Sunday 22 February 2015
Woman Maltreated By ISIS For Having Sexy Eyes
ISIS morality Police have attacked a young Syrian woman dressed in a full burqa and face veil because they thought her eyes were sexy and too exposed.
According to Lailas Blog, the woman was arrested and maltreated in Albuhamal, east of the country, along with two men who tried to defend her. Women who live in ISIS controlled areas are being beaten with iron rods when they offend the militant group’s strict dress code.
Women living in ISIS-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq are made to follow strict rules, which they claim are based on Sharia law.
The group orders women to wear double-layered veils, loose abayas and gloves.
When they go out dressed like this the poor women end up looking like Ninjas and they are also made to go everywhere with a male guardian.
It would be recalled that the Militants fighting for the Islamic State in Syria publicly beheaded a man for allegedly practicing witchcraft.
According to Lailas Blog, the woman was arrested and maltreated in Albuhamal, east of the country, along with two men who tried to defend her. Women who live in ISIS controlled areas are being beaten with iron rods when they offend the militant group’s strict dress code.
Women living in ISIS-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq are made to follow strict rules, which they claim are based on Sharia law.
The group orders women to wear double-layered veils, loose abayas and gloves.
When they go out dressed like this the poor women end up looking like Ninjas and they are also made to go everywhere with a male guardian.
It would be recalled that the Militants fighting for the Islamic State in Syria publicly beheaded a man for allegedly practicing witchcraft.
Isis infighting: Tensions rise over use of Yazidi sex slaves, loss of Kobani and poor services in areas controlled by group
The Jordanian airforce recently claimed to have degraded Isis’s capabilities by 20 per cent after air strikes against militants were intensified in retaliation for the death of pilot Lieutenant Muath al-Kasaesbeh. Isis is also believed to be suffering financially of late as their supply routes between core territories are damaged.
Sajad Jiyad, Research Fellow and Associate Member at the Iraqi Institute for Economic Reform, said one of the biggest issues to have caused friction between fighters in the past surrounded the decision to keep Yazidi children and women as sex slaves.
Mr Jiyad told The Independent that many supporters had been in denial about the trafficking of kidnapped Yazidi women, who were captured when Isis flooded Mosul and sold off as sex slaves to fighters.
“It shows that not all supporters understand the nature of the organisation,” he said.
Harrowing accounts have since emerged of trafficked women being beaten, raped and even forced to give blood by militants.
Isis’s propaganda magazine Dabiq published an article in October justifying the practice of selling women and children. It condemned Yazidis as "pagans" and "infidels” and claimed they were divided among Isis members “according to the Sharia”.
Mr Jiyad said: "Their supporters were in denial until Daesh confirmed it in a magazine; some had said before the revelation that they wouldn’t do such a thing as it was vile, but then were left with egg on their faces."
Tensions are also believed to have risen after Kurdish troops aided by US-led coalition airstrikes retook the Syrian border town of Kobani, which Mr Jiyad says caused some “internal criticism”.
“I read things on forums where blame was being apportioned, but the higher leadership has kept a lid on it."
Some mid to high level commanders were killed without Isis releasing any "grand press releases", he added, which could indicate that their deaths were the result of an internal feud.
The recent arrest of an Isis cleric who objected to the burning to death of the Jordanian pilot has led to speculation that the group’s increasing brutality could be proving too much even for some of its members.
But Mr Jiyad believes this is unlikely to have proved a divisive issue for core members of the group.
"It may be the case with people close to them or supportive of them, like the cleric, but not its own men," he said. "It is more operational issues that involve local populations and control that are likely the cause of divisions.
“Tensions do seem to be on the rise because Daesh has stepped up the arrests and killings of its own men. But it has proved to be incredibly resilient so far under intense pressure so I don’t think the internal divisions will lead to the group's downfall."
Mr Sajad said tensions are more likely to be growing because of the living situations of those still in areas under the group’s self-declared caliphate.
“The poor services are due to a lack of funding, equipment, resources and because the towns under their control are being cut-off from central government. The blame obviously is placed on Daesh by local populations because they are responsible for the upkeep of services. It is only intimidation that keeps the frustration from spilling over."
Meanwhile, Abu Mohammed Hussam, of the Syrian activist group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently, says relationships between Iraqi and Syrian fighters and those arriving from the Gulf are becoming increasingly strained.
"They say that all the Syrians do not know anything of the Islamic religion," he explained.
Family vital in preventing youth from joining Isis, say groups, experts
Families play a key role in preventing youths from being lured to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) by teaching them the meaning of jihad and detecting changes in their behaviour, Muslim groups and academics said.After reports that police arrested a 14-year-old as she was about to join the group, experts said the onus should not be on the police alone to nab the young suspects as the family was the closest entity to them.
