Monday 9 March 2015
'Make sure you bring lingerie': Creepy ISIS jihadi grooms undercover reporter posing as 15-year-old girl looking for way to Syria
- Journalist made contact with 'Amatullah', who claimed to be a 16-year-old member of Islamic State originally from the UK
- Reporter asked jihadi what they should bring on their trip to war-torn Syria
- Was told 'Lingerie, loool…' in creepy online exchange with militant
- Detailed instructions on how to travel to Syria were also passed over
A creepy ISIS militant told an undercover reporter he thought was a teenage girl to bring lingerie with her to Syria on her way to be a jihadi bride.
The journalist made contact with 'Amatullah', who claimed to be a 16-year-old member of Islamic State originally from the UK in a publically shared post on social media.
The reporter, posing as a 15-year-old girl, got a response within minutes after responding to the militant.
Detailed instructions on how to travel to Syria using an encrypted smartphone application were soon provided by the ISIS member to the 5 News reporter, using an encrypted smartphone application.
It included advice on how to evade the authorities.
The journalist was told: 'It's not hard. U dont need to know arabic there's plenty of britani bros here... U can stay with me if u want. Until u get married.'
'Comeasap. There's sisters coming every day.'
When the reporter posing as a teenage girl interest in heading to Syria was asked what to pack on her journey to the war-torn country, they were told: 'Lingerie, loool…'
Jim Gamble, the former chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, said radicalisation of young people needs to be treated as online grooming.
He said: 'We need to recognise as people, as a government, that radicalisation in the online world is grooming.
'These people are child abusers and we need to recognise that and we need to be using the language of child abusers when we talk about these thugs who radicalise our children and put them in harm's way.'
Last month, three schoolgirls from London left their homes to travel join jihadis.
Bethnal Green teenagers Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and 16-year-old Kadiza Sultana are all thought to now be Syria after last month flying to Turkey and travelling on by bus.
Last year, Bristol girl Yusra Hussien joined Islamic State at just 15 years old.
The family spokesperson Anira Khokha told 5 News: 'I think people forget they are being sexually exploited. Of course they are being groomed.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2984237/Creepy-ISIS-jihadi-grooms-undercover-reporter-posing-15-year-old-girl-looking-way-Syria.html
'I heard English accents... They asked for infidels'
Crucifixions, beheadings and life in Isil-held Syria as revealed by refugees fleeing the terror to Shona Murray in Beirut
Shona Murray
'WE saw the slaughter with our bare eyes. We saw them beheading men in front of our eyes in the centre of our town.
"When we were escaping, there were heads on spikes on each route outside the city, just to remind us all of what can happen," says 39-year-old Umma Abed from Deir ez-Zor in Isil-held Syria.
Umma Abed and her four daughters and two sons fled Isil's control and managed to get to Lebanon late last year.
"They're not Syrians - I heard English accents; Tunisians. When they came first, they searched our house, and said 'do you have any infidels here?'
"I said no, we are just with God; we just want to live, and eat and save my children.
"My daughter fainted, she was so frightened; my son, Abed was crying".
The family are farmers, and owned five hectares of wheat - much of which they were eventually forced to hand over to the local Isil militants.
Isil captured the town of Deir ez-Zor late last July, during a series of lightning advances in Iraq and Syria. Its headquarters in Syria is in the city of Raqqa, next to Deir ez-Zor.
"We were working in the land; one day a missile landed 20 feet from us, and I knew Daesh [local name for Isis] was coming."
When they came, "there was no mercy", she says.
"I have daughters, and if one of them went outside without their face covered, their father would be flogged 80 times.
"This is how they used to make us wear our niqab," Umma Abed demonstrates with her headscarf, fully covering her face.
"The Isil female police would arrest us if we went outside without our husband or other men; they would have us flogged. If my son was sick, I couldn't take him to the hospital unless there was a man.
"One day I was with my son and husband in the town, and they had just crucified a local man, and my son asked me, 'what is happening, why are they doing this', and I kept telling him that it was a statue, and not real. He said 'no, it looks like a real man'.
"He didn't sleep for four nights afterwards, he was so scared. That man's crucifix was held very high, so that everybody could see. My other son wanted to study law, but they said nobody can study law anymore, Daesh says we all have to go back to the laws of when Mohammad was alive.
"My daughter used to study in a regime - Syrian - controlled school, she was in grade nine, but the female Isil police officers said the school was for infidels, and it was 'anti-Islam' for my daughters to be educated."
As well as the savagery meted out by Isil foreigners to her neighbours and family, Umma Abed explains that hunger also drove them to leave.
They now live in a one-room tent, on a campsite at the foothill of the mountains that separates Syria from Lebanon - just 40km away is Damascus. It is through this route her and her family took three days to find shelter.
"We are hungry again, but not as much as before. We need to pay rent in this tent; bread and water are expensive."
NGOs like World Vision and the UN develop sanitation methods for the thousands of refugees that arrive with nowhere to live. They also provide basic food items and clothes.
"It is good, but not enough. We need more food, and my children get sick from the cold and the hygiene in the camp.
Her five-year-old son Abed is in school in the Child Friendly Space (CFS), a designated area set up in various camps by World Vision, which allows children to get basic education while they remain as refugees.
"We just want to go back to our lands, and get rid of Daesh - they are not even Syrian; I don't think Syrians would do this to their own people"
Another alarming consequence of the Syrian war and the refugee crisis is the major rise in the number of child brides whose families can no longer support them, and in cases where a girl is married before the family flee, it is for fear that she will be kidnapped and forced to marry a 'foreign jihadi'. A UNICEF report from 2014 says that child marriages for Syrian refugees have doubled in the past year, with 32pc of recorded marriages occurring in cases where the girl was under 18, many of whom marrying men more than 10 years their senior.
