P. WAYTHA MOORTHY GOES ON HUNGER STRIKE

TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMMORALITY OF IGNORING THE PROBLEMS OF THE INDIAN POOR

Hindraf’s Leader and Chairperson today has taken another momentuous decision to begin a “HUNGER VIRATHAM” in continuation of Hindraf’s pursuit for justice, dignity and equality for the Indian marginalized and poor. 50 years of oppression and unfulfilled yearnings for a just and dignified life triggered the outpouring of 100,000 Indians onto the KL streets on the 25th of November 2007. Since then much water has flowed under the bridge, but very little has changed in the lives of the Indian marginalized and poor.

Now, Mr P Waytha Moorthy has decided to take it beyond and above politics. This is a national and a moral problem and it has to be seen as such by whoever is in government and by the larger sections of our peoples. This “Hunger Viratham” is a prayer to emphasise to all the peoples of Malaysia and to the Government of Malaysia that there are serious issues of morality and governance surrounding this entire historical occurrence.


This “Hunger Viratham” is Mr P Waytha Moorthy’s prayer to achieve Hindraf’s Blueprint objectives of permanent and comprehensive solutions to these serious problems. This is a continuous “ Hunger Viratham” and begins after the first MahaSivarathiri prayers at 7.00 pm on the 10th of March 2013 at the Arulmigu Agora Veerabathrar Sanggili Karuppar Temple, Kg Benggali, 17 ½ miles Rawang. Throughout the entire “Hunger Viratham” Mr Waytha Moorthy will limit his intake only to water.The duration of the Viratham will be dependent on the overall state of his body condition.

N.Ganesan

Hindraf National Adviser

March 13 gathering to discuss Hindu issues

PETALING JAYA: A gathering has been planned on March 13 to discuss economic, religious, political, education and social issues affecting Malaysian Hindus.

The gathering will be held at the KL & Selangor Chinese Assem­bly Hall between 3pm and 7pm.

Hindu Malaysia Agenda Task-force, a coalition of 72 Hindu non-governmental organisations, said it would bring up several de-mands.

They include creating a Hindu Malaysian Development Corpo­ration, the call for a common entrance exam for public and private universities and making it clear that places of worship should not be demolished without proper consultation.

Other demands include a call to amend the Constitution to ensure that a child cannot be converted without permission from parents or guardians, and for the child to determine his own religion upon reaching the age of majority.

Spokesman V.K. Regu said those attending would also be given motivational talks.

He said a memorandum with their list of demands would be sent to Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat parties.

“We have voiced these demands over the past five years to politicians from both sides but nothing has been done,” he said yesterday.

Lahad Datu update[8pm]: Bodies of some cops yet to be retrieved

12 dead, including 6 cops, in Semporna firefight

The firefight at Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul in Semporna has resulted in a total of 12 dead, says inspector-general of police Ismail Omar.

The police suffered six casualties, up one from what was initially reported, he told a press conference at Felda Sabahat Residence, Lahad Datu tonight.

"After our operation ended at 7pm today. We found another body of our police officer, so the total is six," he said.

Ismail added that police also discovered six other bodies whose identities could not be ascertained.

"We believe they are the bodies of the enemies," he said.
He added that all of surviving 19 police officers who had gone into the village were safely out of the village.

"We have gotten all of them out safely and they are now at the Semporna district police headquarters.

"With this latest development, the Semporna incident is over and the situation has returned to normal," he said.
Police were not trapped
According to a Bernama report this evening, Kampung Simunul has remained calm as most of the people chose to stay indoor today after the ambush incident.     

Bernama checked around the village found that hundreds of the villagers had also taken a precautionary measure by leaving their homes to stay with relatives at nearby villages.     

"Everyday at dusk we will start staying indoor for fear of our safety," a resident, Mohd Shah Ibrahim, 63, said.     

Meanwhile the bodies of the killed police officers have also been recovered, said the IGP.
Ismail added that a criminal investigation team is now there to mop up the area and determine the identities of the unknown bodies.

Ismail insisted that at no stage were any police officers held hostage when asked if the 19 police survivors were trapped in the village.

"There are over 300 houses there, it's a very large area and we wanted to check house to house (to ensure there were no other police officers left) before we made a statement on them," he said.

He added that the names of the police officers killed in action would be released only after all their families are notified.

Asked if one of the police officer killed was beheaded, Ismail replied, "The bodies have been brought to the hospital and I am waiting for the report. Don't believe in rumours."

Biggest security crisis in years 

This latest clash is described by AFP as Malaysia's biggest security crisis of recent years, occurred when police were "ambushed" by gunmen, Ismail told reporters this morning.