Ahmad El-Muhammady, a lecturer from the International Islamic University Malaysia, and one of the panellists in the ongoing White House summit on countering violent extremism, said the family institution plays a key role in preventing youngsters from being exploited as family is the closest entity to them.
"They can detect changes in their thinking and behaviour. Parents also need to monitor their children’s Internet activities,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
“Second, their peers also can play a role in detecting changes in behavioural orientation. They have to report this matter to the relevant authorities, especially police for further investigation.”
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the 14-year-old girl who was arrested on Tuesday was influenced to join Isis through propaganda on social network site Facebook.
Intelligence sources told The Malaysian Insider last year that the Isis militants have mastered social media as their main channel to recruit fighters from around the world, including Malaysians, unlike the early 2000s where recruitment was done through religious schools.
Some, like former Kedah PAS Youth information chief Lotfi Ariffin who was killed in Syria, had not only posted his activities with Isis on Facebook, but had posted call-to-action messages too.
One blog that gained attention was that of an Isis member called “Shams”, who claimed to be a 26-year-old woman doctor from Malaysia, and was in Syria using her medical skills to help fighters and had married an Isis fighter.
Terror cells could be created virtually, as jihadists shared and spread ideological beliefs, raised funds, justified and created motives for violence online, said an intelligence source.
The source said some youths in Malaysia were being targeted for recruitment via skewed religious interpretations.
Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim) president Amidi Abdul Manan said that parents and teachers had to ensure children understood that jihad, or holy struggle, did not mean taking up arms and using force against others.
“They must explain that jihad means to strive, and should be practised in all aspects of our lives. If we strive to become better people, and understand Islam, that is already jihad.
“So the parents and teachers must teach this, but they must also understand the teenager’s spirit and deal with it wisely. Teenagers tend to be idealistic and stubborn, and are still considered children.”
Zaid Kamaruddin, vice-president of non-governmental organization Ikram, said the government should form a specific agency for the public to refer to if they suspected anyone of being interested in joining Isis.
The agency should comprise counsellors equipped with religious knowledge who could engage with those at risk of joining Isis, he said.
“If we just arrest the people suspected of joining Isis and punish them, the Isis members in Malaysia may end up attacking our own country.
“So we should take pre-emptive measures instead. Get the professionals to rescue those at risk of joining Isis, and engage with them. Right now everything is rather ad hoc,” he said.
Meanwhile, Perlis mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (pic, right) proposed that the government provide alternative activities for those who wished to join Isis.
“In this day and age, if we prevent someone from doing something, they will just find their way around it. So we have to give them alternatives,” he said.
He suggested that Putrajaya allow more volunteers to provide relief to Muslims in need abroad, on the condition that they remain monitored by the government.
“There are many international non-governmental organisations who visit war-torn countries to provide aid. They do not go to war, but they help and provide welfare.”
He also suspected that many of those interested in joining Isis were simply motivated by the thrill of a challenge, rather than any spiritual calling.
“It’s possible that some of them are going simply because they are looking for a challenge, I think, because it would be inaccurate to link Isis to Islam, as what Isis is doing is not in line with the meaning of jihad,” Asri told The Malaysian Insider.
“Jihad in Islam means to elevate Allah and Islam, but what Isis is doing is giving a negative perception of Islam. We don’t know what Isis is trying to defend or what its agenda really is.”
Police arrested the 14-year-old as she was about to board a Cairo-bound flight at the KL International Airport on Tuesday evening.
Khalid said the girl planned marry a 22-year-old Malaysian student in Cairo and would go to Istanbul before securing passage to Syria.
Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ayob Khan said investigations revealed that the Muar-born girl’s trip was funded by a man in the city, according to a report in The Star.
He said she received RM2,000 and the plane tickets and was about to leave the country on the pretext of furthering her studies in Egypt.
He said that police were in the midst of identifying the so-called benefactor and trying to ascertain if she had other sponsors or if the man had funded other would-be militants.
A counter-terrorism expert, meanwhile, said the girl should be enrolled in a rehabilitation programme as she was underage.
“This would be the best solution to make sure that her future is not marred by the ‘mistake’ she made for trusting those who tried to lure her into joining Isis,” said the expert.
He said although she is currently detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, charging her and putting her behind bar would be too ‘brutal’ and could affect her future.
“Rehabilitation programme would be best. Make sure that she is in a good environment and monitored throughout the programme,” said the expert.
He said the girl was too naive to process and to understand the consequences of her action.
“She needs guidance. A study needs to be done on her background and see how the authorities can help guide her onto the right path,” said the expert.
