Wednesday, 24 December 2014
ISIS Says It Will Conquer Europe Soon, Undertake Religious Cleansing And Kill Ruthlessly
The radical terror group ISIS has claimed that it is only a matter of time before its fighters conquer Europe. The claim was made by the spokesman of the outfit to veteran journalist Juergen Todenhoefer, who undertook a risky visit to the the ISIS controlled areas in Mosul of Northern Iraq.
"We will conquer Europe one day. It is not a question of we will conquer Europe, just a matter of when that will happen. But it is certain. ... For us, there is no such thing as borders. There are only front lines," the spokesman identified as a German ISIS fighter told the German journalist.
Religious Cleansing
Defending mass enslavement and beheadings, the ISIS spokesman said it is planning to carry out "the largest religious cleansing campaign" in history and will not hesitate to kill hundreds of millions of people, if required, reported the Christian Post.
"Our expansion will be rapid and perpetual. The Europeans need to know that when we come, it will not be in a nice way. It will be with our weapons. Those who do not convert to Islam or pay the Islamic tax will be killed," the spokesman said. Todenhoefer visited the Iraqi city of Mosul, which had a large Christian population before it was taken over by ISIS in June and clamped Islamic laws on the land, forcing people to convert to Islam or face death.
On Shiite Muslims not ready to share the same beliefs as ISIS, the spokesman said anyone refusing to convert will be killed. "150 million, 200 million or 500 million, it does not matter to us, we will kill them all." The ISIS has already captured a number of cities across Iraq and Syria and continues to shock people with its horrendous acts like beheading of prisoners on camera and enslaving of religious minorities and women, including Christians.
The terror group claims it is on a divine mission to establish an Islamic caliphate across the Middle East region and eventually take over the world. The German journalist in his comments noted that Islamic State is a lot more dangerous than it has been perceived by Western leaders, reported Independent.
Brave Journalist
Todenhöfer, 74, is the first Western journalist in the world to be allowed access to ISIS territories in Syria and Iraq. Todenhöfer took the challlenge of travelling through Turkey to ISIS held Mosul, after holding months of negotiations with the group's leaders.
(The writer can be contacted at kalyandelhi@gmail.com)
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com
ISIS sex slaves: Captured Iraqi women strangling each other and killing themselves to escape rape
It is feared thousands of Yazidi women from Northern Iraq may have suffered torture, rape and other sexual abuse from Islamic State fighters
Terrified women captured by Islamic State thugs are strangling each other and killing themselves to escape rape and torture as sex slaves.
It is feared thousands of Yazidi women from Northern Iraq may have suffered torture, rape and other sexual abuse from Islamic State fighters.
Some survivors have even told how they tried to kill each other by strangulation in a bid to avoid suffering at the hands of the IS murderers.
Some young girls in their teens are among the victims after being captured by Islamic State as the group went on an ethnic cleansing rampage.
In a shock report released today and called Escape from hell: Torture, sexual slavery in Islamic State captivity in Iraq - Amnesty International probes the horrifying abuse suffered by possibly thousands of Yezidi women and girls seized by the marauding extremists in Northern Iraq.
One young woman Wafa, 27, who escaped IS told Amnesty how she and her sister attempted to end their lives one night after their captor threatened them with forced marriage.
They tried to strangle themselves with scarves but two girls sleeping in the same room awoke and stopped them. Wafa said: “We tied the scarves around our necks and pulled away from each other as hard as we could, until I fainted … I could not speak for several days after that.”
Many women are being forcibly married, “sold” or given as “gifts” to Islamic State fighters or their supporters.
Often, captives were forced to convert to Islam.
Video link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-sex-slaves-captured-iraqi-4857970
Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Advisor Donatella Rovera, who spoke to more than 40 former captives in northern Iraq, said: “Hundreds of Yazidi women and girls have had their lives shattered by the horrors of sexual violence and sexual slavery in Islamic State captivity.
“Many of those held as sexual slaves are children - girls aged 14, 15 or even younger. Islamic State fighters are using rape as a weapon in attacks amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The women and girls are among thousands of Yazidis from the Sinjar region in north-west Iraq who have been targeted since August in a wave of ethnic cleansing by Islamic State.
Nineteen-year-old Jilan committed suicide while being held captive in Mosul because she feared she would be raped, her brother told Amnesty.
One of the girls, who managed to escape, was held in the same room as Jilan and 20 others, including two girls aged ten and 12. She told Amnesty:
“One day we were given clothes that looked like dance costumes and were told to bathe and wear those clothes.
“Jilan killed herself in the bathroom. She cut her wrists and hanged herself. She was very beautiful; I think she knew she was going to be taken away by a man and that is why she killed herself.”
