Priest abuse victims' group blacklists 12 cardinals for pope

Archbishops (purple hats) and cardinals (red hats) sit in St Peter's Square on February 27 in Vatican City

Rome (CNN) -- A group representing survivors of sexual abuse by priests named a "Dirty Dozen" list of cardinals it said would be the worst candidates for pope based on their handling of child sex abuse claims or their public comments about the cases.

The list names three U.S. Roman Catholic cardinals and nine from other countries.

Watch for the smoke: How is a new pope elected?

SNAP, the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, said as it released the list Wednesday that its accusations were based on media reports, legal filings and victims' statements.

A representative for one of the cardinals on list dismissed the group. The remaining cardinals or their representatives couldn't be immediately reached by CNN for comment Wednesday.

"I'm not going to respond to this group which has little to no credibility," said Joseph Zwelling, a spokesman for Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

When asked about the SNAP list, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, told CNN: "We believe it is not up to SNAP to decide who comes to conclave and who is chosen. ... cardinals can decide themselves without asking SNAP for advice."

Lombardi and another Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Thomas Rosica, read the SNAP press release together, Rosica said. Lombardi declined to comment further.

The two other U.S. cardinals on the list are Sean O'Malley of Boston and Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., the group said.

The others listed are Leonardo Sandri of Argentina, George Pell of Australia, Marc Ouellet of Canada, Dominik Duka or the Czech Republic, Peter Turkson of Ghana, Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Honduras, Tarcisio Bertone and Angelo Scola of Italy, and Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico, the group said.

Not all of them are linked to alleged coverups of sexual abuse, SNAP said. Some were placed on the list because of their public remarks related to the abuse scandal, SNAP said.

On Monday, SNAP also called for some of the older cardinals to remove themselves from the meetings held before the election of the new pope, arguing that some have been accused of complicity in protecting priests accused of sexually abusing children.

Cardinals from around the globe have been summoned to Rome to take part in the process of choosing the next pontiff, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI last week.

As of midday, 113 of the 115 cardinals eligible to elect the new pope are in Rome, according to Lombardi. To be eligible to be a part of the group, a cardinal must be under the age of 80.

The two cardinal-electors who are not yet there are Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw, who was due to arrive later Wednesday, and Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man of Vietnam, who is arriving Thursday.

Interactive: A look at possible papal contenders

No date has yet been proposed for the secret election, or conclave, to select the former pontiff's successor.

Meanwhile, a new study says American Catholics view sex abuse by clergy as the most important problem facing the church today, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

When asked to put in their own words what's the most pressing issue facing their church, 34% of the U.S. Catholics questioned cite pedophilia, sex abuse or another phrase for the same problem, Pew said. No other problem received a more than 10% response; the next biggest issue named is low trust and low credibility, at 9%, Pew said.

'Silence didn't work'

SNAP is intentionally focusing on candidates with a realistic chance of being named pope, its executive director David Clohessy said Wednesday as the group released its list.

"The single quickest and most effective step would be for the next pope to clearly discipline, demote, denounce and even defrock cardinals and bishops who are concealing child sex crimes. We think that's the missing piece," he said.

The new pope should order each bishop around the world to hand over "every piece of paper he has on proven, admitted or credibly accused child-molesting clerics to law enforcement," Clohessy said.

Barbara Dorris, victims' outreach director for SNAP, said: "The short answer is we've tried silence, silence didn't work, so we have to speak out. We have to do everything we can to get this information out there."

The Catholic Church has been rocked by a series of child sex abuse scandals in recent years -- and the new pope will be under pressure to deal more effectively with a crisis that has shaken public confidence in the church.

SNAP says it's vital to look at how the world's bishops have handled claims of abuse by priests because the crisis is far from over.

"This scandal, we believe, has yet to surface in most nations. It's shameless spin and deliberate deception to claim otherwise. It's tempting to reassure the public and the parishioners by making this claim. But it's also irresponsible," a statement on SNAP's website said.

"Clergy sex crimes and coverups remain deeply hidden in the vast majority of nations (where most Catholics live), and has really only become widely known -- and barely addressed -- in the U.S. about a decade ago and in a few European countries even more recently."

What's in a name? Clues to be found in next pope's moniker

Media leaks concern

A news conference scheduled by American cardinals for Wednesday, following media briefings on Monday and Tuesday, was canceled at short notice.

Asked if the Vatican had told the American cardinals to stop their daily media briefings, Vatican spokesman Rosica suggested that the details of what was discussed in the general congregations were not meant to be publicized.

"It's not up to Father Lombardi or myself to tell them what to do," he said. "It could be that among themselves they realized that there are different ways and different methods of getting things out."

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, director of media relations for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said via e-mail that the U.S. cardinals were committed to transparency and had wanted to share "a process-related overview of their work" with the public "in order to inform while ensuring the confidentiality" of the general congregations.

"Due to concerns over accounts being reported in the Italian press, which breached confidentiality, the College of Cardinals has agreed not to give interviews," she said.

In total, 153 cardinals gathered Wednesday at the Vatican for a third day of meetings, known as general congregations, before they set the timetable for the election.

The cardinals spoke about new evangelization, restructuring of the church hierarchy, or curia, and the need for good governance of the church, Lombardi said.

A five-minute limit has been imposed on cardinals speaking at the meetings, although the microphone is not being switched off if they run over the time allowed.

The cardinals have decided to meet twice Thursday, in the morning and afternoon, in order to "intensify the rhythm of work," Lombardi said.

Video shown at a Vatican news conference showed workers preparing the Sistine Chapel for the secretive conclave.

An elevated floor is being put in place to protect the elaborate mosaic tiling, said Lombardi, where seats will be placed for the cardinals.

The Sistine Chapel and its ornate ceiling by Michelangelo are normally a must-see for tourists in Rome, but it was closed to the public beginning Tuesday afternoon to allow for preparations to take place.

Four suspected militants arrested in Semporna

Muslim anger explodes against Bangladesh's Hindu community

by Sumon Francis Gomes

Violence continues after the death sentence is imposed on the leader of an Islamic party convicted of war crimes. Homes and temples have been destroyed in various parts of the country.

Dhaka (AsiaNews) - Scores of homes have been set on fire, women and girls have been assaulted, temples have been desecrated and statues of the goddess Kali have been destroyed.

For days, Hindu communities in some areas of Bangladesh have been targeted by supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami, an Islamic party, after its leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee was sentenced to death for war crimes.

Acts of violence against the Hindu minority got worse yesterday during a hartal or strike called by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat's main ally, to protest against the verdict.

In Khulna (a town in the country's southwest), various activists from the Jamaat-Shibir (Jamaat-e-Islami's youth wing) and the BNP led protesters towards Dhopapara, a poor area largely inhabited by Hindus. Rapidly, the Muslim extremists set fire to eight homes and looted ten stores before they were dispersed by police.

"Jamaat members entered my house and beat my mother, my wife and my three daughters," said Amio Das, one of the victims of the attack. "They took our stuff and then set fire to the rest."

In the village of Aditmari (in the northern district of Lalmonirhat), some fundamentalists stormed and looted the Hindu temple of Sree Sree Shoshan Kali Mandir, dedicated to Kali, destroying statues of the goddess.

The same occurred to a temple in the village of Lakhirpar and another in Satkania (Chittagong).

Too late for apologies, Kiram clan tells Manila

Filipino Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III (2nd-R) prays with his family and supporters in Taguig, Metro Manila March 6, 2013. Jamalul said on ABS-CBN News Channel on Wednesday night that ‘the door of the Sultan is still open for negotiations’. – Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, March 6 – The Kiram clan turned a cold shoulder today to reports that the Philippine government wants to apologise for losing the letter it wrote in 2010, pointing out that it was too late as many Filipinos have already died during the violent clashes in Sabah.

Fatima Celia, wife of the self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, said on ABN-CBS News Channel in the Philippines tonight that the government should instead apologise to the families left behind by the Sulu’s “royal security force”.

“Damage has been done, no? Lives have been lost,” she said during prime time news at 8pm.

Jamalul’s brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, had led a group of over 200 armed man from the Sulu “royal army” to Lahad Datu in Sabah on February 9, hoping to stake its claim over the northern Borneo territory.

But today, nearly a month after their surprise landing, the men have suffered casualties at the hands of Malaysia’s security forces, who are currently still undergoing ground operations to flush them out of the east Malaysian state.

The incident has place Malaysia and the Philippine’s border security control under the spotlight, as well as ruffled feathers in the Aquino administration, which has been taking the brunt of attacks from Filipinos for allowing the gunfight on the Sulu militants.

