Govt servants want retirement age raised to 62

Civil services union points to higher retirement age in developed countries

FMT

KEMAMAN: Government servants are asking for the retirement age to be raised to 62.

Cuepacs, the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Service, wants the government to consider extending the retirement age for civil servants.

Its president Azih Muda said the proposal should be considered by the government in light of the country’s economic uncertainty about becoming a developed nation.

“Today, we can see that most countries have extended their retirement age to 65, such as Thailand, Singapore, Sri Lanka, European countries as well as the United States, and our country, which is heading towards becoming a developed nation should take similar steps.

“The government has to bear high costs to produce officers who are committed and experienced through training, so they have the expertise, experience and knowledge… like lecturers, most of them only receive their doctorates (PhD) at the age of 55 to 56, so after spending thousands for a PhD, should they retire just after five years of service,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after officiating the 2015 Flood Disaster Relief Mission organised by Cuepacs and Angkasa, which was also attended by Terengganu Angkasa liaison secretary, Mohamed Yusoff and Terengganu Cuepacs chairman Mohammed Idris Maliki here today.

– BERNAMA

Why police presence at EC public hearing, asks DAP

Sarawak DAP has accused the Election Commission (EC) of breaking its rigid “closed door” rule in the public objections to its proposed redrawing of the electoral boundary in Miri with the presence of four police personnel, believed to be from the Special Branch Unit.

DAP Senadin branch chairperson, Eunice Lim questioned why the cops were allowed to take part but barred the public and media from the series of hearings in Kuching and other major towns in the state.

“Why were the SB officers allowed inside the hearing?” she asked.

“Their presence create a sort of fear to those who were making their presentation,” Lim said, referring to an incident last Thursday.

“I did not realise their presence when I was making my presentation,” she said.

“We only came to know about it when my colleague (Piasau assemblyman Alan Ling) spotted the officers sitting with the EC officers before making his own presentation.”

Lim said when Ling asked the EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof on the matter, he appeared, "from his body language, to be quite surprised".

She claimed that what was more surprising was when the EC chairman replied: "What's wrong with that?”, implying that the four were indeed police officers.

Ling then posted the matter on his Facebook page and further stated that with the police presence, the EC should also allowed the public to listen to the inquiry.

“So my question now is, what is wrong with allowing the public to come in and hear the inquiry?

“Is this a form of intimidation towards the presenters? The whole proceeding is not friendly at all," he said.

Meanwhile, following this incident, Lim said her elected colleagues to Parliament and the state legislative assembly would raise the matter in the two legislatures for answers.

The Parliament convenes next week while the state legislature is expected to sit in May. – March 7, 2015.

Umno Must Make Thorough Preparation, Planning To Win 14th General Election

IPOH, March 7 (Bernama) -- Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the party must make thorough preparation and planning if it wishes to win the 14th general election.

Najib, who is also Prime Minister, said this was because the political approach that could be accepted by the people at present was no longer rigid politics but new politics.

"But this does not mean the old politics cannot be practised, some politics of development, needed by the people is the core to the old politics that still needs to be implemented by us.

"We must do what needs to be done," he said when speaking at the closing of the Perak State Umno Convention and simultaneous opening of Umno branches conference 2015 at Indera Mulia Stadium here Saturday night.

He said the voters' point of view now was different from those in the past.

"So we must practise new politics...we cannot assume that if we have given an allocation, the problem is already solved.

"Today if we say the new generation must be thankful to Umno, maybe their reception may not be like before because it seems we are claiming our rights.

"On the contrary, if we tell, if they think rationally, there is no party with better agenda than Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) and this is not due to sentiment but a guaranteed future for the country at the state or national level," he said.

He also said Umno needed to adapt itself with the new political environment as currently social media was already regarded as mainstream media and the existing mainstream media such as print media had become second choice.

Umno leaders must avoid from becoming warlords as it would distance the grassroots from the party.

As such he urged them to practise openess and a willingness to go down to the grassroots besides being humble in order to be well accepted and liked.

"I cannot imagine Malaysia without Umno, especially Malays and Muslims. The answer will make the Malays destitutes in their own country.

Hence he urged Perak Umno members to fully support Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, who is also state Umno Liaison Committee chairman.

Earlier Perak Umno Convention Committee chairman Datuk Saarani Mohamad said 10 resolutions were approved.

Among them are programmes to increase membership and voters, strengthening of party machinery, branch auditing, engaging young voters and loyalty to leaders and Umno's struggle.

Makhluk asing? Teori MH370 terus meliar

MIC not your father's property, Ramanan reminds Palanivel

'Last Jew in Pakistan' Beaten by Muslim Mob - Then Arrested

Fishel Benkhald, who is leading a campaign to restore Karachi's Jewish cemetery, attacked after agreeing to debate over minority rights.

By Ari Soffer

A Jewish activist in Pakistan was savagely beaten by a Muslim mob Wednesday - and then arrested and roughed up again by police.

Fishel Benkhald - who is leading a one-man campaign to preserve the old Jewish cemetery in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi - has been a vocal activist for minority rights in the country, which is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim and where minorities such as Christians, Hindus and non-Sunni Muslims are routinely persecuted.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva Thursday, Benkhald - the son of a Muslim father and a Jewish mother, but who identifies as Jewish - told how he had agreed to a face-to-face debate with a Muslim Pakistani man after a discussion on the topic of minority rights on Twitter.

"I was debating over Twitter with a young educated Pakistani Muslim that non-Muslim Pakistanis should be allowed in theory to be elected president according to our constitution," the discussion was purely theoretical, he noted, given that non-Muslims account for only around 3% of the Pakistani population.

After a back-and-forth "I proposed to debate face to face," said Benkhald. "He asked for me for my cell phone number and I gave it to him."

The two agreed to continue a friendly discussion at a restaurant in Karachi. But when he got there, Benkhald soon found himself ambushed.

"I went there alone but he was with his friends, we started the debate in a normal discussion manner but soon it got heated up and cursing started."

At that point, a "mob" began to gather around him "and two of the guys who were with him started manhandling me - I should have left at that time.

"They started punching me and when I fell they started kicking my head. Someone also tried to snatch away my mobile."

Benkhald managed to tape part of the altercation, including the the assault. Arutz Sheva has opted not to include it due to the explicit and violent nature of parts.

At that point police arrived, but instead of arresting his attackers, they detained Benkhald.

"The police came and took me away, they didn't take the other guys. The police asked me if I am from Israel or from any other country. I told them that I am a Pakistan and am Jewish from (my) mother's side but registered as a Muslim in Pakistan."

Blindfolded and cuffed, he was then handed over to Pakistan's Rangers paramilitary force, who continued questioning him about his ethnic origins, and going through his social media pages after demanding his passwords.

"They beat me, but not much," claims Benkhald, and accused him of being a spy for either Israel, the US or India.

Eventually he was released after his brother intervened and bailed him out. the ordeal left Benkhald with a swollen eye and bruising.

Bankhald admits that in retrospect his decision to agree to a personal debate in a back-alley restaurant was unwise, and says he will be scaling-down his online activism as well out of fears for his safety.

He says he hopes to travel abroad "to a free country" to study Hebrew and Judaism some day, but that until then he will continue his activism in Pakistan as best he can.

At the start of the twentieth century Pakistan was home to a small Jewish community based largely in Karachi, mainly Iraqi and Indian Jews who immigrated over the years.

However since the country's partition from India in 1947 and a rise in anti-Semitism that community has disappeared, leaving Benkhald as the self-declared "last Jew in Pakistan."

