70-year-old man held, minor girl found

BHOPAL: The 70-year-old, who eloped with a minor girl, was caught from a village close to Sultanpur bus stand in Raisen district on Thursday night. The girl was also accompanying him. Septuagenarian was booked for kidnapping on a complaint by girl's grandmother.

Accused Hafeez Khan alias Rashid had taken the girl to Tulsipura village in a bus to one of his relative's place.

Police officials said minor, a class X student, was missing from her house since March 4. Daughter of a labourer of Jhansi, she lives with her grandparents in Bhopal.

The elderly man, who is also a quack 'treating' child-less couple, told police the girl had come to him after which he took her to Raisen. Meanwhile, she told police that he had physical relations with her in past. This time, he however did not do anything, she said. Police said the man will also be booked under sections of protection of children from sexual offences act 2012.

When local residents of Bajaria, where the elderly man resided, had objected while he was taking the girl to his room on March 4, he told them that he would marry the girl. But soon, he escaped with her.

Cops said, Hafeez had come in contact with her a year ago. He used to impart religious education to her at her home. However, for past six months he had not visited her house, police said. Cops have also recovered some photographs and other objectionable material from his room in old Bhopal locality.

Hafeez tried his best to come clean in the matter. He told cops that he had stopped going to her house as the family of girl had started suspecting her. Regarding reports that he has been booked for rape in past, the accused said only an arms act case was registered against him.

Paper reveals Iranian-link in ticket purchase for passengers with stolen passports

Two passengers who boarded MH370 with stolen passports are believed to be from the Middle East
after a Financial Times report revealed that the tickets were bought by an Iranian in the Thai resort town of Pattaya.

The Financial Times exclusively reported that a Thai travel agent who booked the tickets for the men said she had been asked to make the travel arrangements by an Iranian contact.

Travel agent Benjaporn Krutnait, booked the tickets through a business contact whom she only knew as "Mr Ali". She said that his first request to book cheap tickets to Europe for the two men was made on March 1.

She told The Financial Times that it was quite common for people to book tickets through middlemen who then retake a commission.

Ali had asked for the cheapest route to Europe for his clients and did not mention the specific booking Kuala Lumpur-Beijing - unlikely behaviour by would-be terrorists.

Benjaporn initially reserved one of the men on a Qatar Airways flight and the other on Etihad. But the tickets expired when Benjaporn did not hear back from Ali.

The Financial Times said when Ali contacted her again on Thursday, she rebooked the men on the Malaysia Airlines flight through Beijing because it was the cheapest available.

A friend of Ali paid Benjaporn cash for the tickets, the paper reported, adding that there is no evidence that Ali knew the two men were travelling on stolen passports.

Benjaporn made the bookings through a China Southern Airlines office in Bangkok.

The two passengers were supposed to fly from Beijing to Amsterdam on Saturday. The passenger travelling as "Luigi Maraldi" was to fly on to Copenhagen and "Christian Kozel" to Frankfurt.

Interpol said it was investigating the passport holders and examining airport footage of the two men.

It is fairly common for fraudulent documents to be used on regional flights for illegal immigration or drug smuggling but the fact that the aircraft has disappeared has triggered speculation of a terrorist attack.

The two, who were of "non-Asian appearance", despite earlier reports, were travelling from Kuala Lumpur, one on an Italian passport and one on an Austrian passport. The passports were reported missing a year ago by the real Maraldi and Kozel, respectively.

The one-way tickets under those names were issued by a travel agency in Pattaya, eastern Thailand. – March 10, 2014.

DCA says duo did not look Asian, ropes in Balotelli - Malaysiakini

The ethnicity of the two who boarded Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with missing passports is now in question, following the claim by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the duo had "Asian features".

At a press conference at KLIA today, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman confirmed that the two men "did not look Asian".

"Do you know a footballer (by the name of) Balotelli? He is an Italian, but you know how he looks like," Azharuddin said when pressed to described the appearance of the two men.

Mario Balotelli (left) is a professional Italian footballer who plays for AC Milan.

When pressed further whether two passengers were black, Azharuddin replied: "Yes".

'Stolen passports syndicate'

Asked if he meant that the duo were Africans or were of African origin, Azharuddin declined to elaborate.

He said the investigation team has reviewed the CCTV footage of the duo from check-in to departure.

"We hereby confirm that all security protocol have been complied with," he said.

Azharuddin said police were looking into the possibility that the two passengers were part of a stolen passport syndicate.

The two individuals boarded flight MH370, which lost contact over the Gulf of Thailand, using Italian and Austrian passports.

However, both the Italian and Austrian foreign ministries have denied their citizens were present on the ill-fated flight, adding that the passports used were reported stolen in the last two years.

ISMA dakwa Anwar mahu hidupkan reformasi kedua

Seluruh perhatian rakyat dialihkan kepada kezaliman pemerintah yang kononnya mahu menyekat Anwar daripada menjadi MB Selangor.

BANGI: Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) DUN Kajang yang bakal berlangsung pada bulan ini merupakan konspirasi ciptaan Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim bagi menutup kesalahan liwatnya dan mengalih perhatian rakyat untuk kembali turun ke jalan raya bagi menghidupkan gelombang Reformasi Ke-2.

Menurut Presiden Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) Ustaz Abdullah Zaik Abd Rahman, sejak awal lagi pihaknya tidak bersetuju dengan peletakan jawatan bekas ADUN Kajang Lee Chin Cheh tanpa alasan yang munasabah.

“Anwar tahu perjalanan perbicaraan kes liwat sejak awal-awal lagi lalu beliau mereka cipta PRK Kajang dengan alasan yang tidak munasabah.

“Kini apabila beliau didapati bersalah, seluruh perhatian rakyat dialihkan kepada kezaliman pemerintah yang kononnya mahu menyekat beliau daripada menjadi MB selangor,” katanya kepada wartawan ISMAweb.

Jumaat lalu tiga hakim Mahkamah Rayuan sebulat suara memutuskan bahawa Datuk Seri Anwar bersalah atas tuduhan meliwat dan dijatuhi hukuman penjara 5 tahun serta diperintah membayar wang jaminan sebanyak RM10 ribu.

Sementara itu, Ustaz Abdullah mempertikai kenyataan sesetengah pihak yang mendakwa mahkamah tidak berlaku adil ke atas Anwar.

“Bila Anwar kalah, mahkamah dituduh zalim dan tidak adil. Mengapa semasa Anwar menang pada 2011 dahulu mahkamah tidak dituduh zalim juga? Tidak logik,” ujar beliau.

Tambahnya, jalan cerita ‘langkah Kajang’ yang bakal membawa Anwar ke Putrajaya menjadi sempurna apabila keputusan mahkamah dikaitkan dengan persepsi bahawa ia merupakan konspirasi Umno.

“Dengan itu keputusan mahkamah dituduh sebagai konspirasi Umno untuk sekali lagi memberi imej bersih kepada Anwar dan sekali lagi mengeksploitasi isu beliau ke jalan raya.

“Demikian sempurna jalan cerita bagaimana ‘langkah Kajang’ boleh membawa Anwar ke Putrajaya,” katanya lagi.