Despite the attacks, Jamalul said on ABS-CBN News Channel tonight that “the door of the Sultan is still open for negotiations”.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported this afternoon that Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who just returned from Malaysia yesterday, plans to pen an apology letter to Agbimuddin for failing to attend to the letter that the Sulu leader had written to the Aquino administration in 2010, seeking wisdom on his clan’s claim over Sabah.

“I Intend to write a letter of apology,” Del Rosario was quoted as saying in a text message to the Inquirer.

In a statement published on its website today, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) admitted that the letter from Agbimuddin, which is believed to have been sent to Aquino two days before he took office in 2010, has been found in its possession.

“... that letter has been found with the DFA. The Secretary is taking full responsibility for the oversight,” the statement said.

Aquino had previously said that the letter was likely “lost in the bureaucratic maze”, while his spokesman Edwin Lacierda said recently that the Malacañang, the president’s official residence, never received the correspondence from Agbimuddin.

According to previous reports, the letter first congratulates Aquino on his presidency, before urging for the government’s guidance over the Sultanate’s ownership of Sabah, as well as a role in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Malaysia is a facilitator in the peace talks.

In the letter, Agbimuddin had also told Aquino about the creation of the Interim Supreme Royal Ruling Council (ISRRC) under the Sultanate, following a series of consultations in Siminul, Indanan and Kawit, in the Philippines, the daily reported.

Agbimuddin, who is the ISRRC chairman, had also expressed his followers’ frustration at being ignored for five decades over its Sabah claim, ending the letter by expressing hope to see “a change in the treatment of the Sabah issue” under Aquino’s administration.

The Inquirer reported that the Agbimuddin’s brother, Sultan Jamalul, had himself written to Aquino in 2011 and last year but upon receiving zero response, had agreed to a “royal decree” permitting the former to return “home” to Sabah with a group of followers in early February this year.

Malaysian security forces and the Sulu gunmen are still locked in a nearly one-month standoff that has claimed the lives of over 20 individuals, including eight Malaysian police personnel.

A dawn aerial attack and subsequent ground sweep yesterday by Malaysian forces have yet to prove successful, however, and Agbimuddin and his band of rebels are still believed to be on the loose and on the move.

According to reports from their family members in Taguig City, Philippines, the group has no plans to lay down arms and are ready to fight to the last, believing that their struggle would be for the betterment of their clan’s future.

Pro-Pakatan blogs link Najib to Sulu Sultan

Several pro-Pakatan Rakyat blogs posted pictures in their blogs; one being the sultan attending the Umno annual general assembly and the other, Najib posing with Jamalul's brother.

PETALING JAYA: With several mainstream media linking Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to the instrusion in Lahad Datu, several pro-opposition blogs posted pictures linking Umno and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the Filipino intruders.

Greenboc.blogspot.com posted a picture of the self-styled Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, the leader of the Sulu intruders, attending the 2012 Umno general assembly.

“He was guest at the Umno annual general assembly. Jamalul was invited as a sign of friendship. What are you going to say now?” reads the post in the blog.

Blogger Tulang Besi, who runs the Malaysian Waves site, posted a picture of Najib posing with Sultan Eslam Kiram II, brother of Jamalul Kiram.

“There are many other Umno leaders who took pictures with Eslam but it’s not out yet,” he said.

Tulang Besi also said that Umno supporters were upset with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) supremo Nur Misuari as the latter blamed Najib for the mess in Sabah.

“Before this, these Umno supporters didn’t even say a word about Nur Misuari. Now they are trying to link the MNLF leader to Anwar,” he added.

However, the most intriguing part of the story comes from Philippines-based media, Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, quoting Nur Misuari on Feb 22 that the intruders were there on “invitation”.

Nur Misuari claimed that he heard that the group led by Crown Prince Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram, younger brother of Jamalul, went to Sabah because they were allegedly promised to be settled there by Najib himself.

Yesterday, the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) launched an assault on areas of Sabah held by the Filipino intruders.

The police and the military called the operation a success and said that no Malaysians were harmed in the assault.

MNLF’s former propaganda chief, Hadji Acmad Bayam had since threatened to send in his guerillas to aid his fellow Filipinos if the Malaysian military did not cease its attacks.

What role did the Scorpene subs play?

Suaram director Kua Kia Soong questions the strategy used against the Sulu intruders in Lahad Datu.

KUALA LUMPUR: Suaram director Kua Kia Soong has questioned the strategy used by the armed forces in Lahad Datu.

“What role did the Scorpene submarines play in the Lahad Datu crisis?

“Is it wise to use jet fighters like the Hornets against a motley group of 250 Sulu men in a 4km radius? Shouldn’t we be using helicopters such as the Apache instead?

“Where was the Navy to prevent the invaders from coming in?” he asked during the launch of Malaysian civil society’s 20-point demands for the 13th general election at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall this morning.

The armed conflict in Lahad Datu began last month when a large group of Sulu men claiming to be soldiers of the Sulu sultan invaded a village in Lahad Datu.

Last week, several policemen who were deployed to Lahad Datu died as a result of mortar attacks by the Sulu men who are from the modern day Philippines.

Yesterday, the Royal Malaysian Air Force conducted air bombardment in the area where the Sulu were believed to be holding up using Hornet jet fighter planes.

Kua also questioned why the policemen deployed there were not equipped with bulletproof vests and safety helmets.

He said this while presenting one of the 20-point demand in light of the upcoming 13th general election

The demand pertaining to the defence sector called for defence cuts and promotion of peace and disarmament.

The demand also called for defence budgets to be below 1% of the Gross Domestic Product, a parliamentary defence committee led by an opposition lawmaker and an independent Ombudsman to oversee the defence budget.

It also called for National Volunteer Corp’s (RELA) power to arrest, detain and carry firearms to be abolished since the police are empowered to do that.

On another note, A Jayanath of Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM) elaborated on the demand to eradicate institutionalised racism.

He called for education and economic policies to be based on need not race with priority to indigenous, marginalised, and poor communities.

“The New Economic Policy (NEP) must be abolished since it has already ended in 1990. Abolishing something that has ended is not lofty,” he said when asked by the press.

The NEP was tabled in 1971 as a result of the May 13, 1969 clashes with dual prong objectives to end poverty and abolish income inequality.

“Poverty and income inequality are getting worse,” Jayanath said.

The NGOs also wanted amendment 8(A) in Article 153 to be amended because it is not in the original federal constitution. The amendment was passed during the emergency in 1971.

The amendment is part of Article 153, which is seen as controversial because it provides for preferential treatment that favours the Malays and the Bumiputera.

Aside from the two, the balance 18 demands emphasised on human rights, free and fair election, corruption eradication, representative and accountable democracy and freedom of information expression and assembly.

The group of 34 NGOs also demanded for rights of the workers, refugee rights, women, and indigenous rights.

They also demanded for progressive economic and fiscal policy, animal and environment protection. The demands also include public health care, people centred social policy, diverse cultural policy, and public safety.

All the demands will be made available online on the NGO websites and through social networking website, Facebook.

A copy of the demands will also be sent to political party headquarters soon.

MIC fears poor turnout, postpones rally

Party defers plan for a second mammoth gathering as they fear there will be a small turnout, say sources.

PETALING JAYA: MIC has deferred its plan for a second mammoth gathering which was originally planned to be held on March 3 for fear of not being able to outdo the Unity Ponggal celebration last month, said sources.

The postponement of the event comes as a blow to the largest Indian-based political party in the country which is trying to shore-up Indian support just ahead of the general election.

MIC’s ‘Unity Ponggal’ festival last month at Dataran Merdeka drew close to 100,000 Indians. Impressed, the party announced that it would organise another one on March 3.

“We are rescheduling the event to March 13. We have yet to confirm the time and place,” said party treasurer Jaspal Singh, the man in charge of the second gathering.

He said the event was not only organised by the party leadership but also “involves all branch chairmen in Selangor,” he said.

Sources revealed that the postponement was to enable leaders to gather the crowd as a lack of crowd could spell doom for the party, especially for party president G Palanivel who wants to do one better than the Unity Ponggal gathering organised by his vice president M Saravanan.

In 2008, the Malaysian Indian community turned their backs on the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and efforts to woo the community back to the BN fold fell on the MIC.

The party, however, has been struggling to achieve this aim, under the leadership of Palanivel.

Palanivel replaced S Samy Vellu who relinquished the presidency after the massive loss at the 2008 general election.