Fifteen-year-old Maryam married her cousin nearly a year ago. The arrangement was made by both their families, before coming to the temporary refugee camps on the Syria/Lebanon border.
Read more: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/i-heard-english-accents-they-asked-for-infidels-31049294.html
Shona Murray
'WE saw the slaughter with our bare eyes. We saw them beheading men in front of our eyes in the centre of our town.
"When we were escaping, there were heads on spikes on each route outside the city, just to remind us all of what can happen," says 39-year-old Umma Abed from Deir ez-Zor in Isil-held Syria.
Umma Abed and her four daughters and two sons fled Isil's control and managed to get to Lebanon late last year.
"They're not Syrians - I heard English accents; Tunisians. When they came first, they searched our house, and said 'do you have any infidels here?'
"I said no, we are just with God; we just want to live, and eat and save my children.
"My daughter fainted, she was so frightened; my son, Abed was crying".
The family are farmers, and owned five hectares of wheat - much of which they were eventually forced to hand over to the local Isil militants.
Isil captured the town of Deir ez-Zor late last July, during a series of lightning advances in Iraq and Syria. Its headquarters in Syria is in the city of Raqqa, next to Deir ez-Zor.
"We were working in the land; one day a missile landed 20 feet from us, and I knew Daesh [local name for Isis] was coming."
When they came, "there was no mercy", she says.
"I have daughters, and if one of them went outside without their face covered, their father would be flogged 80 times.
"This is how they used to make us wear our niqab," Umma Abed demonstrates with her headscarf, fully covering her face.
"The Isil female police would arrest us if we went outside without our husband or other men; they would have us flogged. If my son was sick, I couldn't take him to the hospital unless there was a man.
"One day I was with my son and husband in the town, and they had just crucified a local man, and my son asked me, 'what is happening, why are they doing this', and I kept telling him that it was a statue, and not real. He said 'no, it looks like a real man'.
"He didn't sleep for four nights afterwards, he was so scared. That man's crucifix was held very high, so that everybody could see. My other son wanted to study law, but they said nobody can study law anymore, Daesh says we all have to go back to the laws of when Mohammad was alive.
"My daughter used to study in a regime - Syrian - controlled school, she was in grade nine, but the female Isil police officers said the school was for infidels, and it was 'anti-Islam' for my daughters to be educated."
As well as the savagery meted out by Isil foreigners to her neighbours and family, Umma Abed explains that hunger also drove them to leave.
They now live in a one-room tent, on a campsite at the foothill of the mountains that separates Syria from Lebanon - just 40km away is Damascus. It is through this route her and her family took three days to find shelter.
"We are hungry again, but not as much as before. We need to pay rent in this tent; bread and water are expensive."
NGOs like World Vision and the UN develop sanitation methods for the thousands of refugees that arrive with nowhere to live. They also provide basic food items and clothes.
"It is good, but not enough. We need more food, and my children get sick from the cold and the hygiene in the camp.
Her five-year-old son Abed is in school in the Child Friendly Space (CFS), a designated area set up in various camps by World Vision, which allows children to get basic education while they remain as refugees.
"We just want to go back to our lands, and get rid of Daesh - they are not even Syrian; I don't think Syrians would do this to their own people"
Another alarming consequence of the Syrian war and the refugee crisis is the major rise in the number of child brides whose families can no longer support them, and in cases where a girl is married before the family flee, it is for fear that she will be kidnapped and forced to marry a 'foreign jihadi'. A UNICEF report from 2014 says that child marriages for Syrian refugees have doubled in the past year, with 32pc of recorded marriages occurring in cases where the girl was under 18, many of whom marrying men more than 10 years their senior.
Fifteen-year-old Maryam married her cousin nearly a year ago. The arrangement was made by both their families, before coming to the temporary refugee camps on the Syria/Lebanon border.
Read more: http://www.independent.ie/world-news/middle-east/i-heard-english-accents-they-asked-for-infidels-31049294.html
Bangladesh PM Hasina narrowly escapes bomb blast
Several crude bombs exploded in Dhaka's Karwan Bazar only 10 minutes after Hasina's convoy passed the area. Hasina was on her way to address a rally organised by the ruling Awami League in the capital's Suhrawardy Udyan, to mark the anniversary of the historic public address by the Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971.
One police official received minor injuries in the blasts.
"But the official, ASI Mahbub, is fine and is still on duty," bdnews24 online quoted a police official as saying.
The blasts occurred amid an ongoing transport blockade and a shutdown across Bangladesh, enforced by the Opposition BNP and its allies.
Bomb blasts and arson attacks have become frequent in Bangladesh during the blockade that started on January 5 and shutdowns that the 20-Party alliance led by BNP has been enforcing since the beginning of February.
More than 100 people have died in the past two months, mostly in fire-bombings. Many more have been injured.
The BNP-led strike aims to force the Hasina-government to hold fresh elections a year after the controversial elections last year which the BNP had boycotted demanding a neutral caretaker government to oversee the polls. AR ABH
Najib quells dissent in Umno… for now
Datuk Seri Najib Razak showed yesterday that he remains Umno's point person to lead the party and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government despite facing strident public criticism over Putrajaya's handling of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), which is saddled with a RM42 billion debt.Despite the absence of a few party leaders, the Umno president quelled whatever internal dissent brewing over 1MDB, which the opposition claimed could dent the country's finances if the government-owned company defaults on its mountain of debt.
All 160 of the 191 division chiefs, who had showed up at the meeting with Najib, said they were confident over their president’s handling of the issue that has taken prominence after criticism from former prime minister and party president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in recent months.