Kajang: Showdown between Wan Azizah and Mei Fun

The Kajang by-election will likely be a contest between two politically savvy women.


PETALING JAYA: With nomination day for the Kajang by-election set to take place tomorrow, the battle seems to be geared between two politically savvy women.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the new PKR candidate to replace Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The decision to pull out of the Kajang by-election was made as a result of the Court of Appeal decision on Friday to overturn Anwar’s sodomy acquittal.

The ruling derailed his plans to contest in the Kajang by-election, thus resulting in naming his wife as the new candidate.

MCA meanwhile is pitting its vice president, Chew Mei Fun to contest on behalf of Barisan Nasional (BN).

The two women are definitely forces to be reckoned with.

Wan Azizah, 62, founded the Parti Keadilan Nasional in 1999 after her husband was put behind bars the year before on a sodomy charge. She remains as the president of the party till today.

A doctor by profession, she won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in 1999 and held the seat until 2008 when she stepped down to allow her husband to return to active politics again.

Chew on the other hand was a two-term MP for Petaling Jaya Utara and was defeated by incumbent MP Tony Pua in the 2008 general election.

The 51-year-old quit her Wanita chief post in 2010 after former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek won the presidency.

As a result, she resigned as senator and Deputy Minister for the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry in line with her pledge to quit all party posts if Dr Chua became party president.

Former PKR member Zaid Ibrahim has also pulled out from the race, saying it was no longer necessary for him to contest.

Zaid had initially planned to contest in the by-election because he believed that Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s position was threatened by Anwar, who was seen to be eying the position.

Dangdut singer Herman Tino who had initially shown interest to contest in the by-election has also reportedly pulled out of the race.

The New Gen also pulled out of the race today.

Although tomorrow’s nomination day might witness last-minute participation from independents, it is safe to say that the battle would be focused between the two women.

With Wan Azizah in the picture, the female vote in Kajang may likely be swayed to her advantage, what more with public sympathy for her husband who was convicted.

BN supporters also no longer have the advantage of claiming that their candidate is ‘cleaner’ than the other, as Wan Azizah’s record is thus far free from major controversies.

The Kajang state seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent assemblyman Lee Chin Cheh of PKR on Jan 27. The Election Commission fixed March 23 as polling date and nomination day on March 11. Early polling would be held on March 19.

The state seat comprises 39,728 registered voters. At the last general election in May 2013, the seat saw a voter turnout of 87.9% with 541 spoilt votes.

Missing MH370: Bomoh vows result with fish trap hook, bamboo binocular

I think the plane is still in the air or has crashed into the sea, says Raja Bomoh Ibrahim Mat Zin.

SEPANG: The mystery surrounding the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has captured the attention of a well-known ‘bomoh’ (shaman), Ibrahim Mat Zin.

Ibrahim, who is known as Raja Bomoh Sedunia Nujum VIP, arrived at the KL International Airport (KLIA) today, claiming to be invited by one of the country’s top leaders, to help locate the missing plane using a spiritual method and prayer.

“We use fish trap hook and a bamboo binocular to look and ask for the victims to be found as soon as possible,” he told reporters here today.

He was also seen to have performed a prayer at the KLIA entrance.

“During my prayer, my eyes hurt and my vision turned black. I think the plane is still in the air or has crashed into the sea.

“I will come back here (to KLIA) in another two days after performing my prayers and I will bring something,” he said.

At the same time, Ibrahim also called on all quarters to pray for the safety those on board the missing flight.

The Raja Bomoh, who has 50 years of experience, became popular after offering his service to search for victims in several major cases, including in the Highland Tower tragedy, Kuala Dipang flood and the Mona Fendy murder case.

Bernama

Search area expanded, duo ‘not Asian looking’

Authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia.
FULL REPORT


KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has expanded its search area for a missing jet after three days of scouring the sea failed to bring forth any confirmed sightings of wreckage, an official said Monday.
“The area of search has been expanded in the South China Sea,” Civil Aviation Department chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said.

Azharuddin said the operation to search for the missing Boeing 777-200 was expanded from 50 nautical miles to 100 nautical radius within the Igari sea area and up to North Sumatra by land.

He said the operation which was still termed as ‘search and rescue operation’ – and not body recovery exercise – after entering its third day, was conducted “block by block”.

“Ships and aircraft are assigned to cover each block. Subsequently, we will expand further,” he added.

He added that besides searching in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam, authorities were also searching on land in Malaysia and off western Malaysia.

“We have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft,” he told a news conference – his third and last for the day.

“As far as we are concerned, we have to find the aircraft, we have to find a piece of the aircraft if possible,” he said.

The Malaysia Airlines flight with 239 people aboard lost contact with air controllers early Saturday.

Passengers with stolen passports

Azharuddin also clarified that the two passengers who boarded the plane with stolen passports were not Asian looking as had been identified earlier by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“We have looked and re-looked at the footage of the video and the photographs; it is confirmed now that they are not Asian-looking men,” said Azharuddin without elaborating further, stating that the matter was still under investigations.

He said investigators were looking into a new angle of stolen passport syndicates at work.

“Our priority is to find the plane now,” he stressed.

When pressed on the identities of the two passengers, the DCA chief avoided answering the question but gave an example of Italian footballer Mario Balotelli, who was born to immigrants from Ghana but had assumed the surname of his Italian foster parents.

Azharuddin however refused to confirm if the two passengers were of African origin.

Earlier the Inspector General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar said the police had identified one of the two suspected passengers, but did not make public his identity. He also said that passenger was a non-Malaysian.

Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein also promised the media to make available the photos of the two passengers as soon as the matter has been investigated by local and foreign intelligence agencies. Counter-terrorism agencies and the FBI are also assisting the investigation.

The Financial Times however exclusively reported today that the two passengers could be from the Middle East.

The daily quoted a Thai travel agent who had booked the tickets for the two passengers as saying that the tickets were arranged by an Iranian contact known only as ‘Mr Ali’.

In his press conference, Azharuddin also stressed that after studying the video footage (from closed-circuit television cameras) from the departure area, all security protocol was complied.

“The team of investigators is looking into the matter. All security protocol has been complied. There is a possibility of a stolen passport syndicate,” he said.

114 Pengikut Syiah Ditahan

(Berita Harian) - Ketua Polis Selama, Deputi Superintendan Wan Jamil Wan Chik, berkata kegiatan kumpulan itu terbongkar selepas seorang pengikut membuat laporan polis supaya JAIP tidak mengganggu aktiviti mereka yang diadakan di rumah terbabit.

Lapan warga asing antara 114 pengikut Syiah yang ditahan dalam serbuan di Hutan Simpan Bintang Hijau, berhampiran sempadan daerah ini dan Gerik, malam kelmarin.

Mereka yang berumur antara tujuh hingga 70 tahun, membabitkan 54 lelaki, 28 wanita, 32 kanak-kanak diberkas kira-kira jam 10 malam ketika meraikan majlis di sebuah rumah.

Warga asing yang ditahan, termasuk tiga dari Thailand, masing-masing dua dari Myanmar dan Pakistan serta seorang warga Indonesia.

