In Sabah Umno, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's
wife Rosmah Mansor, strangely enough, seems to be an important factor
in the battle between party vice-president Shafie Apdal and Chief
Minister…
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Pakistan gave $4m to illegal Kashmiri lobby group in Washington to snatch Kashmir, destroy India and kill the Hindus.
Chidanand Rajghatta in WASHINGTON writes for TNN on Jul 19 2011 that : “Federal
authorities on Monday arrested a prominent US-based pro-Pakistan
activist associated with the Kashmiri separatist movement,…Chidanand Rajghatta in WASHINGTON writes for TNN on Jul 19 2011 that : “Federal
authorities on Monday arrested a prominent US-based pro-Pakistan
activist associated with the Kashmiri separatist movement, accusing him
of funneling money from the Pakistani spy agency ISI to lobby US
decision-makers.
In the process, the Obama
administration’s law enforcement brigade also blew open the Pakistan and
its spy agency’s two-decade long subversion of the so-called Kashmir
cause.
The FBI swooped down on the Virginia residence of Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai,
a well-known representative of Kashmiri separatists in the US and
detained him on charges of ”participating in a long-term conspiracy to
act as agents of the Pakistani government in the United States without
disclosing their affiliation with the Pakistani government as required
by law.” Or simply put, he served as a frontman for ISI’s Kashmir
agenda.Another individual, Zaheer Ahmed, like Fai a US citizen, was also similarly charged, but he is at large and believed to be in Pakistan, according to US authorities.
Fai has been a familiar
and prominent figure in Washington DC for nearly two decades, lobbying
Kashmiri separatist cause as executive director of the Kashmiri-American Council (KAC) and dallying with senators and congressmen. US authorities now say the KAC was just an ISI front, funded by Pakistan’s spy agency.
The FBI affidavit alleges that, although
the KAC held itself out to be a Kashmiri organization run by Kashmiris
and financed by Americans, ”it is one of three ‘Kashmir Centers’ that
are actually run by elements of the Pakistani government, including
ISI.” The two other Kashmir Centers are in London, England, and Brussels, Belgium.
According to the affidavit, a
confidential witness told investigators that he participated in a scheme
to obscure the origin of money transferred by Pakistan’s ISI to Fai to
use as a lobbyist for the KAC in furtherance of Pakistani government
interests. The witness explained that the money was transferred to Fai
through Ahmad, an American living in Pakistan.
A second confidential witness told
investigators that the ”ISI created the KAC to propagandize on behalf of
the government of Pakistan with the goal of uniting Kashmir.” This
witness said ”ISI’s sponsorship and control of KAC were secret and that
ISI had been directing Fai’s activities for the past 25 years.””
Now it
is detected that Pakistan gave $4m to illegal Kashmiri lobby group in
Washington during these years. And FBI arrested the chair of “Kashmiri
American Council”, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai for working as unregistered ISI
agent for two decades in US. But this is not an uncommon unrevealing in
US or the other parts in present day world. Islamic money is very much
proactive to finish the unbelievers whether a Christian, Hindu,
Buddhits, an Quadiyani or anybody else Islam projects a Kaffir to be
killed.
This
promptness of FBI or other top US intelligence wing is really a name of
indulgence of running many fanatic and sophisticated Islamic
institutions in American soil rising huge funds for Radical Islam in the
name of Islamophobia in US or the Rights of Muslims in America.
Embarrassing enough that the Islamists run terror training camps in the
soil of America against everybody. It is obvious that the video under
must capture the attention of everybody.
See the Islamic Terrorist Training Camp in America.
God knows the Truth..
Actually,
the Islamic lobby whether it is Arab, Palestine, Pakistan or anybody
invests for the liberation for Kashmir or the dangerous Jihadi Blasts in
India or for the network of Indian Mujaheedin or Harkat-ul-Hindustan,
they only want killing field (Dar-ul-harb) in India to finish all Hindu
Kaffirs to liberate Hindustan as a Dar-ul-Islam, a new Mughlistan or
Arbistan or an Islamic name per their choice.
Labels:
India
Rosmah factor in Sabah Umno
In Sabah Umno, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's
wife Rosmah Mansor, strangely enough, seems to be an important factor
in the battle between party vice-president Shafie Apdal and Chief
Minister Musa Aman.
TAWAU:
Umno president Najib Tun Razak is a worried man and much afraid of his
own shadow and, if rumours are to be believed, his wife’s clout within
the party.Within Umno there are three groups of “intelligentsia” – two official and one unofficial. Each group has been turning out their own reports.
But of interest to Sabah is the group which believes that in order for Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) to become a “better and reformed” party, it should be “dethroned” first.
“A dethroned Umno and BN can make a stronger comeback in the 14th general election… There will be better unity and appreciation of each other,” said a veteran Umno insider.
According to the veteran insider, Najib too is “very much aware” of this view and secretly shares this opinion.
“That’s why he (Najib) openly said in his (Umno assembly) speech that he will defend Putrajaya ‘at any price’. He said it twice.
“He has given many hints of his views. Even last week he admitted that ‘normally a political party too long in power would not do self-introspection’.
“In other words, he is saying that a party (read Umno) takes for granted it would be in power forever, and thus arrogance would bring it down finally,” he said.
It is also now an open secret that opposition Pakatan Rakyat has consolidated its presence in Sarawak and is “convinced” of raking in eight MP seats.
Pakatan is also said to be optimistic of its chances in another five seats, making it a challenge for BN to maintain its grip on Sarawak’s 31 MP seats.
But Sabah is another story. Sabah lost two seats – Tawau and Kota Kinabalu – to the opposition in the 2008 general election.
Together, Sabah and Sarawak contribute 57 parliamentary seats (including one in Labuan), a crucial number that can tip the balance of power in the peninsula when the country goes to the national polls.
Malaysia has a total of 222 parliamentary seats, and it practises “first-pass-the-pole” system whereby a government can be formed once a simple majority in Parliament is attained.
Najib’s men
Although the 13th general election is not due until March 2013, signs are there that it could be held sooner.
Here the Election Commission (EC) has already begun appointing its polling district heads who are mostly school headmasters or principals in the state.
According to political observers in Tawau, the central BN leadership is confident it would not lose more than three of the 25 MP seats in Sabah.
But Sabah BN is a little more cautious. It sees a 50:50 chance in six seats – Sandakan, Penampang, Kota Belud, Pensiangan, Kota Marudu and Beluran.
Pressure is mounting on BN to win in Tawau, Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu, all Chinese-majority towns.
Reading between the lines of Najib’s many moves, an observer here said the prime minister had sent his own team to evaluate the situation in Tawau.
“Umno intelligence reports aside, Najib is sending his own trusted men to Sabah to do BN’s own analyses of its ground strength.
“He has sent Parliament Speaker, Pandikar Amin Mulia, to Sabah (for this purppose).
“Pandikar was in Tawau a few days ago to gauge the situation in Tawau alone.
“The prime minister does not want to rely on just Umno’s intelligence reports. It’s not because he refuses to believe them, but he simply wants a second or third opinion on BN’s real strength in Sabah.
“There’s an idea to get Sabah to hold its state election ahead of the general election as a way to gauge BN and Pakatan strength.
