Tuesday, 22 April 2014
Negotiations ongoing for Italian Jesuit's release in Syria
But they also stressed that "there can be no certainty about this, given the difficulty in penetrating the organisation that is keeping him prisoner". The sources added that Dall'Oglio is being held in northern Syria by a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), an al-Qaeda-linked group led by fighters from Iraq and other countries. The Italian foreign ministry said Monday that it was maintaining "maximum confidentiality" about the case.
Pakistani accused of sexually assaulting an 11-yr-old Indian boy inside Dubai's mosque
A court in the UAE on Sunday adjourned till April 27 the hearing in a case relating to the attempted sexual assault on an 11-year-old Indian boy in a mosque in Dubai.
A Pakistani technician, 57, identified only as DK, has been accused of raping the boy in a mosque's washroom Jan 9 this year, Gulf News reported.
The suspect took the boy to the washroom and then removed his trousers, the court heard.
When the defendant was about to have sex with the boy, the boy managed to open the door and escaped from the washroom of the mosque in Souq Al Hamriya, the newspaper report said.
The defendant, however, denied the charge before the Dubai Court of First Instance Sunday.
He contended that he only slapped the boy inside the washroom, where he was performing the ablution or washing himself before the prayers.
The boy's father testified to the prosecutors that the boy was terrified following the incident.
The matter was reported to the police immediately by the victim's father.
The accused was arrested after the victim's father spotted him near the mosque.
The boy also admitted that the defendant offered him money if he allowed him to have sex with him.
The prosecution appealed to the court to impose a life sentence on the defendant.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pakistani-rapes-indian-boy-inside-mosques-washroom-in-dubai/1/356724.html
A Pakistani technician, 57, identified only as DK, has been accused of raping the boy in a mosque's washroom Jan 9 this year, Gulf News reported.
The suspect took the boy to the washroom and then removed his trousers, the court heard.
When the defendant was about to have sex with the boy, the boy managed to open the door and escaped from the washroom of the mosque in Souq Al Hamriya, the newspaper report said.
The defendant, however, denied the charge before the Dubai Court of First Instance Sunday.
He contended that he only slapped the boy inside the washroom, where he was performing the ablution or washing himself before the prayers.
The boy's father testified to the prosecutors that the boy was terrified following the incident.
The matter was reported to the police immediately by the victim's father.
The accused was arrested after the victim's father spotted him near the mosque.
The boy also admitted that the defendant offered him money if he allowed him to have sex with him.
The prosecution appealed to the court to impose a life sentence on the defendant.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pakistani-rapes-indian-boy-inside-mosques-washroom-in-dubai/1/356724.html
Raja bomoh kembali, dakwa gangguan puaka punca Karpal nahas
Raja
Bomoh, atau nama sebenarnya Datuk Mahaguru Ibrahim Mat Zin kali ini
menjalankan ritual di KM3061.1 Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (Plus) arah
utara berhampiran Gua Tempurung kerana mengatakan gangguan puaka
menyebabkan Karpal Singh nahas.
Selepas mengejutkan masyarakat dengan ritual yang dilakukan bagi meramal lokasi pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) Mac lalu, Raja bomoh kini mendakwa gangguan puaka menjadi punca nahas mendiang Karpal Singh, lapor portal Suara TV.
Raja bomoh, atau nama sebenarnya Datuk Mahaguru Ibrahim Mat Zin, 80 dikatakan melakukan ritual menghalau puaka di sekitar kawasan nahas ahli parlimen Bukit Gelugor itu.
Beliau berharap dengan ritual yang dilakukan itu, dapat membantu pengguna lebuhraya melalui kawasan itu yang diganggu puaka.
"Semoga usaha yang saya lakukan itu akan dapat mengurangkan kemalangan jalan raya yang sering terjadi," katanya memetik daripada portal tersebut.
Khamis lalu, Karpal maut dalam kemalangan di KM3061.1 Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (Plus) arah utara berhampiran Gua Tempurung.
Turut maut dalam kemalangan itu ialah pembantunya Micheal Cornelius Selvam Vellu, manakala anak mendiang, Ram Karpal dan pemandu kereta terselamat dan pembantu rumah mereka dilaporkan masih lagi dalam kritikal.
Insiden itu dipercayai berlaku apabila kenderaan MPV Toyota Alphard dinaiki mendiang, bersama lima yang lain merempuh belakang lori yang membawa simen, besi, jubin di lorong kiri laluan dua lorong.
Terdahulu, gambar raja bomoh yang dilihat berjalan di sekitar kawasan nahas sambil memegang objek berupa mangkuk dipercayai sedang melakukan ritual menghalau gangguan puaka yang kini tersebar meluas di laman sosial.
Bomoh itu yang mendakwa terkenal di kalangan golongan kenamaan, berkata laluan Gua Tempurung itu sememangnya menjadi tempat bagi mahkluk halus mengganggu pemandu kenderaan, terutamanya waktu malam.
Pada Mac, bomoh itu mencetuskan kontroversi bukan sahaja dengan masyarakat negara, bahkan ke peringkat antarabangsa gara-gara ritual ala tikar terbang dengan disertai pembantunya yang memegang dua biji buah kelapa untuk mengesan lokasi pesawat MH370.