Their confidence in Najib was no different from his Cabinet's support last week although Umno deputy president and deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had asked for a thorough probe to look into any irregularities, a forensic audit and no bailout using public funds for the government firm which has RM51 billion of assets but little cash flow.
“That is what we were concerned with, if there is misappropriation. If there is wrong judgment in investing, it is still acceptable,” said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on behalf of the division chiefs.
“But we cannot compromise is when there is misappropriation or abuse of power. So he promised no one will be protected and this what the divisions chiefs want,” said Ismail Sabri, who is a party Supreme Council member from Najib's home state, Pahang.
According to one division chief, Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, all those at the Umno meeting were satisfied with Najib’s explanation of 1MDB, the audit reports on its accounts and the company’s finances.
“He said 1MDB actually has more assets than debts in the bank. So if we compare, the company still has more assets.
“After the audit is done, the company will be shown to be profitable,” said Bung Mokhtar, who is Kinabatangan division chief in Sabah, a key Umno vote bank.
Najib yesterday repeated his promise made to the Cabinet that Putrajaya would protect no one found guilty of fraud or mismanagement of the company, which is wholly owned by the Finance Ministry.
He also said the accounts will be vetted by the auditor-general and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to probe into whether there has been any wrongdoing.
Criticism towards 1MDB and Najib’s handling of the economy within Umno has been spurred mostly by supporters of Dr Mahathir and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin.
The criticism appeared to have tarnished Najib’s image in public and party leaders were concerned that if left unchecked, it would lead to an erosion of support ahead of the next federal election due in 2018.
“With his explanation, we are confident of explaining the 1MDB issue to the public and the grassroots,” Ismail Sabri said in a press conference after the meeting in the party headquarters in capital city Kuala Lumpur.
There was also speculation whether the 1MDB saga had caused a rift between Najib and his deputy Muhyiddin, as the latter was conspicuously missing at the meeting.
Two days ago, Muhyiddin had come out with his own statement on 1MDB, saying there would be no public bailout of the company and that its directors must explain some of the company’s business deals which had not profited the government.
Ismail Sabri brushed off suggestions that there could be an ulterior motive behind Muhyiddin’s absence, saying the deputy prime minister had prior commitments
Party insiders have also said that grassroots members were worried over media reports on Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s wealth, which were turning supporters away from the party.
The issue was highlighted by American daily The New York Times and one story was also translated into Bahasa Malaysia and spread in social media and in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) media.
“There is no issue with his wealth,” said Bung Mokhtar.
“His siblings are all in business so the wealth comes from these businesses.”
With more than two-thirds of the party’s division chiefs showing up for the meeting, and most of its vice-presidents, such as Datuk Seri Hishammduddin Hussein and Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi there, it would seem that Najib has cemented his hold on the party once again.
One vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was also absent but Ismail Sabri said many Sabah Umno division leaders were away at a training retreat.
But there are those such as Datuk Seri Idris Haron, who doubted that the 1MDB controversy and stories of Rosmah’s jewellery could have impacted on Najib’s standing in Umno in the first place.
For Idris, who is also Malacca chief minister, it would take more than 1MDB and gossip about Rosmah to fuel a big enough rebellion to dethrone the president.
Najib’s challenges, he said, paled in comparison with what Dr Mahathir had to go through in 1987, when the latter almost lost the presidency to former finance minister Tengku Razeleigh Hamzah.
“Umno has been through worse. We even fought till we got de-registered (in 1987),” said Idris.
“So we will overcome this as well.” – March 9, 2015.
Najib: Malays will be destitutes without Umno
Umno president Najib Razak in the run up
to his critical meeting with Umno divisions today continued to sing the
traditional Umno tune that only the ruling party can uphold the Malay
community.
"I cannot imagine Malaysia without Umno, especially Malays and Muslims.
"The answer will make the Malays destitutes in their own country," Bernama reported him saying.
He was speaking at the closing of the Perak Umno convention and simultaneous opening of Umno branches conference 2015 at Indera Mulia Stadium Ipoh last night.
Najib said Umno needed to adapt itself with the new political environment as currently social media was already regarded as mainstream media and the existing mainstream media such as print media had become second choice.
Umno leaders must avoid from becoming warlords as it would distance the grassroots from the party.
He urged Perak Umno members to fully support Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir, who is also state Umno liaison committee chairman.
Earlier Perak Umno convention committee chairman Saarani Mohamad said 10 resolutions were approved.
Among them are programmes to increase membership and voters, strengthening of party machinery, branch auditing, engaging young voters and loyalty to leaders and Umno's struggle,
Call for ‘new’ politics
At the event, Najib said the party must make thorough preparation and planning if it wishes to win the 14th general election.
Najib, who is also prime minister, said this was because the political approach that could be accepted by the people at present was no longer rigid politics but new politics.
"But this does not mean the old politics cannot be practised, some politics of development, needed by the people is the core to the old politics that still needs to be implemented by us.
"We must do what needs to be done,"
He said the voters' point of view now was different from those in the past.
"So we must practise new politics...we cannot assume that if we have given an allocation, the problem is already solved.
"Today if we say the new generation must be thankful to Umno, maybe their reception may not be like before because it seems we are claiming our rights.
"On the contrary, if we tell, if they think rationally, there is no party with better agenda than Umno and BN and this is not due to sentiment but a guaranteed future for the country at the state or national level," he said, according to Bernama.
"I cannot imagine Malaysia without Umno, especially Malays and Muslims.
"The answer will make the Malays destitutes in their own country," Bernama reported him saying.He was speaking at the closing of the Perak Umno convention and simultaneous opening of Umno branches conference 2015 at Indera Mulia Stadium Ipoh last night.
Najib said Umno needed to adapt itself with the new political environment as currently social media was already regarded as mainstream media and the existing mainstream media such as print media had become second choice.