“But a faction within Umno is against such a psyche-war,” a local Umno source said.
The source believes Pandikar and Umno vice-president Shafie Apdal are working together to ensure Sabah retains the 25 MP seats, thus gifting Najib with the “fixed deposit” which is guaranteed to allow BN to “retain Putrajaya at all cost”.
Rosmah factor
State opposition DAP chief Jimmy Wong is also of the opinion that Najib wants Shafie, who is rumoured to be chief-minister-in-waiting, to lead the battle for the state.
It is a known fact here that Najib wants Shafie to be Sabah chief minister, replacing Musa Aman.
“There are two Umno camps here. One is the Najib-Shafie camp and other is Musa-Rosmah.
“Najib wants Shafie to be chief minister but Rosmah needs Musa on the seat, ” he said.
Wong’s comment seem to confirm widespread rumours here and in the peninsula that Rosmah, through her nominees, is in business with Musa-linked associates in the plantation and the quick-money spinning timber industry.
Rumours circulating the political circles here are that recent disclosures of Rosmah’s jewelled indulgences are allegedly linked to commissions she is allegedly receiving abroad.
Sabah is facing a serious shortage of round logs which the state, through its agencies, exports abroad. Round logs which are exported do not pay the state government royalties.
It is understood that payments for the logs are not remitted to Sabah but instead paid in a third country, such as Hong Kong.
A local sawmill operator told FMT earlier this week that it was puzzling why the state government was refusing to sell round logs to locals who were prepared to pay the same price as foreign buyers. The state government’s adamant stand has brought the industry to an almost standstill since early this year.
Wong threw some light on this matter when he said that there was the “above-board price and what was actually paid”.
“I am sure the buyers abroad are paying a lower price. Until now, the state has not declared how many logs it sells and how much is actually earned.
“Strange but in the last three years, state earnings from timber have been dropping considerably,” he said.
‘Sewa Undi’
Back to politics, Wong said that in Sabah, Musa and Umno “can do anything they want”.
“BN knows it will be difficult in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia this time.
“Here it is a one-man show. In the past 30 years , Umno-BN has done a lot of damage. It will be difficult to change the situation overnight,” he said.
Wong, who is Sri Tanjung state assemblyman, believes thtat to unseat the opposition-held parliamentary seats in Tawau and Kota Kinabalu and his own Sri Tanjung, Umno-BN would need to beef up its voter strength in these areas.
“They are already doing this by gerrymandering the electoral lines. They are downsizing big Chinese areas and leaving big Umno areas alone.
“They will also use the ‘sewa undi’ strategy.
“This is for the illegals here. Umno is holding them for ransom. It was doing this before… now with the amnesty programme, Umno will have acquired all the details it needs from more illegals.
“Then the party makes the MyKads and ‘sewa’ (rent) to them to ‘undi’ (vote). This is what happened even in the last election.
“We have proof of the many frauds but the EC is not interested in fairness, which is what Bersih 20 is asking.
“Clean the electoral lists of dead people and stop the gerrymandering,” said Chong.
Marginal wins
Meanwhile, a local activist told FMT that his informant in the National Registration Department (NRD) had revealed that the department had been directed by Putrajaya to ensure that 40,000 illegals in Sabah are issued MyKads.
“The informant told me last year about the directive from Putrajaya. So far they have managed to register 20,000 because the NRD is selective.
“NRD will only give it to the uneducated illegals. A friend who is Muslim and has some education was told that he cannot get a MyKad because he spoke English,” he said, adding that it was obvious that the government was only interested in the illiterate aliens and those who will not ask “too many questions”.
Another Umno source who is aware of this “operation” said that the 20,000 “new” voters would be placed in areas where BN saw marginal wins in Sabah.
“The voters will fill up areas which BN is unsure of. There are at least five other constituencies which are borderlines for BN,” he said.
‘Bourdon deported because he knew too much’
Nurul Izzah Anwar alleges that French lawyer Bourdon
was deported because he may have had crucial information linking Najib
to the Scorpene deal.
PETALING
JAYA: Was French human rights lawyer…
Nurul Izzah Anwar alleges that French lawyer Bourdon
was deported because he may have had crucial information linking Najib
to the Scorpene deal.
PETALING
JAYA: Was French human rights lawyer William Bourdon deported because
he knew too much?. That’s what PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar
thinks.She claims that Bourdon may have had access to crucial documents that may link Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the controversial Scorpene submarine purchases.
“But the French court will provide public access to the investigation papers when the case goes on trial in September,” claimed Nurul at the Ops Scorpene fund raising dinner in Petaling Jaya yesterday.
The dinner, attended by nearly 500 guests, was hosted by Nurul’s aide, Fahmi Fadzil.
Yesterday, Bourdon, who was tasked to investigate corruption involving the submarine purchases, was detained at KLIA at 11.40am by the immigration officials when his flight arrived from Penang.
Subsequently, Bourdon was served a deportation order for violating the terms of his social visit pass and left the country at about 11pm.
Bourdon was supposed to be one of the speakers at the fund raising event yesterday.
Nurul, who is also Lembah Pantai MP, thanked Bourdon for his courage in taking up the case on behalf of Suaram to investigate the mystery involving the submarine deal.
“He is a well known personality worldwide yet he was kicked out of the country dishonorably,” she said.
Fellow PKR vice president, Tian Chua reminded the guests at the dinner on how the Scorpene deal was also linked to the gruesome murder of Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaaribu.
Chua said that recently Kelana Jaya MP Low Gwo Burne went to Mongolia and subsequently met the Altantuya’s father, Dr Setev Shaaribu.
In his visit, Chua said, Low was told by Shaaribu that his daughter’s ashes still remain in a Malaysian court as the case, in theory, is still unsolved.
“We may feel sympathy for his family but also remember that our tax money was used to finance the Scorpene deal,” he said.
In 2006, Altantuya’s remains were found in a secluded area in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. Police investigation found that she was shot twice before her body was blown up using C-4 explosives.
She was said to be working as a translator for Perimekar Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Najib’s aide Abdul Razak Baginda, which was the company that sealed the deal on the two Scorpene submarines for Malaysia.
The multi-billion ringgit deal, which was inked in 2002 during Najib’s tenure as defense minister, was reported to have involved kickbacks worth RM500 million.
Subsequently, Abdul Razak was charged for abetting her murder in July 2008 but was acquitted about two months later. The prosecution team decided not to appeal against his acquittal.
Also present at the dinner yesterday were DAP publicity chief Tony Pua, Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah, PKR supreme council member Latheefa Koya and Suaram director Kua Kia Soong.
Labels:
Scorpene
Pay up RM210 or no MyKad
A grandmother waited patiently for 39 years for
her MyKad but when she finally went to collect her card she was told
she had to pay for it.
By Athi…
A grandmother waited patiently for 39 years for
her MyKad but when she finally went to collect her card she was told
she had to pay for it.
By Athi Sankar, PERMATANG PAUH: A 51-year- old grandmother had waited patiently for 39 years for her identity card.Earlier, this week she thought her long wait was over, when she received a call from the Penang office of National Registration Department (NRD) to come and collect her MyKad.