Ekoran tindakannya mendapat pelbagai reaksi termasuklah pemimpin Barisan Nasional (BN) apabila mengakui ritual dilakukan raja bomoh bertentangan dengan ajaran Islam.
Namun raja bomoh yang juga turut mendapat jolokan Bomoh 1 Malaysia, mempertahankan tindakannya dengan menyatakan ia melakukan mengikut apa yang disyariatkan dalam agama. – 20 April, 2014.
Probe ordered into repeated MAS flight troubles
MH192 The
government has instructed an investigation into why Malaysia Airlines
planes have faced a series of troubles recently, said Deputy Transport
Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi.
“We have ordered a probe on why there are a series of technical problems involving Malaysia Airlines planes,” he was quoted as saying in The Star.
The report added that the Transport Ministry will review the standard safety procedures before take-off for all flights following the latest Malaysia Airlines Flight MH192 incident.
Flight MH192 departed from KL International Airport at 10.09pm for Bangalore, India last night and was to arrive at 2.35am (Malaysian time).
It was forced to turn back to KL International Airport for an emergency landing after discovering the tyre of its right landing gear had exploded during take-off, but not before having to circle over the coast of Selangor for around four hours.
On March 24, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH066 bound for Incheon, South Korea was diverted to Hong Kong for an emergency landing after experiencing electrical failure.
On the 8th of that month, the airline lost Flight MH370 after it mysteriously cut off communications with tower controllers and flew into the unknown. A massive search operation in the Indian Ocean has yet to find the aircraft.
Meanwhile, police are looking into the possibility of sabotage in the MH192 incident.
"We will take the necessary steps to investigate," inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar told a press conference today.
Initially the question was posed to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was also present at the press conference at the Police Academy International Association Conference, but Zahid told Khalid to respond.
Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (left in photo)
has asked the police to investigate elements of sabotage, as there have
been many incidents of late involving the national carrier.
Hishammuddin said incidents such as the MH192 turn-back and emergency landing at KLIA last night should not have happened.
The minister said MAS would be tabling a report on the incident to the cabinet in two days, and said he was proud of the pilots and crew members who were calm and kept the passengers informed.
The affected passengers will board another MAS flight to transport them to Bangalore at 3.30pm today.
Meanwhile, Khalid (right) also confirmed that the victims abducted by armed terrorist in Semporna, Sabah are still safe.
"The victims are safe and we are investigating and getting cooperation from China and the Philippines," he said.
He was asked about developments on the kidnap that happened on April 3 at the Singamata resort that saw one Chinese tourist and a Philippine resort worker abducted.
Flight MH192 resumed its journey to Bangalore from KLIA at 3.35pm today using a different aircraft, according to Bernama.
A MAS spokesperson was quoted as saying that all 159 passengers on board last night’s aborted trip boarded the latest flight.
In a statement later today, MAS said Flight MH192 safely landed in Bangalore at 7.27pm (Malaysian time).
“Malaysia Airlines is currently preparing a report of the MH192 incident to be submitted to the Transport Ministry, Malaysia,” it said.
“We have ordered a probe on why there are a series of technical problems involving Malaysia Airlines planes,” he was quoted as saying in The Star.
The report added that the Transport Ministry will review the standard safety procedures before take-off for all flights following the latest Malaysia Airlines Flight MH192 incident.
Flight MH192 departed from KL International Airport at 10.09pm for Bangalore, India last night and was to arrive at 2.35am (Malaysian time).
It was forced to turn back to KL International Airport for an emergency landing after discovering the tyre of its right landing gear had exploded during take-off, but not before having to circle over the coast of Selangor for around four hours.
On March 24, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH066 bound for Incheon, South Korea was diverted to Hong Kong for an emergency landing after experiencing electrical failure.
On the 8th of that month, the airline lost Flight MH370 after it mysteriously cut off communications with tower controllers and flew into the unknown. A massive search operation in the Indian Ocean has yet to find the aircraft.
Meanwhile, police are looking into the possibility of sabotage in the MH192 incident.
"We will take the necessary steps to investigate," inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar told a press conference today.
Initially the question was posed to Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was also present at the press conference at the Police Academy International Association Conference, but Zahid told Khalid to respond.
Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein (left in photo)
has asked the police to investigate elements of sabotage, as there have
been many incidents of late involving the national carrier.Hishammuddin said incidents such as the MH192 turn-back and emergency landing at KLIA last night should not have happened.
The minister said MAS would be tabling a report on the incident to the cabinet in two days, and said he was proud of the pilots and crew members who were calm and kept the passengers informed.
The affected passengers will board another MAS flight to transport them to Bangalore at 3.30pm today.
Meanwhile, Khalid (right) also confirmed that the victims abducted by armed terrorist in Semporna, Sabah are still safe."The victims are safe and we are investigating and getting cooperation from China and the Philippines," he said.
He was asked about developments on the kidnap that happened on April 3 at the Singamata resort that saw one Chinese tourist and a Philippine resort worker abducted.
Flight MH192 resumed its journey to Bangalore from KLIA at 3.35pm today using a different aircraft, according to Bernama.
