Death threats against Little India chair from 'cemetery'

(Malaysiakini) Little India Action Committee (LIAC) chairperson S Pathavachalam has been receiving death threats against him and his family from a man calling himself Sudukattu (graveyard) Ravi, since last Thursday.

According to Pathavachalam (left in photo), Sudukattu called him on his handphone about 12.30am on Aug 16, threatening to chop him up and destroy his family.

"The man said that he will send a coffin to my house and will come to my house if I test him," he said.

Pathavachalam, who is an estate agent, lodged a police report on the threat at 5.29pm the same day, at the Jalan Travers police station.

He said the threats are related to his dialogue with Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.
This was when Raja Nong Chick was introducing reporters to the developer in charge of the land where former Brickfields district police headquarters once stood.
Pathavachalam said Sudukattu Ravi threatened him because he and many other NGOs had rejected Nong Chik’s idea of building a police beat base, instead of a proper district police station, at the site.
Setting RM10,000 reward for death
The estate agent had lodged another police report on Aug 22, saying that Sudukattu had called him a second time on Aug 16 at around 10.30pm, warning him against going to the police if he wanted to be safe, and advised him to send a representative for a "table talk" with his men.

"The man told me to send someone for a table talk, to discuss my safety with his group since an order had been issued for my death, with a reward of RM10,000 offered.

"The man told me it would be useless for me to lodge a police report. He said the police and government belonged to him," Pathavachalam told a press conference at Tropicana in Petaling Jaya today.

According to him, the investigating officer handling his case vowed to personally catch the man.

"The officer told me that the government might be his government, but we are not his police," Pathavachalam said.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar (left), who was also present at the press conference, said she would compile all documents and evidence obtained from the Brickfields police station land deal case and forward these to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) next week.

French councillor beaten by Tunisian extremists over family's dress

Paris (dpa) - A French councillor of Tunisian origin on Wednesday said he was beaten by religious extremists in Tunisia because his wife and daughter‘s clothing were seen as provocative.

Jamel Gharbi, a councillor in the north-western city of Le Mans, said that he and his family were strolling around the northern coastal Tunisian town of Bizerte August 16 when they came across a group of men with the long beards and tunics of ultra-conservative Salafi Muslims.

"I saw they were looking at them (his wife and daughter) with hate because of their summer clothes, even though there was nothing provocative about them (the clothes)," he was quoted by the Lemainelibre.fr, a Le Mans news site, as saying.

"They told us we were in an Islamist country and I quickly understood things were going to degenerate," he said.

"I cried out to my wife and daughter to run. They then pounced on me and struck me with their fists, feet and sticks," he added.

Gharbi, 62, said he had reported the attack to police and cut short his visit to Tunisia.

Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who was born in Tunisia, condemned the "cowardly, despicable act by an extremist minority" as an "attack on Tunisia‘s values."

The attack took place on the same evening as a group of Salafis attacked festivalgoers in Bizerte with knives and batons, injuring five people.

The demonstrators were protesting the presence of a Lebanese Shiite militant, who had expressed support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Salafis are Sunnis. They see Shia Muslims as heretical.

Two other towns also saw protests last week by Salafis against artists they accused of offending Islam in their work.

The opposition and civil society groups accuse the authorities of hanging back during Salafi demonstrations.

Tunisia is run by a tripartite coalition headed by the moderate Islamist party Ennahda. dpa str cfb jln

‘Explain manipulation in crime statistics’

Several Pakatan Rakyat leaders urged the government to clarify allegations made by an anonymous policeman who said that the government had tampered with the crime statistics.

PETALING JAYA: The government must explain allegations made by an anonymous policeman who alleged that there was a manipulation in the nation’s crime index, said Pakatan Rakyat.

“Home Ministry and Performance Management and Delivery Unit [Pemandu] must clarify the accusation. The allegation is serious as it casts doubt on the integrity of official statistics,” said several Pakatan leaders in a joint statement today.

The statement were signed by PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Kuala Krai MP Hatta Ramli and Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong.

Yesterday, Liew published a letter on his blog, purpotedly from a policeman, claiming that there was a systematic attempt to lower the crime statistics by shifting the index crime to the non-index crime when a police report is lodged.

Citing examples, he said that a robbery case, which falls under the Penal Code, comes under the index crime category. However, the police would classify it under Section 382 of the code and automatically relegate it to a non-index crime .

The policeman added that causing hurt comes under Sections 324 and 326 of the Penal Codem which are index crimes. But these offences will be classified under Section 148 of the Penal Code.

Since Section 148 of the Penal Code is a non-index crime category, the case will not be reflected in the crime statistics.

The policeman said that under-classification of the index crime to non-index crime runs into several thousand cases.

The opposition pact urged Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Pemandu chief executive Idris Jala to disclose the statistics of cases classified under Sections 148, 382, 452 and 453 of the Penal Code as soon as possible to clarify the matter.

“The data provided must start from the time the National Key Results Area (NKRA) system was implemented and the three years preceeding it, to refute the allegation made,” they said.

Johor MB expects to lose nine seats

If Umno can convince former minister Shahrir Samad to contest, the party may get to keep Johor Baru in the coming general election.
COMMENT

Johor has always been touted as the bastion of Umno, but one wonders if it really is so, given the inroads the opposition made in 2008.

In the 2008 general election, there was a 14% swing to the opposition. What has happened to that swing? It is increasing and getting stronger.

And this has got the menteri besar worried, intimating to his Umno division heads in one meeting that he expects at least nine parliamentary seats and up to 16 state seats to fall to the opposition in the 13th general election.

That means he has not discounted fully the swing to the opposition.

He has acknowledged that, at best, with all the efforts and the bribery that Umno has carried out, the party has only managed to claim back some 5%.

That means there is still around a 9% swing with the opposition.

Based on that conservative assumption, the nine parliamentary seats are indeed in jeopardy.

My personal view is that Pakatan Rakyat can win the nine parliamentary seats and more.

Umno and Barisan Nasional is dicey in at least six more seats – Tanjung Piai, Gelang Patah, Pulai, Pasir Gudang Tebrau, Simpang Rengam and Parit Sulong.

Which really means, Pakatan could end up with between nine and 15 seats.

Will Shahrir contest?

Having said that, there is also the Johor Baru seat to consider. JB has a sizeable Chinese population which should prove to be a boon to Pakatan.

The determining factor here would be Umno’s choice of candidates. If Shahrir Samad chooses to retire, then JB will fall to Pakatan.

Shahrir can only be persuaded to stand if the Umno people can stoke his contempt for Anwar Ibrahim.

Shahrir himself is not that confident. He has said privately that most of the faces he sees in JB are not familiar to him.

The other seat which I am interested to see is Pulai. It’s currently held by UDA Holdings Bhd chairman Nur Jazlan Mohamed Rahmat.

Nur Jazlan is a decent fellow but has recently been the victim of Umno’s habit of practising infanticide. It kills off its young talent.

When Nur Jazlan came up with a strategy of raising money for UDA with the redevelopment of the Pudu Jail area, he became a victim to the ravenous appetite of Umno warlords ever on the lookout of using government to make tons of money.

And that has not gone down well with him and his supporters.

The writer is a former Umno state assemblyman but joined DAP earlier this year. He is a FMT columnist.

No roses in Palanivel’s GE list

The MIC president has decided not to field a single woman for the upcoming general election, reveals a party source.

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president G Palanivel is expected to meet Prime Minister and Barisan Nasional chief Najib Tun Razak next Tuesday to finalise the party’s candidates list for the coming general election.

Apart from some minor changes to the list, the most shocking was that the largest Indian-based party in the country would not field any women candidates.

Sources revealed that although Palanivel had submitted a list of potential candidates, the meeting on Aug 28 would “finalise everything including two seat swaps”.

The source said that Palanivel had a meeting with the party’s women’s wing towards the end of July.

“And the outcome of the meeting shocked the wing as the president decided not to field any women candidates for the general election,” he added.

The source also claimed that Palanivel was peeved when only six representatives from the women’s wing turned up for the meeting.

In the last general election, MIC fielded four women, one for a parliamentary seat and the rest for state assembly seats.

Of the four, only T Murukasvary managed to retain the Tenggaroh state seat in Johor defeating PAS member Shahar Abdullah with a large majority of 8,233 votes.

Not up to expectations

Wanita MIC chief Komala Krishnamoorthy was defeated in the Kapar parliamentary seat by PKR’s S Manikavasagam.

However, the source claimed that the MIC leadership would also drop Murukasvary for the coming polls.

“Palanivel has decided to close the door to women candidates since the next general election will be toughest in the history of MIC,” he told FMT.

He said the president only wanted winnable candidates and the latter felt that those from the women’s wing would not make the cut.

The source also pointed out that the women’s wing had not performed up to expectations since the 2008 general election.

“Just look at the Wanita office in the party headquarters… it has remained locked for the last four to five months,” he added.

The source also said speculation was rife that Wanita MIC might boycott the polls as a result of the president’s decision.

“But I believe it will not happen since the women’s wing depends on the party’s top leadership for funds,” he added.

