Wednesday, 11 December 2013
'Kidnapping' case: Minor returned to ‘parents who gave her away’
The couple allegedly told the deliverer of the baby, Dr Tahir Mehmood,
that they could not keep the child as it would bring shame to their
families knowing that she…
The couple allegedly told the deliverer of the baby, Dr Tahir Mehmood,
that they could not keep the child as it would bring shame to their
families knowing that she had been conceived out of wedlock. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE: A baby girl born just four months after her parents’ wedding
and then allegedly given away to protect the couple’s reputation was
returned to her parents on Tuesday.
The couple allegedly told the deliverer of the baby, Dr Tahir Mehmood, that they could not keep the child as it would bring shame to their families knowing that she had been conceived out of wedlock. They told him he could either kill the baby or keep her himself, according to the investigation.
A midwife named Razia Bibi who worked at the hospital, with Dr Mehmood’s permission, then reportedly took the baby to Naseem Hospital, located at Jora Pul near Chungi Amr Sidhu, where she gave the baby to a Dr Rana Sohail Azam.
Dr Azam then allegedly sold the baby to a man named Nadeem for Rs115,000. He gave the child to a relative named Amir Touqeer who had no children and lived in Denmark.
According to the police investigation, upon learning that the child had been sold and they had not received a cent, Naeem filed a complaint with Shahdara Town police alleging that Dr Mehmood, Dr Azam and midwives Razia Bibi and Yasmeen Bibi had abducted her. A case was registered under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Both doctors obtained pre-arrest bail, while both midwives were thrown in jail. Nadeem was also arrested and presented before the court. He testified that he had not abducted the baby, but paid Rs115,000 for her. He pledged to recover the baby and hand her over to her parents by December 10.
On Tuesday, the baby, brought back from Denmark, was handed over to the parents.
A police source said that the couple had reached a compromise with the accused and would withdraw the kidnapping complaint. The source said that Dr Azam had paid the couple Rs200,000 to drop the case.
Court staffers said that the complainant had told the court that a compromise was being negotiated. The settlement would be brought up at the next hearing of the case on December 11 (today).
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2013.
Labels:
Pakistan
Analysts shred Perkasa’s warning of Christian tsunami
A Christian tsunami at the next general election? Not likely, say political analysts, who pooh-poohed Malay rights group Perkasa for turning the country’s religious minority into a bogeyman.Analysts said…
A Christian tsunami at the next general election? Not likely, say political analysts, who pooh-poohed Malay rights group Perkasa for turning the country’s religious minority into a bogeyman.Analysts said if the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) Government was sensitive to the needs of Christians, it need not worry about any threat to the survival of Malays and Islam in the country.
A bigger concern was the impact of the “Allah” ruling, said political analyst Khoo Kay Peng, adding that it touched on Christian sensitivities, especially since there was worldwide condemnation over the ruling.
"Christianity is practised by only 9% of the Malaysian population. The only electoral threat could come from Sabah and Sarawak. If the BN-led government is sensitive to the needs of Christians, there should not be any threat," he said.
Last Saturday, Perkasa's Datuk Zulkifli Noordin (pic) highlighted seven threats to the survival of Malay-Islam in Malaysia and warned that the 14th General Election may turn out to be a "Christian tsunami" if the threats were ignored.
He had also listed Pakatan Rakyat, Singapore, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and liberal Malays as threats.
According to Zulkifli, the Catholic church’s move to drag the “Allah” issue to court was provocative and had insulted Muslims.
Political scientist Dr Jayum A Jawan from Universiti Putra Malaysia also dismissed Zulkifli’s warning, saying the Perkasa leader was just looking for a bogeyman.
"I don’t think anyone is trying to convert anybody. This is about faith and beliefs. People either embrace Islam or embrace Christianity, there is no conversion going on.
“They are making these allegations and spreading this talk for reasons best known to themselves."
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak political analyst Dr Arnold Puyok agreed, saying: "If there is any threat of proselytising, Perkasa must provide proof of its allegations.
"They are playing with fire by saying such things and the authorities must prevent them from doing so in the name of national security and harmony."
Khoo said civil society and Muslim intellectuals should reprimand Zulkilfi and tear to shreds his baseless assumptions.
He said, however, the prime minister should not join the fray. It was best for “for the PM to stay away from folks like Zulkifli Noordin”.
Jayum agreed, saying: “Asking the PM to rein in Perkasa would be giving them prominence and I don't think we should give them any attention."
Puyok, the other hand, said Datuk Seri Najib Razak should act quickly and boldly, at least by reminding Perkasa to stop making baseless allegations.
"It looks like Perkasa is more potent than Najib's global movement of moderates. Najib should use all the support and powers he has to promote the latter," he said.
On police inaction against people like Zulkifli, Khoo said the police served the ruling party more closely than the public.
“If the regime instructs the police to act against these perpetrators, it is likely that it will do so.
"But is the regime calling for any action against Zulkifli and his seditious statements?” he asked.
Puyok added that the real threat to Muslims was Perkasa trying to instil fear in them that they were losing their racial and religious identity, when, in fact, they were not.
"The status of Islam and the rights of the Malays are safeguarded by the Federal Constitution, so what threats are Perkasa talking about?"
He urged the police to act against Perkasa if their allegations were unfounded.
Jayum agreed, noting that Perkasa's accusations ran contrary to the prime minister's efforts to foster unity.
