BN MPs told to vote with conscience on conversion bill

A Penang Gerakan leader has urged MPs from the BN to search their hearts and vote with their conscience on the bill to amend the Federal Territories law relating to the conversion of minors to Islam, which he described as morally wrong.

The party's state legal and human rights bureau chief Baljit Singh (left) expressed deep disappointment over the matter, saying the bill was proposed without prior consultation with BN component parties, including Gerakan.

"This confirms the impression that only one party rules in the BN," Baljit told Malaysiakini, referring to Umno, whose members are Malay Muslims, as the prime mover of the amendment.

"You cannot put the cart before the horse. Consultation with various sectors must be done before proposing the bill to amend the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Enactment in Parliament," he stressed.

Baljit was responding to the tabling of the controversial bill, which appears set to proceed in Parliament.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Jamil Khir Baharom said all MPs would be briefed before the second reading of the bill.

Legal action mulled

The controversial amendment to the Federal Territories Islamic law, which seeks to give just one parent the right to convert a minor to Islam, has been criticised widely, even by Umno partners within the ruling coalition.

Baljit said such a law, if allowed to proceed, could be abused as it was not fair to allow one parent to decide the faith of a child when both parents are responsible for the child's welfare.

"Why not let the child decide when she or he comes of age?" he asked.

Baljit backed his colleague, Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang (right), who threatened to file legal action against the government if Parliament passes the amendment.

The amendment will made to Section 107(b) of the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act to allow one parent to convert an underaged child to Islam.

Tan, in his declaration yesterday, said Article 12 (2) of the federal constitution should be defended at all times, especially since the proposed amendment "goes against the spirit of the federal constitution".

Kg Retnam Pillai to go down

Muslim Driver raped little girl in a correctional mode not allowing any infidel attitude.

Muhammad~Ayesha. Majid~Khairunneccha.

7 years girl gagged, raped by a Muslim driver in his home by luring with Chocolate, TV and Islamic lesson.

Barely three weeks after the brutal rape and murder of a 20-year-old Hindu girl in Barasat’s Kamduni, a 7-year-old girl in the same North 24-Parganas town is now battling for her recovery in Barasat Sub Divisional Hospital hospital after being allegedly raped by a 52-year-old man on Thursday evening. In Kamduni one Sipra Ghosh, a girl student (a student of BA 2nd year of Baguiati Derozio College) was brutally gang-raped and murdered subsequently by a group of Muslim rapists under a leadership of local TMC operators named Ansar and Saiful Ali with other Islamic flag bearers viz Emanul, Rafiq, Nure Ali and Aman Ali (all devout Muslims) on 7th June 2013. Lately some suspicious names like Gopal, Bhutto, Bhola were named in the rape case to secularize the matter.

In the present case one Khairunneccha Khatun (7 years), daughter of one Hafizul (father- a daily labour) and Marufa ( Mother- a maid servant) was raped by one Majid Ali Middya who is in his age 0f 52. Several stitches were administered to her private parts. The accused and her neighbour, Majid Ali Middya, has been arrested. Khairunneccha (name changed), a little girl of 7 years frequently called by Majid to teach the girl some Islamic customs and rhymes who was not getting sufficient Islamic teachings from a local Ramakrishna Free Primary School, in which Khairunneccha is a student of class one (standard – I in Indian system). Khairunneccha sometimes recited some un-Islamic rhymes or ‘Jana Gana Mana’ – national anthem of Bharat (India) in her free mind, which were considered un-Islamic and Majid took a vow to correct the faults of the innocent Khairunneccha, who finally fallen victimized by a person should be considered as her grand papa. Khairunneccha had another unbearable infidel habit for Majid as the little girl used to collect the pictures of many things like birds, Hindu deities etc. Majid could not allow such type of un-Islamic and infidel habits by little Kahirunneccha. Demanding Majid’s death sentence, more than one hundred people launched an agitation in front of the Barasat police station on Friday.

The incident comes barely three weeks after the Barasat’s Kamduni case in which a 20-year-old college girl was brutally gang raped and murdered by at least eight persons. While the Kamduni incident stirred across the state and even hit the all-India news headlines, but the court trial has not started yet as the CID already missing the chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s 15 days deadline. Anyway, the charge-sheet has been given after 21 days on 29 June 2013 in connection with Kamdumi gang rape by rape Jihadists. It is alleged that the TMC is trying to rescue the main culprits by giving a loose charge sheet against them.

In this present case of girl child rape case, on Thursday at around 7.30pm, when the girl, named Khairunneccha, a Class-I student of a local primary school, Ramkrishna F. P. School, was standing alone in front of her house at Ramakrishnapur near Barasat’s Kajipara, Majid – a truck driver – lured her with chocolate and took her to his home for some Islamic lessons. The girl, daughter of a daily wage earner, agreed to go to Majid’s house as she also wanted to watch TV,but not for any academic session.

“After reaching home, Majid sent her daughter-in-law to shop to buy something and closed the windows and doors. Getting the girl alone to his home, Majid, the monster started torturing the little girl brutally even after gagged her with a piece of cloths. He continued the torture her sexually till she somehow managed to remove the cloth from her mouth and screamed in heavy pain. On hearing her screams a woman, a next door neighbour rushed to the Majid’s residence to find him torturing the little girl sexually,” a local said. Then the little girls was profusely bleeding after the attack of the Muslim monster – Majid, who is also a member of CITU run truck driver association, as a report appeared in a Bengali daily Protidin.

Muhammad the Pedophile raped Ayesha at her 9 years. Majid only followed him.

Majid then threatened the protesting woman with dire consequences if she did not leave the place
immediately. But the woman started to scream drawing the attention of others in the area, who later roughed up Majid before handing him over to police. The girl was taken rushed to the Barasat district hospital. According to a hospital sources, the girl was still in critical. “While she was taken to the hospital on Thursday evening she was still bleeding profusely. The doctors had to administer at least five stitches to her private parts. She was recovering slowly,” a nurse of the hospital said who was on duty in emergency ward on Friday evening. On Friday morning the locals gathered in front of the Barasat police station and demanded the accused to be hanged. “Those criminals like Majid deserve only death soon after committing the brutal rape on a little girl. But we have no faith on the police as they hardy take proper action against those culprits even after arresting them and the trial is delayed like recent Kamduni case,” said Jharna Bibi, who rescued the girl from the Majid’s custody.

The father of the girl said that he was not at his home while Majid lured her daughter to his house. “I was at outside for my job. But I got the news from a local with whom I met there. I rushed to my house while my daughter was already taken to the hospital. Majid, was my neighbour and he lives just after two houses from my residence. He used to come to my house and my daughter called him Majid Dadu. I want him only to be hanged,” the father said. The girl’s kin have lodged a complaint of rape with Barasat police on Thursday night.

Police, however, registered the case under section PCSO (protection of child from sexual offence), 2012, IPC 4.

“We have arrested Majid on Thursday and produced him in the Barasat court. The case has been registered for sexual assault on a child according to PCSO (protection of child from sexual offence), 2012 Act,” said Bhaskar Mukherjee, additional SP, North 24 Parganas. Majid was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.

On Saturday the little victimized was taken to the Barasat Court so that Magistrate in this case can record the statement of the rape victim. The health of the victim is recovering slowly as such reports procured for the sources at Barasat Sub divisional Court.

