Jihad in Bengal: Muslims say they will enjoy Hindu women tonight – Soumya Kumari

Deganga still tense, army flag marches in violence-hit areas

Kolkata, Sep 8 (PTI) Army jawans staged flag marches at Deganga in North 24 Parganas district even as stray clashes were reported from elsewhere in the district today. Two columns of army jawans, deployed last night to restore peace at the request of civil administration, staged flag marches this morning in some areas of Deganga after police and paramilitary failed to contain violence, police said. “Army is still at Deganga and they staged flag marches,” District Magistrate Vinod Kumar told PTI over phone. One person was killed and 25 others, including a DSP and seven policemen, were injured in the violence yesterday after several places of worship were desecrated following clashes between two groups, police said.Several houses, shops were ransacked while four vehicles and two police vans also torched. “The situation is still tense, but under control,” official sources said, adding that EFR personnel were still deployed in the area. District Superintendent of Police (DSP) Rahul Srivastava is still camping at Deganga. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were still in force in the area. However curfew was not imposed, they said.

The Hindu newspaper reports;

Parts of North 24—Parganas district were today brought under curfew and the army was requisitioned to assist paramilitary forces in restoring peace after several places of worship were desecrated following clashes between two groups.

North 24—Parganas District Magistrate Vinod Kumar said curfew has been imposed in Deganga area in the wake of violence that left a deputy superintendent of police and a civilian injured. The DSP was injured in brickbatting, while the civilian received bullet injury.
“The Army has been requisitioned for enforcing peace at Deganga. Around 200 personnel have been sent to the area to stage a flag march to instill confidence in the people,” a Defence official said.

CRPF and BSF were moved in earlier in the day to contain violence that erupted last night after clashes between two groups on the issue of taking out a procession in front of a place of worship, a senior police officer said.

Kumar said all precautionary measures have been taken to check the spread of violence. “The situation is now under control,” he said.

Clashes broke out last night between two groups on the issue of taking out a procession in front of a place of worship and later spread to other areas, a senior police officer said.
The area witnessed widespread rampage and loot. A vehicle was also torched this morning by mobs which had set up road blocks and burnt four vehicles yesterday.

Hindu Samhati reports:

September 8, 2010: NO RESPITE DESPITE ARMY PRESENCE. TODAY MORNING AGAIN MUSLIMS ARE ATTACKING DIFFERENT HINDU VILLAGES AROUND KARTICKPUR AWAY FROM THE MAIN ROAD.

HINDU WOMEN ARE FLEEING FROM BISWANATHPUR TOWARDS KARTICKPUR AS A LARGE MUSLIM MOB IS PROCEEDING FROM DOGACHHIA SIDE. POLICE IS TOTALLY HELPLESS. SEVERAL RAF PERSONNEL HAVE BEEN SEVERELY BEATEN UP BY THE MUSLIMS. EVEN ARMY IS UNABLE TO STOP THE MUSLIM MOB.
“KHEJURDANGA KARMAKAR PARA” VILLAGE JUST NOW BURNT. IT IS 2 KM. INSIDE FROM THE MAIN ROAD. ARMY IS NOT GOING THERE.

WOMEN ARE SCARED. ARMY IS NOT GOING INSIDE AS THEIR NUMBER IS TOO SMALL, ONLY ABOUT 200

SITUATION EXTREMELY WORSE. HINDUS ARE WAITING FOR MASSACRE. ALL SIDES ARE BLOCKED BY THE MUSLIMS. NO ROUTE TO ESCAPE.

Earlier reports

Deganga, North 24 Parganas District, W. Bengal
September 7, 2010: The situation has been worsened today morning, Muslims again attacked the Hindus at Beliaghata and Kartickpur.

Temple destruction and looting of Hindu houses and shops are going on in massive scale.
Today morning Muslims destroyed Khejurdanga Durgamandap, Changdana Shiv Temple, Kartickpur Kali Temple and several other Hindu temples.

The Hindu shops of Beliaghata market have been looted. Grocery shop of Jhantu Biswas at Kartickpur bus stand has been looted totally.

Houses of Tarun Bhowmik, Kuntal Das, Kalyan Dutta and many others have been looted and ransacked.

Muslims are threatening that tonight they will enjoy all Hindu women.
All these happened in front of police and RAF (Rapid Action Force).

It is reported that RAF fled from the area leaving the hapless Hindus at the mercy of the rampaging Muslims. So, Muslims are looting and destroying unhindered.
In another report it is learnt that thousands of Muslims from Falti Anchal attacked Beliaghata market. 10-12 RAF personnel has taken shelter in a shop, they closed the shutter from inside to save their lives and the Muslims poured petrol outside the shop.

Even the District Superintendent of Police is unable to enter the area, or may be he is afraid of. He is standing at Golaghata, 6 kms. away from the hot spot.
Hindus started to remove the women elderly and the children of their families to safer areas. But it is being extremely difficult for them because Muslims encircled them in all directions. Frantic calls are coming to HS workers to rescue them. HS workers are trying to enter the area from any side.

The situation is totally out of control. Administration totally failed. Now it is considering to deploy army.

First reports from Hindu Samhati

HINDU TEMPLES DESECRATED, MARKETS LOOTED, POLICE OFFICER INJURED AT DEGANGA

September 6, 2010 : Today evening after Iftar, Muslims assembled in the Deganga Mosque (Basirhat SD, North 24 Parganas) and proceeded to a number of Hindu areas, looted and ransacked many Hindu shops and Hindu temples, severely beat up many Hindus, torched 4 public buses. The life of the whole stretch from Berachapa to Kadamgachi has been frozen.
Shani Temple of Kartickpur and Kali Temple of Deganga Biplabi Colony desecrated and ransacked by the rioting Muslims.

Arup Ghosh, Officer in Charge of Deganga police station is seriously injured by the rampaging Muslims. His head and hand have been fractured. Several other policemen also injured. Police had to fire to control the Muslim mob, but with no effect.

Today at 11 am, the dispute started when some fanatic Muslims started to dig the passage of a Durga Temple in Chattal Pally village which is situated just beside the Deganga Police Station. This Durga Temple is at least 25 year old. In past, Muslims tried many times to stop the Durgapuja. Hindus resisted their ill effort. This Chattal Pally and Deganga P.S. come under the district of North 24 Parganas, and its Parliamentary constituency is Basirhat. In 2009 election, Hazi Nurul Islam of T.M.C. won this constituency defeating long time Communist M.P. Ajay Chakraborty (C.P.I). After this change of power, Hindus of the whole area are facing all types of threat, humiliation, torture and their religious practices are in danger.
When Hindus objected the digging of the Temple passage, Muslims gathered there in large number and started mayhem. Hindus informed the police. Police came and they had to face the jihadi enthusiasm of the Muslims. Officer in Charge injured at that time. Then Muslims threatened that now Roja is going on. After the end of Roja and taking Iftar, they will teach stern lesson to the Hindus. So, after afternoon, Hindus dared not to open their shops on the stretch between Berachapa to Kadamgachhi on the Barasat – Basirhat Road. By this time, large contingent of police and RAF took position. Defying their presence, Muslims gathered in large number in the Deganga Mosque and started looting and destroying the Hindu shops, not in Chattal Pally, but in the big markets of Beliaghata, Deganga and Kartickpur. A big shop of Anil Bangal, a Hindu, has been looted fully among many other shops. Anil Bangal has been seriously injured. More than 25 people have been injured.

Latest position is that Police is not allowing the Hindus to come out of their homes so that they can enquire the damage done by the Muslims and Muslims are roaming freely in front of police force. Overall situation has been worsened. It is alleged that Maqbur Rehman, Mintu Sahaji led the Muslim rioters. It is also alleged that one TMC Hindu leader Ms. Ratna Chowdhury is trying to pressurize police not to take strong steps to stop the Muslim rampaging mob. The new TMC M.P. Hazi Nurul Islam allegedly influenced the police to remain inactive.

The Muslims are majority in number in the Deganga Block as well as in Basirhat Sub division of North 24 Parganas district. According to 2001 Census report, Muslims were 69.51 percent in Deganga Block. Naturally after nine years, their percentage increased a lot and Hindus in that Block are living a life almost like Pakistan. This North 24 Parganas district, is the largest border district where the highest number of Hindu refugees took shelter after being persecuted in erstwhile East Pakistan and present Bangladesh. In spite of that, the eight Blocks among total 29 of this districts became Muslim majority blocks in 2001 census.

Today’s violence in Deganga has been reported only in the NE Bangla channel of electronic media of West Bengal. All other channels including Star Anand, as always they do, are mum and suppressing the misdeeds of the fanatic Muslims.

Reports compiled by Hindu Samhati International team.
http://bharatabharati.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/jihad-in-bengal-muslims-say-they-will-enjoy-hindu-women-tonight/

Anifah tells Khairy not to look for cheap publicity

The Malaysian Insider,

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 9 — Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman slammed Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin today for seeking cheap publicity in demanding that Malaysia recall its ambassador from Jakarta.