Serbuan dilakukan 150 pegawai dan anggota polis bersama penguat kuasa Jabatan Agama Islam Perak (JAIP).

Pengikut Buat Laporan

Ketua Polis Selama, Deputi Superintendan Wan Jamil Wan Chik, berkata kegiatan kumpulan itu terbongkar selepas seorang pengikut membuat laporan polis supaya JAIP tidak mengganggu aktiviti mereka yang diadakan di rumah terbabit.

“Susulan laporan meragukan itu, polis menjalankan siasatan bersama JAIP dan memantau aktiviti mereka sebelum melakukan serbuan.

“Mereka yang ditahan kemudian dibawa ke Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Selama untuk proses dokumentasi dan diserahkan kepada JAIP bagi tindakan susulan,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Ketua Penguat Kuasa Agama Perak, Ahmad Nizam Amiruddin, berkata tangkapan pengikut Syiah berkenaan adalah yang teramai, berbanding dua operasi sebelum ini.

“Hasil pemeriksaan kami turut merampas beberapa buku mengandungi maklumat mengenai Syiah selain batu turbah, bendera dan gambar. Semua yang ditahan dibebaskan dengan bon jaminan dan akan dipanggil semula oleh JAIP untuk siasatan lanjut,” katanya.

Katanya, kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 16 Enakmen Jenayah Syariah Negeri Perak 1992 kerana melanggar fatwa berkaitan pengharaman Syiah.

Opposition reps wear ‘BLACK SUITS’ for opening of Parliament

(The Malaysian Times) – All opposition members of parliament (MPs) did not put on the official ceremonial white uniform today, which is the norm to wear during the opening of a Parliamentary sitting.

Bernama reported, on the other hand, they wore black suits, with some adding the songkok while the women elected representatives wore national costumes such as baju kurung.

Not only did they not wear the official uniform, they also did not take part in the parade and royal banquet at the Official Opening Ceremony of the First Meeting, Second Session of the 13th Parliament by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah here.

Opposition Chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said their move was a sign of protest and opposition to the nation’s laws “which were unjust”.

Nevertheless, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has been informed of the absence of the MPs at the royal banquet.

“I have sent a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to clarify our stand on the matter. We attend the opening ceremony to show our love and loyalty to His Majesty but we will not attend the feast and parade because we do not want to be in cahoots with a cruel and corrupted group,” he said, when met after the opening.

Anwar said all 89 of the opposition-elected representatives were adamant about not attending the Dewan Rakyat sitting tomorrow to protest against the Court of Appeal’s five-year jail sentence on the opposition chief after finding him guilty of sodomy on Friday.

On the other hand, they will attend the nomination for the by-election in Kajang tomorrow.

Last Friday, the Court of Appeal imposed a five-year jail sentence on Anwar on a charge of sodomising his former aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan, about six years ago.

In a follow-up to the decision of the court, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh, who is also Anwar’s counsel, said the opposition leader could not file his nomination paper for the by-election in Kajang.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was announced as the candidate for the oposition pact for the by-election in Kajang.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, when met, said the boycott of the Dewan Rakyat sitting tomorrow by the oppositions would only be a loss to them because the people would not be able to know the questions raised by their elected representatives.

“We have provided answers to every question in the Dewan Rakyat. The people lose when they cannot hear the questions asked by the members of parliament concerned.

“Here (Dewan Rakyat) is a place where we debate and formulate laws. No need to go to Kajang to debate. We cannot debate the laws in Kajang. Kajang is the deciding place for the selection of an elected representative,” he said.

Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang said the proceedings of the Dewan Rakyat would not be affected by the absence of opposition MPs.

Malaysian Plane Mystery Trumps Politics

The tragedy of Flight MH370 stuns a nation, brings bitterness to a temporary halt

The shock of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 seems to have brought a sort of temporary unity to Malaysia, pushing divisive political news and conflict off the radar, at least temporarily.

“This crash has stunned the nation and put politics on hold,” said an ethnic Malay political observer. “There seems to be a sense of anger and outrage and confusion over why anybody would attack a Malaysian plane.”

People "have been sick of the incessant politicking for a long time," said a businessman source. "It is unfortunate that a national tragedy had to happen for people to push politics off their radar. I can see how my kids are affected and depressed by all this. We have discussed nothing else but MH 370 and how stupid our politicians on both sides of the divide are."

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak postponed an official trip to Mauritius to focus on the search for the missing craft, the prime minister’s office said. Malaysia‘s reigning king, Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, issued condolences.

It isn’t sure if anybody actually attacked the plane, of course. A flotilla of ships and airplanes from nine countries continues to search for the remains the Boeing 777-200 that left Kuala Lumpur Saturday night for Beijing but vanished from radar screens. Vietnamese military aircraft spotted two oil slicks in the South China Sea, but there is no indication that they were caused by the plane when it hit the water – if it hit the water. It’s even debatable when it disappeared. Its “black box” apparently stopped sending signals to air traffic controllers 40 minutes into the flight. Other reports say it was two hours into its journey when it disappeared.

In particular, the tragedy and the multiplicity of inconsistencies about the loss of the craft has pushed political stories down the page, including a boiling controversy over the sentencing of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim last Friday to a five-year jail term by an appellate court.

The sentencing was stayed on appeal to the Federal Court, the country’s highest tribunal. The verdict was widely believed to have been engineered by forces within the United Malays National Organization to prevent Anwar from registering as a candidate in a Kuala Lumpur suburban by-election that was considered certain to eventually make him the chief minister of the country’s most prosperous and populous state.

Given the fractious nature of Malaysian politics and the stunning turnaround represented by the appeals court overturning Anwar’s 2012 acquittal, in normal times, social media sites and web portals would be bristling with comment and anger.

Instead, most news sites, whether pro- or anti-government, devoted their resources to the plane tragedy.

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is widely believed to have been behind the government’s push to put Anwar back in prison for the second time in 15 years, was quoted calling for unity in the face of the disaster. "I think MAS has done its best. Playing the blame game now is not helpful," he told reporters after visiting family and relatives of the 239 passengers on board the missing flight.

The cause of the disaster remains a complete mystery despite speculation that people carrying false passports who boarded the flight might have been terrorists. No explosion has been detected by US authorities who use satellites to monitor the world’s skies.

Whether the plane was blown apart by a bomb – of which there is no evidence there is fury that hijackers might have targeted a Malaysian plane, possibly because of the presence on board of 152 Chinese nationals.

The plane was flying at 11,000 meters, regarded as the safest part of the flight, when it disappeared so suddenly that the pilots were unable to make any radio transmission, an indication of a catastrophic failure of some kind.

When an Air France Airbus disappeared under similar circumstances in 2009, the transponder worked for several days although it took two years to actually find the plane. There is no indication that MH370’s black box has been giving off any signals.

MH370 was also equipped with a floating GPS beacon that was designed to transmit its location if it landed in water. The beacon hasn’t given off any kind of signal, although the beacon doesn’t work if it sinks with the wreckage.