But when M Menachi went to collect her MyKad on Wednesday , she was in for a rude a shock. She was told she had to pay RM210 ro collect her card.
“The person at the counter told me that I can’t collect my MyKad without paying,” said Menachi.
The poor kitchen helper did not have money and had to go home without her MyKad.
Menachi informed the human rights NGO, Hindraf Makkal Sakti advisor N Ganesan who called up NRD office to inquire about the payment.
He was told by a women officer, known as Junaidah, that Menachi had not been required to pay RM210.
Instead, the officer claimed that Menachi was merely told to bring a support letter from her village head when collecting the MyKad.
“The counter officer asked for money, not penghulu’s letter.It was a lie,” insisted Menachi, a Hindu widow to a Muslim husband, Jamal, who passed away in 2009.
This is not the first time that Menachi had a run in with the authorities.
“It’s a curse to be stateless poor Indians in this country,” she told FMT.
The late Jamal and Menachi have three sons and two daughters, now aged 20 to 30.
Her three boys, Kamal, Aziz and Jasmin, did not face any difficulty obtaining birth certificates and identity cards because they were carrying Muslim names.
However, her two Hindu daughters, Santi and Mala, were not issued citizenship documents.
According to Menachi, NRD officers have always insisted that she and her daughters convert to Islam to enable them to btain the documents without anymore constraints.
“NRD denied our legitimate rights simply because we refused to convert to Islam,” she said.
Because of the conversion issue, Santi, 30, could not even legally register her marriage with construction worker, V Shivamoorthy, 34 in Aug 2004.
Subsequently Santi’s three children – Nisantini,6, Karthikesan, 5, and Eswaran, 4, were also denied birth certificates initially.
She first sought help of local MIC leaders. But she claimed instead of helping her, the so-called community leaders ‘advised’ her to convert to solve all her problems.
Menachi then sought the help of Hindraf ground volunteers, who then re-submitted official applications supported by some legal documents, to obtain the citizen documents for her and her children.
Finally a month ago, Santi and Mala received their birth certificates and MyKads.
Santi’s children too obtained their birth certificates, leaving Menachi the only one without her MyKad.
Ganesan has donated RM210 for Menachi’s MyKad and she will go to the NRD office next week hoping to collect her card.
Citing Menachi case as mere a tip of the iceberg, Ganesan said the government’s MyDaftar campaign, which was supposedly to resolve ethnic Indians stateless problems is not working at all.
He described the campaign as mere wayang kulit (shadow play) . He blamed UMNO’s for the plight of the stateless Indians
He said UMNO agenda was to treat ethnic Indians as “immigrants” and deny them, especially the poor, any citizenship rights .
Labels:
NRIC
Kuli to lead the Third Force? Against UMNO?
That’s the IGP looking out at the BERSIH 2.0 rally on 9th July, through a keyhole.
That’s why he is reported to have said that there were only 6,000 Malaysians…
That’s the IGP looking out at the BERSIH 2.0 rally on 9th July, through a keyhole.
That’s why he is reported to have said that there were only 6,000 Malaysians rallying out there that day.
Those of us who were out there on 709 saw something else.
Some online media reported the numbers as being approximately 50,000.
BBC, it seems, counted the crowd as numbering in the region of 120,000.
Blogger buddy Hawkeye calculates the numbers rallying on 709 as being in excess of 200,000.
Whatever the actual numbers, as RPK said 5 days after the rally, “On 9th July 2011, what we saw was The Third Force in action. This was not about ‘three-corner fights’. This was about taking back power from the politicians and transferring it into the hands of the rakyat.
Never mind whether 6,000 people came out that day (as what the police says), or 20,000 people (as what the mainstream media says), or 50,000 people (as what some say), or 200,000 people (as what others say), or whatever. The numbers are not as important as the fact that the rakyat demonstrated their will to come out to show their unhappiness and to send a strong message to the powers-that-be that changes must happen and resistance is futile.
The rakyat has ‘tasted blood’, that day on 9th July 2011. And there is no turning back the clock. Bersih has taught the rakyat the meaning of The Third Force. The rakyat now understands that united they can force changes. And the rakyat is going to continue to force changes and anyone who stands in the way of the rakyat is going to be swept aside”.
MCLM acknowledges each of you who were out there rallying peacefully on 709 as a forcto be reckoned with in your own right.
You are the Third Force.
If any of you who were in the rally see me anywhere, come up to me and say, “Bro, I was there on 709″, I will present to you this badge of honour
as a little token of acknowledgement from RPK and I that you are part of the Third Force.
In his post that I just referred to, RPK concluded the same with the following :
“We hope, now, the meaning of The Third Force becomes clearer. And the newly crowned leader of this Third Force is Ambiga Sreenevasan. She may be a reluctant leader. Maybe she did not plan to emerge as its leader. However, like it or not, she is now the leader of Malaysia’s Third Force.
Now I hope you understand what we mean when we talk about The Third Force”.
The coming days and weeks will reveal if indeed Ambiga has arrived to lead the Third Force.
Yesterday, Kuli launched his Angkatan Amanah Merdeka, or Amanah, for short.
I was invited to attend the launch, to lend support for this latest effort by Kuli and several other leaders, past and present.
However, the event clashed with the scheduled hearing of the habeas corpus application of the EO6.
I am very clear about the cause of the EO6, and it is one very close to my heart.
I cannot yet say the same of Kuli’s Amanah.
In the result, I ended up in Mahkamah Tinggi Jenayah 1, rather than at the Tunku Andul Rahman Memorial Centre.
FreeMalaysiaToday’s Syed Jamal Zahiid, who was at the launch, reports that Kuli “hinted” that Amanah ‘could possibly be the catalyst to a rising third force’.
Amanah the catalyst to a rising third force?
Quite clearly, Kuli and his fellow Amanites were not there at the rally on 709 to witness first hand that the Third Force had already arisen, and needed no further catalyst from anyone.
Syed Jamal reports that in an inspiring speech, Kuli ‘called on the silent majority to voice their discontent against “rife corruption, cronyism and racial crisis” ‘.
With the greatest of respect to Kuli, that inspiring speech has come a little late.
Some 13 days before, on 709, the Third Force, long silent, rose and were heard, above the din of roaring water cannon trucks, sirens and tear gas shots.
Does Kuli now offer to lead this Third Force?
If so, where to?
The rehabilitation of this nation, or to rehabilitate UMNO?
If the former, Kuli must fully realise that the Third Force sees UMNO as the most evil scourge this nation has had to endure, and he must take the first bold step of severing all ties with the party if he is to offer us his leadership.
If, however, the Kelantan prince persists in his past hopes of rehabilitating UMNO from within, but this time through the vehicle of Amanah, he should ready himself to face the Third Force, rather than lead it.
I, and so many more amongst the Third Force, wait with bated breath, to see where Kuli will go with his Amanah.
Labels:
Ku Li
Seventeen dead in Norway bomb and gun attack
Rescue workers work at the scene of a powerful explosion that rocked central Oslo July 22, 2011. A huge explosion damaged government buildings in central Oslo on Friday including Prime…
Rescue workers work at the scene of a powerful explosion that rocked central Oslo July 22, 2011. A huge explosion damaged government buildings in central Oslo on Friday including Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg's office, injuring several people, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Berit Roald/ScanpixBy Walter Gibbs and Alister Doyle
OSLO, July 23 (Reuters) - A bomb ripped through Oslo's central government district on Friday and a gunman dressed as a policeman then opened fire at a youth camp on a nearby island, killing at least 17 people altogether.