Yemeni boy, 10, locked in a cage and set alight by his friends in sickening imitation of ISIS' barbaric murder of Jordanian pilot

• Up to seven boys locked the helpless 10-year-old victim in a wooden cage
• They poured petrol over the young boy's body before setting him alight
• Luckily residents heard the child's cries and were able to save his life
• Act is believed to be in imitation of ISIS' murder of Mu'ath al-Kasasbeh
• Attack came after video emerged of another group of Yemeni boys reenacting the gruesome murder of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians

By John Hall for MailOnline

A group of children in Yemen have attempted to burn a 10-year-old boy to death after first locking him in a cage in a shocking imitation of the Islamic State's murder of a Jordanian pilot.

As many as seven boys are believed to have attacked the as-yet unnamed victim in Al Dahthath village in the country's northern Ibb province.

The defenceless child was then locked in a wooden cage and had petrol poured over his body before being set alight. Thankfully a group of locals spotted the attack and managed to save the boy's life, although he was still left with horrific burn injuries on his legs.

Local journalist Mohammad Mouzahem was told about the attack and posted details of it on his Facebook page, according to Gulf News.

The boys are understood to have been inspired by murders committed by ISIS after using mobile phone apps such as WhatsApp to share gruesome videos of the terror group's atrocities, despite living in a remote village where electricity supplies are unreliable.

During the attack, the boys are said to have assumed different terrorist roles, with the 'leader' sitting in a chair and giving orders to his friends.

After being set alight, the boys cries were overheard by local residents who rushed to save him.

'The villagers took him to a local hospital where he received treatment for burns to one of his legs,' Mr Mouzahem was quoted as saying.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2980754/Yemeni-boy-10-locked-cage-set-alight-friends-sickening-imitation-ISIS-barbaric-murder-Jordanian-pilot.html

Crisis can be resolved by following Najib’s advice, says MIC number two – Bernama

The MIC crisis could have been resolved if party president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel had acted on the advice of Barisan Nasional (BN) leadership, said deputy president Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.

He said BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak had met Palanivel and himself three times to find a solution to the long-standing crisis.

"There is intense lack of concern, and lack of decision, lack of wanting to solve this problem well. That is why we thought there is really a leadership crisis and leadership issue in handling this problem.

"The prime minister attempted to give advice many times and the advice is very simple – follow the RoS (Registrar of Society) consistently.

"I suppose when people have given advice to you many times and when people don't follow it then it's possible he (Najib) just say 'Okay, you do the things the way you all want and let the action take its course'," he said in Kuala Lumpur today.

Dr Subramaniam said MIC had lost many opportunities now as the party's problem could have been solved in an easier way if Palanivel had adhered to the RoS directive.

"This is actually a sad story of missed opportunities. We would have solved it earlier but we lost many chances because of so many issues.

"It has become very difficult now. It was easier if it (re-election) was done before."

The MIC crisis arose due to differences in views after the RoS declared the election of the three vice-president posts and 23 central working committee (CWC) posts at the party's general assembly in Malacca in November 2013 null and void.

Dr Subramaniam said in a bid to save the party from further crisis, the interim CWC 2009 had started to lay the ground work for the party's re-election as advised by the RoS on February 6.

In a letter dated December 5, 2014, the RoS ordered the MIC to call for a fresh election for the posts within 90 days.

Dr Subramaniam said because of the missed opportunity, the party now had to hold a total election for all posts.

The conflict within the party worsened after Palanivel requested the RoS to withdraw all its letters last February 14, as they allegedly contravened the party constitution and Societies Act and threatened to take legal action if the RoS did not comply.

Subsequently on February 23, MIC CWC member K. Ramalingam submitted an application for a judicial review against the action and statement made by the RoS and its director-general.

On February 9, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that the RoS, which came under the jurisdiction of his ministry, had agreed that the MIC held re-elections for all posts between April and July this year to avoid being deregistered. – Bernama, March 5, 2015.

Violence, dirty tactics making PAS as bad as MIC in its heyday

This morning's assault on PAS central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has only strengthened claims that the situation in the Islamist party was worse than in 1982 when its former president Tan Sri Asri Muda was kicked out, said party leaders.

Observers said today's incident puts PAS on the same level, or worse than what used to happen in MIC or Umno, where violence was reported on several occasions over the years.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, scuffles and chair-throwing at MIC grassroots meetings became synonymous with the Barisan Nasional component party.

Even today, the party, which has split into two factions, is accusing each other of using gangsters to subdue members and control the party.

Umno, too, has seen its share of shouting matches and violence at division meetings with the last one in 2008 where two Umno delegates, including a woman, were injured after they were hit by chairs flung during a scuffle which broke out at the Seremban Umno divisional meeting at the Tuanku Ja'afar Golf Club.

Analysts, observers and PAS activists said this morning’s incident was a manifestation of a culture that should not be associated with an Islamist party with followers taking pride in the way its leadership had settled party matters.

PAS practises the concept of leadership by ulama (clerics) but that is now marred by recent events involving violent behaviour like assaults and torching the property of party leaders, and members hurling foul language at each other.

Dzulkefly had previously told The Malaysian Insider that all this while, PAS leaders had attacked Umno by accusing them of not being united.

He said former PAS president Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor had always read a Quranic verse from surah Al-Hashr which means: "They look united but in their hearts, they are divided".

"The verse was used by Fadzil against Umno because of the divisions in the party, but now it has fallen back on PAS," he added.

Dzulkefly was assaulted by unknown assailants armed with sticks at the porch of his house in Shah Alam early this morning after returning home from morning prayers.

The PAS research director's lips were split and he suffered a swollen head. Dzulkefly lodged a police report in Shah Alam after receiving treatment at a clinic.

In a WhatsApp message following the incident, Dzulkefly warned all his friends to be careful over what had happened. "Be careful, my friends," he had said.

Former PAS secretary-general Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar in an immediate reaction following the assault on Dzulkefly said: "Just as I had said, PAS is now worse than Asri's time".

Kamaruddin, who is Tumpat MP, said that the incident was disheartening and expressed his sympathy with what had befallen his PAS colleague.

"First, Dr Hatta's (Ramli) car was torched, and now it is Dr Dzul's assault. Like I said, this is worse than Dr Asri's time," Kamarudin told The Malaysian Insider.

He also said factions were prone to criticise each other using coarse language.

He said the ulama wing, which had adopted a position that it was above criticism, was not averse to criticising others, using terms like “pig” and “devil” against its critics.

Similar ugly scenes played out in 1982, which led to Asri’s resignation.

Asri had resigned during the 1982 PAS muktamar after his policy speech was rejected by delegates. He was also mocked by a faction in the party. Prior to that, the PAS Youth muktamar was held elsewhere, and it approved a motion for PAS to accept the concept of "ulama leadership".

With Asri's resignation in 1982, PAS began its ulama leadership. The PAS leadership was taken over by Yusof Rawa and the Ulama Council was formed as the highest authority in the Islamist party.

Kamarudin was a political analyst then as he was a political science lecturer with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Since Yusof Rawa's time, the position of the PAS president has never been contested as those chosen had won by default.

But now, the leadership of Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and the concept of ulama leadership in the party are being challenged.

In the last muktamar held in Batu Pahat last year, youth representatives who were in support of Hadi's leadership left the hall when PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu began giving his speech.

During a debate, those who were not aligned with the conservatives were booed while another ulama leader had recited a prayer, cursing other PAS leaders in his speech.

