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Friday, 24 May 2013

Cameron condemns brutal hacking death, says Britain stands firm

London (CNN) -- A gruesome cleaver attack on a British soldier left London reeling Thursday, as Britain grappled with questions over who was responsible and whether Islamist extremism was to blame.

The scene revealed through cell phone camera footage and witness accounts Wednesday was bloody, and for many hard to believe.

A meat cleaver-wielding man with bloody hands addressed a camera, his victim lying mutilated in the street behind him.

"The only reasons we killed this man ... is because Muslims are dying daily," he said in video aired by CNN affiliate ITN.

"This British soldier is an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth," he said. "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you until you leave us alone."

Those two men are now under arrest, being treated in London hospitals for injuries suffered in a confrontation with armed police in southeast London's Woolwich neighborhood. Authorities have not released their identities.

The slain soldier has been named as Lee Rigby, who held the rank of drummer, the Ministry of Defense said.

The crisis brought Prime Minister David Cameron rushing back Wednesday night from an official trip to Paris.

He condemned the "horrific attack" in a news conference Thursday, vowing that Britain would be "absolutely resolute" in the face of terrorism.

"We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any form," he said.

Cameron said Britain's security services would not rest until they brought all those responsible to justice.

U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement Thursday condemning the attack.

"The United States stands resolute with the United Kingdom, our ally and friend, against violent extremism and terror," the statement said. "There can be absolutely no justification for such acts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim, the police and security services responding to this horrific act and the communities they serve, and the British people."

He added that the "special" U.S.-British relationship "is especially important during times of trial."

It is understood that the two people suspected of carrying out the knife attack were known to Britain's domestic security service. They had featured in previous investigations into other people, but were not themselves under surveillance.

Amid concern over a backlash against the Muslim community, Cameron insisted the slaying had nothing to do with Islam, despite the claims made by one of the suspected attackers.

He spoke after a crisis meeting of senior officials Thursday morning, as security was increased at army bases around London amid fears of additional attacks.

The calling of the crisis meeting -- the second in less than 24 hours -- indicates how seriously the government is taking what it says is a terrorist incident.

The capital has not witnessed an alert of this kind since the summer of 2005, when London's public transport network was targeted with coordinated bomb attacks.

British media outlets, including Sky and the Daily Mail, are naming one of the suspects as Michael Adebolajo. CNN has not independently confirmed the name.

'Butcher's tools'

As the initial shock over the man's gory death at the hands of two knife-wielding men ebbed Thursday, an individual story of courage stood out.

A Cub Scout leader, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper how she had jumped off a bus to try to revive a man she at first thought had been hurt in an accident.

But she swiftly realized the man was dead, and it was not an accident.

"When I went up, there was this black guy with a revolver and a kitchen knife. He had what looked like butcher's tools, and he had a little axe, to cut the bones, and two large knives, and he said, 'Move off the body,' " she told the newspaper.

"So I thought 'OK, I don't know what is going on here,' and he was covered with blood. I thought I had better start talking to him before he starts attacking somebody else."

A man who identified himself as James told London's LBC 97.3 radio station that he saw two men standing by the victim, who was on the ground.

At first, James thought they were trying to help the man. But then he saw two meat cleavers, like a butcher would have.

"They were hacking at this poor guy, literally," he told the radio station. "These two guys were crazed. They were just not there. They were just animals."

Another witness, Michael Atlee, described the gruesome, frenzied and ultimately fatal sequence of events as "a bloody mess." The men first ran the victim down in a car before attacking him with knives, he said.

Searches have been carried out at several locations in connection with the slaying, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Crime and Operations Mark Rowley said. One address searched was in Lincolnshire, eastern England.

An additional 1,200 police are on London's streets to reassure the public, Rowley said, with extra patrols at key locations such as religious institutions and transport hubs.

"We are also liaising closely with the military to ensure appropriate security measures are in place in relation to military premises and personnel," he said.

The scene of the killing, close to the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, remained cordoned off as police searched for clues Thursday morning.

'People will break'

Residents on Thursday shared with CNN their shock that something like this could have happened in the working-class, multicultural area where they live and work.

Construction worker Victor Easdown, who heard the shots ring out as police took on the attackers, fears the incident could fuel tensions and reprisal attacks.

"People can only take so much. And people will break," he said.

Graham Wilder, a resident whose son attends a nearby school, told how he feared for the safety of his family and other children who had just left the school Wednesday afternoon.

After he saw that one of the attackers had a gun, he alerted police and school authorities, Wilder said. He heard shots fired and screamed for his wife, who was at a nearby store, to get down.

Cameron said Britons would stand together to defeat the threat of violent extremism.

"This was not just an attack on Britain and on the British way of life, it was also a betrayal of Islam and of the Muslim communities who give so much to our country," he said.

"There is nothing in Islam that justifies this truly dreadful act. ... The fault lies solely with the sickening individuals who carried out this attack."

Prominent British Muslim radical leader Anjem Choudary told CNN on Thursday that he knew one of the men named on social media as carrying out the Woolwich knife attack.

Choudary said the suspect had attended demonstrations and a few lectures organized by Choudary's group Al-Muhajiroun.

Reprisal attacks

There were concerns the brutal incident might inflame animosity against Muslims, with Metropolitan Police deploying riot police Wednesday as a precautionary measure.

The Muslim Council of Britain, after condemning what it called "a truly barbaric act that has no basis in Islam," urged Muslims and non-Muslims alike "to come together in solidarity to ensure the forces of hatred do not prevail."

"What we have seen on the streets of London has been particularly sickening, a really, really heinous act of I would say criminality -- and I'm being careful to say criminality, not terrorism," political and social commentator Mohammed Ansar told CNN.

The motivation behind what happened remains unclear, he pointed out.

"What we need at this time is a sense of calm, a sense of measure and a sense of perspective. What we don't need are knee-jerk reactions ... to really ratchet up tensions and really stoke and inflame anxieties within communities."

Members of the far-right English Defense League clashed with police late Wednesday.

The group's official Twitter account posted this call to action: "ANY EDL MEMBERS TAKE TO THE STREETS IN YOUR LOCAL TOWN/CITY TAKE A STAND !!!!!!"

Later Wednesday, a man with two knives threw a smoke grenade into a mosque in Essex, a county east of London, and demanded someone come outside to answer to the Woolwich slaying, the mosque's secretary said. Police responded quickly and arrested the man, said Al Falah Braintree Islamic Center secretary Sikander Sleemy.

"I believe this was a revenge attack for what happened in Woolwich," Sleemy said. "We strongly condemn what happened in Woolwich. It's not an Islamic act."

In Kent, police arrested a man on suspicion of "racially aggravated criminal damage" at a religious building.

Soldiers targeted before

Nick Raynsford, the member of Parliament for Woolwich, told CNN the soldier apparently had been on duty in central London and was returning to the barracks when he was attacked.

Troops stationed at the historic military barracks have a close relationship with locals, the Parliament member said.

British soldiers have participated in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

This isn't the first time British soldiers have been singled out.

Last month, four radical Islamists were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of a plot to drive a car full of explosives, by remote control, into an army barracks in Luton, north of London.

Several years earlier, police interrupted a scheme in which Islamists planned to kidnap a soldier of Pakistani heritage and behead him. Their plan called for releasing an Internet video of the decapitation.

A pub in the same area of Woolwich was targeted by the Irish Republican Army in 1974. Two people died in the bombing.