“The Malays, Chinese and Indians have had good relations all this while and when Sabah and Sarawak joined Malaysia, it became a more plural society. This is a historical fact that cannot be disputed."
He added that it was unfortunate that the NGO had a narrow view, with many Malays disagreeing with Perkasa.
"Perkasa lacks confidence. Malays today are highly confident, professional and want to reach out to others.
"Perkasa, on the other hand, appears like a relic," Jayum said.
Khoo said while Zulkifli could exercise his freedom of speech, he should not galvanise society to think like him.
"His talk will only impact on unity efforts if Umno and its president endorse Zulkifli's position.
"And if Umno endorses his candidacy again at the next elections, then the party deserves to lose more middle-ground votes."
Both Khoo and Puyok urged the media not to give Perkasa too must space.
"Instead of reporting everything Perkasa says, the media should focus more on efforts by the Government, NGOs or other parties to foster unity and nationhood,” said Puyok.
Khoo agreed, saying the media should stop reporting nonsense.
"Their editorials should condemn such statements, too," he said. – December 11, 2013.
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Perkasa
Look into saving animals affected by the floods
By S.Param It is heartening to note that the government together with the media and several NGOs are doing whatever necessary to help out those affected in the going flood…
By S.Param It is heartening to note that the government together with the media and several NGOs are doing whatever necessary to help out those affected in the going flood episodes. The decision by the government to set up so many flood relief centres with adequate food, clean water and other essential items to the affected flood victims is laudable.
The army, police, Fire and Rescue Department and all other relevant government and private agencies’ personnel should be commended for their highly organised, committed and dedicated services to the flood affected population during these difficult times.
The recent decision by the health authorities to set up several special healthcare centres to cater for flood victims is timely. This will ensure the flood victims gets immediate medical care for any flood-related ailment or injuries. More importantly, it will help detect and prevent any outbreak of infectious water-borne diseases before it spiral out to be an epidemic.
In any natural disaster, be it flooding, earthquake, tsunami, etc, it is natural for us to give high priority in saving human lives and attending to their sufferings. However, humanity does not revolve around saving human lives and alleviating their sufferings alone. Humanity encompasses everything related to taking care of human sufferings, etc, and it goes beyond that.
We also need to consider wherever practical during natural disasters of this nature to see how best we can help save the hundreds of pets, livestock and other animals that are equally affected in the floods.
These poor animals which are living in our midst and have been part and parcel of our environment and nature ought to given due consideration as soon as we have effectively taken care of our fellow men.
I appeal to the Agriculture Ministry, as well as the veterinary authorities and animal welfare NGOs, to look into ways and means to save and alleviate the suffering of pets (cats, rabbits, dogs, etc) and other animals caught in these floods.
Ideally, veterinary authorities equipped with the knowledge, equipment and facilities should immediately set up animal treatment and rescue centres in the affected areas. If there is a need, the authorities can seek the help of volunteers from the animal welfare organisations in the country.
Injured and dead animals in the badly flood-hit areas may pose a threat to public health if they are not treated or the dead animal carcasses are not removed in time.
It must be pointed out that the spread of the notorious leptospirosis infection (an animal-borne disease) has been reported to spike during and after major floods in South-East Asia, according to many scientific studies.
The causative agent of leptospira is contagious in moist environment. Although rats and other rodents play an important role in the spread of the infection, there are a wide range of other mammals including dogs, deer, rabbits, cattle, buffaloes, sheep, and pigs that have been reported to also carry and transmit leptospirosis. Imagine if these animals that are killed in the floods are left to rot in the flood waters!
According to meteorological predictions, it appears that the worst is not over yet and we must be prepared for more flooding episodes in the lowland areas in many parts of the country.
IGP: Up to Surendran if he wants to join police ops
There is no way the police have any way to guarantee Surendran’s safety, he told a press conference today when attending Best Police Station award.
“The police can’t even ensure their own safety when they’re facing a dangerous situation, how can I give a (safety) assurance?” he said.
“I can’t even guarantee my staff’s safety. That’s why from an early stage, I already said he needed to sign the indemnity letter,” he said.
“It’s up to him,” he responded when asked if the invitation was still on.
Surendran had been a frequent critic of the police abuses, particularly on issues of custodial deaths and police shootings.
The most notable incident revolved around the police shooting of five men in Penang in August.
Based on Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's comments during a subsequent televised interview, Surendran alleged that the minister had admitted to the shooting being premeditated.
Following this, Khalid invited Surendran to join the police in an operation. Although he had accepted the invitation, Surendran had refused to sign an indemnity letter which absolves the police of any responsibility should any mishap occurs.
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Lawyer of liberty
Isma: Human rights must be based on Islam
Ikatan
Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has urged the federal government to interpret
human rights values based on Islamic values because Muslims form the
majority in Malaysia.
In a press release today,…
In a press release today,…
Ikatan
Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) has urged the federal government to interpret
human rights values based on Islamic values because Muslims form the
majority in Malaysia.
In a press release today, Isma deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya listed out the organisation's six demands, which among others urged the federal government not to ratify six international human rights treaties.
These include the Convention on Elimination of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw), International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which includes freedom of religion, and the Convention On The Rights Of Child (CRC).
Isma said these pacts were a sinister bid to make the country a completely free state with no limits on freedom. This would jeopardise racial harmony in Malaysia and also violate its sovereignty, it said.