In his closing speech, Hadi had hit out at certain PAS leaders, calling them "barua" and asked those who were not in agreement with his leadership to "find new land, build new mosques and become their own imams", which was seen as an attempt to ask his critics to leave the party.

PAS central committee member Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa in a book titled "Menuju PAS Baru", said PAS needed a new theme after using the ulama leadership concept for more than 30 years.

He said PAS had to find a new approach as ulama leadership, which started with his father Yusof Rawa, had reached a plateau and was bound to go down.

Meanwhile, PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat, in responding to Dzulkefly's assault, said he did not believe PAS members were responsible for the attack, suggesting instead that the attack was by those who wanted to take advantage of the situation in the Islamist party.

"I do not discount the possibility that there are certain parties who want to take advantage to provoke PAS leaders," he said in a Facebook post.

"Their aim is to break PAS up. May Allah punish their evil doings." – March 5, 2015.

'Anwar's parliament speech will be heard'

 

Parliamentary opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's official speech of thanks to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's address will still be heard in the Dewan Rakyat even if he is denied permission to attend the parliamentary session that opens on Mar 9.

Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar confirmed that Anwar's speech will still be delivered in Parliament regardless of the circumstances.

Malaysiakini understands PKR will appoint one of its MPs to read the speech on behalf of Anwar, and Nurul Izzah, Anwar's eldest daughter, is the likely candidate.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke Siew Fook confirmed to Malaysiakini that his party has agreed to the arrangement, meaning there will not be a void for the opposition leader's speech in Parliament.

Loke is also DAP's parliamentary whip.

"DAP is agreeable to the arrangement as long as someone from PKR reads out the speech. We think the most ideal candidate to read the speech is Lembah Pantai (Nurul Izzah)," he said.

Anwar is still effectively a MP and opposition leader pending a royal pardon application that the palace is reviewing.

In a statement today, Nurul Izzah said that the government had passed an opportunity to uphold the Federal Consitution by not allowing Anwar to attend the Parliament session.

Anwar was denied permission by the Prisons Department despite an official request by Nurul Izzah and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"If the Prime Minister abstains from his constitutional duty, we will not follow suit. Rest assured, the Opposition Leaders' speech will be heard in Parliament," she said.

Anwar is serving a five-year jail sentence at the Sungai Buloh prison after being convicted of sodomising a former aide.

Ex-top judge’s disclosure vindicates whistleblower

EXCLUSIVE Following recent revelations by former Court of Appeal judge KC Vohrah of questionable actions by ex-chief justice Eusoff Chin, the man who had first revealed judicial corruption in Malaysia feels quietly vindicated.

Syed Ahmad Idid Syed Abdullah Idid was the High Court judge who was forced to resign for writing an anonymous letter exposing the matter in 1996, which was sent to a select set of high officials.

Among its allegations, it revealed Eusoff had gone on a New Zealand holiday with VK Lingam, a senior lawyer who appeared before the then chief justice in court on a number of cases.

Pictures of the duo taken together with their families underscored their close ties.

It resulted in Syed Ahmad Idid being told to resign when the letter he sent mysteriously found its way into some government departments and then spread to the media.

Syed Ahmad Idid's immediate reaction to Malaysiakini's article on Vohrah was elation - that the former Court of Appeal judge had written on the matter and he was certain other judges could also tell of similar experiences.

Among other transgressions, the Ayer Molek case that Vohrah referred to was filed in the Special and Appellate Powers Division whereas it should have been in the Commercial Division.

Syed Ahmad Idid also recalled a similar incident as a Kuala Lumpur High Court judge with the Commercial Division from 1995 to 1996.

According to him, a case involving a sum of a quarter of a billion ringgit was correctly filed in the Commercial Division before him. But before it could be called in open court, the file was wrested away by Eusoff.

“That matter was given to another judge who now resides, and must be enjoying life, in Europe,” he quipped.

Appalled at corruption

Syed Ahmad Idid was a former assistant director with the Royal Customs and Excise Department before he left to read law in the Inner Temple London. He was legal director of a bank before being appointed a High Court judge in 1990.

In 1996, appalled at the corruption and dubious practices in the corridors of justice, he turned whistleblower.

He remembers that his anonymous complaint over misconduct in the judiciary, especially on the then lord president and CJ, Eusoff Chin (right), was sent to a few top government officers whose duties he hoped included enhancing the standards of performance in the government and protecting the integrity of the country.

Unfortunately someone in a department had disseminated it to the media, along with a ‘covering note’.

“The aim was to frame me. The then attorney-general (the late Mohtar Abdullah) - a reader of English fiction - described this as a ‘poison pen’ letter.”

Somehow the letter was traced back to him and he was given two options - to resign honourably or be detained, possibly under the Internal Security Act.

A senior official, representing the AG, had met him armed with the offer, revealed Syed Ahmad Idid.
                                              
He said Mohtar was seen as overly enthusiastic to kill the ‘poison pen’ letter writer rather than investigating the allegations made against Eusoff. “He went to the press as though he was out for revenge.”

Queried why he did not fight back, Syed Ahmad Idid said as a judge he could not join the political fray.
                                                                                                                      
“I had no political party and so no political pull or push. The press jumped in and wrote all sorts of things against me.

“A reporter wrote I had escaped to London. In reality, I was eating ‘nasi lemak’ right here in Section 21, Petaling Jaya.

“Even a professor took advantage by writing about people who wrote poison-pen letters. So the lies mounted. But the newspapers which printed the lies paid dearly through their falling sales,” the former judge said.

Threat of imprisonment

Asked as to why he did not take legal action, Syed Ahmad Idid said he was threatened with imprisonment.

“I had a heart attack the previous year. Naturally I was fearful I could not survive the ordeal of a prison or even a lock-up stay. Also I had no savings to engage counsel and had no hope for the ‘justice that money can buy’.

“So you see my predicament. I made ‘doa’ and learnt that discretion is the better part of valour.”         

Syed Ahmad Idid added he believed then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad relied a lot on his advisers and as Mohtar held the reins, the PM had no alternative but to believe what the AG told him.

“I did not contact the former AG or the former IGP. Both knew my complaints were not investigated. On the contrary, I, the complainant, was punished.

“Thankfully, I have genuine friends both in the government, the courts and also the private sector who support me a lot, (and) I am grateful. Naturally I wish they can get Umno to push for remedial action in my favour. However I guess Umno is busy with so many issues.”

Lingam was later implicated in a video showing him having a phone conversation with then Chief Judge of Malaya Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Halim in 2001 over the fixing of judges.

This eventually led to a royal commission of inquiry in 2008 to investigate the issue.

The five-member panel proposed action be taken on Lingam, Eusoff and four others including Mahathir.

However until today, no action has been taken against any of the six.

“After the Lingam inquiry, there should have been “korek, korek and korek” (dig, dig and dig) for more truths,” Syed Ahmad Idid sighed in dejection, playing on the now legendary Lingam’s “correct, correct, correct” quote that was caught on the video.

However in a manner of speaking, Syed Ahmad Idid had the last laugh. He received many calls and text messages congratulating him on being vindicated for the revelations he made more than a decade before the infamous video was made public.

Compensation received

He has also seen former lord president Salleh Abas and five other Supreme Court judges being compensated in 2008.

In 1988, following the Umno debacle in which the party was declared illegal by the court, Salleh and other Supreme Court judges were forced to resign.

Two decades later the government under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decided the judges were hard done by, and granted compensation and returned their pensions.

Syed Ahmad Idid now hopes the government will similarly look into the injustice done to him.

“I hope the government would remedy the wrong done to me...,” he said, stressing that he had sent his 1996 complaint to a few top government officials but did not however make it public.