A MAS spokesperson was quoted as saying that all 159 passengers on board last night’s aborted trip boarded the latest flight.
In a statement later today, MAS said Flight MH192 safely landed in Bangalore at 7.27pm (Malaysian time).
“Malaysia Airlines is currently preparing a report of the MH192 incident to be submitted to the Transport Ministry, Malaysia,” it said.
_______________________________________________________________________
Suspense as MH192 makes emergency landing
Passengers on board Malaysian Airlines (MAS)
Flight MH192 faced a four-hour terror ride after the landing gear
malfunctioned shortly after take-off.
This forced a turn back and several attempts at an emergency landing and several fly-bys over Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
At 2am, the plane successfully made an emergency landing. There were 166 people on board.
Flight MH192 departed at 10.09pm for the city of Bangalore in South India last night. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was supposed to have arrived at 2.35am (Malaysian time) today.
In a press release after the plane had landed back at KLIA, MAS said the tyre of the right landing gear had burst during take-off.
This forced a turn back and several attempts at an emergency landing and several fly-bys over Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
At 2am, the plane successfully made an emergency landing. There were 166 people on board.
Flight MH192 departed at 10.09pm for the city of Bangalore in South India last night. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft was supposed to have arrived at 2.35am (Malaysian time) today.
In a press release after the plane had landed back at KLIA, MAS said the tyre of the right landing gear had burst during take-off.
"The captain was alerted by the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control that
tyre debris were found on the runway and Malaysia Airlines Operations
Control Centre (OCC) was immediately contacted, at 10.25pm.
"As safety is of utmost priority to Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft was required to turn back to KLIA," MAS said.
Accommodation for all passengers has been arranged in nearby hotels.
Flight MH192 will be retimed to depart KLIA at 3.30pm today and arrive Bangalore at 5pm the same day (8pm Malaysian time).
Earlier, some Malaysians were anxiously tuning in to aircraft tracking service FlightRadar24 and the live-stream of the air traffic control (ATC) radio conversation on the website LiveATC.net
"As safety is of utmost priority to Malaysia Airlines, the aircraft was required to turn back to KLIA," MAS said.
Accommodation for all passengers has been arranged in nearby hotels.
Flight MH192 will be retimed to depart KLIA at 3.30pm today and arrive Bangalore at 5pm the same day (8pm Malaysian time).
Earlier, some Malaysians were anxiously tuning in to aircraft tracking service FlightRadar24 and the live-stream of the air traffic control (ATC) radio conversation on the website LiveATC.net
According to FlightRadar24, Flight MH192 then flew to just off the coast of Port Klang and began to fly in circles.
Not capable of mid-air fuel dumping
Not capable of mid-air fuel dumping
According to Boeing’s specifications, the 737-800 is not capable of
dumping fuel in mid-air, meaning that it would have to burn off its fuel
until the aircraft reaches an acceptable weight for a safe landing.
About 30 minutes later, it started to fly towards Port Dickson, and then
turned to make an approach to the KLIA runway, but only ended up making
a low pass over it for a visual check of its landing gear.
MH192 then went back to the vicinity of Port Klang and began to fly in
circles again from about 11.25pm until 1.22am the next morning.
“Malaysian 192. According to one pilot and one engineer, your right main gear is not positioned correctly,” ATC told the pilots while the aircraft was still circling.
“Malaysian 192. According to one pilot and one engineer, your right main gear is not positioned correctly,” ATC told the pilots while the aircraft was still circling.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks!” the pilot replied, then continue to circle for
hours before attempting a second approach on the runway but took off
again without landing.
"Malaysian 192, can you confirm to land or another flight path?" the ATC tower radioed.
"Err… Turn left, turn left, turn left. Low," MH192 replied.
"Malaysian 192, roger that."
'Mayday, mayday, mayday'
'Mayday, mayday, mayday'
As the aircraft made its series of left turns that would take it near
Port Dickson for the third landing approach, MH192 radioed to check on
preparations for a potential emergency.
ATC: Malaysian 192, we have just received a message. They are already foaming the runway for you.
MH192: How long do they need?
ATC: We'll advise.
MH192: All right, understood. Now it is mayday, mayday, mayday. We are landing (with) low fuel.
ATC: Malaysian 192, roger mayday."
The pilot sounded calm and composed - almost expressionless - even as he made the Mayday call.
Two minutes later, Flight MH192 began a slow left turn and then made its final, successful, landing approach.
Two minutes later, Flight MH192 began a slow left turn and then made its final, successful, landing approach.
"Malaysia Airlines Flight MH192 that made an air turn-back towards KLIA has landed safely at 1:56am. Alhamdulillah (thank God)," MAS tweeted on its Twitter account.
(Putting a layer of fire-suppressant foam on the runway is a common form of preparation ahead of some types of emergency landings, particularly so-called 'belly landings' where landing gear is not used.
(However, the New Straits Times quoted Banting Fire and Rescue Department officer Malik Hamdan as saying that no foam was sprayed, since only one of the landing gears had malfunctioned. The report also said the aircraft managed to land normally.)