Since early last year, police have arrested more than 20 people in various parts of Malaysia over alleged links to the terror group.
Thirty-nine Malaysians have been officially identified as being involved with Isis in Syria, whose aim is to set up an Islamic caliphate in the region.
A few Malaysian women reportedly went last year to Syria and Iraq to engage in "jihad al-nikah" or "conjugal jihad" for fighters there. – February 21, 2015.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/to-stop-youth-from-joining-isis-families-urged-to-play-active-role#sthash.h4sHkx4I.dpuf
Hindraf members in fear of sedition dragnet
Hindraf members now fear coming under the
sedition dragnet, after the Home Ministry took a copy of a book which
contains writings by its leader P Uthayakumar.
The book titled Torture in Malaysian Prisons: Who You Didn’t Know and Need to Know to Act is a compilation of letters, memoranda and commentaries written by Uthayakumar about prison living conditions.
Hindraf supporter M Varatharajoo, who had compiled the contents, said an officer from the Home Ministry’s Publications Control and Quranic Text Division had first asked for copies of the book from the typesetter.
The typesetter cum printer then gave Varatharajoo’s number as he did not have any copies of the book left.
Varatharajoo said the officer, named Zulkepli Mat Hashim, had called him and they subsequently met at his office on Wednesday (Feb 18).
“But I told him I only have three copies, so I could only give him one,” he told Malaysiakini today.
He further pointed out that 500 copies of the book had been sent out, including to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, all ministries and MPs, as well as relevant non-governmental organisations and media organisations, in October last year.
Book 'will not be returned'
“They (the Home Ministry) must have one copy of the book. Otherwise, how did they know the typesetter’s address?” he said.
Varatharajoo added that the officer however claimed that he did not have a copy and when asked, said he will not be returning the copy.
The officer also did not give a reason as to why he had taken the book.
Varatharajoo said that the book was not seditious and that they were simply pushing for better living conditions for prisoners.
“Although an inmate might be a murderer or a gangster, he is still a human being. The government should take care of their welfare,” he said.
Stressing that all Malaysians should know what was happening in the country’s jails, he also proposed that a group of retired judges and human rights groups pay a visit to prisons every six months before coming up with a report and submitting it to Parliament.
The Home Ministry’s Publications Control and Quranic Text Division is in charge of banning books it deemed unsuitable.
Although Varatharajoo cited concerns about sedition, the book might likely be banned, instead.
Uthayakumar who was sentenced to 30 months in prison for sedition, had recounted various “horrors” he experienced in prison during the two years in prison.
In an interview with Malaysiakini after his release, he had claimed that five inmates were forced to share one toothbrush.
He also said the same dipper which they used to eat out of, functions as the container used to wash their wounds and soak their underwear.
The book titled Torture in Malaysian Prisons: Who You Didn’t Know and Need to Know to Act is a compilation of letters, memoranda and commentaries written by Uthayakumar about prison living conditions.Hindraf supporter M Varatharajoo, who had compiled the contents, said an officer from the Home Ministry’s Publications Control and Quranic Text Division had first asked for copies of the book from the typesetter.
The typesetter cum printer then gave Varatharajoo’s number as he did not have any copies of the book left.
Varatharajoo said the officer, named Zulkepli Mat Hashim, had called him and they subsequently met at his office on Wednesday (Feb 18).
“But I told him I only have three copies, so I could only give him one,” he told Malaysiakini today.
He further pointed out that 500 copies of the book had been sent out, including to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, all ministries and MPs, as well as relevant non-governmental organisations and media organisations, in October last year.
Book 'will not be returned'
“They (the Home Ministry) must have one copy of the book. Otherwise, how did they know the typesetter’s address?” he said.
Varatharajoo added that the officer however claimed that he did not have a copy and when asked, said he will not be returning the copy.
The officer also did not give a reason as to why he had taken the book.
Varatharajoo said that the book was not seditious and that they were simply pushing for better living conditions for prisoners.“Although an inmate might be a murderer or a gangster, he is still a human being. The government should take care of their welfare,” he said.
Stressing that all Malaysians should know what was happening in the country’s jails, he also proposed that a group of retired judges and human rights groups pay a visit to prisons every six months before coming up with a report and submitting it to Parliament.
The Home Ministry’s Publications Control and Quranic Text Division is in charge of banning books it deemed unsuitable.
Although Varatharajoo cited concerns about sedition, the book might likely be banned, instead.
Uthayakumar who was sentenced to 30 months in prison for sedition, had recounted various “horrors” he experienced in prison during the two years in prison.
In an interview with Malaysiakini after his release, he had claimed that five inmates were forced to share one toothbrush.
He also said the same dipper which they used to eat out of, functions as the container used to wash their wounds and soak their underwear.