“As
a Muslim country where the majority of the people are Muslims, then all
forms of freedom as defined in human rights must be accompanied by the
principles of Islam,” said Isma’s deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya in a
recent statement.
Isma said instead, Malaysia should look to follow the more conservative standards set by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Cairo Declaration of 1990 and the Declaration of Human Rights by the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) last year.
In the statement, Aminuddin also once again blasted Comango, a coalition of 54 human rights NGOs, which it alleges carries a sinister agenda.
Comango has said that Isma was out to slander the NGO, which intended to present the true picture of Malaysian civil society instead of the whitewashed government version at the Universal Periodical Review (UPR) process in October.
In a press release today, Isma deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya listed out the organisation's six demands, which among others urged the federal government not to ratify six international human rights treaties.
These include the Convention on Elimination of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw), International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which includes freedom of religion, and the Convention On The Rights Of Child (CRC).
Isma said these pacts were a sinister bid to make the country a completely free state with no limits on freedom. This would jeopardise racial harmony in Malaysia and also violate its sovereignty, it said.
“As
a Muslim country where the majority of the people are Muslims, then all
forms of freedom as defined in human rights must be accompanied by the
principles of Islam,” said Isma’s deputy president Aminuddin Yahaya in a
recent statement.Isma said instead, Malaysia should look to follow the more conservative standards set by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Cairo Declaration of 1990 and the Declaration of Human Rights by the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) last year.
In the statement, Aminuddin also once again blasted Comango, a coalition of 54 human rights NGOs, which it alleges carries a sinister agenda.
Comango has said that Isma was out to slander the NGO, which intended to present the true picture of Malaysian civil society instead of the whitewashed government version at the Universal Periodical Review (UPR) process in October.
Labels:
ISMA
Kohilan: KL temple rejected options
Committee members of the Hindu temple at Jalan Raja Chulan turned down options presented to them following several meetings, says former deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay.
PETALING JAYA: Former deputy…
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Committee members of the Hindu temple at Jalan Raja Chulan turned down options presented to them following several meetings, says former deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay.
PETALING JAYA: Former deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay revealed that committee members of the KL Hindu temple demolished last month were given an offer early last year.
“Several mediation and negotiation meetings were held between the developer Hap Seng Land and the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyamman temple committee members, between February and March last year,” said Kohilan
“I was approached by Hindu groups asking me to mediate and in the interest of resolving the issue, I took on the job bona fide.”
Speaking to FMT, Kohilan said three meetings were held between the Hap Seng Land representative and the temple committee.
Also present during the meetings was MIC Federal Territory deputy chief Chandrasekhar Suppiah.
During the second meeting, the Hap Seng Land representative handed a RM50,000 cheque to the temple committee chairman as a token, to beautify the temple.
“I can confirm that the cheque was passed to the temple chairman because I was there and witnessed the handing over,” added Kohilan.
During the third negotiation meeting, two options were suggested.
“Option one is to re-build the existing temple but the size will be smaller with a five foot set back.
“The second option is that the developer is willing to give one acre of land in Puchong for the relocation of the temple with a fully built meditation centre and a low cost house for the temple priest,” said Kohilan.
However, the temple committee turned down the options due to differences of agreement within the committee members which is claimed to be made up of ‘family members’ and the temple building chairman.
“If this matter continues to be unsettled then it will create more problems.
“The temple committee chairman had then turned back and said to me, let them come and demolish the temple,” added Kohilan.
Talks failed
Kohilan said that the temple committee was not interested in the suggestions tabled and was adamant that they were not willing to compromise any of the land and wanted a temple built on the original perimeters.
“Earlier this year, Hap Seng Land asked me to re-negotiate with the temple committee, but the temple committee took a court order injunction instead,” he said.
It is being speculated that the temple committee is now requesting for the rebuilding of a two storey temple this time around.
Situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s golden triangle business hub and believed to have originally been built in 1911, the temple is deemed to be on DBKL’s reserve land for ‘road expansion, pedestrian pathways or drainage’.
Hap Seng Land is developing a 30-storey office building on an adjacent plot and can only get a Certificate of Fitness (CF) if it builds a walkway in line with DBKL requirements.
Last month, around 300 DBKL enforcement officers and police personnel demolished the temple without proper notice.
The temple had been issued an eviction notice on June 13, ordering it to vacate the premises before June 26. The eviction order was issued so that a developer could build a multi-storey building.
The Pakatan leaders were vocal in support of the issue until Padang Serai MP N Surendran was booted out from the parliament session where he tried to get parliament to discuss the temple’s dilemma. He now faces six months suspension from parliament .
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PETALING JAYA: Former deputy foreign minister Kohilan Pillay revealed that committee members of the KL Hindu temple demolished last month were given an offer early last year.“Several mediation and negotiation meetings were held between the developer Hap Seng Land and the Sri Muneswarar Kaliyamman temple committee members, between February and March last year,” said Kohilan
“I was approached by Hindu groups asking me to mediate and in the interest of resolving the issue, I took on the job bona fide.”
Speaking to FMT, Kohilan said three meetings were held between the Hap Seng Land representative and the temple committee.
Also present during the meetings was MIC Federal Territory deputy chief Chandrasekhar Suppiah.
During the second meeting, the Hap Seng Land representative handed a RM50,000 cheque to the temple committee chairman as a token, to beautify the temple.