In the last election the party lost six out of the nine parliamentary seats it contested. Among the casualties were Samy Vellu and Palanivel.

Palanivel’s inability to rouse the Malaysian Indian community resulted in Prime Minister and BN chief Najib Tun Razak taking it upon himself to woo the community.

Najib, sensing the importance of Indian votes to remain in power, is a prominent face at all major Indian events.

Surveys conducted by several organisations showed that the Indian support for the BN is on a steady rise and that this was due to Najib’s efforts.

Malaysian universities not in the Times list of World’s top 400 universities

• Second time in a row for Malaysia to not make it into the Times List of the World’s top 400 universities
• Two Singaporean institutions made it in the top 100
• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) ranked 98th in Top 100 Universities under 50 category

Not a single university in Malaysia appeared in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year. Except for Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) which managed to place 98th in the Top 100 Universities under 50 category.

Two Singapore institutions are among the top 100. The National University of Singapore (NUS) ranked 29th and Nanyang Technological University at 86th.
The top ten are seven US-based and three UK-based universities, with the California Institute of Technology stealing the show at 95.5 points. NUS got 77.5 points whereas Nanyang 59.4 points.
Thailand’s King Mongkut’s University of Technology is the only other Southeast Asian University in the list, at 351st place. According to Times Higher Education website, the universities were judged according to 13 performance indicators from five areas – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Moreover, universities were judged according to disciplinary mix, citation counts and research.
In response to this, Minister of Higher Education Khaled Nording said that the absence of the country’s universities in the Times rankings was due to their recent venture into research. “Times used an evaluation of over ten years. Our focus on research in university only started in 2007. So, most of our universities didn’t participate,” he explained.
Khaled then spoke about local universities’ participation in the QS World University Rankings 2012/2013, which uses five-year data. Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia came in at 156th and 261st place in the QS list.
Meanwhile, party supremo Lim Kit Siang accused the government of lacking the political will to improve the country’s education system.
“A lof ot talk of revamping and overhauling the system hasn’t come to anything concrete,” he said. He said that Malaysia’s universities were once highly recognised as esteemed institutions of public learning. Those days, he added, were long gone.
The full list can be found HERE

Malaysian-Trained MNLF Fighters Join Kiram Forces

Bayam said he was confident the Malaysian authorities were not able to find the hidden MNLF firearms because they were kept very well by the MNLF commanders who stayed behind in Sabah.

Edd K. Usman, Manila Bulletin

Malaysian security forces are now facing battle-tested, Malaysian-trained commanders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who know Sabah like the palm of their hands.

Hadji Acmad Bayam, former chief propagandist of the MNLF, revealed this yesterday to the Manila Bulletin, adding that these MNLF forces may have at their disposal a huge arsenal, which they hid deep in Sabah’s rugged terrain when they returned to the Philippines after their rigid training.

Among the firearms are Belgian-made G1 and FAL, which the late Libya leader Colonel Moammar Khadafy supplied through Malaysia.

Bayam said he was confident the Malaysian authorities were not able to find the hidden MNLF firearms because they were kept very well by the MNLF commanders who stayed behind in Sabah.

During that training, Malaysian military trainors even joked about the firearms at the MNLF training camp on Jampiras Island, off Sabah, as they turned over Khadafy’s weapons’ supply.

“We are not even sure if the firearms we are giving you will not be turned against,” the Malaysian trainors had said in a jest.

“Well, speaking of self-fulfilling prophecy,” Bayam said, recalling the jokes of the Malaysian trainors.

Now, Filipinos in Sabah, who are not part of the forces of the Sultanate of Sulu, have already joined the fighting in reaction to what they perceived as Malaysian “atrocities” for killing Imam Maas and his four sons at 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

He recalled that Malaysia’s leadership had even suspected the then chief minister of Sabah, Tun Mustapha, a Tausug from Sulu, of “conspiring” with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari to secede the oil-rich island.

“You know, if Mindanao is to Manila, Sabah is to Kuala Lumpur,” said Bayam, explaining that Mindanao and Sabah are the “milking cows” of the Philippines and Malaysia, respectively, for their rich natural resources.

Bayam, who yielded to then President Fidel V. Ramos, stayed in Sabah, Malaysia, for nine years before the peace talks with the Ramos administration in 1993.

Bayam stayed in Sabah on-and-off, in 1976-79, in 1980-1986, among other dates.

Further, he said many of the seasoned rebel commanders and rank-and-file members chose to remain on Sabah island to live there.

Majority of them are from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga Peninsula, but there are also Maguindanaons, Iranons, and probably Maranaos, he said.

A few days ago, he said one of the MNLF foreign-trained commanders belonging to the Top 90 Batch, told him that he was enlisting Tausug warriors and others for reinforcement to the Royal Security Force (RSF) of the Sultanate of Sulu.

“I was trying to contact him yesterday but his phone cannot be reached anymore. I guess he was able to penetrate the Malaysian and Philippine sea-borne blockades in their respective borders.

Bayam described the commander “as soft-spoken but firm and true leader-fighter in actual shooting war.” However, he requested that the commander’s name be not made public.

Last Sunday, Abraham J. Idjirani, spokesman of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, said 40 people from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga Peninsula breached the blockades and reached Lahad Datu, Sabah, scene of the standoff that erupted into a firefight.

He said there are many others who are now trying to go to Sabah and help the sultan’s followers led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram.

Bayam said that with the way the situation in Sabah is going on, he sees no turning back.

On the other hand, he said this gives the United States an opportunity to correct its “historical error” it committed against the Moro people.

He said this was even acknowledged by the administration of then President George Bush in response to a letter from the late Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Ustadhz Salamat Hashim.

Cooler heads should put themselves at work and resolve the issue on Sabah claim.

“This is the best time and opportunity,” Bayam said. “They should seize the fleeting opportunity or lost it forever.”

“As the only leader of the free world, the only guardian of human rights, freedom and democracy, the American government has the opportunity to correct the historical error against the Moro people,” Bayam said.

Feeling Abandoned

Meanwhile, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III who still feeling abandoned by the Philippines yesterday said they are now relying on the United Nations, United States, and United Kingdom for help.

He said they are no longer waiting for any help from the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III because none is coming anyway.

Kiram aired his sentiments on DZMM radio early Monday morning.

“We are not waiting anymore. No more. There is no help (from the Philippines),” he said in Filipino.

He said now they will rely on the UN, US, and UK.

On the appeal of the President to preserve the lives of the Sultanate of Sulu’s followers in Lahad Datu, Sabah, the sultan struck a defiant mood.

“No more. There is no more preservation... it’s in the hands of Almighty Allah,” the sultan said.

As this developed, former congressman Satur Ocampo, Dr. Carol Araullo, both Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, and Vice President Rafaelita Gonio of the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), paid a visit yesterday at Astanah Kiram in Maharlika Village, Taguig City.

Ocampo and Araullo expressed support to the cause of the Kirams in trying to claim Sabah from Malaysia.

Ocampo said that the President should review the government’s stand because the new developments.

Gonio said her support is a personal one because Philconsa has not yet made its position on the issue.

At about 12:20 p.m. also yesterday, another militant, independent senatorial candidate Teddy Casino also arrived to visit the sultan.

Early Sunday evening, former secretary of Department of National Defense (DND) Norberto Gonzales made a surprised visit at Astanah Kiram, as he belied allegations he had a hand in the Sabah standoff.

He said he saw the sultan on television and felt sad for his condition.

On Malacañang’s allegations he was allegedly one of the “instigators” of the Sabah standoff, he said he did not know about it.

Whether he is a “collaborator” in the now bloody standoff, he had an answer.

“If being a friend (makes you) a collaborator, then I am a collaborator,” said Gonzales, the former former National Security Adviser of then President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Ex-Army Chief Rues Lack of Clear Chain of Command

There is no clear chain of command with regard to what is happening in Lahad Datu, says former army chief Gen (Rtd) Md Hashim Hussein.

When you have such a situation, Md Hashim said, there must be a clear command structure.

“This is needed to coordinate the operations. Right now, I think it is not there,” he said.

However, Md Hashim (right), who retired in 2002, admitted that a clear assessment of the ground situation was needed.

In contrast, he said, the Sauk incident in Perak was resolved in four days, with the right personnel.

“We managed to resolve it due to a clear command structure, clear orders, clear control, plus we had the right troops for the task,” he said.

The retired general also warned the government against using information war to blackout incidents such as what was going on in Lahad Datu.