Several former captives said they had been held in family homes where they lived with their captors’ wives and children.
Many Yazidi survivors are also struggling to cope with the loss of dozens of their relatives, murdered or still in captivity.
A 16 year-old girl called Randa, from a village near Mount Sinjar, was abducted with scores of her family members including her heavily-pregnant mother.
Randa was “sold” or given as a “gift” to a man twice her age who raped her.
She recalled: “It is so painful what they did to me and to my family. Islamic State has ruined our lives... what will happen to my family? I don’t know if I will ever see them again.”
Terrified women captured by Islamic State thugs are strangling each other and killing themselves to escape rape and torture as sex slaves.It is feared thousands of Yazidi women from Northern Iraq may have suffered torture, rape and other sexual abuse from Islamic State fighters.
Some survivors have even told how they tried to kill each other by strangulation in a bid to avoid suffering at the hands of the IS murderers.
Some young girls in their teens are among the victims after being captured by Islamic State as the group went on an ethnic cleansing rampage.
In a shock report released today and called Escape from hell: Torture, sexual slavery in Islamic State captivity in Iraq - Amnesty International probes the horrifying abuse suffered by possibly thousands of Yezidi women and girls seized by the marauding extremists in Northern Iraq.
One young woman Wafa, 27, who escaped IS told Amnesty how she and her sister attempted to end their lives one night after their captor threatened them with forced marriage.
They tried to strangle themselves with scarves but two girls sleeping in the same room awoke and stopped them. Wafa said: “We tied the scarves around our necks and pulled away from each other as hard as we could, until I fainted … I could not speak for several days after that.”
Many women are being forcibly married, “sold” or given as “gifts” to Islamic State fighters or their supporters.
Often, captives were forced to convert to Islam.
Video link: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/isis-sex-slaves-captured-iraqi-4857970
Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Advisor Donatella Rovera, who spoke to more than 40 former captives in northern Iraq, said: “Hundreds of Yazidi women and girls have had their lives shattered by the horrors of sexual violence and sexual slavery in Islamic State captivity.
“Many of those held as sexual slaves are children - girls aged 14, 15 or even younger. Islamic State fighters are using rape as a weapon in attacks amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The women and girls are among thousands of Yazidis from the Sinjar region in north-west Iraq who have been targeted since August in a wave of ethnic cleansing by Islamic State.
Nineteen-year-old Jilan committed suicide while being held captive in Mosul because she feared she would be raped, her brother told Amnesty.
One of the girls, who managed to escape, was held in the same room as Jilan and 20 others, including two girls aged ten and 12. She told Amnesty:
“One day we were given clothes that looked like dance costumes and were told to bathe and wear those clothes.
“Jilan killed herself in the bathroom. She cut her wrists and hanged herself. She was very beautiful; I think she knew she was going to be taken away by a man and that is why she killed herself.”
Several former captives said they had been held in family homes where they lived with their captors’ wives and children.
Many Yazidi survivors are also struggling to cope with the loss of dozens of their relatives, murdered or still in captivity.
A 16 year-old girl called Randa, from a village near Mount Sinjar, was abducted with scores of her family members including her heavily-pregnant mother.
Randa was “sold” or given as a “gift” to a man twice her age who raped her.
She recalled: “It is so painful what they did to me and to my family. Islamic State has ruined our lives... what will happen to my family? I don’t know if I will ever see them again.”
Malaysia deports Indonesian illegal migrants
Malaysia deported nearly 500 undocumented Indonesian workers today, in what analysts said was part of a push to clamp down on illegal labour as the economy starts to slow.The workers were brought in shackles to the Subang Airport, near Kuala Lumpur, where Indonesian officials said they would be loaded onto military C-130 aircraft to be flown to their native country.
Another 200 will be deported tomorrow, Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia Herman Prayitno said, adding that more illegal workers may be sent back next year.
Muhammad Arifuddin, who worked as a labourer in construction for four years in Malaysia before being arrested, said he hopes to return to seek legal employment.
"I will try to get the legal documents and return to Malaysia to work," the 36-year-old told AFP.
Malaysia draws migrants from across the region and even from South Asian nations such as India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
More than six million foreign migrants, most of them illegals, are thought to work in factories, plantations, restaurants and in other jobs largely shunned by more affluent Malaysians.
But Yeah Kim Leng, dean of Malaysia University of Science and Technolgy, said it looked like authorities were clamping down on illegal workers as growth has started to slow.
"The Malaysian economy is softening. The deportation of the illegal migrants seems to coincide with the economic slowdown," he told AFP.