“I can confirm that the cheque was passed to the temple chairman because I was there and witnessed the handing over,” added Kohilan.
During the third negotiation meeting, two options were suggested.
“Option one is to re-build the existing temple but the size will be smaller with a five foot set back.
“The second option is that the developer is willing to give one acre of land in Puchong for the relocation of the temple with a fully built meditation centre and a low cost house for the temple priest,” said Kohilan.
However, the temple committee turned down the options due to differences of agreement within the committee members which is claimed to be made up of ‘family members’ and the temple building chairman.
“If this matter continues to be unsettled then it will create more problems.
“The temple committee chairman had then turned back and said to me, let them come and demolish the temple,” added Kohilan.
Talks failed
Kohilan said that the temple committee was not interested in the suggestions tabled and was adamant that they were not willing to compromise any of the land and wanted a temple built on the original perimeters.
“Earlier this year, Hap Seng Land asked me to re-negotiate with the temple committee, but the temple committee took a court order injunction instead,” he said.
It is being speculated that the temple committee is now requesting for the rebuilding of a two storey temple this time around.
Situated in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s golden triangle business hub and believed to have originally been built in 1911, the temple is deemed to be on DBKL’s reserve land for ‘road expansion, pedestrian pathways or drainage’.
Hap Seng Land is developing a 30-storey office building on an adjacent plot and can only get a Certificate of Fitness (CF) if it builds a walkway in line with DBKL requirements.
Last month, around 300 DBKL enforcement officers and police personnel demolished the temple without proper notice.
The temple had been issued an eviction notice on June 13, ordering it to vacate the premises before June 26. The eviction order was issued so that a developer could build a multi-storey building.
The Pakatan leaders were vocal in support of the issue until Padang Serai MP N Surendran was booted out from the parliament session where he tried to get parliament to discuss the temple’s dilemma. He now faces six months suspension from parliament .
Labels:
temples
Seven file petition to nullify MIC polls
Seven MIC leaders have filed a petition to declare the MIC elections null and void.
PETALING JAYA: Seven MIC leaders, who failed in their bid to win seats in the…
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Seven MIC leaders have filed a petition to declare the MIC elections null and void.
PETALING JAYA: Seven MIC leaders, who failed in their bid to win seats in the central working committee (CWC), have filed a petition seeking to declare the polls null and void.
In the petition to the party’s election committee and MIC president G Palanivel on Dec 6, they said the polls must be held again due to discrepancies in the election held last week in Malacca.
The seven leaders are R Mutharasu, S Kannan, P Vijian, M Pushpanathan and former CWC members Madhu Marimuthu, SP Manivasagam and S Ananthan.
They said results of the CWC election was announced on Nov 30, while that of the vice-presidential race was only announced the next day after four recounts.
“This is a serious anomaly as both elections were conducted simultaneously and therefore results should have been announced at the same time,” Madhu Marimuthu told FMT.
He said since each delegate was given two ballot papers and the election committee should have ensured that the number of ballots cast for CWC was the same as that of the vice-president race to ensure a fair election.
He added that several discrepancies in the counting process became apparent only after the vice-president polls results were announced.
“At that time the CWC candidates or their agents did not have the opportunity to raise objections. We were not present during the counting process. The number of votes cast for both the vice-presidential and CWC elections should have been the same. But sadly it is not,” he added.
Madhu Marimuthu also said the room where the votes were counted was not spacious enough and the 88 CWC candidates and their agents could not monitor the counting closely.
He also questioned the one-hour break given to election officials involved in the tabulation of results while counting was in process.
“The candidates were also not allowed to keep an eye on the ballot boxes which was under the custody of the election committee.
This has given rise to doubts whether the ballot papers were tampered with.
“The total votes cast in the CWC election does not tally compared with that of the vice- president race. Why do the numbers differ.
The same number of delegates voted in both the elections but now the numbers differ,” he added.
A copy of the petition was also dispatched to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for investigations.
“We want the election committee to immediately hand over custody of the ballot papers to the ROS to investigate the allegations and conduct an inquiry,” said Madhu Marimuthu.
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PETALING JAYA: Seven MIC leaders, who failed in their bid to win seats in the central working committee (CWC), have filed a petition seeking to declare the polls null and void.In the petition to the party’s election committee and MIC president G Palanivel on Dec 6, they said the polls must be held again due to discrepancies in the election held last week in Malacca.
The seven leaders are R Mutharasu, S Kannan, P Vijian, M Pushpanathan and former CWC members Madhu Marimuthu, SP Manivasagam and S Ananthan.
They said results of the CWC election was announced on Nov 30, while that of the vice-presidential race was only announced the next day after four recounts.
“This is a serious anomaly as both elections were conducted simultaneously and therefore results should have been announced at the same time,” Madhu Marimuthu told FMT.
He said since each delegate was given two ballot papers and the election committee should have ensured that the number of ballots cast for CWC was the same as that of the vice-president race to ensure a fair election.
He added that several discrepancies in the counting process became apparent only after the vice-president polls results were announced.
“At that time the CWC candidates or their agents did not have the opportunity to raise objections. We were not present during the counting process. The number of votes cast for both the vice-presidential and CWC elections should have been the same. But sadly it is not,” he added.
Madhu Marimuthu also said the room where the votes were counted was not spacious enough and the 88 CWC candidates and their agents could not monitor the counting closely.