Local residents said police responded quickly when the alarm was raised Wednesday afternoon but questioned how long it had taken for a specialist firearms unit to arrive. British police typically don't carry guns.

The Metropolitan Police said its first officers were on the scene within nine minutes of the alert being raised. The firearms unit was there 14 minutes after the first call was made, the force said.

"There has been an increased police presence in Woolwich and the surrounding areas overnight, and this will continue for as long as it is needed," said Assistant Commissioner Byrne.

"There were small incidents of minor disorder in Woolwich" late Wednesday, he said, but police dealt with these without arrests or reports of injuries or damage.

Detainee died from blunt force trauma,hospital confirms

Fake Muslim Darvish-Peer held for ‘raping’ girls in Kashmir. Don’t send your girls to any Private Muslim Girls’ hostel/schools for any absurd purification etc. It’s may be dangerous.


Sayed Gulzar Ahmed Bhat
Sayed Gulzar Ahmed Bhat

Fake Muslim Darvish-Peer held for ‘raping 200 girls’ in his Private ‘Purification School’.

Don’t send your girls to any Private Muslim Girls’ hostel/schools for any absurd purification etc. or send your women to get any Tabiz/ Dowa Pani/Fake Allah Name Charts/Message oil etc. from any Muslim Moulavi-Peer-Darvish etc. privately. They may be raped or black-mailed otherwise.

Srinagar | Kashmir | India | 22 May 2013:: A private sex racket of a truly Islamic nature is now exposed in Kashmir valley after arrest of a so called Muslim Darvish (holy man) against a charge of raping innocent girls under a scheme of ‘purification’ and retaining ‘endless-youth’ of damsels. Police in Kashmir arrested the fake Darvish who allegedly raped young Kashmiri girls on the pretext of purifying and revitalizing the sexual power of women under a subtle guidance of Quranic knowledge of Behast (Islamic heaven).

[Read here 1. Never ending pleasurable virgins in Islamic Paradise. 2. Short sexual life of a Prophet. 3. Never-ending sex and orgies with 72 dark-eyed virgins in Islamic Paradise. ]

Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, who is mostly known as Revered ‘Sayed Gulzar’, ran a residential institution for girls which offered a two-months course in Islamic studies for ‘Purification of Sex’ in Khansahib area of Budgam district in Kashmir valley.

According to the girls, the fake Muslim holy man (Peer-Darvish) would quote saying the Arabic qutations from quran to justify his free sexual activities with them to induce the endless sensuality to his counterparts under an eminent Islamic power.

Sources say that four girl students, all aged under 18, complained to the police that ‘Sayed Gulzar’ indulged in sexual activities with them at hostel and most of the time he invited other persons from outside to perform group sex inside the Muslim girls’ hostel.

“He would tell the girls that having sex with him was necessary to purify them from all evil” a police officer told our source.

Police said medical examination of the girls confirmed rape. Consequently, Gulzar has been booked under section 376 (Punishment for rape) of Indian Penal Code. [FIR No: 40/2013 of Budgam Police].

‘Sayed Gulzar’, known as also ‘Miracle Baba’, who often gave advertisement in local newspapers claiming to be a Sufi Saint, also delivered sermons through cable TV network in Kashmir Valley.

Moulavi Muhammad Amin, the whistleblower in this case, says the fake preacher would manipulate verses of Quran to motivate the girls in to free sex. He alleges that Gulzar has so far raped nearly 200 girls at the hostel (read orchard of Islamic sex fair).

In India and other places, Muslim Peer and Darvishes run various black magic centers to sell Tabizs (metal bullet with false divine power), message oils and divine water, Allah name charts etc. to influence the non-Muslims, especially the women folk.

These danes are mostly controlled by women trafficking rackets, where most of the girls and women are generally exploited during their slot of wearing the Tabiz in a naked condition, massaging with special oil or sprinkling of water under a spell. Sometime the girls and women are given sedatives or stimulating things in drinks to decontrol them. Hidden cameras are also used in the whole process to blackmail the victims for a long time.

These Muslim Peer-Maulavu-Darvishes are working many a time as catalyst of ‘Love Jihad’ & ‘Rape Jihad’ hatched against non-Muslim girls.

Court rejected the bail of Sayed Gulzar and Police to him under custody for further investigation.

Public has been alerted not to fall prey to these type Muslim unholy men who exploit both the Muslim and non-Muslim girls and women in the name of false purification or sex-gambling.

Arab Mob Pelts Firefighters With Rocks as They Put Out Blaze


Firefighters at work
Firefighters at work
Flash 90

An Israeli firefighter was injured in an Arab riot in Jerusalem Thursday morning, as he sought to put out a fire. The fire had broken next to the Arab village of Issawiya, which is within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. A fire station is located close by, and a fire truck was dispatched to douse the blaze before it had a chance to spread too far.

The firefighters were greeted by a large mob of Arabs, who pelted them with stones and bricks. One firefighter was injured and was taken to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital for treatment. Police were called in to clear the area and allow the firefighters to continue putting out the blaze.

Also Thursday, Jerusalem police arrested three Arabs who attacked a Jew in the Old City Wednesday. Police said that the attackers had nationalistic motives. At least five Arabs were involved in the attack, and police said they expect to make more arrests.

During a special Knesset session Wednesday called to deal with complaints by reserve soldiers that the army is failing to effectively respond to Arab terror, MKs accused the government of “surrendering to Arab terror.”

MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud Beiteinu) warned that failing to respond to ongoing Arab terror attacks would only encourage more terror. “Whoever turns his back on his roots and allows the Arab enemy to effectively take control of the territory will find himself unable to deal with that enemy,” Feiglin said during the Knesset discussion. Failing to tackle terror at home, said Feiglin, did not bode well for how Israel would deal with Iran later on.

KL police chief: Cops can no longer tolerate vigils

Politically-motivated candlelight vigils have reached a level where the police could no longer tolerate, said Kuala Lumpur CPO Mohmad Salleh, who urged people to voice their grievances through legal channels instead.

NONEStressing that such gatherings are illegal, Mohmad (right) said it would not solve any problems, but instead brings about an “unhealthy atmosphere”.

“These vigils are an offence under the law. For the police, it has reached a level where we can no longer tolerate such things, because it can cause anxiety for the local residents.

“So I ask, please let the legal process to proceed as fairly as it can. If we are dissatisfied, street protests are not the way to solve it. We have the courts,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference today where he was asked to comment on a candlelight vigil for student activist Adam Adli Abdul Halim last night, and possible upcoming rallies following the arrest of PKR vice-president Tian Chua, Anything But Umno (ABU) chief Haris Ibrahim, and former Batu Berendam MP Tamrin Ghafar today.
A candlelight vigil has been running for several consecutive nights outside the Jinjang police lock-up in solidarity with Adam Adli, reaching its peak last night with about 1,000 people.

NONEHowever, police then cracked down on the group, arresting 14 men and four women.

Confirming the arrests and that they have all been released, Mohmad said they are being investigated under Section 143 of the Penal Code for illegal assembly.

Upon conviction, the charge brings a penalty of up to six months imprisonment, a fine, or both.

Although Adam Adli has been released on bail after being charged this morning, the trio arrested today are now being held at the same police station and there is talk of a candlelight vigil for them as well.

They are being investigated for a similar offence as Adam Adli, which is to allegedly utter seditious speeches during an anti-electoral fraud ceramah on May 13.

