Indonesia searches for Russian jet wreckage

The brand new Russian-made Sukhoi Superjet 100 made a test flight on Wednesday morning [File/Al Jazeera]

Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, on a demonstration flight with at least 44 people on board, believed to have crashed.
A Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 on a demonstration flight with at least 44 people on board is missing south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, according to Indonesian search and rescue officials.

Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported that the airliner was on a demonstration flight for potential buyers when it disappeared off the radar on Wednesday.

"The plane disappeared from the radar around the Bogor area. We are still looking for it and we are uncertain whether it crashed," Gagah Prakoso, spokesman of the national search and rescue agency, said.

The Indonesia military said the plane "fell" from the sky. The aircraft was carrying Indonesian businessmen and Russian embassy officials, the transport ministry said. Journalists were also onboard.

Officials said around 200 police, military and rescue workers were headed in vehicles and on foot towards Salak mountain where the plane went missing.

"We tried to send two helicopters to search for the plane," Marsdya Daryat, rescue chief, said. "But because of bad weather and strong winds they had to return. We will send them out again tomorrow [Thursday]."

The jet, made by the Russian company Sukhoi, radioed a distress message before disappearing. The Ria Novosti news agency said there were at least eight Russians among the passengers.

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen, reporting from Jakarta, said: "The flight should have lasted just 30 minutes in the area around Jakarta, but it never returned.

"They [ground control] lost contact after the Russian pilot asked to descend from 10,000 feet [3,000m] to 6,000 feet [1,800m] and then they never heard from the plane again.

"This was a brand new plane from Russia. It came into the country just yesterday and took people onboard for an earlier test flight this morning. That all went well."

'Asian Roadshow'

The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a new passenger plane built in Russia in a bid to lift its civil aviation industry from a post-Soviet crisis.

The plane is considered crucial to Russia's hopes of becoming a major player in the modern aviation market and improving the image of an industry scarred by frequent crashes of ageing Soviet-era jets.

The demonstration flight in Indonesia was part of a tour dubbed the "Asian Roadshow" aimed at promoting the aircraft abroad that started May 3 and earlier took in Kazakhstan and Pakistan. It was due to go on to Laos and Vietnam.

In August last year, Indonesian regional carrier PT Sky Aviation agreed to buy 12 of the planes, with deliveries due to begin in 2012.

The Superjet project is a joint venture between Sukhoi and Italy's Alenia Aeronautica, which is part of the aerospace and defence giant Finmeccanica.

Alenia owns 25 per cent plus one share of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, the Sukhoi unit developing the jet, as well as 51 per cent of Superjet International, which is handling sales of the aircraft.

However the plane has experienced problems while being flown by Russian flag carrier Aeroflot, which has been under heavy pressure from the government to add more Russian planes to its fleet.

In March, a plane had to cut short a scheduled flight after it encountered problems with its undercarriage.

Aeroflot's first Superjet plane also spent several weeks grounded upon delivery because of an air conditioning problem.

Sukhoi is a giant holding with a history going back to the 1930s in the Soviet Union. It employs 26,000 people and is based in the remote Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and also makes military fighter jets.

Bersih endorsees: Don't be distracted by gov't spin

Fernandez: It's the gov't that has shamed Malaysia

Hindu Missionary work at Khargapur under attack of Ministry of Railways, GOI. Railways ordered demolition of Hindu Hostel run by Bharat Sevashram Sangha. Swami at hunger-sit-on.

Christian lobby and Muslim pressure group to stop Hindu Missionary work at Khargapur, West Bengal. Railways Department only to demolish Hindu structures.

Subarno Pandey for Hindu Existence | KGP | 6th May, 2012 :: Indian Railways has issued order to demolish Hindu Students’ Hostel run by Bharat Sevashram Sangha in Inda area of Kharagpur where an extension unit of Tribal hostel is under construction. As the Railway authority showed its pro-activism in destroying a part of the said hostel, a public sentiment has aroused in the area as the Railway authority did nothing to the Muslim and Christian occupation in the same railways lands. As a protest the Monk-in-Charge Swami Rwitanandaji of Kharagpur Unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha started a sit on hunger from 27^th April onwards as a protest and vowed to go on hunger unto death if the demolition order is not lifted completely.

BSS Hindu Tribal hostel under construction has partly been destructed by DRM Kharagpur.

As a matter of fact, the welfare activities and the Hindu missionary work by the local unit of world renowned Service Organization BHARAT SEVASHRAM SANGHA (BSS) at kharagpur have been creating a strength of social integration and Hindu awareness which has put the anti Hindu force to go on back foot, especially in the field of ‘Conversion of Tribal Hindus into Christianity’ by local Baptist Churches and its allies.