He also questioned the one-hour break given to election officials involved in the tabulation of results while counting was in process.
“The candidates were also not allowed to keep an eye on the ballot boxes which was under the custody of the election committee.
This has given rise to doubts whether the ballot papers were tampered with.
“The total votes cast in the CWC election does not tally compared with that of the vice- president race. Why do the numbers differ.
The same number of delegates voted in both the elections but now the numbers differ,” he added.
A copy of the petition was also dispatched to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) for investigations.
“We want the election committee to immediately hand over custody of the ballot papers to the ROS to investigate the allegations and conduct an inquiry,” said Madhu Marimuthu.
Labels:
MIC
Old woman challenged to a fight
Thugs disrupted a meeting of Indian NGOs and abused women, claims alleged victim.
GEORGE TOWN: Trespassers at a closed-door forum last month verbally abused a group of women and challenged…
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GEORGE TOWN: Trespassers at a closed-door forum last month verbally abused a group of women and challenged…
Thugs disrupted a meeting of Indian NGOs and abused women, claims alleged victim.
GEORGE TOWN: Trespassers at a closed-door forum last month verbally abused a group of women and challenged one of them to a fist fight, according to the alleged victims.
“We really felt degraded and feared for our safety,” said one of the women, S Jothee, as she related the incident during a press conference today.
She was referring to a meeting of NGOs on Nov 30 which discussed issues pertaining to Hindu burial grounds in Penang.
Jothee did not identify the alleged intruders or say how many were in the group, referring to them as “thugs” who appeared drunk.
She said they disrupted the proceedings several times and became dangerously volatile when the forum proposed that a petition be sent to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to complain about faulty crematorium incinerators in Batu Lanchang.
She said a group of women tried to calm them down when they were beating up a person attending the meeting, whom she did not identify.
“One thug used foul language and told one elderly woman to step outside to fight with him,” she said. “The woman was old enough to be his mother.
“Another thug was yelling and using insulting words against us.
“We could smell strong alcohol from both of them and, judging from their unruly behaviour, we believe they were drunk.”
Sothee demanded a public apology from the alleged intruders.
The forum organisers—the Coalition of Indian NGOs and Concerned Citizens Penang—last week lodged a police report on the incident.
Last Friday, a group of men held a press conference saying they were innocent of any wrongdoing at the Nov 30 meeting.
The forum was resumed last Saturday and no untoward incident happened.
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GEORGE TOWN: Trespassers at a closed-door forum last month verbally abused a group of women and challenged one of them to a fist fight, according to the alleged victims.“We really felt degraded and feared for our safety,” said one of the women, S Jothee, as she related the incident during a press conference today.
She was referring to a meeting of NGOs on Nov 30 which discussed issues pertaining to Hindu burial grounds in Penang.
Jothee did not identify the alleged intruders or say how many were in the group, referring to them as “thugs” who appeared drunk.
She said they disrupted the proceedings several times and became dangerously volatile when the forum proposed that a petition be sent to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to complain about faulty crematorium incinerators in Batu Lanchang.
She said a group of women tried to calm them down when they were beating up a person attending the meeting, whom she did not identify.
“One thug used foul language and told one elderly woman to step outside to fight with him,” she said. “The woman was old enough to be his mother.
“Another thug was yelling and using insulting words against us.
“We could smell strong alcohol from both of them and, judging from their unruly behaviour, we believe they were drunk.”
Sothee demanded a public apology from the alleged intruders.
The forum organisers—the Coalition of Indian NGOs and Concerned Citizens Penang—last week lodged a police report on the incident.
Last Friday, a group of men held a press conference saying they were innocent of any wrongdoing at the Nov 30 meeting.
The forum was resumed last Saturday and no untoward incident happened.
Labels:
Hindraf
Follow the rules, IGP tells PR MPs
The Inspector General of Police told Pakatan Rakyat leaders to follow the rules at the planned gathering to hand over a memorandum to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall on Dec…
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The Inspector General of Police told Pakatan Rakyat leaders to follow the rules at the planned gathering to hand over a memorandum to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall on Dec 16.
KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar this evening lambasted Batu MP, Tian Chua for refusing to follow guidelines of the Peaceful Assembly Act for a planned protest against quit rent hike proposed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, on December 16.
The senior top cop said rules and laws have been provided to ensure smoothness of the assembly and that the police were ready to assist the protesters by manning traffic in the area.
“There are laws why can’t they just follow it. We are here to help them and to help everyone else,” he said.
He added that the police might take precautionary measures to prevent any unnecessary incidents on that day.
“We would take action to prevent unwanted incidents. I urged them to apply for a permit and follow the rules.”
“This is to ensure that everyone else is happy. We could take care of the traffic and so forth,” he said.
This morning, Batu MP Tian Chua told FMT that there was no need for Pakatan Rakyat to submit an application under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAC) for their rally at Dataran DBKL next week.
Speaking to FMT he said that it is only a submission of the objection letters to the rate hike.
When told the gathering has been described as a “rally” by various quarters including the police, Chua said: “They can describe is as anything they want”
Yesterday Khalid had urged the leaders in Pakatan Rakyat that his men would assist them in their Dec 16 rally against the Kuala Lumpur assessment rate hike as long as they abide by guidelines given in the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAC).