Special team to probe Dharmendren’s death


NONEOn a separate matter, Mohmad said police federal headquarters has formed a special team to take over the investigation of death in custody victim N Dharmendran (left).

He said the case has now been classified as murder after an autopsy report revealed that ‘criminal force’ had been used on Dharmendran, while declining to elaborate on the nature of his injuries.

“I wish to take this opportunity to offer my condolences to all of the victim’s family members (and assure them that) the police are viewing this matter seriously.

“I guarantee to his family members and society at large that the police will handle this investigation transparently and will not defend police officers who had arrested and questioned the victim,” he said.

Dharmendran was arrested on May 11 for allegedly being involved in a fight, but supposedly died on May 21 at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters lock-up.

According to his family’s lawyer N Surendran, the autopsy has revealed signs of torture, including beatings and staples to the victim’s ear, legs and ankles.

Sedition dragnet: Cops do not rule out more arrests

KL police chief Mohammad Salleh says that in order to protect peace and security, there could be more arrests coming.

KUALA LUMPUR: The police have not ruled out the possibility of more arrests under its Sedition Act dragnet.

Speaking at a press conference here, city police chief Mohammad Salleh said the priority was to ensure peace and security.

The police have so far arrested four people under the Act. These are student leader Adam Adli, Anything But Umno (ABU) leader Haris Ibrahim, PKR vice-president Tian Chua and PAS’ Thamrin Ghaffar.

There are also rumours that PKR leader and Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) founder Badrul Hisham Shaharin has been arrested as well but this could not be confirmed. SAMM issued a statement at 6pm to state that Badrul Hisham was “still free”.

Adam was charged this morning and freed on bail.

Mohammad said the others were also expected to be charged under the Sedition Act with regard to their call to topple the government through a massive street protest.

“We have 24 hours to gather all the statements from them but we will extend the remand if time does not suffice.

“We have also not ruled out more arrests on those linked to the May 13 ceramah. We will only find out after thorough investigations have been completed,” he added.

Mohammad also said that the forum on May 13 was unlawful and uncalled for.

“It was wrong for them to gather as they did on May 13 and since the Sedition Act is still enforceable by law, we have to charge them under it,” he said.

“After all our first priority is to maintain peace and order,” he added.

Mohammad also said the 18 people arrested under Section 143 of the Penal Code outside the Jinjang detention centre last night have been released on police bail.

“We have recorded statements from them, but investigations are ongoing and until then all 18 have been released on police bail,” he said.

“That assembly was unlawful, they could be jailed up to six months [if found guilty],” he added.

The 18 were part of the crowd who had gathered in support of Adam who was held at the Jinjang police detention centre.

The police chief also warned the public not to get involved in such gatherings in the future, including the one scheduled to take place on May 25 at a field near Amcorp Mall in Petaling Jaya.

“Please obey the existing laws and do not behave otherwise, we don’t want any trouble and the people should work together with us instead of against us,” he said.

“However, if the rally does take place this weekend, we are ready to take action. We have enough manpower and will do what is necessary to maintain peace and order,” he added.

Darmindran’s case classified as murder

Police have classified Darmindran's case as murder and a top-level independent task force is looking into the matter.
VIDEO INSIDE

KUALA LUMPUR: N Darmindran’s case been classified as murder and an independent task force has been set up at Bukit Aman to probe the police detainee’s death.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Salleh confirmed that the task force had been set up and that investigations on the case have begun.

“The task force has already begun their investigations and statements are being recorded from all the officers involved in the arrest and interrogation of the deceased.

“We can’t make any rash decisions, its too soon to say now,” he told a press conference here today.

“So far no arrests have been made nor have any of the officers been suspended. We are leaving the investigations to the task force,” he added.

Darmindran, 32, an Indah Water employee was arrested on May 11 shortly after lodging a police report that he was involved in a fight.

He was held at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters and was sent to HKL, where he died, on the night of May 21 due to an alleged asthma attack

Mohammad assured the family and public that the police officers involved in the arrest and interrogation of Darmindran would not be allowed to partake in the investigation.

“We want to ensure the task force works independently to solve the case,” he said.

‘We feel sorry for the family’

The police chief also took the opportunity to convey his deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and vowed that the case would be handled diligently.

“We feel sorry for the family. I want the family and the public to know that we would do all it takes to find the culprit.

“There would be no ‘hanky panky’ and the case would be handled diligently by the task force, that much I can assure you,” he added.

Mohammad also requested the family and the public to keep calm and to cooperate with the police until the investigations are over.

“Please give us and the task force time to find out the root cause of this case, please co-operate with us. Holding rallies and assembling at the police stations would make it more difficult for us,” he said.

“We have already started taking statements and I assure the family and the people that justice would prevail,” he added.

A mock funeral organised by the family and friends of the deceased was held at the entrance of the KL police headquarters this afternoon. The hearse carrying the deceased was also present.

About 30 people gathered to show dissatisfaction over the treatment given to Dharmendran while he was in police custody and to seek justice over his death.

Autopsy done, ‘evidence points to murder’

The preliminary post-mortem findings reveal that N Dharmendran died of multiple blunt force trauma.
VIDEO INSIDE

PETALING JAYA: The preliminary post-mortem conducted at Hospital Kuala Lumpur has revealed that police detainee N Darmindran had died to severe blunt force trauma.

HKL pathologist Dr Siew Sheue Feng’s report, which was given to the deceased’s family last night, ruled out heart attack or asthma as the cause of death as claimed by the police.

Darmindran, 32, an Indah Water employee, had been in police detention since May 11.

Lawyer G Sivamalar, who accompanied the family to retrieve the post-mortem report, said that the pathologist had struck out all natural causes.

“So far, the evidence points to murder, at least that would be a fair claim.

“Now it’s all up to the investigating officer at Dang Wangi police station ASP Kamarul Rizal to give the final verdict,” she said.

“The police can’t use the excuse that the injuries were caused during the fight Darmindran was involved in on May 11 as the pathologist confirmed that the injuries were ‘fresh’,” she added.

After speaking to the pathologist, Sivamalar also said that Darmindran’s back and buttocks were also severely injured along with another two staples found on his legs.

“The pathologist said that that his back and buttocks were severely injured, also his thighs and legs were badly swollen due to injuries,” said Sivamalar.

“On top of that, they found another two staples – one on each ankle. Four staples were found on the body of the deceased, including the two on his ears,” she added.

Mock funeral at IPK KL

Sivamalar said that the family was willing to fight till the end in order to seek justice for Darmindran.

“The family is staying strong, they want the police to be honest and for once provide justice for the people,” she said.

“They want Darmindran’s case to be the last of its kind and hoped that police brutality would cease for good,” she added.

The family’s lawyers, who include PKR MP for Padang Serai, N Surendran and PKR lawyer Latheefa Koya would discuss further with the family of Darmindran on their next plan of action.

The funeral would be held today at Darmindran’s residence in Taman Mulia, Bandar Tun Razak in Cheras.

The family would also be holding a mock funeral outside the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters, where the deceased was detained.

Following the post-mortem report, the police have reclassified the probe as a murder investigation

Sack ‘useless’ officers of Indian task force, Najib

Prime Minister Najib must clarify rumours that the RM180 million allocation for Indian entrepreneurs under SEED is only an election scam.