He said that Malaysia had no plans to resort to such a drastic step because it would worsen the situation.

“Recalling the ambassador is the last resort before we sever ties between both countries. I am not sure Khairy knows this.

“He may be someone who is smart but it does not mean he is wise,” said Anifah.

Yesterday Khairy piled on more pressure on the foreign ministry to immediately solve the on-going attacks by Indonesian groups on the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta by urging an immediate recall of Malaysia’s envoy.

According to Khairy, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman had failed to address the actual issue of attacks on the Malaysian embassy during his meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, Dr Marty Natalegawa, on September 6.

He further claimed that since bilateral talks were not working, the “strongest form of message” that should be sent would be to recall the Malaysian ambassador in Jakarta.

Khairy has been vocal in criticising the foreign ministry for what he terms its failures to address the attacks on the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta by the small but vocal Nationalist People’s Bastion for Democracy (Bendera) group.

Bendera gained notoriety after throwing faeces at the Malaysian embassy during protests there.

The group’s outburst was triggered by the Malaysian authorities’ detention of three Indonesian maritime officers in disputed waters near Riau island on August 13.

The Indonesian Marine and Fisheries Ministry had also recently detained seven Malaysian fishermen. All parties were detained for alleged encroachment.

Although all detainees were released on August 17, Indonesians continued to show their anger at Malaysia by staging demonstrations and pressuring the Indonesian government to adopt a firm attitude towards Malaysia on territorial and border disputes.

Cyber attack: Anwar’s blog latest to be hit

The Malaysian Insider

SHAH ALAM, Sept 9 — Cyber attacks are suspected to be the cause of the inaccessiblility of news portal freemalaysiatoday.com (FMT), Raja Petra Kamarudin’s malaysia-today.net and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s blog today.

Mohd Eekmal Ahmad, who is the Opposition leader’s media coordinator, confirmed that anwaribrahimblog.com was inaccessible.

“We are still investigation the cause of the disruption but the incidences are too much of a coincidence,“ he said.

FMT Editor K.Kabilan said the news portal has been under intermittent Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack for the last two or three weeks before it became inaccessible at 3am.

A DDOS attack is a concerted efforts to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning efficiently by saturating the website with external communications requests.

“We are trying our best to restore connection by today,” said Kabilan to The Malaysian Insider.

He pointed out that malaysia-today.net has also been hit by disruption for the last three or four days.

Meanwhile FMT’s chief technical officer Thirun Nadason, in a statement, said the they believe the DDOS is the work of professionals.

“Our tech team is working on ensuring that service can be provided uninterrupted,” he said.

FMTs’ managing editor Phllip Rodrigues condemned the attacks.

“This is the second time such an incident has happened but FMT will not be discouraged by such unscrupulous actions and will continue to report without fear or favour.

“FMT wishes to apologise to our readers for any inconvenience caused,” he said.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) yesterday said they detected a 50 per cent increase in hacking on Malaysian websites in the first week of this month.

They warned that unmonitored websites during festive seasons may lead to more attempts of cyber mischief.

A total of 262 web defacement activities in the first week of September compared to 168 cases recorded last month.

They also observed a similar high number of cases during Hari Raya last year.

The types of mischief includes the creation of false websites to deceive users and the deliberate altering of website content.

File a report with MACC, IGP told

By G Vinod - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: An opposition leader has urged outgoing Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan to file a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) about his accusation of third-party interference in police work.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said Musa should do this if he was serious about cleaning up the police force, “especially if it involves corruption and framing of people as part of a political power play”.

On Tuesday, Musa had alleged that there were third-party interference during his tenure as the top man in the police force.

He said this included people from the Home Ministry, outsiders and those with vested interests, but the ministry had since dismissed this.

However, Santiago also took a swipe at the outgoing IGP, saying that Musa's recent outburst did not really do any good to his battered image.

“I am not surprised at his bitterness as he is on the verge of losing his powers. His attacks on government ministries and his thinly-veiled hints on the Home Minister (Hishammuddin Tun Hussein) did not speak well for his (Musa) integrity and honesty,” said the DAP leader.

Santiago said that Musa's track record in the force had been murky and taking pot shots at his former benefactors showed that he had no regard for the police force or the nation.

“It was during his tenure that the police force had been marred by the use of excessive force, with baton-wielding anti-riot police breaking peaceful demonstrations and candle light vigils.

“Not to forget an increase in lock-up deaths and gross abuse of power by police officers,” he said.

FMT under DDOS attack

PETALING JAYA: The FreeMalaysiaToday website has come under attack, rendering the news portal inaccessible to readers since 3am this morning.
According to FMT's chief technical officer Thirun Nadason, the Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack is believed to be the work of professionals.

“Our tech team is working on ensuring that service can be provided uninterrupted,” he said.

FMTs' managing editor Phlip Rodrigues condemned the attacks.

“This is the second time such an incident has happened but FMT will not be discouraged by such unscrupulous actions and will continue to report without fear or favour.

“FMT also wishes to apologise to our readers for any inconvenience caused,” he said.

FMT's tech team managed to bring the news site back online at about 9.15pm, after undergoing almost 18-hours of downtime.

“We hope we can keep the site up now but we will be monitoring the situation,” added Rodrigues.

Popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today, which also came under DDOS attack, however remains unavailable as of 9.30pm.

'Critical' BN-Umno stoking racial tension

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time in history, Umno and Barisan Nasional cannot depend on the support of both Malays and non-Malays.

According to PAS deputy secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, non-Malay support for Umno and BN was at its most critical point, and this was why former information minister Zainuddin Maidin had mischievously labelled PAS an “exremist party”.

“Zainuddin is well aware that non-Malay support for Umno-BN is at a critical level… he knows non-Malays are veering towards Pakatan Rakyat.

“People see the coalition as having a mixed face. Pakatan has PAS with the Malays, PKR is multiracial and DAP is dominated by Chinese,” he said.

Takiyuddin said Zainuddin's comments were aimed at disrupting the unity in Pakatan.

The former minister had raised the ire of PAS members nationwide when he alleged last week that PAS had asked late premier Tunku Abdul Rahman to grab the properties owned by the Chinese during the May 13 racial riots.

He also alleged that PAS had, during the Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation, supported Indonesia to take over Malaysia.

Following Zainuddin’s allegation, PAS leaders nationwide had lodged police reports against the former minister.

'He wants Chinese to feel threatened'
On Monday, PAS legal bureau chief Mohamed Hanipa Maiden demanded that Zainuddin apologise for making fraudulent statements.

Mohamad Hanipa said if Zainuddin failed to apologise than the party would initiate legal action against him after Hari Raya.

Zainuddin, however, has refused to apologise.

Meanwhile, PAS information chief Idris Ahmad said the former minister was doing this on purpose.

“He wants the Chinese to feel threatened and react to PAS. They (Umno) have no more fire power left except to instigate race riots.

“To say PAS had instigated Tunku to grab properties belonging to the Chinese community is ludicrous. If PAS wanted to grab their property we wouldn’t have asked Tunku.

“We could have done it with the Chinese, who are a minority in Kelantan. But the fact is no Chinese has been killed or their shops burnt by PAS in Kelantan to date,” he added.

We don't need you, Perkasa tells Umno

By Stephanie Sta Maria  - Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Perkasa received a stinging blow today when Umno publicly distanced itself from the Malay right-wing group in move to avoid declining support for BN among non-Malays.

However in a defiant reply, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali declared that Perkasa doesn't need the support of Umno or any political party in the fight for its cause.

“All we need is the support of our members and ordinary citizens who believe in our fight to defend the constitution and towards good governance,” he said in a text message.

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor yesterday assured BN component parties that Umno would not support Perkasa or Ibrahim in the next general election.

BN members have recently slammed Perkasa for activities that contradict the 1Malaysia concept and  Tengku Adnan agreed that allegations of Umno's ties with Perkasa would be detrimental to the party.

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali, in his response to this statement, expressed surprise over Tengku Adnan's 'bravery' in saying as such.

“His claim that our actions have caused unhappiness within Umno because we erode the people's support for the party reeks of arrogance,” he said.

“I'd like to remind him that some of Umno and BN's recent actions have also pushed their supporters away.”

Syed Hassan predicted that Umno would single-handedly lose its own supporters because it's leadership hasn't changed at all.   

“Perkasa is merely advising Umno and BN to open their eyes to their own faults,” he continued. “But if they choose to interpret this advice as detrimental to support from the grassroots, then so be it.”

Khalid: Saya tidak sokong sesiapa

Oleh Fazy Sahir - Free Malaysia Today

SHAH ALAM:  Walaupun pertandingan merebut jawatan timbalan presiden PKR dijangka hangat, di antara ketua PKR Selangor Azmin Ali dan Ketua PKR Wilayah Persekutuan Zaid Ibrahim,   Menteri Besar Selangor Khalid Ibrahim telah memutuskan untuk tidak memberi sokongan terbuka kepada mana-mana calon.
Khalid yang pada suatu ketika disebut-sebut sebagai calon popular untuk bertanding jawatan nombor dua parti pembangkang itu, pula kini tidak mahu menyatakan sokongan terbuka kepada bakal calon yang ingin bertanding jawatan itu pada pemilihan pucuk pimpinan parti itu penghujung bulan depan.