Kuala Lumpur in October forecast solid economic growth of between 5-6% next year, but the World Bank recently trimmed its forecast to 4.7% , citing lower exports and weaker commodity and oil prices. – AFP, December 23, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-deports-indonesian-illegal-migrants#sthash.R0PumzbJ.dpuf
Anti-graft NGO wants harsher penalties for white collar crimes
Putrajaya should immediately amend relevant laws to tackle white-collar crimes such as graft by imposing harsher punishments, said Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Akhbar Satar.Akhbar, in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's proposal for heavier penalties to givers and takers of bribes, said white collar crimes are more brutal than violent crimes because actions of one or few corrupt individuals can affect the livelihood of thousands.
"The punishment must be a deterrent so that offenders will not repeat the act. The implementation of harsher punishments would most likely reduce corrupt activities in this country.
"Surveys indicate that both the public and offenders consider prison to be the most severe or effective punishment of criminal behaviour including white collar criminals. In China, white-collar criminals can be given the death penalty," he said in a statement today.
Earlier this month, Najib had described corruption as the root cause of many problems, ranging from environmental degradation, citing the illegal farming issues in Cameron Highlands, to illegal activities such as gambling.
He had urged for stricter action against those who gave kickbacks, including by private companies, while political parties should take a common stand to address the issue.
Akhbar said Putrajaya should move ahead with the necessary amendments to increase the penalties immediately and institute other amendments or new laws as needed.
"It is worth to amend the existing law to provide a more severe punishment by at least inserting Section 16 of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 to replace the penalty in the MACC Act 2009.
"By reinforcing this clause, anyone found guilty will face a prison sentence of no less than 14 days to a maximum of 20 years in prison," he said.
The Anti-Corruption Act (ACA) had been repealed following the enactment of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption (MACC) Act in 2009.
Under the old ACA, there was a provision of a jail term between 14 days and 20 years, as well as a fine of at least five times the bribe amount, or RM10,000 whichever higher for those found guilty of graft.
In contrast, those found guilty of corruption under the current MACC Act will be subjected to jail of not more than 20 years and a fine of at least five times the bribe amount, or RM10,000 whichever higher.
"Therefore, the ACA Act 1997 actually carries a more severe penalty," he said.
He said even offences related to criminal breach of trust carries a heavier penalty under the Penal Code, whereby those found guilty will be subjected to jail time of between two and 20 years, as well as whipping and a fine.
As for the penalty for cheating, those found guilty will be jailed between one and 10 years, whipping and a fine.
Akhbar said TI-M also supports the proposed amendment to the MACC Act to include corporate liability offences.
He said once the amendment comes into effect, companies can be held responsible if their employees commit bribery, unless they can prove that they had taken measures to prevent it.
Currently under the MACC Act, companies are not held liable for graft or corruption, as it is individuals, such as employees, who can be charged for bribery offences under the Act.
"There is already in the international arena the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the UK Anti-Bribery Act, both of which have extra-territorial jurisdiction and hold corporations liable for corrupt acts of their employees and their subsidiaries’ employees.
"Malaysia is already behind on this and following in these footsteps will be a good move in the right direction," he said.
In referring to KPMG Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Survey 2013 of which 90% of respondents stated that bribery and corruption is the major problem for businesses in Malaysia, Akhbar said corporate liability has to be extended to cover the private sector so that companies will be taking responsibility for offences committed by its employees and sensitive in ensuring their business entities are transparent and corruption-free.
"Such an amendment would also strongly encourage companies to immediately look into their internal control policies to prevent bribes and ensure that there is comprehensive training programmes given to staff on ethics and integrity and promote good governance," he added. – December 23, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/anti-graft-ngo-wants-harsher-penalties-for-white-collar-crimes#sthash.g9OGQO30.dpuf
'PAS central committee never agreed to hudud Bill'
This means PAS-led Kelantan government may be doing more than what it is allowed to by PAS.
PAS’ central committee only agreed to the Kelantan government to work on the technicalities with the Umno-led federal government, they said.
The state government was then supposed to come back to the PAS central committee to present their findings.
Central committee members Mujahid Yusof Rawa (right), Dr Hatta Ramli and another member who preferred anonymity said that this was what was agreed."We had decided for the federal government to table the motion," Hatta said.
Hatta, who is Kuala Krai MP, also refuted Kelantan PAS state deputy commissioner Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah who said the state had the blessing of the PAS central committee.
Mohd Amar, the deputy chief minister of Kelantan, in an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini said all PAS MPs are duty bound to bring the Private Member's Bill on hudud to Parliament, as the orders are coming from the party’s central committee.