Umno leaders must avoid from becoming warlords as it would distance the grassroots from the party.
He urged Perak Umno members to fully support Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir, who is also state Umno liaison committee chairman.
Earlier Perak Umno convention committee chairman Saarani Mohamad said 10 resolutions were approved.
Among them are programmes to increase membership and voters, strengthening of party machinery, branch auditing, engaging young voters and loyalty to leaders and Umno's struggle,
Call for ‘new’ politics
At the event, Najib said the party must make thorough preparation and planning if it wishes to win the 14th general election.
Najib, who is also prime minister, said this was because the political approach that could be accepted by the people at present was no longer rigid politics but new politics.
"But this does not mean the old politics cannot be practised, some politics of development, needed by the people is the core to the old politics that still needs to be implemented by us.
"We must do what needs to be done,"He said the voters' point of view now was different from those in the past.
"So we must practise new politics...we cannot assume that if we have given an allocation, the problem is already solved.
"Today if we say the new generation must be thankful to Umno, maybe their reception may not be like before because it seems we are claiming our rights.
"On the contrary, if we tell, if they think rationally, there is no party with better agenda than Umno and BN and this is not due to sentiment but a guaranteed future for the country at the state or national level," he said, according to Bernama.
Kula lashes out after another custodial death
Is the government blind, incompetent or both, MP asks integrity minister Paul Low
FMT
GEORGE TOWN: Once again the Coroner Court has pinpointed to police negligence as the cause of a custodial death two years ago, prompting Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarian M Kula Segaran to mock the federal government’s pathetic apathy.
Yesterday the Coroner Court decided that police had committed an unlawful omission for their failure to send a detainee C Sugumar to hospital to treat his illness.
Coroner Rozi Bainun held that police were responsible for the death of Sugumar two years ago as he was then under their custody and handcuffed.
Sugumar 39, had been detained by police in a public area in Kajang, Selangor on January 23, 2013.
“Another shocking death which ought not to have happened,” said Kula on Sugumar’s death.
“Is the government blind or incompetent or both in police custodial deaths, Datuk Paul Low?” asked the elected representative, referring to Senator Paul Low Seng Kuan, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
Kula said something was seriously wrong with police training when professionally trained personnel, supposed to be responsible to protect lives, could commit such inhumane behavior.
“A death is not just a statistic. Custodial deaths must not become the rule of the day,” said Kula, the DAP national vice-chairman and Ipoh Barat MP.
The verdict on Sugumar case followed another court ruling on Jan 16 this year in the death of a lorry driver, Chandran Perumal, in custody,
The Coroner’s Court ruled that the death of lorry driver Chandran Perumal in a police lock-up two years ago was due to police negligence.
In June 2013, Paul Low, who is charge of integrity and corruption, assured that the federal government was determined to stop all future tragedies behind bars. “Do not think they are blind to what is out there. It is just that the process of government needs to find a solution to stop this,” he said.
Kula dismissed Low’s assertions. “So what has happened after Paul’s assurance? More custodial deaths!” Kula said, reiterating his call on setting up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, as recommended by a royal commission in 2005 headed by former Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah.
The Dzaiddin Report had made 125 recommendations with the independent police complaints and misconduct commission as the core proposal.
Apart from Chandran and Sugumar, other victims of custodial deaths over the years were Suresh Kunasekaran, Samiyati Indrayani Zulkarnain Putra, A Kugan, M Krishnan and K Sivam.
FMT
GEORGE TOWN: Once again the Coroner Court has pinpointed to police negligence as the cause of a custodial death two years ago, prompting Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarian M Kula Segaran to mock the federal government’s pathetic apathy.
Yesterday the Coroner Court decided that police had committed an unlawful omission for their failure to send a detainee C Sugumar to hospital to treat his illness.
Coroner Rozi Bainun held that police were responsible for the death of Sugumar two years ago as he was then under their custody and handcuffed.
Sugumar 39, had been detained by police in a public area in Kajang, Selangor on January 23, 2013.
“Another shocking death which ought not to have happened,” said Kula on Sugumar’s death.
“Is the government blind or incompetent or both in police custodial deaths, Datuk Paul Low?” asked the elected representative, referring to Senator Paul Low Seng Kuan, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.
Kula said something was seriously wrong with police training when professionally trained personnel, supposed to be responsible to protect lives, could commit such inhumane behavior.
“A death is not just a statistic. Custodial deaths must not become the rule of the day,” said Kula, the DAP national vice-chairman and Ipoh Barat MP.
The verdict on Sugumar case followed another court ruling on Jan 16 this year in the death of a lorry driver, Chandran Perumal, in custody,
The Coroner’s Court ruled that the death of lorry driver Chandran Perumal in a police lock-up two years ago was due to police negligence.
In June 2013, Paul Low, who is charge of integrity and corruption, assured that the federal government was determined to stop all future tragedies behind bars. “Do not think they are blind to what is out there. It is just that the process of government needs to find a solution to stop this,” he said.
Kula dismissed Low’s assertions. “So what has happened after Paul’s assurance? More custodial deaths!” Kula said, reiterating his call on setting up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission, as recommended by a royal commission in 2005 headed by former Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah.
The Dzaiddin Report had made 125 recommendations with the independent police complaints and misconduct commission as the core proposal.
Apart from Chandran and Sugumar, other victims of custodial deaths over the years were Suresh Kunasekaran, Samiyati Indrayani Zulkarnain Putra, A Kugan, M Krishnan and K Sivam.
MH370 flew with expired underwater beacon battery
Official investigation shows battery shelf life ended 14 months before
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The battery for the underwater locator beacon on the MH370 flight data recorder, one of the two “black boxes” on the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft, had expired in December 2012, about 14 months before the plane went missing, according to the official investigation.
