K'jaan Umno-PAS Kelantan? TPM hanya ketawa

Man brutally murders 10-year-old daughter

Man admits to torturing and killing daughter for allegedly having sex

Gulfnews

Sana’a: A Yemeni father callously tortured and killed his daughter, 10, for allegedly committing adultery in the northern Dhamar province, a local official who questioned the man told Gulf News on Tuesday.

On the weekend, Yemenis on social media widely circulated a photo of a tortured girl who was found dead by shepherds in a rugged area in the northern province of Ibb.

Within hours, police found out that the girl was killed by her father.

Colonel Mohammad Qassem Al Hadi, the director of Dhamar’s Criminal Investigation Department, said that the man admitted that he brutally tortured and shot her four times with his rifle.

“We found a video clip in his mobile phone asking his daughter to confess to her mistake. The girl was bleeding and crying,” he said.

The official told Gulf News that the father used different methods of torture to force her into admitting having sex with another man, including putting an iron to her skin.

During the investigation, the man admitted that he threw his daughter off a cliff in the Samara Mountains in Ibb province after severely beating her.

“The father divorced his wife six years ago. He has two daughters and usually spends time moving from one country to another,” Al Hadi said.

The graphic photo of the dead girl sparked outrage on social media and local media outlets with some people demanding the execution of the father.

“If I were a judge, I would have sentenced him to death in the first session.” said Ali Al Bukhiti, an Al Houthi spokesman wrote on Tuesday on his Facebook page.

“This man must be cut into pieces and thrown to dogs,” said Mohammad Said, a Yemeni man on social media.

Bangladesh sentences Islamist leader to death

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Azharul Islam found guilty of war crimes committed during 1971 independence war against Pakistan.

Bangladesh's war crimes court has sentenced a leading Islamist leader to death for rape, mass murder and genocide during the country's 1971 liberation war.

ATM Azharul Islam, 62, assistant secretary general of the nation's largest Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami, became the 16th person and the 11th Islamist to be convicted of atrocities by the International Crimes Tribunal.

The tribunal found him guilty on Tuesday of being a key member of a notorious pro-Pakistan militia.

He was ordered "hanged by the neck" for the genocide of more than 1,200 people in the northern district of Rangpur.

"No doubt, it was mass murder," presiding judge Enayetur Rahimjudge Rahim told a packed court.

Those killed included hundreds of minority Hindus in one of the worst episodes of the nine-month war, which saw what was then east Pakistan break away from the regime in Islamabad.

Defence lawyer Tajul Islam rejected the charges against Azharul Islam and said his team planned to appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court.

"Azharul Islam was a 19-year-old student during the war and in no way was involved in war crime. The charges against him are false and fabricated," the lawyer said.

Nationwide shutdown

Jamaat-e-Islami has called dawn-to-dusk countrywide shutdown for Wednesday and Thursday in protest against the verdict.

Previous death sentences handed down against Jamaat leaders, including its supreme and spiritual leaders, plunged Bangladesh into its deadliest unrest last year.

Thousands of Islamists clashed with police in nationwide protests over the verdicts and other issues that left some 500 people dead.

The BNP and Jamaat have called the trials politically motivated, aimed at eliminating opposition leaders rather than rendering justice.

Rights groups have said the trials fall short of international standards. The government maintains they are needed to heal the wounds of the war, which it says left three million people dead.

Independent researchers put the toll much lower.

No official New Year celebrations again after worst floods – Bernama

The Malaysian government has decided not to usher the arrival of the New Year for the second time in 10 years due to the devastating floods, especially in the East Coast.

The first time Malaysia did not usher the new year was during the arrival of 2005 since December 26, 2004 saw a monstrous tsunami claim more than 200,000 casualties in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Events lined in Putrajaya, Dataran Merdeka and states like Melaka, Penang, Pahang and Negri Sembilan were cancelled as a mark of respect for the people who are suffering from the massive floods in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Selangor, Perlis, Kedah and Johor.

The year 2014 has also been full of airline tragedies for Malaysia, especially the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 and flight MH17.

The latest incident was the AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 tragedy in the Java Sea.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now in Kelantan to visit flood victims and view the damages caused by the worst floods in 40 years.