Last week, opposition MP’s representing Kuala Lumpur constituencies told the press they planned to rally at Dataran DBKL on Dec 16.
This came after DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) had sent out a notice to property owners informing them of the impending rise in assessment rates. In some cases, the hike would be as high 1,000%.
The MPs called for a lower increase, saying 10% to 15% would be reasonable.
The DBKL had set Dec 17 as the deadline for objections.
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KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar this evening lambasted Batu MP, Tian Chua for refusing to follow guidelines of the Peaceful Assembly Act for a planned protest against quit rent hike proposed by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, on December 16.The senior top cop said rules and laws have been provided to ensure smoothness of the assembly and that the police were ready to assist the protesters by manning traffic in the area.
“There are laws why can’t they just follow it. We are here to help them and to help everyone else,” he said.
He added that the police might take precautionary measures to prevent any unnecessary incidents on that day.
“We would take action to prevent unwanted incidents. I urged them to apply for a permit and follow the rules.”
“This is to ensure that everyone else is happy. We could take care of the traffic and so forth,” he said.
This morning, Batu MP Tian Chua told FMT that there was no need for Pakatan Rakyat to submit an application under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAC) for their rally at Dataran DBKL next week.
Speaking to FMT he said that it is only a submission of the objection letters to the rate hike.
When told the gathering has been described as a “rally” by various quarters including the police, Chua said: “They can describe is as anything they want”
Yesterday Khalid had urged the leaders in Pakatan Rakyat that his men would assist them in their Dec 16 rally against the Kuala Lumpur assessment rate hike as long as they abide by guidelines given in the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAC).
Last week, opposition MP’s representing Kuala Lumpur constituencies told the press they planned to rally at Dataran DBKL on Dec 16.
This came after DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) had sent out a notice to property owners informing them of the impending rise in assessment rates. In some cases, the hike would be as high 1,000%.
The MPs called for a lower increase, saying 10% to 15% would be reasonable.
The DBKL had set Dec 17 as the deadline for objections.
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IGP
Malaysia among countries faring worst in faith-based discrimination, says global study
But this year's more comprehensive study showed six more, bringing the full list to Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and…But this year's more comprehensive study showed six more, bringing the full list to Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.Reuters
In 13 countries around the world, all of them Muslim, people who openly espouse atheism or reject the official state religion of Islam face execution under the law, according to a detailed study issued today.
And beyond the Islamic nations, even some of the West's apparently most democratic governments at best discriminate against citizens who have no belief in a god and at worst can jail them for offences dubbed blasphemy, it said.
The study, The Freethought Report 2013, was issued by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), a global body uniting atheists, agnostics and other religious skeptics, to mark United Nations' Human Rights Day on Tuesday.
"This report shows that the overwhelming majority of countries fail to respect the rights of atheists and freethinkers although they have signed U.N agreements to treat all citizens equally," said IHEU President Sonja Eggerickx.
The study covered all 192 member states in the world body and involved lawyers and human rights experts looking at statute books, court records and media accounts to establish the global situation.
A first survey of 60 countries last year showed just seven where death, often by public beheading, is the punishment for either blasphemy or apostasy - renouncing belief or switching to another religion which is also protected under U.N. accords.
But this year's more comprehensive study showed six more, bringing the full list to Afghanistan, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
In others, like India in a recent case involving a leading critic of religion, humanists say police are often reluctant or unwilling to investigate murders of atheists carried out by religious fundamentalists.
Across the world, the report said, "there are laws that deny atheists' right to exist, revoke their citizenship, restrict their right to marry, obstruct their access to public education, prevent them working for the state..."
Criticism of religious faith or even academic study of the origins of religions is frequently treated as a crime and can be equated to the capital offence of blasphemy, it asserted.
EU states
The IHEU, which has member bodies in some 50 countries and supporters in many more where such organisations are banned, said there was systematic or severe discrimination against atheists across the 27-nation European Union.
The situation was severe in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Malta and Poland where blasphemy laws allow for jail sentences up to three years on charges of offending a religion or believers.
In these and all other EU countries, with the exception of the Netherlands and Belgium which the report classed as "free and equal," there was systemic discrimination across society favouring religions and religious believers.
In the United States, it said, although the situation was "mostly satisfactory" in terms of legal respect for atheists' rights, there were a range of laws and practices "that equate being religious with being American."
In Latin America and the Caribbean, atheists faced systemic discrimination in most countries except Brazil, where the situation was "mostly satisfactory," and Jamaica and Uruguay which the report judged as "free and equal."
Across Africa, atheists faced severe or systemic violations of their rights to freedom of conscience but also grave violations in several countries, including Egypt, Libya and Morocco, and nominally Christian Zimbabwe and Eritrea.
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human rights
What our leaders can learn from Mandela
When Nelson Mandela died last Thursday, some Malaysian political leaders paid him tribute and expressed their admiration for what he stood for.Prime Minister Najib Razak, who recently bought back…
When Nelson Mandela died last Thursday, some Malaysian political leaders paid him tribute and expressed their admiration for what he stood for.Prime Minister Najib Razak, who recently bought back preventive detention, tweeted, “Mandela lives on in the spirit of every human that believes in democracy and freedom.”
Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, the champion of Perkasa, Ketuanan Melayu (Malay Supremacy) and the New Economic Policy (NEP), called Mandela a great leader dedicated to the cause of social justice.