There was no evidence to suggest that the battery had been replaced before the expiry date, the report said.
However, the battery for the beacon on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, was replaced as scheduled in June 2014.
Underwater beacons are required by international law to work for a minimum of 30 days.
The report said that “while there is a definite possibility that a ULB will operate past the expiry date on the device, it is not guaranteed that it will work or that it would meet the 30-day minimum requirement.
“There is also limited assurance that the nature of the signal (characteristics such as frequency and power) will remain within specification when battery voltage drops below the nominal 30-day level,” the official Factual Information report said.
Both crash-protected recorders were equipped as provided by the regulations with ULB whose transmission time is at least 30 days, on the 37.5 kHz frequency, operating depth up to 20,000 ft (6096 m) and activated with fresh or salt water immersion.
Technical log records showed that the flight data recorder and its beacon was replaced on 29 Feb 2008; the installation records showed that the expiry date for the ULB battery was December 2012.
Interviews with the MAS Engineering staff revealed that the Engineering Maintenance System computer to track and call out maintenance was not updated correctly when the flight data recorder was replaced in February 2008.
Although the old unit was removed from the system, the new unit was inadvertently not installed.
As the system record was not updated “it did not trigger for the removal of the SSFDR for replacement of the ULB battery when it was due,” the report said.
This oversight was not noted until after MH370 disappeared a year ago today, when details of the ULBs were requested.
The report said MAS Engineering had since carried out a fleet-wide inspection of ULB records to ensure that the records of other aircraft were updated accordingly.
- BERNAMA
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: The battery for the underwater locator beacon on the MH370 flight data recorder, one of the two “black boxes” on the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft, had expired in December 2012, about 14 months before the plane went missing, according to the official investigation.
There was no evidence to suggest that the battery had been replaced before the expiry date, the report said.
However, the battery for the beacon on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, was replaced as scheduled in June 2014.
Underwater beacons are required by international law to work for a minimum of 30 days.
The report said that “while there is a definite possibility that a ULB will operate past the expiry date on the device, it is not guaranteed that it will work or that it would meet the 30-day minimum requirement.
“There is also limited assurance that the nature of the signal (characteristics such as frequency and power) will remain within specification when battery voltage drops below the nominal 30-day level,” the official Factual Information report said.
Both crash-protected recorders were equipped as provided by the regulations with ULB whose transmission time is at least 30 days, on the 37.5 kHz frequency, operating depth up to 20,000 ft (6096 m) and activated with fresh or salt water immersion.
Technical log records showed that the flight data recorder and its beacon was replaced on 29 Feb 2008; the installation records showed that the expiry date for the ULB battery was December 2012.
Interviews with the MAS Engineering staff revealed that the Engineering Maintenance System computer to track and call out maintenance was not updated correctly when the flight data recorder was replaced in February 2008.
Although the old unit was removed from the system, the new unit was inadvertently not installed.
As the system record was not updated “it did not trigger for the removal of the SSFDR for replacement of the ULB battery when it was due,” the report said.
This oversight was not noted until after MH370 disappeared a year ago today, when details of the ULBs were requested.
The report said MAS Engineering had since carried out a fleet-wide inspection of ULB records to ensure that the records of other aircraft were updated accordingly.
- BERNAMA
PM must expose Jho Low’s heavy handedness in 1MDB
If there’s a need, the Prime Minister and Finance Minister should institute appropriate action against the Penangite, says DAP's Tony Pua.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, also as Finance Minister, must confirm if he has given the go-ahead for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the government-owned strategic investment company, to extend an additional USD500 million loan to PetroSaudi International Limited’s wholly-owned subsidiary.
For the very first time, said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, emails exposed by the Sarawak Report on the 1MDB scandal have implicated Najib. “There’s possible involvement on his part in the PetroSaudi International (PSI) collaboration fiasco.”
Pua, also the DAP National Publicity Secretary, was referring to a messaging conversation during which Patrick Mahony, CEO of PSI, expressed grave concern over approval by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) for a fund transfer from 1MDB to the PSI subsidiary.
The messaging showed that flamboyant Penangite Jho Low had insisted that only the Ministry of Finance approval for the loan was required, and that the loan had already been signed by the Prime Minister, who was also the Finance Minist er.
This exposed conversation, added Pua, raises several pertinent issues and questions.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, did Najib approve the loan which was signed between 1MDB and the PSI subsidiary?
1MDB had mysteriously converted their USD1 billion shares in the 1MDB PetroSaudi Limited joint venture (JV) on the last day of the 31 March 2010 financial year, into a USD1.2 billion (RM4.3 billion) loan in the form of Murabaha Notes to the company.
“The messaging refers to an additional USD500 million (RM1.8 billion) which was extended to the PSI subsidiary on 8 September 2010,” pointed out Pua.
Did the Finance Minister give his approval for these loans?
Secondly, the conversation exposed Jho Low’s intimate involvement in the operations of 1MDB to the extent that perhaps Shahrol Halmi, who was the CEO of 1MDB then, was a mere puppet.
“Together with the evidence exposed by the Sarawak Report earlier, Jho Low was involved from putting together the JV, to laying down the terms of the JV agreement and dictating all the relevant financial transaction sums on behalf of 1MDB, well before the 1MDB senior management were even involved,” said Pua.
Finally, warned Pua, should Najib choose to deny his knowledge or involvement as claimed by Jho Low, immediate action must be taken against the latter for his actions to defraud 1MDB by abusing the name of the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister must file a police report demanding an urgent investigation of Jho Low for his false claims,” said Pua. “In addition, he should also initiate a civil suit against Jho Low, not only for misrepresentation but also for tarnishing the image and reputation of the Malaysian Prime Minister.”