Semporna is 150km from Tanduo village, where an estimated 100-300 people have been encircled by Malaysian police and soldiers since landing by boat from the Philippines on Feb 12 to claim the area for their leader.

The 74-year-old Manila-based leader, Jamalul Kiram III, claims to be heir to the Islamic sultanate of Sulu, which once controlled parts of the southern Philippines and the modern-day Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island.

Malaysian officials called for calm but various reports painted a picture of chaos in the area.
It was not immediately made clear whether the Semporna attackers were still at large. Meanwhile, Ismail said police were pursuing yet another group of armed men in Kunak, another town in the region.

"I don't want speculation that Sabah is in crisis," Ismail told an earlier news conference. "We have our security forces at three places to respond."

The new incidents sparked Malaysian fears of a wider campaign by other intruders or their supporters in Sabah, which has large numbers of Filipino immigrants - both legal and illegal.

The Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur issued a statement urging calm among Filipinos. "We feel and understand the anxieties felt by many of you at these difficult times," it said.

"This is not the time to undertake any action that might be misunderstood by some parties."
The situation is delicate for the Southeast Asian neighbours.

Sabah crisis slap in the face for Najib 

The Philippine government is looking to consolidate recent progress in mending fences with Islamic separatists in its partly Muslim south.

The government of Muslim-majority Malaysia, meanwhile, could face pressure at home if harsh action is taken against the Islamic Filipino intruders, which also could inflame Sabah's many Filipinos.


Following Friday's firefight Malaysian police threatened "drastic action" if they did not surrender.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino, who has sharply criticised the intruders, has also urged them to give up.
But Kiram's spokesman Abraham Idjirani repeated today his followers would not budge. He said the sultan would seek the intervention of the United States, which colonised the Philippines in the early 1900s.

"(Malaysians) want to hide the truth - that they do not own Sabah. It is owned by us," he said in an interview on Philippine radio.

Sabah state police chief Hamza Taib said several villagers in Semporna beat to death a man armed with a M-16 rifle who had gathered several people at a mosque on Sunday.

The sensational events have embarrassed Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak - who must call elections by June - by exposing lax border security and fuelling perceptions of lawlessness and massive illegal immigration into Sabah.

If security in Sabah worsens, Najib could be forced to delay the election and he would be vulnerable to criticism over the government's handling of the problem.

Intrusion could be linked to Moro peace deal 

Lim Kit Siang, a top opposition leader, said the government was not being forthcoming enough with information from Sabah and the police fatalities "could have been avoided if the whole situation had been properly handled".

The Sulu sultanate's power faded about a century ago but it has continued to receive nominal Malaysian payments for Sabah under a lease deal inherited from European colonial powers.

Kiram's people are demanding Malaysia recognise that the sultanate owns Sabah and share profits from economic development in the state.

According to Reuters, the trouble looks to be at least partly the result of efforts to forge peace in the southern Philippines, in particular a peace deal signed between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels last October to end a 40-year conflict.

Jamalul Kiram, a former sultan of Sulu and brother of the man Philippine provincial authorities regard as sultan, said the peace deal had handed control of much of Sulu to Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, ignoring the sultanate.

The sultan loyalists had gone to Malaysia to revive their claim to Sabah as a protest in response to what they saw as the unfair peace deal, he said.

Filipinos claim to hold four M'sian hostages

The Sulu Sultanate claim that Filipinos living in Sabah have captured four Malaysians in Semporna as hostages, but the police are unable to verify this claim.

According to Filipino media reports, Sulu Sultanate spokesperson Abraham Idjirani said that captured a Malaysian government official, two military officials and one police personnel.

According to Abraham, the capture was conducted by Filipinos living in Sabah in response to an alleged slaying of an imam and his four sons in Semporna.

Abraham stressed that the Sulu Sultanate was not involved in the capture but have advised those responsible to care for their captives and feed them.

He said that the captives are to be used as hostages in response to the "brutality and atrocities" of the Malaysian police towards Filipinos living in Sabah.
Police unsure
However, as of 5pm, Sabah police chief Hamza Taib could not verify claims made by these Filipino media reports.
"So far, I cannot verify (this). I know the Philippines media have reported that they (intruders) are holding police officers hostage but so far we have not received any information about this," he said.
It is uncertain if Abraham's claims of a kidnapping was related the ambush on police personnel in Kampung Sri Jaya Simunul, Semporna.
This morning, inspector-general of police Ismail Omar revealed that five police personnel were killed during an ambush at the village while following up on a tip-off.