In Bengal, both the Muslim and Hindu girl children are being victims of rape by their known persons, under the series of Rape Jihad. This trend is dangerous enough.  And the Ayesha syndrome (including Mufa’ Khathat) among the Muslims is simple a curse to the Muslim girls and women.

Courtesy: TOI | Ali Sina | Black Hawk S | S Arya | Agencies.

Feminism Saudi-style: Hundreds turn out do discuss women in society... but not a single member of the audience is female

• Conference on 'women in society' held at Saudi Arabian university
• Judging from picture of the audience - not a single woman attended
• Image shows a sea of men in traditional Arab dress but no females

This image show attendees at a conference in Saudi Arabia on the topic ‘women in society’ – and not a single one is female.

The conference, reportedly held at the University of Qassim last year, was attended by representatives from 15 nations, apparently all men.

The seats in the hall are filled with men in traditional Arab dress apart from one wearing a blue chequered shirt.

No girls allowed: A 'Women in Society' conference in Saudi Arabia which judging by this picture had an all-male attendance

The photograph was published in a Saudi newspaper last year, and has since been making the rounds on social networks.

Twitter users have branded the image ‘absurd’, ‘the height of misogyny’ and ‘astonishing’ as the internet responded to what is only the latest proof of the gender gap in the Middle-Eastern nation.

Segregation between men and women in the oil rich country is widespread due to the ultra-conservative Wahhabi sharia law.

Restrictions mean they are not allowed to drive, they must use separate entrances at banks and offices, and a plan to build a city for female workers only has been announced.

Restricted: Although they are now allowed to ride bikes and motorcycles, women in Saudi Arabia are still very much controlled by their fathers, brothers and husbands

They also need permission from a male relative or their husband to work, travel, study or marry and a woman's testimony counts for less than that of a man in a court of law.

Small steps towards gender equality has been made in the past year.

Earlier this year, King Abdullah appointed women to 20 per cent of the 150-member Shura Council, an unelected body which advises the Government.

In April, Saudi Arabia lifted the ban preventing women from riding motorbikes and bicycles, but only if they are accompanied by a male relative and dressed in full veil.

No raising Kugan case, deputy speaker orders MPs

PARLIAMENT Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Ismail Mohamed Said has barred members of parliament from raising the issue of death-in-custody victim A Kugan in the House.

Ismail said this would be tantamount to interfering in judicial proceedings, even though the High Court had delivered judgment on June 26.

"Even though the decision has been made, the government still has 30 days to appeal," Ismail noted.

Earlier, N Surendran (PKR-Padang Serai, right) had raised issues surrounding Kugan's death in his debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address, arguing there has been lack of action on deaths in custody.

Ismail said he was using his discretion to decide if this could interfere in legal proceedings or affect any party in an ongoing civil case.

Tian Chua (PKR-Batu, left) disagreed with the decision, stressing that the deputy speaker could not anticipate that the government will lodge an appeal regarding the case.

On June 26, Justice VT Singham had ruled in favour of Kugan’s family in their civil suit against the police and the government. He awarded the family RM801,700 in damages.

Home Minister Zahid Hamidi yesterday signalled the government's intention to appeal the court's decision.

Kugan died on Jan 20, 2009 in the police lock-up in Taipan USJ, Selangor, after being detained for questioning.

‘Conversion Bill based on existing guidelines’

The Cabinet will heed the criticism leveled at amendments of the Bill, which allows for unilateral child conversions to Islam.

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today acknowledged there were “issues” in the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 tabled in Parliament last Wednesday.

But he defended the move by stressing that the Cabinet had used “several guidelines” in assessing and ultimately approving the Bill, which allows unilateral conversion of minors to Islam, to be tabled in Parliament.

“The cabinet has discussed this in detail and we understand there must be a fairer decision but we also understand that in the current situation, there have been several guidelines that we used,” said Muhyiddin in a press conference today.

“One of them is the court’s decision on a previous case and the second is the Malaysian constitution. So that is the jurisdiction of power we have today.”

The Bill has drawn flak from multiple corners, including Barisan Nasional component parties MIC and MCA, as the word “parent” instead of “parents” in the amendment makes it legal for a sole guardian to convert children below the age of 18 to Islam.

MCA vice president Gan Ping Siew had slammed the “stealthy” tabling of the amendment in the Federal Territories Islamic law, according to news portal Borneo Insider.

“I am shocked to learn that the government is tabling the Bill as it contains controversial provisions that affect the constitutional and religious rights of the non Muslim,” he was quoted as saying.

“This will seriously and irredeemably affect the religious harmony and national unity of our country.”

Muhyiddin said today: “We take heed of the criticism, we understand that there are a few matters that have become the focus of the public’s attention

“We will take into consideration the views of certain quarters, including BN component parties MCA, MIC and others who have voiced out the same issue. We will act based on the policies made.

But when a reporter pointed out that the amendments to the Bill contradicted a 2009 Cabinet decision to ban unilateral conversions of minors to Islam, Muhiddin said: “yes, but this is the latest [developments].

“We will examine this carefully and [Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Islamic Affairs] Jamil Khir Baharom will make an announcement when the time comes,” he said.

Engage the stakeholders

In another development, deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy said parts of the new Bill could act as a tool of manipulation with regards to maintenance, custody of children as well as unilateral declaration on the religious status of disputed deceased partners in controversial conversions cases.

“In reality in passing this bill, the Syariah court will abrogate the jurisdiction of the civil court in regards to ancillary reliefs for the non-Muslims,” he said in a statement today.

He also pointed out that the Bill appeared to be in direct confrontation with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on Elimination of All Form of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Both these conventions had been ratified by the Malaysian government.

He urged the AG Chambers to engage with other stakeholders such the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, religious leaders, Bar Council and the Syariah legal fraternity before tabling the bill.

Calling the tabling of the Bill as provocative, Waythamoorthy said “any government Bills tabled should not antagonize the government’s transformation plans”.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/07/01/conversion-bill-based-on-existing-guidelines/#sthash.Kj92FD1u.dpuf

Hindraf aims at 100% Indian survival of SPM

Advisor Ganesan says his movement will seek NGO help in its attitude-changing programme.

PETALING JAYA: Hindraf will be engaging with civil society in implementing its education blueprint for the Indian community.

“Hindraf’s effort is to enable every Indian child in Malaysia to unleash its potential through training and a proper transformation process,” N Ganesan, the movement’s advisor, told FMT today.

According to him, 30% of Indian students who enter the education system would drop out before they even reach the SPM level and another 30% would fail SPM. Every year, only 3, 000 would enroll for tertiary education.

Ganesan said Hindraf was targeting 100% survival up to SPM level so that no Indian child entering the the education system would drop out before completing secondary education.

“Our objective is to have these students go through an attitude transformation and not get involved in any form of gangsterism or anything else that may jeopardise their education.”

He said Hindraf was willing to work with any civic group that had good programmes for attitude transformation.

“We intend to guide Indian students all the way from pre-school right up to their higher education,” he said.

“Our goal is to establish a situation where every student who enters the education system completes SPM.

“We are here to bring light into the lives of people and not to win in politics.”