Instead of fireworks which normally mark the arrival of the new year, mosques, temples and other places of worship organised prayers for the well being of the flood victims and the families of those who perished in airline tragedies. – Bernama, January 1, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/no-official-new-year-celebrations-again-after-worst-floods-bernama#sthash.bQqYIiiY.dpuf

AirAsia jet took 'steep climb' before crash

 

Radar data being examined by investigators appeared to show that AirAsia flight QZ8501 made an "unbelievably" steep climb before it crashed, possibly pushing it beyond the Airbus A320's limits, said a source familiar with the probe's initial findings.

The data was transmitted before the aircraft disappeared from the screens of air traffic controllers in Jakarta on Sunday, added the source, who declined to be identified.

"So far, the numbers taken by the radar are unbelievably high. This rate of climb is very high, too high. It appears to be beyond the performance envelope of the aircraft," he said.

The source added that the data on which those assumptions had been made were incomplete. Colleagues and friends of the Indonesian captain on board have described him as an experienced and professional pilot.

The preliminary findings sharpen the focus on the role bad weather and the crew's reaction to storms and clouds in the area had to play in the plane's crash into the Java Sea which killed all 162 people on board.

Finding the six-year-old plane's cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR), more commonly known as black boxes, was vital to complement the radar data already available.

"With the CVR and FDR, we can establish what went on in the cockpit and what was going on with the aircraft. We can conclude if the radar information is accurate," added the source.

Climbing too slowly?

At 6.12am on Sunday, 36 minutes after taking off from Surabaya's Juanda Airport on a flight to Singapore, the pilot asked for permission to climb to 38,000ft from 32,000ft and deviate to the left to avoid bad weather.

Two minutes later, Jakarta responded by asking QZ8501 to go left seven miles and climb to 34,000ft. There was no response from the cockpit. The aircraft was still detected by the ATC's radar before disappearing at 6.18am.

An image that was reportedly leaked from AirNav Indonesia, which manages the country's air space, and shared on several websites, appeared to show QZ8501 at an altitude of 36,300ft and climbing at a speed of 353 knots.

The source declined to confirm if that image was accurate. Officials from AirNav Indonesia declined to comment.

Two veteran pilots told Reuters that, if accurate, the image and information released so far pointed to the fact that the aircraft may have climbed suddenly and then lost speed.

This can result in the aircraft stalling in mid-air before plunging to the sea, they said.

One pilot explained that an A320 would cruise at a speed of around Mach 0.78 while at an altitude of 32,000ft. That translates into roughly 516 knots.

"If you encounter turbulence, you go slower at what we call the turbulence penetration speed to get through it. If you climb to avoid turbulence, you slow down to have a better climb rate.

"That could be around Mach 0.76," he said. "But if you climb suddenly and start to lose speed, you will stall."

Severe weather

The source close to the probe said other aircraft in the area at the time of the crash were flying at higher altitudes.

Aircraft tracking website flightradar24.com said that they were at between 34,000 and 39,000 feet.

"We know that there was severe local weather and big clouds. But they (the other planes) were higher and did not appear to encounter any major problems. We want to look into that too," added the source.

Industry sources told Reuters that there could be parallels between this incident and the crash of Air France flight AF447 in 2009.

The investigation into that Airbus A330 showed that the co-pilot lost speed readings due to icing on the airframe.

His panic reaction meant that he kept trying to climb despite repeated stall warnings, and the crew failed to recognize the situation, eventually sending the aircraft plunging into the Atlantic.

Incidents like these show that the margin for error at higher altitudes is smaller than at takeoff or lower down, say industry experts.

They add that the A320's systems usually prevent pilots from doing anything outside usual safe flight parameters.

But these protections can be disabled in some circumstances, handing control to the pilots and leaving it to manual flying skills.

- Reuters

Dr M's men trade notes on Najib's poor PR

 

Since Dr Mahathir Mohamad went public with his criticism of Najib Abdul Razak, two of the former prime minister’s strongmen have consistently trained their guns on the current prime minister.

Zainuddin Maidin and A Kadir Jasin, both senior newsmen, have also shared their thoughts on the recent controversy surrounding Najib playing golf with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii as severe floods hit Malaysia.

After coming under fire for what Najib later described as “golf diplomacy”, he promptly returned to visit the affected areas.