“As for the information warfare that they use… What a tangled web we weave if we begin to deceive”.

Md Hashim also announced that he has officially joined PKR today and voiced his support for Pakatan Rakyat.

Formerly Malaysia’s ambassador to Pakistan, Md Hashim said he is attracted to the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim, who was his schoolmate in the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK).

“He has managed to harmonise Pakatan, all ethnic communities and Malaysia, and this is due to Anwar’s leadership quality,” he said.

“I find the Pakatan leaders have the right leadership qualities and can lead the country. I also verify the claims made by my former number two, Lt-Gen Abdul Ghafir Abdul Hamid, on the wastage and leakages in army spending,” he said.

‘Barracks and facilities in bad shape’

Md Hashim, who was first commander to the Malaysian batallion in Bosnia-Herzogovina, said he had gone to some of the army camps up north to verify the claims made by Abdul Ghafir.

He said he had seen that army conditions are indeed in a bad shape, including their homes, barracks, washroom and also armaments.

“There was a former senior airforce officer that reminded that there were no proper spare parts for aircrafts, however, this person had been admonished by the (BN) politician,” he claimed.

Md Hashim said he expected to receive brickbats for voicing his support for Pakatan, but assured that he had carefully thought about the matter after discussing with some of his former officers.

The former top army personnel said that the Pakatan leadership had been coercing him to make an appearance, and he thinks that there was a need to strategise his entrance into the party to bring the desired impact.

Over the past few weeks, several former armed forces top guns had voiced their support towards Pakatan.

Abdul Ghafir had even pledged, during a Pakatan convention, that the army will ensure a smooth transition should the opposition come into power after the general election.

Sabah Incursion: Just my thoughts ― Art Harun

MARCH 6 ― The incursion by the Sulu terrorists into Sabah is a culmination of socio-political complexities that were ignored due to post-World War II socio-political order and convenience.

Firstly, we have an ancient Sultanate living in the 18th century, forgetting the fact that their forefathers have sold their sovereignty for self interest, without nary a thought for the people whom they claim to rule, in exchange for what appeared to be big money then, but reduced to pittance in the 21st century.

We have a so-called Sultan who apparently rules his subjects from Manila, who speaks as if he’s the most benevolent of rulers and who sent his subjects to a hopeless war from within the comfort of Metro Manila.

Secondly, we have a government of a state ― which is not really a state ― that fails to control and impose law and order on wide areas of the so-called state, giving rise to vast areas where people do not really recognise the state and her government.

Thirdly, we have this same state, which is facing an election, and the same Sultan running in the election in an opposition pact after having lost the last election with 800 votes.

The leader of the opposition pact is now under house arrest after being convicted for electoral fraud. The state’s ancient and baseless claim for Sabah is an election issue which that opposition pact wishes to pursue and doubtlessly exploited in the name of nationalism and patriotism, however misguided and misplaced they may be.

Fourthly, on the home front, we have had leaders from both sides of the fence who had courted this so-called Sultan and claimant to the Sultanate (at least there are five of them) before, all in the name of Malay-ness and Islam.

Some of our citizens are even conferred Datukships by these feudal Sultan without a kingdom. This lends a semblance of recognition by our very own leaders of the Sultan and the Sultanate.

Fifthly, Malaysia cannot deny, no matter how loud Dr Mahathir shouts, that she has been a sympathiser of the Bangsa Moro’s so-called fight for liberation. Now that very Bangsa Moro is coming back to haunt Malaysia for all her generosity in the past.

In fact, we were so pally-pally with the Moros that, in the 80s (or was it early 90s?), when Nur Misuari’s rebellion was crushed in the Philippines, our friend casually and nonchalantly landed in Sabah airport thinking we would welcome him as a guest. We, however, handcuffed him and sent him back to the Philippines to face his prosecutors.

Number six: Malaysia has always allowed the porous borders of the Sulu, Tawi-tawi and the surrounding islands with Sabah to be breached without a semblance of enforcement of our immigration laws. People go in and out of that area with absolute impunity from immigration laws on, not a daily basis, but hourly basis.

That area is like a free trade zone where people would conduct their daily business even in rupiah and pesos. This episode shows that maintenance of law and order is absolutely critical for internal security, no matter how difficult or petty it is.

Seventh: Project IC during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time. Do I need to say more about this?

Perhaps it is time for all of us ― the people of Malaysia, the government and the opposition alike ― to take law and order seriously. Be like Singapore when it comes to enforcement of the laws. They even enforce the chewing gum law with the passion of an Israeli soldier in Gaza.

It is also time that our intelligence unit to be beefed up and to be aware of any strife or crisis in and surrounding us, no matter how minute it may be. The next time-bomb that we have to monitor is the Pattani issue, and the Spratly islands that are being claimed by Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, the Philippines and China.

International relationship, internal security and matters pertaining to the nation’s security is like the stock market. A bomb explodes in Timbuktu and Apple’s shares might come tumbling down.

It is the same with our security. The Philippines are having an election and Sabah is invaded by armed terrorists. We just have to be aware of things, analyse each and every situation and events and see how they could affect us.

People who do not analyse events often lose out in the stock market. We have to engage in battles on our own land because we were not sensitive enough to events surrounding us.

It is not too late for us to improve. A nation’s achievement is not only measured from her success but also from how she rises from a set-back and learns from it to take her to greater height.

My thoughts and prayers are with all our brave men and women on the battle front. May God bless them, protect them and grant them strength and determination. Victory is always with the righteous.

Malaysia berjaya! ― art-harun.blogspot.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

13 Terrorists Bodies Found In Kampung Tanduo

LAHAD DATU, March 6 (Bernama) -- The bodies of 13 armed terrorists were found in Kampung Tanduo during a 'sweeping and mopping' operation Wednesday following the offensive launched by Malaysian security forces on the stronghold of the intruders in the village.

One of the bodies was that of the terrorist who was shot dead in an exchange of fire with the security forces at 6.45am today, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein at 4pm, Ahmad Zahid said nine of the bodies were found in an open grave covered with pieces of planks.

Several photographs of the 'Op Daulat' taken by the security forces were distributed to the media, including photographs of the terrorists' bodies in a grave.

Also distributed was the photograph of a forensic personnel who was attacked by the intruders while inspecting a grave in the village and firearms seized by the security forces.

At the same time, Ahmad Zahid criticised the attitude of the social media that belittled the action of the security forces' front line by describing it as a drama.

"These photographs show that our security forces have the efficiency to carry out the operation. This is not a drama," he said.

Meanwhile, Hishammuddin said there were two clashes around the village as members of the military forces and police carried out sweeping and mopping operations.

"At 6.45 this morning, our troops had clashed with the intruders and our security forces shot dead a member of the intruding group.

"At 1.45pm, our forensic team was attacked by the group of intruders while investigating the graveyard where the bodies of the intruders were buried in the village," he said, confirming that no member of the security forces had been injured.

He said the joint operation by the police and military had also found various firearms belonging to the foreign terrorists.

Venezuela President Hugo Chavez dies

(Al Jazeera) Outspoken and divisive president dies after two-year battle with cancer, leaving future of oil-rich nation in question.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has died after a two-year battle with cancer, ending the socialist leader's 14-year rule of the South American country, Vice President Nicolas Maduro has said in a televised speech.

Maduro, surrounded by other government officials, announced the death in a national television broadcast on Tuesday.

Reaction from around the world to Chavez's death was swift.

US President Barack Obama, in a statement, called Chavez's passing as a "challenging time" for Venezuela.

"The United States reaffirms its support for the Venezuelan people and its interest in developing a constructive relationship with the Venezuelan government," Obama said.

"As Venezuela begins a new chapter in its history, the United States remains committed to policies that promote democratic principles, the rule of law, and respect for human rights."

Ban Ki-Moon, the UN secretary-general, said he is "conveying condolence" to the Venezuelan president's "family and the people of Venezuela", according to Al Jazeera's James Bays, who was reporting from New Yor

Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN, also issued as statement describing Chavez's death as a "tragedy".

"He was a great politician for his country and for the world as a whole," Churkin said.

Meanwhile, a teary-eyed Bolivian President Evo Morales, one of Chavez's closest allies in Latin America and most loyal disciples, declared that "Chavez is more alive than ever."

"Chavez will continue to be an inspiration for all peoples who fight for their liberation," Morales said on Tuesday in a televised speech. "Chavez will always be present in all the regions of the world and all social sectors."

Elias Jaua, Venezuela's foreign minister, has declared seven days of mourning for Chavez.