"Saya tidak sokong mana-mana," katanya ringkas ketika ditanya pemberita siapa calon yang disokong beliau dalam sidang media selepas mesyuarat exco semalam.

Menurut Khalid proses berkempen dijalankan kedua-dua calon adalah perkara biasa dan sesuatu yang menyihatkan.

Beliau juga menyangkal dakwaan bahawa persaingan merebut jawatan nombor dua itu bakal membawa perpecahan dalam parti itu, yang telah berjaya meraih kepercayaan rakyat pada pilihanraya umum 2008.

"Kempen ini sesuatu yang biasa. Jika tiada kempen orang tidak kenal satu sama yang lain. Itu keadaan yang sihat..inilah demokrasi yang bergerak dalam PKR. Jika nak berkempen semua boleh berkempen," kata Khalid, yang akan mempertahankan jawatannya sebagai ketua bahagian PKR Kuala Selangor walaupun beliau merupakan ahli Parlimen Bandar Tun Razak di Kuala Lumpur.

Jawatan timbalan president PKR dikatakan menjadi tumpuan penyokong  Azmin dan Zaid walaupun penyandang jawatan nombor dua parti tersebut Syed Hussin Ali masih belum mengumumkan pendiriannya.

Azmin yang belum membuat sebarang pengumuman untuk bertanding, mengorak langkah awal apabila menerima sokongan terbuka beberapa ahli parlimen PKR. Beliau juga telah mendapat sokongan terbuka beberapa Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Selangor dan Negeri Sembilan.

Zaid pula, yang menerima nasib sebaliknya, berkata nasib politiknya mungkin akan terkubur seperti apa yang dialami oleh Ghafar Baba pada pemilihan Umno pada 1993 yang terpaksa menarik diri dari mempertahankan jawatannya akibat taktik kotor pihak lawan.

Zaid juga mendakwa seorang 'blogger upahan' telah dibayar RM20,000 untuk memburuk-burukkannya.

"Ada yang memberi amaran bahawa saya akan dikuburkan seperti Ghafar Baba. Saya teringat lagi peristiwa 1993 di mana Tun Ghafar dibelasah oleh Umno sehinggakan pencalonannya tidak mencukupi dan terpaksa menarik diri," kata Zaid.

Walau apa pun yang akan terjadi kelak, parti pembangkang ini yang akan memilih pucuk pimpinan dalam masa 60 hari lagi, pasti akan menarik perhatian bukan hanya ahli parti tersebut tetapi juga rakyat Malaysia yang telah memberi kepercayaan mereka kepada PKR untuk mentadbir.

Sebarang pertelingkahan atau salah laku di antara pemimpin nasional PKR pada pemilihan ini  bukan hanya akan merugikan parti itu dari segi sokongan rakyat, tetapi juga akan mengakibatkan parti itu tenggelam dalam arus deras politik negara kini.

Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia invites you to join us on Malaysia Day

By Haris Ibrahim,                                   Malaysia Day, last year, we launched the SABM sampan.


This 16th September, we’d like to share with you some of the journeys we’ve made in that humble sampan.
And how you can be a part of that journey this year as we continue to work  to make this, our home, a better place for all.
Personally, it has been an enriching experience.
I’m more convinced than ever that Malaysians generally are a decent lot and generally get along well with one another, notwithstanding some very ugly things that are said and done by people with an ugly agenda.
There’s hope.
Justine Tan thinks so, too.
Hope to see you all at Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia next Thursday.
For details, and to register, you may visit the SABM website by clicking on the image above.

Khalid, aye or nay?

By Haris Ibrahim,

I was in Hulu Selangor for the by-election last April.
I had heard that there was going to be moves within PKR to sabotage their own candidate. For what it was worth, I called and alerted Zaid.
On nomination day, and the days that followed, UMNO made it clear that they were going to deflect the attention of the voters away from the issues plaguing the nation by embarking on character assassination.
First off, it was ‘kaki botol’.
Then, it was ‘kaki judi’.
I was incensed. Pissed off. If this was how UMNO wanted to fight this by-election, we would fight fire with fire, I blogged then.
masterwordsmith-unplugged’s ‘PKR – Self-Destruct Mode?’ post yesterday got me troubled.
She reproduced a letter, dated 5th April, 2010 which she received from an anonymous reader, and which, on its face, appears to have been written by Azmin Ali to Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim.
If this letter is authentic, it means that Azmin wrote to Khalid to warn of the several issues that could be raised by BN if Zaid were nominated to stand in the by-election.
If indeed written by Azmin, the very first issue that he mentioned was ‘Zaid dikenali sebagai kaki minum dan juga gemar berjudi di kasino”.
The very same two issues that were played up by UMNO at the very onset of the by-election were previously foretold by Azmin?
Prophetic?
Now, doctored photos portraying Zaid holding a bottle of whisky got pasted up all over the constituency.
Blogger OBE exposed this scam HERE.
OBE’s expose fingered the blog that first hosted these doctored photos.
In that blog, below those doctored photos, this explanation was proffered.
“gambar ini dikirimkan kepada gap oleh ‘sumber dalaman pkr’ . gambar ini disiarkan oleh gap bagi menjawap cabaran azmin ali kepada BN semalam.azmin ali dengan sengaja meminta BN membuktikan tohmahan kononnya zaid ibrahim seorang peminum arak yang tegar.apa niat sebenar azmin ali memberikan ‘bola tanggung’ ini kita sudah ketahui !”
Did Azmin in fact challenge UMNO to show proof and, if so, how?
More disturbing revelations on this matter in yet another blog.
“Datuk Gap sudah menerima gambar berkenaan dari seseorang dalam PKR seminggu yang lepas. Saya dan beberapa rakan telah ditunjukkan gambar tersebut oleh beliau lima hari yang lepas.
Setelah berbincang bersama beberapa orang rakan, kami bersetuju agar GAP tidak menyiarkan gambar berkenaan sehingga kami dicabar atau peribadi calon BN diserang.
Nampaknya pukat yang dipasang mengena awal. Azmin secara terang-terangan mencabar untuk perkara tersebut dibuktikan dalam akhbar Mingguan Malaysia.
Sebaik melihatnya GAP menghubungi kawan-kawan dan berbincang secara panjang lebar mengenai strategi yang harus digunapakai dalam menyahut cabaran Azmin.
Anak jantan pantang dicabar, akhirnya keputusan dicapai iaitu GAP mesti menyahut cabaran Azmin bagi membuktikan kebenaran.
Perkara ini tidak akan berlaku jika Azmin tidak membuka mulut dan mencabar secara terbuka. Minta maaf kepada Zaid Ibrahim, GAP hanya menyambut cabaran Azmin.
Lebih banyak Azmin buka mulut selepas ini, maka lebih banyak lagi yang akan blogger dedahkan.
Oleh yang demikian jangan salahkan blogger dalam hal ini. Sila salahkan Azmin. Blogger hanya menyambut cabaran beliau. GAP hanya menari setelah gendang dipalukan oleh Azmin.
Azmin Ali harus memohon maaf kepada Zaid Ibrahim”
These two blogs are run by pro-UMNO bloggers so, yes, take the contents with a pikul of salt.
However, if true, the implications are enormous.
As a starting point to trying to make some sense of all this, MB Khalid can shed some light.
He can confirm if Azmin did indeed write the letter of 5th April.
Khalid, what say you?

Malaysian Website Blocked to Cover Up a Scandal

(Asia Sentinel) Unknown forces attempt to block Malaysia Today from printing documents involving a huge scandal

Malaysia Today, the hard-hitting news website edited by Raja Petra Kamarudin, has been blocked by mysterious technical problems twice in the last 24 hours after publishing damning articles of deep corruption at the top of the Malaysian government.

One implicated the United Malays National Organization, the country's leading political party, in looting MAS, the country's flag carrier. A second alleged that a friend of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak was attempting to steer RM200 million into the pockets of Najib's family from China Railways Engineering Corporation (CREC), for double-tracking the national railway.

"We are under severe attack," Raja Petra said in an email from London, where he now lives. "We've been down for the last 12 hours and a day before that for 24 hours. Looks like someone is spending a lot of money to keep us off the air." The website's technology personnel restored access, only to have it disappear again.

"It was the MAS story," Raja Petra said. "The site was brought down just a few hours after that. We revealed documents to and from the court to compromise the MAS case against Tajudin Ramli."

The fugitive editor was forced to flee the country 18 months ago after being charged with criminal defamation of Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, and being threatened with prosecution under the country's stiff Internal Security Act, which allows for what amounts to indefinite detention without or trial.

It wasn't clear who was doing the blocking, but whoever it is must be learning that the Internet is a sieve. The offending stories almost immediately appeared in another anonymous blog called "Malaysians Must Know The Truth."