“In fact, a professional forensics expert could easily confirm that the typeset, font and paper of that covering note and the attachment could not have come from me but from a department over which I had no control.”

Syed Ahmad Idid's only regret was that he had been perceived to be an opposition sympathiser after the late Karpal Singh spoke well of him in Parliament when news of his resignation became public and again in 2006.

This, he said, had resulted in some within the government branding him as an opposition supporter. According to Syed Ahmad Idid, he was informed of this by a former cabinet minister.

“I was denied any form of support. How more injudicious can the country get,” he said.

Despite this, Syed Ahmad Idid is glad that current judges, especially those appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission, are of quality, possessing experience and qualifications.

“This is essential in persons chosen to administer justice. A few may be young or ‘belum masak’ (not mature). But so long as they gather knowledge day by day and are fiercely honest and impartial, our judiciary will move a long way from the Eusoff Chin regime,” he remarked,

After his premature end in government service, Syed Ahmad Idid has kept himself busy with visits to the Inner Temple, his alma mater, and the International Court of Justice in The Hague as well as studying the plight of Muslims in Mindanao.

He has written extensively on the negotiations between Manila and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and on basic law.

In addition to speaking at arbitration conferences overseas, Syed Ahmad Idid has participated in the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (Uncitral) meetings in New York and Vienna.

In 2012, Syed Ahmad Idid wrote a book titled ‘Writing of Judgments: A Practical Guide for Courts and Tribunals’.

Mahfuz: I paid for Sirul 'humanitarian' trip

PAS information chief Mahfuz Omar defended the “humanitarian trip” to reunite murder convict Sirul Azhar Umar with his mother Piah Ahmad saying it is out of the PAS leader’s own pocket.

Mahfuz had brought Sirul's mother, sister, Noriatin Umar, and four others with him on his trip to visit Sirul at the Villawood Immigration Centre in Sydney.

"I funded it myself," Mahfuz told Malaysiakini.

The mission has received a lot of flak, with many questioning why PAS was spending so much money to see a death row escapee convicted for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Asked to respond, Mahfuz stood his ground and reiterated the humanitarian side of his trip for the sake of an elderly mother.

He also said his trip was aimed at seeking the truth, and to discover the motive behind the act in the nation’s most sensational murder case.

"The second (objective) of my mission is to find the motive, which was not revealed by the court... I want to find the truth," he said.

"However, I will find (the truth) not through Sirul, but through multiple sources," he added

Sirul himself has not discussed the murder during their meetings, Mahfuz said.

‘Not funding Sirul against Najib’

The Pokok Sena MP also brushed off allegations made by a pro-Umno blog that the opposition was funding Sirul, in hopes of getting him to purportedly blame Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for the Altantuya murder.

"Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Daim Zainuddin, A Kadir Jasin have all clearly asked the prime minister to step down, so that has nothing to do with Sirul," he said.

Sirul, a former police commando, previously told Malaysiakini he had acted under orders and is mulling a tell-all interview with the Australian media.

Najib has however brushed off Sirul's claims as "utter rubbish".

Sirul and colleague Azilah Hadri have been sentenced to death for Altantuya’s murder, while Najib’s close associate Abdul Razak Baginda who had been charged for abetment in the murder, was released without his defence being called.

Tuesday was Piah’s second meeting with Sirul, after the teary reunion on Tuesday where the latter had the chance to enjoy his mother’s sambal ikan bilis.

Yesterday, Mahfuz said Sirul wolfed down beef rendang his mother cooked for him.

"He finished the whole tupperware we brought for him," said the PAS leader.

Mahfuz and Piah will be visiting Sirul daily until Friday.

Although there is a Interpol red alert on Sirul, Australian laws bar the country from deporting anyone facing a death penalty at their home country.

Seditious gatherings against the law, deputy IGP warns

Rallies for illegal intentions such as to force or threaten the government will be dealt with firmly

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: Any gathering, which is seditious in nature, is against the law and firm action will be taken against the organisers of such gatherings, reminded the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim.

He said police would facilitate peaceful gatherings and allow them to express whatever views and actions, subject to a limit.

“If they gather for illegal intentions, such as to force and threaten the government to do something, it is wrong,” he told a media conference after opening the Department of Integrity and Standard Compliance (JIPS) carnival at the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters here, today.

He was commenting on the aspiration of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) which wanted to hold a gathering ‘kemuncak #KitaLawan’ on Saturday (March 7) purportedly to express support to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Noor Rashid said gatherings which were against the law could be defined under Section 141, 142 and 143 of the Penal Code.

He said gatherings could be considered as contravening the law when all speeches and actions were seditious in nature, and would flout existing laws.

“We will monitor…we facilitate their business to hold a gathering, at the same time, police will act firmly if the opposite happens,” he said.

On Feb 27, Dang Wangi District Police chief ACP Zainol Samah said no application was received, in accordance with the law, to organise the gathering (from PKR).

Zainol also proposed Padang Merbok and several other areas as venues for the gathering and was prepared to facilitate them in terms of security and traffic.

On Feb 10, the Federal Court rejected Anwar’s appeal and upheld his conviction and five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former personal assistant, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, on June 26, 2008.

Anwar is now serving his sentence at the Sungai Buloh Prison, Selangor.

- BERNAMA

Police corporal arrested for killing suspected thief

Police corporal in his 30's shot the victim as a warning for the victim to stop his motorcycle

FMT

ALOR SETAR: A police corporal was arrested for opening fire and killing a man in Kampung Guar Nenas, Gurun, yesterday.

Kedah CID chief ACP Mohd Nashir Ya said in the incident at 1 pm, the Gurun Police Station received a report of a man lying in a bloodstained shirt in a quarry area in Kampung Guar Nenas.

“It was confirmed that a man with no identity card was lying with bloodstain on his shirt and signs of gunshots. There was an overturned motorcycle beside the victim,” he told in a press conference, here today.

Mohd Nashir said the victim, who was unemployed and aged in his 30′s, was sent to the Sungai Petani Hospital and was confirmed dead with gunshot wounds on his body.

After interrogation, the police corporal aged in his 30′s admitted that he shot the victim as a warning for the victim to stop his motorcycle, he said.

The suspect said a day prior to the incident, he had lost his motorcycle at the Gurun Rest and Service Area (R&R) and subsequently, he met a shaman (bomoh) to find out who had stolen his motorcycle, Mohd Nashir said.

“The shaman had told the suspect that he could find the person who stole it at an old factory in Guar Nenas area.

“Then, at 11.15 am the suspect drove a car with his wife and mother-in-law and left them at the roadside while he went to search for his motorcycle at the old factory,” he said.

Moments later, the suspect’s wife called him to say there was a man riding a Honda Ex5 in a suspicious manner trying to approach them (his wife and mother-in-law), Mohd Nashir said.

According to the wife, there was a machete, a set of walkie-talkie and a pink phone in the motorcycle basket.

Mohd Nashir said the suspect, who had served more than 10 years in the police force, was worried about his family’s safety and ran back to the car where he saw the victim trying to flee.

“However, the suspect managed to grab the victim’s shirt but the victim managed to run towards the main road in Kg. Guar Nenas.

“When the victim tried to speed off with the motorcycle, the suspect took out a pistol and fired a shot at the victim but the victim fled the scene,” he said.

Mohd Nashir said the suspect then went back to his office and handed over his pistol, the same pistol that shot the victim.

However, Mohd Nashir said the victim had nothing to do with the lost motorcycle, the suspect would be remanded beginning today, the police had detained him at 7 pm in Sungai Petani yesterday.