The search for the doomed craft was widened Monday all the way to the Andaman Sea. Conflicting reports had the plane turning back towards Kuala Lumpur when it disappeared, but Malaysian officials said it would have emitted an electronic signal had that been true.

Then there was the matter of the passports stolen in Thailand, one from an Italian male and the other from an Austrian. When they were presented to Malaysian Airlines staff at departure, they were in the hands of ethnic Asians, leading Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to question why immigration offices “cannot think an Italian and an Austrian but with Asian facial features.” Ahmad Zahid announced an immediate investigation into the Immigration Department, particularly the officers who were on duty at the KLIA immigration counter during flight MH370.”

“If the plane can’t be located, many will conclude that an UFO took it,” said one commentator.

One thing is certain: once the wreckage is found and the shock wears off, the anger and bitterness over Anwar’s verdict will return in full voice.

Woke up with heavy heart like majority of Malaysians as MH370 tragedy enters third day with nothing to go on about the mysterious disappearance of the aircraft and 239 persons on board

By Lim Kit Siang,

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart like the majority of Malaysians with the news that over 50 hours have passed since MH370 was reported lost from radar and there is nothing to go on as to what happened to the 239 passengers and crew of the Boeing B777-200 aircraft on its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

There has been no confirmed signs of wreckage or debris, no distress signal from the aircraft before it lost contact with ground control, and no clear indication that the plane had experienced any technical failure in mid-air.

Hopes of Malaysians and people around the world who prayed for the safety and a miracle to ensure that the 239 people on board MH370 could survive their mysterious disappearance have become more and more tenuous.

This has brought home the stark reality that something terrible had in fact happened to the aircraft and the 239 passengers and crew although the international search and rescue (SAR) operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 on board has intensified.

Regardless of political affiliation, race, religion or nationality, all concerned Malaysians and like-minded people world-wide, particularly in the 14 countries whose citizens are on board, should come together as one unit to continue to give support and strength to the families, relatives and friends of the 239 passengers and crew members in their hour of greatest sorrow, trial and tribulations.

With the MH 370 tragedy and mystery entering the third day, there are more and more questions whether about crisis management, the disappearance of the aircraft or the rescue and search operation.

But all these questions should be put aside as they should wait as efforts are focused on finding the aircraft and giving support and strength to the affected families, relatives and friends of the 239 people on board.

For this reason, I will not make any comments, criticisms or responses (including to misconceived or malicious charges against me) for these two days.

Let us focus all our thoughts and prayers on the 239 persons on board MH 370 and their aggrieved families, relatives and friends.

Judicial process and timing in Anwar’s case implies persecution not prosecution, says Bar Council

The Malaysian Insider

The charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the manner in which his appeal was handled fuels the perception that the opposition leader was persecuted and not prosecuted, the Bar Council said.

Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong (pic) said that in the first place, the archaic provision under the Penal Code which criminalises sodomy and oral sex should never have been brought against Anwar.

"The case has unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public funds, and has muddied the waters of our justice system.

"We also have grave misgivings with respect to the manner and timing in which the appeal was handled, especially over the way in which mitigation and sentencing proceeded," Leong said.

The Court of Appeal had found Anwar guilty of sodomy on Friday, overturning the Kuala Lumpur High Court's January 2012 decision that had found him innocent.

Leong, in a statement today, said that Anwar's legal team was notified on February 27 that substantive appeal would be heard on March 6 and 7, and that lawyer Karpal Singh only had seven days to prepare for a criminal appeal over a case that had gone through a lengthy trial and which involved 32 witnesses, including expert evidence.

According to Leong, prior to this, the Court of Appeal registry had informed Anwar's lawyers to reserve April 7 to 10 as the proposed hearing dates, to which the team agreed.

However, these dates were abandoned and replaced with earlier dates.

"If this is true, it raises the question as to why the Court of Appeal brought forward the appeal to be heard when the April dates had been agreed on.

"After all the defendant was facing a possible 20-year jail term and the April dates would have given the legal team more time to prepare," he said.

Leong further said that while the hearing of the appeal which extended until past 6pm was not unheard of, it was a rare occurrence.

Further to this, after hearing submissions on March 7, the court had taken approximately 90 minutes to consider before giving a unanimous decision in reversing the acquittal by the High Court.

The panel then rejected Karpal's request for an adjournment to the following week for the mitigation and sentencing for the purpose of obtaining a medical report on Anwar and instead gave the legal team one hour to prepare.

The Court of Appeal then sentenced Anwar to five years jail that evening with proceedings ending only at 7pm.

"These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked, Leong said.

He said that questions that must be answered was whether the cause of justice was best served by the manner and timing in which this appeal was handled and whether the administration of justice was compromised or interfered with.

"Justice and independence are not only facts to be established, it is imperative that they are seen to be so established," Leong said. – March 9, 2014.

Missing MH370: Two Passengers Using Stolen Passports Not Asian-looking

SEPANG, March 10 (Bernama) -- Department of Civil Aviation director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman has confirmed that two male passengers using stolen passports and travelling onboard the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft which went missing early Saturday, did not bear Asian characteristics.

"We have looked and re-looked at all the footages, they are not Asian-looking men," he told hundreds of foreign and local reporters who packed the press conference -- the last briefing from the Malaysian authorities Monday.

Azharrudin declined to answer when asked by a journalist whether the men were African-looking, saying that the matter was under investigation by security experts.

He also stressed that after studying the video footages (from closed-circuit television cameras) from the departure area, all security protocol was complied.

"The team of investigators is looking into the matter. All security protocol has been complied. There is a possibility of a stolen passport syndicate," he said.

Azharuddin said the operation to search for the missing Boeing 777-200 was expanded from 50 nautical miles to 100 nautical radius within the Igari sea area and up to North Sumatra by land.

He said the operation which was still termed as 'search and rescue operation' after entering its third day, was conducted "block by block".

"Ships and aircraft are assigned to cover each block. Subsequently, we will expand further," he added.

There are two major search areas currently being conducted. One is the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia while the other is the Melaka Strait.

The next press conference from the authorities will be held tomorrow at 10am.

The Beijing-bound MAS Flight MH370, ferrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members, went missing about an hour after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.41am Saturday.

It was scheduled to have landed in Beijing at 6.30am.

M'sian authorities: No new developments on missing MAS flight

Art of Living yoga centre set afire in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: An Art of Living yoga centre on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital has been set afire, allegedly by unknown miscreants, police said.

The centre, which is based in Peace Street in Bani Gala area, was set on fire last evening after some people reportedly entered the premises asking for money, Islamabad police sources told PTI.

"There were just two guards there. Around eight people came and asked where the money was kept. On told that they didn't know, the guards were tied up and the building was set on fire," a source said.

The culprits fled the scene after the incident. However, Meena Gabeena, an official at the centre said, as per her information, the attackers did not speak a word.

"They just tied the guards and set the building on fire," she told PTI.

Gabeena also drew attention to a recent programme aired by a news channels which had made some allegations against the centre.

Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had visited Pakistan in 2012 and inaugurated the centre for his Art of Living movement.