Zainuddin (left), the former top editor of Utusan Malaysia, lamented on the poor response of the prime minister’s communication unit in handling the crisis.

In his blog today, he posted a response from Kadir, who was the former New Straits Times group chief editor, to him on this matter.

Kadir had agreed with Zainuddin, who is popularly known as Zam, that the communication unit should have acted swiftly to issue a statement.

Flow of information is important

“But I am certain you know who heads this unit and what are their expertise in the issue of nerve war,” he told his longtime friend.

Kadir recalled that he and several senior journalists had met with Najib before he became prime minister, and one of the things mentioned was the importance in handling the flow of information.

He also reminded Zainuddin of editors meeting with Mahathir when the latter became prime minister.

“Behind the curtains, we were allowed to discuss and debate openly. We agreed and disagreed (then),” Kadir (right) said.

As for Najib, the veteran newsman pointed out that the current prime minister has a battalion of officers and media advisers, including those from overseas. 

“Perhaps because there are too many and they are loyal to and fearful of various quarters, there is no consensus on how to deal with a problem or crisis,” he said.

Kadir also claimed that editors and journalists no longer have “absolute power” and confided in him that they are forced to “bow to many wahyu (orders from above)”.

“Imagine if not all the orders favour the PM. What if there are enemies within (api dalam sekam?” he said.

Najib is often lambasted for relying too much on his advisers, whom critics in Umno claim are leading him in the wrong direction.

Pressure mounts on PM to confirm Rosmah gossip

Blogger Shahbudin says the public has to be told whether she is using the government jet to continue with her holiday.

FMT

KUALA LUMPUR: The issue of Rosmah Mansor using the official government jet has again become the subject of gossip, and joining the chatter is Shahbudin Husin, a harsh government critic and a blogger with a large following.

In his latest blog entry, Shahbudin notes that Najib returned from his holiday without his wife and that he landed in an Air Force jet although he and his family left for the United States in the government’s private aircraft.

He asks for official confirmation that Rosmah is still holidaying in the US, repeating questions asked in an official press release by PKR Youth: Why didn’t Najib return in the official jet? Is it true that the jet is now in Indianapolis in the American Midwest? Who is using the jet?

He says the public needs the answers to these questions because it appears that public funds are being misused. “The use of an Air Force jet to bring Najib home of course doubles the cost,” he adds.

He says that although Najib has somewhat mitigated his error of going on a holiday in the midst of the flood crisis by cutting the vacation short, he has committed a worse mistake in allowing his wife to use the official jet because she doesn’t have the right to it and because it involves public funds.

He implies that this could be the reason why some ministers were defying the Prime Minister’s order for them to cut their vacation short to deal with the flood crisis.

“Rosmah has used the official jet several times for personal purposes and it seems that no one can stop her,” he says. “This time it is used for her to holiday while Najib is in the country. This only adds to the hatred and resentment.”

Shahbudin recalls Deputy Prime Muhyiddin Yassin’s remark when asked to comment about Najib golfing in Hawaii with US President Barack Obama. “Leave the Prime Minister alone,” said Muhyiddin. “Like any normal human being, he too needs a holiday.”

He interprets the DPM’s comment as a veiled criticism, using the Malay expression that translates into “poisoned honey”. He speculates that Muhyiddin, if asked to comment on the gossip about Rosmah, would say, “Just let Rosmah use the jet. She too has made huge sacrifices for the country.”

108 detained for theft, spreading false info on social media

Police have established four anti-crime teams in each flood-hit area to prevent criminal activities.

FMT

KOTA BHARU: Kelantan police have detained 108 people, including two women, to facilitate investigations into theft and dissemination of false information on social media since floods hit the country on December 17.

Kelantan police chief Mazlan Lazim said during the period, a total of 37 reports were received, involving theft at business premises while two cases involved the spread of false information about floods on social sites Facebook and WhatsApp.

The individuals involved were aged between 14 and 40, he said at a press conference at the Kelantan police contingent headquarters, here, yesterday.

Mazlan said among the districts affected by theft were Kota Bharu, Bachok, Pasir Puteh, Pasir Mas, Tanah Merah, Gua Musang and Kuala Krai.