Kedah Mentri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, who in September said he would not entertain any requests for allocations from Chinese schools in Kedah, called Mandela “a true international patriot” for having suffered for the freedom movement against Apartheid.
Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who last year raised the threat of another May 13, extolled his message of unity and called him a “role model for all of the world”.
Weighed against what these people have said, done and been perceived to believe, the tributes sounded hollow – hypocritical, even. It makes one wonder if they truly understand the meaning of Mandela’s legacy.
For them to do so, they need to be more aware of what he stood and fought for throughout his life. And when they have become aware, it will not be enough until they apply what they have learned to governing Malaysia.
First, they need to learn that Mandela served – in the best sense of the word – his country. To do good for it without seeking any reward, financial gains or power, for his own sake.
He fought for his people’s freedom, fought against Apartheid, paid the price of being imprisoned for 27 long years, and became South Africa’s first black president in democratic elections. Did he amass great wealth along the way? Did he use the system to enrich himself and his family? Did he think of winning for himself and his party so that they could remain in power?
What he said at a lecture in Singapore in 1997 is instructive: “When we came out and set up negotiations, we discussed our approach very, very carefully, as the leadership of the African National Congress. And we adopted certain principles. Firstly, that in these negotiations, neither the congress, which is now in power, nor the enemy – the policy of Apartheid – none should win. But South Africa as a whole should win.”
He thought of his country first. He thought of his country winning. Our leaders, however, seem to think of themselves winning, and their party winning. When our government does something, it seems to consider first whether this will benefit the ruling party rather than if it will benefit the rakyat. Consider, for example, the doling-out of BR1M. Even now, the ruling party’s leaders are looking ahead to winning the next general election.
It was also quite revealing that at the Umno general assembly last week, a delegate said that if every 8th century Hindu temple ruin in Kedah were to be gazetted, his party would lose constituencies because the ruins were located all over. Rather than be concerned with preserving ancient treasures, he showed that his priority was winning electoral seats.
Second, Mandela kept to his principles of fighting against racial discrimination. And he promoted reconciliation – to bring the races in South Africa together, instead of sowing hatred and bitterness between them. He let the whites continue to control the economy and big business. In so doing, he has been criticised for not having done enough to improve the economic lot of his fellow black South Africans. But if he had instituted laws to favour the blacks, he would have practised Apartheid, and that would have been morally wrong. It takes someone who has felt the evil of racial discrimination to avoid resorting to it.
He let the whites run businesses because they were adept and experienced at doing it. If he had decreed that this be taken over by the blacks, who were inexperienced, South Africa’s economy would have suffered. Instead, with things continuing as they were, the country has annually achieved robust growth rates of 6, 7 or 8 per cent.
In the same lecture he gave in Singapore, Mandela said, “It is because of the talented people, both within the ranks of the liberation movement as well as in the ranks of the oppressor, that we have been able to bring about this transformation. We sincerely but fully believe that there are good men and women in all communities in our country – amongst Africans, coloureds, Indians and whites – and that the duty of the leadership is to create an environment in which those good men and women can exercise their talents. It is the combination of these factors that has made us progress in South Africa.”
Compare this with Malaysia, which has driven away at least 2 million of its talents and is now experiencing financial difficulties – because of the NEP, Ketuanan Melayu and Bumiputra economic empowerment. In short, Apartheid, Malaysian-style.
Sadly, however, Mandela’s experience is lost on Umno, the biggest ruling party in the country. At its general assembly, its high priest, Najib, actually told the congregation that Umno fought the “same cause” as Mandela did. Oh, how could he have said that and not looked like a fool? And how could he have discredited Mandela by comparing the great man’s cause to Umno’s?
Umno has been practising divide-and-rule for the longest time – the very opposite of reconciliation. Mahathir is still saying things to divide the races. He calls Mandela “my dear friend”, the leader he most admires, but he has not learned the crucial things from him: racial equality and reconciliation.
Neither has he learned from Mandela not to crave power. The latter served as president for only one term, from 1994 to 1999, and then gracefully stepped down.
Perhaps we the rakyat should learn from this and agitate our leaders to conceive of a new system that allows our prime minister to serve a limited number of terms.
Too long at the top can corrupt a person and teach them ways to amass absolute power. And since, as people say, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, we should prevent it from happening. We have already seen the damaging consequences of having a prime minister rule for 22 years; this should be reason and motivation enough to nip another Mahathir in the bud.
Finally, a sobering thought for all of us to ponder. Mandela was in prison for 27 years, but despite the length of his incarceration, he came out of it not as a bitter man seeking revenge and spewing hatred against his oppressors. He instead sought peace, reconciliation, and unification. It may well be that he found his epiphany while in prison. If that’s the case, perhaps our leaders need to serve time in prison, too. This is so that they may realise a thing or two to help them govern later – with fairness, justice and wisdom.
* Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to MSN Malaysia
* Kee Thuan Chye is the author of the new book The Elections Bullshit , now available in bookstores.
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Historian
Malaysia urged to ratify human rights treaties urgently
The Star
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KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysia should ratify the remaining six of nine core
international human rights treaties as soon as possible and not be left
behind, a discussion heard.
The…
The Star
▲
KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysia should ratify the remaining six of nine core
international human rights treaties as soon as possible and not be left
behind, a discussion heard.