We've yet to discuss it
Mujahid, who is Parit Buntar MP and PAS Unity Bureau chief said that Kelantan government did not get back to the central committee over discussions it had with the federal government.
"They were supposed to come back to us with the government-to-government discussions and then we (PAS central committee) were supposed to decide if we were to be the ones to bring the Private Member's Bill to the Parliament.
"In fact, in recent meetings, we were too busy with other issues that we did not even discuss hudud," Mujahid said.Party deputy president Mohamad Sabu (left) was only willing to say that the hudud issue is still very much under discussion and that there is no decision on who will table it in Parliament.
The Kelantan government will hold a special state assembly sitting on December 29 to amend the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code (II) Enactment 1993 before it is brought to the Parliament in a Private Member's Bill, to enable to state to implement the hudud.
'1MDB report nothing to do with Najib or Umno'
Despite 1MDB being the brainchild of Najib, Khairuddin said that his actions were actually an attempt to "clear" the name of Najib as prime minister and finance minister.
"Because I love Umno, I had taken this determination to clear the name of the prime minister and finance minister."The 1MDB issue has nothing to do with Umno or its president," he told Malaysiakini today.
The police report, coupled with an interview with Malaysiakini where he had accused some Penang Umno leaders as "sleeping" on their duties, had resulted in both the Penang Umno and Kedah Umno Youth chiefs urging for stern action to be taken against Khairuddin.
However, Khairuddin noted that the actions of Penang and Kedah Umno Youth chiefs were "less intelligent".
He also stressed that he remains unfazed despite the criticisms that had been coming his way.
"What they (Umno Youth chiefs) are doing will only make people grow even more tired of Umno," he said, telling them to continue "apple-polishing" whoever they want.
"I will continue to shoulder this responsibility and will continue to uphold the principle of protecting the people's interests," he added.
Minister tells Isma to 'butt out' over X'mas greetings
Housing, Local Government and Urban Well-Being
Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan has asked Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma)
to "butt out" with their claims that Muslims should not wish “Merry
Christmas” to Christians.
In a series of Twitter postings
this morning, the Umno MP from Kota Belud showed defiance by wishing
Christians “Merry Christmas” before making sarcastic swipes at Isma.
"Not only (do) I wish Merry Christmas to all, I will host a bigger Christmas celebration this year in Kota Belud. Isma is invited to learn about moderation," he posted on his Twitter handle this morning.
"Isma is not my voice. They don't represent me and millions of Muslim Malaysians. Religious bigotry has no place in moderate Malaysia," he added.
He was responding to claims made by Isma activists recently that wishing Christians “Merry Christmas” would be tantamount to Muslims admitting that God had a son, and that Muslims should conduct preaching instead during the festive season.
Abdul Rahman also pointed out that Isma “will never understand” the respect that people in Sabah give to non-Muslims.
"Isma will never understand this. So butt out!" he said.
In a series of Twitter postings
this morning, the Umno MP from Kota Belud showed defiance by wishing
Christians “Merry Christmas” before making sarcastic swipes at Isma."Not only (do) I wish Merry Christmas to all, I will host a bigger Christmas celebration this year in Kota Belud. Isma is invited to learn about moderation," he posted on his Twitter handle this morning.
"Isma is not my voice. They don't represent me and millions of Muslim Malaysians. Religious bigotry has no place in moderate Malaysia," he added.
He was responding to claims made by Isma activists recently that wishing Christians “Merry Christmas” would be tantamount to Muslims admitting that God had a son, and that Muslims should conduct preaching instead during the festive season.
Abdul Rahman also pointed out that Isma “will never understand” the respect that people in Sabah give to non-Muslims.
"Isma will never understand this. So butt out!" he said.
'Malays begging Chinese in economy as well?'
Despite the New Economic Policy (NEP) and its successor policies, A Kadir Jasin said the Malays still lagged behind the Chinese and Indians.
"The game of catching up that the NEP intended to achieve had not succeeded.
"Bulk of the expenditure spent to eradicate poverty irrespective of race and to restructure society went to the Chinese long before the bumiputera felt their effects.
"Maybe the Malays are not begging the Chinese as clearly in the economic sphere as they are in politics.
"But we cannot also deny the intricate interdependence between the Chinese and the Malays in the economy," he added in his latest blog posting.
Kadir, who once spearheaded the government mouthpiece the New Straits Times, said the Malays are producers and consumers whereas the Chinese are middlemen and traders.
"The Malays are not consummate consumers. As such whatever is recommended to them by Chinese traders they will buy even at the risk borrowing at exorbitant interest rates.