“The theft cases are reported to have occurred at night and noon on December 26 to December 28 when the flood waters were at a high level,” he said.

Mazlan said police had set up patrol teams to prevent criminal activities in flood affected areas.

“The team will monitor every area affected by the floods and so far we have four teams in each flood-hit area,” he said.

- BERNAMA

PERUTUSAN TAHUN BAHARU 2015

Anwaribrahimblog

Tahun 2014 melabuhkan tirai dengan penuh hiba dan tragis, dengan bencana banjir besar yang melanda sebahagian besar Pantai Timur Semenanjung khususnya Kelantan. Dengan angka mangsa banjir yang terkesan mencecah ratusan ribu, ia boleh diklasifikasikan sebagai bencana banjir terburuk dalam sejarah. Sekalung takziah bagi yang terkesan atas bencana berkenaan, semoga terus tabah menjalani kehidupan di samping koordinasi bantuan diselaraskan oleh pihak berwajib.

Tahun ini juga kita tinggalkan dengan seribu satu keresahan. Belumpun misteri MH370 dan MH17 dirungkai sepenuhnya, kita dikejutkan dengan insiden kehilangan pesawat QZ8501. Pastinya bukan sesuatu yang mudah untuk dihadapi oleh sekalian ahli keluarga yang menanti khabar berita dan hujung pangkal misteri kehilangan. Keadilan wajar dituntut sehingga ke akhirnya.

Perihal masalah kekurangan air di awal tahun, disusuli masalah jerebu, Malaysia ditimpa pelbagai dugaan. Pastinya ia datang dari Tuhan sebagai satu peringatan, agar kita tidak alpa dan terus leka.

Tidak cukup dengan itu, masalah-masalah perihal kemelut perkauman, kesenjangan ekonomi, kebejatan sosial dan jenayah, kepincangan sistem demokrasi, pendakwaan terpilih serta kelemahan pengurusan tatakelola dan dana awam seakan silih berganti mengisi slot tayangan perdana rakyat.

Senario ini nyata sekali membimbangkan rakyat terbanyak. Kemelut yang sedang melanda pasti memberi dampak yang bukan kecil kesannya. Sementelahan masalah sedia ada masih belum terungkai, kita seakan diasak agar bersedia untuk menghadapi pelbagai rintangan yang bakal mendatang. Ditambah dengan kemurungan ekonomi nasional yang disebabkan oleh ketidaktentuan ekonomi dunia, ini bukan satu senario yang menyenangkan sebagai pembuka tirai.

Tahun baharu kebiasaannya menjanjikan satu cabaran dan menuntut keazaman yang bukan sekadar baharu, tetapi segar dan bertenaga. Pastinya hari – hari yang telah dilalui sebelumnya mencoret pelbagai kenangan, dan pengajaran untuk dijadikan pegangan.

Saya kembali memperingatkan kepentingan kita untuk bermuhasabah diri: memperingat kelemahan lampau dan memperbaiki masa hadapan. Pepatah Arab ini acapkali melintasi pemikiran saya:

Beruntunglah orang yang hari ini lebih baik daripada semalam; rugilah orang yang sama keadaannya hari ini dengan semalam; dan celakalah orang yang hari ini lebih teruk dari semalam.

Tahun 2015 mendambakan kesiap-siagaan total di kalangan segenap lapisan rakyat. Cabaran ekonomi dan sosio-politik nyata sekali merupakan cabaran terbesar yang harus dihadapi bersama.

Di samping kebersediaan rakyat, harapan besar disandarkan kepada pemerintah agar kawalselia sektor ekonomi diperkemaskan supaya tidak membebani rakyat terbanyak. Demikian juga komitmen pemerintah dalam menolak sepenuhnya agenda perkauman sempit serta pendakwaan terpilih yang mampu mendorong kepada ketidakseimbangan sosio-politik dan perpaduan rakyat seluruhnya.

Komitmen KEADILAN dan Pakatan Rakyat jelas dan tuntas: Malaysia harus diurus dalam kerangka humanistik yang menjamin keadilan setiap warganya. Baik sudut politik, ekonomi mahupun social, inilah tekad yang mesti dipegang dan terus ditambah baik dari semasa ke semasa.