(Putting a layer of fire-suppressant foam on the runway is a common form of preparation ahead of some types of emergency landings, particularly so-called 'belly landings' where landing gear is not used.
(However, the New Straits Times quoted Banting Fire and Rescue Department officer Malik Hamdan as saying that no foam was sprayed, since only one of the landing gears had malfunctioned. The report also said the aircraft managed to land normally.)
Umno sokong hudud untuk pecahbelahkan Pakatan, dakwa Saifuddin
Apabila Umno hilang dua pertiga majoriti, tiba-tiba mereka sokong Kelantan laksanakan hudud.
AMPANG JAYA : Setiausaha Agung PKR, Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail mendakwa sokongan Umno terhadap hudud hanya semata-mata untuk memecahbelahkan parti komponen PR seperti mana yang berlaku kepada Barisan Alternatif pada 2004.
Katanya, apabila Umno hilang dua pertiga majoriti, ketika tiada tanda-tanda sokongan rakyat kembali pulih, tiba-tiba mereka sokong Kelantan laksanakan hudud.
“Saya percaya sokongan Umno itu hanya bertujuan memecahbelahkan PR,” dakwanya selepas berucap pada siri kempennya di Menara Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya, di sini, hari ini.
Jelasnya, satu masa dahulu, Barisan Alternatif (BA) berpecah akibat isu negara Islam yang dibangkitkan oleh Ketua Pembangkang ketika itu, Allahyarham Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor namum tidak disepakati oleh DAP dan Keadilan.
“Semua orang tahu kesan politik pada 2004 itu adalah pencapaian terbaik Umno-BN di negara kita.
“Apa sahaja isu yang bertujuan dan ada potensi untuk memecahbelahkan PR, Umno akan mencuba seberapa daya mungkin,” dakwanya.
Tambahnya, lebih menghairankan lagi apabila sikap bermuka-muka pemimpin Umno-BN kian terserlah sedangkan mereka sebelum ini lantang menetang keras pelaksanaan hukum hudud.
“Saya tidak boleh padam dalam ingatan saya serangan menempelak hudud datang dari Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad…datang daripada (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) …hatta daripada Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) sendiri.
“Serangan luar biasa dengan alasan tidak adil sebab yang kena potong tangan orang Islam sahaja, akibatnya orang Islam tidak produktif, bukan Islam pula akan lebih maju di negara kita,” katanya lagi.
Sehubungan dengan itu, beliau berkata tindakan pemimpin tertinggi Umno-BN yang menyokong pelaksanaan hukum hudud di Kelantan sejak kebelakangan ini didakwa sekadar membawa agenda politik tersembunyi.
Saifuddin mendakwa sokongan terbuka pelbagai pihak termasuk timbalan perdana menteri sendiri tidak menunjukkan kesungguhan Umno-BN untuk melaksanakan hukum syariat itu.
“Sedetik pun saya tiada keyakinan Umno jujur untuk menyokong melaksanakan hukum hudud ini.
“Bagaimana dia (Umno) boleh menyokong Kelantan sedangkan mereka sendiri menolak hudud di Terengganu,” katanya
Katanya, apabila Umno hilang dua pertiga majoriti, ketika tiada tanda-tanda sokongan rakyat kembali pulih, tiba-tiba mereka sokong Kelantan laksanakan hudud.
“Saya percaya sokongan Umno itu hanya bertujuan memecahbelahkan PR,” dakwanya selepas berucap pada siri kempennya di Menara Majlis Perbandaran Ampang Jaya, di sini, hari ini.
Jelasnya, satu masa dahulu, Barisan Alternatif (BA) berpecah akibat isu negara Islam yang dibangkitkan oleh Ketua Pembangkang ketika itu, Allahyarham Datuk Fadzil Mohd Noor namum tidak disepakati oleh DAP dan Keadilan.
“Semua orang tahu kesan politik pada 2004 itu adalah pencapaian terbaik Umno-BN di negara kita.
“Apa sahaja isu yang bertujuan dan ada potensi untuk memecahbelahkan PR, Umno akan mencuba seberapa daya mungkin,” dakwanya.
Tambahnya, lebih menghairankan lagi apabila sikap bermuka-muka pemimpin Umno-BN kian terserlah sedangkan mereka sebelum ini lantang menetang keras pelaksanaan hukum hudud.
“Saya tidak boleh padam dalam ingatan saya serangan menempelak hudud datang dari Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad…datang daripada (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) …hatta daripada Pak Lah (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) sendiri.
“Serangan luar biasa dengan alasan tidak adil sebab yang kena potong tangan orang Islam sahaja, akibatnya orang Islam tidak produktif, bukan Islam pula akan lebih maju di negara kita,” katanya lagi.
Sehubungan dengan itu, beliau berkata tindakan pemimpin tertinggi Umno-BN yang menyokong pelaksanaan hukum hudud di Kelantan sejak kebelakangan ini didakwa sekadar membawa agenda politik tersembunyi.
Saifuddin mendakwa sokongan terbuka pelbagai pihak termasuk timbalan perdana menteri sendiri tidak menunjukkan kesungguhan Umno-BN untuk melaksanakan hukum syariat itu.