He had also offered to hold talks with the Taliban to usher in peace in the region, saying it would help foster understanding among people with divergent views.

"I am ready to go and talk to the Taliban. I want to talk to them, understand them and give them my opinion. So we can definitely make a difference. We should try it again and again even if we have to try it 100 times," Shankar had said.

Art of Living operates globally in 152 countries.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Art-of-Living-yoga-centre-set-afire-in-Pakistan/articleshow/31727822.cms

Suspected aircraft fragments found, says Vietnam ministry website

A Vietnamese search aircraft on Sunday located fragments floating in waters off southern Vietnam that are suspected to be from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the Wall Street Journal reported late today.

The report quoted the Vietnam ministry of information and communication's website, which said the fragments were believed to be a composite inner door and a piece of the Boeing 777-200ER's tail. The debris was located about 50 miles south-southwest of Tho Chu island.

Vietnamese officials had also released a photograph of one fragment floating in the water.

However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Malaysia Airlines said it had received no confirmation regarding the suspected debris.

MAS flight MH370 went missing early Saturday on a redeye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

International search and rescue efforts have been operating for more than 40 hours scouring waters in the Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea. The search has also expanded to the Straits of Malacca as Malaysian authorities said a military radar showed trace of an "aircraft turn back" or ATB.

It was reported earlier on Sunday that a Singaporean aircraft had found a yellow floating object south-southwest of Thu Chu and dispatched ships toward the area.

The Vietnamese ministry's statement also said that the aircraft could not land near the objects to investigate them further because of darkening conditions but would continue the identification process on Monday morning.

The MAS Boeing 777-200 disappeared with 239 people on board, including 12 crew, early Saturday morning some 40 minutes after taking off from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The Vietnamese navy had earlier reported two oil slicks near the island while the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has also spotted oil slicks 20 nautical miles (37km) away from the passenger jet's last known position.

A Chinese passenger in a plane flying over the area has also taken pictures of what is possibly debris near where flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic controllers.

The business paper also said a team of American aviation accident investigators, led by National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) experts, is en route to Asia to provide assistance regarding the missing jetliner.

China's navy said today that it had sent two warships to help with the search. Beijing had already sent at least one coast guard vessel and two search and rescue ships toward the area, according to state media. – March 9, 2014.

Excruciating wait for fresh details on MH370

Almost two days after contact was lost with MAS flight MH370, there is still little concrete information about the fate of the aircraft and the 239 persons on board.

 

The search area has been expanded from 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) from the aircraft’s last know location between Malaysia and Vietnam to 50 nautical miles (93 kilometres).

 

As for the search and rescue (SAR) team, it has expanded from 22 aircraft and 40 vessels as of 1pm today, to 34 aircraft and 40 vessels as of 8pm today - excluding those from Vietnam - and more are on the way.

 

At least eight countries are involved in this effort, including Thailand, USA, Singapore, and Indonesia, while two Australian maritime patrol aircraft will be arriving in Malaysia separately beginning midnight today to join the effort.

 

Nevertheless, Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman announced that as of about 8pm, there is still no sign of the aircraft.

 

He is in overall command of the multinational SAR effort.

 

Terrorism theory

 

Instead, what was found was an oil slick in Malaysian waters, constant news reports of unknown debris in Vietnamese waters and large amount of speculation floating on the Internet.

 

Thus far, authorities are trying to determine if the oil slick has to do with the missing aircraft while the Vietnamese authorities are unable to link the debris to the incident.

 

Similarly, there is little development on the theory that the aircraft had fallen victim to a terrorist attack. The authorities, including Azharuddin, is keeping mum on the matter, other than repeatingly state that "all possibilities are being investigated".

 

This theory emerged after it was reported that two of the MH370’s passenger had boarded the flight using stolen passports, and that the aircraft had been unable to send a distress call, the latter of which suggests something abrupt and catastrophic had happened.

 

"I have to repeat again: Our main focus here is to find the missing aircraft. If we cannot find the missing aircraft, it is very difficult for us to determine what actually happened.

 

"So please, bear in mind that finding the aircraft is of utmost importance for all of us," Azharuddin said when reporters repeatedly pressed him for details regarding the two imposters and the possibility of a terrorist attack.

 

Intelligence units to meet

 

To a question, he said he is unaware of a letter that has surface on the internet that appeared to be from a China-based group purportedly claiming responsibility for MH370’s disappearance.

 

"The Chinese authorities have not contacted us in this aspect, however the authorities that will be investigating on the false passports will be investigating on all angles," he said.

 

Meanwhile, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had revealed that international counter-terrorism intelligence units had met this afternoon and he was part of the meeting.

 

The meeting had decided on what information can and cannot be shared with the public, but there is little further details. Hishammuddin is also the defence minister and the former home minister.

 

Meanwhile, armed forces chief Zulkifli Mohd Zin (right) has clarified that a "rescue submarine" is not amongst the three Singaporean vessels involved in the SAR operation.

 

Instead, it was MV Swift Rescue, which is a submarine support and rescue vessel (SSRV), or sometimes also known as submarine escape rescue vessels.

 

No submarines used

 

It is a surface vessel designed to find and rescue submarines stranded underwater and is fitted with a complement of mini-submarines.

 

"There is no submarine coming from our friendly countries from overseas. What they are sending is what we call 'submarine escape rescue vessels'.

 

"They are not sending submarines... even the Royal Malaysian Navy is deploying its submarine escape rescue vessel. It is a totally different thing," he said, referring to the Malaysian vessel MV Mega Bakti.

 

MV Swift Rescue had been erroneously identified in some media reports earlier today as a 'rescue submarine'.

 

This - coupled with Hishammuddin’s statement that Malaysia’s Scorpene class submarines are not equipped for SAR missions - had drawn ridicule.

 

Netizens had poked fun at the issue by playing on the fact the Malaysians cannot perform SAR missions, whereas their Singaporean counterparts supposedly can.

 

The search for MH370 by air continues at first light tomorrow at 7am, while the sea search is ongoing round-the-clock. Barring any surprises, the government has scheduled its next press conference at noon tomorrow.

 

Meanwhile, MAS’s Kuala Lumpur – Beijing flight has already resumed, using the same flight number MH370.

New leads explored in hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines flight

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- The mysteries surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, and the true identities of some of its passengers, are as deep as the southeast Asian waters where multinational search teams are searching for the jet.

Navies from two of Malaysia's neighbors were pursuing new leads as Sunday turned into Monday in southeast Asia.

Vietnam's navy has spotted a floating object about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Vietnam's Tho Chu Island, which is located off the country's southwest coast in the Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam National Search and Rescue Committee Spokesman Hung Nguyen told CNN. The object was spotted by a Vietnamese navy rescue aircraft at about 7:30 a.m. ET Sunday (6:30 p.m. local time). Due to the dark, the navy aircraft could not get close enough to identify the floating object, and was recalled to base. Three search and rescue boats have since been deployed to that location.

Meanwhile, Thailand's navy is shifting its focus in the search away from the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, Thai Navy Rear Adm. Karn Dee-ubon told CNN on Sunday. The shift came at the request of the Malaysians, who are looking into possibilities the plane turned around and could have gone down in the Andaman Sea, near Thailand's border, Karn said.