Australia may give green light to Sirul’s tell-all
Australia’s Immigration Department said that it
has not ruled out the possibility of convicted murderer Sirul Azhar Umar
giving tell-all television interviews provided proper application
processes were met.
"Generally, the department does not facilitate interviews within detention facilities for operational reasons," a spokesperson for Immigration minister, Peter Dutton, told Australia’s The Age newspaper.
The unnamed spokesperson was reported yesterday to have said that the department has not approved any television interviews with Sirul, a 43-year-old police commando who has been sentenced to death in Malaysia and is currently held at Sydney's Villawood detention centre.
According to The Age,
Sirul would need top-level approval for a media interview in
Villawood's maximum security Blaxland unit, where he has been held since
his arrest in Brisbane, Queensland, on Jan 20.
Malaysiakini has earlier reported that Sirul was being approached by a number of Australian television stations for interviews to reveal who allegedly ordered him and his compatriot, Azilah Hadri, to kill Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.
Both men were part of then deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s security detail and on Thursday, Prime Minister Najib rubbished Sirul’s claim that he was ordered by his superiors to kill Shaariibuu.
"Utter rubbish," Najib said when questioned by a Malaysiakini reporter during a Chinese New Year’s open house.
No motive mentioned
Numerous questions have surfaced pertaining to the murder case. Chief among them was that the prosecution and courts failed to establish a motive for the grisly murder.
Najib has repeatedly denied ever meeting Shaariibuu (right) and even swore in the name of God that he had nothing to do with the matter.
His former aide de camp, deputy superintendent Musa Safri, who reportedly told Azilah to help Razak Baginda on the night of the murder, was however not called to testify in the sensational trial.
This was one of the reasons cited by the Court of Appeal in freeing both Azilah and Sirul in 2012, only for its decision to be reversed by the Federal Court last month.
Azilah, who was present when the apex court delivered its decision, was immediately led to death row to await his execution while Sirul fled to Queenland.
The government had vowed to file an application to extradite him despite Australian law dictating that a person facing the death penalty in his or her home country cannot be sent back.
"Generally, the department does not facilitate interviews within detention facilities for operational reasons," a spokesperson for Immigration minister, Peter Dutton, told Australia’s The Age newspaper.
The unnamed spokesperson was reported yesterday to have said that the department has not approved any television interviews with Sirul, a 43-year-old police commando who has been sentenced to death in Malaysia and is currently held at Sydney's Villawood detention centre.
According to The Age,
Sirul would need top-level approval for a media interview in
Villawood's maximum security Blaxland unit, where he has been held since
his arrest in Brisbane, Queensland, on Jan 20. Malaysiakini has earlier reported that Sirul was being approached by a number of Australian television stations for interviews to reveal who allegedly ordered him and his compatriot, Azilah Hadri, to kill Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.
Both men were part of then deputy prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s security detail and on Thursday, Prime Minister Najib rubbished Sirul’s claim that he was ordered by his superiors to kill Shaariibuu.
"Utter rubbish," Najib said when questioned by a Malaysiakini reporter during a Chinese New Year’s open house.
No motive mentioned
Numerous questions have surfaced pertaining to the murder case. Chief among them was that the prosecution and courts failed to establish a motive for the grisly murder.
Najib has repeatedly denied ever meeting Shaariibuu (right) and even swore in the name of God that he had nothing to do with the matter.His former aide de camp, deputy superintendent Musa Safri, who reportedly told Azilah to help Razak Baginda on the night of the murder, was however not called to testify in the sensational trial.
This was one of the reasons cited by the Court of Appeal in freeing both Azilah and Sirul in 2012, only for its decision to be reversed by the Federal Court last month.
Azilah, who was present when the apex court delivered its decision, was immediately led to death row to await his execution while Sirul fled to Queenland.
The government had vowed to file an application to extradite him despite Australian law dictating that a person facing the death penalty in his or her home country cannot be sent back.
Survey: M'sia's polls boundaries worst in world
This places Malaysia among countries with 'low electoral integrity' ranking 114 out of 127 nations surveyed along with the likes of Angola, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Egypt, EIP's 2014 report said.
It trails far behind neighbour Indonesia, which ranks 51st for its presidential elections. The Philippines and Thailand rank 91st and 88th place respectively.
Malaysia
was dragged down by its score for voting boundaries, where it scored 28
out of 100 – the worst in the world. The average global score was 64.International and domestic experts who responded to EIP's survey after GE13, said Malaysia's electoral boundaries discriminated against some parties, favoured incumbents and were not impartial.
Similarly, Malaysia was in the bottom five in electoral laws by scoring a dismal 33, far behind the global average of 64, the report found.