The case was being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, Mohd Nashir said.

- BERNAMA

Perkasa VP in Kelantan to contest Chempaka by-election

Candidate said constituency was in need of development which he felt could be implemented with him being assemblyman

FMT

KOTA BAHARU: A leader of the Malay right-wing group PERKASA in Kelantan has expressed his intention to contest as an independent candidate in the Chempaka state by-election on March 22.

Sharif Mahmood, 59, vice-president of Kelantan PERKASA, said he had bought a nomination form.

“I decided to offer myself for contest to nourish the democratic system in the country,” he said when contacted by BERNAMA, Thursday.

Sharif said the Chempaka constituency was in need of much development, which he felt could be implemented with an assemblyman who was friendly to the federal government.

Kelantan Election Commission (EC) director Mohamad Mahmud said Thursday four nomination forms had been sold so far.

Nomination for the by-election is on March 10.

The Chempaka seat fell vacant following the death of PAS spiritual leader and former Kelantan menteri besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat on Feb 12.

Nik Abdul Aziz had retained the seat in the 13th General Election in 2013 by beating Wan Razman Wan Abd Razak of the Barisan Nasional with a majority of 6,500 votes.

Suspect arrested in murder of young mother

Body of the victim, whose hands and legs were bound was found dead beside her baby

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The police have detained a man in connection with the murder of a woman at an apartment in Petaling Jaya, Selangor last night.

Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Azmi Abu Kassim said the 36-year-old suspect – one of five tenants at the apartment – was picked up at the Puduraya bus terminal about 10.30pm.

He said the police were in the midst of determining the motive behind the murder of the 26-year-old victim who was believed to have been suffocated to death.

The woman had given birth about two months ago.

Azmi said the body of the victim, whose hands and legs were bound with pieces of cloth and the mouth stuffed with cloth, was found dead beside her baby.

Her husband had just returned from work at 8pm when he found the door locked from the inside. He had to break open the door to gain entry.

“We will apply a remand order on the suspect,” Azmi told Bernama when contacted Thursday.

He said the victim’s husband worked as a security guard at a company which manufactured computer products, adding that the apartment was owned by the man’s employer.

The tenants were the guard’s colleagues.

- BERNAMA

MH370 families vow not to give up hope until there is proof

Just three days to the first anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370, families of the missing passengers and crew have vowed not to give up hope until there is physical evidence of the aircraft.

In a statement today, Voice370 – a group made up of wives, husbands, children, parents and other close relatives of the missing passengers and crew – also called on Putrajaya to commit to the search for the missing plane and their loved ones until they are found.

"Despite the complete lack of wreckage found or physical evidence of a catastrophic event, the Malaysian government has officially declared that the airplane crashed, leaving no survivors, and it has ended the rescue phase of the search effort.

"We do not accept this finding and we will not give up hope until we have definitive proof of what happened to MH370," it said.

On March 8 last year, flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board. There has so far not been any signs of the plane and those on board.

Voice370 said it was unlikely that on Sunday, the next of kin would find out anything more about the final moments of the flight or the whereabouts of their family members.

It said the disaster had been devastating for the families and caring people all over the world, and in the months following the disappearance of the plane, MH370 families were subjected to "a disorganised barrage of information from varied sources, much of which later proved to be incorrect".

"This included when the plane’s transponder and Acars (Aircraft Communications and Reporting System) stopped sending data in relation to the crew’s last recorded radio call, what was said in the last radio call, what items were stored in the plane’s cargo bay, and other critical details.

"We were initially told that the airplane went either on a northern route, which would bring it over land and possible landing sites, or a southern route, but the possibility of a northern route was quickly abandoned.

"Since then, the entire search effort has been focused on a relatively small area of the southern Indian Ocean, a search area that was determined by a never-before-employed analysis of automatic communications between the plane and a communications satellite."

Voice370 said the determination of the area as the only place to search remained questionable, and accused Putrajaya of abandoning hope of finding their loved ones alive early in the search effort.

Recalling the March 24 announcement by the government last year that MH370 had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean and that there was no hope of survivors, Voice370 said some families only received the information by text message.

It added that the announcement was "emotionally devastating" and "unacceptable" at the time, when it was too early to make such a determination, especially given the mistakes, miscalculations, misinformation and lack of crash evidence associated with the search then.

The group also recounted the second blow, which came with little warning when Putrajaya declared on January 29 that the plane was lost in an accident and all on board were killed, and that the rescue effort would be called off.

It expressed concern that the January 29 announcement was the first step towards the government calling off the search effort completely, with the underwater search of the area of the southern Indian Ocean scheduled for completion in May this year.

"We do not accept this declaration and will not give up hope until we have definitive proof of a crash and a determination of location – even if it is just one piece of the wreckage.

“The majority of that area has already been searched with no findings. The search must continue and all options explored if nothing is found in the coming weeks.

“Finding MH370 is important not only for humanitarian reasons, but also to discover out what caused the plane to disappear," they said, expressing fears that MAS and Putrajaya wanted to put the tragedy behind them.

Voice370 said the group harboured no ill-will towards MAS, which is going through a restructuring exercise to recover from the tragedies it suffered last year, including the shooting down of flight MH17 in Ukraine, but added that it could not accept the government's announcements and move on.

The group also asked MAS and its insurer to treat the MH370 families with compassion. They said neither had offered settlements to the families other than a US$50,000 (RM180,000) advance per family.

"They told us that we will need to prove our losses in accordance with whatever the law in our home countries requires MAS to pay. This plan, however, is in stark contrast to how we understand other families have been treated in recent accidents," it said.

It said that in the TransAsia Flight 222 crash, the airline reportedly offered each family approximately US$500,000 and did not require the affected families to go through the painful steps of proving their emotional and financial losses as the investigation unfolded.

"We ask Malaysia Airlines and its insurer to treat us fairly, to not require us to initiate the painful process of obtaining death certificates in order to discuss compensation, and to consider the benefits to not only us, but the future of the airline, if we are treated with compassion," it said.

The group also expressed gratitude to the countries that helped in the search for MH370, and the people around the world who sent their good wishes and sympathies as the families endured the tragedy.

Voice370 is organising “A Day of Remembrance” on Sunday to pay tribute to their missing loved ones at The Square @ Publika in Kuala Lumpur from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. The event will also feature live links to India, France, Australia and New Zealand. – March 5, 2015.

POTA Law To Address Threat From Terror Groups - Ahmad Zahid

KOTA BAHARU, March 5 (Bernama) -- The proposed Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) is a law specifically to address the threat from terror groups such as the IS militants, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

A bill is to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat this month to provide for the legislation. The Dewan Rakyat sits for 20 days from Monday.

Ahmad Zahid said the new legislation was a preventive law aimed at anticipating and preventing terror activities and acting against IS members from Malaysia and other nations who come to this country.

"This month, I will table the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in the Dewan Rakyat. Yesterday, the Cabinet was briefed on the draft by the Attorney-General. The draft will be finalised next week," he told reporters after an appreciation reception for personnel of the Department of Civil Defence (JPAM) who were involved in flood relief work.

Ahmad Zahid was asked to comment on the involvement of Malaysians in the IS militant group as well as the latest report of two Malaysians, one from Kedah and the other from Melaka, seen in a video clip showing the beheading of Syrian nationals in the strife-torn country.

Ahmad Zahid said POTA would strengthen existing laws such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) and the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) though SOSMA and POCA were not specifically for prevention of terrorism.