Jaua also said the corpse of late Venezuelan president will lie in state through Friday when a public funeral will be held with invited guests from across Latin America.

Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo, reporting from Caracas, said "millions of people" are expected to attend the funeral.

"Chavez is known as a guy who could bring out his supporters and that is what's going to happen," Elizondo said. "He is such a big figure here in Venezuela, you cannot overstate it. He is larger than life".

Confrontational style

During more than 14 years in office, Chavez routinely challenged the status quo at home and internationally.

Chavez polarised Venezuelans with his confrontational and domineering style, yet was also a masterful communicator and strategist who tapped into Venezuelan nationalism to win broad support, particularly among the poor.

Chavez repeatedly proved himself a political survivor. As an army paratroop commander, he led a failed coup in 1992, then was pardoned and elected president in 1998. He survived a coup against his own presidency in 2002 and won re-election two more times.

The burly president electrified crowds with his booming voice, often wearing the bright red of his United Socialist Party of Venezuela or the fatigues and red beret of his army days.

Before his struggle with cancer, he appeared on television almost daily, talking for hours at a time and often breaking into song of philosophical discourse.

Chavez used his country's vast oil wealth to launch social programs that include state-run food markets, new public housing, free health clinics and education programs.

Poverty declined during Chavez's presidency amid a historic boom in oil earnings, but critics said he failed to use the windfall of hundreds of billions of dollars to develop the country's economy.

Inflation soared and the homicide rate rose to among the highest in the world.

The populist leader of oil-rich Venezuela became Latin America's most vocal and controversial leader and was Washington's chief antagonist in the region.

Is anybody listening to what Sabahans want?

When speaking of the recent Sabah intrusion incident, many people are trying to relate it only to the bigger picture of the Malaysian government's political issues.

But it is much deeper than that as it has crept into the fabric of the social lives of Sabahans.

I am here talking because I am a Sabahan, and my hometown is Sandakan, which is only few kilometres from where the incidents are taking place.

I am definitely very concerned over the lingering issue of never ending claim by some non-existent sultanate that has no legitimacy at all since the Suluks "lordship" was only valid around 200 years ago.

While the main decisions are being discussed and taking place miles away from across the ocean in the peninsular Malaysia, we the people of North Borneo are all living in a tense situation and in uncertainty on our own soil.

We are not given any right at all to voice our opinions over the matter. We are just like a colony without any power to decide our future, but to simply follow orders from across the ocean.

What we strongly disagree is for other people to change our historical and cultural background.

Yes, historically a small part of North Borneo belonged to the sultan of Sulu, but they have never done anything much to North Borneo in term of developing it.

The sultanate existed around 200 years ago, and it has long been forgotten and no longer recognised anywhere in the world.

They do not have any existing kingdom thus by the international law, any claim from them is no longer valid.
Now North Borneo is an independent state, and it is part of Malaysia since the last 50 years.

Malaysia by law has to protect the welfare of the state and the people of North Borneo.
And what we want is for Malaysia to once and for all to stop all these illegal claims and intrusions from the non-existent sultanate or any pirates that come to our shore to disturb the peace of our state.

We do not want any more fruitless negotiations which have been going on for years and years since the formation of the Federation of Malaysia.

We are very disappointed with the marines for failing to protect the shore of our state. All those "pirates" should have been stopped at sea, disarmed and sent back to where they belong but instead they were given all kinds of leniency on our soil.

This is not a new issue at all as there has been many illegal entries from those living in the islands of Sulu.

Unfortunately, without the consent of the people of North Borneo, those illegal immigrants have been legitimised by the government of Malaysia.

The social fabric of North Borneo has now been much distorted creating the racial and religious imbalance in our state which are all to the advantage of the federal government.

We, the native people, once the majority group on our own soil have been turned into a minority group due to this legitimisation over the years.

Another complication that arises through this legitimisation is the grabbing of the "special privileges" of the native people.

Understand that all these Suluk immigrants are Muslims, and they are automatically entitled to the special privileges which all Muslims in Malaysia are entitled to.

Our poor native people of Sabah, who are not Muslims, have now become the second class citizens on our own soil.

In other words, those legitimised immigrants with their special advantage of being Muslims, have grabbed every opportunity entitled to the native people of Sabah.

Many have received all kinds of help from the government of Malaysia which has left a smaller piece of pie to the native-born.

In conclusion, had the federal government had the best interest of Sabahans in mind, those pirates would not have an easy access into our soil.

Now the Suluks are having a strong footing on our soil due to the leniency of the federal government during the past 30 years.

The so called '100 gunmen' can easily increase to 1,000 and even 2,000 gunmen because the Suluks have spread themselves into every corner of our state over these long years.

Historically, the Mahathir Mohamad government should be blamed for all the mismanagement of the state of Sabah.

He actively involved himself in the affair of the Palestinians, but failed to settle a similar basic problem of his own subjects.

Mahathir never tried to solved the long-standing problem of this Sabah claim issue, but instead had escalated it to our suffocation. Mahathir is the main devil here, all due to his hunger for power as premier for 22 long years.

Hit-and-run driver was scared of 'tattooed men'

The Lumut Umno Youth division in Perak has denied that one of its members who caused the death of a 73-year-old woman in a road accident had fled the scene.

Division leader Mohd Shahril Yahaya claimed the driver disembarked from his vehicle, a pick-up truck, and kept his distance from the victim because of fear.

"It was not what was claimed (that he ran away). He got down from the vehicle.

"But when he saw that she was not moving, he drove the vehicle some 100m away because a lot of people had gathered and the driver was scared.

"He worried for his safety because there were a lot of people with tattoos at the scene.

"The driver was in the area but he was forced to deny (his involvement in the accident) because did not want any untoward incident to happen," Mohd Shahril said when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.

'Logos still on truck'

According to a China Press report on Sunday, the victim was returning from a rubber estate on a motorcycle and she was struck from behind by the speeding pick-up truck.

The victim's granddaughter Joanne Lim said that her grandfather, who was trailing the victim on another motorcycle, witnessed the driver fleeing.

The driver of the vehicle and two occupants were also accused of being preoccupied with trying to remove flags bearing the 1Malaysia logo and BN stickers from the vehicle before fleeing, instead of helping the victim.

This was witnessed by the China Press reporter.

Mohd Shahril denied the allegations and said he had witnesses in another vehicle that was trailing the truck.

"The logos are still on the truck. They were not removed," he said.

MIC fears poor turnout, postpones rally

Party defers plan for a second mammoth gathering as they fear there will be a small turnout, say sources.

PETALING JAYA: MIC has deferred its plan for a second mammoth gathering which was originally planned to be held on March 3 for fear of not being able to outdo the Unity Ponggal celebration last month, said sources.

The postponement of the event comes as a blow to the largest Indian-based political party in the country which is trying to shore-up Indian support just ahead of the general election.

MIC’s ‘Unity Ponggal’ festival last month at Dataran Merdeka drew close to 100,000 Indians. Impressed, the party announced that it would organise another one on March 3.

“We are rescheduling the event to March 13. We have yet to confirm the time and place,” said party treasurer Jaspal Singh, the man in charge of the second gathering.

He said the event was not only organised by the party leadership but also “involves all branch chairmen in Selangor,” he said.

Sources revealed that the postponement was to enable leaders to gather the crowd as a lack of crowd could spell doom for the party, especially for party president G Palanivel who wants to do one better than the Unity Ponggal gathering organised by his vice president M Saravanan.

In 2008, the Malaysian Indian community turned their backs on the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and efforts to woo the community back to the BN fold fell on the MIC.

The party, however, has been struggling to achieve this aim, under the leadership of Palanivel.

Palanivel replaced S Samy Vellu who relinquished the presidency after the massive loss at the 2008 general election.

In the last election the party lost six out of the nine parliamentary seats it contested. Among the casualties were Samy Vellu and Palanivel.

Palanivel’s inability to rouse the Malaysian Indian community resulted in Prime Minister and BN chief Najib Tun Razak taking it upon himself to woo the community.

Najib, sensing the importance of Indian votes to remain in power, is a prominent face at all major Indian events.

Surveys conducted by several organisations showed that the Indian support for the BN is on a steady rise and that this was due to Najib’s efforts.

Doubts emerge over military assault on invaders

The military today launched a fierce assault including jet fighters on up to 300 Filipino intruders after a deadly three-week standoff, but the militants' supporters said they had escaped and were alive and well.