As a start, Hindraf held a meeting with several Indian-based NGOs last Saturday at Putrajaya to discuss education issues affecting the Indian community. The meeting was chaired by Hindraf chairman and deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, P Waythamoorthy.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/07/01/hindraf-aims-at-100-indian-survival-of-spm/#sthash.CxgIRzD8.dpuf

Betrayal of non-Muslim Cabinet members

From Ravinder Singh, via e-mail

In April 2009 the Cabinet had decided that the children of an estranged couple should remain in the “common religion of the parents at the time of their marriage”. This was after the public outcry about the conversion of three children of an Indian couple by the father who had converted to Islam. The children were aged one, 11 and 12.

The recent and out of the blues tabling in Parliament of the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Federal Territories) Bill 2013 with the provision on the conversion of non-Muslim children with the consent of either mother or father proves that the Cabinet decision of April 2009 is not worth the paper it is written on.

A Cabinet decision is an unwritten law, or common law. It can only be revised by the Cabinet. Civil servants have to give due respect to Cabinet decisions and implement them.

In Malaysia, it is the convention that proposed legislation must first get Cabinet approval before it goes to Parliament for the formalities of a debate and vote on it. Rarely has any legislation tabled in Parliament not been passed lock, stock and barrel by the august house.

Objections or no objections, practically all legislation or amendments are given the rubber stamp by Parliament as the majority-side Parliamentarians have no choice but to support the Prime Minister. The ruling party’s whip will ensure this.

Therefore, tabling this Bill without the knowledge of the non-Muslim members of the Cabinet is an act of betrayal. They were a party to the decision of April 2009. It is akin to back-stabbing them.

This is a very serious matter as its implications run deep. On the one hand the government talks of fostering closer inter-racial ties, on the other it shows scant respect for their rights. Even the rights of the non-Muslim Cabinet members who were a party to the decision of April 2009 have been trampled on as they were left in the dark over the proposed amendment.

Article 12 (4) of the Federal Constitution says “the religion of a person under the age of 18 years shall be decided by his parent or guardian”.

The words “parent or guardian” in this context cannot mean “either mother or father” for the simple reason that it takes a man and a woman, a mother and a father, to produce a child. The child is therefore the common property of both the mother and the father until the age of maturity from whence the child is on its own. So how can the law allow one of them to grab the child from the other by abusing religion?

I’m sure there are some Muslims out there who do not support the forced conversion of minors who are born non-Muslims. If God wanted everyone to be a Muslim, he would simply not have created people of different creeds, cultures, religions. When a non-Muslim converts to Islam and then converts his under-aged children, he or she is doing it out of vengeance on the other partner.

For whatever reasons, he is taking revenge on the other partner. Not only Islam, but no other religion should abet this vengeful action of the one parent on the other. No religion should tolerate this, let alone welcome it. Religions are for preaching peace and not for provoking enmity between peoples all of whom are children of the one and only God although He is called by different names in different languages.

The surreptitious tabling of the Bill has become a test for all the non-Muslim members of Parliament. Will those who are in arms with Umno support it as required by the Parliamentary whip, or are they ready to stand up and put their foot down and not allow the religious rights of the non-Muslims to be steam-rolled over by parties with a holier-than-thou attitude?

In a worst case scenario are they prepared to break ranks and oppose it (not abstain from voting by not attending the session), but by actually being present when a vote is taken and opposing it?

This Bill drives wedges between the Muslims and the non-Muslims. Is this what 1Malaysia is all about? Is this creation of animosity between the Muslims and the non-Muslims in full accord with the teachings of Islam?

So the Cabinet decision in April 2009 was just to fool the people for a while? Where is the honour of the Cabinet? The proposed law should have codified that decision of the Cabinet instead of throwing it into the drain and coming up with something that is a full about turn.

Was Najib pushed by some more powerful hand than his own to table this Bill with the controversial provision that goes against the letter and spirit of the Cabinet’s decision of April 2009? Please stop driving wedges between the people who have lived as brothers and sisters for so long.

Custodial deaths - a tale of indecision and indifference

Malaysiakini 
by Andrew Khoo

As published in Malaysiakini on 29 June 2013.

I take as my starting point May 2005, and the release of the Report of the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysian Police (Report). 

This Report noted that between January 2000 and December 2004 there had been 80 deaths in custody. Inquests were held into only six of these deaths. The most recent statistic, as disclosed to Parliament on June 26, 2013, is that from 2000 to mid-2013 there had been 231 cases of deaths in custody.

The Report contained a recommendation to establish an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). A complete draft bill was included as an appendix to the Report. All that the government needed to do was to table this in Parliament. It did not.

Instead, the government disagreed with the proposal. It was debated and discussed, and the government dithered for some two-and-a-half years. 

According to the non-governmental organisation Suara Rakyat Malaysia or Suaram, 28 people died in police custody between May 2005 and December 2007. 

Eventually, in December 2007, the government introduced legislation in the Dewan Rakyat to establish a Special Complaints Commission in place of the IPCMC - on which there was an uproar of sorts. 

Complaints were levied that the proposed legislation was being rushed through without proper or sufficient consultation. The government relented and agreed to defer the matter to the next sitting of Parliament, in March 2008.

Of course Parliament did not sit in March 2008, given the 12th general election, with the Barisan Nasional government losing heavily. 

The then-prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made it known on March 27, 2008, that an IPCMC Bill had been ready to be presented to the cabinet before being tabled in Parliament, but this was deferred because of GE12. But Abdullah was on his way out, and thus a lame-duck prime minister. 

So, matters had to await a change in the leadership of the government, which occurred on April 3, 2009. 

The government under new Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak finally introduced legislation in the form of the Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (EAIC) Bill, which was passed by the Dewan Rakyat on July 1, 2009, and by the Dewan Negara on July 30, 2009.

The EAIC Act 2009 received Royal Assent on Aug 19, 2009, and was gazetted on Sept 3, 2009.

According to Suaram, in the almost two years between December 2007 and September 2009, eight people died in police custody.

Notwithstanding its gazetting on Sept3, 2009, it would be some time before the EAIC took effect. Time was needed to set up the EAIC, to find staff, appoint commissioners. This took 19 months and the EAIC finally commenced operations on April 1, 2011.

According to Suaram, in the 19 months from September 2009 to March 2011, eight people died in police custody.

Again according to Suaram, a further 19 people died in police custody between April 1, 2011 and May 20, 2013.

Some of the major EAIC shortcomings

I chose May 20, 2013, because the EAIC Convention 2013 was held on that day. During the convention, the former chief justice of the Federal Court of Malaysia, Abdul Hamid Mohamad, delivered a detailed critique of the shortcomings of the EAIC. 

In particular, Abdul Hamid highlighted the following:

Between April 2011 and the end of 2012, the EAIC received 347 complaints;

110 (31.7 percent) were rejected;

Nine (2.5 percent) were referred to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ("MACC");

15 (4.3 percent) were referred to the various appropriate disciplinary authorities;

Four (1.1 percent) were referred to the appropriate disciplinary authority and the MACC;

60 (17.2 percent) were directed for full investigation; and

149 (42.9 percent) required further preliminary investigation.

Under Section 17 of the EAIC Act, full investigations are to be conducted by a Task Force. Abdul Hamid disclosed that no such Task Force had been formed. 

Instead, investigations were conducted by EAIC investigators. Only three out of those 60 cases had been fully investigated, resulting in one case being referred to the disciplinary authority of the Royal Malaysian Police and the other two closed because the disciplinary authorities in both those cases had already meted out punishments.