Nesa Land Scam

The Traveler, Thursday, August 23, 2012

Two years back  Traveler wrote an article, Family of Land Scam, highlighting how lawyer Pathmanaban, who is on trial for the murder of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya, her driver Kamaruddin shamsudin, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, and CIMB Bank officer Noorhisham Mohammad,  and his family benefited from Nesa Cooperative Society in the land deals in Banting district.

On July 28 2012, expelled Vice President Nadaraja has exposed Nesa’s several other land scams in a press conference. Since then, Nesa has been maintaining a resounding silence on the allegations.

PAS needs to state stand on Hudud, not the DAP

(Bernama) It is PAS that needs to issue a statement on its stand on the 'hudud' law, not the DAP, said the Prime Minister's Political Secretary, Datuk Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh.

Mohamad Fatmi, who is also the Kota Baharu Umno division head, said that PAS, as a party that champions Islam in the opposition pact, must be firm on its stand to implement the hudud law although the DAP disagreed on its implementation.

"What is important today, PAS must make a stand, not the DAP. Malaysians had already known from the start that the DAP was against an Islamic state, and rejects hudud.

"The mistake was why PAS had accepted the DAP," he told reporters when met at the Open House organised by the Kota Baharu Umno division, here today.

The press reported today that PAS Youth deputy head, Nik Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz had said that the DAP top leadership, especially its advisor Lim Kit Siang, and secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, should make an official party stand on the implementation of Islamic law in the country such as the hudud law.

Nik Abduh had said that the statement was crucial to correct the public perception following a series of statements by the DAP chairman, Karpal Singh, who rejected the hudud law and Islamic state which PAS was trying to implement if it were to take over the federal government.

Mohamad Fatmi said PAS should also make a stand whether it wanted to remain in the opposition pact after their statements on the setting up of an Islamic state appeared to be rejected by the DAP.

Be aware of Fitch’s fiscal warning — Ramon Navaratnam

AUG 23 — International ratings agency Fitch Ratings has once again warned Malaysia that its public finances are under sustained strain!

This firm but polite expression of censure, if not admonition, should not be played down by unduly highlighting Malaysia’s short-term good economic growth gains in the last two quarters of this year .

Neither should we be complacent about the serious declines in economic growth and stability occurring currently in the relatively rich developed industrial world. We can do this only at our own peril.

The fact of the matter is that Malaysia will be adversely affected by the global slowdown in the near future. The extent of our economic slide is difficult to project at this time. But we know for sure that we cannot take a “business as usual” attitude against the headwinds and strong disruptive socio-economic currents whirling around us, at home and from abroad.

Thus we have to safeguard the economy against increasing strains on our national “credit profile”. This means, in short, exercising more fiscal discipline to restrain our high budget deficits and the budget and national debt from growing big and bad.

Budget 2013, to be tabled in Parliament next month, must therefore ensure that the necessary budget fiscal and monetary measures are adopted to strengthen our economic foundation and the fiscal reforms relating to better management of budget revenues, expenditures, the national debt and balance of payments, in the face of the inevitable global economic slowdown

Budget 2013 must therefore clearly show that it has taken Fitch’s fiscal warning seriously or Malaysia will have to pay penalties now being experienced by many developed countries!
We believe 2013 Budget should and will accordingly be designed appropriately.

* Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam is chairman of the Asli Centre of Public Policy Studies.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.

Shah Rukh Booked For Insulting National Flag

PUNE, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been booked by city police for allegedly insulting the national flag, police said Tuesday.

Police in the western Indian Pune city brought the case against the actor on Aug 14 after Lok Janshakti Party national secretary Ravi Brahme claimed the 46-year-old actor had insulted the flag in a video purportedly uploaded on Youtube.

"Shah Rukh Khan has been booked under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act 1971. The case has been transferred to Mumbai police for further investigation. The case documents consist some photos and videos," Press Trust of India quoted a police officer as saying.

Brahme had recently lodged a complaint against Mumbai-based model Gehna Vashisht for allegedly insulting the national flag by wearing it as a bikini.

She was arrested on Aug 18 by police in Pune and released on bail the next day.

Shah Rukh's manager was unavailable for comment.

However, sources close to Shah Rukh said the actor did not have any knowledge about the complaint lodged against him.

Anti Party-Hopping Proposal Is Mere DAP Political Spinning - Chua

PETALING JAYA, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek today slammed DAP for proposing to amend the Penang state constitution to prevent party-hopping, saying that the move was only political spinning by the opposition party.

Questioning DAP sincerity on the matter, Dr Chua said DAP also knew it well that the proposal would not pass through the state assembly and it was against the Federal Constitution to restrict an individual's political freedom.

He said if DAP was really committed on preventing party-hopping, they could just do so by amending its party constitution.

"Amending party constitution is the simplest. It is easy to amend and to say that the party will not accept any "political frog", and if they (party-hoppers) jump, they will not be offered any seat.

"The whole story ends. Why need to go to the state assembly. At the end of the day, you make a lot of noise, attract attention but it is not as honorable as the DAP make it out to be," he told reporters after witnessing a presentation of monetary rewards by The Star Publications (M) Berhad to national Olympians Datuk Lee Chong Wei and Pandelela Rinong Pamg, here today.

Lee, who won a silver in badminton and Pandelala, a bronze in the diving event in the just concluded London Olympic Games were awarded RM100,000 each.

The MCA president was commenting on Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's proposal to table at the state assembly an anti-party hopping law.

Recounting several events on party hopping since 2008, including PKR's advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's Sept 16 infamous claim that the opposition would form the Federal Government after a list of Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers were said to be defecting to the opposition, Dr Chua said DAP had been all along supporting party hopping.

He said DAP had accepted two former Umno leaders to its fold early this year and the two Umno veterans were even promised seats in the upcoming general election.

"In a recent case, two former Sabah BN leaders also joined the opposition but the DAP didn't say a word," he said referring to Beaufort MP and chairman of BN Beaufort Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin and Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing, who is also United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) deputy president, who had quit BN last month to support the opposition.

"If DAP was sincere about anti-party hopping, they should not accept party hoppers from the very beginning," he added.

Earlier in his speech at the reward ceremony, Dr Chua urged all Malaysians to be united and support the national atheletes in their quests to bring greater glory to the country.

"If politicians failed to unite all Malaysians, at least both of you have helped to unite all Malaysians.

"Let us not let politics divide all of us when it comes to us," he added.

New Study: Eggs as Harmful as Cigarettes

New research has found that egg consumption is nearly as harmful to heart health as smoking tobacco. The study found a correlation between the number of egg yolks consumed and thickened arteries; the correlation was nearly as high as the correlation between the amount of tobacco smoked and thickened arteries.

Researchers measured the carotid wall thickness (an indicator of heart health) and measured the smoking, diet, and exercise habits of over 1,200 participants. "We believe our study makes it imperative to reassess the role of egg yolks, and dietary cholesterol in general, as a risk factor for coronary heart disease," the study authors concluded. 

 

 

 

 As scientific research continues to show the harmful effects of egg consumption on human health, undercover investigations continue to expose the horrific abuses hens and other farmed animals endure. Fortunately, preventing cruelty, heart disease, and cancer is easy with a plant-based diet.

Police reports against JAIPP for 'body-snatching'

A total of 18 police reports have been lodged by a group of Hindu devotees against the Penang Islamic Affairs Department (JAIPP) for snatching the remains of a woman it believed to be a Muslim without proper documentation.
One report was lodged at the Nibong Tebal police station by the deceased's son M Kamasanthren and 17 other relatives and friends of the family.
In his report, Kamasanthren said his family received information by telephone from the crematorium on Aug 14 that several officers claiming to be from JAIPP wanted to take possession of the cremated remains of his mother, M Nagamah.
He added that his uncle R Raja, who spoke to the person from the crematorium on the telephone, had categorically stated that the family would not allow JAIPP to do so.
He stressed that unless JAIPP has gone through the due process of the law, the officers have no legal authority to take possession of his mother’s remains which rightfully and lawfully belongs to the family.
"As it turned out, the JAIPP officers forced the issue and eventually took possession of the remains of my mother. In fact, they had stolen her remains from us," said Kamasanthren, 46, from Sungai Jawi.
"My mother and the rest of my family are Malaysians and our rights and interests should be protected by the federal constitution and the laws of Malaysia.
"This act of stealing the cremated remains of my mother is blatantly unlawful and is in serious and clear violation of rights guaranteed us in Article 11 on freedom of religion," he stressed.
Kamasanthren said he lodged the report as he wanted police to investigate the matter, adding that he wants the problem with JAIPP resolved "amicably" so that he could carry out his final Hindu funeral rites as the eldest son, on Aug 28.
The rite known as ‘Karumakirei’ ceremony is to be held 14 days after the death, after which her ashes are to be strewn into a nearby river.
Nagamah, who hailed from Bryam estate had passed away on Aug 14, where her remains were brought home from the Sungai Bakap hospital.
According to the family, they prepared to give her a Hindu funeral as she lived a life as a Hindu and died a Hindu.
However, JAIPP officers came to her house following her death and allegedly demanded the family surrender her body for a Muslim funeral, Kamasanthren said.
"The family refused as the officers did not provide documentary evidence about the claim. So, Nagamah was cremated according to Hindu rites at the Batu Berapit crematorium".