Earlier federal police chief had also raised doubts about the success of the air and ground attack, saying "mopping up" operations had yet to find any bodies and suggesting at least some of the militants might have slipped away.

Premier Najib Abdul Razak said as the raid was under way that he had no choice but to unleash the military to end Malaysia's biggest security crisis in years after the interlopers refused to surrender and 27 people were killed.

A day after the Philippines called for restraint, Malaysia launched a dawn assault on the estimated 100-300 gunmen on Borneo island, who invaded to claim Malaysian territory on behalf of a former Philippine sultanate.

Fighter jets bombed the standoff village of Tanduo in Sabah state on the northern tip of Borneo island, followed by a ground assault by troops. The area is set amid vast oil-palm plantations.

"The longer this invasion lasts, it is clear to the authorities that the invaders do not intend to leave Sabah," Najib said in a statement.

But Abraham Idjirani, spokesman for the sultan Jamalul Kiram III, told AFP the attack had occurred "away from where" their men were, saying he spoke with the leader of the armed group about eight hours after the assault was launched.

IGP: Enemies are still out there

Malaysian federal police chief Ismail Omar told reporters in a press conference hours after the initial attack that soldiers combing across a wide area of hilly plantation country were yet to find any dead militants.

"I have instructed my commanders to be on alert because we believe the enemies are still out there," Ismail said.

He added Malaysian forces had suffered no casualties.

But if even some of the invaders had escaped a tight police and military cordon, it would likely fuel perceptions of incompetence by security forces in the affair, and sow fears that armed and dangerous gunmen were loose.

The crisis comes just as Malaysia's 56-year-old ruling coalition is bracing for what are widely expected to be the country's closest-ever election against a formidable opposition, which has harshly criticised handling of the incursion.

Jamalul Kiram III, 74, a self-proclaimed sultan and leader of the insurgents said earlier Tuesday in Manila that the invaders, which had included his younger brother "will fight to the last man".

Muslim-majority Malaysia has been shocked by the spectacularly bold stunt by the Islamists, who claim to be asserting Jamalul's ancestral control of Sabah as heir to the now defunct Sulu sultanate.

The invaders had been holed up in Tanduo village since landing by boat last month, highlighting lax Malaysian security in the region and the continuing threat from southern Philippine Islamists.

Manila blamed intruders

After the assault began, Philippine President Benigno Aquino's spokesman blamed the intruders for the assault.

"We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Kiram's people chose this path," said the spokesman, Ricky Carandang.

After a lengthy standoff, violence first erupted in Tanduo on Friday with a shootout that left 12 of the gunmen and two police officers dead.

Another gunbattle Saturday in the town of Semporna, hours away by road, killed six police and six gunmen, raising fears of a wider guerrilla infiltration and leading to Tuesday's military operation.

Police had already said at the weekend they were hunting for a group of "foreign" gunmen in yet another town, but have provided no further updates.

Meanwhile, followers of Kiram, have repeatedly warned that yet more militants were poised to land in Sabah.

The mayhem has triggered panic in Semporna, where many residents were witnessed by an AFP reporter fleeing the town on Monday, fearing more violence.

The Sulu sultanate, based in the southern Philippines' Sulu islands, once controlled parts of Borneo including Sabah.

Its power faded about a century ago but its heirs continue to insist on ownership of resource-rich Sabah and still receive nominal Malaysian payments under a lease deal originally struck by Western colonial powers.

Sabah has seen small raids by Islamic militants and criminals coming by boat from the Philippines before, but nothing on the current scale.

- AFP

Copts Tortured, Burned with Acid by Muslims in Libya

Copts have been tortured and burned with acid in Libya because the United States helped put Islamists in power. We did the same thing in Egypt, and we're currently supporting Jihadists in Syria. Ever get the feeling that our leaders have absolutely no clue what they're doing?

Libya (FoxNews)--Libyan Islamists detained 48 Egyptian Christians in Benghazi last week, torturing them and using acid to burn off tattoos of the cross, according to family members.

The Christians, who are peddlers, were arrested by Islamist Salafists in Benghazi, who said they had Christian icons at their marketplace stalls, according to Mideast Christian News. The men were later reportedly freed and await deportation, but their family members back home told the Egyptian press they were abused while held, initially on charges of proselytizing.

“When the residents of the village told me that he was imprisoned, I embraced his sons and told them they would not see their father again,” Fardoos Salib, the mother of Coptic farmer Atif Kamel, told Egyptian newspaper al-Watan. “I prayed in the church, until God responded and he was released, as God knows our conditions.”

Activists in Libya last week posted photographs on Facebook showing the Egyptian Copts under detention. A video later seized by police showed the Egyptian Christians locked in a small room and guarded by bearded Salafists. Many appeared to be cut and bruised, and all had had their heads shaved.

The detained Copts had been tortured by their captors, who had also shaved their heads and used acid to burn off the crosses tattooed on their wrists, a source told Ahram Online.

Kamel told family members he was subjected to electric shocks and forced to clean toilets, as his jailers assaulted him and mocked his religion, according to his family. Kamel has a wife and two children in Egypt, but went to work in a Benghazi vegetable market in order to provide for them. (Continue Reading.)

Strip and strike: Iranian activists go topless to protest against hijab

Members of the Iranian Communist Party and the Organization Against Violence on Women in Iran dedicated their action to International Women’s Day on March 8. (Photo courtesy of femen.org)

By AL ARABIYA

Iranian female activists have taken a bold move to protest against the hijab (head cover) in Stockholm this week, shedding most of their clothes and painting slogans on their bodies in an effort to get their message across.

The activists, following in the footsteps of the Ukrainian FEMEN movement – of which infamous Egyptian nude activist Alia al-Mahdy was a part – protested with the slogans “My nudity is my protest” and “No to hijab.”

Members of the Iranian Communist Party and the Organization Against Violence on Women in Iran dedicated their action to International Women’s Day on March 8.

The FEMEN activists are known for organizing topless rallies in different countries against sex tourism, religious institutions, international marriage agencies and sexism.

The activists said in a message on FEMEN website that “in the historical battle ‘woman v. Islam’ women will win!”

Anti-Islamist Egyptian female activist Alia al-Mahdi angered Egyptians in December 2012 when she protested nude against the country’s draft constitution.

Alia took part in a protest by the International women’s movement FEMEN in Stockholm “to say NO to Sharia constitution in Egypt!”
Alia appeared holding the Egyptian flag with writings on her body that read: “Sharia is not constitution.”

In a phone interview with Al Arabiya English Alia said, “I chose to protest this way because of the ideas that say that we do not own our bodies and that we are public property, as people are the ones who decided what should be done with our bodies.”

“Of course, if we want to make change, we have to do it unlike the way it is done,” she said.

Mission against Sulu militants not done, says IGP

LAHAD DATU, March 5 – It is not yet mission accomplished for the security forces in their operation

against Sulu gunmen occupying Kampung Tanduo here as the militants are still holed up there, Tan Sri Ismail Omar said today.

The Inspector-General of Police also denied Philippine media reports of gunmen’s bodies being desecrated, or of casualties among the Malaysian security forces.

“I believe the enemies are still out there,” Ismail (picture) told reporters here today.

“We are still at the mopping and search stage. This is being done at a large area, about four square kilometres,” he added.

The armed forces launched air strikes at the followers of the Sulu sultanate hiding out at Kampung Tanduo early this morning, with five battalions sent in together with the police force.

The self-proclaimed Sulu royal family, however, has reportedly said that the militant group in the Sabah seaside village is still “alive & kicking”.

Ismail stressed that he had yet to receive reports of casualties among the southern Filipino gunmen in Kampung Tanduo that are estimated at 200.

“The security forces’ movements are rather slow now. Our priority is the safety of those who are on duty,” he said.

The top cop said earlier today that no Malaysian civilians or members of security forces were killed or injured in today’s assault against the Sulu militants.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said earlier there was no evidence that Malaysia-trained fighters from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) would join their Filipino Muslim militant counterparts in their battle to reclaim Sabah.

The Manila Bulletin today reported Hadji Acmad Bayam, a former chief propagandist of the separatist group, as saying that the MNLF had hidden an arsenal deep in Sabah’s rugged terrain before they returned home after their rigid training, adding he was confident the authorities would not be able to find the firearms.

Acmad was reported to have stayed in Sabah for nearly a decade, from 1976 to 1986, before yielding to then Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos.

The former militant leader told the Philippine paper that many of the seasoned rebel commanders and rank-and-file members had chosen to stay back in Sabah.