The BSS has promoted Hindu Cultural and Welfare activities by setting up a dispensary, library and book stall, tribal students’ shelter, guest house, Guru Mandir (Temple) and Hindu family counseling center just after its establishment in 1986, when the BSS authority had prayed to railway authority for giving lease formally when Mr. A B A Gani Khan Chowdhuri was in the concerned Ministry.  But, the Rly authority then gave only the verbal permission.

It may be noted that Kharagpur is world famous town for having the longest Railway Station in the world and the most of land of this town is possessed by the railways authority. The Railways authority has given huge lands for three churches are named as Ward Memorial Church, All Saints Church and Baptist Church without any problem. One Mosque named as KGP Rly Masjid is also situated in the very property of Railway authority, but only problem as sand in the eyes of authority is nothing but existence of Bharat Sevashram obviously in the Railway land. If other religious structures are so existed in the Railway lands what is the problem with BSS so far?

Monk in charge Swami Rwitanandaji hinted our correspondent about the railway conspiracy to a Hindu Organization from Railway land as they are unable to fulfill the procurement of bribe from them. There are several business occupation in the railway lands but the authority is very much interested to demolish a real social welfare organization. In the walled campus of BSS the railway displayed notice of demolition of the hostel building and broke a portion of it. The BSS authority has planned to establish a Polyclinic with the proposed hostel in that building now under the hammer of Indian Railway.

Revered Swamiji said that he has suspended the anashan (hunger-sit-on) on request, but he may continue it for a indefinite period if the authorities of Railway do not justice with the almost a century old (est. 1919) international Hindu organization with manifold social-cultural-educational-spiritual-&-huge welfare activities.

Swami Rwitanandaji Maharaj sat on Anshan (sit on hunger strike) for 2 days and withdrew after intense pressure from devotees and common Hindus who had many anxieties over Swami’s health. The members of Bharat Sevashram Sangha and VHP forced Railway administration and SDO to offer oral forgiveness to stop the order of Ashram destruction but the photos here along with conversion video of same day by Christian in Railway ground show how anti-Hindu Railway & Local Administration have become under TMC rule.

On one hand Mamata gives sop to Muslims on the other hand she assures that she is ready to give some money for Bharat Sevashram Sangha or Ram Krishna Mission but in reality her Railway & State Administration in Kharagpur tried to destruct a beautiful BSS Mandir & Ashram with the connivance of  Christian and Muslim conspirators. The temple is functional from 1986 & ironically was permitted verbally on Railway land by then Railways Minister Abu Barkat A Gani Khan Chowdhury, a Muslim but it seems our new CM is much more Islamist! In this development public would like to know from Mamata, whether  she is really willing to pay all the Monks & Pujaris of all BSS & RKM Temples & Ashrams in West Bengal like Imams & Muazzins?

Local supporters of Hindu Aswttiva (Hindu Existence Team), Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Hanuman Akhara Parishad etc. are planning a convention against the vindictive demolition  of Hindu structures by Railway authority, DRM and the officers behind it.

There are over 50 big possessions of non Hindu structures in Railway land in West Bengal. Then what is the problem with Bharat Sevashram Sangha at Kharagpur railways land?

Sexual assault: Family asked to back up charge with medical report

" I was threatened with dire consequences if I dared make the issue public," Father.

LAHORE / MULTAN: Kot Addu magistrate Akhtar Ali on Tuesday directed relatives of an eight-year-old girl sexually assaulted allegedly at her seminary to submit a medical report for registration of an FIR in the matter.

The family’s request for registration of an FIR against administration of the seminary was earlier turned down by Daira Deen Panah police. SHO Khalid Bilal told The Tribune that the request was turned down because rape was not established in the medical report issued by Kot Addu rural health centre.

Meanwhile, the girl was operated at Nishter Hospital on Tuesday for wounds suffered in the sexual assault, Dr Kashif Chishti, an assistant professor in pediatrics surgery, told The Tribune. He said the father of the child had initially reported that she was injured while playing at home. However, he said, her examination at the hospital revealed that the child had been raped.

Dr Chishti described the child’s condition as serious.

The child was referred to Nishter Hospital from the doctors at the Kot Addu RHC.

Her father said he had been threatened by influential people in his village with dire consequences if he made the issue public. He alleged that the child was raped at the seminary where was a student. He said some neighbours had spotted the child lying unconscious at the seminary and called him to the scene.

The child was taken to the rural health centre from where doctors referred her to Nishter Hospital.