Najib may have allowed a major infringement to take place.
If Najib fails to take concrete actions against Jho Low, continued Pua, then he cannot blame Malaysians for speculating on his complicity and involvement in the whole 1MDB-PetroSaudi rip-off.
“We already know that out of the initial USD1 billion invested by 1MDB into the JV, USD700 million was immediately siphoned out to a Swiss Bank account belonging to Good Star Limited, controlled by Jho Low and his associates,” said Pua. “For the subsequent USD500 million loan to PSI, only USD340 million went to the PSI subsidiary while the balance of USD160 million was again deposited with Good Star Limited.”
Najib must explain how the national strategic investment company, stressed Pua, with an initial endowment of RM5 billion became a plaything for the then 27-year-old wheeler-dealer in 2009.
As the Finance Minister and the man who kick-started 1MDB, how did he allow such a major infringement to take place?
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, also as Finance Minister, must confirm if he has given the go-ahead for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the government-owned strategic investment company, to extend an additional USD500 million loan to PetroSaudi International Limited’s wholly-owned subsidiary.
For the very first time, said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, emails exposed by the Sarawak Report on the 1MDB scandal have implicated Najib. “There’s possible involvement on his part in the PetroSaudi International (PSI) collaboration fiasco.”
Pua, also the DAP National Publicity Secretary, was referring to a messaging conversation during which Patrick Mahony, CEO of PSI, expressed grave concern over approval by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) for a fund transfer from 1MDB to the PSI subsidiary.
The messaging showed that flamboyant Penangite Jho Low had insisted that only the Ministry of Finance approval for the loan was required, and that the loan had already been signed by the Prime Minister, who was also the Finance Minist er.
This exposed conversation, added Pua, raises several pertinent issues and questions.
Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, did Najib approve the loan which was signed between 1MDB and the PSI subsidiary?
1MDB had mysteriously converted their USD1 billion shares in the 1MDB PetroSaudi Limited joint venture (JV) on the last day of the 31 March 2010 financial year, into a USD1.2 billion (RM4.3 billion) loan in the form of Murabaha Notes to the company.
“The messaging refers to an additional USD500 million (RM1.8 billion) which was extended to the PSI subsidiary on 8 September 2010,” pointed out Pua.
Did the Finance Minister give his approval for these loans?
Secondly, the conversation exposed Jho Low’s intimate involvement in the operations of 1MDB to the extent that perhaps Shahrol Halmi, who was the CEO of 1MDB then, was a mere puppet.
“Together with the evidence exposed by the Sarawak Report earlier, Jho Low was involved from putting together the JV, to laying down the terms of the JV agreement and dictating all the relevant financial transaction sums on behalf of 1MDB, well before the 1MDB senior management were even involved,” said Pua.
Finally, warned Pua, should Najib choose to deny his knowledge or involvement as claimed by Jho Low, immediate action must be taken against the latter for his actions to defraud 1MDB by abusing the name of the Prime Minister.
“The Prime Minister must file a police report demanding an urgent investigation of Jho Low for his false claims,” said Pua. “In addition, he should also initiate a civil suit against Jho Low, not only for misrepresentation but also for tarnishing the image and reputation of the Malaysian Prime Minister.”
Najib may have allowed a major infringement to take place.
If Najib fails to take concrete actions against Jho Low, continued Pua, then he cannot blame Malaysians for speculating on his complicity and involvement in the whole 1MDB-PetroSaudi rip-off.
“We already know that out of the initial USD1 billion invested by 1MDB into the JV, USD700 million was immediately siphoned out to a Swiss Bank account belonging to Good Star Limited, controlled by Jho Low and his associates,” said Pua. “For the subsequent USD500 million loan to PSI, only USD340 million went to the PSI subsidiary while the balance of USD160 million was again deposited with Good Star Limited.”
Najib must explain how the national strategic investment company, stressed Pua, with an initial endowment of RM5 billion became a plaything for the then 27-year-old wheeler-dealer in 2009.
As the Finance Minister and the man who kick-started 1MDB, how did he allow such a major infringement to take place?
Decrying Isma’s warped version of patriotism
The concept of patriotism takes a beating in the hands of Isma as they suggest youth “learn” how to be patriotic before thinking of furthering their studies.
FMT
It isn’t enough that university students have to take compulsory classes on how to be Malaysian, or how to be morally upright – Isma leader Mohd Hazizi Abd Rahman has now suggested that they must learn how to be patriotic before being eligible to enter public universities, or be awarded education loans and scholarships.
Hazizi makes an amazing point – these are hard times the country is experiencing and instead of standing up and defending the government, Malaysians have had the audacity to make unpatriotic statements and question issues like the impending GST, the financial troubles of 1MDB, even why a politician’s sodomy case was politicised.
As far as Isma is concerned, these statements are seditious. Akin to treason. In Isma’s eyes, if the government has flaws, that is all the more reason to love them. They’re only human after all.
Malaysians must understand it is wrong to question why a privileged few are allowed to speak freely against other races with impunity, or at the very most suffer a slap on the wrist and/or get help from top political figures who go out on a limb to justify their hurtful statements.
Malaysians must understand that the status quo cannot be questioned. Don’t like the racial policies in place? Too bad. Nobody asked you to be born here. Go back to whatever country your grandparents came from, although you have absolutely zero in common with your supposed motherland anymore.
Malaysians must understand it is not acceptable to have differing views from that of leaders in positions of power. They’re in power for a reason – which absolutely isn’t nepotism, cronyism or political power-mongering, just in case you’re wondering – so therefore, everything they say is right.
Malaysians must understand that all ultra kiasu are ignorant; they talk nonsense, and therefore their views are unimportant.