PETALING JAYA: Several Indian groups and individuals want Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to sack the existing officers of a special task force – Secretariat for the Empowerment of Indian Entrepreneurs Department (SEED) – for failing to carry out their duties efficiently.

The groups also warned that if Najib ignored their call, then they will organise a protest against SEED and it’s director AT Kumarajah.

SEED was set up early last year and in June Najib had announced a RM180 million special allocations for loans for Indian entrepreneurs. The SEED loans offered a fixed interest rate of four percent.

Of this RM150 million was announced as a special banking facility for Indian entrepreneurs. The balance RM30 million was for funding under TEKUN Nasional.

But the allocations have been riddled with hiccups.

Gagasan Usahawan Dinamik spokesman K Magindran said SEED had “failed” to empower the Indian entrepreneurs.

He claimed that 95% of the applications submitted to SEED had been rejected by the banks.

According to Magindran, 13 local banks had principally agreed to give RM150 million in loans.

“But when we approached the banks, we were told there is no special privilege to get these loans. We have to follow the normal procedure to get it,” he told a press conference here today.

Magindran said most applications were rejected on the basis of not having a business background and other problems.

“So, in what way is SEED claiming that it is a special allocation for Indians?” Magindran asked.

Also present were MIC Taman Mujur branch chairman VT Rajen, and Klang Chambers of Commerce and Industry member S Arikrishnan.

‘We have solid evidence’

Magindran also said that the applicants were fed-up with SEED, which took up to six months to process their applications for submission to the bank, only for the financial institutions to reject them.

“We have solid evidence where an Indian entrepreneur was allocated a RM3million worth government project.

“But when he applied for loans under the low interest SEED project, his loans were rejected. SEED took six months to process the application and because of its carelessness, the loan was rejected,” said Magindran.

He said the department officers were constantly giving lame excuses when questioned about the delay in loan processing and rarely picked up the phone.

“I have personally called AT Kumarajah for more than 600 times, but until today he has never picked-up the phone.

“Hence, what is the rational for the government to keep those people who are not willing to work?” asked Magindran.

Meanwhile, Rajen urged Najib to intervene and clarify widespread speculations that there was really no such special funds for the Indians and that it was all an election scam.

“There are many speculations about the special allocation. We heard that it’s not a special fund for the Indians. And there is no government guarantee to that money.

“The PM must clarify this rumour. He must change the office bearers of SEED,” Rajen said.

Rajen also gave Kumarajah and SEED officers two weeks time to resign their positions.

“They must all resign or we will take legal action against SEED for misleading the community,” he said, adding that SEED should not waste people’s time by conducting forums and discussions over the so-called fund.

‘Four teenagers detained unlawfully’

Human Rights Party's pro-tem secretary general P Uthayakumar says the four were detained before any police investigation.

PETALING JAYA: Four teenagers have been detained unlawfully by the police since Tuesday, claimed Human Rights Party’s pro-tem secretary general P Uthayakumar.

The four were identified as R Rubanthiran 18, M Kaliswarar 16, M Tamilarasan 18 and V Mercs 17.

They were initially detained at a guard house at a housing area and then brought to the Klang Utara police station.

“They were beaten up and had to endure vulgar words by the police . This was done in order to force them to admit committing house breaking,” said Uthayakumar.

Following the detention, Rubanthiran’s uncle S Manoharan lodged a police report against Klang Utara OCPD ACP Shukur Sulong, investigating officer only known as Inspector Noor Kartini and Cpl Kumar respectively

Two of the four have been remanded today. They are Rubanthiran and Tamilarasan.

“The police released Kaliswarar and Mercs after I intervened. Unfortunately the police obtained a remand order for four days today on Rubanthiran and Tamilarasan,” said Uthayakumar who is also a lawyer.

When the police filed for a remand, the family members of the two teenagers were not allowed to be present in the court.

Uthayakumar criticised the police for arresting the boys without conducting any investigation on them.

“In this case, the police did zero investigations and according to Cpl Kumar, his instructions were to remand the two teenagers first before investigating,” said Uthayakumar.

He added that the police actions displayed their inefficiency in curbing crime and yet they were bullying young Indian youths.

‘Lame excuses from the cops ‘

Hindraf and Kedah Gerakan Youth say the police cannot go on giving lame excuses on Darmindran's death.

GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf and Kedah Gerakan Youth Movement want an immediate inquest into the sudden death in custody of N Darmindran in Kuala Lumpur police headquarters on Tuesday.

Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy and Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang want the inquest to be conducted by an independent body and its findings to be made public.

“It is utmost importance that this matter must be investigated by such an inquest,” said both.

Waythamoorthy also called on Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar to immediately suspend all those suspects allegedly involved in the death of Darmindran, 32.

He said the police cannot go on giving lame excuses on such incidents because there were one too many deaths in police custody.

“Public will no longer entertain such lame excuses,” he told FMT here today.

He said it was time for the police to implement preventive measures to stop these deaths such as installing closed circuit television cameras in all police stations and lock-ups.

He also called the government to amend the law to allow formation of area citizen groups who would be given round-the-clock access to their respective neighbourhood police stations and detainees in police lock-ups.

Citing several countries which practiced it, he said these groups shall be made of neighbourhood residents with good and credible public standing, and not necessary they have to be educated or professional persons.

He said citizen groups shall be allowed to visit police stations and detainees at any time to have first-hand look at their captive conditions.

“It’s important for the police to take these pro-active steps immediately to restore waning public trust and confidence in the force,” said Waythamoorthy.

Darmindran was remanded as a suspect in alleged shooting of two men in Bandar Tun Razak two weeks ago. The deceased had complained of chest pains at about 9pm on Tuesday while being detained at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters lock-up.

He was immediately sent to the Kuala Lumpur hospital for treatment but died upon arrival there.

City police chief Deputy Commissior Mohmad Salleh has said that post-mortem results revealed that the victim might have been murdered while in police custody, adding that the Bukit Aman CID investigators were now investigating the matter.

Tan said deaths in police custody would certainly tarnish public confidence in the police force, thus the cause of it must be known immediately.

“Any delay would affect public perception towards the Barisan Nasional government,” he said in an e-statement.

Palanivel to pick Dec for party polls?

The Central Working Committee gears up for a long-awaited meeting.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: MIC president G Palanivel has picked December to hold the all important MIC presidential election.

Party sources revealed today that the party chief picked the last month of the year because “he wants to form more branches to strengthen his position”.

“He fears that he will lose to Dr S Subramaniam (MIC deputy president) in the presidential election. He needs time to strengthen his position. This would enable him to form more branches before the elections.

“He knows that if he is challenged he will lose without the new branches,” a party leader told FMT today.

The MIC Central Working Committee (CWC) will meet tomorrow to fix the date for party polls, including the all-important presidential election.

It is not clear if Palanivel’s proposal would have the backing of the party’s highest decision making body.

“We are not sure how the central working committee members will react to this proposal. Will they follow the president’s wishes or would there be opposition to the idea? If they delay the party elections, then they are giving Palanivel an opportunity to form more branches and solidify his position.

“You can expect a fiery meeting tomorrow. There is no doubt about this. The battle lines have been drawn. Dr Subramaniam will take on Palanivel for the party top post,” said the source.

MIC has missed the constitutional deadline for the election. It was supposed to have been held by late last year, but the CWC had earlier decided to delay it to allow the party to concentrate on preparing for the 13th general election. It did not specify a new date.