"Remember
the stories of Malay rubber smallholders buying refrigerators during
the Korean War rubber boom in the early 1950s even though they had no
electricity at home? They apparently used the refrigerators as
cupboards."They are still buying refrigerators and many more electrical goods from the Chinese at exorbitant interest rates.
"But they are also buying those big noisy exhaust pipes and strobe lights to fix to their ageing Proton Saga because the Chinese workshop operators say these accessories are good and make their cars run faster. In short, the Chinese sell, the Malays buy," he added.
Kadir said while the NEP had enlarged the Malay professional class, they are limited to the government sector.
Without government contracts and employment, he added, few can hope to make the grade.
Umno begs, Najib stabbed
As for the political sphere, Kadir said it is Umno that appears to be begging for Chinese votes.
And like all those associated with Dr Mahathir Mohamad, he blamed Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for Umno being in the same mendicant predicament at present.
"Being used to enjoying the support of the non-Malays for so long, BN is the one that is more desperate.
If it continues to lose non-Malay support and younger Malays continue to lean towards Pakatan Rakyat, he said, BN could find itself on the opposite side of the House in the coming general election.
Kadir was responding to Mahathir's latest vitriolic spewing about Malay parties being forced to beg the Chinese for votes.
By the look of things, the newsman said, the one that is really begging for Chinese and Indian votes is Umno.
In
taking the customary swipe at Najib, he added that despite fashioning
himself as the prime minister for all and "buttering the Chinese with
gifts of money and entertainment", the Umno leader was rejected in the
polls."This is also one of the reasons putting Najib at odd with members and supporters of his own party. He is portraying himself as being desperate for non-Malay support, especially Chinese, at the expense of the Malays.
"But all his strategies in this direction had not produced results," he added.
In the present situation, Kadir said Malays are neither here nor there and the three-way split has forced all Malay-based parties to appeal to the Chinese to stay in power or to take over power.
He also questioned if the Malays still controlled politics.
"As I have argued repeatedly for decades, the power of the Malays rests with their number. Being in the majority and united, they controlled politics.
"Political control is important to the Malays because they are not on control of the economy. I am speaking in past tense because I am not anymore sure if the Malays still control politics," he said.
Going by the number of Malay elected representatives in Parliament and state legislative assemblies, Kadir said the Malays still dominated by way of arithmetic.
"But do they lead the debate and set the agenda? I am not sure," he added.
Suaram queries Malaysia’s role in US ‘torture’ flights
SUARAM wants Putrajaya to establish an independent commission to probe the involvement of Malaysian authorities.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) has denounced a 500-page executive summary released by the US Senate on December 9, some 13 years after the 9/11 attack on the United States by the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
It has demanded the full report which totals more than 6700 pages, and remains classified, and steps taken by Washington to bring Malaysians and others involved to justice.
SUARAM also wants Putrajaya to establish immediately an independent commission to probe the involvement of Malaysian authorities in the rendition, detention and torture of alleged detainees in collaboration with the CIA in the global war on terror.
“Malaysia was named in having assisted the CIA in at least two cases in an earlier report titled ‘Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition’ by the Open Society Justice Initiative, February 2013,” said SUARAM
Executive Director Yap Swee Seng in a statement. “The names of U.S. allies had been omitted from the executive summary.”
“The details of the extent of ‘contribution’ by the Malaysian government remains unknown to the public.”
The Washington administration, added SUARAM, must fulfill its international and national obligations and prosecute those who are responsible for the abuse of power, especially in the use of torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and punishment on the detainees.
“It is apparent from the executive summary that the CIA’s program is akin to criminal actions and severely violates the international law and human rights law on prevention of torture and arbitrary detention.”
In the fight against terrorism, continued SUARAM, it is a shame that the leaders have turned to state terrorism in addressing the problem.
“Despite the skill and purported numerous successes of military, intelligence and law enforcement agencies, tragic and terrorist events continue to grow, in particularly the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” noted SUARAM.
The executive summary, by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States, is on the full report on the assessment of the Detention and Interrogation Program and various torturous practices (which the U.S. called “enhanced interrogation techniques”) employed by the CIA on detainees between 2002 to 2007.
The report, supported with documents and photos, detailed numerous examples of inhumane interrogation practices by the CIA viz. water-boarding, rectal rehydration, detainees were slapped, slammed against walls, sleep deprived for up to seven days, some were stuffed into coffin-sized boxes amidst death threats.
At least 26 of the total detainees held by the CIA were subsequently found to have been improperly detained.