The seminary has been closed and the administration missing since Monday.

Teacher accused of rape a month ago yet to be located

In another incident in Multan, Alpa police have yet to make any headway in tracking down a seminary teacher accused of sexually assaulting five students who has gone missing.

Hafiz Muhammad Rashid has not been to the seminary in Pul Khadal Chaa Pirwala village ever since a sexual assault case was registered against him on April 4.

SHO Irshad Hussain said medical samples of the teenage girls were sent to a laboratory for chemical examination. He said rape had not been ascertained in an examination at a health centre in the village. He said Muhammad Ilyas and Muhammad Ashraf, brothers of the suspect, had been held of questioning but were released after a couple of days.

The FIR was registered on directives of the provincial Home Secretary, on a complaint by Nusrat Ali, father of one of the girls.

The application stated that the girl was raped by the teacher during the lunch break on March 12. He said she was threatened with death if she ever disclosed the matter, he added.

The Special Branch inquiry into the matter carried out on the Home Secretary’ directive concluded that the suspect had also raped four other students whose parents had earlier been reluctant to take the matter to the police.

The report said the suspect had tried to settle the issue in a panchayat. It said a woman in the neighbourhood, who is also missing since the registration of the FIR, had threatened the families against prosecution.

There were 130 students, including 40 girls, at the seminary.

Muhammad Arshad, a brother of the complainant, said the girls’ families were still getting threats against proceeding with the matter.

Muhammad Ashraf, a brother of the suspect, rejected the allegations as false. He said his brother had been wrongly implicated in the matter to settle another score. He also said the suspect had gone missing in the middle of March, well before the FIR was lodged against him.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2012.

Racism fears 'left Asian gang free to rape girls'

Eight of nine men convicted of a variety of offences connected with a child sexual exploitqation ring: (L-R top row) Adil Khan, Mohammed Amin, Abdul Rauf, Mohammed Sajid (L-R bottom row) Abdul Aziz, Abdul Qayyum, Hamid Safi and Kabeer Hassan. The ninth man convicted could not be identified for legal reasons. Photo: Greater Manchester Police

Police and social workers in England have been accused of failing to investigate a South Asian paedophile gang for fear of being perceived as racist, leaving the men free to prey on up to 50 white girls.

Nine men from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, were convicted of abusing five vulnerable teenagers after plying them with alcohol and small sums of money.

The true number of victims who were "passed around" by the gang was likely to have been nearer 50, police said.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/racism-fears-left-asian-gang-free-to-rape-girls-20120509-1ycfu.html#ixzz1uOyzaAjl

Tunku Abdul Aziz says ‘withdrew’ from renewing senatorship

The senator says he made the decision after the DAP leadership told him his anti-Bersih 3.0 views had raised “differences” within the party. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 9 — Senator Tunku Abdul Tunku Ibrahim said today he had “withdrawn” from seeking a renewal of his senatorship after the DAP leadership told him his anti-Bersih 3.0 views had raised “differences” within the party.

He told reporters in Parliament here that he had not wanted to push for the position, despite his interest in extending his tenure, if it caused uneasiness among some members and leaders of DAP.

“I withdrew myself. I gave them the option, instead of them saying — we don’t want you anymore.

“What they said was: there may be some differences within the party because of what you said (against Bersih 3.0). So I said, if that’s the case, if it’s going to cause embarrassment, do not put my name up (for renewal). I do not want to push myself for this position,” he said.

Tunku Abdul Aziz’s senatorship, which he has held since 2009, expires this May 30.

The veteran leader, who is among the few Malays in the Chinese-dominated DAP, had first earned the party’s strict rebuke when he spoke against Bersih 3.0 before its gathering on April 28, saying that the movement’s refusal to accept the authorities’ offers to hold the event elsewhere, showed that it was merely encouraging Malaysians to break the law.

Tunku Abdul Aziz had pointed out at the time that laws should not be broken under any circumstance, adding that as a lawmaker, he would not support such an event.

But in response, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng rebuked the senator for his remarks, which he said had not only gone against the party’s general stand in supporting Bersih, but had also brought embarrassment to the party’s leadership.

When the April 28 rally turned violent, as Tunku Abdul Aziz had predicted, the leader came out again to say that rally-goers were not completely “blameless” for the violence, again earning the ire of his party colleagues.

But despite this, Tunku Abdul Aziz said he had no plans to leave the DAP, saying it was normal to differ from the party’s stand occasionally.

He continued to speak out against Bersih 3.0, saying that while he may support the movement’s demand for free and fair elections, he was against its insistence on holding the rally at Dataran Merdeka although the authorities had barred them from doing so.