The issue has become contentious, with some groups in the party claiming that the postponement was irregular because the CWC made its decision without seeking the approval of members through an emergency general meeting.

Constitutional issue

According to an insider who claimed to be well versed in such matters, the MIC constitution does not give the CWC unilateral power to postpone the polls.

“It’s not in the constitution,” he said. “The CWC cannot rely on a by-law to override the constitution, which states that polls must be held every three years unless it obtains a mandate from members at an EGM.

“The party members are like members of a parliament. The CWC is like a ministerial cabinet. The cabinet cannot decide to extend its term without amending the constitution.”

There is a call to defer the election to next year and this is spearheaded by supporters of party chief G Palanivel.

Critics point out that Palanivel is still only the party’s acting president, having taken over the job when S Samy Vellu resigned in 2010.

Party insiders have disclosed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had put on hold all government appointments reserved for MIC leaders with the exception of cabinet positions and exco assignments in Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.

“The PM’s office has yet to issue senatorial appointment letters,” said a source. “A few other appointments are also on hold.

“The PM’s office has been told to wait for the party elections to conclude before appointing anyone to government positions. Only leaders who win positions in the party will be given these appointments.

“This was not communicated to Najib by Palanivel, but by a strong leader who told the PM of the situation in the party.”

Vadiveloo meanwhile said the party must hold the election as soon as possible to avoid problems with the Registrar of Societies.

“The whole of MIC must hold elections this year,” he said. “The party needs to clarify to the Registrar of Societies if it does not. But I feel polls should be held by end of the year.”

Radical changes needed



Another former secretary-general, KS Nijhar, disagreed with this view.

“The central working committee needs to first finalise the electorate, meaning the branch and division chairmen,” he said.

“Only after we get the electorate list can we hold elections for top party office bearers, including the presidency.

“Holding the branch and divisional elections would require some time.”

The MIC presidential election is normally held three months before the election of other top office bearers. The party usually concludes its branch and divisional elections before calling for the presidential election.

Meanwhile, a CWC member has urged party leaders to change their style of leadership to remain relevant.

Madhu Marimuthu said a failure to make “radical changes” would spell the beginning of MIC’s demise.

“The people have sent a signal,” he said in reference to the party’s poor performance in the last two general elections.

“It is up to the MIC to make amends and bounce back as a strong and vibrant party.”

He noted that the party had attempted to rebrand itself after the 2008 general election and that Palanivel had been busy with various activities aimed at regaining popular support.

“But has all this changed the party and will MIC remain relevant when the next general election comes?” he asked.

One death too many

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should set-up the IPCMC immediately to stop deaths in custody.
COMMENT

By Charles Santiago

It has always been one death too many. According to official statistics, there were 147 deaths in police custody last year.

This shook the conscience of the country and deeply angered Malaysians. But nothing changed.

The recent death does not just add to the escalating number. The lurid details of the victim’s body is shocking as it points to a rising level of physical abuse and torture by police officers.

N Darmindran’s body was covered with bruises and both his ears were stapled. The police have now reclassified the case as murder although they initially said Dharmendran died from breathing difficulties.

His lawyers have described it as the worst case of police brutality, since the death of Kugan Ananthan in 2009.

The deep wounds on Darmindran’s body plus the staples with dried blood indicate he died from physical torture, although the police have attempted to pin his death on an asthma attack.

But we are not buying such stories anymore. Tales of poor health have been the mantra of the police force even when there were not just bruises but eyewitness accounts of brutality and physical abuse.

In January, C Sugumaran died under suspicious circumstances while under the custody of the police. Eyewitnesses say the police chased him down the road, handcuffed and beat him to death, joined by a mob of people.

They also say they saw policemen kicking Sugumaran in the neck. And his face was smeared with turmeric.

Despite repeated requests from Sugumaran’s family members, the police have dismissed a second post-mortem and refused to classify the case as murder.

According to the police, the victim had run amuck forcing them to restrain him. And upon reaching the police station, Sugumaran was found to have died from a heart attack.

In the same month, Pua Bee Chun a young mother of two was shot dead by the police in Klang. The Selangor CPO maintains after four months that investigations are on-going in identifying the killer.

The police continue to act with impunity as they enjoy absolute power. The inertia demonstrated by the government in implementing the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) has contributed to the rising number of deaths in the hands of the police.

This has to stop

As the year began, three people including Sugumaran died under police custody. And aside from deaths in police custody, police also shot dead several people, each month, on average.

Police say they were either returning fire or the people were suspected criminals. But many are shot dead just for failing to stop at police roadblocks.

Peoples’ confidence in the police has been taking a steady dip over the past few years, largely triggered by a deep-seated suspicion of the force. Their concern holds water.

Darmindran’s death and the shocking wounds on his body clearly signal that the police have no qualms abusing their powers or indulging in torture despite the nationwide uproar.

And more so as they are not accountable to anyone. This has to stop.

The government must immediately set-up the IPCMC instead of shuffling it along. We have read about newly minted Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi thumping his chest and vowing to act on anyone who dares to hold peaceful rallies or question the country’s electoral system.

I now ask that he bucks up and does the right thing as the minister in charge of Home Affairs by ordering and open inquiry into Darmindran’s death and instructing the police chief to suspend all officers who were involved in interrogating the deceased until the investigation is completed.

We have been disappointed many times with the outcome of the police investigating themselves. But as the new government has promised transparency and accountability, I urge the police not to play Houdini by trying to make crucial evidence disappear or attempt to cover up for their fellow colleagues.

BN’s shortcomings have become a huge liability to the country and its people for decades. Let’s hope that, for once, fairness and justice will prevail.

Or Darmindran will become just another number, adding to the rising statistics

Charles Santiago is DAP’s MP for Klang

PSM to review ties with Pakatan after GE13 losses


(The Star) - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) is set to review its ties with Pakatan Rakyat after its losses in GE13 due to the alleged underhand tactics against their candidates.

“The issue will be brought up for discussion at our annual congress on June 28.

“We are leaving it to our members to decide if we should continue ties with Pakatan,” PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan (picture) said, adding that the decision to work with the Opposition pact was made at the party's 14th Congress in June last year.

He added that PSM was also demanding a meeting with PKR and PAS leaders over the Kota Damansara and Semenyih state seats in Selangor.

“We want an explanation from PAS over the loss of the Kota Damansara seat, and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang referring to us as communists,” he said.

Arutchelvan added that PKR should also explain its role in PSM's loss in Semenyih.

On May 6, PSM president Dr Mohd Nasir Hashim said his loss in Kota Damansara was due to votes being split and “stolen” by the PAS candidate.

Barisan's Halimaton Saadiah Bohan polled 16,387 votes against Dr Nasir's 14,860 and PAS' Ridzuan Ismail's 7,312.

Arutchelvan was said to be the victim of Pakatan's internal politicking in Semenyih which saw Barisan's Datuk Johan Abdul Aziz getting 17,616 votes compared to PKR's Hamidi Hasan (13,471) while he only polled 5,568 votes.

PSM also contested the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat in Perak with incumbent Dr Michael Jeyakumar successfully defending it while M. Sarasvathy lost the Jelapang state seat.

High Court Finds Guilty And Sentences To Death All Four Accused In Sosilawati's Murder Case

SHAH ALAM, May 23 (Bernama) -- The High Court Thursday found guilty all the four accused in the murder of cosmetics millionairess Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and three others three years ago, and sentenced them to death by hanging.

Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir said he was satisfied that the defence had failed to raise a reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case against former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan and his three farm workers, T. Thilaiyalagan, R. Matan and R. Kathavarayan.

Pathmanabhan, 43, Thilaiyalagan, 21, Matan, 22, and Kathavarayan, 33, were charged with the murder of Sosilawati, 47, bank officer Noorhisham Mohamad, 38, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and Sosilawati's driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 44, at Lot 2001, Jalan Tanjong Layang, Tanjung Sepat, in Banting between 8.30 pm and 9.45 pm on Aug 30, 2010.

They were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read with Section 34 of the same code, which provides for the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Ishak Mohd Yusoff, Saiful Edris Zainuddin and Idham Abd Ghani appeared for the prosecution while Pathmanabhan was represented by counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon and Pushpa Ratnam; Thilaiyalagan, by Gurbachan Singh; Matan, by Amer Hamzah Arshad and Kathavarayan, by Hasshahari Johari Mawi.

In his judgement, Judge Akhtar concluded that land matters figured as the key motive in the murder of Sosilawati.

He said he had mentioned during the prosecution's case that a probable motive and reason to kill Sosilawati was the inability of the first accused, Pathmanabhan, to honour the cheque issued to Sosilawati.

However, after considering the testimony of Pathmanabhan, he found that there could be other more cogent reasons which were unwittingly spilled out by Pathmanabhan himself in his testimony, that is land matters, he said.

Akhtar said Pathmanabhan gave evidence on two land deals in which he was involved and had acted for two opposing sides on the same matter as well as having acquired an interest in the transactions and that these actions were not only unethical but had also compromised his impartiality.

He said Pathmanabhan had appeared for both Sosilawati and former Sementa state assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rahman Palil in the same deal and, by doing so, was caught between the 'devil and the deep blue sea'.

"On one hand was Sosilawati, a well-known entrepreneur, and on the other was Rahman Palil, in the word of the first accused, a powerful politician. In fact, it was the testimony of the first accused that he was reluctant to organise a meeting involving both of them when requested for such a meeting.

"When pushed to the corner, as what happened to the first accused in this case, he took the easy route of eliminating one of these persons and, unfortunately, it happened to be Sosilawati. The rest of the persons accompanying Sosilawati were just at the wrong place at the wrong time," he said in his 15-page written judgment.

Recapitulating the evidence in the prosecution's case, Akhtar said the intended destination of Sosilawati around noon of Aug 30, 2010, as told to family members, was to meet Pathmanabhan for the purposes of bringing forward the payment of two cheques issued by the lawyer's firm, and the prosecution then, through telecommunication records, charted the journey of Sosilawati and company to Banting where the final location of the journey, according to the records, was a farm which was later proved to belong to Pathmanabhan.

He said the prosecution further sought to prove that Sosilawati and company were in fact on the farm by introducing the evidence of a maid working at the farm, Siti Hamidah Karnax, (a prosecution witness) who saw a woman and three men entering the farm.

Akhtar said further evidence from the family members showed that Sosilawati and company had failed to return from Banting and were also not responding to phone calls.

He said that as it was not normal for Sosilawati and company not to inform family members of their whereabouts, the family members were concerned as to what had happened to them and this concern prompted them to lodge police reports.

He said that acting upon this report and in carrying out further investigations, the police zeroed in on to the farm belonging to Pathmanabhan and arrested five people including the second accused, Thilaiyalagan, and fourth accused, Kathavarayan, on Sept 9, 2010.

He said initial investigations at the farm did not reveal anything incriminating or tangible, but the breakthrough came on Sept 12, 2010 when, based on the information given by three of the arrested persons including Thilaiyalagan and Kathavarayan, the police revisited the farm.

On this occasion, based on the information given, especially by Thilaiyalagan and Kathavarayan, Akhtar said, the police discovered a burnt patch at the back of the farm and, on digging the burnt spot, the police unearthed bones whereby some of the bones were later confirmed by the expert to be human bones that were charred, showing they had been burnt to a very high degree of temperature.

He said further investigations at the farm revealed an area with the presence of blood spots and a cricket bat with traces of blood and an analysis of the blood by the chemist showed that the blood matched that of some members of Sosilawati and company.

Akhtar said an inference could be drawn from these facts that something untoward had happened to Sosilawati and company on the farm and this fact was bolstered by the evidence of witness Siti Hamidah that she had heard a woman's screams on Aug 30, 2010, at the farm as well having seen a fire as high as the neighbouring oil palm trees.

He said the second and fourth accused gave information which led the police to various spots in Banting as well as the area in Subang Jaya where they found the cars in which Sosilawati and company had gone to Banting to meet Pathmanabhan, the handphones and watches identified by family members to belong to some members of Sosilawati and company, the discovery of burnt logs and burnt zinc sheets, some of which bore traces of blood.

"The blood found on the zinc sheets matched (that of) a member of Sosilawati and company. The presence of logs at the farm was also alluded to by Siti Hamidah when she saw the farm hands, including the third accused Matan, unloading the logs a day earlier," he said.

On the hints by the counsel that he might have been influenced in calling for the defence of the four accused because of the media hype surrounding this case, Akhtar said a judge, in deciding a matter, faces more danger of influence from an eloquent defence counsel or a relentless prosecutor and both skillfully divert the court's attention to factors which favour them but blissfully ignore the factors that go against their case or theory.

"In my mind, a judge has to be equally wary of the eloquent lawyer and a relentless prosecutor as he has to be wary of the media. The judge's focus should be always towards the entire evidence adduced in the case and nothing else. I must also add (that) the judge should not be influenced by emotion or personal glory in deciding a case and I decided this case with these precautions in mind," he said.

In evaluating the defence evidence, the judge said, Pathmanabhan denied having met Sosilawati on the night or evening of Aug 30, 2010, at the farm or anywhere else and therefore distanced himself from whatever had befallen them, and this portion of the evidence was supported by the evidence of Thilaiyalagan and Matan who also contended that nothing untoward happened on the night of Aug 30, 2010, or the next day.

Akhtar said that to him, Pathmanabhan's denial of having met Sosilawati on Aug 30, 2010, ran counter to the evidence of Sosilawati's daughter that she was specifically informed by Sosilawati that she was going to Banting to meet Pathmanabhan over the clearance of the two cheques.

He said the issuance of the two cheques was not denied by Pathmanabhan and the tendering of the two cheques supported their existence.

Furthermore, he said, Sosilawati's daughter had no axe to grind with Pathmanabhan or the other accused for her wanting to lie on this matter, and the other undisputed fact was that Sosilawati had gone to Banting with her driver.

"Similarly, the other family members had nothing to hide in testifying that their husbands had followed Sosilawati as a call of their duty. It is again undisputed that the lawyer and banker had often acted as advisors of Sosilawati.

For them to follow Sosilawati to Banting is again not implausible and, in fact, has been proven by the various telephone conversations they had with their family members during the journey.

"In the face of unblemished evidence of the family members, my decision remains intact even after hearing the defence that the sole reason Sosilawati and company had gone to Banting was to meet Pathmanabhan. The names thrown by the defence of Abdul Rahman Palil and the others who were known to Sosilawati were mere red herrings. Further, the fact that these names were not even called as witnesses shows that they had no role to play in this case and, similarly, they were not called by the defence," he said.