JAIPP told to go to civil court

Hindraf national advisor N Ganesan, who accompanied the son to the police station on Sunday, claimed the incident is clearly a state-sanctioned act as the police had accompanied the JAIPP officers at the crematorium.
Ganesan questioned by what superior law or authority can JAIPP order the crematorium and the family to turn over the cremated remains to them.
He said that, based on the federal constitution, Kamasanthren is guaranteed his rights to practise his religion and to perform the last rites for his mother.
He added that this is one of the most important obligations of a son to his parents in Hinduism, and accused JAIPP of acting "unilaterally and with impunity in violating all these rights".
"If JAIPP feels that they do have rights over the cremated remains, they should go to the civil courts which protect the rights of non-Muslims for adjudication on the matter.
"Unilateral pronouncements by the Syariah court does not apply to non-Muslims, therefore this effectively becomes a theft by JAIPP," he added.
Malaysiakini has been unable to obtain comment from JAIPP or the state mufti Hassan Ahmad.

Meanwhile, state exco member in charge of Islamic affairs Abdul Malik Abul Kassim told the media that he was aware of the incident.

"We will be making a statement on the matter in a few days time," said Abdul Malik, who is also Batu Maung assemblyperson.

Shooting leads to chaos at Odense hospital

Police are currently inspecting the area and have made several arrests stemming from last night's shooting and subsequent storming of Odense University Hospital

Odense University Hospital was last night the scene of chaos, as 60-70 people stormed the facility following a violent incident in Vollsmose (Photo: Scanpix)

Chaos broke out in Odense last night when a conflict between two rival groups in the suburb of Vollsmose surged, resulting in a young man being critically injured.

After a shooting victim was brought into the emergency room at the Odense University hospital, a group of between 60 to 70 men showed up and began to vandalise and create disorder.

“There were pictures torn down from the walls. There were vases knocked into pieces. It was quite intimidating to both the staff and police there, and several officers had to fire their guns to get them to disappear,” the head of security at Funen Police, Erik Halkjær, told bt.dk.

In connection with the ongoing investigation currently going on at Bøgeparken in Vollsmose, the Funen Police have arrested six people who are suspected to have been involved in the hospital vandalism, according to Ritzau.

The trouble started during Eid celebrations in Vollsmose when a 26-year-old man was shot in one leg and stabbed in the other, and another man, a 24-year-old, was hit by a car which fled the scene.

“It most likely involves two groups of immigrants from Vollsmose, but we do not know anything about the motive. We have not been able to talk to the victim as he is still in intensive care,” the Funen Police deputy commissioner Jack Liedecke told DR News earlier today.

“There has been some unrest in Odense recently, but we could not predict that it would result in this,” he added.

Later in the night, the chaos continued in the centre of Odense, where members of the two groups clashed.

It was then that the group of 60-70 people stormed Odense University Hospital in an attempt to reach the shooting and hit-and-run victims. The group threatened hospital staff and police, vandalising furniture and police cars along the way. In total, one ambulance and four police cars were destroyed from the night’s events.

Police reported that although this was not the first time people have come to the entrance hall of the emergency room to cause trouble, no one has made it all the way to the emergency room before.

“It is not unusual that you meet many people in the emergency room either trying to get ahold of the victim or to give support to the person who has been brought in. We have seen that many times,” Liedecke said.

The 26-year-old victim was admitted to the hospital in a fatally critical condition due to significant blood loss, but after a lengthy surgery, he is now in a more stable condition. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Iran's supreme leader orders fresh terror attacks on West

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issed a directive to intensify attacks against the West and its allies around the world Photo:

Iran's Supreme Leader has ordered the country's Revolutionary Guards to intensify its campaign of terror attacks against the West and its allies in retaliation for supporting the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

According to Western intelligence officials, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave the order to the elite Quds Force unit following a recent emergency meeting of Iran's National Security Council in Tehran held to discuss a specially-commissioned report into the implications for Iran of the Assad regime's overthrow.

Damascus is Iran's most important regional ally, and the survival of the Assad regime is regarded as vital to sustaining the Iranian-backed Hizbollah militia which controls southern Lebanon.

The report, which was personally commissioned by Mr Khamenei, concluded that Iran's national interests were being threatened by a combination of the U.N. sanctions imposed over Iran's nuclear programme and the West's continuing support for Syrian opposition groups attempting to overthrow the Syrian government.

Intelligence officials say the report concludes that Iran "cannot be passive" to the new threats posed to its national security, and warns that Western support for Syrian opposition groups was placing Iran's "resistance alliance" in jeopardy, and could seriously disrupt Iran's access to Hizbollah in Lebanon.

It advised that the Iranian regime should demonstrate to the West that there were "red lines" over what it would accept in Syria, and that a warning should be sent to "America, the Zionists, Britain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others that they cannot act with impunity in Syria and elsewhere in the region."

Mr Khamenei responded by issuing a directive to Qassem Suleimani, the Quds Force commander, to intensify attacks against the West and its allies around the world.

The Quds Force has recently been implicated in a series of terror attacks against Western targets. Last year U.S. officials implicated the organisation in a failed assassination attempt against the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington. It was also implicated in three bomb attacks against Israeli diplomats in February, planning to attack the Eurovision song contest in Azerbaijan while two Iranians were arrested in Kenya last month for possessing explosives.

Intelligence officials believe the recent spate of Iranian attacks has been carried out by the Quds Force's Unit 400, which runs special overseas operations.

"Unit 400 seems to have been involved in all the recent Iranian terrorist operations," said a senior Western intelligence official. "The Iranian regime now seems determined to retaliate for what they regard as the West's attempts to influence the outcome of the Syrian unrest."

Iran has been actively supporting the Assad regime's attempts to suppress the wave of anti-government protests that erupted in March last year. Iranian opposition groups claim teams of experienced Revolutionary Guard officers have been flying to Damascus on specially-chartered Iranian aircraft on a weekly basis to advise the Assad regime.

The extent of Iran's support for the Assad regime was exposed earlier this month when 48 Iranians were captured and taken hostage by Syrian opposition fighters. The Iranians, who are said to include senior Revolutionary Guard officers, claimed they were conducting "reconnaissance missions", and their capture by Syrian opposition fighters was deeply embarrassing for Tehran, which is demanding their immediate safe return to Iran. Syrian rebels have threatened to kill the hostages unless Iran ends its support for the Assad regime.

MYDaftar terima lebih 9,500 permohonan dokumentasi

Sebanyak 6,527 ialah permohonan kewarganegaraan dan baki melibatkan dokumentasi lain seperti kelahiran, perkahwinan dan kad pengenalan.

KUALA LUMPUR: Program MyDaftar yang dilancarkan Februari tahun lepas hingga Mei lalu, telah menerima 9,529 permohonan dokumentasi daripada masyarakat India.

Sebanyak 6,527 ialah permohonan kewarganegaraan dan baki melibatkan dokumentasi lain seperti kelahiran, perkahwinan dan kad pengenalan, kata Penyelaras Pasukan Petugas Khas Pelaksanaan Jawatankuasa Kabinet Masyarakat India, Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam.

“Permohonan kewarganegaraan tertinggi melibatkan warga asing yang mempunyai permit masuk iaitu 3,770 dan daripada jumlah itu 2,016 diluluskan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN).

“Kita juga menerima 1,922 permohonan pendaftaran kewarganegaraan daripada masyarakat India lahir di Malaysia selepas merdeka dan 1,479 diluluskan KDN,” katanya dalam temu bual di Wisma Bernama di sini.

MyDaftar merupakan program membantu masyarakat India di negara ini yang tidak memiliki dokumen berkaitan kelahiran, pengenalan dan kewarganegaraan menyelesaikan masalah dokumentasi mereka.

Bukti sukar

Siva Subramanian berkata kesukaran membuktikan mereka lahir di Malaysia dan kurang fasih berbahasa Melayu adalah antara sebab sukar memberikan taraf kewarganegaraan kepada pemohon yang lahir di Malaysia sebelum merdeka.

“Sebelum merdeka dokumentasi susah mahu cari. Sebelum MyDaftar mereka susah untuk tampil ke depan kerana takut dan kurang pengetahuan tentang pendaftaran ada juga ejen yang datang tolong tapi ejen ini ambil kesempatan ambil duit.

“Ada kes ejen tipu mereka ‘gave-up’ (menyerahkan) warganegara mereka 30, 40 tahun lepas untuk keluar wang KWSP (Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja).Ejen dapat ‘percent’ (komisen) banyak. Kita susah mahu tolong kerana mereka ‘gave up’ kewarganegaraan mereka dengan sukarela masa itu,” katanya.

Beliau berkata MyDaftar turut menerima 708 permohonan kewarganegaraan daripada mereka yang berkahwin dengan warganegara Malaysia, dan daripada jumlah itu 600 telah diluluskan KDN.