In the biggest attack in western Europe since the 2005 London transport bombings, seven died when the bomb exploded in the Norwegian capital in mid-afternoon scattering glass, shattered masonry and twisted steel across the streets.
Shortly afterwards, a gunman opened fire at the youth camp of the ruling political party on Utoeya island, north-west of Oslo. Police said at least 10 were shot dead as they fled shooting on the small, wooded island. The island was evacuated and police found undetonated explosives.
"I saw young people running around, jumping into the water," Kristine Melby, who lives across the narrow channel on the Norwegian mainland, told Al Jazeera television. "We heard people screaming."
The gunman, a 32-year-old Norwegian citizen, was held by police. The double attack bore some hallmarks of al Qaeda but analysts suggested right-wing militants might also be responsible.
"I have a message to the one who attacked us and those who were behind this," Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said in a televised news conference. "No one will bomb us to silence, no one will shoot us to silence."
The bomb, which shook the city centre at around 3:30 p.m. (1330 GMT), blew out the windows of the Prime Minister's building and damaged the finance and oil ministry buildings.
"People ran in panic," said bystander Kjersti Vedun.
With police advising people to evacuate central Oslo, apparently in fear of more attacks, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told Norwegian TV2 television in a phone call that the situation was "very serious". He said that police had told him not to say where he was speaking from.
"This is a terror attack. It is the most violent event to strike Norway since World War Two," said Geir Bekkevold, an opposition parliamentarian for the Christian Peoples Party.
A Reuters witness saw soldiers taking up positions in Oslo shortly after the bombing.
The gunman, described by a police official as tall and blond, was reported by Norwegian media to have taken advantage of the confusion caused by the bombing to attack the summer camp of Stoltenberg's Labour party youth section.
"There was a lot of shooting ... We hid under a bed. It was very terrifying," a young woman at the camp told British Sky television.
NO CLUES YET FROM DETAINED MAN
NUPI political think tank Senior Research Fellow Jakub Godzimirski said he suspected a right-winger more than a militant Islamist attack. Right wing groups have grown up around the issue of immigration in Norway.
"It would be very odd for Islamists to have a local political angle. The attack on the Labour youth meeting suggests it's something else. If Islamists wanted to attack, they could have set off a bomb in a nearby shopping mall rather than a remote island."
Deputy Oslo police chief Sveining Sponheim told reporters that the gunman in the Utoeya shootings had been disguised in a blue police-style uniform but had never been a police officer.
He said that the police also believed that the man may have been involved in both the Oslo bombing and the shootings. So far, the detained man had not said anything to the police.
NATO member Norway has been the target of threats before over its involvement in conflicts in Afghanistan and Libya.
The attack came just over a year after three men were arrested on suspicion of having links to al Qaeda and planning to attack targets in Norway. It also came less than three months after U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden in a raid on his hideout in Pakistan.
Violence or the threat of it has already come to the other Nordic states: a botched bomb attack took place in the Swedish capital Stockholm last December and the bomber was killed.
Denmark has received repeated threats after a newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in late 2005, angering Muslims worldwide.
In Oslo, the building of a publisher which recently put out a translation of a Danish book on the cartoon controversy was also affected, but was apparently not the target.
Police have been on the alert for complex gun-and-bomb attacks on European cities since the assault by 10 gunmen on India's financial capital Mumbai in November 2008 which killed 166 people. The Oslo attacks, though hitting two targets, were not simultaneous and the delay between them left open the possibility of a single perpetrator.
Madrid suffered an Islamist militant bomb attack on commuter trains in 2004 that killed 191 people. Four suicide bombers killed 52 people in an attack on London's transport system in 2005.
The Oslo district attacked is the very heart of power in Norway. Nevertheless, security is not tight in a country unused to such violence and better known for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize and mediating in conflicts, including the Middle East and Sri Lanka.
The Reuters correspondent said the streets had been fairly quiet in mid-afternoon on a Friday in high summer, when many Oslo residents take vacation or leave for weekend breaks.
The failed December attack in Stockholm was by a Muslim man who grew up in Sweden but said he had been angered by Sweden's involvement in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan and the Prophet Mohammad cartoons.
That attack was followed weeks later by the arrest in Denmark of five men for allegedly planning to attack the newspaper which first ran the Mohammad cartoons.
In July 2010, Norwegian police arrested three men for an alleged plot to organise at least one attack on Norwegian targets and said they were linked to individuals investigated in the United States and Britain.
© REUTERS 2011
Labels:
terrorist
Man who had relationship with primary-school girl jailed for 10 years
A MAN who claimed it was culturally
acceptable for him to have a sexual relationship with a primary-school
child who later bore him a son will spend up to 10…
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More ▼
A MAN who claimed it was culturally
acceptable for him to have a sexual relationship with a primary-school
child who later bore him a son will spend up to 10 years in jail.
The 31-year-old, now classified as a pedophile, had claimed his cultural background meant age was not a relevant factor in choosing a wife or sexual partner, the County Court in Melbourne heard.
But in sentencing the man, who migrated as a refugee from a north-Asian country, Judge Lisa Hannan said his continued sexual relationship with the girl - from the age of eight until she fell pregnant - was repulsive and defied morality.
The court heard the man, who was married to an adult at the time of the offending and already had a child, had an IQ in the bottom 5 per cent for his age group.
"Your conduct is abhorrent to anyone with even a shred of decency or moral compass,'' Judge Hannan said.
"Whether or not it may or might have been acceptable in any culture in any part of the world is irrelevant.''
The court heard the man, who pleaded guilty to charges of persistent sexual abuse of a minor and child stealing, had told authorities in his cultural background "there were no restrictions on age'' for a relationship.
But Judge Hannan said the man knew he was breaking Australian law, that he initially lied about having sex with the child and attempted to procure an abortion before a baby was born in 2010.
"You knew what you were doing was wrong,'' the judge said.
Judge Hannan, in setting a seven-year minimum, said his "disgraceful desires'' had "robbed her of her childhood''.
Judge Hannan also disputed the extent of the man's remorse, noting he continued to try to justify his relationship with her - including saying he loved her "for real''.
"I do not think you are truly remorseful ... indeed you still seek to justify it.''
▲
The 31-year-old, now classified as a pedophile, had claimed his cultural background meant age was not a relevant factor in choosing a wife or sexual partner, the County Court in Melbourne heard.
But in sentencing the man, who migrated as a refugee from a north-Asian country, Judge Lisa Hannan said his continued sexual relationship with the girl - from the age of eight until she fell pregnant - was repulsive and defied morality.
The court heard the man, who was married to an adult at the time of the offending and already had a child, had an IQ in the bottom 5 per cent for his age group.
"Your conduct is abhorrent to anyone with even a shred of decency or moral compass,'' Judge Hannan said.
"Whether or not it may or might have been acceptable in any culture in any part of the world is irrelevant.''