Such a move, he said, was likely to incite incidents of violence, which it did on April 28 after protesters breached the square’s barricades, triggering action from the police.

“As an elderly person, I am used to things like this... they start peacefully, but at the end of it, there are those

Tunku Abdul Aziz said prior to April 28 that the Bersih 3.0 rally would likely descend into chaos. — file pic

in the crowd who want to cause chaos,” he pointed out.

Police fired tear gas canisters and chemical-laced water to disperse protesters during the event, which later saw violent clashes that resulted in reports of injury and allegations of police brutality.

Tunku Abdul Aziz disagreed, however, when asked if he felt that the violence could have been avoided if the authorities had agreed from the start to allow the election watchdog Bersih to use Dataran Merdeka for its protest.

“No, I don’t think so. You know, we talk about our rights but have you ever heard us talking about our obligations?

“It’s always — my right, my right, my right. But we are not responsible for the security of the country... who is responsible is the government, the police,” he said.

Tunku Abdul Aziz added that Bersih had lost sight of its cause by insisting that its event be held at Dataran Merdeka, pointing out that the objective of the rally was not about the venue but the push for free and fair elections.

“You can have it under a durian tree, it does not matter — as long as you get what you want, which is free and fair elections,” he said.

Stop taking rakyat for granted

Why is Najib alleging that Bersih 3.0 was all about wanting to dethrone his government?
COMMENT

Whether deliberately or otherwise, the Bersih 3.0 protest has brought to light the insecurity gnawing at the ruling Barisan Nasional government. Otherwise, why the BN “drama” of accusing Bersih 3.0 of a coup d’etat?

The April 28 rally was held for the sake of demanding clean and free elections in this country, not to overthrow the BN government led by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Why then is Najib alleging that Bersih 3.0 was all about wanting to dethrone his government?

Point to ponder: Are Malaysians prepared to engage in a coup to get rid of the BN government, which, after five decades of rule, continues with much gay abandon to indulge in cronyism, nepotism and corruption?

Najib is trying desperately to emerge as the rakyat’s saviour. Hence his lying to the people that Bersih 3.0 was a malicious affair. And on May 4, Najib peddled this lie to a crowd of 30,000 people in Gua Musang, Kelantan, claiming that the Bersih 3.0 rally was an attempt to overthrow the BN government which was elected by the people through a democratic system.

“They had the intention to take over Dataran Merdeka, not to gather for two or three hours but for two or three days or even longer, to show that the government cannot control the situation.

“They wanted to make Dataran Merdeka like the Tahrir Square in Egypt.”

Just how did the premier conclude that April 28 was all about turning Dataran Merdeka into a Tahrir Square?

Also, on what basis is the premier accusing the key players of Bersih 3.0 of engaging in a coup to overthrow his government?

Wild accusations will backfire

Najib, who is also BN chief, has lambasted the April 28 rally protesters for not respecting the government of the day, legitimately chosen via a valid process.

Was April 28 all about disrespecting the BN government or was it a day to declare the rakyat’s anger and frustration with the never-ending dirty tricks employed by BN during elections?

Najib’s wild accusation of a “coup” brings with it grave consequences. For one, it reflects the irresponsibility of politicians when it comes to opening their mouth to speak. It also reveals the immaturity of Malaysian politicians in dealing with crises, big or small, with blame-game becoming the topic of the day.

In the case of the Bersih 3.0 protest, this is what is happening. The prime minister has dumped all the blame on the protesters for injuring a policeman, media personnel and destroying public property.

Has Najib who puts “people first” not read of witnesses’ accounts of protesters who were physically and verbally abused by the police? What about the video of a cop caught pointing his pistol at a group of people? Would the premier say it was the doing of the protesters for having instigated and challenged the police?

Lone battle to seek electoral reform

Going by the castigation thrown at Bersih 3.0, efforts demanding that elections in the country be held on a “free” and “clean” basis are going to be a lone battle.

Come what may, Bersih 3.0 is all about “do” or “die”. Never mind that the National Fatwa Council very clumsily has decreed that it is “haram” (not permissible) for Muslims to participate in any gathering or demonstration that is unproductive, is against the law or causes disturbance in the country.

Council chairperson Professor Emeritus Abdul Shukor Husin said they viewed seriously this issue as some Muslims had resorted to rioting during the Bersih 3.0 street demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur.

“Rioting, causing disturbances and damaging public property are all forbidden by Islam. This also applies to any intention to topple a duly elected government by organising such demonstrations.