The Andaman Sea lies to the west of a narrow strip of Thailand that ends in the Malaysian peninsula, while the Gulf of Thailand lies to the east of that Thai isthmus.

One promising lead has turned out to be a dead end. A "strange object" spotted by a Singaporean search plane late Sunday afternoon is not debris from the missing jetliner, a U.S. official familiar with the issue told CNN on Sunday.

A U.S. reconnaissance plane "thought it saw something like debris but it was a false alarm," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

By the end of the day Sunday, more than 40 planes and more than two dozen ships from several countries were involved in the search. Two reconnaissance aircraft from Australia, and one plane and five sea vessels from Indonesia were the latest additions, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the director general of civil aviation in Malaysia, told reporters Sunday. In addition, the Chinese navy dispatched a frigate and an amphibious landing ship, according to a online post by China's navy. Those ships are expected to arrive on site Monday morning (Sunday night ET).

Those reinforcements join the rescue teams already scouring the South China Sea, near the Gulf of Thailand, for any sign of where the flight, operated by Malaysia's flagship airline, might have gone down, Malaysian authorities said.

The area in focus for most of the search, about 90 miles south of Tho Chu Island, is where a Vietnamese plane reportedly spotted oil slicks that stretched between 6 and 9 miles.

Malaysian authorities have not yet confirmed the report of the oil slicks, which came from Vietnam's official news agency.

Big questions far outweigh the few fragments of information that have emerged about the plane's disappearance.

What happened to the plane? Why was no distress signal issued? Who exactly was aboard?

The flight may have changed course and turned back toward Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian military officials said at a news conference Sunday.

But the pilot appears to have given no signal to authorities that he was turning around, the officials said, attributing the change of course to indications from radar data.

As the search continues, the agonizing wait goes on for relatives of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board the plane. Video from Reuters showed Malaysia Airlines personnel in Beijing, where Flight 370 was headed, helping family members apply for expedited passports so they could fly to Kuala Lumpur early this week.

Among the passengers, there were 154 people from China or Taiwan; 38 Malaysians, and three U.S. citizens. Five of the passengers were younger than 5 years old.

Stolen passports

Interpol tweeted Sunday that it is "examining additional suspect #passports in connection" with the missing flight.

Earlier, the international law enforcement agency said at least two passports -- one Austrian and one Italian -- recorded in its Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database were used by passengers on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The passports were added to the database after being stolen in separate incidents over the past two years, Interpol said.

Italy and Austria have said that none of their citizens were on board the plane.

The Italian man whose passport was allegedly used, Luigi Maraldi, contacted the Italian consulate in Phuket, Thailand, on Saturday, after receiving a call from his parents, Italian Consul Franco Cavaliere told CNN on Sunday.

Maraldi told Reuters he was inundated with phone calls, texts and social media inquiries asking if he was alive and well. He soon discovered that he was the subject of stories about the missing plane.

Maraldi is staying on Phuket Island as a tourist, and his passport disappeared in July 2013, Cavaliere said. Maraldi told Reuters he got a new passport after his old one was stolen.

"Whilst it is too soon to speculate about any connection between these stolen passports and the missing plane, it is clearly of great concern that any passenger was able to board an international flight using a stolen passport listed in INTERPOL's databases," said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble in a statement.

The two passengers who used the passports in question appear to have bought their tickets together.

The tickets were bought from China Southern Airlines at identical prices, paid in Thailand's baht currency, according to China's official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.

The two tickets booked with China Southern Airlines both start in Kuala Lumpur, flying to Beijing, and then onward to Amsterdam. The Italian passport's ticket continues to Copenhagen, the Austrian's to Frankfurt.

Authorities say they are investigating the identities of some of those on board who appear to have issues with their passports.

"I've seen these reports about the passports. We're looking into that, but we don't have anything to confirm at this point," U.S. deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday. "The reports certainly raise questions and concerns, and that's exactly why we're looking into them. But right now, it would be premature to speculate," he said.

Plane was 'at safest point' in flight

Terrorism Concerns

A fuller picture of what happened may not become available until searchers find the plane and its flight data recorder.

"We have not been able to locate anything, see anything," Rahman told reporters Sunday.

The passport mystery raised concerns about the possibility of terrorism, but officials cautioned that it was still too early to arrive at any conclusions.

Malaysian authorities have been in contact with counterterrorism organizations about possible passport issues, acting Transportation Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Sunday.

He didn't specify how many potential passport issues there were, saying authorities are looking at the whole passenger manifest.

Additionally, no inquiry was made by Malaysia Airlines to determine if any passengers on the flight were traveling on stolen passports, he said. Many airlines do not check the database, he said.

Five passengers ended up not boarding the aircraft. Their bags were removed and were not on board the jet when it disappeared, Hussein said.

A U.S. intelligence official said that no link to terrorism had been discovered so far, but that authorities were still investigating.

Another possible explanation for the use of the stolen passports is illegal immigration.

There are previous cases of illegal immigrants using fake passports trying to get into Western countries. And Southeast Asia is known to be a booming market for stolen passports.

Disappearing during cruise

There is a precedent for a modern jetliner to fall from the sky while "in the cruise" and lie hidden for months, according to CNN aviation correspondent Richard Quest.

On June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447 was en route from Rio De Janeiro to Paris when communications ended suddenly from the Airbus A330, another state-of-the-art aircraft.

It took four searches over the course of nearly two years to locate the bulk of flight 447's wreckage and the majority of the 228 bodies in a mountain range deep under the ocean. It took even longer to find the cause of the disaster.

In May 2011, the aircraft's voice recorder and flight data recorder were recovered from the ocean floor after an extensive search using miniature submersible vehicles.

It was not until July 2012 that investigators published their report, which blamed the crash on a series of errors by the pilots and a failure to react effectively to technical problems.

The missing Malaysia Airlines plane had suffered damage in the past, airline CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said Sunday. The aircraft had a clipped wing tip, but Boeing repaired it, and the jet was safe to fly, Yahya said.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced late Saturday that a team of its investigators was en route to Asia to help with the investigation, the agency said.

If all those on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are found to have died, it will rank as the deadliest airline disaster since November 12, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 587 crashed into a New York neighborhood, killing all 260 people on board and five more on the ground.

MAS flight crashed, says Viet Navy

The Vietnamese High Command of Navy has announced that the flight crashed off Vietnam's Tho Chu Island
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing Saturday crashed off Vietnam’s Tho Chu Island, northwest off the country’s southernmost Cape Ca Mau, the Vietnamese High Command of Navy announced.

According to a High Command of Navy statement, the plane went down at the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia, some 153 nautical miles (300km) off Tho Chu Island in Kien Giang Province, the Vietnamese Tuoi Tre online news service reported.

“The Naval Zone 5 is ready for the search and rescue mission. There were no immediate reports of casualty,” the news report said.

The flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport, according to AFP. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).

It was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members. China’s state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese.

Families start converging at KLIA

Meanwhile about 20 family members of several passengers of a missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) plane have arrived at the KL International Airport to get updates.