Despite the fact that Malaysian bloggers have developed a healthy opposition press delivering voluminous details of government wrongdoings that can't be read in the government-controlled press, so far the Internet has remained free of interference. Government leaders have repeatedly denied any intention to shut down the bloggers.

Over recent weeks, however, Raja Petra has been particularly hard-hitting with a series of articles based on verbatim documents concerning the misdoings in MAS. The Asia Sentinel, in an Aug. 24 article using the same documents, wrote that Tajudin Ramli, a crony of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, was accused of looting the airline of tens of millions of dollars and very nearly putting it into bankruptcy by investigators who themselves then faced a campaign to discredit them.

The airline, which had been privatized and turned over to Tajudin, had to be rescued by the government. After it had incurred RM8 billion in losses, Tajudin returned the airline to the government for almost the original price, the losses notwithstanding.

Raja Petra continued to write about the issue, culminating in an article on Sept. 8 in which he said Tajudin had been given immunity by UMNO with the backing of former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and that reports by investigators and whistle-blowers went unheeded by the police.

In the article, Raja Petra said he had been visited by Tajudin's lawyers in London, who told him that he had only been a front man for UMNO and that UMNO "not only has to protect him from prosecution but that they also had to ensure that the government bought back the shares at the same price that they were sold to him although the shares were only worth a portion of the real value."

According to the article, which is printed here, "This was going on not only for MAS but for other deals as well." The depositions listed a long series of documents detailing misdoings in UEM/Renong, an UMNO-linked construction company once headed by Halim Saad, another Mahathir crony, which has long been accused of looting the government treasury through vastly overpriced construction contracts.

"These are all Tajudin's allies working in concert to now spill the beans. They were all Umno front men and nominees. And they all now have an axe to grind with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad," Raja Petra wrote. "And, more importantly, it appears like the current Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak, is giving his tacit approval for Tajudin Ramli, Rahman Maidin and Halim Saad to sing like a canary and finger UMNO, Dr Mahathir and Tun Daim Zainuddin as the real rogues behind the plundering of billions of ringgit of taxpayers' money."

That wasn't all. On Sept. 5, Malaysia Today posted an article alleging that Tan Kay Hock, the controlling shareholder of Johan Holdings Bhd, a publicly-listed investment holding company and golfing partner of the prime minister had asked Chinese officials who had contracted to double-track the national railway for RM500 million and told them that RM200 million is for Najib's family.

"And this is making the Chinese very unhappy because, in China, both the givers as well the sis charged to the family of the deceased," Raja Petra wrote. "The Chinese are wondering whether it is worth the risk to pay Kay Hock the RM500 million he is demanding."

The national railway, he wrote, "is being used as Najib's new cash cow." A deal to supply coaches worth RM1.4 billion went to a company involving Najib's wife Rosmah and two other women. The coaches were said to be worth only RM300 million and do not function.

The documents referred to by Malaysia Today are listed below.
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL1.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL2.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL3.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL4.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL5.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL6.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL7.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL8.jpg
http://i967.photobucket.com/albums/ae159/Malaysia-Today/LKL9.jpg

Malaysian universities falling out of top 200 universities in QS World University Rankings 2010 latest proof that Najib’s NEM are just empty words lacking political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation

By Lim Kit Siang,

Malaysian universities have again fallen out of the top 200 universities in the latest QS World University Rankings 2010, with University of Malaya falling from last year’s ranking of 180 to 207.

This is the latest proof that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s New Economic Model are just empty words lacking the political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation to escape the decades-long “middle-income trap” to become a inclusive and sustainable high-income developed country by 2020.

The Najib premiership is fast developing a split personality – plugging the NEM for international consumption with its recognition of human talents as the most valuable national assets in the era of globalization while ignoring NEM locally for fear of evoking extremist opposition to its proposals on new affirmative policies based on meritocracy and needs.

During the Sibu by-election in May this year, I had referred to the latest QS Asian University Rankings 2010 where the country’s premier institution of higher education, University of Malaya had dropped two places to 41st this year from 39 last year while Universiti Sains Malaysia, which was granted Apex status in 2008 only managed to maintain its ranking at 69, and lamented Malaysia becoming the “sick man of South-East Asia”- with a decade of economic stagnation and national decline in all aspects of national life, whether educational excellence, good governance, institutional professionalism, human rights or environmental protection.

The warning by NEM, crafted by a panel of local and foreign experts that “We must act now before our position deteriorates any further” had failed to make any impact or impression whatsoever as far as the government leadership is concerned.

I have today received an email from a post-graduate student in University of Malaya expressing his concern at my lamentation.

The email reads:

I’m a postgrad student in University of Malaya.

Prof Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as a Vice Chancellor of UM two years ago with a great vision to make this university a world class university. Being the vice chancellor of the oldest university in this country which is also well known of producing many great and famous leaders, is a heavy burden.

I completed my bachelor degree in this university and registered my PhD right after that which was in the same year Prof Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as the VC of the university.

In that time, I had witnessed a great change and improvement he had implemented in this university in a goal to improve quality and the world ranking of the university.

Prof Jasmon is a meritocracy oriented academician and he has opened up a vast opportunity to many lecturers and famous researcher to join this university regardless of their ethnicity, complexion or religion.

A series of good but strict rules and policies had been made to achieve the goal. In the eyes of some profs, academic and admin staffs who used to live an easy life, appointment of Prof Jasmon as VC has become a nightmare to them. Thus, some resistance force has arisen and stood against his way but yet he is still standing firmly and continue doing his job to make this university a better university.

I notice there is a drop of ranking of UM this year but the ranking is disputed and it cannot be fully used as a reference in judging the quality of the university.

I support Prof Ghauth Jasmon and I think he deserves more support from the government and all the political parties in this country to achieve the goal.

I hope DAP can go easy on the drop of the ranking of local universities this year.

In fact, compliment and credits should be given to him for all his hardwork in improving the university in terms of increment in number of publications and number of academic staff.

If this post-graduate student is right, and I know many who have the interests of University of Malaya and the nation at heart share this view, it only means that University of Malaya would not have just plunged 27 rankings but probably double the drop if not for Professor Ghauth Jasmon at the helm of University of Malaya.

This is indeed serious food for thought.

Two Wholesale Traders Pistol-Whipped During Robbery

IPOH, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Two wholesale traders were pistol-whipped during a robbery at the Menglembu wholesale market here Thursday night.

The victims, in their 40s, sought out-patient treatment at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital.

In the incident about 8pm, five traders were having dinner at the market when four men armed with two pistols and two meat cleavers held them up.

Acting city police chief Superintendent Ibrahim Abu Bakar said Thursday, when one of the robbers fired a warning shot, three of the traders fled in fear.

He said the robbers then pistol-whipped the two traders before taking away two bags, one containing RM3,000, and escaped in a car.

In NEGERI SEMBILAN, a man escaped with M80,000 after robbing a bank branch in Bandar Baru Nilai on Wednesday.

The robber, who was sporting sunglasses and a cap, was armed with what appeared to be a pistol when he struck the bank about 4pm, said Seremban police chief Assistant Commissioner Saiful Azly Kamaruddin.

He said the man jumped over the counter and threatened the staff before escaping with the cash, adding that there was a manager, four staff and two security guards at the time.

He said the police detained one of the guards to facilitate investigations.

In JOHOR BAHARU, the police detained six Indonesians, including a woman, at a squatter area in Majidi, in connection with a robbery at an apartment in Bukit Saujana on Sept 3.

Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff said on Thursday, in the incident, three women were robbed by a group of Indonesians who escaped with RM14,250, three handphones and a laptop computer.

Cops grill Soi Lek over Perkasa's report

(Malaysiakini) MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek today had his statement recorded by the police over his alleged inflammatory speech which had angered Malay pressure group Perkasa.

Perkasa had previously lodged a police report against Chua for allegedly questioning the special rights of the bumiputras in his speech at the MCA organised Chinese Economic Congress last month.

Speaking to the press after he met the police for about 50-minutes this morning, Chua said he had given a copy of his speech to the police.

He maintained that his speech was in no way racially motivated and was purely focused on the liberalisation of Malaysia's economy.

"Whatever I said was for the good of the country, especially the economy... There was no ulterior motive," he said.

Don’t belittle us, Perkasa warns Umno

Saying they have nothing to lose, Perkasa warned politicians against disparaging the group. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali has warned Umno not to look down on the Malay rights organisation, stressing that his group was not the reason behind Barisan Nasional’s (BN) flagging support.
Syed Hassan added that the Malay rights movement had never asked Umno or the BN to give way for Perkasa chief and Independent MP, Datuk Ibrahim Ali, to keep his Pasir Mas seat at the next polls.
“Please be careful when opening your mouth. Lots of flies come out of their mouths when they speak. Don’t belittle Perkasa. We’re not losing anything,” Syed Hassan said in a statement issued early this morning.
Last March, the vocal champion for Malay rights warned politicians against earning its enmity if they wanted voter support in the coming general election due by 2013.
Syed Hassan’s response comes on the heels of Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s assertion that the Malay party will challenge Ibrahim for control of the Kelantan seat.
Tengku Adnan had stressed his party will not back the strident Ibrahim if the latter chooses to run as an Independent there.
“I want to ask Ku Nan, when did Perkasa ask for Pasir Mas to be given to Datuk Ibrahim Ali and BN to back off from contesting?” Syed Hassan lobbed at the Umno veteran, calling him by his nickname.
In an exclusive interview with The Malaysian Insider, Tengku Adnan yesterday said: “Why should Umno support him? Umno should field its own candidate in Pasir Mas. We will contest in Pasir Mas.”