It was only better than Syria, Belarus, Tajikistan and Equitorial Guinea.
Repondents were asked to rate Malaysia's laws for fairness to smaller parties, whether the laws favoured governing parties and restricted citizens' rights.
Malaysia, however met the world average for voting process, with respondents saying there were few cases of violence during polls or fraudulent votes case, a simple voting process, and option to vote for overseas Malaysians.
Zaid sets up a web platform for moderates
'Sensible' place for push back against racial and religious extremism
FMT
PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has now become a publisher and media owner, in addition to being a lawyer, author, blogger, newspaper columnist and anti-highway activist.
He has set up a “sensible” news and commentary web site called Nasionalis at www.nasionalis.my, with four staff, to provide a platform for moderates to speak up.
“I wanted a 100% Malay-language portal focussing on political education and issues the country needed to talk about, especially among the Malay community,” he told Malaysian Insider.
Zaid said he was concerned that the Malays were being influenced by ideologies of racial and religious extremism which he felt would be detrimental to both the community and the country in the long term.
“I believe we need to do something to bring all the races together. There’s no reason for different races to fight and there will be no end to this. We need to move on because I believe we are still being dragged by this religious and racial problems. It is dangerous and unnecessary,” the Star quoted him as saying.
“I encourage especially the Indians, Chinese, or the Kadazans write in Bahasa for us and I will publish them…this is an exciting project,” he said.
FMTPETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has now become a publisher and media owner, in addition to being a lawyer, author, blogger, newspaper columnist and anti-highway activist.
He has set up a “sensible” news and commentary web site called Nasionalis at www.nasionalis.my, with four staff, to provide a platform for moderates to speak up.
“I wanted a 100% Malay-language portal focussing on political education and issues the country needed to talk about, especially among the Malay community,” he told Malaysian Insider.
Zaid said he was concerned that the Malays were being influenced by ideologies of racial and religious extremism which he felt would be detrimental to both the community and the country in the long term.
“I believe we need to do something to bring all the races together. There’s no reason for different races to fight and there will be no end to this. We need to move on because I believe we are still being dragged by this religious and racial problems. It is dangerous and unnecessary,” the Star quoted him as saying.
“I encourage especially the Indians, Chinese, or the Kadazans write in Bahasa for us and I will publish them…this is an exciting project,” he said.
Anti-terrorism bill ready for Parliament
New law to be tabled at the next sitting in March, says Wan Junaidi.
FMT
KUCHING: A new law on prevention of terrorism will be ready for tabling in Parliament next month, says Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said the law is crucial to curb the influence of terrorists because existing provisions mostly deals with matters after the fact.
The new Prevention of Terrorism Bill was drafted after Parliament debated and approved a government White Paper on combating the threat of Islamic State, in November.
Fears have been expressed that the new law would incorporate measures for detention without trial, similar to those provided under the now-repealed Internal Security Act, which was frequently criticised for being used against political dissidents under the cover of national security.
Wan Junaidi said preventative laws were needed “so that we can take action even before acts are committed”. He said terrorist groups that misused Islam as a political tool were a threat to all Malaysians, not just Muslims.
“They are influencing the youth, our children. They use multiple approaches. They go to universities, to schools. This is a big challenge for the Government,” Junaidi was quoted as saying on Thursday after a 14-year-old girl was detained on suspicion of trying to join Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.
The girl, from Muar, was arrested under the new security offences law on Tuesday before she could board a Cairo-bound flight.
FMT
KUCHING: A new law on prevention of terrorism will be ready for tabling in Parliament next month, says Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said the law is crucial to curb the influence of terrorists because existing provisions mostly deals with matters after the fact.
The new Prevention of Terrorism Bill was drafted after Parliament debated and approved a government White Paper on combating the threat of Islamic State, in November.
Fears have been expressed that the new law would incorporate measures for detention without trial, similar to those provided under the now-repealed Internal Security Act, which was frequently criticised for being used against political dissidents under the cover of national security.
Wan Junaidi said preventative laws were needed “so that we can take action even before acts are committed”. He said terrorist groups that misused Islam as a political tool were a threat to all Malaysians, not just Muslims.
“They are influencing the youth, our children. They use multiple approaches. They go to universities, to schools. This is a big challenge for the Government,” Junaidi was quoted as saying on Thursday after a 14-year-old girl was detained on suspicion of trying to join Islamic State fighters in the Middle East.
The girl, from Muar, was arrested under the new security offences law on Tuesday before she could board a Cairo-bound flight.