On the video clip, he said the authenticity of the clip was being verified.

"I could see that they were Malay faces but the police anti-terrorism unit, with the cooperation of Interpol, is getting the clip verified.

"Action will be taken, not just confined to existing laws such as POCA, SOSMA and the Penal Code," he said.

Ahmad Zahid said POTA would have provision for the detention of suspects for two years, and the detention period could be extended.

The minister said all quarters should support the new law to address terrorism, including MPs when the bill came up for debate in the Dewan Rakyat.

On another matter, Ahmad Zahid said JPAM, which had over 800,000 permanent and volunteer personnel nationwide, was ready to face natural disasters including floods.

JPAM was targeting up to one million permanent and volunteer personnel over the next two years, and it would acquire more equipment and machinery to make their work more effective, he said.

Ahmad Zahid praised the JPAM personnel for their flood relief and post-flood work.

He also launched 12 high-powered motorcycles for the Kelantan Anti-Smuggling Unit.

Uncle: Doctors delayed certifying Tinasha's death

The family of deceased teenager G Tinasha claim that her suffering was prolonged as doctors purposely kept her on life support despite knowing she was brain dead.

The 14-year-old passed away in Petaling Jaya's Assunta Hospital on Nov 21 last year after being admitted on Nov 16 for a fever.

Her death was shrouded in controversy with the family alleging medical staff were negligent in preventing her death and then delaying in confirming her death.

They said after pressing several months for the detailed medical report, they finally received it three weeks ago and were shocked to learn the brain death test was done thrice on Tinasha, although the Malaysian Medical Council’s (MMC) guideline calls for only two.

It states that a person should be declared brain dead after two tests done for ‘Brain Death Certification’ with the second six hours after the first.

The guideline also states that a “person certified to be brain dead is dead” and “the non-recognition either through ignorance or choice” can be construed as unethical.

“If the law states that after the second test she should be declared dead, why didn’t they do so? It is unfair to us to keep her alive even when she was gone,” said Tinasha’s uncle, I Ramesh.

"We believe the doctors could have prolonged certifying her death," he added.

Tinasha’s mother, I Uthayabavani (left), said the family had no idea the second and third tests were administered until they received the medical reports.

She and Ramesh were speaking at a press conference today at their home in Petaling Jaya.

She added the family has already lodged a complaint with the Private Practice Control Unit (CKAPS) under the Health Ministry and also the MMC.

The MMC has fixed a hearing on Tinasha’s case for April 16 to probe the matter further.

Up in arms

Tinasha’s family are also up in arms over not having received their daughter’s post-mortem certificate despite it being almost four months since her death.

“Every time we ask, they tell us it is further delayed by several weeks. We have already gone there a couple of times already,” Ramesh told reporters.

Meanwhile, the family also alleged that the hospital bill of over RM50,000 charged to the girl’s insurance company contained extra charges for procedures and drugs that were not administered.

“Some of the medicines that we were being charged were not even given by the doctors to her. The same goes for some of the procedures we saw in the itemised bill,” alleged Uthayabavani who claimed she was with Tinasha (right) the whole time during the ordeal.

They said they found discrepancies in the types of medicines that was given to her and the amount for with they were charged as compared to prices outside.

They also alleged for some of the procedures billed, they had no recollection of the doctors administering them,adding when they consulted their own doctors, they were told they were unnecessary.

The family has already lodged a formal complaint with the insurance company to investigate the discrepancies and were told the process would take a month to complete.

CEO denies accusations

When asked if the family was going to pursue the issue and sue the hospital, the family said a legal suit would only be the last resort.

“We are not in it for the money [...] we want to utilise available avenues first for our case to be heard. Suing will not get the case anywhere.

“Let our daughter’s death be a sacrifice so that it can shed light on the various issues surrounding it so that no other family has to go through it,” said a grieving Uthayabavani.

Assunta Hospital chief executive officer Peter Leong when contacted today, denied the accusations of negligence and instead encouraged the family to go through proper channels if they were unhappy with the treatment Tinasha received.

“If they do have any such allegations, they can lodge a complaint and let the Health Ministry or MMC investigate,” he said.

Penganjur ikrar himpunan #KitaLawan tetap diteruskan

IS Militants Amputate Hands of Six in Mosul

Youths punished for stealing

ERBIL Islamic State (IS) militants in Nineveh Province have punished six youths in Mosul by amputating their hands.

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official from Mosul, Saed Mamuzini, told BasNews that IS insurgents have increased the frequency and severity of punishments in the area.

He revealed that on Monday, jihadists arrested six youths in the Babil Top quarter of Mosul, convicted them of stealing and amputated their hands.

The news comes after IS kidnapped 26 female college students in the Askari quarter of Tikrit, who were forced into temporary marriages with militants.

IS militants have also executed five teenage boys in Sinjar, accusing them of deserting the fight against the Peshmerga.

Mokhzani resigns from SapuraKencana

SapuraKencana Petroleum Bhd's vice chairman Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir has resigned, Malaysia's largest oil and gas services firm by market value said on Wednesday, citing "personal reasons".

Mokhzani, the second son of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, is one of the founders of SapuraKencana after merging his oil and gas services firmKencana Petroleum with SapuraCrest in 2012. – Reuters, March 4, 2015.

Citing late notice, police declare Saturday’s free Anwar rally illegal

Police have declared a demonstration to be held this Saturday to press for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's freedom illegal under the Peaceful Assembly Act.

The rally in Kuala Lumpur led by PKR Youth's #KitaLawan movement failed to notify the police early enough of its plans, the police said.

Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zainol Samah said that the organiser did not give police enough advance notice to hold the rally as required under the law.

"They have to fill up a form and submit it to us within 10 days before any gathering to be held under Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. I have not received any notice from them," said Zainol in a press conference held at the district police headquarters today, near the venue of the rally which will be held outside the Sogo shopping complex.

He said police had suggested three locations for the gathering, but #KitaLawan organisers had decided to go ahead with the demonstration outside Sogo.

"We suggested Padang Merbuk, Stadium Negara and also the Sultan Sulaiman Club, but they declined," said Zainol.

The police ban on the gathering follows a police report lodged by the management of the Sogo shopping complex against the rally organisers, on the grounds that the demonstration would be bad for business.

Sources told The Malaysian Insider that the report was lodged last week, a few days before the rally outside the same shopping complex on February 28 that was held as a precursor to the March 7 gathering.

Police had allowed the rally on February 28 to proceed.

On that day, about 150 supporters had marched from Sogo to another Kuala Lumpur landmark, the Suria KLCC shopping centre where the Petronas Twin Towers are.

At Sogo, opposition politicians had been able to give speeches to the crowd gathered.

Prior to that, #KitaLawan had also managed to stage two other demonstrations outside Sogo in previous weeks.

Police had met with PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and other #KitaLawan organisers on February 27 to discuss their plans for the March 7 rally.

At that meeting, police told the group that they could proceed with the demonstration provided it was held in a stadium. The group has opted not to.

Sources who told The Malaysian Insider about the police report lodged by the Sogo management said that among the reasons given in the report was that the rallies had affected business, disrupted the flow of traffic, and affected public security, including that of tourists who frequented the area.

It is understood that the operator of a fast food chain in the city also lodged a police report against the rally organiser for causing damage to property during a previous gathering.

To date, six police reports have been lodged by individuals and business entities against #KitaLawan.

Nik Nazmi said the organisers met with police today for 40 minutes.

"They suggested few venues, but we insist of gathering in front of Sogo. They spelled out certain terms and we will bring this back and discuss it with other committee members in a meeting tonight," he said.