“Sedetik pun saya tiada keyakinan Umno jujur untuk menyokong melaksanakan hukum hudud ini.
“Bagaimana dia (Umno) boleh menyokong Kelantan sedangkan mereka sendiri menolak hudud di Terengganu,” katanya
‘What was Sri Lankan minister doing here’
DAP leaders have criticised the government, particularly MIC leaders, for allowing the Sri Lankan Defence Secretary into the country.
KUALA LUMPUR: Penang deputy chief minister P Ramasamy criticised MIC leaders today for keeping mum on Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa’s visit to Malaysia, especially when the island state had killed 150,000 Tamils.
Gothabaya had told Malaysia to be wary of Tamil terrorists in the country.
Ramasamy criticised Gothabaya for making the statement at a forum organised by the Defence Ministry last week. The report was carried by a daily in India, The Hindu.
“I’m baffled by Gothabaya’s statement. Since the Tamil Tigers are not present in Malaysia, we can assume that the phrase was used to refer to local Tamil community, said Ramasamy in a press statement today.
He said Gothabaya’s visit was an embarassment to Malaysian Indians because the Sri Lankan government had killed nearly 150,000 Tamils in the island in its 26-year military campaign which ended in 2009.
Gothabaya is the brother of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
DAP MP M Kulasegaran urged the government to explain the motive of Gothabaya’s visit to Malaysia.
“Why did our government keep his visit a secret?” he asked.
Sungkai state assemblyman A Sivanesan criticised MIC president G Palanivel and his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam, for keeping mum on the matter.
“I am sure Palanivel and Dr Subramaniam are aware of Gothabaya’s visit since it must have been discussed in the Cabinet meeting.
“Being ministers representing the Indians, the duo should have objected to the decision,” he said.
Gothabaya had told Malaysia to be wary of Tamil terrorists in the country.
Ramasamy criticised Gothabaya for making the statement at a forum organised by the Defence Ministry last week. The report was carried by a daily in India, The Hindu.
“I’m baffled by Gothabaya’s statement. Since the Tamil Tigers are not present in Malaysia, we can assume that the phrase was used to refer to local Tamil community, said Ramasamy in a press statement today.
He said Gothabaya’s visit was an embarassment to Malaysian Indians because the Sri Lankan government had killed nearly 150,000 Tamils in the island in its 26-year military campaign which ended in 2009.
Gothabaya is the brother of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.
DAP MP M Kulasegaran urged the government to explain the motive of Gothabaya’s visit to Malaysia.
“Why did our government keep his visit a secret?” he asked.
Sungkai state assemblyman A Sivanesan criticised MIC president G Palanivel and his deputy, Dr S Subramaniam, for keeping mum on the matter.
“I am sure Palanivel and Dr Subramaniam are aware of Gothabaya’s visit since it must have been discussed in the Cabinet meeting.
“Being ministers representing the Indians, the duo should have objected to the decision,” he said.
Indians, Chinese imported to dispossess Malays of ‘birthright’, ISMA claims
Accusing the country’s previous British colonial masters of the conspiracy, the group pointed to a claimed 350-million strong “Malay people” purportedly rooted here to insist that peninsular Malaysia be identified as a Malay and Islamic state.
“Malaysia is a huge province which has been settled by the Malays and hold the Malay identity for over 60,000 years, and has embraced Islam for hundreds of years.
“History also showed that Borneo, including Sabah and Sarawak has the same identity,” ISMA vice-president Abdul Rahman Mat Dali (pic above) said on the group’s website here.
He also asserted that Malaysia was dubbed “The Cradle of Human Civilisation”. The nickname has been claimed by many areas worldwide, but is widely recognised to be either in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, India, the Andes or Central America.
Despite ISMA’s assertions, however, it is estimated that there are only around 30 million ethnic Malays worldwide, primarily in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Indonesia’s latest census puts the country’s population at over 237 million, but only 9 million identify themselves as ethnic Malay.
“Malay” as a race was once an antiquated catch-all, used in the 19th and early 20th century, to describe the Austronesian peoples.
The largely-Christian Filipinos were also previously referred to as “Malays” in their textbooks.
Abdul Rahman claimed that the entry of the Chinese and Indians had been a “cunning and evil” conspiracy by the British to weaken the Malays who were opposed to its occupation.
Over time, Malays had been normalised to call the country a multicultural and multi-religious country, he said.
“Are the Malays ‘excessively kind’ and willing for the world to record in its history that the Malays is a race which does not have its own motherland. To live and procreate by squatting and homeless in a foreign land?”
“Islam has never blessed for a Muslim nation to have such shallow thoughts,” Abdul Rahman claimed.
In supporting the continuation of Malay special “rights”, ISMA had in its seminar and events suggested that the community were the original settlers of Malaysia, describing the native indigenous Orang Asli as sharing the same ethnic roots with the Malays.
The group had also suggested that ancient Malays had been one of the oldest civilisations in the world, which went on to spawn other current ethnic groups, but has since had their riches and knowledge stripped by foreign powers.
ISMA had suggested for Shariah to be the law of the land replacing the country’s existing dual-track legal system in last year, alleging that Malaysia has practised Islamic laws even since the times of the Malacca empire.