Ex-IGP, activist deny Anwar trial conspiracy claim
Businessman's account of meeting 'a complete lie' says anti-crime activist Sanjeevan
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Anti-crime activist R Sri Sanjeevan has denied being part of an alleged attempt to subvert the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy case, while the former Inspector-General of Police, Musa Hassan, denied trying to find out about any conspiracy to convict opposition leader Anwar who is now serving a five-year jail sentence.
In a statement today, Sanjeevan described the allegations made by a businessman that he had asked Jude Pereira who is the investigating officer of the case to subvert the trial as “a complete lie”.
Sanjeevan acknowledged that he had met Pereira in April 2013, just before the general election. The meeting was arranged by Musa, then patron of the MyWatch group which Sanjeevan headed.
“I wish to state that it is a complete lie to suggest that there was an attempt to subvert the trial,” he said, according to Malaysian Insider.
“The meeting was to confirm from Jude himself whether there was a conspiracy in Anwar’s case, however, unfortunately since Jude was not willing to go on record, it ended there. I have never met nor contacted Jude since then,” he said.
The article claimed that Sanjeevan had said that he was close to Anwar Ibrahim, but Sanjeevan said Anwar had nothing to do with the meeting, adding that it was his own effort to find out the truth about the sodomy case.
“There was no attempt to subvert the trial as this meeting happened after Anwar was acquitted in January 2012 and the trial was over. I should have known better than to trust these two individuals i.e., Musa Hassan and Jude Pereira,” he was quoted as saying.
Musa was quoted by The Star as saying that the businessman’s article at Malaysia Today was wrong. He said he had met Jude Pereira but “I never asked him (Jude) if there was a conspiracy in Anwar’s case”, he was quoted as saying.
Musa said Pereira had told him later that he had met Sanjeevan and was asked to issue a statement about there being a conspiracy against Anwar, and that he had commended Pereira “when he told me that he refused to issue the press release,” The Star reported.
According to the article in Malaysia Today which was written by Raggie Jessy, Pereira related the incident where he met Musa who asked whether there was any conspiracy in the investigation against Anwar. He replied that the statements from the witnesses showed distinctly that there was not a shred of conspiracy.
Jessy’s article also mentioned that Pereira said that Sanjeevan had asked him, at a meeting in Petaling Jaya, whether he would make a press statement to say that there was a conspiracy in the investigations against Anwar and mentioned that he would be taken care of, should the opposition win the election. However, Pereira said he refused to do so as his investigations showed no conspiracy or government interference, according to the article.
FMTKUALA LUMPUR: Anti-crime activist R Sri Sanjeevan has denied being part of an alleged attempt to subvert the Anwar Ibrahim sodomy case, while the former Inspector-General of Police, Musa Hassan, denied trying to find out about any conspiracy to convict opposition leader Anwar who is now serving a five-year jail sentence.
In a statement today, Sanjeevan described the allegations made by a businessman that he had asked Jude Pereira who is the investigating officer of the case to subvert the trial as “a complete lie”.
Sanjeevan acknowledged that he had met Pereira in April 2013, just before the general election. The meeting was arranged by Musa, then patron of the MyWatch group which Sanjeevan headed.
“I wish to state that it is a complete lie to suggest that there was an attempt to subvert the trial,” he said, according to Malaysian Insider.
“The meeting was to confirm from Jude himself whether there was a conspiracy in Anwar’s case, however, unfortunately since Jude was not willing to go on record, it ended there. I have never met nor contacted Jude since then,” he said.
The article claimed that Sanjeevan had said that he was close to Anwar Ibrahim, but Sanjeevan said Anwar had nothing to do with the meeting, adding that it was his own effort to find out the truth about the sodomy case.
“There was no attempt to subvert the trial as this meeting happened after Anwar was acquitted in January 2012 and the trial was over. I should have known better than to trust these two individuals i.e., Musa Hassan and Jude Pereira,” he was quoted as saying.
Musa was quoted by The Star as saying that the businessman’s article at Malaysia Today was wrong. He said he had met Jude Pereira but “I never asked him (Jude) if there was a conspiracy in Anwar’s case”, he was quoted as saying.
Musa said Pereira had told him later that he had met Sanjeevan and was asked to issue a statement about there being a conspiracy against Anwar, and that he had commended Pereira “when he told me that he refused to issue the press release,” The Star reported.
According to the article in Malaysia Today which was written by Raggie Jessy, Pereira related the incident where he met Musa who asked whether there was any conspiracy in the investigation against Anwar. He replied that the statements from the witnesses showed distinctly that there was not a shred of conspiracy.
Jessy’s article also mentioned that Pereira said that Sanjeevan had asked him, at a meeting in Petaling Jaya, whether he would make a press statement to say that there was a conspiracy in the investigations against Anwar and mentioned that he would be taken care of, should the opposition win the election. However, Pereira said he refused to do so as his investigations showed no conspiracy or government interference, according to the article.