Memetik nukilan tersohor penyair Amerika Syarikat TS Eliot dalam puisi ‘Little Gidding’, for last year’s words belong to last year’s language; and next year’s words await another voice. Kita mengharapkan sinar harapan baharu menjelang 2015, meski pelbagai cabaran dijangka menanti di ambang tahun baharu. Pakatan Rakyat khususnya, akan terus memperkemas tekad serta mempertingkat upaya tadbirurus yang telus lagi berintegriti.

Malaysia harus terus dipacu dengan gagah dan bertenaga, berdiri sebagai sebuah Negara merdeka yang adil lagi demokratik berpaksi keluhuran perlembagaan. Negara ini tidak mempunyai ruang untuk ditadbir secara cemerkap, nanar dan tidak berhala tuju jelas.

Justeru, muafakat menjelang tahun baharu harus dipupuk, dengan merai jamak agama dan budaya yang toleran serta harmonis; dengan pengurusan khazanah Negara yang manusiawi lagi seimbang; melalui tatakelola dan pengurusan awam yang berakauntabiliti.

Kita mampu merealisasikan agenda ini, seandainya iltizam politik disemat di seluruh peringkat masyarakat, melangkaui perbedaan ideologi politik yang nyata sekali merugikan sekalian rakyat.

Kepada Tuhan harapan disandarkan, semoga iktikad ini disemai rapi dalam setiap jiwa rakyat Malaysia, yang meyakini keupayaan Negara untuk bebas daripada pasungan kecapikan dan kelelahan.

Selamat Menyambut Tahun Baharu 2015 dari seluruh kepimpinan dan akar umbi KEADILAN buat sekalian rakyat Malaysia.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

2015, time for moderate Malaysians to stand up

As Malaysians bid farewell to 2014, moderate Malaysians have been urged to stand up and beat back the tide of hate and bigotry that have inflamed communal relations throughout the year.

A group of progressive Malays today hoped that Malaysians would be able to reclaim the national conversation on race and religion and reject extremist elements brought about by certain quarters.

This, they argued, was because it was up to each individual to preserve the tolerance, moderation and respect that had been an enduring feature of the country’s pluralistic society.

"Moderation has to be promoted not just because that is what our forefathers wanted for us,” said former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam.

“But because it is one of the ways which our country will remain peaceful and harmonious,” he said in a text message to The Malaysian Insider.

Musa said 2015 would be even more challenging for Malaysia socially and economically, given the depressing forecast on the world economy.

These humps in the economy and the social effects they entailed were why Umno Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed feels that calmer voices must prevail against those who are divisive.

“The economy is slowing down, so we need to remain calm. This is my advice to everyone. Chinese, Malays, Indians, Perkasa, everyone.

“Malaysia is a moderate country, not an extremist one,” said Nur Jazlan, who is known to be among the more progressive leaders in Umno.

The Public Accounts Committee chairman has been the target of insults by Malay right-wing group Perkasa, whose members have called him “bangsat” (despicable) for daring to criticise the movement and its cause.

Nur Jazlan also hoped there would be less race and religious issues being played up in 2015 and if they were, that people would not get too sensitive when talking about them.

Another Umno leader Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah hoped that more groups, such as the 25 Malay former civil servants who had called on the government to start a national dialogue to resolve conflicts between Shariah and civil laws, to come forward.

Other good examples, he said were the 33 individuals who have called themselves “Malaysian Moderates”, youth groups and students from the Middle East and the ones behind the #Iam26 campaign he said.

“We need to make 2015 the year of moderation, in our values, approach, our thinking and policies in all fields.

“Moderation is the soul of the Malaysian identity but lately, from an ethnic and religious stand point, it is seen as problematic,” said Saifuddin, who heads the Global Movement of Moderates.

For Aura Merdeka founder Tariq Ismail, the claim by a Muslim NGO, Isma, and Perkasa of representing Muslims and Islam was misleading, since the faith had never taught ethnic chauvinism.

“I can understand where Isma and Perkasa are coming from but their message is wrong,” said Tariq, who is a grandson of former deputy prime minister Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman.

“There is no racialism in Islam. So if you want to talk about Islam, you cannot talk about race.”

If there is something that could motivate more moderates to come out is the fact that in reality, they are the silent majority, whereas extremists are the vocal minority.