The court heard the man, who pleaded guilty to charges of persistent sexual abuse of a minor and child stealing, had told authorities in his cultural background "there were no restrictions on age'' for a relationship.
But Judge Hannan said the man knew he was breaking Australian law, that he initially lied about having sex with the child and attempted to procure an abortion before a baby was born in 2010.
"You knew what you were doing was wrong,'' the judge said.
Judge Hannan, in setting a seven-year minimum, said his "disgraceful desires'' had "robbed her of her childhood''.
Judge Hannan also disputed the extent of the man's remorse, noting he continued to try to justify his relationship with her - including saying he loved her "for real''.
"I do not think you are truly remorseful ... indeed you still seek to justify it.''
‘Under pressure’ Najib cancels family vacation
The premier cancels a family vacation because he
wants to spend more time with Malaysians, signalling that all may not be
well in Putrajaya.
SEPANG:
The Malaysian political landscape is…
The premier cancels a family vacation because he
wants to spend more time with Malaysians, signalling that all may not be
well in Putrajaya.
SEPANG:
The Malaysian political landscape is experiencing a series of tremors
and with numerous conspiracy theories and speculations being churned
out, some predict that an earthquake is imminent.As for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, things started to roll downhill since July 9, when tens of thousands of Malaysians took to the streets to push for free and fair elections.
Observers claimed that the nation’s sixth premier, who had vowed to recapture Barisan Nasional’s glory following its 2008 electoral bruising, is now under tremendous pressure, and it is not coming from the opposition alone.
Speculation is rife that the daggers are out for Najib in Umno itself, and adding to the woes is the party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s newly launched outfit, Angkatan Amanah Rakyat, whose true objectives remain vague.
The iron-fist response towards the Bersih 2.0 rally soiled Najib’s image both here and abroad, and under this cloud of political gloom, the premier returned home this morning following a working visit to three countries, which also saw him visiting the Vatican.
When he touched down at KLIA, Najib added more coal to the burning speculation that all was not well in Putrajaya when he revealed that he had cancelled a family holiday to be with the people.
“I told my family I felt that I should return to Malaysia and that I was prepared to forgo the holiday for the sake of Malaysians back home,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
According to the national news agency, Najib was greeted by some 3,000 people, including his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and his cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.
There was also a banner unfurled at the airport bearing the signatures of “1.2 million Malaysians” backing his leadership. The campaign was initiated by the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma), an associate member of Umno.
‘They want to topple the government’
Najib said he informed Muhyiddin that it was important that both of them and the other ministers as well to go down to the ground to meet the people.
“We have to meet the people. We have to tell them that they can depend on the Barisan Nasional government, that BN is their best choice,” he said.
Najib also thanked his wife Rosmah Mansor and their children for understanding the need to cancel the holiday.
Meanwhile, another report quoted the prime minister of reiterating his charge that Bersih 2.0 was attempting to topple his government through street rallies under the guise of calling for electoral reforms.
Dismissing the claim that the Election Comission tips the scales in BN’s favour during polls, Najib said: “We have never cheated in an election.”
According to him, the rallies were not about reforms but rather to create the impression that his administration was autocratic.
Labels:
Najib
90 groups demand release of EO6
A group of about 200 people gathered outside the
federal police headquarters demanding that the six detained PSM leaders
be released.
VIDEO INSIDE
KUALA LUMPUR: “Free them now! Free the…
A group of about 200 people gathered outside the
federal police headquarters demanding that the six detained PSM leaders
be released.
VIDEO INSIDE
KUALA LUMPUR: “Free them now! Free the detainees! Abolish the Emergency Ordinance!,” they shouted.A few hundred people gathered outside the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters here after Friday prayers today demanding the unconditional release of six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members who are being detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO), which allows for detention without trial.
The group representing some 90 groups started gathering at 2.30pm and was led by PSM, which handed over a memorandum to the police.
“We feel that this constitutes political robbery. We are being blacklisted as human beings by the authorities,” PSM president Dr Nasir Hashim said.
“There should no longer be any considerations, release them now. We are proud to be gathering here today as we want them to know that the power of the people decides things. We pay taxes and we vote.
This is unfortunate. Bersih rally is over, why detain them?” asked Hashim on a loud-hailer to a cheering crowd.
The police, who stood a distance away, showed noticeable restraint and allowed the group of about 200 or so to gather with banners condemning the police for more than an hour.
Police also moved the crowd to a shaded area at the sidewalk and monitored the crowd silently.Addressing the crowd, PKR vice-president Tian Chua said the government is still dozing as it failed to realise it is not relevant anymore.
“This is the time of the rise of the rakyat. We will not stop here. If this memorandum is ignored, we will return in bigger numbers!” he said.
“This (protest) is not just for the six detained under the EO but to free our people, our rakyat, from the clutches of cruelty,” he added.
Earlier today, a habaes corpus application asking for the release of the six was postponed by the High Court to August.
PAS leader Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the people today are “forced to gather to protest”.
“They (six detainees) have been detained for 12 days for supposedly waging war against the King. “But we all know it is about Bersih 2.0, which actually wants to clean everything dirty in the country. We don’t want to see our country continuing with such draconian and feudal laws.”
Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo questioned why the EO was still being used when the nation was obviously not in a state of emergency.
“According to the minister and police, we are still in emergency. Do we see communist coming here?”
“We will fight. This is a warning to the government. Don’t play with the people, we can determine who is the government,” said Gobind.
Women’s Aid Organisation leader Ivy Josiah said the people were not fooled by the arrest.
“You are not fooling us. For over 30 years they have been activists. They are good people… why are they in jail? EO is a lazy law when they can’t investigate properly,” said Josiah.
Activist Thasleem Mohamed Ibrahim said he challenged the police to bring three religious leaders and he would bring his scholars as he could prove that police action was “illegal according to Islamic statutes”.
The memorandum was handed over to public relation officer DSP Lai Lee Ching .
Previously several memorandums had been sent to the government pressuring for the release of the six detainees.
Other efforts include daily candlelight vigils, lodging mass police reports and a signature drive.
Thirty PSM members were arrested on June 26 and remanded on suspicion of waging war against the King. After the expiry of a seven-day remand period on July 2, the six were detained without trial under the EO.
The PSM EO6, as they are now known, are Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar, PSM deputy president M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan.
The six were part of a group of 30 PSM activists who were arrested at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in Kepala Batas, Penang, while on their nationwide roadshow to call the rakyat to vote for change.
Labels:
Emergency Ordinan,
PSM
Scorpene scandal: ‘Truth to surface soon’
French lawyer William Bourdon says corruption related
to the submarine deal will be exposed when a judge is picked in
September to hear the case.
By Athi Sankar - FMT…
French lawyer William Bourdon says corruption related
to the submarine deal will be exposed when a judge is picked in
September to hear the case.
By Athi Sankar - FMT
GEORGE
TOWN: The French investigative judge who will hear the case into the
Scorpene submarine scandal will be picked in September and the truth
will be exposed, said prominent human rights lawyer William Bourdon.The Frenchman said he would then have smooth access to scrutinise all documents and interview major witnesses pertaining to the submarine deal between Malaysia and France.