Sirul Azhar the ticking time bomb
Will convicted Altantuya killer blow up Najib? Wait for the Ides of March, says Ariff Sabri
FMT
Convicted killer Sirul Azhar’s sojourn in Australia, and a promised “tell-all” interview with the Malaysian press on Monday, has got tongues wagging about the kind of support he has obtained, and what he may say.
Does he have anything explosive to reveal? Will the former police commando blow up? Will Najib Razak, who has been indirectly linked to the woman, survive the Ides of March?
Questions have been popping up ever since it was revealed that Sirul had quietly left the country in the months before a Federal Court decision on his conviction and death sentence for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2008.
Fresh demands have been made for the Altantuya case to be re-opened, after Sirul told Malaysiakini last week that he had acted under orders when, with chief inspector Azilah Hadri, he carried out the killing of Altantuya, aged 28, by shooting her in the head and blowing up her body with plastic explosives.
Najib has pooh-poohed Sirul’s insistence that he was merely acting under orders (an aide to Najib was named in his original cautioned police statement but not at the trial) and that the real killer had not been punished. “Utter rubbish,” the prime minister had said.
Now the MP for Raub, Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, has asked in a speculative article on his blog whether Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s warning about the Ides of March would become a reality.
Ariff questioned why Najib had reacted so pointedly to Sirul’s remarks, as the Attorney-General had previously stated, before Sirul and Azilah were put on trial, that no others were involved.
“Let’s wait for March,” Ariff said. “Let’s see if Dr Mahathir’s warning comes about. Let’s see if Najib can survive after March.”
The “Ides of March”, a phrase from Shakespeare, refers to warning given by soothsayers to Julius Ceasar that senators led by Brutus were conspiring to assassinate him.
In a separate article, lawyer Haris Ibrahim speculates that Dr Mahathir may have helped Sirul to disappear to Australia, and could be the unseen hand behind Sirul’s willingness to reveal more about the murder.
Ariff makes no direct link to Mahathir as Haris does.
However, Ariff also speculates that Sirul may have been influenced by Australians to now speak up, as no Malaysians have access to him at the immigration detention centre where he is being held while awaiting the Australian government’s decision whether to extradite him as requested by Malaysia.
Dr Mahathir and his supporters have led a campaign against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, especially lately with a barrage of criticism directed towards the government-owned investment company 1Malaysia Development Bhd, where Najib is an adviser.
Ariff reasons that Sirul’s reluctance to speak up about the order received from a high place during his trial may have been out of fear of “custodial death”, as speculated by Razak Baginda, a former policy analyst and associate of Najib, who was a co-accused but was acquitted without his defence being called.
“And Razak is an honourable man,” Ariff sarcastically points out, in the manner that Julius Ceasar’s friend Mark Antony referred to Brutus.
The Raub MP also speculates that Sirul may have met important people before he left for Australia and spoken about the events of the time.
For his protection, he may have prepared written depositions, attested to by people of impeccable integrity and credentials and Ariff asks if these will surface in March.
He reasons that someone under the threat of death would want to save his soul, and Sirul deserves to be given a chance.
FMT
Convicted killer Sirul Azhar’s sojourn in Australia, and a promised “tell-all” interview with the Malaysian press on Monday, has got tongues wagging about the kind of support he has obtained, and what he may say.
Does he have anything explosive to reveal? Will the former police commando blow up? Will Najib Razak, who has been indirectly linked to the woman, survive the Ides of March?
Questions have been popping up ever since it was revealed that Sirul had quietly left the country in the months before a Federal Court decision on his conviction and death sentence for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2008.
Fresh demands have been made for the Altantuya case to be re-opened, after Sirul told Malaysiakini last week that he had acted under orders when, with chief inspector Azilah Hadri, he carried out the killing of Altantuya, aged 28, by shooting her in the head and blowing up her body with plastic explosives.
Najib has pooh-poohed Sirul’s insistence that he was merely acting under orders (an aide to Najib was named in his original cautioned police statement but not at the trial) and that the real killer had not been punished. “Utter rubbish,” the prime minister had said.
Now the MP for Raub, Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, has asked in a speculative article on his blog whether Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s warning about the Ides of March would become a reality.
Ariff questioned why Najib had reacted so pointedly to Sirul’s remarks, as the Attorney-General had previously stated, before Sirul and Azilah were put on trial, that no others were involved.
“Let’s wait for March,” Ariff said. “Let’s see if Dr Mahathir’s warning comes about. Let’s see if Najib can survive after March.”
The “Ides of March”, a phrase from Shakespeare, refers to warning given by soothsayers to Julius Ceasar that senators led by Brutus were conspiring to assassinate him.