The Malays and Bumiputera make up the majority of Malaysia’s population at an estimated 67.4 per cent of the 28.3 million population, followed by the Chinese at 24.6 per cent, according to the most recent census at 2010.
Accelerated Anwar Case Seen as Insult to US
Malaysian prosecutors are expected to ask the country’s highest court this Friday to increase the prison sentence meted out to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was judged guilty by an appellate court last month on sodomy charges.
The case is being taken to the Federal Court just two days before the arrival of US President Barack Obama on a state visit, an action seen as an insult to Washington.
Anwar currently faces five years in prison on the charge, which is rarely prosecuted in Malaysia and is widely seen as a crude attempt by the government to end his political career. The court is expected to act within two to six months after the referral.
Obama has no plans to see Anwar in Kuala Lumpur, officials said in Washington, although the opposition leader might meet with someone else in the presidential delegation. The case has been condemned by political leaders from the United States, Australia and other governments. Anwar has long had many friends in Washington and he and his allies have assiduously courted US support in his long struggle against legal harassment.
Amnesty International and other rights groups have also condemned the charges against the country’s most prominent opposition figure. Most political observers in Kuala Lumpur fully expect the federal court to uphold the guilty verdict. Anwar himself is said to be bracing himself for a trip behind bars, his second after a widely-criticized guilty verdict for the same offense in 1999, which was eventually overturned.
Shortly before he died last week, Anwar’s lawyer, Karpal Singh, who was also an opposition leader, told reporters he had received new documents indicating prosecutors will seek the longer prison term.
"As Anwar is too old for whipping, they must feel five years is too light," Karpal told AFP.
The decision to act now against Anwar was met with puzzlement in Kuala Lumpur, with political analysts saying Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak values his relationship with Obama and looks forward to the reflected glow of the state visit to boost his own flagging popularity ratings.
The action seems certain to further hurt Malaysia’s image, which in recent weeks has been hammered by its fumbling response to the March 8 loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, with 239 people aboard. The government has also been hit by reports of growing racial and religious intolerance.
Anwar was acquitted of the sodomy charge by the High Court in January 2012. Although appeals in Malaysia’s clogged court system often take years, the appellate court allegedly accelerated the government’s appeal against the acquittal. The theory is that doing so was a way to deny Anwar a chance to run for a seat in the state assembly of Selangor that would have allowed him to become the chief minister of the state, the country’s largest and most prosperous.
If Anwar is jailed, it would be a major blow to the leadership of the three-party opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition. When Karpal, the chairman of the Democratic Action Party, was killed last week in a car accident he was appealing a guilty verdict for sedition, which would have cost him his seat in parliament. Karpal’s funeral over the weekend ignited a huge groundswell of emotion, with an estimated 10,000 people attending his last rites in Penang.
Karpal’s death was met with ugly comments by some United Malays National Organization figures. One MP posted a picture online of Karpal’s blood-smeared face as he lay in the wreckage of his vehicle along with a newspaper clipping in which Karpal was quoted as saying “The creation of an Islamic state will only be over my dead body.” Others posted tweets and Facebook comments saying Allah was responsible for Karpal’s death.
Other opposition leaders have also been put in the dock. Tian Chua, Anwar’s colleague and vice president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), has been charged along with three others for allegedly making seditious speeches following the May 5 general election, supposedly calling for replacement of the elected government. They are student activist Muhammmad Safwan Anang Talib, Parti Islam se-Malaysia member Mohd Tamrin Abdul Ghafar, and opposition activist Haris Ibrahim.
In addition, Mohd Rafizi Ramli, one of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s brightest stars, faces charges under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act for revealing the details of one of the country’s biggest scandals involving the National Feedlot Corporation and the misuse of a portion of a RM250 million soft loan to the family of UMNO women’s wing leader Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
Ambiga Sreenavasan, the former head of the Malaysian Bar Association, likened the charges against the top opposition leaders as an “Operation Lalang in the courts,” a reference to the 1987 crackdown by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad via the notorious Internal Security Act which put 106 individuals, most of them opposition figures, behind bars on indeterminate sentences,
Given the obedience of Malaysia’s court system to the ruling Barisan Nasional and particularly UMNO, guilty verdicts are expected in all of the cases.
The three-party opposition coalition has been troubled almost since the time Anwar cobbled it together prior to the 2008 general election. It is made up of the predominantly Chinese Democratic Action Party, Anwar’s moderate and urban Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the predominantly rural Parti Islam se-Malaysia, or PAS, all with differing goals and philosophies.
In recent days, those competing philosophies have come to the fore with attempts by the PAS state government in Kelantan to impose strict hudud penalties under Shariah Law for theft, fornication, adultery, consumption of liquor and apostasy. Both the DAP and the moderate urban Malays in PKR want nothing to do with hudud law. It is also opposed by the Malaysian Chinese Association, the ethnic Chinese component of the Barisan Nasional.
Anwar has been able to juggle these competing interests to keep the coalition together, ending up with a 50.87 percent general election win over the Barisan in May of 2013. The result, despite the Barisan’s control of the electoral machinery, the mainstream press and television, shocked government leaders. The BN held on to parliament handily due to gerrymandered constituencies but the election badly weakened the ruling coalition, which lost virtually all of its support from ethnic Chinese and Indians.