Abdul Hamid questioned how long it would take the EAIC to complete the 57 cases that were directed for full investigation and the 149 that were referred for further preliminary investigations. 

He also questioned the speed with which the various disciplinary authorities completed their own investigations into complaints referred to them by the EAIC and compliance with the time-frame to communicate their findings back to the EAIC. 

In none of the cases of referred complaints did any of the disciplinary authorities communicate back to the EAIC within the prescribed two-month period: the norm was six months. 

On June 5, 2013, EAIC chief executive officer Nor Afizah Hanum Mokhtar (left) provided updated statistics that appear not to show any improvement. Nor Afizah said between April 1, 2011 and May 31, 2013, the EAIC had received 469 complaints. Of these, 353 (75.27 percent) were against the police. 

Investigations were opened into 124 out of these 469 complaints, but only one resulted in a recommendation of disciplinary action against a member of the police force. This would appear to be that same one case cited by Abdul Hamid. 

In other words, none of the new cases of complaints against the police, from January to May 2013, has resulted in any recommendation of disciplinary action against a member of the police force. 

Yet, according to Suaram, eight people died in police custody from January to May 2013, six if we exclude N Dhamendran and Jamesh Ramesh, for which a decision to create a Task Force to investigate was announced in May 2013. 

Nor Afizah Hanum was quoted by The Malaysian Insider as saying, "We are looking at how we can investigate deaths in police custody... even though nobody has filed complaints." She went on to say, "We want to investigate cases of public interest, even when we do not receive complaints."

Section 28 of the EAIC Act 2009 states:

"Without prejudice to Section 27, the Commission may commence an investigation in respect of a misconduct it becomes aware of on its own initiative, only if the Commission is satisfied that the matter is of significant interest to the public or that it is in the public interest to do so."

This is not a new provision of the EAIC Act 2009. It has been there right from the very beginning. Given this power to commence an investigation even in the absence of any complaint, it begs the question, why only in June 2013 was she saying this? 

Was it only because of the publicity that arose from the three deaths in custody that occurred between May 21, 2013 and June 5, 2013? What about the 20 deaths in custody from April 1, 2011 to May 20, 2013? Were none of these deaths of significant interest to the public? 

So, how many more have to die in custody?

One of these cases was that of C Sugumaran, the circumstances of whose death on Jan 23, 2013 widely reported in the local media. Did the EAIC not feel that this was a suitable case to exercise its powers under Section 28 of the EAIC Act 2009, or that it was in the public interest to do so? 

How many people have to die in police custody before the EAIC becomes satisfied that the matter of deaths in custody is of significant interest to the public? How many people have to die in police custody before the EAIC thinks it is in the public interest to do so? 

We enter the realm of speculation, but how many lives might possibly have been saved had the EAIC got its act together much earlier, and launched an investigation into this matter much earlier? One can only guess.

The establishment of a task force to investigate two of the latest deaths in custody comes as too little, and certainly too late, for those who have died. Because of the dithering, indecision and indifference of the government and, to a certain extent, the EAIC commissioners, people die. 

In the 27 months that the EAIC has been in operation, from April 2011 to June 2013, 23 people have died in police custody. All the EAIC commissioners must bear the moral responsibility for not having stepped in much earlier to address this issue. 

Death in custody is not a recent phenomenon. Remember what the Report had already noted more than eight years ago, when it was 80 deaths in custody. Now it is 231 custodial deaths. When will this stop?

A new test has now arisen for the EAIC: what to do with the new inspector-general of police (IGP), Khalid Abu Bakar? High Court judge VT Singham (left) in his judgment delivered on June 26, 2013 in respect of the civil suit brought by the family of the late A. Kugan, who died in police custody on Jan 16, 2009, concluded that the police had attempted to cover up the real reason for Kugan's death. 

Justice Singham dismissed claims by Khalid, who was then chief police officer of Selangor, that there was no cover-up. He raised doubts about the veracity of statements made at that time by on the cause of Kugan's death, and questioned why Khalid had not initiated a detailed investigation into the matter. 

The learned judge found Khalid liable for misfeasance of public office.

Indeed, this practice of announcing a misleading cause of death is not limited to the IGP. In the case of the death in custody of N Dhamendran recently, Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigations Department head SAC Ku Chin Wah gave a press conference declaring that Dhamendran had complained of chest pains and had died of breathing difficulties. 

This was in spite of clear evidence that Dhamendran had been brutally killed. Even his ears had been stapled, and there were puncture wounds on his ankles.

Will the EAIC now launch another task force to look into the possible misconduct of Khalid? Or the patently erroneous reason given by Ku? Or are these matters not of significant interest to the public? 

Is launching an investigation into the conduct of the IGP not in the public interest to do? The words of the judgment of Justice Singham, said in respect of the Royal Malaysian Police Force, apply in equal measure to the EAIC:

"As soon as the crime is reported or comes to the public knowledge, the highest authority of police must act promptly and must ensure investigation is conducted with promptitude by an independent investigation agency or at least an inquest is held or recommended."

If the government is adamant that the EAIC is a good or better alternative than the IPCMC, then the time really has come for all the EAIC commissioners to show that they have the independence and integrity to investigate the IGP. 

If they do not do so, then all that the government has said in defence of the EAIC will count for naught, all the EAIC commissioners should resign, and the IPCMC should be immediately established. 

The ball is now squarely in the court of the EAIC to act decisively. The inescapable conclusion must be that it is of significant interest to the public that the EAIC does so.

---

ANDREW KHOO is co-chairperson of the Human Rights Committee of the Bar Council Malaysia. He writes here in his personal capacity.

Good Ties With Others Generating Great Opportunities For Malaysia - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Malaysia's good relations with other countries generated ample opportunities to the country.

The prime minister noted that an increasing number of countries were opening their doors to Malaysian investment.

"More and more countries are opening their doors to Malaysia to invest in. Our good relations are breeding great opportunities," he tweeted Monday.

Najib is currently on a four-day working visit to the United Kingdom, aimed at strengthening the good relations between the two countries.

Prior to that, the prime minister led the Malaysian delegation at the Global Smart Partnership Dialogue themed, 'Leveraging Technology For Africa's Socio-Economic Transformation', in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Najib also tweeted that Tanzania's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) blueprint was ready.

Noting that the document had adapted the best practice gleaned from Malaysia's own ETP to suit Tanzania's needs, he hoped it would be implemented successfully.

Najib also said he had a good discussion with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni which touched on their shared interests.

Meanwhile, the prime minister further tweeted that 40,000 Malaysian housewives would be trained under the 1Malaysia Support for Housewives programme.

"It will be a good opportunity for them to increase household income," he said.
-BERNAMA

'They did what they wanted with me - no matter how disgusting': Victim of Oxford sex gang talks of her three-year nightmare

• Katie was academically gifted and dreamed of becoming a forensic scientist
• At the age of 12 two Pakistani brothers befriended her
• She was completely unaware she was being groomed for sexual exploitation
• For almost three years she was violently and sexually abused by a gang
• She was also sold for sex on hundreds of occasions to child abusers

During her primary school years, Katie was considered academically gifted and dreamed of

Girls were sold for £600 a time. This picture is posed by a model

Suffering: becoming a forensic scientist.