Akhtar also said that he did believe the portion of the evidence of fourth accused Kathavarayan that Sosilawati and company did come to the farm on Aug 30, 2010, and did meet Pathmanabhan although he was aware that there might have been a fallout between Kathavarayan and Pathmanabhan.

He said all the accused also could offer no explanation of the items belonging to Sosilawati and company being found as a result of the information of the four arrested persons and the defence also offered no new explanation why the information should not be used against the accused apart from repeating earlier allegation of force being used on them.

"I will stress here that the police could not have recovered at the sites on their own without being led to their discovery by the informants. The knowledge of the second and fourth accused as to the items recovered shows that the items were in their possession prior to them being disposed.

"The items of Sosilawati and company being in the possession of the second and fourth accused raise the only logical inference, that they were obtained from Sosilawati and company and were obtained by force.

"No explanation was given by the accused as to the finding of the blood and human bones on the farm, again a feeble attempt was made to challenge the DNA evidence. There is no reason for me to discard the evidence of the experts which I had accepted earlier especially since the defence did not bring any other expert evidence to the contrary.

"Again, the finding of blood and charred human bones on the farm raises the only possible inference as to what could have happened to Sosilawati and company when they were on the farm, that is, they were burnt to death," he said.

Furthermore, Akhtar said, the fourth accused was not convincing when he testified that he had seen Sosilawati a week later when he was with Pathmanabhan because, when he was being questioned by the DPP on the identity of the woman he saw, the fourth accused appeared fidgety and evasive.

He said that if Kathavarayan had really seen Sosilawati alive, that would be the first thing he would have revealed to the police instead of bringing them to places to recover items belonging to Sosilawati and company, and by suddenly saying that Sosilawati was alive he hoped to divert these proceedings to another direction.

On the record of proceedings of the two prosecution witnesses, U. Suresh who had earlier pleaded guilty to disposing the ashes of Sosilawati and company and K. Sarawanan who had pleaded guilty to burning the bodies of the four victims, Akhtar said the magistrate's court proceedings showed that both witnesses had pleaded guilty and admitted to the facts voluntarily contrary to what they claimed before the court that they were forced to do so.

He therefore ruled that in the light of these contradictions in their conduct at two different forums, their evidence in this trial was not worthy of credit. Suresh, 29, and Sarawanan, 22, are now serving 20 years' imprisonment in the Sungai Udang Prison in Melaka.

Death in lock-up is now a murder case




Image
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have classified the death of a man while in a lock-up on Tuesday as murder.

City police chief Datuk Mohmad Salleh said a post-mortem at Kuala Lumpur Hospital revealed "criminal elements" present in the death of N. Dhamendran, 32, an Alam Flora lorry driver.

He was arrested in connection with a shooting incident in Bandar Tun Razak last week.

"The case has been forwarded to (federal police headquarters at) Bukit Aman and we have received instructions to classify the investigation under murder," he said in a statement.

Police had initially classified the case as sudden death as Dhamendran had collapsed after complaining of chest pains. They had believed he had suffered an asthma attack followed by a heart attack.

Earlier, Dhamendran's wife of four years, Mary Soosay, 26, said she was unconvinced that her husband died of a heart attack.

"I received call at 7.45pm (on Tuesday) and they told me that my husband had an asthma attack and that he was in serious condition. They asked us to check with the hospital."

However, when she called the hospital, she was told that her husband had not been admitted. Only later was she told that he had died and his body was in the mortuary.

"My brother-in-law and my father, together with our lawyer, were allowed to see his body and there were bruises all over. Staples were still intact on both of his ear lobes."

Her brother-in-law, Vijayakumar Arbalan, 36, said Dhamendran's thighs also looked swollen.

Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah said Dhamendran had complained of chest pains and was taken to the hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead on arrival at 9pm.

Dhamendran and three others had been detained to assist investigations into a case where two men were shot following a heated argument in Bandar Tun Razak at 7.30pm.

In the incident, police volunteer N. Saravanan and his friend, Tamil Selvam, both 29, were shot in the abdomen and are now being treated.

Ku said the other three men detained in the incident had been released on police bail on Tuesday.

He said Dhamendran had not been released as he was supposed to assist in another investigation.

The chill of sedition laws — Aerie Rahman (Loyarburok)

MAY 23 — Despite it being Spring, London is chilly. Malaysia, so I hear, is extremely hot right now, with friends and family members telling me that the current heat wave is unparalleled to any we’ve had before.

Nevertheless, a chilling effect is haunting Malaysia. This kind of chilly feeling is unable to be insulated by thick clothing, a warm fire or a kiss from a mistress. It seeps into your cold black bones and relentlessly gnaws at them. This is the chill of sedition laws.

Adam Adli is not the victim of the chilling effect. He can continue to say what he wants to say because he’s got nothing to lose. He’s already charged of the act; he might even be a martyr. On the other hand, we, the unfortunate citizens of Malaysia are the victims of this effect, every single one of us.

Of course, by every single one of us, I must qualify that with the fact that not everyone who makes a ‘seditious’ statement is charged with sedition. Some people are exempted from being punished. Selective prosecution or cherry picking is something familiar to Malaysians. In fact, a certain daddy of the “gomo” persuasion would gladly attest to this. This is hypocrisy at its finest.

When a person is publicly muzzled from speaking, we shudder at the thought of us being in his position. What if I’m the one in prison for my anti-establishment rhetoric? What’ll happen to my family? My parents would be so disappointed, and so on.

We tend to censor ourselves and consciously prevent our true voice from speaking our mind for fear of sanction. Power works in insidious ways. By its domination, it not only creates but it also destroys. Power constrains how we think, what we think, and what we know.

Take a look at Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon. This is a state-of-the-art prison with a tall watchtower. This watchtower serves as a point of surveillance against prisoners. Prisoners can’t when they are being watched. They tend to assume that they are being watched all the time even if they are not. Over a long period of time, they tend to police themselves and subconsciously modify their conduct, to appease the powers that be.

The same goes for censorship and the silencing of ‘seditious’ statements. Seeing Adam Adli being treated as if he is a criminal due to his remarks, we then tend to prevent ourselves from speaking our minds. The chills of sedition laws have long and firm roots which embeds themselves within our cognition.

The problem is, what qualifies as sedition? This is determined by the executive powers and the judiciary. Sedition is relative and can interpreted differently by different people in different contexts. The worldview of those in government can be out of touch with the masses. What we consider trivial is considered by the gerontocracy as statements which can lead to subversion against the state.

As a result, we are unsure if what we say will be considered sedition. The line between sedition and criticism is blurred, deliberately made ambiguous to serve the convenience of our masters.

If criticism of the government is not sedition, what about harsh criticism that is akin to aggressive interrogation, which is something the MACC is familiar with? What about defending the seditious statements made, which is not exactly the seditious statement?

The climate of fear whipped up by the Barisan Nasional government has become nauseating. The desire to puke after every meal is fulfilled when sedition law apologists try to justify the fact that Malaysia is not a mature democracy and therefore requires some form of social control.

Tell me, when then will we be a mature democracy? What are the indicators? Election is an important component of democracy and a turnout of 85% (more than most European countries) shows that we are a politically conscious lot.

Do sedition laws lead to a mature democracy or does a democracy mature without sedition laws? I say that the existence of sedition laws perpetuates the mentality that we are an immature society, constantly needing supervision from above. This projects the image that we are a fragile society, in a state of tension that is ready to blow up with just a spark.