“No one is exempted, and cannot support any efforts that can cause harm, anxiety or unrest among Muslims to the point of the community becoming split, what more if there is bloodshed.”

The council’s solution? Asking that Muslims who participated in such demonstrations “bertaubat” or repent because Islam never calls on its followers to undertake actions that could threaten people’s lives just to pursue a specific agenda.

Too bad that the council has no backbone to accept the truth of April 28, that it was the authorities that yet again turned abusive towards the protesters.

What was the National Fatwa Council doing when Malay ruling party Umno turned offensive towards the non-Malays during its annual general assembly?

And where was this council when the Muslims of this country were threatening to “slaughter” the non-Malays who dared question Article 153 of the Federal Constitution which assures the Malay rights and privileges?

Also, in the council’s eyes, was the 2010 Arab Spring revolution against a corrupt and abusive government a sin? Is the fight for a “humane” government a sin? If it is, are the people of Libya, Egypt and Syria, in the eyes of Abdul Shukor, all sinners?

Leave religion alone

It is a worrying trend that each time when faced with an insecurity, the BN government resorts to religion to gag the actions of those fighting for the truth. Does BN not have any gumption to deal with the issue at hand, instead of childishly throwing tantrums and looking for scapegoats to bear the brunt of its misdeeds?

The Bersih 3.0 protest is proof that the rakyat has “awakened’ and will no longer embrace the shenanigans of BN at face value.

Perhaps this awakening has rattled the conniving and scheming brains behind BN who have now come under the public glare.

Instead of feeding the lay person lies about the April 28 events, it is in BN’s best interest that it bucks up and eats the humble pie.

Post-Bersih 3.0, there is no room left for propaganda, hypocrisy and most importantly, taking the rakyat for granted.

Jeswan Kaur is a freelance writer and a FMT columnist.

Police issue ultimatum to Bersih suspects

Come forward before we begin a house-to-house search, says the CID chief.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has warned that it will conduct a house-to-house search for suspected lawbreakers in the Bersih 3.0 rally if they do not present themselves to police within a week.

Bukit Aman CID Director Mohd Bakri Zinin said today that his department had distributed 116 photos of suspects and would release 25 more before the end of the day.

“This is their last chance before we go looking for them, house to house,” he said. “They can come with their lawyers.”

So far, 12 suspects had either presented themselves or been traced, he added. One has been charged with participating in an illegal assembly.

Bakri also said police had opened 43 investigations papers concerning allegations of police brutality.

He said police had formed a task force to investigate the various cases.

He denied an allegation by student Khalid Mohd Ismath that he was subjected to psychological torture during interrogations, dismissing it as nonsense. “We are very professional,” he said.

Meanwhile, another police official said photos of policemen suspected of assaulting journalists had been sent out to various district police headquarters.

“On that day, a lot of policemen were from the outskirts, many unexposed,” said the official, who asked not to be named.

“They didn’t know the role of the media. Many were probably thinking, ‘I’m doing my job. Why are people taking photos of me?’ That day, many of them had gone into a different zone. That’s why we saw many tags removed. They were seeking revenge for the rumoured death of their colleague.”

He said investigators were looking into allegations that police had removed their Velcro name tags, adding that internal disciplinary action could be taken against them.

Video of child abuse goes viral on Facebook

The 4-minute clip from last year shows a woman repeatedly beating a toddler. She was jailed for 18 months for that.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: A video showing a woman abusing a toddler is going viral on Facebook and has caught the attention of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

The video, which runs for about 4 minutes, was posted last Friday on the social networking site and has had more than 22,000 shares. It shows the child lying prone on a mattress and crying as the woman pinches, kicks and beats it with a pillow repeatedly.

The beating continues even as the child seems to have stopped crying.

Another woman, presumably the one shooting the video, keeps telling the abuser, whom she calls Ira, to stop the beating.

“Why are you showing your anger to the child? Do you want to kill her?” says the other woman. The clip was however removed earlier today.

In his Twitter posting, Khairy said he had informed Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein about the video.

Khairy said the abuse was unforgivable and that he felt physically sick watching the video.

“The one who took the video is equally cruel,” he tweeted. “She did nothing to save the toddler. Conspiring to commit a crime.”

In further tweets, Khairy revealed that he was informed by Hishammuddin that it was an old case and that the police had taken action against the woman.

He said that the woman was charged and jailed for 18 months in Petaling Jaya last year.

‘Lewd remarks, flying elbow provoked us’

Contrary to PKR's version, a MIC Youth man claims that obscenities and a flying elbow sparked off the infamous MyKad brawl.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: The brawl outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya last week left a PKR leader with a broken cheek bone and MIC nursing a bruised image.