At home, her loving parents read her bedtime stories and would at times remind her to feed her giant African land snail.

But when she turned 12 her life changed forever. Sitting on some steps with a friend in Oxford, Katie was approached by two Pakistani brothers who befriended her with alcohol and cigarettes.

She was flattered by the attention they paid her, completely unaware she was being groomed for sexual exploitation until it was too late.

For almost three years she was violently and sexually abused by a gang and then sold for sex on hundreds of different occasions to a network of child abusers across Britain.

Shockingly, during her ordeal she told police and social services she was being abused, but nothing was done to help her.

As some of her abusers started long jail sentences yesterday, Katie spoke for the first time about her three-year nightmare.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘By all accounts I was a bit of a geek at school,’ she said.

‘Then six months later I become somebody who went missing all the time, coming back days later, filthy and dirty.

'The sudden change is scary to think about, even now.’

Abuse was carried out at the Nanford Guest House in Oxford. Pictured is a room at the guest house

Katie still struggles to comprehend how a girl with upstanding parents – her father is a civil engineer – could fall prey to such abuse.

‘By this point I thought my teenage friends wouldn’t like me any more. They would say if you go back to school no one is going to like you because you’re a slag.’

After several months, the Pakistani men began to ask her for sex, pretending to want a loving relationship with her.

But soon they were threatening violence if Katie refused to do what she was told.

Brothers Akhtar Dogar (left) and Anjum Dogar (right) were each given a life sentence with a minimum of 17 years at the Old Bailey  

Mohammed Karrar (left), 38, was given life with a minimum of 20 years for the 'dreadful offences' he committed against the girls. His brother Bassam Karrar (right), 34, was also handed a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years

‘It’s something I felt I had to do,’ she said. ‘Although I knew what sex was, there’s a difference between having sex as an adult and as a child. This was people taking advantage of a child.’

As her ordeal intensified, Katie was taken to rooms in guest houses and flats in the backstreets of east Oxford. ‘I was taken to parties,’ she recalled.

‘By party I mean everybody coming and having sex with me. If I said I didn’t want it, it would just happen anyway.’

Kamar Jamil (left), 27, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 12 years while Assad Hussain (right) , 32, was sentenced to seven years in prison

On some occasions there were up to ten men were in the room, waiting to have sex with her.

Zeeshan Ahmed, 28, was jailed for seven years

 

Katie said: ‘They just thought they could do what they wanted with me, no matter how disgusting. It got to the point where I just went along with things.

'Mentally I shut down and just did it.’

Aged 14, and by now in a care home, she alerted her carer to the abuse but was ignored.

A month after her 15th birthday, she told police that one of her abusers, Akhtar Dogar, was forcing her to have sex with him and other men.

But instead of following up these allegations, she said officers threatened to arrest her for wasting police time.

‘My behaviour and appearance should have been sending alarm bells,’ she said.

Although Katie is now in a long-term relationship, memories of her past still haunt her.

She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress two counts of sexual activity with a childdisorder at the age of 15 and suffers from severe bouts of depression and OCD.

• Katie’s name has been changed to protect her anonymity.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2350299/Oxford-sex-gang-victim-talks-year-nightmare.html#ixzz2XXHyihK4
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High Court judge retires after Kugan judgment

Issue gag order on party polls, MIC president told

A MIC leader wants the party president to order party members to stop speaking to the media regarding the party elections

PETALING JAYA: A MIC leader has requested the party’s top leadership to issue a gag order to members regarding the party elections in September.

Taman Mujur MIC branch chairman VT Rajen said party president G Palanivel must direct all members to stop speaking to the media regarding the party elections.

Rajen said he was concerned over several divisions and branches openly showing their support for certain leaders and this had tarnished the image of others.

“Any announcement on the party elections should be from the party president and his deputy Dr S Subramaniam and secretary-general A Sakthivel,” he told FMT today.

He added that the young Turks in the party must understand the party’s long struggle and sacrifices.

“We are in a critical situation now because of the lack of support from the Indians. Let us unite to get back our community support and strengthen the party before going to the party elections.

Rajen said issues concerning the party elections should be resolved internally.

Recently, the MIC’s Central Working Committee (CWC) decided that branch elections would be held between July 12 and Aug 4, divisional elections in September and October and the presidential election on Sept 22.

Elections for the other top national posts, including that of deputy president, will be held in November.

MIC held its last elections in 2009, when S Samy Vellu won the presidency uncontested. He relinquished the post in 2010.

Palanivel, then his deputy, became acting president. Fresh elections were due in 2012, but was postponed to prepare for the 13th general election.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/28/issue-gag-order-on-party-polls-mic-president-told/#sthash.QkE5ynyH.dpuf

Member of royalty jailed for assaulting national boxer

A member of a royal family was sentenced to four years' jail by a sessions court in Johor Baru today, along with two others, for seriously injuring national boxer Muhamad Farkhan Mohd Haron.

Judge Zamri Bakar sentenced Tunku Nick Tazuddin Izwan Syah Tunku Qadir, 28, Alex Foo Hee Wee, 42, and Mohamad Arif Husin, 36, after finding them guilty of voluntarily causing hurt to Farkhan.

Tunku Nick, Foo and Mohamad Arif were found guilty of committing the offence under Section 325 of the Penal Code at No 44, Jalan Molek 3/2, Taman Molek, between 4.30am and 7am on May 6, 2012.

A person convicted of an offence under Section 325 can be jailed for a maximum of seven years.

Tunku Nick resides at Istana Bukit Kesenangan in Johor Bahru.

The judge also rejected their application for a stay of execution of the sentence pending appeal, resulting in Tunku Nick, Foo and Mohamad Arif to spend time in the lock-up.

DPP Dzul Iswari Mohd Jaafar prosecuted in the case, while the three were represented by Zamri Idrus, Norman Fernandez and Masri Mohammad.

Lawyer Gobind Singh Deo held a watching brief for the national boxer, who was also a SEA Games gold medallist.

Missed the London Olympics

On June 15 last year, Gobind gave given the Attorney-General's Chambers an ultimatum, demanding to know whether it would take action on the assault against Farkhan. 

Farkhan, the 2009, Laos Sea Games gold medallist, is said to have been assaulted with wood, iron rods and a samurai sword by a member of the royal family and his friends on May 6, 2012, after which he lodged a police report.

The assault caused Farkhan to suffer a broken jaw and miss last year's London Olympics.

To make matters worse, Farkhan's father, Mohd Haron Ismail, who was disturbed by the attack, died of a heart attack several weeks after the incident.

After this, the prosecution charged Tunku Nick, Foo and Mohamad Arif for the attack.

VT Singham retires after illustrious judicial career

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge VT Singham, who delivered the A Kugan judgment two days ago, is retiring after serving 13 years on the bench.

Justice Singham retires today at the age of 65. Officials from the judiciary’s corporate communications and international relations department indicated that was his chosen age of retirement.

Normally, judges, including those in the Federal Court, can serve on the bench until they are 66, which is the compulsory retiring age.

Singham was appointed a High Court judicial officer in 2000 after being in private practice, and was confirmed a full High Court judge in 2002.
He is the most senior High Court judge and until his retirement today, he had served in Temerloh, Taiping, Ipoh, Kuantan and in Kuala Lumpu.
It is also learned that Singham was a part-time news reporter in the early days of his life.