Free discourse, a core criterion for understanding, is a prerequisite for a mature society. The chains of sedition laws constrain us from actualising our maturity.

Save an unscrupulous minority, Malaysia is far better than that. And we deserve more than being the victim of a chill from our own government’s doing.

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

Come Together As One, Najib Tells Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in conjunction with Wesak Day, called on Malaysians regardless of race or ethnicity to come together as one.

He said Malaysia was growing steadily towards Vision 2020, and stressed that it was possible to achieve only if the people could be united in times of peace and difficulties.

"There will be many obstacles for us to overcome in the next few years but I am confident that we as a nation can do it," he said in his his Wesak Day message uploaded in his blog www.1malaysia.com Thursday.

The prime minister expressed hope for the people to set aside their differences at all levels of society.

"If there was one thing I could wish for our country, it would be for everyone to set aside their differences for the greater good. For neighbours to treat each other with kindness, spouses with love and siblings with kindness.

"For children to be respectful and parents to be nurturing. And of course for the people to prosper under this government, and for politicians to serve them to the best of their abilities

"Here's wishing all Malaysian Buddhists a Happy Wesak Day," he said.

As for the celebration tomorrow, Najib said there would be an abundance of joy, peace and forgiveness as people were seeking blessings for themselves and their loved ones.

He said volunteers were already working hard in preparing for Wesak Day which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and the passing of Gautama Buddha.

"All over Malaysia, temples will be bustling with activity as devotees flock to attend the various activities. Streets will be packed with processions of beautiful floats," he added.

Thousands join travel boycott of India’s Andaman Islands

Survival's call to stop tourists traveling through the Jarawa's land has been backed by thousands.
Survival's call to stop tourists traveling through the Jarawa's land has been backed by thousands.
© Ariberto De Blasoni/Survival
 
Just weeks after Survival launched a tourism boycott of India’s Andaman Islands to stop the degrading ‘human safaris’ to the Jarawa tribe, the campaign has been gaining traction as travel companies join the boycott and thousands of people pledge not to visit the islands.

Following worldwide media coverage, with articles appearing in The Hindu in India, The Telegraph in the UK, International Business Times and the activism site Take Part in America, amongst many others, over two thousand people have pledged not to visit the islands until the tours are stopped.
Travelpickr, a global company based in Canada and India, and Spanish company Orixà Viatges are the first operators to withdraw from offering tours to the Andamans, and Survival is lobbying many more to join the boycott.

René Trescases, the head of Travelpickr, told Survival, ‘At Travelpickr we were appalled to learn about the ’human safaris’ to the Jarawa and have now withdrawn over forty tours to the Andaman Islands. We hope that the local administration will act quickly to stop this disgraceful practice, or it risks damaging the islands’ reputation as a popular travel destination.’

Spanish travel agency Orixà Viatges said, ‘We have removed the Andaman Islands from our list of tourist destinations. At Orixà Viatges we don’t understand this kind of tourism – we believe that people and cultures should be treated with respect, rather than used by unscrupulous people making a profit out of ‘human safaris’.’

The Jarawa's way of life is severely disrupted by hundreds of ogling tourists passing through their land every day.
The Jarawa's way of life is severely disrupted by hundreds of ogling tourists passing through their land every day.
 
© Survival
Hundreds of tourists, the majority from India, Israel, America and Britain, travel along a road which runs through the Jarawa reserve on a daily basis. Many hope to spot a member of the 400-strong Jarawa tribe, whose ancestors are thought to have been part of the first human migration out of Africa, treating them like animals in a zoo.

The ‘human safaris’ have been condemned by the United Nations and India’s Minister for Tribal Affairs, who called them ‘disgraceful’ and ‘an embarrassment’, and thousands of letters have been sent to the Indian government asking for the tours to be stopped.

But despite an Indian Supreme Court ruling in January 2013 which temporarily stopped tourists from traveling along the road, the Andaman administration has done everything in its means to keep the road open to tourists – even changing its own rules on a buffer zone to enable the ‘human safaris’ to continue.

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said today, ‘In travelers’ eyes, the Andamans are increasingly becoming synonymous with ‘human safaris’. The islands’ reputation has undoubtedly been severely damaged by the scandal. It’s surprising that the local government is so reluctant to provide tourists and locals with an alternative sea route, given that it’s far quicker and cheaper to travel by boat.’
Survival will continue to call for a full boycott of tourism to the Andaman Islands until its demands of removing tourists from the road through the Jarawa reserve are met.

Hospital confirms detainee died from blunt force trauma

A consultant pathologist from Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) had late yesterday confirmed that police detainee N Dharmendran died as a result of "diffusion of soft tissue injuries due to multiple blunt force trauma".

This was related by Dr Siew Sheue Feng to Dharmendran's family and lawyers N Surendran and Latheefa Koya, as well as to the police investigating officer at the HKL mortuary last night.

NONEAccording to Surendran (left), the pathologist had also found that the wounds were fresh, which the former said proved Dharmendran had been beaten and horribly tortured to death while in custody.

"This is a clear indication by the pathologist of the cause of death as blunt force trauma as a result of the beatings suffered by Dharmendran while being remanded at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

"The pathologist also found rotan had been used on the deceased's back as there were (rotan) marks.

"Besides the ears being stapled, the pathologist also found staples on both legs at the ankle area," Surendran said.

He claimed this was the initial findings related by the pathologist, although Siew will prepare his full report on the findings within the next few days.

Surendran, who is also the newly-elected Padang Serai MP, had described this as the worst case of death in police custody since A Kugan in 2009.

This also rules out the earlier statements by the Kuala Lumpur police, where Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Ku Chin Wah was quoted to have said that the 31-year-old died as a result of breathing difficulties.

Police have now classified Dharmendran's death as murder under section 302 of the Penal Code.

In a statement issued late last night, Kuala Lumpur police chief Mohmad Salleh said that the post-mortem showed there were criminal elements in the death of the detainee.

"Police have referred the matter to Bukit Aman, and have received orders that the case be classified under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

"An officer from Bukit Aman will be appointed to carry out further investigation into the matter," said Mohmad in a brief statement.

Funeral to be held today


Surendran said Dharmendran's family members are satisfied with the explanation given by the pathologist and will be claiming the body, with the funeral expected to be conducted later today.

"There will be no (further) post-mortem and the family and I are glad that the pathologist had made these important findings to prove the torture that Dharmendran had suffered.

"This is unlike the first post-mortem in the Kugan affair," he said.

It was reported that Dharmendran was arrested by police when he lodged a police report after being involved in a fight on May 11.

His wife and parents only knew of his arrest four days ago on May 19, and they visited Dharmendran at the police lock-up.

Dharmendran was supposed to have been released on bail yesterday.

However, the family was shocked when they received a call from an unidentified police officer informing  them of Dharmendran's death and asked them to collect his body at HKL.

They were allowed to view the body yesterday afternoon and a post-mortem was performed soon after.

kugan ananthan funeral 230109In the 2009 case of Kugan, the 23-year-old died at the Taipan police station after he was arrested over a spate of alleged thefts of luxury cars in the area.

His cause of death was initially listed as "pulmonary oedema", or drowning, after a first post-mortem was conducted at the Serdang hospital.

Dissatisfied with the findings, his family pressed for a second post-mortem, which found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.

Action was taken on the pathologist who performed the first post-mortem by the Malaysian Medical Association.

This resulted in an on-going legal suit by the family of the deceased against the police and the government.