Also present at the meeting with the police today were activist Mandeep Singh, Pas Youth treasurer Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mohd Mokhtar and DAP National Youth chief Teo Kok Seong.

The rally on March 7 is to push for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's resignation and to demand for the release of Anwar, the Opposition Leader.

Anwar's sodomy conviction and five-year jail sentence was upheld by the Federal Court on February 10. His supporters claim it is a ploy to end his political career.

Lawyers have said the Peaceful Assembly Act cannot be used to criminalise rallies, based on a landmark ruling by the Court of Appeal last year that upheld the right to peaceful gatherings.

Lawyers have also warned that police seemed to be using a new "tactic" to nab demonstrators by using the Penal Code instead. – March 4, 2015.

Anwar's lawyers cry foul over rejection

 

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's lawyers believe that the rejection of the incarcerated leader's request to attend Parliament is both "arbitrary and unlawful".

The lawyers, PKR's N Surendran and Latheefa Koya, said the refusal was "completely unacceptable and obstructive" of the functioning of the Dewan Rakyat.

"Shockingly, no reasons whatsoever were given for the refusal; it was a point-blank rejection.

"This failure to even give reasons renders the decision arbitrary and unlawful," they added in a statement.

The duo confirmed that they received a letter from Prisons Department director-general Zulkifli Omar rejecting Anwar's request to attend Parliament.

"The home minister has evidently chosen to reply through the commissioner general, who is a civil servant and by law answerable to the minister," the said.

On Feb 25, the lawyers made a formal application to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on behalf of Anwar.

Both Surendran and Latheefa further pointed out that Anwar was still the legitimate opposition parliamentary leader and Permatang Pauh MP.

"The position of opposition leader is legally and constitutionally recognised and is a key part of our parliamentary democracy.

"It is high-handed of the Home Ministry to deny Anwar's voice in parliament without even giving any reasons," they said.

They further stressed that Anwar must be in parliament to attend and debate the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s speech next week, as well as to lead the opposition in checking the executive and safeguarding public interest.

"Zahid and the government must respect democracy, and the Dewan Rakyat as the nation's highest legislative body," they said.

The opening of the next parliamentary session will be on March 9.

PKR previously argued that Anwar should be allowed to attend the new parliament session, since a royal pardon application has been made and as such, he remains as the opposition leader and Permatang Pauh MP until the Pardons Board makes a decision.

Anwar is currently serving a five-year prison sentence following his sodomy conviction.

Cops nab three state reps during Kg Gatco fracas

Three opposition state assemblypersons were arrested in Bahau, Negri Sembilan, this morning after they assisted local villagers in Kampung Gatco to stop the demolition of their rubber plantation.

They are DAP's Bahau assemblyperson Chew Seh Yong and Senawang assemblyperson P Gunasekaren and PKR's Port Dickson assemblyperson M Ravi.

When contacted, DAP Youth chief Teo Kok Seong, who is also Rasah MP, confirmed with Malaysiakini that his colleagues have been arrested.

More than 200 villagers in a land dispute in Kampung Gatco had gathered since last night in a bid to prevent the demolition of their rubber plantation.

However, a villager who was present told Malaysiakini that some 30 Light Strike Force personnel, backed by more than 100 regular police officers and Rela volunteers, moved in to break up the villagers early this morning.

"The police arrested about 30 people," C Ram Babu told Malaysiakini when contacted.

Ram said the villagers had asked Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd, which had purchased the disputed land, to hold off the demolition pending a court decision on March 26, but to no avail.

"The contractors came in to cut down our rubber trees," he said.

Victims of failed scheme

The disputed land, approximately 4,700 acres in size, was leased to The Great Alonioners Trading Corporation Bhd (Gatco) in 1977 by the Negri Sembilan State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC).

Gatco was incorporated by the National Union of Plantation Workers for the purpose of a land development scheme for its members.

The current settlers had paid RM7,600 each as deposit to settle on allocated plots of the land as part of the development scheme.

However, the scheme eventually failed and the land was charged to two financial institutions.

Despite Gatco winding up, its liquidators did not sell the land until 2006, when a sale and purchase agreement was executed between Gatco and Thamarai Holdings Sdn Bhd.

A total of 140 settlers have sued Gatco and Tamarai over the sale and the case is pending before the Federal Court.

Will cabinet discuss elephants in the room?

Will today’s weekly cabinet meeting address burning national issues or will it again skirt around them, asks veteran opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang.

Lim pointed out that a number of issues have been dominating public discussions over the past week. They include:

1. 1Malaysia Development Bhd’s (1MDB) RM42 billion scandal;

2. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's family wealth; and

3. National and international criticisms of judicial independence in Malaysia.

“Can Malaysians expect the prime minister or some minister to inform them later in the day of what the cabinet has decided on these three dominant issues of the day?

“Or whether the cabinet had cowardly and irresponsibly steered completely clear of all these three issues in their cabinet meeting?” he asked in a statement today.

The Gelang Patah MP brought up the need for the cabinet to “take the bull by its horns” in handling the 1MDB mega-scandal exposes and urged all BN component parties to be responsible and not just “pass the buck” to Najib.

A full scale inquiry is needed

He once again illustrated the need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) headed by former law minister Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, or to give support for a full-scale Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry into the scandal.

“Will the cabinet end its traditional three monkeys stance of “eyes that see not, ears that hear not and mouths that speak not” on the 1MDB scandal for the past six years?” Lim, who is also DAP parliamentary leader, asked again.

The debt-laden outfit reportedly settled an RM2 billion debt due to several banks  last week, under suspicious circumstances.

As for the issue on Najib's family wealth, Lim asked whether ministers at today’s cabinet meeting would have the gall to ask Najib to “come clean” with the cabinet.

“Will any minister in the meeting today dare to ask the prime minister to come clean with the cabinet about his family’s wealth as well as what the PMO meant by  its statement on ‘...the alleged contents of any safes...’?

“How many such ‘safes’, are there? In which country and what are in these ‘safes’,” he asked.

An extensive report by the New York Times published on Feb 8 highlighted Najib's family wealth.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) responded with a statement saying: “Neither any money spent on travel, nor any jewellery purchases, nor the alleged contents of any safes are unusual for a person of the prime minister’s position, responsibilities and legacy family assets."

Lim pointed to several issues that have taken place since last year that have brought the country into international spotlight, albeit negatively.

These range from the incarceration of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to the conviction and death sentence delivered on former police commandos Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar for the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

With all these events, the question now lies as to whether "there is truly an independent judiciary" and a just rule of law in Malaysia, Lim added.
 

Bukit Aman identifies M’sians in IS beheading video

Bukit Aman has identified the terrorists in recent IS beheading video as Malaysians.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The Bukit Aman counter-terrorism unit has identified the two Malaysians spotted in an Islamic State beheading video.

According to a report by the Star Online, Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division principal assistant director Ayub Khan identified them as 20-year-old Mohd Faris Anuar from Kedah and 26-year-old Muhamad Wandy Muhamad Jedi from Melaka.

In the 30-second video, uploaded onto Facebook on February 20, Faris is seen signalling to the camera with his index finger while Wandy is allegedly the person recording the video.

Both are believed to be part of the new IS wing Majmu’ah al Arkhabiliy that recruits Malaysian and Indonesian militants.

The wing replaced the older unit called Katibah Nusantara Lid Daulah Islamiah in Syria and Iraq.

According to the Malay Mail Online, there are 39 Malaysians already in Syria, with 17 of them involved with IS, and 22 having joined rival militants Ajnad al-Sham.