Known for his witty comments and spontaneous rulings, Singham, a bachelor, is known as a hard, fair and judicious judge willing to go the extra mile in hearing cases and giving advice to lawyers.

Among the civil cases he has presided over, besides Kugan’s, are Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s suit against Utusan Malaysia’s group editor Abdul Aziz Ishak and the suit by Shazryl Eskay Abdullah of the 'Datuk T trio' fame on the crooked bridge project.

Several blogs and Malay rights group Perkasa have also attacked Justice Singham’s fairness in favouring Anwar in the suit, by questioning his sexual orientation.

However, that matter is subject to an on-going contempt proceeding involving Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali and the blogger.

Kugan judgment 'a damning indictment on government'

Wednesday's High Court ruling on A Kugan's death in police custody is a damning indictment of the government's handling of such cases, says MIC treasurer-general Senator Jaspal Singh.

Jaspal said it also showed that the people could can no longer accept or tolerate custodial deaths.

"The home minister stated in Parliament that the government will not protect wrong-doers. He must now keep his word. The Kugan investigation must be re-opened and his killers must be found and charged.

"Justice VT Singham said the 45 injuries on Kugan's body are an indication that more than one person was involved in torturing him.

"The judge (left) also said these injuries, including a wide range of internal injuries, speaks volumes of what had happened during his detention. Yet only one policeman, V Navindran, was found guilty," Jaspal said in a statement.

In light of the landmark Kugan judgment, he said, the cabinet must review its decision not to form the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

"Whether it was the IPCMC or otherwise, the police cannot be expected to investigate themselves.

"They certainly cannot be sitting on the board of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission or the IPCMC. The government must act swiftly to address public outrage over this case. Public trust is easily lost and hard to recoup," Jaspal added.

Skeletons in the cupboard

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said two weeks ago that the clear message from Malaysian voters in the last general election was that they want the government to be more stern and bold in defending the important institutions of the country.

However, Lim said, Kugan's judgment against the police and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and the court case involving Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were in the opposite to those calls.

"It is unlikely for the home minister to suggest that the IGP assumes full responsibility for Kugan's death when the question remains as to why the police did not investigate or charge Ahmad Zahid for the offence of assault against Amir Bazli Abdullah way back in 2006.

"Similarly, it is unlikely that the IGP can suggest that the home minister should assume full responsibility for the 2006 assault case when Khalid himself is in the dock over responsibility for Kugan's death in police custody in 2009," Lim said in a statement.

The Gelang Patah MP said both the minister and the IGP seemed to be trapped in a lockstep, with neither able to assert authority over the other because each has a "skeleton in the cupboard".

"Is this the way for the BN government to restore national and international confidence in the key institutions of the country after the 13th general election?" he asked.

In less than two months after GE13, Lim said, the BN was already facing a full-blown crisis on good governance.

Malaysians, he added, were entitled to know how Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak proposed to resolve these matters, whether he would terminate, suspend or ask both Ahmad Zahid and Khalid to take leave of absence from their offices until both have cleared themselves.

Pakatan backstabbed us, says PSM chief

Parti Sosialis Malaysia in assessing the 13th general election said its opposition allies had “backstabbed” them even though they fought a common enemy.

“True, we faced problems especially when our own friend betrayed and backstabbed us, even though we did not see them as the main enemy.

“Instead, we were trampled on, and still we tried to compromise (on the needs of the rakyat and on gaining Pakatan’s much needed support to win) with the hope that we can all unite,” said PSM national president Nasir Hashim (left) in his speech at the party’s annual general meeting today.

“We were bullied, promises to us were broken, and tackling our problems took a back seat as everyone was concerned with their own (political) well-being, and so on.

He described PSM’s relations with Pakatan as a “mess” in the run-up to the hotly contested polls, even though it was good elsewhere when both fought for common goals against injustice and abuse.

PSM ran into seat allocation problems with its Pakatan partners well past nomination day in the last general election, and even as the candidacy of Nasir for the Kota Damansara seat under the PKR banner was finally ironed out, PAS’s candidate continued to run against him, causing both to lose the seat to BN.
Nasir said we realised the fact that PSM entered the elections without the strength and was hoping for a one-on-one contest and also the Pakatan votes to ensure victory.

“As a result of the obstacles and sabotage, we were left alone (in this election) in the face of our enemies in Pakatan and also BN. They took the opportunity to exploit this as had happened in Kota Damansara, where PAS saied they expected to win with the support of PKR and Umno.

“Despite this, PAS was not successful and it only resulted in splitting the votes and handed the Kota Damansara seat on a silver platter to Umno,” he said, adding that the same story of attack and sabotage happened in Semenyih and Jelapang.

Addressing false perception on socialism

He noted that PSM’s weaknesses is that it cannot alleviate such a false perception that the people have on socialism.

Nasir said we were not able to inculcate and analyse socialism when we were with the people in fighting tyranny and past discrimination.

Going through the evolution of socialism parties in Malaysia, when we had PSRM, PRM then Parti Rakyat, Nasir said this was due to socialist leaders in the past not being aggressive to attack or cancel out all the false allegations on the ideology of socialism.

He said the party should be given new breath, and hence there is a need for a new approach.

Nasir said the ideology of socialism has to take consideration of local surroundings.

“While we see that socialist countries like Cuba and Venezuela have developed, we have to further study whether their ideas there could be adopted to our struggle in Malaysia in the local context,” he said.

Mother of murdered political aide seeks justice

Syria Militants Behead Two Christians

Two Christians, one of them a priest, have been beheaded by militants because they were suspected of cooperating with the Syrian military, according to an Al-Alam report.

A video uploaded to the internet yesterday shows two men with their hands bound, surrounded by dozens of people, many of them armed and cheering in celebration.

Note: Video Below Article

The two are brutally executed – beheaded with a small combat knife. Echoing previous beheading recorded by insurgents, the head is held up to the cheers of onlookers and then placed on the body.
This month has seen an escalation in sectarian atrocities committed by insurgents, who have been publicly armed and supported by America, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and other actors. Indeed, the atrocities are coinciding with further arms transfers – with new advanced weaponry witnessed in the hands of militants in the past number of weeks.

The most recent beheading recorded on video and uploaded to the internet, reportedly took place in Idlib countryside.

Recently, a Catholic priest was executed by foreign militants. The monastery in which he resided was burnt and looted, echoing the events of a massacre in Homs last month which resulted in the entire population of a Christian village being wiped out and their houses and possessions burnt. Two Christian bishops who were kidnapped by Chechen gunmen in Aleppo earlier this year, are still missing.

As well as Christians, Shia villages are receiving the brunt of a boldly-confident insurgency. This newly-found confidence has resulted in having just recently received confirmation of America’s intent to supply them with more weapons. Last week, militants massacred dozens of villagers in the province’s town of Hatla. Since then, summary executions and sectarian house-to-house raids have taken place.

The following video is extremely graphic and viewer discretion is advised. Many thanks to Arabi Souri, a Syrian activist for the translated version of the video.

Under ‘vani’: Minor girl married off to 50-year-old

The local panchayat ordered the nuptials to ‘avenge’ the girl’s father’s second marriage. PHOTO: APP/ FILE

 

LAHORE: A 10-year-old girl was forcibly married off to a 50-year-old man Malahanwala, Hafizabad under the ‘vani’ custom to compensate for her father’s second marriage in district.