“I would be able to disclose more information on the case and identify those involved,” he said after a speech at Suaram’s fundraiser dubbed “Ops Scorpene” in Bayan Baru here last night.
Suaram filed a case against French naval defence giant DCNS in 2009 over irregularities in the Scorpene deal between Malaysia and France.
Bourdon, who has been providing pro bono services for Suaram in the case, said currently he had limited access to relevant information, documents and witnesses.
Under the French justice system, an investigative judge has the power to perform both as a judge and investigating prosecutor.
All relevant papers on the submarine deal between France and Malaysia are with the court now and only an investigative judge can allow the documents for public access.
Bourdon said when the case goes to open trial, all documents and contracts will be made public and witnesses, including Malaysian officials, can be subpoenaed.
The Scorpene scandal involves commissions amounting to 114.96 million euros (RM574.8 million) paid to Malaysian consulting company Perimekar Sdn Bhd.
A French prosecution probe revealed another 30 million euros (RM150 million) paid to DCNS’ commercial network Thales and another 2.5 million euros (RM7.5 million) paid to an unknown recipient.
Perimekar is a subsidiary of KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, of which the major shareholder is the wife of Abdul Razak Baginda, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s close confidante who was charged with and acquitted of the murder of translator Altantuya Shariibuu.
Social responsibility
Last night’s dinner kick-started Suaram’s “Ops Scorpene” fundraising events. “Ops Scorpene” is a awareness campaign to pursue the case in French courts as a matter of national interest.
Bourdon and his team of lawyers at Sherpa, a non-profit organisation
he founded in 2001, focus on improving legal tools to promote corporate
social responsibility.He specialises in the defence of human rights and victims of crimes against humanity.
Bourdon hinted that the “Ops Scorpene” investigation can take years depending on the access to information, documentation and cooperation to be extended by the Malaysian authorities.
He hopes Paris and Kuala Lumpur would cement close working ties, once the investigative judge had been appointed, to expedite his investigation.
He hopes that the Malaysian authorities would cooperate with his investigations. No matter how long it takes, Bourdon is convinced that the case would finally see the light.
“In the end, the truth will be known and exposed. Justice will prevail,” said Bourdon, who declined to deliberate much about his probe thus far.
Suaram board director Cynthia Gabriel, PKR’s Batu parliamentarian Tian Chua, DAP veteran MP Lim Kit Siang and PAS deputy president Mohamed Sabu all spoke at the dinner last night.
Labels:
Scorpene
Wikileaks: US envoy says Umno abused security laws, institutions
The
leaked cable said that “in good times Umno can maintain control by
distributing power and money to get what it wants (but) in bad times, it
uses the stick.”…
The
leaked cable said that “in good times Umno can maintain control by
distributing power and money to get what it wants (but) in bad times, it
uses the stick.” — Reuters file pic
US ambassador James R. Keith said in a leaked cable, released by whistleblower site WikiLeaks through the Malaysia Today news portal that “in good times Umno can maintain control by distributing power and money to get what it wants (but) in bad times, it uses the stick, and for now that means intimidation.”
The document, signed by the US ambassador at the time, charged that Umno “controlled” security institutions like the military and the police by appointing “party stalwarts” to head these institutions. The cable said that while the army would remain “loyal” to legitimate leadership, the police, on the other hand, took direct orders from Umno.
“Umno leaders, united behind but also in a sense using Prime Minister (Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, have made it clear that they are willing to blacken Malaysia’s reputation to ensure the end to opposition leader (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim’s political challenge,” said the cable in reference to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leader’s on-going sodomy trial where he was charged with sodomising an ex-aide on June 26, 2008.
“The ruling elite maintains control over the security apparatus through party stalwarts who run the security institutions, mainly the police but also the military. We believe the military will remain loyal to legitimate leadership and is not a likely tool to overturn an elected, royally-approved and Malay-led government from either the ruling or opposition side. The police, on the other hand, follow orders from the ruling party.
The
document also stated that the government had “failed” to convince the
majority of Malaysians that Anwar’s sodomy trial was not
politically-motivated. — file pic
The cable added that Umno defined national security as a means to protect the party’s “superiority” and to ensure that the opposition cannot take over the reins of federal power.
“Now the criminal law is laid bare as a political tool, just as useful to the ruling party as the national security law.
“Umno leaders may fail to grasp the consequences of upping the ante; they hear what we are saying, but do not understand sufficiently well how difficult it will be for them to overcome the shadows they are casting on the country. They no doubt thought they were choosing the more palatable path in using the criminal law, and thus the sodomy charge, rather than detaining Anwar as a matter of national security under the Internal Security Act. But contrary to their intent, many in the international community will take this as escalation,” said the cable.
The document stated that at that point in time the Barisan Nasional (BN) government had “failed” to convince the majority of Malaysians as well as the international community that Anwar’s sodomy trial was not politically-motivated.
“The authorities themselves betray that fiction on a daily basis in the pages of the domestic press, and barely one in 10 Malaysians are buying into the party line a survey tells us,” said the cable.
The report recommended that the US “exploit” every possible opportunity for “authoritative bilateral exchange” to ensure the BN government understood the costs of “efforts that diminish the rule of law.”
Labels:
wikileak
Isu Scorpene : Peguam Perancis Dihantar Pulang Tanpa Sebab
SHAH
ALAM 22 JULAI : Peguam dari Perancis, Wiliam Bourdon yang mendedahkan
skandal pembelian kapal selam Scorpene, akan dihantar pulang ke
negaranya setelah ditahan Pegawai Imegresen di Lapangan Terbang
Antarabangsa…
SHAH
ALAM 22 JULAI : Peguam dari Perancis, Wiliam Bourdon yang mendedahkan
skandal pembelian kapal selam Scorpene, akan dihantar pulang ke
negaranya setelah ditahan Pegawai Imegresen di Lapangan Terbang
Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) pagi tadi.
Bagaimanapun, tiada sebarang alasan diberikan oleh pihak imegresen terhadap tindakan menghantar pulang peguam tersebut.
Peguam
Hak Asasi, Latheefa Koya ketika dihubungi Tv Selangor berkata, tindakan
tanpa sebab itu menunjukkan kerajaan pemerintah takut dengan pendedahan
yang dibuat Bourdon dan menguatkan lagi spekulasi yang timbul selama
ini.
"Tindakan ini nampak sangat menunjukkan
pihak kerajaan BN ini takut. Sebab apa yang mereka takut, kami rasa
pendedahan dalam kes pembelian Scorpene dan kes melibatkan
penyalahgunaan kewangan dan sebagainya. Dan besar kemungkinan kerana
kaitan dengan isu pembunuhan Altantuya," katanya.
Latheefa
mengutuk tindakan kerjaan yang menyalahguna kuasa yang ada dengan
menahan dan menghantar Bourdan pulang ke negaranya, semata- mata mahu
menghalang peguam hak asasi Perancis itu daripada mengetengahkan
pelbagai penemuannya bersabit kes itu.
"Kita
tidak faham kenapa mereka perlu sebegitu rupa. Sedangkan apa yang
dilakukan ini adalah secara sah. Tiada isu yang bolehkan beliau dihantar
pulang begitu sahaja. Beliau masuk ke Malaysia dengan pasport, dengan
notis dan sebagainya," kata Latheefa.