With Anwar and the others facing jail, and Karpal Singh gone, it is unclear if there will be a strong enough leadership in the opposition coalition to maintain its already shaky cohesion. But regardless, the legal assault on the opposition is making the government few friends internationally and building no bridges at home.
A prominent Indian lawyer suggested to Asia Sentinel that the DAP could run Karpal Singh’s cat in the by-election to fill his seat in parliament. Given the current outburst of sentiment over Karpal’s death, the cat would be certain to win, the man said, and demonstrate the depth of feeling against the Barisan.
Outpouring of grief and respect by sea of humanity at Karpal’s funeral reaffirmation of Malaysians’ support for justice, rule of law and democracy – the very ideals Karpal fought for in his whole life
The outpouring of grief and respect by a sea of humanity at Karpal Singh’s funeral in Penang yesterday was a reaffirmation of Malaysians’ support for justice, the rule of law and democracy – the very ideals which Karpal had fought for in his whole life.For four days, Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region, age or gender, grieved at the sudden and shocking death of Karpal at an accident at the North-South Expressway near Gua Tempurung.
The nation-wide grief and shock over Karpal’s death was so great and overwhelming that over these four days, the great tragedy of MH370 with 239 passengers and crew vanishing without any clue since March 8 and the shocking ESSCOM security situation with a tourist from China abducted at the Singamata Reef Resort off Semporna on April 2 were momentarily edged aside.
But Karpal, if still alive, would want proper closure for these two shocking events.
The tragedy of MH370 has entered into the 45th Day, still without any clue with no floating wreckage located after more than six weeks and no contact whatsoever after the Bluefin-21 AUV had completed its Mission 8 covering two-thirds of the focused underwater search area. Doubts are now bulking large as to whether all the civil and military search parties are looking in the right place as the MAS Boeing 777 did not end in the Indian Ocean.
In Sabah, there is no sign that the expensive “April Fool’s Joke” of Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) will cease, with the RM300 million ESSCOM shedding its notoriety as “toothless tiger” or “white elephant”.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim in Kota Kinabalu yesterday proposed a solution to ESSCOM’s impotence by creating three ESSCoM deputy director-general posts to enable it to function more effectively – to represent the three leading enforcement agencies, Malaysian Armed Forces, police and Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
This is most extraordinary – as the suggestion has come more than one year too late, as in early April last year, the press reported the upgrading of the original position of Datuk Mohammed Mantek as ESSCOM Director to Director-General, who will be assisted by four “division directors who will helm four units, namely defence, security and public order, joint intelligence and public”.
All that Shahidan is suggesting is the upgrading of the four ESSCOM directors to three ESSCOM deputy director-general – leaving completely untouched the crux of the problem of ESSCOM being powerless with “no authority to command, direct or order any action” in ESSZONE whether by the army, police or the maritime agency.
His Ministerial colleague, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has meanwhile made a completely different suggestion – that ESSCOM command be rotated between the police and the army instead of being an independent body now.
It would appear that it is not only ESSCOM Director-General who is stricken with impotence with “no authority to command, direct or order any action” in ESSZONE, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the entire Cabinet are also stricken with “impotence” as they do not know what to do with ESSCOM despite the expenditure of over RM300 million to try to make Eastern Sabah safe not only to Sabahans but also to the tourists.
It has been reported that Karpal’s accident took place at the “black spot” of the North-South Expressway between Km291 and Km310.8 where at least 44 deaths had been reported from 2011 until Thursday’s accident involving Karpal, claiming two lives.
Police statistics revealed that there were 11 fatal accidents in 2011, 21 in 2012, 10 last year and two so far this year. The same statistics revealed that more than 100 people also suffered injuries in the accidents.
What action have the authorities, including the Ministry of Works and the NSE concessionaire PLUS Malaysia Bhd, to end the 20 km of “killer black spots” of the expressway near Gua Tempurung before more lives are lost through accidents?
Malaysian Bar offers legal aid to families of MH370 passengers, crew members
The Malaysian Insider
by V. ANBALAGAN, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
by V. ANBALAGAN, ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Malaysia's
Bar Council is forming a team of lawyers to provide legal advice to the
families of those on board the missing flight MH370, as lawyers from
around the world offer their services to those seeking answers and
compensation from the plane's mysterious disappearance.
Ribbeck
Law Chartered has already offered to represent the families of the 227
passengers and 12 crew members onboard the Malaysia Airlines Boeing
777-200ER in a RM4.95 billion suit but the American legal firm has
failed to obtain legally information about the plane, which has yet to
be found.
But
Bar Council chairman Christopher Leong said legal assistance would be
provided without charge as per its normal practice under the Legal Aid
Scheme.
"The
Bar Council Legal Aid team will be able to render preliminary legal
advice to the family members of those onboard the plane if they require
it," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Leong
said legal advice would include issues pertaining to insurance,
liability, procedure, possible causes of action and limitation period.
"If
and when the families are ready to commence legal action, they will
have to obtain the services of a legal firm which is prepared to take
their case.