Tengku Adnan said Umno was troubled by some of Perkasa’s actions.

The 59-year-old echoed the views voiced previously by other Umno leaders, including party Youth chief and regular critic of Ibrahim, Khairy Jamaluddin. “As (Umno) secretary-general, I can tell you, we have nothing to do with Perkasa, and we’re not happy with some of the things done by Perkasa because they have eroded our support,” the former Tourism Minister said, when quizzed over the high number of Perkasa members who are also Umno members.
“When they talk about my friends among the Chinese or Indians, they cause us to lose more votes,” Tengku Adnan revealed.
Perkasa was founded by Ibrahim Ali two years ago, just after Election 2008.
The fiery MP had been sacked from Umno in 2004 and had won the Pasir Mas seat in the last general election on a PAS ticket.
Today, Syed Hassan also denied there was an understanding between the two Malay “champions” to work together, contrary to popular perception.
Syed Hassan bristled at the Umno man’s high-handed attitude, pointing out that such remarks only added to the Malay community retracting their support from the party.
“I want to remind Ku Nan that some of Umno’s and BN’s actions are causing voters to distance themselves from the party.
“They are the ones causing the loss of support. Perkasa is only reprimanding them (Umno and BN) so they realise some of their actions are not quite right.
“But if they want to treat it as causing them to lose support, that’s up to them,” said Syed Hassan.
“This proves there are still Umno leaders who are arrogant and it was one of the reasons why Umno lost support.
“Many have said the reason the rakyat rejected BN in the 12th general election was because of Pak Lah’s affairs, but actually it was also the leaders surrounding Pak Lah that contributed to the loss of support,” Syed Hassan added.
Confidence in the BN peaked in the 2004 general election when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi — or Pak Lah, as he is called affectionately — replaced Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the prime minister.
But the two-term PM led the BN to its worst performance in history in the last polls, resulting in the ruling coalition losing its two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

Sarawak is BN’s with or without Taib, says Umno sec-gen

Tengku Adnan believes PBB and SUPP will resolve their individual problems. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 — Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident it will keep Sarawak regardless whether Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud leads the ruling coalition, its secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said.

But Tengku Adnan reminded state party leaders to be aware of public sentiment outside the coalition and to assess the political situation carefully.

“Whether he is there or not there it makes no difference; BN will still win in the next election. But as you know, recently PBB came out with a statement saying that he should carry on,” he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.

“It is not for the party to say,” he added, noting that the coalition wanted to keep its two-thirds majority in the Sarawak assembly.

Taib, who has served as Sarawak chief minister for the past 29 years, is said to have been under pressure from another leading BN Sarawak member — the Sarawak United Progressive Party (SUPP) — to step down due to his unpopularity in urban areas where the Chinese-dominated party is contesting.

Tengku Adnan, also Umno secretary-general, however stressed that federal party leaders would not interfere in Taib’s final decision.

“In Sarawak, I believe that Pehin Sri Taib Mahmud will evaluate what the people really want. He is a statesman, I believe he does not want to destroy Barisan Nasional. It is up to him decide. As you know, we do not like to meddle in the component party members affairs,” he said.

Taib leads the Sarawak BN and also its largest party, the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB).

All PBB branches expressed support for Taib’s continued leadership of the state in its next polls, soon after he declared that he would step down if he was no longer needed.

SUPP leaders have recently met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to express their concern on issues affecting the state BN.

Its president and Sarawak deputy chief minister, Tan Sri George Chan, had said this week they received strong support from Najib and would be meeting with Taib soon.

Chan, however, did not elaborate on the details of his meeting with Najib, who is the national BN chairman.

“We also know what is happening there. We know the situation there. I believe the chairman and the prime minister must have spoken to the chief minister, telling [him] the actual situation in Sarawak and what we need to do in order for us to remain in power,” said Tengku Adnan.

He also dismissed talks of SUPP abandoning the state BN ahead of the next Sarawak election.

“The situation with SUPP is because they felt that they are no longer effective in the state because of some shortcomings in the state itself. But they have not left [the] state BN, they are still a component member of BN Sarawak and their state assemblymen are still in the Cabinet of Sarawak,” said Tengku Adnan.

“We hope that they will still stay on as a component member of BN Sarawak, irrespective of whatever their feelings are and their performance in the last election,” he added.

Tengku Adnan also reminded the SUPP that they are in a real partnership where no component party will be left out.

He also said that the party and the Chinese community would still be represented even if SUPP does not do well in the next election.

“We have been ‘married’ for a long time. We cannot simply ditch our partners just because they are not doing well,” said Tengku Adnan.

The Chinese make up only 26 per cent of the Sarawak population, but they reside mainly in urban, more developed regions of Malaysia’s largest state.

There are two Chinese SUPP ministers in the Sarawak Cabinet and five assistant ministers.

The current term of the Sarawak assembly expires in July next year and the government is expected to call for state election by the end of this year.

The opposition collectively won nine seats in 2006, seven of which are Chinese-majority.

“We are in a real partnership. We don’t have a loose arrangement. Take for example Gerakan. We appoint the president as a minister,” said Tengku Adnan referring to Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon who was made senator and appointed to Cabinet despite failing to win a federal seat.

He also played down the fear that the Chinese would not be represented in the next Sarawak government, adding that SUPP’s problems could still be mitigated.

“I still believe if certain things [are] done now, maybe Sarawak needs new faces in certain parts. Maybe George Chan has been there too long, maybe Wong Soon Koh also has been there too long,” said Tengku Adnan.

“Maybe they need some new faces, but as I said, we are also taking risks with new faces,” he added.

Chan, 74 has been a state assemblyman since 1983 and was appointed deputy chief minister in 1996, while state Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh, 68, first won his state seat of Bawang Assan in 1991, and has been in the Cabinet since 1996.

Tengku Adnan also reminded the state leaders to solve the native customary rights (NCR) land issue, which has been used by the opposition in its campaign.

“The RM20 million given for land survey, I said, yes, people will applaud, but at the end of the day they want to see their land titles. We need to perform,” said Tengku Adnan.

Najib in his recent visit to Sarawak announced an allocation of RM20 million for the surveying of NCR land.

The measure was to ensure the government’s recognition of the Sarawakian natives’ land ownership.

Malaysian universities falling out of top 200 universities in QS World University Rankings 2010 latest proof that Najib’s NEM are just empty words lacking political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation

By Lim Kit Siang,


Malaysian universities have again fallen out of the top 200 universities in the latest QS World University Rankings 2010, with University of Malaya falling from last year’s ranking of 180 to 207.
This is the latest proof that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s New Economic Model are just empty words lacking the political will and leadership necessary to effect Malaysia’s economic transformation to escape the decades-long “middle-income trap” to become a inclusive and sustainable high-income developed country by 2020.
The Najib premiership is fast developing a split personality – plugging the NEM for international consumption with its recognition of human talents as the most valuable national assets in the era of globalization while ignoring NEM locally for fear of evoking extremist opposition to its proposals on new affirmative policies based on meritocracy and needs.
During the Sibu by-election in May this year, I had referred to the latest QS Asian University Rankings 2010 where the country’s premier institution of higher education, University of Malaya had dropped two places to 41st this year from 39 last year while Universiti Sains Malaysia, which was granted Apex status in 2008 only managed to maintain its ranking at 69, and lamented Malaysia becoming the “sick man of South-East Asia”- with a decade of economic stagnation and national decline in all aspects of national life, whether educational excellence, good governance, institutional professionalism, human rights or environmental protection.
The warning by NEM, crafted by a panel of local and foreign experts that “We must act now before our position deteriorates any further” had failed to make any impact or impression whatsoever as far as the government leadership is concerned.
I have today received an email from a post-graduate student in University of Malaya expressing his concern at my lamentation.
The email reads:

I’m a postgrad student in University of Malaya.
Prof Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as a Vice Chancellor of UM two years ago with a great vision to make this university a world class university. Being the vice chancellor of the oldest university in this country which is also well known of producing many great and famous leaders, is a heavy burden.
I completed my bachelor degree in this university and registered my PhD right after that which was in the same year Prof Ghauth Jasmon was appointed as the VC of the university.
In that time, I had witnessed a great change and improvement he had implemented in this university in a goal to improve quality and the world ranking of the university.
Prof Jasmon is a meritocracy oriented academician and he has opened up a vast opportunity to many lecturers and famous researcher to join this university regardless of their ethnicity, complexion or religion.
A series of good but strict rules and policies had been made to achieve the goal. In the eyes of some profs, academic and admin staffs who used to live an easy life, appointment of Prof Jasmon as VC has become a nightmare to them. Thus, some resistance force has arisen and stood against his way but yet he is still standing firmly and continue doing his job to make this university a better university.
I notice there is a drop of ranking of UM this year but the ranking is disputed and it cannot be fully used as a reference in judging the quality of the university.
I support Prof Ghauth Jasmon and I think he deserves more support from the government and all the political parties in this country to achieve the goal.
I hope DAP can go easy on the drop of the ranking of local universities this year.
In fact, compliment and credits should be given to him for all his hardwork in improving the university in terms of increment in number of publications and number of academic staff.