Bourdon merupakan peguam yang dilantik Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM), untuk memfailkan kes itu ke mahkamah terbuka di Perancis.
Dalam
pada itu Sekretariat SUARAM, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri memberitahu, Buordon
dijadualkan membuat lawatan ke Kuala Lumpur dan Pulau Pinang dalam
rangka mendedahkan penemuannya berhubung skandal pembelian kapal selam
tersebut, selain menghadiri majlis makan malam anjuran SUARAM bagi
mengutip dana untuk menampung kos guaman di Perancis kelak.
Semalam
Buordon sempat berucap di Bayan Baru, Pulau Pinang dan malam ini pula,
beliau sepatutnya menjayakan majlis yang sama di Petaling Jaya.
Fadiah
berkata, meskipun Buordon dihantar pulang malam ini ke negara asalnya,
majlis makan malan mengumpul dana itu tetap akan diteruskan.
"Kita akan teruskan dengan program malam ini, tiada pembatalan dan kita tetap akan teruskan juga," katanya.
Fadiah
juga membidas sikap pegawai imegresen yang memaksa buordon
menandatangani pelbagai dokumen berbahasa Melayu termasuk dokumen
persetujuan penahanan selama tiga hari.
Namun setelah dibantah, penahanan itu dibatalkan.
"Apa
yang terjadi keatas William Bourdon ini jelas suatu tidak munasabah dan
diluar batas undang-undang kerana tiada langsung alasan yang diberikan
kenapa beliau ditahan, ini juga secara tidak langsung mengambarkan
kerajaan Malaysia begitu takut dan ada sesuatu yang ingin
disembunyikan," katanya.
Pembelian kapal selam
Scorpene buatan Perancis itu dikatakan dicemari dengan penyelewengan
yang melibatkan jumlah komisyen RM540 juta ringgit kepada Syarikat
Perimekar Sdn Bhd.
Perimekar adalah subsidari KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, yang mana pemegang saham utamnya adalah isteri Abdul Razak Baginda.
Syarikat
itu didakwa membayar komisyen “yang amat tinggi” kepada pegawai
kerajaan Malaysia yang terbabit dalam perjanjian yang dimeterai pada
2002.
Isu pembelian kapal selam ini juga dikaitkan dengan pembunuhan kejam wanita Monggolia, Altantuya Sharibbu.
Bourdon sebelum ini berkata, di Perancis apa- apa transaksi melibat komisyen dianggap perbuatan jenayah.
Semalam
Bourdon memperincikan jumlah komisen yang diperolehi daripada jumlah
RM7.3 bilion nilai kapal selam Scorpene akan didedahkan apabila perkara
tersebut dibangkitkan di perbicaraaan rasuah terhadap DCNS di Perancis
nanti.
Bercakap pada majlis makan malam di
Penang semalam, Bourdon berkata kes berkenaan akan turut mendedahkan
maklumat terperinci mengenai pertemuan sulit melibatkan beberapa
individu.
Beliau berkata dirinya dan pasukannya
dari Sherpa, sebuah badan bukan kerajaan bertekad untuk mendedahkah
maklumat tersebut bagi memastikan rakyat Malaysia mendapat kebenaran dan
keadilan. - TVSNEWS
Labels:
Scorpene
French Lawyer Detained in Kuala Lumpur
William Bourdon (photo from Malaysiakini)
(Asia Sentinel) William Bourdon, the leader of…
William Bourdon (photo from Malaysiakini)
(Asia Sentinel) William Bourdon, the leader of a Paris-based team investigating allegations of massive kickbacks to Malaysian and French officials in the US$1 billion sale of submarines to Malaysia, was taken off a plane Friday at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by Malaysian immigration officials and later ordered out of the country.
Later in the day, Bourdon emailed reporters in Kuala Lumpur to say he was to be put aboard a 11:30 p.m. plane for Paris the same night, cutting short his visit short to the country .
“Everything is okay. I am so sorry to leave my friends; we fly tonight for Paris. Keep in touch, take care and have courage,” the lawyer said in an email to Malaysiakini reporter Susan Loone.
The detention and deportation is a major embarrassment that internationalizes the controversy just at a time when Prime Minister NajibTun Razak has been seeking to repair the country's overseaxs image with visits to European dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth and the Pope.
Malaysia has taken a major battering over the past month, first with a violent crackdown on peaceful marchers seeking to present a petition to the country’s king asking for election reform. In a seeming throwback to the 1980s. After that, censors blacked out details of a report about the march carried in The Economist, hardly a rdical publication. That was followed Thursaday with the results of a royal commission of inquiry that concluded that a young aide to an opposition politician had been hounded so badly during interrogation over office spending that he threw himself out of a window and killed himself.
The detention of a lawyer seeking to ferret out details of a massive huge involving defense procurement certainly isn’t going to help. Bourdon was flying into Kuala Lumpur after speaking to hundreds of people in Penang at a fundraiser to continue the investigation of the submarine transaction. Earlier, in an interview before he left for Kuala Lumpur, Bourdon told Asia Sentinel that French police had made what he called substantial progress in procuring the details of the submarine transaction and that he hoped to have access to them in September.
The allegations of kickbacks have surrounded the sale of the submarines virtually since the transaction was completed in 2002. However, the case, which could have the potential to bring down the Malaysian government, has been kept under wraps by a government apparently anxious to protect the man who engineered the transaction – then-Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak, now Malaysia’s prime minister. The case involves the payment of €114 million in “commissions” to Perimekar Sdn. Bhd., a company wholly owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, then a well-wired security consultant and one of Najib’s best friends.
At the Penang dinner Thursday, Bourdon told the crowd that that the names of beneficiaries and kickbacks from the submarine sale would be made public when a corruption trial for the state-owned French defense giant DCNS goes to trial later this year. Bourdon said that even bigger commissions – illegal under French law – were paid to "extremely high level" government officials in Malaysia.
Enmeshed inextricably in the case – and playing a major role in keeping it alive -- is the gruesome murder of Mongolian party girl and translator Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006, the jilted lover of Razak Baginda, by two of Najib’s bodyguards. According to a confession by one of the two, they were to be paid RM50,000 to RM100,000 to kill the woman and two friends who had accompanied her from Mongolia to confront the security consultant. Altantuya had acted as a translator on part of the deal and was asking Razak Baginda for US$500,000, according to a letter found in her Kuala Lumpur hotel room after her death. In the letter, she expressed regret for attempting to blackmail the security consultant.
If that weren’t enough, the DCNS sale to Malaysia is part of a much bigger story involving defense procurement officials in Pakistan and Taiwan as well as perhaps India, and some of the French government’s top politicians including Jacques Chirac and Edouard Balladur.
Details have been leaking out slowly over recent months after a long period in which the case appeared to be closed. Razak Baginda, immediately after being cleared of complicity in the 28-year-old woman’s murder, fled to the UK, where he has remained ever since.
However, on Monday, Suaram told Malaysiakini that Abdul Razak and Altantuya had traveled to Hong Kong and Macau with someone identified as a "mystery individual” related to negotiations over the deal. The suspicion is that the “mystery individual was Najib, although he has offered to swear on the Quran that he had never met her.