They were eager to obtain the latest information on the whereabouts of Flight MH370 which went missing over the South China Sea during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

They started gathering from about 10 am at the fifth floor departure hall of KLIA.

Reporters were disallowed from interviewing the family members, who were shielded by five guards from Malaysia Airports Berhad.

In BEIJING, a search-and-rescue team has been set up at the Beijing international airport to work closely with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) over the airline’s plane, Bernama reports.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) posted on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, on Saturday that there had been no report of any aircraft having crashed in China’s waters.

CAAC, citing spokesperson of the airport, Li Xiaomin, said emergency teams were working on alternative solutions and family members of the passengers were calm without being emotional.

It said it had instructed the Beijing International Airport to appease family members of the passengers and that it would provide updates on the situation regularly.

The public may contact the MAS offices in China — Beijing: 010－65052681, Shanghai: 021－23293999，Guangzhou: 20－83358868，Xiamen: 0592－2106088 and Kunming: 0871－67085770 — for information.

Immigration Dept under probe over stolen passports

The investigation will give special attention to the department's KLIA branch for allowing passengers with stolen passports to board the missing plane.

PUTRAJAYA: An internal investigation on the Immigration Department has commenced following reports that two passengers were using stolen passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Flight MH370.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the detailed investigation would give special attention to the department’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) branch.

“We will conduct an internal probe, particularly on the officers, who were on duty at the KLIA Immigration counter during flight MH370.

“I am still puzzle how come (immigration officers) cannot think, an Italian and Austrian (passengers) but with Asian facial features,” he told reporters at the Kembara Bumi Suci 2014 convoy participants meeting with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at Seri Perdana here today.

Ahmad Zahid said the investigation was conducted by a special team, led by Immigration Department Director-General Aloyah Mamat.

Currently no conclusion could be made pertaining to the issue as the investigation had only commenced once the actual passport holders claimed that their passports were stolen, he said.

Ahmad Zahid said it was difficult to determine the authenticity of an international passport that was being brought by a passport holder because not all countries used the biometric system and bar code as in Malaysia.

Civil Aviation Director-General Azharuddin Abdul Rahman in a media conference in Sepang today that only two passengers had false passports to board flight MH370, which was its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Both passengers involved had used the Italian and Austrian passports.

Flight MH370, with 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members was reported missing from the radar at 1.30 am yesterday, about an hour after departing from KLIA.

The plane carried passengers from 14 countries, including 153 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

Bernama

M’sia launches terror probe on missing plane

After more than 30 hours without contact with the aircraft, MAS has told family members to "prepare for the worst".
UPDATED

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Sunday launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a passenger jet carrying 239 people and the United States sent the FBI to investigate, as anguished relatives begged for news of their loved ones.
Concern over a possible security breach grew as Malaysia’s government said it was investigating four people who were on the Boeing 777 plane.

At least two passengers boarded using stolen European passports, officials and reports have said.

“At the same time our own intelligence have been activated, and of course, the counterterrorism units… from all the relevant countries have been informed,” Malaysia’s acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is sending agents and technical experts to assist the probe, US media reported.

US officials told The Los Angeles Times that they were trying to determine whether there was any terror link to the flight’s disappearance, but stressed there was no evidence to support that yet.

“Just because they (the passports) were stolen doesn’t mean the travellers were terrorists,” a Department of Homeland Security official told the paper.

“They could have been nothing more than thieves. Or they could have simply bought the passports on the black market.”

Asked to confirm the reports, an FBI spokesman told AFP: “We are ready to assist if needed.”

‘Airline didn’t contact me’

The flight went missing about an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing. A total of 153 Chinese nationals were on board, and relatives camped out at the main international airport in China’s capital bemoaned the lack of news Sunday.

“The airline company didn’t contact me, it was a friend,” a middle-aged woman surnamed Nan told reporters, holding back tears, after finding out her brother-in-law was on the flight.

“I can’t understand the airline company. They should have contacted the families first thing,” she said.

Vietnamese boats reached the scene of two large oil slicks detected overnight but found no sign of the plane, army deputy chief of staff Vo Van Tuan told AFP early Sunday, adding search aircraft were deployed at first light to scour the area.

The search area has been expanded to 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 square miles), Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Department said.

However, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman of Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation said he “could not confirm” the existence of the oil slicks.

“We have not been able to locate or see anything,” he told a news conference on Sunday.

Asked about the stolen passports, he said “we are investigating this at the moment” but declined to give further details.

An Austrian reportedly named Christian Kozel had his passport stolen in Thailand in 2012, while Italian Luigi Maraldi lost his to theft last year, also in Thailand.

Despite their names being on the passenger manifest, neither man was on the plane to Beijing, European officials said.

In Washington, a US administration official said authorities were aware of the passports issue.

“We have not determined a nexus to terrorism yet, although it’s still very early and that’s by no means definitive. We’re still tracking the situation,” the official told AFP.

Earlier, when asked whether terrorism could have been a factor, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said: “We are looking at all possibilities but it is too soon to speculate.”

‘Pray for flight MH370′

Flight MH370 had relayed no distress signal, indications of rough weather, or other signs of trouble. Both Malaysia’s national carrier and the Boeing 777-200 model used on the route are known for their solid safety records.

The flight was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew. A US company based in Texas said 20 of its employees were among the missing passengers — a dozen from Malaysia and eight from China.

Thirty-eight Malaysians and seven Indonesians were aboard, as well as a range of other nationalities including Australian, Indian, American, Dutch, and French.

Malaysia Airlines urged “all Malaysians and people around the world to pray for flight MH370″.

“The airline is continuously working with the authorities in providing assistance. In fearing for the worst, a disaster recovery management specialist from Atlanta, USA will be assisting Malaysia Airlines in this crucial time,” it said.

The plane’s disappearance triggered a search effort involving vessels from several nations with rival maritime claims in the tense South China Sea.

China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore threw vessels and aircraft into the effort, as did the US Navy with a surveillance plane and a destroyer carrying two helicopters.

If the worst is confirmed, it would be the second fatal crash in the nearly 20-year history of the popular Boeing plane. A 777-200 operated by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines skidded off the runway after hitting a sea wall in San Francisco last year, killing three people.

Malaysia Airlines has suffered few safety incidents in the past. Its worst occurred in 1977, when 93 people perished in a hijacking and subsequent crash in southern Malaysia.

New developments

Meanwhile military radar indicated that the missing Boeing 777 jet turned back before vanishing.

Malaysia’s air force chief Rodzali Daud disclosed this today, as authorities were investigating up to four passengers with suspicious identifications who may have boarded the flight.

A massive international sea search has so far turned up no trace of the plane.

The latest revelations add to the uncertainties surrounding the final minutes of flight MH370.

Rodzali didn’t say which direction the plane might have taken or how long for when it apparently went off route.

“We are trying to make sense of this,” he told a media conference.

“The military radar indicated that the aircraft may have made a turn back and in some parts, this was corroborated by civilian radar,” he added.

Malaysia Airlines Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said pilots were supposed to inform the airline and traffic control authorities if the plane does a U-turn.