PKR claimed that its Puchong division chief S Murali was a victim of a premeditated attack while MIC Youth accused the former of provoking its members to unleash their clenched fists.

Recounting the incident, a MIC Youth source claimed that tempers began to flare when a member of the PKR delegation, S Gobikrishnan, hurled obscenities at them.

“He insulted the mothers and wives of the MIC Youth members present and this riled them up. At one point, Murali also tore a banner of the prime minister,” the source said.

He also alleged that during the melee, Murali had swung his elbow, which cut a MIC Youth member, and this prompted the retaliation against the former.

This version was in stark contradiction of PKR vice-president N Surendran’s take on the incident.

The PKR leader had denied that his delegation had used profanities or provoked the MIC Youth members.

Vell Paari: There was provocation

Meanwhile, MIC central working committee (CWC) member S Vell Paari also claimed that the MIC Youth members were provoked but declined to reveal details.

“I prefer not to comment on what transpired that morning as the matter is being investigated by the police. Let the police get to the bottom of this,” he told FMT.

It is learnt that MIC Youth chief T Mohan had been summoned to the Putrajaya police station for his statement to be recorded.

On the same note, Vell Paari expressed regret over the incident and admitted that it had tarnished MIC’s image.

“I am sorry for what happened to Murali. He is a good friend. I also don’t deny that the incident has affected MIC,” he said.

On May 2, Surendran had led a PKR delegation to the PMO to submit a memorandum demanding that a 17-year-old student be issued a MyKad.

At the same time, Mohan brought a delegation there to thank the prime minister for issuing identity cards and birth certificates to Malaysian Indians under the MyDaftar programme.

The fracas also sparked off an internal rift in MIC, as several quarters, including Vell Paari, criticised party disciplinary committee chief KS Njihar over his stand on the matter.

Taking the MIC Youth to task, Nijhar had described the incident as disgraceful and vowed that an internal probe would be conducted.

‘Nijhar cannot prejudge’

Commenting on this, Vell Paari said that the disciplinary chief had prejudged the case.

He also questioned how was it possible for a non-party member to tweet, hours after the incident, that a senior CWC member had called on fellow party members to march against Mohan.

“When somebody tweets like that, and the next day Nijhar makes the statement…,” he added.

Vell Paari said that MIC president G Palanivel, who was out of town during the incident, should have called Mohan for an explanation first or asked for a report on the matter.

“And it is the president, secretary-general or information chief who should have made the initial statement. Before all this is done, when you (Nijhar) come out with a statement against the Youth, this is a pre-judgment of the case,” he added.

Furthermore, Vell Paari said that a member of the disciplinary board PK Subayyah had recently passed away.

“Nijhar cannot convene a meeting unless a new member is appointed. Even the Federal Court set aside its decision in a case when a member was absent in part during the hearing,” he said.

Gobikrishnan denies provocation


Meanwhile Gobikrishnan in a statement issued later in the day denied provoking the MIC Youth crowd.

“I did not engage MIC Youth at all on that day. When we arrived for our appointment at 11am on that day, there were already about 250 MIC Youth members and gangsters led by Mohan.

‘They were shouting remarks against Anwar Ibrahim and Surendran,” he said.

He added that he had not even addressed the crowd on that day.

“I was just standing and watching the whole episode… there was no engagement by me against MIC Youth at all on that day,” he said.

Death threat to K P Samy

The Klang Midlands Tamil School’s outsourcing of the multipurpose hall issue is heating up. MIC central working committee member K P Samy has alleged that Thinnakkural’s reporter Arasu has issued a death threat for interfering in the Midlands Tamil School issue.  The reporter Arasu and several Midlands Tamil school board of governors, roughly around 15 of them, stormed K P samy’s travel agency in Klang asking him to ‘shut his mouth’ and warned him not to interfere in the schools affairs.  During the course of the heated argument the death threat was issued. Uthaya Sooriyan, former Tamil Foundation President, is the current chairman of the board but was not part of the group gone to confront K P Samy. The board, also, returned K P Samy’s RM 100 donations for the building fund. The state Exco Xavier Jeyakumar and the Peoples’ Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) party ruling the Selangor state gained political mileage among the Indians for constructing the hyperbolic state of art Tamil School with a multipurpose hall  costing 4.7 million. However, several quarters are crying foul. Xavier, having a poor public relations record, seems to be not keen in resolving the issues and passing the buck to the Scholl Board. The Board chairman, on the other hand, is conspicuously missing. He should come forward to provide explanation to the legitimate questions. Returning K P Samy’s money is a childish act. Storming the KPS Travels is an act intimidation, an act of desperation.  Did the Board authorize this?  Are you saying those who did not contribute have no rights to question?