If this post-graduate student is right, and I know many who have the interests of University of Malaya and the nation at heart share this view, it only means that University of Malaya would not have just plunged 27 rankings but probably double the drop if not for Professor Ghauth Jasmon at the helm of University of Malaya.
This is indeed serious food for thought.

More cyber attacks on Malaysian websites, says MCMC

PETALING JAYA – There has been an increase in the number of attacks by hackers on Malayisan websites, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The MCMC said in a statement that the number of defaced websites had increased from 168 cases for the whole of August to 262 cases recorded in the first week of September alone.

"Malaysian website owners are urged to update and secure their website applications and servers to the latest patches and service packs.

"This is to fix various vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers to compromise their websites," it said on Wednesday.

MCMC also advised website owners to allocate adequate measures to monitor their websites for the upcoming long holidays when most people would be away for the Hari Raya celebrations, possibly leaving most websites unmonitored for a long period of time.

It said last year, similar heightened web defacement activities were also detected during the long Hari Raya holidays.

MCMC said it would continue to monitor the situation through its Network Security Centre, which is a cyber security monitoring centre initiated by the commission in line with the National Cyber Security Policy. - Malaysian Mirror

Quran burning 'to go ahead'

US pastor is determined to go through with his plan to burn copies of Muslim holy book on September 11, despite outcry.

The leader of a small church in the US state of Florida says he is determined to go through with his plan to burn copies of the Quran on September 11, despite an international outcry against it.

Terry Jones, the pastor, said on Wednesday that he has received encouragement for his protest, with supporters mailing copies of the Islamic holy text to his church in Gainesville.

The plan is to incinerate the Qurans in a bonfire on Saturday to mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

"As of right now, we are not convinced that backing down is the right thing," Jones said.

'Death threats'

Jones said he has received more than 100 death threats and has started wearing a gun since announcing his plan to burn the book that Muslims consider the word of God.

The 58-year-old pastor proclaimed in July that he would stage 'International Burn-a-Quran Day.'

The plan has already sparked protests in Afghanistan and Indonesia and US officials are worried that it will put Americans at risk.

General David Petraeus, the US and Nato commander in the Afghan capital, Kabul, warned that "images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by the Taliban in Afghanistan, to inflame public opinion and incite violence".

Petraeus spoke on Wednesday with Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, about the matter, according to Colonel Erik Gunhus, a military spokesman.

"They both agreed that burning of a Quran would undermine our effort in Afghanistan, jeopardise the safety of coalition troopers and civilians," Gunhus said.

David Axelrod, senior adviser to Barack Obama, the US president, told CNN on Wednesday morning: "The reverend may have the right to do what he's doing but it's not right. It's not consistent with our values ..."

"I hope that his conscience and his good sense will take hold."

The Vatican also denounced the planned Quran burning as "outrageous and grave".

Right to free speech

Jones gained some local notoriety last year when he posted signs in front of his church declaring "Islam is of the Devil".

But his Quran-burning idea attracted wider attention. It drew rebukes from Muslim nations and at home as an emotional debate was taking shape over the proposed Islamic centre near the so-called Ground Zero site of the 2001 attacks in New York.

His actions likely would be protected by the US constitution's right to free speech.

The US Supreme Court has made clear that speech deemed offensive to many people, even the majority of people, cannot be suppressed by the government unless it is clearly directed to intimidate someone or amounts to an incitement to violence, legal experts have said.

Hishamuddin avoids families of alleged victims of police killings

Release all local and foreign ISA detainees this Hari Raya (10/9/10) Abolish ISA. Close down Kamunting Prison.

(Open letter by P.Uthayakumar to Malaysian Home Minister Hishamuddin)
We welcome the release of the longest serving Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Shamsuddin Sulaiman, a suspected Jemaah Islamiah (JI) detainee without trial who was released on 2/9/10 after eight years (The Staronline 3/9/2010).
In the spirit of Hari Raya on the 10^th and 11^th of September 2010 we call upon the Home Minister Hishamuddin Tun Hussein to release all our local and foreign ISA friends still being detained without trial at the Kamunting Prison in Taiping.
On this Hari Raya occasion I had recall how I had fasted for the whole of the Ramadan month in 2008 along with my Jemaah Islamiah (JI) friends and other muslims. Also how when each J.I and other detainees are released, it used to be a happy and also sad occasion. Happy because our fellow ISA detainee is released from detention. And sad because we are going to miss him and perhaps will never ever see him again. Even when we bid and hug them goodbye it was from the heart.
Behind the walls of the ISA prison there was truly One Malaysia as everyone was treated equally irrespective of their race or religion.
Even though the Hindraf lawyers were labeled as Hindu extremists by UMNO we had zero problems with the J.I. “Islamic extremists” at Kamunting Prison.
This is evidence that racist and religious supremacy in Malaysia is largely the creation of the UMNO controlled government to maintain and sustain their already 53 year old rule of Malaysia.
We learnt in Kamunting Prison that genuine One Malaysia will naturally take place and does not have to be artificial as it is in reality today only when UMNO practices genuine equality for all the communities in Malaysia especially for the poor and politically powerless Malaysia Indians as is guaranteed in Article 5 of the Federal Constitution (equality before the law) and when UMNO stop all acts of rule by majoritarian might and the UMNO racist and religious supremacist bully agenda.
The rule of law is for every man to be given a right to be heard, a fair hearing as per the Latin maxim Audi Altrem Partem. 
Under the law every man is presumed innocent until proven guilty and therefore no one should be arbitrarily detained under the ISA but instead should be given a full hearing and be tried in an independent and fair Court of law and that too only if there is a genuine case against him.
The pain and torture of detention under the ISA is a lot more worse than for the ordinary prisoners who would know exactly when they would be released. But for the ISA detainees, their detention is indefinite and they would not know when they would be released. This alone is designed to make it a lot painful and most suffer from mental torture on a day to day basis.
On this auspicious Hari Raya occasion, I recall my 514 days of detention without trial under the ISA at Kamunting Prison, feel for my friends still detained here and call upon the Home Minister to release them all on the occasion of this Hari Raya on 10/9/10.
Finally we call for the abolishment of the ISA and for the closing down of the ISA Kamunting Detention Prison.
P.Uthayakumar
8/9/10.
Y.B Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Menteri Kementerian Dalam Negeri, Kementerian Dalam Negeri,
Blok D1 & D2, Kompleks D,
Pusat Pentadbiran,
Kerajaan Persekutuan, Fax: 03-2693 3131
62546 Putrajaya E-Mail: menteri@moha.gov.my

Orphaned body of Jayabala in Taiping G.H for 2 months. Poor family cannot afford cost of funeral.

 Pray tell us of one such media report involving a Malay, Chinese, Orang Asli, Iban or Kadazan poor who are so poor to this extent?
Why does this happen only to the Indian poor?
Answer: 53 years of UMNO social engineering to keep the poor Indians poor if not making the poor Indians poorer.
P. Uthayakumar

Outgoing IGP accused of being a 'sour grape'

(Malaysiakini) Outgoing inspector-general of police (IGP) Musa Hassan has been accused of being ungrateful over claims of alleged 'third party interference' in the police force.

"Musa Hassan's (right) sudden attack on his former masters, the Home Ministry and politicians, for meddling in police affairs is most unbecoming as a senior civil servant - which is a very serious issue," said Robert Phang, a community leader.

In a statement today, Phang, who also sits on the corruption consultative and advisory panel of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), said, "His current tirade smacks of the proverbial sour grapes. Just because his tenure has not been extended, he has now suddenly found the guts to speak up for the force and champion independence.

"Has he forgotten that his tenure as top cop was extended three times by former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and (Home Minister) Hishammuddin Hussein?" Phang asked.

If the purported "interference" did exist, Phang demanded to know why Musa did not act on it as he is still in power.

"Perhaps it is reflective of Musa's ineffectiveness and irresponsibility when serving as IGP, the country's seniormost police officer.

As the 'top cop', the public look to Musa to maintain his integrity, and not reporting his claims makes him a 'yes man', lambasted Phang (left).

"At the end of all this talk, Musa should look himself in the mirror and ask whether he had contributed to the enhancement of the police force," he said, adding that the crime rate in the country is still in a worrying state.

Responding to Musa's lament that the force also lacked funds, Phang argued that the government had allocated RM8 billion of the budget for the police force.

"Musa cannot whine of lack of financial resources for the force... suddenly, Musa is hurling all sorts of accusations at the government and his former political masters. Don't tell me that he is Mr Perfect and thus the government should not interfere?" he said.