The
country has only ratified three of the nine treaties since 1995, namely
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Malaysia
underwent the second United Nations’ Universal Periodic Review on Oct
24 where 80 of the 249 recommendations from member countries called for
it to ratify the treaties as well as other conventions. Of the 80, 25%
were recommendations from OIC states.
Malaysia will undergo its third UPR, a global review by its UN peers, in 2018.
Panellist
and Human Rights Movement (Proham) secretary-general Datuk Dr Denison
Jayasooria said human rights was for the good of all, adding that the
argument that the country was not ready or laws needed to be amended
should not be used as reasons.
“Ratifying the convention is committing to making those changes. One does not need to be perfect before signing.
“Malaysia
has done well in other areas but we cannot go on not ratifying the
treaties. It is embarrassing to be behind other countries in Asean and
OIC which have ratified more treaties than us,” Dr Denison said at the
discussion entitled ‘Human rights priorities for Malaysia beyond 2013
UPR to 2018’ organised by Proham and the Global Movement of Moderates
(GMM).
The discussion was held in conjunction with Human Rights Day Tuesday.
Dr
Denison suggested implementing a national human rights action plan;
strengthening the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), including debating
its reports in Parliament; and having firmer dialogue with civil
society.
GMM
chief executive officer Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, who moderated the
session, said the six major conventions, which included against racial
discrimination; economic, social and cultural rights and torture, should
be ratified by 2018 “if not earlier.”
“It puts us among the bottom 10 if we do not ratify more treaties. We are now ranked 187 out of 195 UN countries.
"Most
countries have ratified four or more even in OIC nations,” said
Saifuddin, adding that there should be more engagement between the stake
holders and the Government.
“We
have to take cognisance that not everyone will agree on everything on
human rights, even if we do not agree, we should refrain from
discriminating or demonising.”
Asian
Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) chief executive officer Tan
Sri Dr Michael Yeoh said Malaysia must play a bigger role in championing
human rights on the international stage as well as take cognisance
internally.
“We
need to enhance human rights, strengthen Suhakam and give it
enforcement powers as well as establish a human rights council at the
highest level,” he said.
As
chairman of Asean in 2015, he said, Malaysia could play an important
role in making human rights a more prominent agenda within the nations.
Labels:
human rights
Najib To Attend 40th Asean-Japan Commemorative Summit In Tokyo
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun
Razak is to make a working visit to Tokyo from Thursday to Sunday in
conjunction with the summit…
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KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun
Razak is to make a working visit to Tokyo from Thursday to Sunday in
conjunction with the summit marking the 40th anniversary of Asean-Japan
dialogue relations.
He will be accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin and officials from the ministry and relevant government agencies would also be in the delegation, it said.
The statement said the leaders of the 10 Asean nations and Japan were expected to re-emphasise at the summit on Saturday their close and long-standing relations besides signing three documents that outline programmes and activities to strengthen their relations.
These documents are the Vision Statement of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, its Implementation Plan, and the Joint Statement of the Asean-Japan Summit.
Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan are scheduled to mark the occasion by hosting an afternoon tea reception on Friday at the Imperial Palace.
Najib and Rosmah are also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and his wife, Akie Abe.
The statement said the summit will begin with a photography session. This will be followed a welcome speech by Abe and remarks by the Asean leaders.
Najib, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to have bilateral talks with Abe, after which they will hold a joint news conference.
"The prime minister (Najib) is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address and open the 32nd conference of the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (Majeca) and the Japan-Malaysia Economic Association (Jameca)," the statement said.
Top officers of Nikkei Inc, Sumitomo Corporation, Sekisui Chemical, Mitsui & Co. Ltd, Kawasaki Heavy Industry Ltd and Toshiba Corp are scheduled to call on Najib, it said.
Najib is also scheduled to meet Malaysian students in Japan and launch the Tokyo branch of 1Malaysia for Youth (1M4U), which is expected to draw an attendance of more than 150 students.
Najib and Rosmah are scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
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He will be accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, said a Foreign Ministry statement.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin and officials from the ministry and relevant government agencies would also be in the delegation, it said.
The statement said the leaders of the 10 Asean nations and Japan were expected to re-emphasise at the summit on Saturday their close and long-standing relations besides signing three documents that outline programmes and activities to strengthen their relations.
These documents are the Vision Statement of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, its Implementation Plan, and the Joint Statement of the Asean-Japan Summit.
Their Majesties Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan are scheduled to mark the occasion by hosting an afternoon tea reception on Friday at the Imperial Palace.
Najib and Rosmah are also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and his wife, Akie Abe.
The statement said the summit will begin with a photography session. This will be followed a welcome speech by Abe and remarks by the Asean leaders.
Najib, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to have bilateral talks with Abe, after which they will hold a joint news conference.
"The prime minister (Najib) is also scheduled to deliver a keynote address and open the 32nd conference of the Malaysia-Japan Economic Association (Majeca) and the Japan-Malaysia Economic Association (Jameca)," the statement said.
Top officers of Nikkei Inc, Sumitomo Corporation, Sekisui Chemical, Mitsui & Co. Ltd, Kawasaki Heavy Industry Ltd and Toshiba Corp are scheduled to call on Najib, it said.
Najib is also scheduled to meet Malaysian students in Japan and launch the Tokyo branch of 1Malaysia for Youth (1M4U), which is expected to draw an attendance of more than 150 students.
Najib and Rosmah are scheduled to return to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
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Najib
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