Mukhriz gets info on would-be IS militants

Some residents have asked the advice of religious teachers on going to Syria for jihad, says the menteri besar.

FMT

ALOR SETAR: Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir says he had received information from teachers at a traditional religious school about local residents wanting to go to Syria for jihad.

“These local residents, who did not identify themselves, asked the teachers what was the rule for going to jihad in Syria.

“The teacher brought out the Quran and showed them verses which do not allow them (to go to Syria). It shows how a small number are really keen to go to Syria,” Mukhriz said at a press conference in Wisma Darulaman today.

He said although these people had cancelled their plans to go to Syria after receiving the explanation from the religious teacher, at the same time, he did not discount the possibility that there were many who had gone there without first getting any advice.

“Luckily, they asked about the rules before going to Syria, what if they had gone straight to Syria without asking for advice,” he added.

He said he is worried after receiving the information about this small group wanting to fight in Syria.

The menteri besar also said there was a student in a private institute of higher learning who tried to influence her father to allow her to marry a Syrian through the social media Twitter.

He said the state government depended on the police to curtail the spread of militant and extremist thinking among the people of the state.

– BERNAMA

Malaysian IS recruits warn families against opposing IS

Family members of IS recruits will be killed if they support the government in opposing IS

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The number of families from Malaysia joining the militant group, ‘Islamic State’ (IS), is increasing and at least eight families are already in Syria currently.

Principal Assistant Director of the Counter-Terrorism Division, Special Branch in Bukit Aman, SAC Datuk Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay said five children aged between one and 12 years were also brought by their parents to Syria.

“What is of greater concern is when the influence of the IS is becoming viral to the extent that it is capable of influencing families to migrate and so far, eight families are already in Syria.

“The ideological influence as well as the training provided to the IS members are seen as too powerful to the extent that there are members who are Malaysians who have issued warnings that they would kill their family if they joined the Malaysian government in trying to oppose the IS.

“Such warnings are not only issued to the authorities but their family members too. One of them who is now in Syria has issued a warning to the family via the facebook that he would kill his mother, father and siblings who join the government in opposing the IS,” he told reporters, here Wednesday.

-BERNAMA

Royal robber jailed for seven months

A labourer breaks into the residence of a family member of Pahang royalty

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: A labourer was sentenced to seven months’ jail by the Magistrate’s Court, here, today for breaking into the residence of a member of the Pahang royal family and stealing things worth about RM30,000.

Mohd Faizan Mohamad, 34, committed the offence in Lorong U-Thant, here, between 6am on Feb 24 and 6am on Feb 25.

He was charged with house break-in and stealing three sets of air-conditioner blowers, one chandelier, copper ingots and a water pump.

Magistrate Saifulakmal Said ordered the accused to serve the sentence from the date of his arrest, Feb 27.

In mitigation for a lighter sentence, Mohd Faizan, who was unrepresented, said: “I thought it was an abandoned house as the compound was overgrown with bushes and it was not locked. I truly am sorry for what I did. I have learned my lesson and I promise not to repeat it.”

However, the magistrate said not knowing the residence was occupied was not an excuse for breaking into it and stealing, and it was still a serious criminal offence.

DPP Raihanah Abd Razak, who appeared for the prosecution, asked for a deterrent sentence, saying the stolen goods were sold off by the accused and could not be recovered.

- BERNAMA

Civil servant’s IS involvement a grave matter: Zambry

The civil servant from Perak was said to be involved in contributing funds to Malaysians who wished to join the IS in Syria.

FMT

IPOH: The Perak government views seriously the suspected involvement of its civil servant in the so-called IS militant group, says Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

He however, said that he had yet to receive the full report about the arrest of the civil servant and request it from Perak police chief Datuk Osman Salleh.

“I view seriously the involvement of the state government’s civil servant in the IS. Appropriate legal action should be taken against the suspect,” Zambry told a press conference after chairing the state executive council meeting in Ipoh, Wednesday.

He was commenting on the arrest of three individuals, including a woman, for suspected involvement in the IS group’s activities in Johor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur recently.

The civil servant from Perak was said to be involved in contributing funds to Malaysians who wished to join the IS in Syria.

-BERNAMA

Undergrad arrested for indecent recordings

Police have yet to establish if the lewd act was for personal use or to be uploaded to a pornographic site.

FMT

KUANTAN: Police have detained an undergraduate student who had a fetish for recording women urinating when a closed-circuit television (CCTV)

in the form of a clothes hook on the toilet door of a secondary school in Kuala Terla near Cameron Highlands was uncovered last Thursday.

The suspect’s actions were discovered by a victim, 30, who was the school canteen operator, at 8 am last Thursday when she wanted to use the toilet.

Cameron Highlands District Police Chief DSP Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said the victim saw the hook was crooked on the toilet door and tried to readjust its position.

“As soon as she held the hook, the victim found a small button with the words ‘on/off’, and upon checking it, found a memory card which was believed to have stored the recordings.

“The victim then informed the principal before the school management installed a CCTV in the toilet to identify the culprit,” he said when contacted here today.

He said with the hidden CCTV, the school authorities recorded the actions of the suspect, in his 20s, who entered the toilet looking for the clothes hook.

He said, following the incident, the school head lodged a report at the Kuala Terla Police Station on Friday before police detained the suspect, a final-year student in a university in Kuala Lumpur, in a house near the school.

“Early investigations found that the suspect had made three separate recordings involving three witnesses, for the duration of five minutes, and so far, only one of the victims had come forward to make a report,” he said.

He added that police were continuing investigations into the actual motive for the suspect’s actions – whether it was for personal use or to be spread on any websites with the intention of purposely causing ridicule to the victims.

- BERNAMA

Najib Asks Auditor-General To Verify 1MDB Accounts

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has instructed the Auditor-General to independently verify 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) accounts.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office Wednesday, the Auditor-General's report would be passed for transparent inspection to the Public Accounts Committee, which is fully bipartisan and reflects Parliament's composition.

It said the prime minister had informed the Cabinet of the move.

"If any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception," Najib said in the statement.

It said the prime minister today called 1MDB and its auditors, Deloitte, before the Cabinet following recent media reports on the wholly-owned government strategic development company.

"Having received clarifications from 1MDB and Deloitte, the Cabinet expressed confidence that no wrong-doing has been committed within 1MDB, and their desire for the company to be allowed to implement the proposed outcomes of its strategic review," the statement said.

Despite this, it noted that the government had called for the Auditor-General to check 1MDB accounts as a further step.

It said that 1MDB provided a briefing on 1MDB's current situation and responded to a series of questions posed by cabinet ministers, including the prime minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Deloitte, it said, provided an overview of their engagement with 1MDB and confirmed that the firm had audited and verified the company's accounts.

"The Cabinet was told that the recent allegations directed at 1MDB relate to transactions undertaken by third parties such as Petrosaudi, not 1MDB.

"The relevant investments of 1MDB have been returned in full with significant audited profit," according to the statement.

In an immediate response, 1MDB president and group executive director Arul Kanda said the company welcomed the prime minister's request for the Auditor-General to verify 1MDB accounts.

It pointed out that the accounts had been audited by Deloitte, one of the world's leading firms.

"We will cooperate fully with the Auditor-General and hope that the outcome of his findings (will) put to rest recent speculation," he said.

Arul said it was clear that the attacks being directed at 1MDB were politically motivated.

"These are deliberately coordinated attempts to undermine the company by spreading unsubstantiated allegations and speculation, which in turn could potentially harm the economy," he added.