KUALA LUMPUR: Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) has denounced a 500-page executive summary released by the US Senate on December 9, some 13 years after the 9/11 attack on the United States by the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
It has demanded the full report which totals more than 6700 pages, and remains classified, and steps taken by Washington to bring Malaysians and others involved to justice.
SUARAM also wants Putrajaya to establish immediately an independent commission to probe the involvement of Malaysian authorities in the rendition, detention and torture of alleged detainees in collaboration with the CIA in the global war on terror.
“Malaysia was named in having assisted the CIA in at least two cases in an earlier report titled ‘Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition’ by the Open Society Justice Initiative, February 2013,” said SUARAM
Executive Director Yap Swee Seng in a statement. “The names of U.S. allies had been omitted from the executive summary.”
“The details of the extent of ‘contribution’ by the Malaysian government remains unknown to the public.”
The Washington administration, added SUARAM, must fulfill its international and national obligations and prosecute those who are responsible for the abuse of power, especially in the use of torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and punishment on the detainees.
“It is apparent from the executive summary that the CIA’s program is akin to criminal actions and severely violates the international law and human rights law on prevention of torture and arbitrary detention.”
In the fight against terrorism, continued SUARAM, it is a shame that the leaders have turned to state terrorism in addressing the problem.
“Despite the skill and purported numerous successes of military, intelligence and law enforcement agencies, tragic and terrorist events continue to grow, in particularly the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” noted SUARAM.
The executive summary, by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence of the United States, is on the full report on the assessment of the Detention and Interrogation Program and various torturous practices (which the U.S. called “enhanced interrogation techniques”) employed by the CIA on detainees between 2002 to 2007.
The report, supported with documents and photos, detailed numerous examples of inhumane interrogation practices by the CIA viz. water-boarding, rectal rehydration, detainees were slapped, slammed against walls, sleep deprived for up to seven days, some were stuffed into coffin-sized boxes amidst death threats.
At least 26 of the total detainees held by the CIA were subsequently found to have been improperly detained.
“Help! My boss is abusing me”, pleads desperate maid
An Indonesian maid is recuperating after her employer allegedly pulled out her teeth, shoved objects into her privates and kicked her face.
FMT
AMPANG: A distraught Indonesian maid took to pasting a hastily scribbled note on her employer’s apartment door, desperately begging for help from her neighbours, in a bid to escape the horrific abuse she has suffered in the hands of her employer for the past eight months.
According to a report from The Star, the 32-year-old woman, who is now recuperating in Ampang Hospital, alleged that her employer had pulled out several of her teeth and even shoved objects into her private parts.
Unable to tolerate the abuse any longer, she resorted to sending out a call for help by pasting a note bearing the words: “Tolong, boss dera saya” (Help, my boss is abusing me).
A neighbour, on seeing the note called the police immediately.
A source told The Star the woman’s injuries were horrific and that her face was “completely swollen” from being allegedly kicked and punched at by her 47-year-old employer.
Ampang Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Mohd Nazri Zawawi confirmed that the maid’s employer was under remand until Saturday and that police had also arrested a 39-year-old woman friend of the suspect the following day.
“We are investigating if she had also been involved in the alleged abuse.
“She is also remanded until December 27,” said Supt Mohd Nazri.
AMPANG: A distraught Indonesian maid took to pasting a hastily scribbled note on her employer’s apartment door, desperately begging for help from her neighbours, in a bid to escape the horrific abuse she has suffered in the hands of her employer for the past eight months.
According to a report from The Star, the 32-year-old woman, who is now recuperating in Ampang Hospital, alleged that her employer had pulled out several of her teeth and even shoved objects into her private parts.
Unable to tolerate the abuse any longer, she resorted to sending out a call for help by pasting a note bearing the words: “Tolong, boss dera saya” (Help, my boss is abusing me).
A neighbour, on seeing the note called the police immediately.
A source told The Star the woman’s injuries were horrific and that her face was “completely swollen” from being allegedly kicked and punched at by her 47-year-old employer.
Ampang Jaya deputy OCPD Supt Mohd Nazri Zawawi confirmed that the maid’s employer was under remand until Saturday and that police had also arrested a 39-year-old woman friend of the suspect the following day.
“We are investigating if she had also been involved in the alleged abuse.
“She is also remanded until December 27,” said Supt Mohd Nazri.
Hudud ‘apartheid’ under guise of religion
Federal Constitution does not allow for a people to be judged by different laws for the same offence.
FMT
KUALA LUMPUR: Hudud can be considered a form of apartheid similar to South Africa in the 1960s except that this tie concerns religion instead of race.