It matters not that too many of our students graduate from university with half-baked language skills and are pretty much unemployable because we don’t train them to deal with the high standards the rest of the professional world calls for, or to even hold a passable conversation in English.
Our education system is world-class, and seditious traitors in the country must not forget that.
In short, let us tell you what to say. What to think. What to feel. And what to wear.
Here’s what I think: stop trying to make our universities your propaganda outlets.
What exactly do you intend to teach students? What is your idea of patriotism? And how narrow-minded do you have to be to believe that your concept is better than ours?
How dare you call us less patriotic than you, Isma? How dare you. Because that is exactly what you’re implying. You think that we don’t love our country as much as you do.
I am patriotic because Malaysia is my home. I was born and raised here, and while I know that talk is cheap and in great supply, I will take up arms to defend my home and family in a heartbeat.
There is no other place on Earth where I feel at home. I still long for the familiar sights and smells of home when I’m in a foreign land. And wherever I go, I bring my country with me.
You speak of treason and of traitors. By all means, punish those that intentionally sabotage the country. Let the anarchists be brought to justice. But don’t think that just because some have a different concept of what this country means to them, that they are less patriotic than you.
We love our country, flaws and all. We want to see our country grow and get better. We will always criticise the government, because it is not the country. The government is simply the people we have put in place to run the country, and we can tear them down if they don’t do what they’re supposed to.
Stop trying to force-feed our youth with your warped idea of patriotism. Just because we don’t hold the same values as you, and just because we criticise our government, it doesn’t mean that we don’t love our home and country. To quote Albert Camus: “I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice.”
Those that criticise their government, barring those politically motivated, usually are those that want to protect their home, not just from outside threats, but from the corrupt and malign that would have us stick our minds in clay jars and march to their beat.
Bottom line: Are you calling on us to die for our country, or for you?
FMT
It isn’t enough that university students have to take compulsory classes on how to be Malaysian, or how to be morally upright – Isma leader Mohd Hazizi Abd Rahman has now suggested that they must learn how to be patriotic before being eligible to enter public universities, or be awarded education loans and scholarships.
Hazizi makes an amazing point – these are hard times the country is experiencing and instead of standing up and defending the government, Malaysians have had the audacity to make unpatriotic statements and question issues like the impending GST, the financial troubles of 1MDB, even why a politician’s sodomy case was politicised.
As far as Isma is concerned, these statements are seditious. Akin to treason. In Isma’s eyes, if the government has flaws, that is all the more reason to love them. They’re only human after all.
Malaysians must understand it is wrong to question why a privileged few are allowed to speak freely against other races with impunity, or at the very most suffer a slap on the wrist and/or get help from top political figures who go out on a limb to justify their hurtful statements.
Malaysians must understand that the status quo cannot be questioned. Don’t like the racial policies in place? Too bad. Nobody asked you to be born here. Go back to whatever country your grandparents came from, although you have absolutely zero in common with your supposed motherland anymore.
Malaysians must understand it is not acceptable to have differing views from that of leaders in positions of power. They’re in power for a reason – which absolutely isn’t nepotism, cronyism or political power-mongering, just in case you’re wondering – so therefore, everything they say is right.
Malaysians must understand that all ultra kiasu are ignorant; they talk nonsense, and therefore their views are unimportant.
It matters not that too many of our students graduate from university with half-baked language skills and are pretty much unemployable because we don’t train them to deal with the high standards the rest of the professional world calls for, or to even hold a passable conversation in English.
Our education system is world-class, and seditious traitors in the country must not forget that.
In short, let us tell you what to say. What to think. What to feel. And what to wear.
Here’s what I think: stop trying to make our universities your propaganda outlets.
What exactly do you intend to teach students? What is your idea of patriotism? And how narrow-minded do you have to be to believe that your concept is better than ours?
How dare you call us less patriotic than you, Isma? How dare you. Because that is exactly what you’re implying. You think that we don’t love our country as much as you do.
I am patriotic because Malaysia is my home. I was born and raised here, and while I know that talk is cheap and in great supply, I will take up arms to defend my home and family in a heartbeat.
There is no other place on Earth where I feel at home. I still long for the familiar sights and smells of home when I’m in a foreign land. And wherever I go, I bring my country with me.
You speak of treason and of traitors. By all means, punish those that intentionally sabotage the country. Let the anarchists be brought to justice. But don’t think that just because some have a different concept of what this country means to them, that they are less patriotic than you.
We love our country, flaws and all. We want to see our country grow and get better. We will always criticise the government, because it is not the country. The government is simply the people we have put in place to run the country, and we can tear them down if they don’t do what they’re supposed to.
Stop trying to force-feed our youth with your warped idea of patriotism. Just because we don’t hold the same values as you, and just because we criticise our government, it doesn’t mean that we don’t love our home and country. To quote Albert Camus: “I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice.”
Those that criticise their government, barring those politically motivated, usually are those that want to protect their home, not just from outside threats, but from the corrupt and malign that would have us stick our minds in clay jars and march to their beat.
Bottom line: Are you calling on us to die for our country, or for you?
Factual Report On MH370 Gives Convincing Details Flight Ends In Indian Ocean
KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 (Bernama) -- The Factual Information on the investigation of Malaysian Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 provides a clearer picture and more convincing information that MH370 ended in the Indian Ocean.
Principal Specialist at Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology, University Kuala Lumpur Ahmad Maulan Bardai said the collected satellite data had shown detailed path of the flight before it lost contact completely.
"Now we are more convinced that it had ended in the Indian Ocean. Analysis of data from the Inmarsat has shown the flight had changed course after flying passed the tip of Sumatra and heading to the southerly direction.