Undesirable issues

He also said the alleged 'infiltration' of Israeli military intelligence into Bukit Aman and the force's alleged links with the underworld were undesirable issues that cropped up during Musa's tenure.

"It is on record that the Home Ministry by tradition and also by design, aims to ensure all departments within the ministry will conduct their business or duties in accordance with its directives and SOP (standard operating procedures).

"The police force happens to be the biggest department under the ministry, which naturally is under very close supervision by the ministry in all respects.

"In short, the ministry's aim is to ensure there is no abuse of powers affecting the rakyat and the serving police officers, and more so to provide checks and balances for the force. It is therefore very unfair to regard this as interference," defended Phang.

"He should stop trying to portray himself as a police saint and be grateful that he was given the opportunity to serve the country," he added.

Phang also rubbished the IGP's claim that the latter was not aware of his retirement. "He is a seasoned and trained police officer", it is ridiculous to state that he was in the dark, said Phang.

Cozy relationship

Meanwhile, DAP parliamentarian Charles Santiago described Musa's allegations as "bitterness" that has stemmed out of a "cozy relationship".

In a statement he attributed Musa's "snide and ambiguous remarks" of a third party interference as coming "from a man who is on the verge of losing his powers after the Hari Raya weekend."

The Klang MP added Musa's attacks on government ministries and on Hishammuddin does not reflect his integrity or honesty.

"If Musa is serious about cleaning-up the police force he should be forthright and make a complaint to the MACC especially if it involves corruption and framing people as part of political power play.

"Taking pot shots at his bosom buddies-turned enemies before retirement shows that Musa has no real concern for the police force or the nation," said Santiago (left).

He reiterated that Musa's track record was "best caricatured" by the use of excessive force in dispersing demonstrations and candlelight vigils as well as the increase in deaths in custody.

"In short Musa has illustrated that the force has no hesitation in going to the mat for the ruling government. So maybe Musa could try and do the right thing before he retires by giving detailed information of interference by those from the higher-ups and lodge an official complaint to allow for police investigations," he suggested.

"For now, personalised attacks from Musa have only served to raise a few eyebrows and take a further whack on his dodgy reputation."

Ibrahim Ali says Umno sec-gen does not want Malay votes

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 – Malay rights group Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali accused Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor today of favouring Chinese voters over the Malays.

His remarks were in response to Tengku Adnan’s statement today that the party would not back Ibrahim in the next general election as he was allegedly eroding Barisan Nasional’s (BN) support among the non-Malays.

“He (Tengku Adnan) wants Chinese votes. He does not want Malay votes,” Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider today.

He, however, refused to elaborate further, saying: “No need. This is enough.”

The firebrand politician’s reaction to Tengku Adnan was unusually muted compared to the scathing insults he had recently hurled at Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin for issuing a similar statement.

Ibrahim had called Khairy “stupid”, “crazy”, “feeble-minded” and a “confused child”.

Like Tengku Adnan, Khairy also reportedly said that Perkasa was one of the reasons behind the waning support of non-Malay voters for the ruling coalition.

Ibrahim brushed off the Rembau MP’s statement as the “talk of a stupid, brainless person” and said that Umno was being destroyed because of “feeble-minded” people like Khairy.

The Pasir Mas MP also singled out alleged public hatred of Khairy as the reason behind BN’s historic losses in the last general election.

Last month, Ibrahim called Khairy “mentally ill” for threatening to leave Umno if the majority of its members supported Perkasa.

Tengku Adnan, however, dismissed allegations that Umno had strong ties with the Malay rights group and said that his party would contest the Pasir Mas seat.

He stressed that most Perkasa leaders were defeated candidates in the last Umno election in 2008 who merely sought a political platform to be heard.

The Umno secretary-general had reminded Perkasa leaders to monitor their fight for Malay rights before it spiralled out of control, which could end in a civil war.

He noted that BN had to address the needs of all racial groups in the country and could not afford to discriminate against anyone if it wanted to continue governing Malaysia.

Perkasa has been pressuring the Najib administration to protect what the group calls the constitutional right of the Malays, despite widespread acknowledgement that four decades of affirmative action have hurt the country’s competitiveness.

Recently, Ibrahim challenged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to declare that his 1 Malaysia concept — introduced to promote national unity — was based on the concept of “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy), which Ibrahim claimed to be enshrined in the Constitution.

PR: Utusan’s ISA call a bid to frighten Malays

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers have attacked Utusan Malaysia’s latest diatribe which calls for the Internal Security Act (ISA) to be used, saying it is an “old tactic” to scare Malays into thinking that their rights are being eroded.

The lawmakers claimed that the Ummo-owned daily’s push for the use of the law — which allows for detention without trial — reflects the party’s inability to address problems affecting the Malays.

It also intends to frighten the Malays into thinking that their rights, which are guaranteed under the Federal Constitution, are in jeopardy.

Utusan editor Zaini Hassan wrote the editorial today that called for the ISA to be used against those who questioned the Federal Constitution, saying “Use the ISA. All of us Malaysians want the government to use this law against anyone who wants to threaten the peace and stability in this country.

PR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed the article, saying that Utusan’s latest claims reflect the ruling Umno elite’s inability to have an open “intellectual” debate on the Constitution.

“Utusan has tried this angle again and again. It is an age-old debate that has been going on. Utusan’s arguments represent the views of the ruling elite who are not prepared to face the Malay masses. They cannot address the problems that are affecting the Malays, therefore they are using the ISA as an excuse to make Malays feel that their rights are under threat,” said Anwar.

Anwar told The Malaysian Insider that Malays should be open to discussions on the Constitution, saying that the special rights of Malays and Bumiputeras under Article 153 will be upheld.

“Malays should have the confidence, they should have the strength and the resolve for an intellectual debate, to truly understand the position of the Malays today, and what they can do to become better, more competitive, more successful,” said Anwar, when commenting on the editorial.

The former deputy prime minister also defended his daughter — Nurul Izzah Anwar’s actions in inviting Malay rights group Perkasa for a dialogue on Malay rights recently.

“All (Nurul) Izzah was saying was that let us look at the provisions within the Constitution. Let us discuss this. The provisions are meant to be protected. It is only being discussed because leaders from the ruling elite have used this to protect their cronies.

“Who is questioning the Constitution? Their assumption is based on their lies and deceit, as well as their inability to form coherent arguments [based on] their archaic form of thinking,” added Anwar.

The Utusan article also called on the Najib Administration, specifically the Home Ministry, to be “firmer” in taking action against individuals who questioned the social contract.

“The Home Ministry has to be firmer...people are wanting firm action to stabilise the country’s situation, This is our country, we love this country, what do we care about what foreigners say about our country’s security.

“Only those who have ill intentions and don’t want the ISA to threaten them would oppose the ISA and would want it abolished. Don’t let a small group of protestors (less than 10 people) in London the other day be a reason for the government to be soft... everyone knows that the protests were done by the country’s opposition,” said the article.

Utusan’s latest comments follows Perkasa’s recent call for a crackdown on web users who allegedly insulted Islam, by detaining them under the ISA.

“This is a repeat of the only script they (Utusan) know. I stand by my principles on my challenge to Perkasa. We are not asking for the Constitution to be amended. [But] we should be allowed to discuss openly. Malays have to draw up a new script for Malaysian. We cannot let this same script dictate our thinking,” said Nurul.

Perkasa had declined her invitation to debate on Malay rights, claiming that Malay rights could not be questioned or debated.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also recently warned against questioning provisions of the Constitution, as well as the social contract.

Nurul said that the mindset of Malays in Perkasa and those within Utusan were actually a hindrance to Najib’s reform plans under the New Economic Model (NEM).

“It’s a scare tactic on their (Utusan’s) part. This is clear when even an implementation of the NEM has been met with resistance from these groups,” said the PKR Lembah Pantai MP.

DAP’s Charles Santiago said that Najib’s silence on Utusan’s and Perkasa’s calls indicated that he is not willing to make a decisive move and this will affect his reform plans for the country’s economy.

“He (Najib) is getting chopped on both sides. Given that he’s not said anything, we don’t know the direction of the country’s leadership.

“When you read Utusan, you get the impression that the Malays are under attack. Utusan is manufacturing a consensus of how non-Malays are questioning Malay rights in the Constitution,” said Charles.

The Klang MP claimed that by creating a “false sense of fear” among the Malays, Utusan as well as Umno are risking a backlash from foreign investors.

“Utusan is creating a false fear among the Malays... But what they did not think of is that foreign investors are looking at this, the developments. Instability like this will affect foreign investments coming in the country,” Charles told The Malaysian Insider. - The Malaysian Insider

Hari Raya Aidilfitri on Friday

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — Muslims in Malaysia will celebrate Aidilfitri on Friday, the Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal, Engku Tan Sri Ibrahim Engku Ngah, announced tonight.

The announcement was broadcast by Radio Television Malaysia (RTM).