He said that the police managed to kill two gunmen. The police are currently trying to establish whether the gunmen were related to the Sulu Sultanate.
About 100 men loyal to the Sulu Sultanate are currently holding up in Kampung Tandou, Lahad Datu to stake claim over Sabah.

A gunfight broke out on Friday, leaving two police personnel dead while the Sulu Sultanate's side suffered 12 deaths.

Islamic Subject Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Molesting 13 Students

A teacher of Islamic studies in East Java was arrested on Friday for allegedly molesting at least 13 elementary school students.

“The suspect, S., 48, holds a degree in Islamic studies and teaches at an elementary school in Gandu, Nganjuk. He has been detained as of today for molesting his students,” Nganjuk Police Chief Adj. Comr. Anggoro Sukartono told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.

Anggoro said that S. often called his students into private meetings on the pretext of grading their tests.

He asked the students, some as young as 8, to sit on his lap while he molested them.

The students said the teacher had also touched them improperly during classes.

All 13 victims have undergone a medical examination, Anggoro said.

“The medical examinations confirm that the students have been sexually abused,” he said.

Anggoro said the police were still questioning the suspect to find out how long he had been sexually harassing his students.

“If there’s other victims, we hope they will come out and file a report, and immediately get a medical examination.”

Anggoro said the suspect threatened the students if they told anyone about the alleged sexual abuses.

The police said if proven guilty, the suspect could face 15 years in prison for violating a law on child protection.

Turkey: Famous fifth-century monastery to be turned into a mosque

More indication of the rapid Islamization of Turkey. It is noteworthy also that none of the world's "human rights" organizations seem concerned about this, or the worsening plight of the remaining tiny Christian minority in Turkey, at all. "Studios Monastery Will Be Turned Into a Mosque," from Mystagogy, March 2 (thanks to Filip):

January 29, 2013 Sedmitsa A correspondent of the Greek church news agency "Amen" in Istanbul, reported that the Studios Monastery, famous in the history of Orthodoxy, will be transferred from Turkey's Ministry of Culture to the General Directorate of Endowments, and will be transformed from a branch of the "Hagia Sophia" Museum into an active Mosque.
Studios Monastery, dedicated to John the Baptist, was founded in Constantinople in the middle of the fifth century by [Senator] Studios, the Roman patrician.
The monastery played a prominent role in the history of Byzantine culture and spirituality. In the second half of the seventh century to the first half of the eighth century, the monastery became a stronghold of the Iconodules and a center of the struggle against the Iconoclast heretics.
Studios Monastery was turned into a mosque by the Ottomans in 1486. The monastery was severely damaged by fire in 1782, was renovated in 1820, but again was severely damaged during the earthquake of 1894. In 1908, the roof of the cathedral collapsed. To date, the building has not been renovated and remains in a ruinous condition.

We don’t want to scare public’

The government’s cautious release of information to the public was because it “needed to get a clear and accurate picture” of what was happening on the ground, says Najib Tun Razak.

KANGAR: The government has never tried to hide any information on the armed intrusion in Lahad Datu and nearby areas, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

The prime minister said as usual, the government would take a little time to obtain complete information on any incident before disseminating that information.

“That is why we did not release the information (on the Lahad Datu incident) earlier… we waited a little.

“We were not covering up and not wanting to tell the people. We needed to give a clear and accurate picture. We didn’t want to be hasty in releasing information.

“We don’t want to be accused of scaring the public. We wait for a clear picture.

“I have directed the Inspector-General of Police and Malaysian Armed Forces chief to make statements (when there was enough information,” he said after officially opening the main campus of Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) in Pauh, near here, today.

Najib said he believed the people understood this, and that the government was on the right side.

“We have all this while taken care of the sovereignty, peace and security in Sabah and elsewhere in the country,” he said.

On the incident where scores of residents beat up to death a man armed with an M16 and believed to be involved in the ambush that killed a police officer and four policemen in Kampung Sri Jaya, Siminul, Semporna last night, Najib said it showed the people’s anger with the group of armed intruders.

“They had acted on their own to save villagers who were held hostage. They showed extraordinary courage.

“They were opposed to the armed intrusion and acted without fear of losing their lives,” he said.

Najib, however, has not received information on the number of villagers who were held hostage.

- Bernama

Intrusions ‘bad sign’ for Sabah

The intrusion by Sulu invaders has 'challenged as never before' the integrity and safety of Sabah, says Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

PETALING JAYA: Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today cautioned that the intrusion by a group of Sulu gunmen into Lahad Datu is a sign of impending danger to Sabah’s future.