MyDaftar turut menerima 12 permohonan kewarganegaraan daripada anak warganegara dan daripada jumlah itu lapan permohonan diluluskan.

Daftar lewat

Siva Subramaniam berkata masalah mendaftar lewat kelahiran merupakan permohonan tertinggi diterima iaitu sebanyak 1,778 dan daripada jumlah itu 1,459 diluluskan.

“Ini juga masalah kesedaran masyarakat untuk mendaftar kelahiran anak mereka, ada kes yang datang pada kita anak bukan daripada isteri pertama atau anak luar perkahwinan, jadi susah mahu daftar.

Siva Subramanian berkata selain itu, MyDaftar menerima 913 permohonan daftar lewat kad pengenalan, perkahwinan (222), pindah maklumat sijil kelahiran (88) dan satu permohonan dokumentasi anak angkat.

Ditanya kenyataan Naib Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) N. Surendran yang mendakwa 300,000 keturunan India di negara ini tidak mempunyai dokumen pengenalan diri, beliau menyarankan agar pemimpin PKR itu membawa kesemua mereka memohon menerusi MyDaftar.

“Jangan sekadar beri angka dan cuci tangan selepas itu. Ini tidak menyelesaikan masalah. Kumpulkan semua 300,000 itu dan datang kepada kami, kami akan bantu daftar.

“Jangan politikkan isu ini, kita bercakap soal masalah rakyat dan sebagai pemimpin kita mesti selesaikan masalah rakyat bukan dijadikan alat untuk membenci kerajaan,” katanya.

Bernama

Ambiga to leave Bersih after GE

The Bersih co-chaiperson told Bloomberg that she wants to devote more time to her firm which specialises on many legal issues.

PETALING JAYA: Bersih co-chaiperson S Ambiga said that she would step down from the electoral reforms movement after the next general election.

In an interview with Bloomberg today, Ambiga said that she intended to pay more attention to her firm which specialises in commercial, intellectual property and industrial law.

Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, shot to fame after leading two Bersih rallies in 2010 and in April this year, calling for reforms to the Malaysian electoral system.

Although she received support from Pakatan Rakyat and other NGOs, the government had poured scorn over her attempts, claiming that she was a “pawn” of the opposition.

Sri Gading MP Mohamad Aziz even called for her hanging during a parliamentary session, but withdrew his remarks after receiving brickbats from his own colleagues in the ruling coalition.

In the interview, Ambiga said that she has some unfinished business from her previous campaign on women’s rights, which was not well received by the government.

“The courts had abdicated their responsibility over a lot of family law issues in situations involving both the syariah and civil courts,” she said.

Ambiga was referring to cases where husbands converted to Islam and unilaterally converted their children too, creating a lot of confusion in families and leaving their wives in the doldrums.

“In 2008, the government had proposed legislation requiring individuals wishing to convert to first inform family members and address custody issues, but the process was stalled at the Council of Rulers, who are responsible for Islamic affairs,” said Ambiga.

On growing calls for reforms, she said that the government could ill-afford to ignore the masses and one way to live by the people’s aspiration is by making the electoral system free and fair.

“If enough people want change, there’s very little anyone can do to stop it,” she said. “Malaysians are generally peace-loving – we are nowhere near what was happening in the Middle East, Tunisia and Egypt.

“But we are at the right point in time for positive change, and if we are going to bring change, we only want to do it by clean and fair elections,” said Ambiga.

‘Guilty until proven innocent’ law applies to Umno Youth in Facebook probe

Umno Youth representative Ibdilillah Ishak shows a copy of the police report lodged on behalf of the wing’s chief, Khairy. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — The burden of proof is on Umno Youth to show that it is not the publisher of controversial remarks suggesting that a vote for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will result in Christianity becoming the country’s official religion, due to recent amendments to the Evidence Act, lawyers have said. Umno Youth has claimed that the person who put up the poster with the controversial remarks was “unauthorised” to do so and that the page was not its official Facebook page.
The poster, which was uploaded last Saturday and taken down the same day, appeared to suggest that votes for federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will cause Islam to be replaced by Christianity as the country’s official religion.
It had read: “Jika anda setuju untuk jadikan KRISTIAN sebagai agama rasmi persekutuan Malaysia, teruskan sokongan anda kepada Pakatan Rakyat. (If you agree to make CHRISTIANITY the official religion of the federation of Malaysia, continue supporting Pakatan Rakyat.) ‘God bless you my son’.”
If Umno Youth is brought to court over the “unauthorised” Facebook post, it would be the test case for the newly-enforced Section 114A of the Evidence Act that has already seen widespread opposition from the public.

A screen capture shows an enlarged thumbnail of the anti-Christian poster on the “Pemuda Umno Malaysia” page.

Section 114A makes even coffee shops offering free Wi-Fi services liable for any defamatory or criminal acts of customers using computers at their premises. The new law creates a presumption that any registered user of network services is presumed to be the publisher of a publication sent from a computer linked to that network service, if he cannot show otherwise
The Section also provides that any “person whose name, photograph or pseudonym appears on any publication depicting himself as the owner, host, administrator, editor or sub-editor, or who in any manner facilitates to publish or re-publish the publication is presumed to have published or re-published the contents of the publication unless the contrary is proved.”
Civil liberties lawyer Syahredzan Johan told The Malaysian Insider that Section 114A would impose a presumption that Umno Youth had published the poster, but notes that “this factual presumption is not tested in court” yet.
“But say, for whatever reason, Umno Youth is charged under the Sedition Act for promoting ill will between the Muslim and Christian communities, the factual presumption would operate,” Syahredzan said.
“All the prosecution would need to prove is that the Umno Youth is stated to be the owner or administrator of the Facebook page,” he said, noting that it is “quite easy to do so” as the page “represents itself as Umno Youth’s”.
Once that is proven, Umno Youth would be “presumed to be the publisher of the post” and would then need to “rebut this presumption”, he added.
“This is a perfect example of the absurdity and injustice of Section 114A in operation.”
The prime minister had on Twitter last week said his Cabinet would review the law after several organisations ― including the Malaysian Bar ― chose to black out their websites to signal their opposition to the law.
A day later, however, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim announced that the law will stay.
Foong Cheng Leong, the Kuala Lumpur Bar IT committee co-chair, agreed with Syahredzan, saying that “if we follow (Section) 114A, looking at subsection 1, it seems that the presumption of fact is that Umno Youth is the publisher of the poster.”
He said there is an “impression that it’s a legitimate Pemuda Umno page”, saying that the Facebook page, which has over 50,000 “likes”, features Umno Youth’s logo and the party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s photograph.
Foong said that Section 114A is unclear on a number of things, saying that it “does not say when the presumption is rebutted.”
“We don’t know if a police report is sufficient to rebut the presumption,” he said, saying that “we’re left at the unknown stage.”
“Can the media go and tell everybody that Pemuda Umno is the publisher of the poster? Can the media publish it as fact because in the law it’s presumed as fact?” he asked.
When asked if there was any law for Umno Youth to fall back on in court, the lawyer said there is “no exemption under (Section) 114A” and “the only thing they can do is come out with proof it’s not them.”
Lawyer Faisal Moideen shared Foong’s view, saying that “making a police report may not be enough because it seems to be a bare denial.”
However, he defended the law and stressed that it does not impose a presumption of guilt but only the presumption of fact of publication.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t mean they have committed a crime,” he said, adding that “it takes more than just publication to make a person guilty.”
Based on his reading of the law, he said “you don’t have to show who did it, you have to show you didn’t publish it” to rebut the presumption.

Double standards in sentencing

There are times we hail court decisions and there are times we find them bizarre. But if we ignore the incredible disparities in some court decisions, it is only at our own peril.
Azmi Sharom, The Star
HOSLAN Hussein gets one year in jail for inaccurately chucking (he missed) his slippers at a judge. Noor Afizal Azizan gets a fine and zero jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl.
It boggles the mind. Hoslan’s sentence, in my view, was very harsh and over the top.
But even if one were to believe that the sanctity of the courts is so fragile that a punitively deterrent punishment is required for the flinging of footwear, it is impossible to ignore the incongruous disparity in the punishments meted out to these two men for crimes of such vastly different seriousness.
Much has been said about the judge’s unbelievable comment when sentencing Noor Afizal. Apparently being a national bowler with a bright future is enough to let you escape jail time for rape.
Actually, what is this “bright future” the judge is thinking about? The man is a child rapist; he confessed to it. He should not be allowed to represent the country in anything at all.
And in case you think there are mitigating issues in this case, namely that the sexual act was supposedly consensual, allow me to argue otherwise.
In this case, the girl was under the age of consent. This means the crime committed is statutory rape. The issue of consent does not even arise in such cases.
The reason for this is because we as a society have long ago determined that the young girls of our community deserve protection.
It does not matter in the slightest that children mature at different rates; what matters is that in general, this society believes that girls under the age of 16 are not yet ready to make decisions regarding their own sexual activity.
There are mental, psychological and also physiological elements to this need for protection.
The sexual act by itself could have implications for a child’s well-being, but a child from our society would surely be traumatised in the event that she got pregnant and had to face either childbirth or abortion.
Furthermore in immature bodies, the experience can also be seriously harmful physically.
I use the term “a child from our society” because I realise the age of consent will differ from nation to nation and culture to culture.
But in the case of statutory rape, there is no room for comparative anthropology. What matters is what we value for our girls.
I always believe that Malaysians care for our children. We want them to have a sound and safe childhood so that they can go to school and build a strong foundation for their future.
This is why we want to protect them for as long as possible, for it is this safety that helps to establish an environment where they can mature and flourish at a pace which we believe is healthy.
The judge in making his decision could not possibly have been thinking about this bigger picture. For if he had, he would have realised that his judgment was not only about Noor Afizan and the girl he violated, but also about all the girls in this country and our collective concern for them.
He has in effect dealt a blow to one of the few noble values that the people of this country universally accept — that our children should be cared for and be protected.