Most of them were from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and the Zamboanga peninsula on the Philippines south, he said, adding that the MNLF men also included those from Maguindanao, Irano and Maranao.

Philippine Star reported today that the Philippine police prevented almost 70 supporters of the Sulu sultanate from leaving Mindanao to join the militants here.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer also reported today that two search-and-rescue vessels of the Philippine Coast Guard are on stand-by to evacuate Filipinos in Sabah, following the clashes in three districts of eastern Sabah that have killed 28 – eight Malaysian policemen and 20 Filipino gunmen.

The Filipinos who invaded Lahad Datu on February 9 are led by a brother of self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who insists that Sabah belongs to Sulu based on colonial documents from the late 19th century.

Malaysia, however, says that the token annual payment of RM5,300 is given to the sultanate not as rent but for the sultanate to cede its rights over the land, which has been part of Malaysia for decades.

Some Sabahans have expressed anger at Filipinos whom they say are robbing them of job opportunities, while others have warned against stereotyping them.

More than a quarter of Sabah’s population are foreigners, totalling a staggering 889,000 of the 3.2 million-strong population, or about 28 per cent, based on a 2010 census.

There are about 800,000 Filipinos throughout Malaysia, most of whom are working in Sabah, according to Philippine media quoting government data.

10,000 Tausugs to sail to Sabah

The Moro National Liberation Front claims that many people, even non-combatants, are going to Sabah to help the Sulu Sultanate.

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Thousands of Tausug from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have sailed to Sabah to reinforce members of the so-called royal army of the sultanate of Sulu who are fighting it out with Malaysian security forces, a Moro National Liberation Front official said Tuesday.

“We can no longer prevent our people. We are hurt and many of our people, even the non-combatants, are going to Sabah to help the sultanate,” Habib Hashim Mudjahab, chair of the MNLF’s Islamic Council Committee, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.

Mudjahab said at least 10,000 Tausug from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga on Monday night started to reinforce the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III now holed up in a coastal village in Sabah via the Philippines’ so-called “southern backdoor,” a route regular traders are familiar with.

He said the reinforcements “sailed in small numbers so they can easily penetrate Sabah unnoticed.”

‘It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice.’

“The naval blockade is of no use; our military should have known that. We did that before at the height of Marcos regime. We can easily go to Sabah and blend with the people there,” he added.

He was referring to a naval blockade thrown up by the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to ensure armed sympathizers do not joined the beleaguered men in Sabah as reinforcements.

Days ago, Mudjahab said, he advised several MNLF commanders against going to Sabah to help a group of about 200 men who landed in a coastal village in Lahad Datu on Feb 9 to assert the sultanate’s claim to Sabah.

“I told them to hold on to their ranks and avoid getting emotionally affected with the situation. But our President Noynoy (President Benigno Aquino III) kept issuing statements favoring the Malaysians, which made our people agitated. The President must realize that for the Tausugs, being pushed to the wall, fighting for a cause, is dying with victory,” he said.

He said with three old heirs of the Sultanate, “who have no history of rebellion, living quietly on their own, now leading the cause in Sabah, is something great for the Tausugs.”

“It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice,” Mudjahab said.

Ajil Jaffar, 50, an oil palm plantation worker in Kota Kinabalu and who was among those repatriated to the country on Sunday, said he wanted to return to Sabah.

“I want to help them. It’s our honor to be with the sultan so that this deportation and abuses will stop,” he said.

A retired educator in Tawi-Tawi, who asked not to be identified by name, said the sultanate of Sulu represents an extension of their rich heritage. “They are the first Filipinos. The sultanate of Sulu was already there even before Philippines existed,” he said.

Amirah Lidasan of the non governmental group Suara Bangsamoro said the status of the sultanate of Sulu was unfinished business that “keeps on nagging us.”

“We have a bloody history of Moro people getting killed while defending the homeland. It also speaks of the Philippine government’s giving in to the interest of foreigners instead of its citizens,” Lidasan said.

MIC lodges report against Ridhuan

Party's youth wing wants police to investigate Ridhuan for plagiarism.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC Youth secretary C Sivarraajjh lodged a police report against National Defence University (UPNM) academic Ridhuan Tee Abdullah for alleged plagiarism.

“We want the police, Higher Education Ministry to investigate this allegation against Ridhuan which first surfaced last week.

“The university and Civil Service Commission (SPA) must take against him if the allegation is found to be true,” said C Sivarraajjh outside Sentul police station where he lodged the report.

The report was lodged based on news report in FMT yesterday. Airil who is UTM’s civil engineering senior lecturer said that he is awaiting advice from his university’s legal team.

Sivarraajjh also attached a copy of the article, and an earlier one under the heading, ‘Ministry: No response against Ridhuan’, in his police report.

Ridhuan plagiarised Airil’s work to complete the university’s individual assessment course that was conducted from May to June 2010.

While Sivarraajjh acknowledged that there was no specific law against plagiarism in Malaysia, he said it was highly unbecoming of an academic to copy other people’s work.

He claimed that In 2011, there were 150 cases of plagiarism in which painted a shameful and negative view of the Malaysian academia.

Another report to be lodged with MACC

In a related development MIC strategic director, S Vell Paari, said that he is mulling legal options of his own while awaiting a response to an ultimatum he issued to his party.

Vell Paari had dared party president G Palanivel to act against Ridhuan, failing which he threatened to get MIC members to support Pakatan in the 13th general election.

Vell Paari said: “Today’s police report and Ridhuan’s plagiarised work will be handed over to Ministry of Higher of Education on Thursday for them to start their own investigation.

“MIC Youth will lodge another report with the Majlis Professor Negara (MPN) and MACC against Ridhuan on Thursday,” he said.

“I would like to also request commentators to refrain from hitting out at Ridhuan simply because he is a Muslim. Please don’t make derogatory comments about Islam,” he added.

Vell Paari, nevertheless, questioned why Perkasa was so supportive of Ridhuan.

“To Frog Boy Ibrahim Ali and his Perkasa tadpoles, you claim to fight for the right of Malays, well Ridhuan just stole the work of a Malay.

“Does Ibrahim and his tadpoles support Ridhuan’s theft of Mr Airil’s work?” asked Vell Paari.

Malaysian-trained MNLF fighters join Sulu army

A MNLF leader claims that their forces have a huge arsenal hidden in Sabah's rugged terrain.

MANILA: Malaysian security forces are now facing battle-tested, Malaysian-trained commanders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who know Sabah like the palm of their hands.

Hadji Acmad Bayam, former chief propagandist of the MNLF, revealed this yesterday to the Manila Bulletin, adding that these MNLF forces may have at their disposal a huge arsenal, which they hid deep in Sabah’s rugged terrain when they returned to the Philippines after their rigid training.

Among the firearms are Belgian-made G1 and FAL, which the late Libya leader Colonel Moammar Gadaffi supplied through Malaysia.

Bayam said he was confident the Malaysian authorities were not able to find the hidden MNLF firearms because they were kept very well by the MNLF commanders who stayed behind in Sabah.

During that training, Malaysian military trainers even joked about the firearms at the MNLF training camp on Jampiras Island, off Sabah, as they turned over Gadaffi’s weapons’ supply.

“We are not even sure if the firearms we are giving you will not be turned against,” the Malaysian trainers had said in a jest.

“Well, speaking of self-fulfilling prophecy,” Bayam said, recalling the jokes of the Malaysian trainers.

Now, Filipinos in Sabah, who are not part of the forces of the Sultanate of Sulu, have already joined the fighting in reaction to what they perceived as Malaysian “atrocities” for killing Imam Maas and his four sons at 7:50 p.m. Saturday.

He recalled that Malaysia’s leadership had even suspected the then chief minister of Sabah, Tun Mustapha, a Tausug from Sulu, of “conspiring” with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari to secede the oil-rich island.

“You know, if Mindanao is to Manila, Sabah is to Kuala Lumpur,” said Bayam, explaining that Mindanao and Sabah are the “milking cows” of the Philippines and Malaysia, respectively, for their rich natural resources.

Bayam, who yielded to then President Fidel V. Ramos, stayed in Sabah, Malaysia, for nine years before the peace talks with the Ramos administration in 1993.

Bayam stayed in Sabah on-and-off, in 1976-79, in 1980-1986, among other dates.

Breaching the blockades

Further, he said many of the seasoned rebel commanders and rank-and-file members chose to remain on Sabah island to live there.

Majority of them are from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga Peninsula, but there are also Maguindanaons, Iranons, and probably Maranaos, he said.