“The failure of those responsible to secure our borders is so serious that I feel I have to raise this warning as I believe that the integrity of Sabah and the genuine Sabahans must be protected at all costs,” he said in a statement today.

The veteran Umno leader said the integrity and safety of Sabah “is challenged as never before”.

He said all Malaysians particularly Sabahans should rightfully be alarmed by the security failure and foreign invasion.

He also called on the Malaysia authorities to prevent such incident from happening in the future.

“I plead to all Malaysians to give support to the Sabahans in this hour of their great concern,” he said.

The intrusion incident has escalated following a gunfight on Friday between Malaysian security forces and the intruders, who claimed to be the followers of Sultan Sulu.

The shootout resulted in the death of two Malaysian police commandos and 12 Sulu gunmen,

Today, another five policemen and two intruders were killed in an ambush assault launched by the Sulu’s side.

21st Royal Malay Regiment Pengkalan Chepa Deployed To Sabah

(Bernama) - A group of soldiers from the 21st Royal Malay Regiment (RAMD) at the 8th Brigade Camp, Pengkalan Chepa, left for Sabah as an additional battalion to monitor the situation in Lahad Datu.
They were given a tearful send-off by family members at the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa here.

"Dear God, protect our father," said six-year-old Mohammad Faris Aiman Mohd Faizul Anuar and younger sister, Arisya Sofia, four, ina telephone conversation with their father, Captain Mohd Faizul Anuar Fazil.

Siti Nor Juliana Ismail, 28, said it was with a heavy heart to see her husband, Corporal Ismail Ibrahim, 31, leaving, but she understood his responsibility to the country.

She hoped that the situation in Sabah would returned to normal soon.

Sarimah Othman, 34, said she was uncertain of her feeling after being informed by husband, Major Zaki Kadir, that he had to go to Sabah.

"It worries me. I was thinking of our children. They are still very young,. I'll pray for his safe return," she added.

Armed forces Chief General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin was reported to have said that two more army battalions would be deployed in several areas in the east coast of Sabah in an effort to restore public confidence.

The incursion in Lahad Datu had claimed the lives of seven policemen in separate incidents in Lahad Datu last Friday and in Semporna yesterday.

It was reported that 15 of the intruders were killed so far, including one who was reported assaulted by villagers who overpowered him after he took them hostage in a village in Semporna.

LAHAD DATU BACKFIRES: Najib is shaking, has he lost Sabah - Anwar

Fighting for political survival, embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been accused of unleashing a range of scenarios and media spin to damage control the storm of negative publicity his alleged mishandling of an armed group of Filipino intruders on Malaysian soil has triggered.

But critics say Najib's 'over-usage' of groups linked to his Umno party to speak up for him while pouring the blame on arch rival Anwar Ibrahim may result in his efforts failing to gain traction.

"Tanya sama Najib apa sebab goyang. Nanti jawab Najib Sabah akan hilang (Ask why is Najib shaking and Najib might answer it is because he has lost Sabah)," Anwar, the leader of the Malaysian Opposition, had said to the delight of a huge crowd in Ledang, Johor on Friday night, where he was doing a road-tour in preparation for the coming general election.

The 64-year-old Anwar, whom many Malaysians see as becoming the next prime minister, later told reporters following his Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat (Free the People) bus tour that the Lahad Datu incident was a serious security breach and that it would take time for the dust to settle on the shooting that has claimed 14 lives so far.

"At this stage, we want to extend our condolences to the families of those who died in the shootout. The matter is still ongoing and the implications are very serious, so we do not wish to politicize or commen

Security breach: What happened to the Scorpenes?

He had earlier issued a statement lambasting Najib's pussyfooting over the matter, which the Opposition suspects was hatched to hide ulterior motives aimed to help the ruling Umno-BN coalition retain political power in Sabah state.

"Why was our national borders so easily infiltrated by a band of armed foreigners, and pertinently why was the federal government so compromising in resolving the situation from the start?" said Anwar.

"National security cannot be taken lightly nor seen as low-priority. The people need to be informed fully about what actually happened in Lahad Datu for the last three weeks, including today’s exchanges."

Najib's classic cowards' ploy

Amid growing accusations that he had deliberately been too soft on the group of more than 100 intruders holed up in a village in Lahad Datu, Najib wielded the stick on Saturday, warning that there would be no more negotiations.

“The government is taking the stand, the time to consider the group’s request is over. We are firm in this matter because what they had done was a serious criminal act... they trespassed and killed police officers and injured our security forces personnel. They have only two choices, give up or receive action from our security forces,” said Najib.

The Malaysian PM then accused the intruders of a classic cowards' ploy.