A Cautionary Tale on Sri Lankan Refugees

The Jaya Lestari and cargo

(Asia Sentinel) An alleged con man cons the Australian press

During the final quarter of 2009, a cargo ship called the Jaya Lastari, with 256 Tamil asylum seekers aboard, was impounded off the island of Java by the Indonesian navy. The Tamil asylum-seekers refused to disembark, saying they no longer had a country of their own.

The three-year-old story has relevance today because of the current drama of the Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a freighter with 67 male asylum-seekers on their way to Christmas Island to seek Australian safety. As with the refugees aboard the Jaya Lestari, the clutch of refugees aboard the Wallenius Wilhelmsen “threatened to harm themselves” to secure safe passage.

Three years ago, an earnest, articulate Tamil named Alex Kuhendraraja on the boat with the refugees became their spokesman, appearing on Australian television channels with a 10-year-old girl named “little Brindha” who begged for safe haven. It became a major international incident, with “Alex” pleading for any country anywhere to take the refugees.

“Have a look at this picture you see today and ask yourself one question,” he said, gesturing to the media and the bedraggled Tamils behind him, many staring in bewilderment, “If you had no place, if you had no country of your own, what would you do? And how long would you stay in a boat before you were able to enter a country that will give you asylum?”

There was no allusion to Alex’s Canadian accent in a commentary, and the author accepted the pseudonym “Alex” as entirely reasonable: “His distress was palpable. Alex, purportedly an English teacher frm Jaffna who had left behind his pregnant wife, choked on his words.

‘We are not animals,” he said. “We are not dogs. We are not stray dogs. We are people without a country to live in’.”

Then came a bombshell. In early November the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canberra claimed that Alex was Sanjeev Kuhendrarajah, a member of the Kannan gang in Toronto who had been deported from Canada 2002 and that that he was part of a people smuggling chain in Chennai, India.

It was only after his mother, identified as Sathia Rajaratnam, arrived that “Alex” admitted that he had been a member of a gang in Toronto. Claiming youthful indiscretion, he nevertheless continued to insist that his wife and several children faced danger in Sri Lanka.

But on Dec. 2, 2009, his mother -- reportedly a “businesswoman” sufficiently endowed to travel to Merak to visit her son -- said she felt guilty over his predicament, having urged him last year to move from Chennai, where he and his wife had a hotel business, to Sri Lanka, where business opportunities looked to be opening after the civil war.

Kuhendraraja ultimately acknowledged to Sean Fitzpatrick of the Australian that he didn’t have a pregnant wife and that she didn’t live in Sri Lanka. Later, according to Fitzpatrick, Alex “quietly admitted to me [that] he ‘made up stuff’ about the fate of the downtrodden Tamil community.”

This note was buried within the Fitzpatrick text, however. There was no highlighting of Sanjeev Kuhendrarajah’s work of deception and the equally stark fact of comprehensive media gullibility extending across major Australian news enterprises. The whole episode must surely enter into the annals of Australian journalism as a failure of skepticism and investigative technique.
It is, on first impression, a tale of gullibility. Or, is it? It could also be a tale of culpability. It is possible that the editorial line favored by The Australian discouraged any questioning caveats because it was adhering to the horror stories about Sri Lanka pressed by The Times group in London and regularly recapitulated within The Australian’s pages since early 2008. Stirring the public and selling news-as-commodity calls for sweeping generalizations and any attention to complexity and intricacy through caveats and detail simply spoils the grand plot.

The Australian media has also suffered from its profound ignorance of the migrant scene. It does not seem to have given weight to the presence of thousands of Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu in India since 1983, presently numbering around 110-125,000. Australian media circles appear to have been unaware that several thousand Sri Lankan males, mostly Sinhalese Catholics from the Negombo region, reached Italy by fishing trawler between 1990 and 2002 until Italy took action to thwart the process.
What this fact does to the easy acceptance of the widespread theory that people will only get unto so-called “leaky wooden boats” because they suffer from political discrimination and persecution cannot be addressed by Australians – cannot be addressed because ignorance is bliss.

It is this outstanding failure that is highlighted by my story about Alex the con man. It is not an unfamiliar shortcoming. The lack of investigative acumen revealed simply replicates the mind-boggling errors of omission displayed by other reporters when they relayed other similarly credulous stories and commentary of individuals who pose as “experts” on Sri Lanka.

Today, "Alex" could also serve as a conduit towards revealing information from all those on the Jaya Lastari who are prepared to tell us more about his role in those crowded days on the ship at Merak. We know that Brindha and 86 others from that ship made it to Christmas Island from Java on another boat. They clearly were not short of cash, resourcefulness or connections. What decisions have been made about this body of people is hidden by the stonewalls surrounding official Australian action (though it seems that Brindha and family have now been accepted as refugees subject to community detention. These refugees could be a mine of information.

They could also aid us in building a fuller picture of Alex. Why not pursue this fascinating character and get more details about his business in Chennai and how he lived from 2003 to 2009? He is a captive soul now, within reach for enterprising journeymen. It seems that he had hidden in Malaysia for quite a while, but was apprehended at Padang Besar on 29 April 2011 carrying a false Malaysian passport. He is now in jail in Thailand unsung, uncelebrated, and hardly benighted.

(Michael Roberts taught History at Peradeniya University from 1966-76 and Anthropology at Adelaide University from 1977 to 2004. He remains an Adjunct Associate Professor at the latter. He has written extensively on Sri Lankan issues.)

Are inflammatory religious remarks now fair game? — Pak Sako

AUG 21 — Statements made by Mahathir Mohamad after a mosque function in Kedah as recorded by Sinar Harian (‘Hudud boleh dilaksana jika Pas sertai Umno’, August 17, 2012), if true, would constitute an unprecedented rebuff of the culture of religious respectfulness by any Malaysian politician of that reputation.

The report cites him as saying that:

•    PAS should leave Pakatan Rakyat as soon as possible because they embrace “infidels” who evidently reject hudud. (“Pas harus keluar dari PR secepat mungkin kerana mereka saling berpelukan dengan orang kafir yang secara nyata menolak hudud.”);

•    PAS will not be able to implement hudud as long as they are with a political party that does not recognise that “Islam is a superior religion.” (“Selagi Pas bersama parti yang tidak mengakui Islam adalah agama unggul, hukum hudud tidak dapat di laksanakan.”).

The first remark uses a derogatory term that no self-respecting Muslim Malaysian would cast in referring to his non-Muslim brothers and sisters, political differences notwithstanding. The second remark implies that all other religions are inferior to Islam.

Both are insensitive and divisive. They ought to have no place in our multi-religious political discourse.
It is regrettable that these words were issued by a former prime minister. They must nonetheless be censured. Silence would only signal that it is legitimate to engage in such religious mud slinging.

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

Police Cripple Gang Of Shoplifters Specialising In Branded Milk Powder

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- The police have detained 13 people, including six suspected members of a gang of shoplifters, during a two-day operation in Kajang, beginning Aug 16.

The gang is believed to be involved in the theft of 160 boxes of branded milk powder worth about RM12,800.

Kajang police chief ACP Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said today, on Aug 16, the police detained three men and a woman at a sundry shop in 9th mile Cheras for allegedly shoplifting branded milk powder.

He said, the suspects had concealed the items in their robes before they were caught in the incident about 4.30pm.

"On the same day, the four suspects took the police to a medicine shop in Kuchai Lama where five men were nabbed.

"Two of them were believed to be owners of the shop which bought stolen goods from the gang of shoplifters," said Ab Rashid, adding that two Indonesian women, believed to be shop assistants, were also picked up.

The next day, two men were nabbed in Klang, he said.

The suspects are aged between 20 and 48.

Police Arrest Two Security Firm Personnel Over Botched ATM Theft

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- Five security firm personnel thought they could escape with cash from one of the automated teller machines (ATM) at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Bangi on Aug 15.

Lady Luck, however, did not smile on them.

Two of the personnel were caught by a UKM security guard and policeman while the group attempted to prise open the ATM about 7.40pm, while using an oxygen gas torch.

The rest, comprising mechanics and a technician, escaped in a car.

Kajang police chief ACP Ab Rashid Ab Wahab said today, one of the would-be thieves had earlier attempted to deceive the guard into thinking that maintenance work was in progress.