Makkal Osai

Unit Amal chief receives death threat as police witch hunt spreads

The head of PAS's popular welfare brigade Unit Amal, Johari Osman (pic), has received a death threat in the form of bullet and a note with a picture of him.
The package was sent to his house at Taman Ayer Molek, Melaka, at around 11.50 this morning.
Johari said he had just arrived home after fetching his son when he found in his mail box an envelope containing a bullet wrapped in a sheet from a Tamil-language paper and a letter.
"When I opened it, there is a picture of me with a note saying 'pu**mak [expletive] kau Juhari...PENGKHIANAT' (TRAITOR)" he told Harakahdaily.
Johari suspected that the threat was due to his role in leading some 4,000 Unit Amal members to help in crowd control during the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28.
Johari also disclosed that a Unit Amal member, Mat Kamal Ismail from Teluk Kemang, was arrested by police at midnight while at work, and brought to the Dang Wangi police station for questioning.
The police and the Home ministry recently launched a witch hunt of some 90 protesters it accused of rioting.
In response, netizens have posted mugshots of police officers who were filmed using excessive violence on protesters and journalists.

Kenyataan Dangkal Mantan Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Rahim Noor

YAB Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat merupakan seorang ulama, tokoh politik dan ilmuan Islam berwibawa yang dihormati dan disegani setiap lapisan masyarakat. Orang Islam mahupun orang bukan Islam menyanjungi pekerti Tuan Guru dan menghormati kegigihan beliau mentadbir Negeri Kelantan selaku Menteri Besar demi kemaslahatan rakyat negeri tersebut.

Sebagai Mursyidul Am Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), Tuan Guru merupakan teladan kepada ahli PAS serta menjadi antara rujukan utama kepada Muslim seluruh negara. Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz menampilkan kepimpinan bertunjangkan pesan agama Islam dan menzahirkannya sebagai suatu bentuk dakwah bil hikmah.

Namun kita dikejutkan dengan tohmahan biadap dan melampau mantan Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Rahim Noor yang menggelar Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz sebagai “bapa kafir”. Mantan Ketua Polis Negara inilah yang terbukti memukul dan membelasah Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim tatkala ditahan pada tahun 1998 dan tidak cukup dengan itu memfitnah saya dan keluarga.

Tan Sri Rahim Noor sebenarnya tidak layak mempersoal keimanan dan keyakinan Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. Kedangkalan kenyataan mantan Ketua Polis Negara itu jelas terserlah malah dicemuh rakyat.

Oleh kerana itu saya menggesa agar Tan Sri Rahim Noor segera memohon maaf kepada YAB Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat di atas tohmahan biadap yang dilemparkan.

Mohamed Azmin Bin Ali

Gov't withdraws Election Offences Amendment Bill

(Malaysiakini) In a rare move, the Election Offences Amendment Bill will be withdrawn from the Dewan Negara tomorrow following “a lot of resistance”.

According to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz, the decision to abort the Bill was arrived at today after a 10-minute meeting between the government, the opposition and the Election Commission (EC).
"I will table the motion in the Dewan Negara tomorrow," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

The means that the Election Offences Act remains at status quo for the next general election.

Nazri (left) said the decision was first made at cabinet level as the Senate are seeking two more amendments to the Bill.

The Dewan Rakyat passed the Bill last month but with changes, including holding back the amendment which disallowed political parties from assisting voters to check their names and voting streams.

Another amendment rejected by the Dewan Rakyat was one which allowed the Election Commission to dictate when and how long a candidate's polling and counting agents can stay in the polling stations.

Amendments passed include the proposal to remove the candidate's agents from the Election Commission registration booth (barong) and to remove requirement for all printed materials to have printers and publishers' details. [See chart below]

"Amendments made to the Bill by the Senate would have to go back to the lower house and withdrawing is a neater, better way," he said.

'More public consultation next time'

Nazri added that the EC had agreed to withdraw the Bill in entirety as more amendments made would render it pointless.

He said that the government had only acted as a "postman" in tabling the Bill to Parliament, and did not know the contents of the Bill which was proposed by the EC.

Nazri, who said that the Bill saw resistance from both government and opposition lawmakers, added that the government had tabled the Bill in toto as it had respected the EC's independence.

The minister said that the last time something like this happened was three years ago, when a Bill was sent back to the Dewan Rakyat.

"But the Dewan Rakyat did not take it up within three months and it lapsed," he said.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, who was also at the press conference, said the EC should engage in consultation with all stakeholders before proposing a Bill to avoid this happening in the future.