“In adherence to the command of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the consent of the rulers, I hereby declare that the date for Hari Raya Puasa (Aidilfitri) has been set for Friday, 10 Sept 2010,” he said. — Bernama

DNBN Kuburkan BN : Taib must go

By Haris Ibrahim,

Our Sarawakian brothers and sisters are saying it out loud.
TAIB MUST GO!
Sarawakians have had enough of this man’s rape of the state and the unholy enrichment of his family and cronies.
Are you Sarawakian?
If you are, take word out to your  Dayak friends .
TAIB MUST GO!
TAIB & HIS CRONIES MUST GO!
Sarawakians must rise and vote out Taib and his cronies in the next elections.
Sarawakians determined to take the state back from the thieving BN regime under Taib have launched a TAIB MUST GO (TMG) initiative. You can access it on Facebook by clicking on the image below.

Posted by Haris Ibrahim

The mentality that got us into the cesspool that we’re in now

By Haris Ibrahim,

Remember how so many from amongst us continued to vote for BN, even as we knew that so much was going wrong with the running of the nation?
Remember Tun Salleh’s sacking?
Ops Lalang?
Bank Negara’s forex losses?
Bank Bumi losses?
Perwaja?
The sacking of the Al-Arqam commune?
Francis Udayappan?
BN still got voted in again and again.
Sure, the media only fed us what was kosher for BN, so some times we did not know everything that we ought to have known.
Things are different now.
Are things really different now?
Since 25th August, this blog has relentlessly carried postings about the goings-on in PKR.
I have questioned Anwar’s agenda, whether he is still a closet Malay nationalist, and whether the disciplinary action taken against the 12 was part of a Muslim agenda.
Why?
Well, it would seem that within the Pakatan leadership, and most of the citizenry, it is a given that if Pakatan emerge victorious from the 13th GE, Anwar is to be PM.
That being the case, should we not scrutinise this man and his politics now?
Should we not investigate every negative bit of news that we come by?
Some of you think otherwise.
Some of you think that we must accept Anwar and Pakatan, warts and all, as this nation needs to be rid of BN.
I agree that we need to rid this nation of the scourge that BN is, but do you not think we need to be discerning about what we put in its place?
Do we blind ourselves to what might still turn out to be very UMNO traits in Anwar and his inner circle now, only to discover these when he is safely installed in Putrajaya?
Have we learnt nothing from the past?

IGP and Home Ministry – A castle very divided

Home ministry denies Musa’s ‘interference’ claim
By Yow Hong Chieh | Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — The home ministry today denied it had meddled in police matters, as claimed by outgoing Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan yesterday.

Home ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam explained that the ministry’s involvement in weekly meetings with the police to discuss resource allocations and review case files might have given rise to such a perception.

“Sometimes the recommendations… of the Royal Malaysian Police cannot be considered by the home ministry so we are seen as interfering,” Mahmood said after witnessing Musa hand over control of the police force to Tan Sri Ismail Omar at Bukit Aman Police Headquarters here today.

Yesterday, Musa spoke out against what he saw as excessive interference by “third parties” in police business, naming the home ministry among others.

“All kinds of people interfere. People from the ministry itself, outsiders, people with vested interests like those who want to do things that are not right — they will try to interfere,” he had said.

However, he refused to comment on whether Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, with whom he is rumoured to have a strained relationship, was the person responsible for the meddling.

Following this revelation, Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers urged the top cop to lodge reports with an ombudsman, the Public Complaints Bureau and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to eradicate such problems from the police force.

Musa today appeared to have taken the suggestion to heart, maintaining that he will consider pursuing further action regarding the alleged third-party interference.

“I’ll have a look,” he said simply when asked by reporters.

However, he declined to identify individuals who may have interfered in police affairs or comment further on Mahmood’s statement.

Musa’s allegations yesterday appeared to be a repeat of comments he made about an interfering “third force” in a March interview with Mingguan Malaysia.

In it, he claimed that politicians and “certain individuals” had issued orders directly to his subordinates in contravention of Section 4 of the Police Act 1957, which states that all actions and supervision falls under the IGP.

Around the same time, reports surfaced that Musa had tendered his resignation due to differences with Hishammuddin. Musa, however, denied that he had given notice, and instead accused “some quarters” of wanting to remove him from his post.

Hishammuddin invariably gave fodder to the rumour mill when he said over a week later that he knew who would replace Musa, despite keeping mum on whether or not Musa’s contract would be extended.

The home minister finally ended speculation when he announced last Wednesday that Deputy IGP Ismail would replace Musa as the country’s new IGP come September 13. Hishammuddin added that Internal Security and Public Order Director Commissioner Datuk Hussin Ismail would be the new deputy IGP.

Mahmood today also denied that the home ministry had not informed Musa that his contract would not be renewed a third time.

He stressed that he had informed Musa verbally that his contact would not be extended a week before Hishammuddin announced the new IGP, and again on the day of the announcement itself.

Mahmood added that a formal letter of termination will be issued to Musa once the prime minister presents his recommendation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Constitution.

——-

Musa tells police force: Don’t be ‘yes men’
By Regina Lee | Malaysiakini

Even in his last outgoing speech as the Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan fired a thinly veiled attack at the Home Ministry.

Not wanting to go down without a fight, Musa reminded his officers and men to remain steadfast despite “pressure from above and outside”.

“You must not act as ‘yes men’. Don’t be servants. If the police are made up of yes men, the entire force would rot and collapse,” he said during the handing over ceremony to the new IGP, his former deputy Ismail Omar.

“Don’t be lenient or compromise,” he said.

It is no secret that Musa has regarded the Home Ministry to be “interfering” with police work.

In his rare outburst at his final Press conference on Monday, he had named the home ministry as one of the “third parties” causing excessive interference in the police force.

“All kinds of people interfere. People from the ministry itself, outsiders and people with vested interests who want to do things that are not right,” he was reported to have said.

Don’t work in cliques

In his speech, Musa also reminded his officers not to work in cliques.

“During my time, no one knew which officers who were close to me. I never called officers to my house, nor did I go out to restaurants and dine with them.

“It made my work a lot easier this way, since I don’t have officers currying favours from me,” he said.

Earlier, he also tipped his hat to Ismail, saying that he has full trust in him.

“Ismail will work well. But he needs the support of all. I hope that after I retire, he will improve the force, and to see to the end of every plan and strategy,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of public complaints against myself and the force because we are seen to not give th best service, or that we are untrustworthy or corrupt. But I hope that after I was appointed, we have made some improvements to the force.

“And now, I will sit outside as an observer. I used to be scrutinised and now it is Ismail’s turn.

“Don’t be involved in abuse of power, and make sure that you bathe in blood to protect this country,” he said.

Musa, 58, was a career policeman for 41 years. His contract was extended twice after he had reached retirement age, and his contract officially expires on Sept 12.

Is your faith in Islam so shallow?

By Haris Ibrahim,

Suara Anak Pahang (SUAP) wants police to investigate the Aidilfitri advertisement that was aired by TV3, reports Malaysiakini.
“Although TV3 has apologised, the case must be looked into by the authorities for the sake of the sanctity of Islam in the country” ,  SUAP Action Committee chairman Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli is reported to have insisted.
PAS Youth, too, it seems, views the ad as an insult to Islam.
View the ad for yourself and decide.

Me?
I think if Angel Gabriel placed Islam right in their noses, they’d blow it away in a piece of Kleenex and be none the wiser.

Home Ministry Gets Memo Over Alleged Police Abuse

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 8 (Bernama) -- Family members of six people who were shot by police or died in police custody on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to the Home Ministry seeking action against the policemen who allegedly abused their powers.

One of the cases involves Aminulrasyid Amzah, 15, who died after he was shot by the police in Shah Alam in April, and his friend, Azzamudin Omar, 15, who was injured in the same incident.

The other cases involve Mohd Afham Arin, 18, of Johor who died after being shot in October last year, Norizan Salleh, 30, of Kuala Lumpur who was shot five times, also in October last year, Shahril Azlan, 26, of Selangor who was shot and injured in April last year, and A. Kugan, 22, who died in police custody in January last year.

The memorandum was submitted to a representative of the ministry here by the family members, who were accompanied by several members of the non-governmental organisation, Lawyers for Liberty.

A spokesman for Lawyers for Liberty, N. Surendran, said the families want all the policemen who had allegedly abused their powers to be prosecuted or subjected to disciplinary action.

"Stern action should be taken against the offenders so that abuse of powers by the police does not recur," he said.

 resolution

Keadilan enters a new era: direct elections

By Anil Netto,


PKR is preparing for its party elections which, for the first time, will see ordinary members directly voting for top leadership posts in the party.
But what has been Anwar’s role be in all this, given that he is torn between his court case, party matters and never-ending campaigning? Is the party prepared for the outcome of the trial?  I wrote this piece for Asia Times:

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

As Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy case meanders its way through the courts, the spotlight has shifted to how his party is preparing for the possible outcome.
A guilty verdict in the high-stakes case would be a significant blow his opposition People’s Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat), which hopes to capitalize on significant gains it made against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition at the last general election in 2008. Read more