Muhammad Akram, the girl’s father, had abducted a woman named Munawaran Bibi, whom he later married out of love, reported the police. Muawaran was Akram’s second wife.
Following this, the village ‘panchayat’ (court) decided to give Akram’s daughter’s hand in marriage to Munawaran’s middle-aged brother Falak Sher.

The FIR filed by the girl’s uncle reveals that Falak Sher had barged into Akram’s house along with seven other men, including a prayer-leader from a local mosque, and performed a forced nuptial ritual in the presence of Akram’s first wife.

Mukhtar Hussain, an Investigation Officer in the case informed that the young girl had escaped from Falak Sher’s custody and returned to her parents’ home. The process of raids continues to ensure the immediate arrest of the all the accused nominated in the FIR.


The FIR, registered with Police Station Jalalpur Bhattiaan on Saturday, nominates nine persons including Falak Sher, the prayer leader and seven members of the ‘panchayat.’
The area’s people said that the local administration and police had remained tight lipped and reluctant to take any action against the accused. However, police officials claimed that they had registered a case against the accused without any delay when approached by complainants.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2013.

Suaram cites court decision on Kugan for IGP to quit

The myth that the police force can act with impunity must be broken, says a coalition of non-governmental organisations, Stop State Violence Movement (SSVM).

Lauding the High Court ruling in the A Kugan death-in-custody case, SSVM pointed to the continuous calls for independent investigative bodies, such as the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), an independent judiciary and an effective coroner's court, to be set up.

E Nalini (right), the executive director of Suaram, which is one of the NGOs under SSVM, said in a statement today Kuala Lumpur High Court judge VT Singham's judgment showed that police were liable for the death of Kugan, including then Selangor police chief and present Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar.

"Hence, we call upon the IGP to resign from his position and take full responsibility for Kugan's death when he was Selangor police chief," Nalini said.

She noted that many other cases of custodial death were still undergoing inquests, while some remained unresolved.

Nalini said many police officers and men involved in causing deaths in custody were still walking free.
Ratify UN convention on torture now
"They have to be brought to justice and they have to be held accountable for their actions. We must end any form torture or custodial death."

She said the Malaysian government still refused to ratify the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and its Optional Protocol.

"Torture cannot be justified as a form of punishment. A detainee is innocent until proven guilty, through the court process.

"We strongly urge the Malaysian government to immediately ratify the UN convention. The government must move forward now, with a positive attitude to build a society that shows respect for the rights and dignity of persons at all times and is also free from violence," Nalini said.

Suaram's coordinator R Thevarajan (right) said he agreed with Justice Singham's call for the setting up of the IPCMC.

"Suaram has noted 209 deaths in custody from 2000 till September 2012. In 2013 alone there were five deaths in police custody, namely Chang Chin Tee, C Sugumar, Muhammad Kusyairi, N Dhamendran and P Karuna Nithi," Thevarajan said.

"We reject the statement of the home minister earlier that there were only two deaths this year.

"Suaram would like to remind Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi not to give false information on victims of custodial deaths," Thevarajan said.

Suaram also wants Zahid to provide a clear breakdown of the names and cases he referred to in Parliament.

"Suaram is ready to engage with the authorities in order to compile the facts on the ground of deaths in custody in Malaysia.

"We reiterate again: In order to stop this culture of impunity, an oversight mechanism to monitor the police force, such as the IPCMC, is crucial in this country. Set up the IPCMC now," Thevarajan added.

Murdered political aide's mum seeks Parliament probe

The mother of K Murugan, a PKR’s parliamentary candidate's security aide who was found brutally murdered just before election day, is appealing to Parliament to set up a committee to investigate the murder.

P Rajjamah made the plea in a meeting with Batu Gajah MP V Sivakumar at the entrance to Parliament this afternoon.
Overcome by tears, the 62-year-old handed over a memorandum to Sivakumar.

“A parliamentary select committee must be formed to investigate the murder, to determine if it is politically-motivated, because it involves a VVIP,” the memorandum reads.

Murugan (right) was aide to PKR Tapah candidate K Vasantha Kumar, who accompanied Rajjamah during the memorandum handing over.
Vasantha Kumar explained that they decided to submit the memorandum to Parliament after the receiving no reply to the four they had sent to Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, seeking a just investigation.

He said police never called in a single person from the BN for questioning, while to-date, up to 19 PKR members have been called in.

“Till today, we have sent four memoranda to the IGP but the IGP has kept his mouth shut,” Vasantha Kujmar added.

Murugan was found dead three days after being reported missing on May 1. His body was discovered floating in a pond near Batu Gajah in Perak.

His face was reportedly brutally smashed, his body slashed and tied with barbed wire and said to have been thrown into the pond together with 52kg of scrap metal.

Reprieve for temple

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's curiosity over a suit against the government has momentarily 'saved' a 110-year-old temple in Jalan P Ramlee from demolition.
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: A planned demolition of a temple by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was halted after it was discovered that a developer company was suing the federal government for the same land.

The Muneswarar Kaliamman temple in Jalan Tengah off Jalan P Ramlee received a reprieve due to an intervention by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

PPP information chief A Chandrakumanan told reporters that Najib wanted to know why the developer was suing the government for the land on which the 110 year old temple sits.

Chandrakumanan said that he had briefed Tengku Adnan and Najib on the issue yesterday and they had expressed curiosity at the situation.

“The prime minister wants to know why the land developer Hap Seng filed a suit against the government in its bid to obtain the temple land.

“Until and unless they explain the purpose of the suit they cannot demolish the land,” said Chandrakumanan who had a letter signed by Tengku Adnan forbidding DBKL from demolishing the temple.

Earlier, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, P Waythamoorthy, questioned the legality of demolition notice issued by Land and Mining Department.

“The notice has no signature and it is not generated by a computer. It states action is to be taken under state law but this land is a federal government land.

“The notice also does not state under what provision of the law can this temple be demolished,” said Waythamoorthy at a press conference.

The temple currently sits on a DBKL reserve land. In July last year, Hap Seng whose company office is located next to the temple filed a suit against DBKL in a bid to obtain the land for a development project.

PKR’s Kapar MP G Manivannan, meanwhile, criticised Waythamoorthy’s inability to resolve the issue at hand.

“As a deputy minister in charge of Indian affairs, he should be able to issue a letter to stop the demolition and yet he comes here, empty handed to show support for the temple,” said Manivannan.

Also present today was PKR’s human rights and legal bureau deputy chief S Jayathas. He was among the first who raised the alarm over the plight of the temple when he was Hindraf Makkal Sakthi’s information chief two years ago.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/27/reprieve-for-temple/#sthash.KcTLTBwR.dpuf

‘Meet us or we march’

The Block E residents action committee of PJS1 is threatening to march to the Selangor state secretariat on July 3 if the MB does not meet them soon.

PETALING JAYA: The Block E residents action committee today threatened to march to the Selangor menteri besar’s office on July 3 if the latter fails to meet them over their house demands.

The action committee chairman M Sugumaran said that the state government had stalled in building their low cost homes despite promises made since 2010.

“I congratulate Abdul Khalid Ibrahim (Selangor menteri besar) for retaining the state. Since you won with a bigger majority, I’m sure you can solve our problems once and for all,” he said.