In an immediate response, the EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof (left) denied the withdrawal was a slap in the face for the commission, who mooted the amendments.

"Not really. We had our meeting chaired by Speaker of the Dewan Negara and attended by Nazri and Lim before the press conference.

"We consulted each other and finally all agreed to abort it," he told Malaysiakini in a text-message.

'Brutal' M'sian police must learn from 1992 LA riots

The police brutality towards the Bersih crowd reminded me of incident in 1992 when the police in Los Angeles, USA, brutally beat up an unarmed black man named Rodney King.

The whole scene was videoed by an amateur (video was not so prevalent then).

Four white policemen were charged but eventually acquitted on April 29th 1992 (almost exactly twenty years ago from 428).

The next day, riots broke out that crippled the city of LA for days. Buildings were burned. There was looting, shots fired and the whole city was closed down.

At the end of the day 54 people were killed.

I happened to be visiting LA that time. My flight had to be diverted to Ontario, two hours drive away, with airlines arranging coaches to take us back to LA.

Upon reaching LA, the city was basically shut down. There were many burnt buildings and smoke everywhere.
We had a hard time to even find food. We had to cancel our plans to visit Disneyland the next day and left town.

However, being a much more open and transparent country, the whole incident did change the police force in LA, every other city in US and the world (except Malaysia maybe).

At Dataran Merdeka, the police may be allowed to take action against those that crashed the barriers, but not to fire at the crowd that never did.

Our chief of police mentioned he had no choice. I think otherwise. I was there that day. The crowd was obedient and orderly in the main.

If the police had just simply used a loudspeaker to ask the crowd to leave or risk facing action, most of the crowd would have dispersed.

It was as simple as that, but no warning was given.

I hope you can run an article on the 1992 riot. Hopefully it will remind our police force what they did was wrong, beating up civilians, and the consequences that it might lead to.

Also remind them it is not too late to change, just like LA did.

ar Council: No laws regulating use of monitoring equipment

The Star

PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council will study if there is a need for new legislation to purchase video and audio surveillance devices in the country, says its chairman Lim Chee Wee.

He added that although there is no legislation which requires a purchaser to obtain any licence to buy surveillance equipment for personal use, a private agency company would require a licence under Section 2(a) of the Private Agencies Act 1971.

“The same applies to Britain and Australia but in these jurisdictions there is legislation regulating the use of such equipment,” he said.

Lim cited the Australian Listening Devices Act 1984, which prohibits the use of listening devices to record private conversations, without the use of a warrant granted by a judge.

“Under this act, the piece of equipment used to conduct surveillance must fall within a category defined in the legislation.

“These devices include any instrument, apparatus, equipment or device capable of being used to record or listen to a private conversation simultaneously,” he said, adding that the Act also states that a listening device may also have a visual or tracking capacity.

He said Australia also had the Workplace Video Surveillance Act 1998 which regulates the use of video surveillance in the workplace.

“It defines video surveillance as surveillance by a closed-circuit television system or other electronic system for visual monitoring of activities on the workplace.

“It allows video surveillance if the employee has been given prior written notice of the surveillance.

“The surveillance cameras are clearly visible and there are signs notifying people that they may be under surveillance,” he said.

He added that surveillance that does not satisfy these criteria is considered covert video surveillance under the Act and is unlawful unless an authorisation has been issued by a magistrate.

In the United Kingdom, Lim said the Private Security Industry Act 2001 required a Public Space Surveillance (CCTV) licence to be obtained when manned guarding activities are carried out through the use of closed-circuit television equipment.

‘Independent panel’ … really?

Former IGP and Genting deputy chairman Hanif Omar will head an ‘independent panel’ to probe the incidents of violence at the Bersih 3.0 rally.
Other panel members:

• Former Chief Judge of Borneo Steve Sim
• Sinar Harian managing editor Hussamuddin Yaacub
• Media Chinese International (part of Sin Chew group) legal adviser Liew Peng Chuan
• Petronas corporate affairs senior general manager Medan Abdullah
• Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia psychology professor Ruszmi Ismail

I am just amazed that the government can be so out of touch with public sentiment to think that this panel would be perceived as ‘independent’ in the eyes of the people. Especially after Hanif’s recent remarks about communist sympathisers from the 1970s being involved in the rally on 28 April.
If this is Hishammuddin Hussein’s idea of an ‘independent panel’, he might as well include Mahathir, Ibrahim Ali and Hasan Ali in the panel.
What can you say? I am stumped. They really don’t get it, do they?