obama has since backed down from his tough talk. Never mind that Syria is now witnessing beheadings and other atrocities at the hands of the Islamic State, the same stuff which led the Americans and others to help the Iraqi government and it's citizens.
It's the elephant in the room, the dirty underbelly of international diplomacy which the UN chooses to keep hidden.
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