Sugumaran said that he had already submitted a letter to the menteri besar’s office on Monday to request for a meeting, or risk having nearly 100 house buyers marching to the state secretariat office.

In 2003, developer Peter Brickworks Sdn Bhd promised to about 200 residents at the squatter area at Petaling Jaya Selatan 1 (PJS1) to build low cost homes for them.

Although the developer built four storeys of the low cost homes, it reneged on its promise to build the fifth block, known as Block E, leaving the residents in a lurch.

Three years ago, the Selangor state government announced that it will build the houses for them but to date nothing has come forth.

Upset with the delays, Sugumaran criticised the Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) and accused them of being responsible over the delays.

He said that despite sending several memorandum to the state government and the MBPJ, both bodies could not reach consensus on how to resolve the housebuyers’ problems.

“Whenever Khalid promises us something, the MBPJ tells us something else. This flip flop between the state government and the local council had left us in this predicament.

“Since both the governments cannot agree on a solution, we have no choice but take this drastic measure,” said Sugumaran.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/27/meet-us-or-we-march/#sthash.acw78Azp.dpuf

MP Puchong gesa PM bertindak terhadap KPN

Persoalan yang timbul adakah Khalid sekarang layak untuk terus memegang jawatannya, kata Gobind Singh.

PETALING JAYA: Ahli Parlimen Puchong Gobind Singh Deo mempertikai kedudukan Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar selaku Ketua Polis Negara (KPN) setelah Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur semalam memutuskan bahawa beliau bertanggungjawab terhadap kematian A Kugan dalam tahanan polis.

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak atau jemaah menteri digesa mengambil tindakan terhadap Khalid, kata beliau dalam notisperaturan mesyuarat 18 Parlimen yang dihantar kepada FMT hari ini.

“Memandangkan pencarian-pencarian ini yang luas dilaporkan dalam media, persoalan yang timbul adakah Khalid sekarang layak untuk terus memegang jawatannya atau seharusnya dipecat dan/atau digugurkan dengan serta-merta daripada jawatan itu,” katanya.

Melalui notis tersebut, Gobind mendapat keizinan Dewan Rakyat untuk menangguhkan Dewan mengikut Peraturan Mesyuarat 18(1) untuk merundingkan perkara tertentu berkenaan kepentingan orang ramai yang dikehendaki disegerakan.

Gobind berkata, dalam keputusannya, Hakim V T Singham juga membuat pencarian bahawa terdapat elemen-elemen penggelapan (cover-up) oleh Khalid semasa siasatan kes Kugan.

“Umpamanya kegagalan beliau untuk mengklasifikasikan siasatan sebagai kes bunuh dan juga kegagalan beliau mengarahkan siasatan dalaman berkenaan kematian Kugan khususnya melihat kepada jenis kecederaannya.

“Hakim tersebut juga menyatakan kenyataan beliau berhubung sebab kematian Kugan juga tidak konsisten dan tidak dijelaskan oleh beliau yang menjadi Ketua Polis Selangor pada masa tersebut,” terang Gobind.

Kugan ditangkap di Puchong pada 14 Januari 2009 dan diahan di Balai Polis Puchong Jaya semalaman lalu di hantar ke Balai PolisTaipan, Subang Jaya untuk siasatan. Beliau ditemui mati dalam lokap di situ pada 20 Januari 2009.

Dalam kes yang pertama seumpamanya, mahkamah tersebut juga telah mengarahkan kerajaan membayar ganti rugi sebanyak RM801,700 kepada keluarga Kugan.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/27/mp-puchong-gesa-pm-bertindak-terhadap-kpn/#sthash.r4OuMihV.dpuf

Stop blaming students, Kamalanathan

Deputy Minister of Education taken to task claiming that Indian students are "wasting" matriculation places allocated for them

PETALING JAYA: P Kamalanathan, the deputy education minister, should stop blaming Indian students over the poor response to the matriculation programme.

A Thiruvegadam, president of Malaysian Indian Education Awareness and Welfare Foundation (PKP-KIM) said Kamalanathan is attempting to cover up for the education ministry’s racist police.

“I had a meeting with him recently and he kept on blaming Indian students for the matriculation fiasco. Do not blame the students for your (MIC’s) mistakes,” said Thiruvengadam.

On Monday, Kamalanathan, the Hulu Selangor MP, claimed that he was saddened that certain Indian students had refused to take up the matriculation seats despite an allocation being made for them.

The MIC Putra coordinator said that the Matriculation Department had awarded 1,850 seats for Indian students for 2013.

According to Kamalanathan who is also MIC Education bureau chief, the matriculation department had initially awarded 1,500 seats.

However, only 892 students had registered themselves in the first two intakes and to encourage more participation, Kamalanathan said the department allocated an additional 350 seats for Indians.

Reveal the full list

However, Thiruvengadam shot down the deputy minister’s argument, claiming that the latter was attempting to divert the real issue by blaming the students.

“First of all, Kamalanathan does not have the list of Indian students. How could he claim that 1,850 Indian students received matriculation places?” asked Thiruvengadam.

He added that Kamalanthan was just an “office boy” who’s defending his ministry without checking the true facts.

Thiruvengadam insisted that the total number seats given to Indians was around 700-800 only.

He challenged Kamalanthan to reveal the full list of Indian students who received matriculation seats.

Meanwhile, Thiruvengadam also slammed MIC for delaying the processing of 333 qualified students who were rejected and who appealed to the MIC.

On Sunday, Thiruvengadam submitted a list of 333 rejected students to MIC for further action.

“It is already three days and we’ve still not received a fruitful answer from MIC.

“It is strange that the MIC’s willing to boycott the Perak administration for a single speaker post but kept mum on the matriculation seats meant for Indian community,” he added.

He also said that the parents are planning a massive gathering in front of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s office on Wednesday next week at 1pm.
- See more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/27/stop-blaming-students-kamalanathan/#sthash.gjXvw8pn.dpuf

US anti-Islam activists banned from entering UK

(NST) - LONDON: Two American anti-Islam activists were banned Wednesday from entering Britain following reports they were planning to speak at a far-right rally this weekend.

Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, who founded the organization Stop the Islamization of America, had been planning to attend an English Defense League march in London.

The Home Office said in a statement that Speller and Geller were “subject to an exclusion decision” and would not be allowed to enter the U.K.

“The Home Secretary will seek to exclude an individual if she considers that his or her presence in the U.K. is not conducive to the public good,” it said.

According to the letter sent to Geller, the Home Secretary’s exclusion decisions are reviewed every three to five years.

Spencer and Geller were due to attend an EDL march Saturday to mark Armed Forces Day.

The march was set to finish in the London neighborhood where soldier Lee Rigby was killed last month by alleged Islamic extremists.

Spencer said in an email that the Home Office’s decision amounts to “craven capitulation.”

Matthew Collins, a spokesman from anti-racism campaigners Hope Not Hate, who had opposed Spencer and Geller entering the Britain, said his group was “absolutely delighted” by the Home Office’s decision.

“Free speech doesn’t give you a right to incite hatred against people,” Collins said.

EDL leader Tommy Robinson tweeted his disappointment: “I am embarrassed of our country banning Geller and Spencer for daring to speak against Islam.”

Spencer and Geller are best known in the U.S. for their opposition to the construction of a mosque near the ground zero site in New York.