“Our current civil laws are already enough to prevent crime, and there is no need to introduce harsher punishments simply because it is part of your religion,” said Lua Choon Hann, the MCA Kelantan State Liaison Committee Secretary, pointing out that Malaysia was a secular state although Islam is the religion of many people as acknowledged in the Federal Constitution.
“The implementation of hudud law will also create a major headache for the legal system of our nation, and only move to further segregate Muslims from non-Muslims with different laws for different people.”
The Federal Constitution, he points out, does not allow for a people to be judged by different laws for the same offences. “The Federal Constitution enshrines equality under the law.”
Deputy Kelantan Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah Mohd Amar has also conceded the gender bias in the application of hudud law when he admitted to “the lesser weight given to women’s testimonies”, added Lua who is also MCA Kelantan Economic Consultative Committee Chairman and MCA Central Committee Member.
He urged DAP and PKR to talk sense into PAS, and “if PAS refuses to listen to them, then leave the Pakatan coalition so as to deny them the support they need to pass their private member’s Bill on hudud law in Parliament”.
He noted that Mohd Amar’s promise, in an online interview, “not to be overzealous on hudud”, is sheer proof that PAS will not back down on their hudud agenda, and that DAP and PKR must do something to dissuade them.
The interview, he continued, “probably an attempt to make hudud more appealing to the non-Muslim community, has only served to frighten them more”.
“The only assurances that we have been given by Mohd Amar is that PAS will promise not to be overzealous while implementing the harsh punishments of their hudud law,” he said.
“However, saying and doing are two different things entirely, and from past policies implemented by the PAS Kelantan state government, as well as in Kedah when PAS was in power, we know very well that PAS can be overzealous.”
He cited their gender segregation policies for public places, cinemas, and the ban preventing hairstylists from attending to customers of the opposite gender.
What about the fines issued by the Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) to female workers who were deemed indecent simply because their sleeves were not long enough?
“Besides that, the fact that PAS is still adamant on implementing inhumane punishments such as stoning and amputation is also proof of their over-zealousness in trying to become more religious than other Islamic nations,” he said.
“Can PAS provide any other proof that we will not end up like Nigeria or Pakistan other than their ‘promise’, which we all know by now to be untrustworthy?”
Mohd Amar needs to further clarify how “chopping off hands is to save society” when unemployment and stigmatization that follow after a limb is hacked off renders the victim destitute, stressed Lua.
KUALA LUMPUR: Hudud can be considered a form of apartheid similar to South Africa in the 1960s except that this tie concerns religion instead of race.
“Our current civil laws are already enough to prevent crime, and there is no need to introduce harsher punishments simply because it is part of your religion,” said Lua Choon Hann, the MCA Kelantan State Liaison Committee Secretary, pointing out that Malaysia was a secular state although Islam is the religion of many people as acknowledged in the Federal Constitution.
“The implementation of hudud law will also create a major headache for the legal system of our nation, and only move to further segregate Muslims from non-Muslims with different laws for different people.”
The Federal Constitution, he points out, does not allow for a people to be judged by different laws for the same offences. “The Federal Constitution enshrines equality under the law.”
Deputy Kelantan Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah Mohd Amar has also conceded the gender bias in the application of hudud law when he admitted to “the lesser weight given to women’s testimonies”, added Lua who is also MCA Kelantan Economic Consultative Committee Chairman and MCA Central Committee Member.
He urged DAP and PKR to talk sense into PAS, and “if PAS refuses to listen to them, then leave the Pakatan coalition so as to deny them the support they need to pass their private member’s Bill on hudud law in Parliament”.
He noted that Mohd Amar’s promise, in an online interview, “not to be overzealous on hudud”, is sheer proof that PAS will not back down on their hudud agenda, and that DAP and PKR must do something to dissuade them.
The interview, he continued, “probably an attempt to make hudud more appealing to the non-Muslim community, has only served to frighten them more”.
“The only assurances that we have been given by Mohd Amar is that PAS will promise not to be overzealous while implementing the harsh punishments of their hudud law,” he said.
“However, saying and doing are two different things entirely, and from past policies implemented by the PAS Kelantan state government, as well as in Kedah when PAS was in power, we know very well that PAS can be overzealous.”
He cited their gender segregation policies for public places, cinemas, and the ban preventing hairstylists from attending to customers of the opposite gender.
What about the fines issued by the Kota Baru Municipal Council (MPKB) to female workers who were deemed indecent simply because their sleeves were not long enough?
“Besides that, the fact that PAS is still adamant on implementing inhumane punishments such as stoning and amputation is also proof of their over-zealousness in trying to become more religious than other Islamic nations,” he said.
“Can PAS provide any other proof that we will not end up like Nigeria or Pakistan other than their ‘promise’, which we all know by now to be untrustworthy?”