However, the ruse failed as the guard became suspicious upon getting the whiff of something burning, he said.

Ab Rashid said the police had also seized an oxygen gas cylinder, a pair of gloves, hook and other equipment which were used in the attempted theft.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah said the police had not ruled out 'inside job' involving security firm personnel in some of the ATM thefts in the Klang Valley.

He said the police suspicion was based on the thieves being well-versed in ATM alarm systems and closed-circuit television cameras near the machines.

He said the police were in the mids

Johor: String of seats could fall to Pakatan

At least half a dozen parliamentary seats could easily fall to the opposition in the coming general election, say informed political observers.

That’s the view shared by a veteran Johor-based journalist and a Johor opposition politician, whom I met over the last couple of days. They both said that Pakatan could easily bag six or seven seats, perhaps more.

At present, the BN holds 25 parliamentary seats from Johor and Pakatan (DAP) has one. The BN’s seats are held by Umno (16), MCA (7), MIC (1) and Gerakan (1).

Umno’s seats, however, appear fairly solid, given the unique position of the party in the state and the handouts announced by Najib. Also, property owners have benefited from soaring prices, as a result of Singaporeans snapping up property in the state and driving up prices. Then there are those working in Singapore who earn higher salaries after converting to Malaysian currency.

On the other hand, those working in Johor or looking to buy their first property in the state could struggle to cope with the rising cost of living.

Pas, meanwhile, has relatively limited appeal in the state, compared to the support they enjoy in the northern and eastern states of the peninsula.

Khairy: I'm willing to be charged under 114A

Khairy Jamaluddin said that he is prepared to be charged under the Evidence Act and be subjected to the newly included Section 114A in his capacity as Umno Youth chief following a religiously sensitive Facebook posting which used the political wing's name.

This comes after a challenge by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (left) who suggested that attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail should live up to his defence of the controversial law by charging Umno Youth for the posting.

"Desperado Guan Eng challenges attorney-general to charge Umno Youth for offensive Facebook posting which I have said is not our doing.

"I call on the attorney-general to go ahead and charge Umno Youth and me as its chief. Even with 114A, I am confident of proving we were not responsible," said Khairy in a series of Twitter postings this evening.

Under Section 114A which was introduced as an amendment to the Evidence Act in April, the law presumes a person or organisation whose name is carried together with any online publication as the author of that content.

If the person or organisation is not the author of the publication, it is up to the individual or organisation to prove their innocence. The same applies to network owners whose internet connectivity is used by others for illegal activities.

‘Umno Youth not responsible'

BN Youth had yesterday lodged a police report, dissociating itself from the Facebook page of "Pemuda Umno Malaysia" (Umno Youth Malaysia) and also disclaiming responsibility for a posting made by the page administrator deemed as religiously sensitive.

The posting in Malay read, "If you agree to making Christianity the official religion of the Federation of Malaysia, continue your support for Pakatan Rakyat."

"God bless you my son," it continued in English.

The administrator of the Facebook page whose identity remains unknown had defended the action with another Facebook posting which read: "Even though this is not a formal (Umno) Youth fan page, but the voices on this fan page is strong enough to carry the voice of the grassroots to the top".

The controversy comes a week after a widespread cyberspace campaign against Section 114A of the Evidence Act by Centre for Independent Journalism which claims that the law violated the principle of 'innocent until proven guilty'.
Khairy is among the few BN leaders who have expressed opposition to the controversial amendment.

On the same day of the campaign on Aug 14, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had announced a review of the amendment which was gazetted in July but was shot down by the cabinet which instead instructed the attorney-general to explain the law to the public.

Bin Laden Bodyguard Discovered in Germany

Those wishful-thinking diehards who believe Europe will eventually come to its senses regarding its security interests and reverse its suicidal tolerance of militant Islamists in its midst received a ringing slap in the face earlier this month.

The latest occurrence indicating the Old World is sliding into a bloody nightmare of Islamist violence with little desire to defend itself comes this time from Germany where news reports announced that bin Laden’s former bodyguard, who was discovered residing in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), has been busy recruiting young Muslims for the jihad. It is also believed the 36-year-old native of Tunisia, identified in newspapers in accordance with German law only as Sami A., is responsible for having radicalized two members of the Dusseldorf terrorist cell.

An al-Qaeda affiliate, the Dusseldorf cell was broken up in April of 2011. Three Islamist cell members are currently on trial, charged with planning a bomb attack in Germany.

“We have clear indications that he [Sami A.] tried to radicalise young people with his intellectual assets,” said Ralf Jaeger, the socialist interior minister for NRW.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the news publication, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ), revealed last week that the former bin Laden employee and hardcore Salafist was actually planning to open his own mosque in Bochum, a city in NRW where he has lived the past eight years with his wife and three children. It was also WAZ investigators who revealed to the German public Sami A.’s presence in NRW and jihad recruitment activities.

The WAZ revelations, understandably, have sent shock waves across Germany. This is the country where some of the 9/11 suicide bombers lived and plotted their day of infamy against America. Due to this connection, many Germans are simply incredulous, as well as very embarrassed, that a bin Laden associate, who knew 9/11 plotters like Guantanamo prisoner Ramzi Binalshibh, was even in Germany let alone carrying on terrorist activities. WAZ states that Sami A. is “connected worldwide” to terrorist networks and also knew the terrorist who helped plan the synagogue attack on Tunisia’s Djerba island.

“In the terror scene, he is considered a bright light,” states WAZ. “Radical Islamists pay homage to him. For young people who seek direction, a person like Sami A. can be a fixture point.”

According to WAZ, Sami A. first came to Germany as a student in 1997. He travelled to Pakistan in 1999, remaining for seven months, staying also in an al-Qaeda guest house in Kandahar, where he met top al-Qaeda officials. In addition, Sami A. received 45 days of military training in an al-Qaeda camp. After returning to Germany, the al-Qaeda veteran resumed his studies, eventually moving to Bochum in 2005 to study electronics and take up jihadi activities. “The weapon,” WAZ reports, “with which he fights here (in Bochum) for the victory of radical Islam is his hero’s reputation.”

Not unexpectedly, the NRW branch of the German intelligence service responsible for keeping tabs on terrorists, the Verfassungsschutz (Germany’s FBI), is at pains to explain how a man who used to personally protect Osama bin Laden with a rocket propelled grenade launcher in Pakistan in 2000 could for years radicalise and recruit unimpeded young people for the jihad. All that a spokesman for the NRW Interior Ministry would say was that they had the dangerous Islamist in their sights since his move to Bochum.

What is perhaps even more embarrassing for the security agencies is that they apparently had no idea that Sami A. was intending to open his own mosque until a 61-year-old woman tipped them off. The former bin Laden bodyguard had set up a prayer house, also without officials knowing, in an empty building on a Bochumer street that he wanted to rebuild into a mosque, using a front man to do so. But the woman, who worked nights at a nearby residence for the mentally handicapped, informed police of, as one neighbor described them, “the Islamists who come out of the mosque sometime between midnight and two o’clock” and who were “unbearably loud.”

Bochum’s city administration did, however, try to have Sami A. deported in 2006. In March of that year an expulsion order was actually obtained against him. But an administrative court overturned the order “because of unreasonable hardships for Sami A. and his family,” although his wife and children have both Tunisian and German citizenship and his wife had lived in Tunisia from 1994 to 1999.

What must be maddening for Germans, though, is that the court did not doubt that Sami A. represented a potential terrorist threat, but still refused to have him deported. One official said, however, that the court based part of its refusal on the belief Sami A. may face torture if returned to Tunisia. But according to WAZ, the city had presented its case “so clumsily” that a rejection was the court’s only option. The matter is currently before a superior court.

The only option left for German authorities after the court decision was to somehow restrict Sami A.’s activities. He has had to report to the police every day including Sundays, but this obviously hasn’t worked. The Dusseldorfterrorist cell, according to German federal attorneyship, can thank him for recruiting two of its members.

Many Germans are probably left stunned by the fact that such a dangerous individual as Sami A., a former bin Laden bodyguard, was allowed, unknown to them, to romp about and carry on undisturbed his vicious campaign of terror and hatred that endangers them and their families. They have questions that have yet to be answered such as why was he ever allowed back into Germany after going to Afghanistan and who in the government is responsible? And where does the money come from that has supported him for so long? And was he ever in American hands?

Germans have worked hard since the Second World War to build a functioning, respected democracy and to be accepted as a member of the world community. To their credit, they have been successful in these efforts. But many ordinary Germans must regard the Sami A. case as a betrayal and weakening of that democracy and their efforts to make it work.

And not only a betrayal of German democracy. The Sami A. revelation will undoubtedly cause some Germans to believe that none of the mainstream political parties and their elites, including Germany’s ruling conservative party, are interested in protecting them and their families. They will now feel they are on their own. In defense and desperation against the growing Islamist danger and parallel society, some will undoubtedly seek options further to the political right to put a stop to the growing chaos in a country where even former bin Laden bodyguards are allowed to move around and devise terrorist plots freely.