This was alluded to by Sisters in Islam leader Ratna Osman who said that extremists did not represent the majority of Malaysians.

"I hope that peace-loving Malaysians will rise up and not let the country by manipulated by these extremists.

“They do not represent us as Malaysians and we should not let them spread their evil agenda,” said Ratna, whose organisation has also been targeted by religious conservatives. – December 31, 2014.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/2015-time-for-moderate-malaysians-to-stand-up#sthash.buFDOItH.dpuf

2015: Najib Hopes To Build Safer, More Prosperous And More Equal Society

Datuk Seri Najib Tun RazakKUALA LUMPUR, Dec 31 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hopes to build a safer, more prosperous, and more equal society next year, by focusing on the lives and needs of the rakyat.

Prime Minister in his End of Year Message on his blog, www.najibrazak.com Wednesday said in the months and years ahead, his focus was on the rakyat.

"Although Malaysia's economic performance has been exceptional, I know that people do not always feel they are getting their piece of our national success.

"So alongside our efforts to strengthen our economy by raising incomes, reducing spending, and boosting productivity, we will also work to reduce inequality by narrowing the gap between the rich and poor," he said.

Najib said he was confident that Malaysia's economy would continue to grow, and bring more jobs and a better standard of living, because of the strong fundamentals, and clear and consistent government policy.

"Our economy is on track to grow by 5.7 per cent this year, and 4.7 per cent in 2015. Our deficit is falling, our reserves are strong; we have trusted financial institutions, low unemployment, and record levels of foreign investment.

"Malaysia's economy is well placed to weather any storms," he said.

Najib said Malaysia needed to be proactive to build a resilient economy that was prepared for any eventuality.

"With global events causing problems for many countries, I am pleased that we have already taken measures to protect our economy. Just last week, the World Bank confirmed that Malaysia remains in a strong position precisely because we acted to rationalise subsidies," he said.

He said the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which would be introduced on April 1 next year, would help strengthen the government finances so that Malaysia could continue productive expenditure on things like roads, schools and hospitals for the benefit of the people.

"And alongside the GST, we will continue the reforms to make our economy more competitive, which will bring more opportunities for our businesses and higher income for the people," he said.

Najib said that to ensure the safety and security of the Malaysian people from the increasing threats of terrorist groups, the government had introduced a new terrorism white paper and was also strengthening the country's cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies.

"My greatest responsibility as the prime minister is to ensure the safety and security of the Malaysian people. Our position is quite clear; we reject this so-called Islamic State. We reject this state defined by extremism. And we condemn the violence being committed in the name of Islam," he said.

On recent floods suffered in several states, Najib said the government s priority was to get help to people who need it now, with the supplies and assistance for those who were stranded or displaced, and financial support, so that people can get their lives back together.

Next year, he said, the government's priority was to rebuild the infrastructure, businesses and homes that were damaged in an environmentally friendly way so that future floods would not be more likely or more damaging.

Najib said Malaysia would play a much bigger role in the region and world affairs in the year to come.

"Next year, we will chair Asean, as we prepare to launch the Asean Community. "In 2015, under Malaysia's chairmanship, we will lay the foundations for deeper regional integration. For the people of Asean, this will mean more opportunities with more jobs, and easier ways to do business.

"In 2015, we will also hold a non-permanent seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Far from just a diplomatic badge of pride, this is a chance for Malaysia to state our support for key objectives, including a dignified and secure future for the Palestinian people and make a real contribution to global security problems," he said.

Najib described 2014 as the most challenging year of his career and one of the most difficult years in Malaysia's history with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 and the destruction of MH17.

"2014 did bring prosperity for Malaysia, but it was also the year we were united in grief. I believe we will come out of these twin tragedies stronger and more determined.

"In mosques, churches and temples, in shopping malls and online, Malaysians responded to these tragedies as one. We have been tested by disaster, but the spirit of the nation remains strong," he said.

MH370, enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared on March 8 while MH17, during its journey from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17.

On the AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 tragedy, the prime minister said: "Our thoughts are with our brothers and sisters in Indonesia."

Amidst the tragedies, there were high points in 2014, including the country's 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations with China and United States President Barack Obama's visit to Malaysia.