“According to the report I received and which was confirmed by the VAT69 Commando force, they were entrapped by thus group. Some had raised a white flag as a sign of surrender but another group had shot at them. This was this group’s trap, they carried out that tactic, that coward’s tactic,” Najib said.

However, critics discredited Najib's explanation as being too "slicked". They also pointed out that it was more cowardly to accuse those had already died when they could no longer defend themselves.

Sweeping the breach under the carpet?

They slammed him for sweeping under the carpet the reasons why his government had failed to stop the armed Filipinos, who claim to be members from the Sulu Sultan's army, from being able to land on Lahad Datu.

The Filipinos had arrived in simple boats, breaching Malaysia's security lines without detection although the navy had two Scorpene submarines controversially acquired by Najib some years ago amid accusations of high-level corruption and kickbacks.

14 men, including 2 Malaysian cops, were killed and three wounded after Malaysian police exchanged gunfire with the intruders on Friday morning. They had refused to leave peacefully, snubbing a February 22 deadline given by the Malaysian government.

The BN-controlled Star news portal also reported that a curfew has been in place at Lahad Datu town and its surrounding areas since 4pm.

Conflicting accounts & conspiracy theories

Conflicting accounts of how the violence flared up has added to the confusion, with Najib and his cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, slammed for shrouding the raid on the intruder's camp with a veil of mystery.

Amid accusations their lack of coordination had resulted in unnecessary bloodshed and overly high fatalities, Najib and his Umno party have rushed to appease rumblings, especially within the police force over the deaths of the 2 cops killed by a mortar bomb explosion.

Mainstream media reports have also tried to linked the intrusion with Anwar, citing alleged Philippine media reports. Citing the blog MPP Online quoting Philippine media Inquirer News, Umno-owned daily Utusan reported that:

“A Philippine news portal Inquirer News has exposed that a top opposition leader in Sabah who is close to (opposition leader) Anwar had met with the insurgents offering his support for the group presently in Sabah.

“Inquirer News citing Philippine intelligence sources was reported saying the meeting took place last November, causing the Sulu sultan Jamalul Kiram III to order his followers to infiltrate Kampung Tanduo to stage the Sabah claim from within Malaysia.”

National news agency Bernama too jumped on the bandwagon citing an unnamed report that quoted a Philippine army personnel, “who is a loyal follower of Sulu raja muda Azzimudie Kiram, as saying the group has come at the invitation of a ‘Malaysian opposition’ to discuss land issues in Sabah”.

All eyes on Umno: Worse is yet to come?

Political watchers monitoring the responses from the Najib administration fear the worst is yet to come.

They pointed to the warning from a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader that the Lahad Datu gunfight could spark off a civil war in Sabah, while the Sultanate of Sulu said its group of fighters, which had set foot here about three weeks ago, will continue their fight.

"We find the situation very worrisome. There is no doubt Umno is very afraid of losing Sabah to the Opposition in the coming general election. We see them using scare tactics to stop the people from supporting the Opposition and Lahad Datu is now a powder keg because of their manipulations," Tian Chua, a PKR vice president and an Opposition Member of Parliament, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"We hope the Sabah people will not take the bait and keep their eyes and ears open to what is really happening in Sabah, the undercurrents that the Sabah Umno leaders in particular are trying to achieve with the Lahad Datu intrusion."

Malaysia Chronicle

The worst home minister

The Malaysian Insider

MARCH 3 — You are off the hook, Syed Hamid Albar. You are no longer the worst home minister Malaysia has had. And for that you can thank your fellow politician from Johor, Hishammuddin Hussein.

Syed Hamid, you will forever be remembered as the minister who ordered the arrest of a journalist under the ISA for her own protection! You also ignited the Allah debate by not allowing the Malay section of the Herald to use the word Allah.

Bravo!

But you have nothing on Hishammuddin. The man is clueless about everything. He looks like a tourist in Lahad Datu and actually thinks that it is reassuring for Malaysians to hear that he will not leave Sabah until the incursion situation has been resolved.

Can someone get him out of there and allow the police or army to handle this grave situation? His handling of the incursion has been a joke as have the portrayal of the Sulu fighters.

Everything is under control. We are trying to solve this thing without bloodshed…and the donkeys at the mainstream media played along, not even mentioning that the intruders were heavily armed until much later.

Everything Hishammuddin has touched has been a failure, from dealing with the cow-head protests to promoting tough action against Bersih rallygoers.

In any other country, he would have been sacked by the prime minister.

But sadly not in Malaysia.
- See more at: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/03/04/the-worst-home-minister/#sthash.s2Z3QV3x.dpuf