India cracks down on Internet after communal violence

People from India's northeastern states rest while waiting for the train bound for the Assam state at a railway station in Kolkata, August 19, 2012. — Reuters file pic

NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — India pressed social media websites including Facebook and Twitter today to remove “inflammatory” content it said helped spread rumours that sparked an exodus of migrants from some Indian cities last week.

The government said in a statement it had already blocked access to 245 web pages it said contained doctored videos and images, and the telecommunications secretary, R Chandrashekhar, threatened legal action against the websites if they did not fully comply with the requests to take down the offending pages.

Chandrashekhar told CNN-IBN television that Google and Facebook had largely complied with the government’s requests while the response from Twitter had been “extremely poor”.

Twitter was not immediately available for comment.

“A lot of inflammatory and harmful content/information has been found to be appearing on the social networking sites hosted outside the country,” the government statement said.

Thousands of students and workers from India’s northeast fled Mumbai, Bangalore and other cities last week fearing retaliation for violence against Muslims in the remote tea-growing state of Assam after threatening mobile phone text messages and website images sowed panic.

Clashes between indigenous people in Assam and Muslim settlers from neighbouring Bangladesh have killed nearly 80 people and displaced some 300,000 since July.— Reuters

Anti-hopping law: ‘Do it for the people’

Such a legislation is needed because jumping from one party to another is a betrayal of the voters' mandate, says Gerakan.

GEORGE TOWN: Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat should set aside their partisan politics to jointly legislate anti-hopping laws to protect public interests, said a local Gerakan politician.

Penang Gerakan legal and human rights bureau head, Baljit Singh, said BN and Pakatan should do it for the sake of all Malaysians.

However, he said it was easier said than done because the majority of politicians, especially elected lawmakers, were too deeply engrossed in partisan politics.

He said they constantly stayed away from taking an independent stand on various issues merely to protect their respective party’s, not public, interests.

He said most politicians would react indifferently on party hopping depending on whether it was for or against party interests.

“But party hopping is against public interests. It’s a betrayal of the voters’ mandate,” Baljit told FMT.

Hence, he said it was time both BN and Pakatan set aside their political differences and amended the Federal Constitution to prevent party hopping among MPs and assemblymen.

“Both sides should do it before the next general election,” said Baljit, who has always been vocal against “political frogs”.

DAP supremo Karpal Singh has said the party would propose a constitutional amendment to deter party hopping by federal and state lawmakers if Pakatan were to capture Putrajaya.

Baljit said he was not surprised with Karpal’s statement since the DAP national chairman had always been consistently against party hopping.

He pointed out that PAS had also shown its clear stand against it vis-à-vis its Kelantan government’s anti-hopping law in the 1990s.

However, he is amazed with the indifferent stand taken by DAP’s “Lim Dynasty” and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim on the pressing issue.

The Lim Dynasty is a political idiom propagated by critics to portray DAP faction led by its national adviser Lim Kit Siang and, his son and secretary-general Guan Eng.

Inconsistent stand

Since the 2008 election, Baljit noted that Pakatan de facto leader Anwar and the Lims have been inconsistent on party-hopping.

He said while the Pakatan stalwarts were quick to slam those hopping from Pakatan as frogs, they have openly welcomed BN defectors.

“On the one hand, they paraded themselves as paragons of virtues. On the other, they conveniently abandon the virtues,” he said, referring to the stand taken by Anwar and Lims on recent high-profile defections from Sabah BN.

Tuaran MP Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing, Beaufort MP Lajim Ukin and Senator Maijol Mahap have all left BN and declared their support for Pakatan this month.

Baljit also recalled that the Lims’ silence was deafening when Anwar openly trumpeted the crossing over of political frogs among BN lawmakers to realise his Sept 16 dream to take over Putrajaya.

“The Lim Dynasty and Anwar must come out openly and denounce party-hopping among elected legislators.

“Karpal and PAS have stated their stands clearly, why can’t Anwar and the Lims?” he asked.

IPCMC not an option but a must

How does the IGP explain the never-ending deaths in police lock-ups and the erosion of faith in the police force?

Police chief Ismail Omar is assuring the rakyat that his “men in blue”, that is, the cops are doing a fine job while Umno goons are condemning those who keep criticising the police force.

The issue is not about the people judging the police force; rather it is the shenanigans of the police force that has forced the rakyat to question their effectiveness and why the government is so afraid of setting up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

From rapes and nude squats in police lock- ups to abuse and death of detainees in prisons, the true calling of the police force is being doubted, as the rakyat continue to read of the atrocities taking place in police cells.

Last year, Ismail asked the rakyat to come up with ideas on ways to bring the crime rate down.

He then said the 26 police initiatives under the National Key Result Area had shown some positive results, with the people themselves asking the police how they could play a role in reducing crime.

“This means they are more focused and willing to cooperate with the police for public safety,” Ismail had said.

While the people are willing to work with the police, what is the latter doing in return? How does Ismail explain the never-ending deaths in police lock-ups and the erosion of faith in the police force?

Now, another death in detention has become the talk of the town. On Aug 13, 2012, Cheah Chin Lee, 36, was pronounced dead at the Jalan Pattani Northeast police headquarters in George Town.

The post-mortem report stated that Cheah died as a result of “asphyxia due to hanging” but his family begs to differ; they are questioning why Cheah would hang himself barely five hours in detention.

The family stands firm that Cheah was mentally stable and held a permanent job, leaving Ismail to answer as to why a suspect, upon being detained, dies in the lock-up.

According to police statistics, 147 people have died in police custody between January 2000 and February 2010.

The deaths included 64 Malays while in police custody, with 30 deaths among Chinese detainees, 28 Indians, eight other races, and 14 foreigners.

With the statistics revealing the worst, dare Ismail still claim that “public safety” is the police force’s top most priority?

Atrocities by cops must stop

Even those at the very top are given to abuse, with the former IGP Rahim Noor being one. After giving former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim a black eye in 1998 , Rahim went on to say that Anwar was safe and sound in police custody.

Rahim received “support” from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad who had the audacity to suggest that Anwar’s injuries were self-inflicted.

On May 26 last year, FMT reported that a 20-year-old student, S Ganesan, claimed he was beaten up and verbally abused by the police after he knocked into a policeman’s motorcycle at a roadblock in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, in the early hours of the morning.

“The policeman kept beating me and called me ‘keling’. They also shouted at me, saying I should just die so that they can close the case,” Ganesan was quoted by FMT as saying.

The youngster was then warned not to report the matter before he was bundled into an ambulance and despatched to the Tunku Jaafar Hospital.

Last year, the police once again made news for all the wrong reasons when they forced female Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) activists who were detained to undress in the presence of male police officers.

Thirty-six of its activists were detained on June 25 this year while carrying out their “Udahlah Bersaralah” (Enough already, Retire Now) campaign in Perak, to remind Malaysians of the pitfalls of returning Barisan Nasional to power in the 13th general election.

Complaints of sexual misconduct by police were made by detainees in Kepala Batas, Penang, and Ipoh, respectively and PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan said a police officer told them they needed six months to investigate the report.

In November last year, a 39-year-old finance accountant, who had highlighted her plight of being allegedly molested by a group of 11 policemen seven years ago, found herself in the dock instead, with the charge being related to the incident that took place seven years ago.

Last year, too, the police constable who beat up a 23-year-old suspected car thief, A Kugan, while under police custody in 2009 and which left Kugan dead in custody, was let off the hook by the court.

On June 18, 2008, a cop on duty at the Putra Heights (in Subang Jaya) police station raped a 17-year-old pillion rider after detaining her boyfriend at the police station for riding the motorbike without a licence.

IPCMC is not an option

With the latest death in police custody, the federal government under the Barisan Nasional leadership has run out of excuses to avoid establishing the IPCMC.

The IPCMC is not an option but a must and it is simply a matter of time before pressure mounts on the government to put the IPCMC in place.

In 2005, a 634-page report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the police force, headed by a former judge, revealed that the police were brutal, inept and the most corrupt among the government departments.

Between 1999 and 2003, there were 5,726 formal corruption complaints involving the police force and it was recommended that the police force be monitored by an independent watchdog.

According to a non-governmental organisation, Aastivaram Foundation, between 2003 and 2007, there were 85 custodial deaths. This number excluded those who were shot dead.

“The commission is long overdue. Currently, the police themselves investigate cases of police abuse and I believe they tend to cover up such cases,” the foundation’s vice-president R Sanjeevan had informed FMT.

In the face of such revelations, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein continues to dismiss the importance of IPCMC, saying instead the commission is not welcomed as it is not helpful in resolving police abuse cases.

Has Hishammuddin not been “in touch” with the rakyat’s miseries at the hands of the police? Or is the Home Minister scared the IPCMC will uncover the long hidden dirt and scandalise the Royal Malaysian Police?

Or is there a fear too that the IPCMC will force the 205-year-old police force to re-look its motto of “Firm, Fair and Prudent” (Tegas, Adil dan Berhemah), which, after two centuries later, has yet to live up to its name?