Suaram reportedly was organizing dinners in three Malaysian cities to seek to raise funds to prosecute the case in France. Bourdon and his team have been providing legal services for free up to this point, but costs are expected to skyrocket when the court hearings begin. Suaram has said it hopes to raise about RM100,000 to cover the legal costs.
Labels:
Scorpene
Najib Explains To British PM On Real Intention Of Illegal Rally
During his meeting at No. 10 Downing Street on Thursday, Najib said Cameron had asked him many questions including on the illegal rally organised by the unregistered body.
"I had told the British Prime Minister that we have room for dissent in Malaysia," he said when sharing his experience with almost 3,000 people who had greeted him at the KL International Airport on his return after concluding his visits to three countries namely Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom and Italy for eight days.
Also on hand to welcome him and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor were his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman.
Najib said that as the government, the question of public order must be protected and at the same time giving space for the people to express their dissatisfaction.
"I told him that we had offered a stadium but they (demonstrators) had rejected. They wanted the Merdeka Stadium because their intention was merely to hold the procession. Later they provoked the police. Make the police angry. When the police took action, they took photographs and posted them on the youtube and they said it was police brutality," Najib said.
Najib said Cameron was also told that the rally by the unregistered body was actually not to demand for electoral reforms.
"They were more keen to show that the Malaysian government is like that of the Middle East. They depicted the Malaysian government as autocratic. Actually, they want to wrest power from us who were chosen by the people," he said.
He said the British Prime Minister was also told that the Malaysian government always upheld the principles of democracy.
"I said that we had never cheated in the general election in Malaysia. Elections in Malaysia have always been a clean election," added Najib.
Bourdon to be deported at 11.30pm
French lawyer William Bourdon will be deported at 11.30pm.
Bourdon’s statement to KLIA immigration authorities:
At KLIA, flying into KL from Penang, Bourdon was asked to…
Bourdon’s statement to KLIA immigration authorities:
 |
| Via lawyer Fadiah Nadwa |
At KLIA, flying into KL from Penang, Bourdon was asked to…
French lawyer William Bourdon will be deported at 11.30pm.
Bourdon’s statement to KLIA immigration authorities:
At KLIA, flying into KL from Penang, Bourdon was asked to sign
deportation papers in Malay. He flatly refused. Instead, he wrote a
statement, asserting he had not violated any law in Malaysia and
protesting strongly against his detention.
He had no access to lawyers for five hours.
Bourdon, 55, told the authorities he is a lawyer for human rights group Suaram for the Scorpene submarine case, and deportation would be a breach of his right to perform his professional duty as a lawyer. He said he did not understand the rationale for his detention as he had come to brief those interested about the progress of the Scorpene investigation and lawsuit.
“They (the authorities) wanted to detain him for three days because his (return) ticket is on Sunday,” according to lawyer Fadiah Nadwa at KLIA.
Bourdon protested and made arrangements to return to Paris later
tonight, together with his fiancee Lea Forestier. The lawyer, who is
working pro-bono for human rights group Suaram, had been scheduled to
speak tonight in Petaling Jaya and in Ipoh on Saturday. One of the
speakers at the Penang dinner last night mentioned that more information
on the Pakistan angle of the Scorpene investigation had been planned
for the PJ event.
Organisers of the PJ dinner said the fund-raising event tonight to raise money for legal costs in France had already recorded a net surplus of RM150000. It will proceed as scheduled at Dewan Sivik. Last night’s dinner in Penang raised another RM100000.
Bourdon, speaking softly with a slight accent last night, revealed the investigation into the Scorpene submarines deal in France was on the verge of unravelling unusual cashflows and the revealing the identities of the parties involved in the deal. “We are determined to ensure this investigation will go as far as possible (in the courts),” he told some 600 diners. “There is no democracy if there is no complete eradication of corruption.”
Despite the complexity of the case, the bespectacled Bourdon, whose
scruffy hair makes him look like an artist more adept at using a
paintbrush on canvas, was optimistic that the truth would one day be
revealed. “This requires determination and solidarity.”
That resolve would no doubt be strengthened after his hasty – and ill-conceived – deportation.
Bourdon’s offered words of encouragement to local activists: “Thanks for your warm hospitality. The truth will prevail. You can count on me to fight on in this case. Good luck to the Malaysian people.”
He also thanked the public for their support for Ops Scorpene. “I offer you hope and courage and keep fighting for truth and justice!”
The deportation reinforces the widespread perception of an administration fighting a rearguard battle to safeguard its image on multiple fronts. Rightly or wrongly, many have linked Najib’s abrupt return from Europe with Bourdon’s sudden deportation.
Like the impact of the Bersih crackdown and the detention of the PSM 6, the public relations fallout from the deportation is likely to provide the Ops Scorpene legal campaign undreamed of publicity – not only in Malaysia but around the world.
For the administration, it is a case of shooting itself in the foot – repeatedly.
Bourdon’s statement to KLIA immigration authorities:
|
| Via lawyer Fadiah Nadwa |
At KLIA, flying into KL from Penang, Bourdon was asked to sign
deportation papers in Malay. He flatly refused. Instead, he wrote a
statement, asserting he had not violated any law in Malaysia and
protesting strongly against his detention.He had no access to lawyers for five hours.
Bourdon, 55, told the authorities he is a lawyer for human rights group Suaram for the Scorpene submarine case, and deportation would be a breach of his right to perform his professional duty as a lawyer. He said he did not understand the rationale for his detention as he had come to brief those interested about the progress of the Scorpene investigation and lawsuit.
“They (the authorities) wanted to detain him for three days because his (return) ticket is on Sunday,” according to lawyer Fadiah Nadwa at KLIA.
Organisers of the PJ dinner said the fund-raising event tonight to raise money for legal costs in France had already recorded a net surplus of RM150000. It will proceed as scheduled at Dewan Sivik. Last night’s dinner in Penang raised another RM100000.
Bourdon, speaking softly with a slight accent last night, revealed the investigation into the Scorpene submarines deal in France was on the verge of unravelling unusual cashflows and the revealing the identities of the parties involved in the deal. “We are determined to ensure this investigation will go as far as possible (in the courts),” he told some 600 diners. “There is no democracy if there is no complete eradication of corruption.”
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| Lea Forestier communicating with her fiance |
That resolve would no doubt be strengthened after his hasty – and ill-conceived – deportation.
Bourdon’s offered words of encouragement to local activists: “Thanks for your warm hospitality. The truth will prevail. You can count on me to fight on in this case. Good luck to the Malaysian people.”
He also thanked the public for their support for Ops Scorpene. “I offer you hope and courage and keep fighting for truth and justice!”
The deportation reinforces the widespread perception of an administration fighting a rearguard battle to safeguard its image on multiple fronts. Rightly or wrongly, many have linked Najib’s abrupt return from Europe with Bourdon’s sudden deportation.
Like the impact of the Bersih crackdown and the detention of the PSM 6, the public relations fallout from the deportation is likely to provide the Ops Scorpene legal campaign undreamed of publicity – not only in Malaysia but around the world.
For the administration, it is a case of shooting itself in the foot – repeatedly.
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