A few days ago, he said one of the MNLF foreign-trained commanders belonging to the Top 90 Batch, told him that he was enlisting Tausug warriors and others for reinforcement to the Royal Security Force (RSF) of the Sultanate of Sulu.

“I was trying to contact him yesterday but his phone cannot be reached anymore. I guess he was able to penetrate the Malaysian and Philippine sea-borne blockades in their respective borders.

Bayam described the commander “as soft-spoken but firm and true leader-fighter in actual shooting war.” However, he requested that the commander’s name be not made public.

Last Sunday, Abraham J Idjirani, spokesman of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, said 40 people from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga Peninsula breached the blockades and reached Lahad Datu, Sabah, scene of the standoff that erupted into a firefight.

He said there are many others who are now trying to go to Sabah and help the sultan’s followers led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram.

Bayam said that with the way the situation in Sabah is going on, he sees no turning back.

Najib umum RM600 juta bagi usahawan bumiputera

(Bernama) - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, kerajaan akan memperuntukkan RM600 juta dalam usahanya memperkasakan lagi usahawan-usahawan Bumiputera sekali gus melonjakkan penglibatan mereka ke arena global.

Ketika mengumumkan dana tambahan itu, Perdana Menteri berkata, RM400 juta akan dikendalikan oleh Unit Perancang Ekonomi (EPU).

“Sebanyak RM100 juta akan dikendalikan oleh Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) untuk pembangunan korporat bagi pertambahan ekuiti Bumiputera,” kata beliau sebelum merasmikan Perhimpunan Usahawan Bumiputera 2013 di sini semalam.

Sementara itu, kata beliau, RM100 juta akan diberi kepada Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad bagi membantu usahawan Bumiputera mendapat lokasi strategik di pusat beli-belah ternama bagi memasarkan jenama antarabangsa.

Najib yang juga Menteri Kewangan turut mengumumkan kenaikan had pinjaman kepada usahawan di bawah kendalian Mara dan Tekun daripada RM50,000 kepada RM100,000.

Selain itu, beliau turut menaikkan had pembiayaan di bawah kendalian Mara daripada RM500,000 kepada RM1 juta.

Najib berkata, dana tambahan yang dikendalikan oleh EPU itu akan digunakan untuk program-program strategik seperti memperkasakan usahawan Bumiputera dengan pendekatan yang berinovasi agar usahawan-usahawan itu dapat memperluaskan pasaran serta menyediakan infrastruktur yang lengkap.

Selain itu, Perdana Menteri berkata, kerajaan menggalakkan agar usahawan Bumiputera dapat meningkatkan prestasi dan kemahiran masing-masing supaya dapat terus berdaya saing dan tidak mengharapkan bantuan kerajaan semata-mata untuk berjaya.

Sekiranya seseorang usahawan Bumiputera itu mempunyai kebolehan, tanpa tandatangan sesiapa pun mereka layak untuk bersaing mendapatkan kontrak, kata Najib.

“Kita tidak mahu pengusaha-pengusaha sebegini sebab kalau kita beri (kontrak) berdasarkan mereka yang buat begini, maka kita tidak akan bangunkan satu budaya baharu dalam kalangan usahawan Bumiputera,” kata Najib.

Beliau turut memberi contoh kontrak Transit Aliran Ringan yang diberi baru-baru ini, sebanyak 45 peratus daripada jumlah nilai kontrak telah diperuntukkan kepada usahawan Bumiputera berdasarkan merit kerana mereka telah dikenal pasti sebagai layak dan berkebolehan dalam melaksanakan projek-projek yang diberikan.

The Sulu Sultanate Quarrel and Wider Implications

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Sulu Sultanate denies links with Malaysian Opposition

MANILA, Philippines — The Sulu Sultanate denied claims by the Malaysian government that the political opposition there had helped stoke the Sabah crisis.

“We are not connected to the Malaysian opposition; we have not talked to any of them,” Princess Jacel Kiram, daughter of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III said, www.interaksyon.com reported.

She also brushed off President Benigno Aquino III’s allegations “conspirators” funded the voyage of some 200 followers who went to Sabah to press its claim to the territory.

The voyage was “KKB,” short for “kaniya-kaniyang bayad,” meaning everyone who went paid contributed towards expenses, Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of the sultanate, said at a press briefing Monday afternoon,

The sultanate’s briefing immediately followed that held in Malacanang by Aquino.

She slammed Aquino’s briefing, calling it full of “hypothetical analogy” and “speculative statements” to which they could not respond and dared Aquino to “name the conspirators” he claimed had abetted their follower’s voyage to Sabah.

Cabinet tomorrow should give mandate to Najib to summon emergency Parliament to defend national sovereignty and protect security of Sabahans and security forces personnel

DAP and Pakatan Rakyat fully support all necessary measures in the Sabah Sulu crisis to defend the honour and sovereignty of the nation and to protect the security and safety of the people of Sabah and the security forces personnel.

The Sabah Sulu crisis is no partisan issue but affects the national sovereignty and security of the people of Sabah and the security forces personnel stationed in the state, and for this reason, all Malaysians, political parties and coalitions must rise above their differences to take a common position to advance the national cause and the people’s fundamental rights to peace, safety and livelihood.

It is for this reason that immediately after the Lahad Datu shootout last Friday, where two police commandoes were killed, the DAP leadership called on all Malaysians to rally as one people to face the Sabah Sulu crisis.

This is why I had said in a public statement after the Lahad Datu and Semporna shoot-outs:

“Patriotic Malaysians have many questions about the handling of three-week stand-off with the Sulu armed intruders in Lahad Datu and whether the casualties of the security forces could have been avoided if the whole situation had been properly handled right from the beginning.

“These doubts and queries, however legitimate, must now take second place, as there is no doubt that the country is faced with a crisis involving national sovereignty and the people’s security which must take topmost priority.”

DAP proposed an all-party council be formed, with representatives from both the ruling and opposition coalitions, to help deal with the Sulu Sabah crisis to show the world that Malaysians, regardless of political affiliation, race, religion or region, are united as one in protecting the sovereignty of the nation and the security of the people and the security forces.

Additionally, DAP also called for an emergency meeting of Parliament within the week to address the Sabah Sulu crisis.

The Pakatan Rakyat leadership has yesterday endorsed the call for an emergency meeting Parliament as well as proposing an all-party roundtable conference to unite all political forces in the face of the Sabah Sulu crisis.

So far there has been no response from Najib to the proposal for an emergency meeting of Parliament as well as an all-party roundtable conference on the Sabah Sulu crisis.

At the first session of the International Conference on Malaysia 13th General Elections at Lake Club in Kuala Lumpur yesterday on “An appraisal of the electoral democracy in Malaysia”, I had asked the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, who is the Minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, to use his good office to convey to the Prime Minister the call for an emergency Parliament to deal with the Sabah Sulu crisis.

I understand that Nazri, who was on the same panel as myself, had told the press later that this was an issue which had to be decided by the Prime Minister.

Nazri is right – only the Prime Minister can decide whether an emergency meeting of Parliament is to be convened, as even the Speaker has no power on the issue.

However, as the principle of collective responsibility applies to all Ministers, the Cabinet tomorrow should give the mandate to Najib, if the Prime Minister is still hesitant, to summon an emergency Parliament to defend national sovereignty and protect the security and safety of Sabahans and security forces personnel stationed in the state.

In view of the urgency of the issue, DAP and PR Members of Parliament are prepared to attend such an emergency meeting of Parliament even on Friday, which will be 8th March 2013 – fifth anniversary of the 12th General Elections electing the present 12th Parliament – should Najib give the nod for the proposal.

Sulu People In Sabah Urged To Rally Behind Government

LAHAD DATU, March 5 (Bernama) -- The people of Sulu descent in the country, particularly in Sabah should support the government's offensive against Sulu invaders in Kampung Tanduo here, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

"The offensive is targeted against Sulu terrorists. I hope that our Sulu friends in Sabah and nationwide will be with the government.

"We must distinguish between the Sulu terrorists and Sulu people in Sabah whether they are Malaysian citizens or permanent residents," he told a joint news conference with Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein at Felda Residence Sahabat, about 130 km from here, Tuesday.

Calling on Sulu people not to be hoodwinked by rumours that action will be taken against them, Ahmad Zahid said the government would protect the interests of the people in the country.

He said the three branches of the armed forces would be stationed at strategic locations to prevent the possibility of another intrusion on Sabah's shores.