"The assistance by the Bar Council Legal Aid team will not include the filing of a civil suit or representing them," he added.
Leong
said the availability of the council’s legal services would be conveyed
to acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the
Chinese embassy so that the information could be relayed to the
families.
Leong
also said the Bar Council would act against American law firms if
reports about them offering their services in Malaysia were true as it
was illegal for them to provide any kind of service in Malaysia,
including legal advice.
The foreigners would have violated Malaysian laws, including the Legal Profession Act, he said.
Last month, a Chicago-based firm reportedly sought to represent aggrieved families from China and Malaysia.
Last
Saturday, a Houston-based law firm attempted to meet families at a
hotel in Kuala Lumpur but the meeting cancelled at the last minute with
no reason provided.
An advertisement calling on families to attend the meeting had earlier appeared in a local daily.
Leong
pointed out Malaysia had laws against touting and the Bar Council would
be looking into the conduct of these foreign firms.
The
Malaysia Airlines jetliner left the KL International Airport bound for
Beijing at 12.41am on March 8 but disappeared from radar about an hour
later while over the South China Sea.
A
total of 154 of the passengers were Chinese nationals and 50, including
the crew, were Malaysians while the rest were from 13 other countries.
A
multinational search for the Boeing 777-200 (9M-MRO) aircraft is
ongoing in the southern Indian Ocean following satellite data revealing
that the plane’s last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean,
west of Perth, Australia,
Meanwhile,
family and estate lawyer Jane Tai said the Montreal Convention, estate
administration and probate issues would be relevant when the families
obtained legal advice.
"One does not need to wait for seven years to obtain a death certificate," she said.
Tai
said as long as there was credible evidence that someone who was
missing would in all probability not be located again, then an
application to court may be made.
She said the seven-year rule was only a presumption in a dispute whether a person was dead.
Tai
said the government could also conduct an inquiry into missing persons
like what was done when the lightning arrestor on top of Menara Umno in
Penang toppled in June last, killing two people.
An inquest was held to investigate the circumstances of the death of one of the two people killed, whose body was never found.
"The
Registrar of Births and Deaths must take into account the decision of a
coroner in the inquiry," she added. – April 21, 2014.
Govt Committed To Implementing Balanced Development In Urban, Rural Areas - Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- The redevelopment of the 1Razak Mansion Public Housing Project is clear proof of the commitment of the Barisan Nasional government in implementing a balanced development concept not only in the rural areas, but also in towns and cities, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said this was the noble effort of the government to ensure the people could enjoy a better and more comfortable quality of life.
"As we know, this housing area is close to my heart because the late Tun Abdul Razak (the second prime minister of Malaysia who was also Najib's father) had stepped foot here and launched the Razak Mansion Public Housing Area 47 years ago, on April 26, 1967.
"Time passes, 47 years have gone by, so the time has come for this housing area which is now quite dilapidated to require a redevelopment in line with the principle of urban renewal or urban redevelopment," he added.
Najib said this when performing the ground-breaking ceremony and handing over of confirmation letters for housing units at 1Razak Mansion near here, today.
According to Najib, if the government did not launch such an initiative, it would lead to the creation of areas which were left behind by time and urban squatters in the middle of a city, which was prolifically developing.
Najib stressed it was not appropriate to see Kuala Lumpur, being among the foremost cities in the world, still having locations which could be regarded as unsuitable with the status of a metropolis.
The redevelopment of the 1Razak Mansion involves the replacement of 658 units of houses occupied by 557 existing owners and 101 units rented out by Kuala Lumpur City Hall.
The project scheduled to start in the middle of this year and expected to be completed in three years also involves the redevelopment of 23 shoplots, a 20,000 square feet market.
It will also have numerous facilities such as a public hall, surau, kindergarten and police beat base.
When completed, the new houses in the project will have three bedrooms and two bathrooms and measure 800 square feet compared to the existing units which only have one or two bedrooms in a 504 square feet area.
In his speech, Najib also announced several incentives for existing house owners and tenants, among which the owners would be given a new unit free while tenants would be offered homes at RM42,000 a unit.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall and Impianika Sdn Bhd would fully bear the stamp duty cost of RM4,000.
Najib also said owners would be given RM3,000 in moving costs whereby RM1,500 would be paid when signing the agreement and the rest after the project was fully completed.
He drew attention to the fact that in ensuring the people owned comfortable homes, the government had introduced numerous housing projects among which were the 1Malaysia People's Housing Project (PR1MA) and 1Malaysia Civil Servants Housing Project.
Under under the programmes, the developers are eligible to apply for a Housing Facilitation Fund of 10 percent of the cost of the project.
The government has also allocated RM1 billion for the Housing Facilitation Fund under the Public/Private Sector Cooperation Unit, and to qualify for the grants, developers must comply with the conditions on house prices stipulated by the government.
"In addition, RM100 million has been provided for the 1Malaysia Maintenance Fund under the supervision of the Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Ministry to boost the comfort of public housing tenants.
"Among the moves that the government is carrying out include maintaining lifts, repainting houses, cleaning clogged drains, repairing garbage disposal areas and repairing playgrounds," Najib clarified.
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