"And based on that information, it is right that the search and rescue team search in the Indian Ocean," he told Bernama.
The report, released by Malaysian International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 on Sunday detailed records of preparations for the flight, communications between cockpit and air traffic control, flight path collected from various satellite data, its crew and cargo on that ill-fated flight.
Aircraft information and flight history of MH370 was also recorded in the report.
The Beijing bound flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens with all 239 passengers and crew on board on March 8, 2014.
It had made an air turn back from its intended flight path an hour after it took off from KL International Airport (KLIA) at 12.42am.
Ahmad Maulan said that the fuel capacity of the aircraft on that ill-fated flight had enabled it to travel towards the south.
The report had revealed that MH370 carried 49,100 kilogrammes of fuel that gave an endurance of seven and an half hours. The planned flight duration was five hours and 34 minutes, it said.
"The aircraft can travel 900 kilometers per hour. From the time it made an air turn back, it can still fly for another 5,400 kilometres," Ahmad Maulan said, adding that it could have glided for another hour without fuel before it ended in the Indian Ocean.
On another matter, he said that underwater locator beacon (ULB) battery of the solid state flight data recoder (SSFDR), which was reported expired 14 months before the accident, had no major impact on the recording as SSFDR was operated by aircraft power.
"The only unfortunate thing when the battery expired was that it would not be able to emit beacon when the plane crashed," he said.
However, he noted that the fact how the expired battery was not changed and that it had been overlooked by aircraft safety auditing report was rather questionable.
-- BERNAMA
Principal Specialist at Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology, University Kuala Lumpur Ahmad Maulan Bardai said the collected satellite data had shown detailed path of the flight before it lost contact completely.
"Now we are more convinced that it had ended in the Indian Ocean. Analysis of data from the Inmarsat has shown the flight had changed course after flying passed the tip of Sumatra and heading to the southerly direction.
"And based on that information, it is right that the search and rescue team search in the Indian Ocean," he told Bernama.
The report, released by Malaysian International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 on Sunday detailed records of preparations for the flight, communications between cockpit and air traffic control, flight path collected from various satellite data, its crew and cargo on that ill-fated flight.
Aircraft information and flight history of MH370 was also recorded in the report.
The Beijing bound flight MH370 disappeared from radar screens with all 239 passengers and crew on board on March 8, 2014.
It had made an air turn back from its intended flight path an hour after it took off from KL International Airport (KLIA) at 12.42am.
Ahmad Maulan said that the fuel capacity of the aircraft on that ill-fated flight had enabled it to travel towards the south.
The report had revealed that MH370 carried 49,100 kilogrammes of fuel that gave an endurance of seven and an half hours. The planned flight duration was five hours and 34 minutes, it said.
"The aircraft can travel 900 kilometers per hour. From the time it made an air turn back, it can still fly for another 5,400 kilometres," Ahmad Maulan said, adding that it could have glided for another hour without fuel before it ended in the Indian Ocean.
On another matter, he said that underwater locator beacon (ULB) battery of the solid state flight data recoder (SSFDR), which was reported expired 14 months before the accident, had no major impact on the recording as SSFDR was operated by aircraft power.
"The only unfortunate thing when the battery expired was that it would not be able to emit beacon when the plane crashed," he said.
However, he noted that the fact how the expired battery was not changed and that it had been overlooked by aircraft safety auditing report was rather questionable.
-- BERNAMA
'Umrah' latest modus operandi to join IS
An excuse to perform the umrah is one of the
latest modus operandi used by individuals who are out to join the
Islamic State (IS) militant group, said Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah
Zainuddin.
He said the information was obtained through cooperation and information-sharing with foreign countries including the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.
"We already know some of the tactics used by those who want to join IS militants, some were traced going for umrah but after they arrive in Madinah they disappear," he told reporters in KL yesterday.
For this reason, he said, the ministry would continue to cooperate with foreign countries to learn in depth the ploys used by the group and subsequently prevent the spread of IS militant activities.
Currently there are 61 Malaysians detected in Syria, including 10 women, while the arrests on those suspected to be involved with IS in the country have reached 71 people.
In addition, Hamzah said the ministry was willing to help individuals involved with IS militant activities to correct their mistakes and mend their ways.
"When they return home to this country, we will try to help fix their ideological beliefs, if they have made a mistake or was mistaken we will help to correct them," he said.
Hence, he said the ministry urged the people of this country who were in Syria to go to the nearest embassy to seek for assistance.
Earlier, Hamzah attended a premier lecture ‘Islam Rahmatan Lil'Alamain: Between Fact and Reality’ by rector of Pattani Jaya University, Thailand, Ismail Lutfi.
- Bernama
He said the information was obtained through cooperation and information-sharing with foreign countries including the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries.
"We already know some of the tactics used by those who want to join IS militants, some were traced going for umrah but after they arrive in Madinah they disappear," he told reporters in KL yesterday.
For this reason, he said, the ministry would continue to cooperate with foreign countries to learn in depth the ploys used by the group and subsequently prevent the spread of IS militant activities.
Currently there are 61 Malaysians detected in Syria, including 10 women, while the arrests on those suspected to be involved with IS in the country have reached 71 people.
In addition, Hamzah said the ministry was willing to help individuals involved with IS militant activities to correct their mistakes and mend their ways.
"When they return home to this country, we will try to help fix their ideological beliefs, if they have made a mistake or was mistaken we will help to correct them," he said.
Hence, he said the ministry urged the people of this country who were in Syria to go to the nearest embassy to seek for assistance.
Earlier, Hamzah attended a premier lecture ‘Islam Rahmatan Lil'Alamain: Between Fact and Reality’ by rector of Pattani Jaya University, Thailand, Ismail Lutfi.
- Bernama
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)