Mohd Amar needs to further clarify how “chopping off hands is to save society” when unemployment and stigmatization that follow after a limb is hacked off renders the victim destitute, stressed Lua.
Another Mamak gang member arrested
The 31-year-old suspect was caught in a raid on a house at 6pm last Thursday.
FMT
IPOH: Police have detained a man believed to be a member of the Mamak gang in Kampung Larut Tin Sambungan near Taiping.
Perak police deputy chief A. Paramasivam said following a public tip-off, a team from the Taiping district police headquarters Criminal Investigations Department conducted a raid on a house and arrested the 31-year-old suspect.
“In the 6pm raid last Thursday, police arrested the suspect who was in the bedroom of the house,” he told reporters after a duty handover ceremony for the new Perak police chief Osman Salleh at the Perak Contingent Police Headquarters meeting room here.
Paramasivam said the suspect, who has a record for luxury vehicle theft, is remanded until Thursday to facilitate investigations.
He said the arrest was the fourth involving members of the Mamak gang.
On December 7, police detained a 50-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, believed to be members of the gang, in a 10.30pm raid at a house on Jalan Kuala Kangsar here.
Another suspect, 37, was nabbed on December 14 after Ops Cantas Khas in Lenggong near Kuala Kangsar, here, at 11.30am when police detected a suspected car.
The Mamak gang, which has long been active, was mostly involved in the robbery of banks and luxury cars.
– BERNAMA
IPOH: Police have detained a man believed to be a member of the Mamak gang in Kampung Larut Tin Sambungan near Taiping.
Perak police deputy chief A. Paramasivam said following a public tip-off, a team from the Taiping district police headquarters Criminal Investigations Department conducted a raid on a house and arrested the 31-year-old suspect.
“In the 6pm raid last Thursday, police arrested the suspect who was in the bedroom of the house,” he told reporters after a duty handover ceremony for the new Perak police chief Osman Salleh at the Perak Contingent Police Headquarters meeting room here.
Paramasivam said the suspect, who has a record for luxury vehicle theft, is remanded until Thursday to facilitate investigations.
He said the arrest was the fourth involving members of the Mamak gang.
On December 7, police detained a 50-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman, believed to be members of the gang, in a 10.30pm raid at a house on Jalan Kuala Kangsar here.
Another suspect, 37, was nabbed on December 14 after Ops Cantas Khas in Lenggong near Kuala Kangsar, here, at 11.30am when police detected a suspected car.
The Mamak gang, which has long been active, was mostly involved in the robbery of banks and luxury cars.
– BERNAMA
Finding ‘dirt’ on the 25 is dirty, to say the least -Dr Azmi Sharom
Ah, Awang Selamat.
One can always depend on you to say the most ridiculous things.
Today, I read that this 'person' (in reality the collective editorial voice of that paragon of journalistic virtue: Utusan Malaysia) wants the 25 Eminent Malays investigated.
Their backgrounds and lifestyles should be put under the microscope, they say.
I guess this is so that the erstwhile 'newspaper' can find out any “dirt” on the 25 and then they will be able to dish it out with orgasmic glee.
In this way they can detract from the fact that respectable individuals, who are essentially conservative people who have served the nation all their working lives, and who I am sure would be happy to spend their retirement in peace with their grandchildren, have felt that this country is in such a poor state that even they have to say something about it.
It is odd that the Utusan feels no need to delve into the murky past of other retirees who have something to say.
I am thinking of course of the noisiest Malaysian retiree in the world, the indestructible and seemingly immortal Dr M.
The longest-serving PM in the country (sometimes I wonder if he is still not serving as PM) has said that Malays are so politically impoverished that they have been reduced to begging from the Chinese to maintain their political power.
Of course I am not of the same ilk as Awang Selamat, so I will not be casting any aspersions on the good doctor’s character. I don’t know him at all. So I will just look at some facts.
Sixty per cent of Parliament is Malay; 63 per cent of the Cabinet is Malay; 60 per cent of the Deputy Ministers are Malay. We have always had a Malay Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister since independence. All the states except Penang have a Malay Chief Minister.
Is this clear grip on political power due to all these Malay men and women going on bended knee to the Chinese community for their favours and blessings?
It seems extremely unlikely, but I must admit that I don’t know. But then I am not as wise and knowledgeable as the great Mahathir.
He must have some secret power to see things that ordinary folk can’t. I wish I could find out what that super power is.
But unlike Utusan and the 25, I respect the old man’s privacy and I have no wish to investigate him.
Dr Azmi Sharom, Associate Professor of Law
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