In a separate article, lawyer Haris Ibrahim speculates that Dr Mahathir may have helped Sirul to disappear to Australia, and could be the unseen hand behind Sirul’s willingness to reveal more about the murder.
Ariff makes no direct link to Mahathir as Haris does.
However, Ariff also speculates that Sirul may have been influenced by Australians to now speak up, as no Malaysians have access to him at the immigration detention centre where he is being held while awaiting the Australian government’s decision whether to extradite him as requested by Malaysia.
Dr Mahathir and his supporters have led a campaign against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor, especially lately with a barrage of criticism directed towards the government-owned investment company 1Malaysia Development Bhd, where Najib is an adviser.
Ariff reasons that Sirul’s reluctance to speak up about the order received from a high place during his trial may have been out of fear of “custodial death”, as speculated by Razak Baginda, a former policy analyst and associate of Najib, who was a co-accused but was acquitted without his defence being called.
“And Razak is an honourable man,” Ariff sarcastically points out, in the manner that Julius Ceasar’s friend Mark Antony referred to Brutus.
The Raub MP also speculates that Sirul may have met important people before he left for Australia and spoken about the events of the time.
For his protection, he may have prepared written depositions, attested to by people of impeccable integrity and credentials and Ariff asks if these will surface in March.
He reasons that someone under the threat of death would want to save his soul, and Sirul deserves to be given a chance.
Sirul cannot continue to equivocate about the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu but must show genuine remorse for the killing under orders if he wants Malaysians and the world to be equally outraged at his betrayal by the murder “mastermind”
The latest from former police commando Sirul Azhar, one of the two convicted murderers of the Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu who is in Australia challenging the bid of the Malaysian government to extradite him to return to the death row in Malaysia, is that he had never admitted to the murder of Altantuya.
Sirul has been maintaining in his telephone conversations with Malaysiakini that he had acted under orders and was being made a scapegoat.
He told Malaysiakini on Chinese New Year on Wednesday, 19th February – the day the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, blurted “utter rubbish”, “total rubbish” to Sirul’s claim of having acted “under orders”:
“There are no witnesses to the murder until today. All this is based on circumstantial evidence linking me (to the murder).Sirul should come clean and admit to the heinous murder of Altantunya under orders.
“I understand that circumstantial evidence is not strong as direct evidence.”
Sirul cannot continue to equivocate about the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu but must show genuine remorse for the killing under orders if he wants Malaysians and the world to be equally outraged at his betrayal by the murder “mastermind”
It is true that Sirul had never admitted to killing the Mongolian during the prolonged nine-year trial and appeals on the murder of Shaariibuu from 2006 – 2015, but he was very specific in admitting to the killing of Altantuya by providing explicit and graphic details of the gruesome murder of Altantunya together with another former police commando Azila Hadri and blowing by her body by military C4 explosives in Sirul’s first statement to the police on November 9, 2006.
On Feb. 3, 2009 a tearful Sirul asked the Kuala Lumpur High Court not to sentence him to death for Altantuya’s murder, saying he was like “a black sheep that has to be sacrificed” to protect unnamed people who have never been brought to court or faced questioning.
Sirul said: “I have no reason to cause hurt, what’s more to take the life of the victim in such a cruel manner. I appeal to the court, which has the powers to determine if I live or die, not to sentence me so as to fulfil others’ plans for me.”
Sirul has the support of decent human beings, whether in Malaysia, Australia and anywhere in the world, in feeling outraged that as a pawn in the killing of Altantuya, he had to pay the supreme penalty of “death penalty” while the murder mastermind could get off scot-free.
But Sirul cannot be equivocal, trying to have the best of both worlds, claiming that he had never admitted to the murder of Altantuya and yet want the world to sympathise with his outrage that he was being punished for loyally carrying out orders while the the mastermind who issued the order gets away scotsfree.
Sirul should stop equivocating. The murder trial is fully over with the Federal Court decision on January 13, 2015 finding Sirul and Azila guilty of the murder of Altantuya and sentenced them to death.
Sirul must confront the facts: Was Altantunya murdered in Mukim Bukit Raja, Klang between 10 pm on Oct. 19, 2006 and 1 am on Oct. 20, 2006; was she murdered by him and Azila, both of whom used military explosives to blow up her body to destroy the evidence; and were they acting “orders” when murdering Altantunya?
If Sirul claims that he is innocent of the murder of Altantunya, then he should not be claiming justice on the ground that he had murdered under “orders”, but that he had been wrongly convicted of Altantunya’s murder when he is totally innocent.
Sirul should think through his statements and actions so not to be caught in a web of his own making.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)