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist

Why Malayans look down on Sabah

Daniel John Jambun
The recent report made by Rozza Rothman against people from the Peninsula insulting Sabah in Facebook postings reminds us again of the long and unceasing attitude of Malayans looking down on Sabah and Sabahans.
This is due mainly to the misconception created by the failure of the efforts of national integration and national unity made under the National Unity and Integration Department (NUID) which has been operating since 1969 (after the May 13 riots), spending hundreds of millions of ringgits trying to Malaysians in the Peninsula and those in Borneo. The Malaysian blog reported in July 2006 that “Probably 99% of Malaysians have not even heard of the very existence of the national unity and integration department. Ironically, as its name suggests, it is the one entrusted to 'integrate' and 'unite' the people and therefore should have been very familiar to the public!” the writer even commented, “"What the devil have you been doing all these years except collect your monthly pay?" The biggest problem with the NUID is plain ineptness, lack of creativy and drive, as well as the over-dominance of Peninsular officers who have the attitude that in the whole process, it is the Borneons that need to be rehabilitated from the wild, to be civilized so they can be on par with the more civilized Malayans. There is less thought about rehabilitating the Peninsular Malaysians into learning about Borneo which to them is unimportant and not even part of the real Malaysia.

Ever since the beginning people in the Peninsula had always looked upon Sabah and Sarawak as the nation’s wild side, areas covered with trees occupied by monkeys, pythons, crocodiles and even wild men living on treetops. The Facebook insults reported by Rozza included comments saying Sabahans still live on trees. In the past Peninsular teachers coming to teach in Sabah used to shop for Panadols and toothpastes in large amounts in their hometowns before they boarded the planes to Kota Kinabalu because they believed those items can’t be found here. In one TV live interview Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili was called by a girl from Penang who asked what monetary currency was used in Sabah. Sabahans coming to KL are asked, “Bila sampai Malaysia?” or worse, “When is Sabah going to join Malaysia?” I have friends who had been asked to please go ahead and enjoy the fish-head curry because “You people don’t have this in Sabah”. The list of blatant ignorance runs long and wide, proving how ignorant people are in the Peninsula. Even in the age of the Internet when surfers can easily see tens of thousands of pictures of Sabah online, they still really, really believe we live on trees.

Other the 43-year failure of the NUID, this intolerable ignorance is also caused by the timidity and cowardice of our Members of Parliament who act like wet mice in Kuala Lumpur, bowing and smiling to the Malayans as if to admit they are actually less civilized. They allow themselves to be looked down upon to curry favours. They forget that one of their duties as the representatives of Sabahans is to educate the ignorant people of the Peninsular that Sabah is a beautiful and a more peaceful place where Peninsular teachers and civil servants come to get married and settle down because of the beauty of the state.

They need to shout in parliament every now and then to remind the people there that they owe Sabah and Sarawak for the wealth and prosperity being enjoyed by them. The fine highways, airports and buildings (including the Petronas Towers) are there because of oil from the Borneo states! This is so ironic because Sabah, the producer of this precious black gold is mired in poverty, having terribly bad roads while they have four-lane highways even to gambling haven, Genting Highlands. Our MPs need to shout in Parliament, “Jangan lupa orang Sabah yang kasi makan kamu!” to shame them into recognising our contribution to their prosperity there which is like 20 years ahead of us.

I urge the police to take serious action on Rozza’s report and inform us of their progress. Soon, someone need to make a police report on the gigantic failure of the NUD, even to sue it, or at least to audit its performance and penalize it for decades of failure to unite Malaysians. It needs to explain why Malaysians today are more polarized than ever before and why it is not taking any action against those causing racial and religious disunity, especially people like Ibrahim Ali who is record for threatening to kill Christians and calling for a ban on Christians from teaching in schools. If they can’t do the job the NUID should be closed down to save precious money.

Can Chidambaram Rescue India's Battered Economy?

Chidambaram demands a free hand

(Asia Sentinel) High inflation, deficient monsoon, political infighting all get in the way for new finance minister
Faltering growth, fleeing foreign investors and the specter of global credit ratings agencies downgrading the Indian economy to junk status from the current lowest investment grade, are finally forcing the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to attempt to put its fiscal house in order.

Growth, which slumped to a nine-year low of 5.3 percent in the first quarter of 2012, was crippled further by a deficient monsoon that has whittled down agricultural output and sent food prices soaring. Persistently high inflation - 7.25 percent in June - prompted the central bank to hike interest rates to rein in prices. Meanwhile, international credit ratings agencies including Fitch and Moody's Analytics have forecast sub-6 percent growth for India in the fiscal year to end March 2013, the worst in a decade.

The uninspiring economic performance is having a corrosive political effect. An India Today-Nielsen opinion poll last week said that were an election to be held today, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance would be bested by the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Alliance.

“The government’s skewed tax policies, a debilitating policy paralysis coupled with political volatility have taken the sheen off the India growth story,” said economist and Professor K.N. Dixit of Benares Hindu University. “Not too long ago, the country was spoken of in the same breath as China. But now that global awe has vaporized.”

That the worries over a battered economy are weighing on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s mind was clear as he delivered the 65th Independence Day address on August 15 in New Delhi. The premier, the architect of India’s transformational globalization drive in the 1990’s that saw annual GDP growth touch 9 percent, dwelt on the country’s hostile political climate, which has not only soured the India growth story but also affected national security.

"If we do not increase the pace of the country's economic growth,” said Singh in his speech, “take steps to encourage new investment in the economy, improve the management of government finances and work for the livelihood security of the common man and energy security of the country, then it most certainly affects our national security."

Consistently high food inflation, corruption and policy paralysis have eroded the electorate’s confidence in the ruling political establishment. Middle-class angst has resulted in widespread support for mass agitations led by yoga guru Swami Ramdev and activist Anna Hazare.

A beleaguered Singh has been under mounting pressure to reconstitute his cabinet ahead of the 2014 general elections. His inclusion of Palaniappan Chidambaram, 67, as finance minister (after the post was vacated by Pranab Mukherjee who is now president) was part of a larger UPA game plan to help India get back on its high-growth trajectory.

A Harvard Business School alumnus, Chidambaram is known for taking bold decisions. His stint as finance minister during 2004-2008 steered India through the turbulent waters of the global financial meltdown.

Can the finance minister replicate his earlier feat? There’s no doubt that the task is a daunting one given India’s vastly altered eco-political dynamic since 2004. However, there are favorable auguries. Soon after taking over, the minister put out a statement to assuage global and domestic investors and restore their confidence. The markets also cheered his takeover with the Sensex surging and the rupee strengthening marginally against the dollar.

Chidambaram has moved expeditiously, sending out an unambiguous signal that he means business. He has fleshed out a detailed roadmap to augment the country’s investment climate and fiscal consolidation with 'honesty' and 'credibility' as its cornerstones.

The minister knows that the key to restart the growth engine is to build a more conducive investment climate, thereby attracting more capital from domestic and foreign investors. The aim, he says, “is to remove the perceived difficulties in doing business in India, including fears about undue regulatory burden or regulatory over-reach.”

The broad aim, financial analysts say, is to allay fears about the country’s economic health and assure disenchanted investors that the India growth story is still very much alive. Chidambaram has repeated that his focus will be on addressing policy deficits in four vital areas— investor confidence, inflation, widening fiscal deficit and a yawning current account deficit.

Rejuvenating key sectors such as roads, power and energy, speeding up disinvestment and resuscitating the capital markets and moderating inflation in the medium term are also a part of the minister’s strategy.

Analysts predict that while the new minister will need some time to settle in (he was until recently home minister), at least the immediate impact of an improved global perception about the Indian government’s nonchalance will be corrected.

“Chidambaram understands the larger architecture of international financial regimes and regulators. He balances old-school wisdom with an understanding of modern business and regulators,” says a finance ministry source.

But more importantly, the minister’s thinking is in consonance with his boss. “We think alike. We are on the same wavelength,” Singh recently said about Chidambaram. The duo’s convergence of ideas and thoughts will probably will certainly facilitate decision-making and help in the everyday conduct of business considering that Mukherjee who rarely saw eye-to-eye with Singh on several important economic issues.

For instance, the contentious retrospective tax on foreign companies that acquired assets in India and the General Anti-Avoidance Rules that empower tax department officials to probe past corporate deals, were cleared by Mukherjee over Singh’s reservations.

Chidambaram has acknowledged there are problems. “Price stability is an important objective. There has been pressure on prices, and inflation, especially food inflation, is high. The causes are well known…some are beyond our control, such as prices of crude oil and imported commodities, but some others can be addressed by determined action. We will take steps to remove the constraints on the supply side,” he said in his first press conference after taking over July 31.

However, there is hope that with his past record as finance minister, Chidambaram may well be the lift that a depressed Indian economy is looking for. Before taking on his current responsibility, the minister clearly told the prime minister that he would accept his new post only if he is empowered to take tough decisions. Whether or not the minister’s `tough decisions’ will translate into tangible gains for the Indian economy is something that still remains to be seen.

(Neeta Lal is a New Delhi-based journalist. She can be reached at neetalal@hotmail.com)