“From what we have, there was no such distress signal or distress call per se, so we are equally puzzled,” he said.

After more than 30 hours without contact with the aircraft, Malaysia Airlines told family members they should “prepare themselves for the worst,” Hugh Dunleavy, the commercial director for the airline told reporters.

Q&A: What happened to flight MH370?

These are some of the scenarios being mulled over by regional authorities, investigators and industry experts.

KUALA LUMPUR: The sudden disappearance Saturday of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 — with no distress call or other signs of trouble — has ignited intense speculation over what happened to the jet and its 239 passengers.

Following are some of the scenarios being mulled over by regional authorities, investigators and industry experts.

Q: Is mechanical or structural failure likely?

Sudden, accidental structural failures leading to explosions or a sudden loss of cabin pressure are considered extremely unlikely in today’s passenger aircraft.

This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200 model, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.

“From a crack, there can be a whole structure breakdown that allows for no response. But in the last two to three decades there have been next to nil such incidents,” said Ravi Madavaram, an aviation analyst with Frost & Sullivan.

Indonesia-based aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said based on the MH370 plane’s maintenance records, “there is nothing that would jump straight out of the page”.

Q: How likely is human error in this case?

The MH370 case may draw comparisons with the crash in 2009 of an Air France into the Atlantic Ocean, which killed more than 200 people.

An investigation said speed sensors failed, causing the Airbus jet to stall and lose altitude. But it also said pilots failed to react correctly, losing control of the jet.

Soejatman said despite all the safety features on modern aircraft, well-trained pilots taking proper action in an emergency also is essential.

“If the crew is not on the ball, they quickly lose control of the situation,” he said.

Q: Was it an attempted hijacking or terror attack?

This spectre has loomed after authorities said at least two passengers had boarded with stolen passports. Malaysian officials also said Sunday radar data indicated the pilot may have inexplicably tried to turn back to Kuala Lumpur.

Analysts said the absence of any distress signal raises eyebrows, as it could indicate an event so sudden that the crew could not respond.

“There was not even time for the pilot or crew to raise an alarm. It could have happened due to a deliberate act — by a pilot or a terrorist — but this is all very speculative,” Ravi said.

The terror theory’s credibility is hurt by the fact that — so far — no claim of responsibility has surfaced.

“What’s the motive? If they didn’t bring any weapons, it is extremely difficult to get into the cockpit,” said Shukor Yusof, aviation analyst with Standard & Poor’s.

He also noted that stolen passports do not necessarily equate to terrorism.

Large numbers of illegal workers, as well as criminal syndicates, are known to move between Malaysia and neighbouring countries such as Thailand. The two suspect passports were reportedly stolen in Thailand.

Q: Is lax security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to blame?

The modern facility does not have a history of known security breaches.

But Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, said the passport issue could indicate a “glaring flaw” in the airport’s immigration clearance.

He noted that Interpol maintains a database of stolen passports that should have raised red flags at the immigration counter.

“There are two categories of people who use these (stolen passports) — criminals and terrorists,” he said.

However, Shukor said the sheer volume of travellers moving through airports likely means not all forgeries can be caught.

“To blame Malaysian authorities for this is probably unfair — they have to get it right all the time and potential hijackers just have to get through once,” he said.

Q: Could violent turbulence or bad weather have brought down the plane?

This possibility is being widely discounted as all indications are that the weather was fine in the area where contact with MH370 was lost.

Q: Could it have run out of fuel?

Malaysia Airlines has said the plane was fuelled for at least eight hours of flight. The Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route lasts six hours.

Aircraft typically carry two hours’ worth of fuel on top of what is needed.

Adds Ravi: “If there was a fuel loss, the pilot would have enough time to call for distress signal, and to turn around and glide back to land.”

Wan Azizah for Kajang

PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim announces his wife as the new candidate to replace in the Kajang by election.
UPDATED

KAJANG: PKR today announced its party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as the new PKR candidate after its de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was disqualified on Friday due to a conviction in court.

The announcement was made by Anwar himself at the party main election machinery office in Sungai Sekamat.

“The courts have blocked my candidacy. So we are announcing Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the new candidate,” he said.

When asked on why party secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not nominated, Anwar said: “I was keen on Saifuddin but he wanted to continue as secretary general.”

“Azizah is the most suitable candidate,” he added.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, who was also present, said that Azizah was the most suitable candidate and the DAP supports the candidacy.

Yesterday a party insider revealed to FMT that PKR is considering to field outgoing party president Wan Azizah.

This was despite Anwar’s announcement a day earlier that PKR had short listed 12 candidates to replace him.

On Friday, the Court of Appeal found the 67 year old Opposition Leader guilty of sodomy and sentenced him to serve five years in prison. He was however allowed to post RM10,000 bail.

The ruling derailed his plans to contest in the Kajang by-election.

The Kajang state seat fell vacant following the resignation of incumbent assemblymen Lee Chin Cheh of PKR on Jan 27. The Election Commission fixed March 23 as polling date and nomination day on March 11. Early polling would be held on March 19.

The state seat comprises 39,728 registered voters. At the last general election in May 2013, the seat saw a voter turnout of 87.9% with 541 spoilt votes.

MCA is pitting its vice president, Chew Mei Fun. Former Kita party founder Zaid Ibrahim and Herman Tino are also interested in contesting the by-election as independents.

’Not a seat warmer’

Meanwhile Wan Azizah dismissed the notion that her nomination would only serve as a seat warmer for Anwar.

“I thank the party for the trust they put on me. People can say anything they want but this struggle is Important. It is important to continue to fight the injustice.

“I represent the values of the ordinary people especially the women,” she said.

When asked on why party secretary general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was not nominated, Anwar said: ”I was keen on Saifuddin but he wanted to continue as secretary general.”

“Azizah is the most suitable candidate,” he added.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang who was also present said that Wan Azizah was the most suitable candidate and the DAP supported the candidacy.

PAS election director Dr Hatta Ramli who is Kuala Krai MP said that his party would continue its work on the ground to ensure victory for PKR and Pakatan Rakyat.

Chinese NGOs want fair polls, end to discrimination

They are calling for an end to religious discrimination, free and fair elections, an end to the New Economic Policy (NEP) and quotas favouring the Bumiputras and equivalent treatment for mother tongue education.


K Pragalath, FMT

A group of three Chinese NGOs have put forth four demands and want the Kajang by-election candidates to endorse them. The by-election is on March 23.

The three NGOs are Sahabat Rakyat Working Committee, Melaka Chinese Assembly Hall’s youth division and the youth wing of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

A group of 15 individuals also have endorsed the demands.

They are calling for an end to religious discrimination, free and fair elections, an end to the New Economic Policy (NEP) and quotas favouring the Bumiputras and equivalent treatment for mother tongue education.

“We have seen how the Selangor Islamic Religious Department manipulated the the Allah name in the Bible issue.

“Hence we are calling upon the candidates to support moves to amend the Selangor Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 that was suggested by three DAP lawmakers in January,” said Sahabat Raya working committee spokesperson, Choo Shin Chei.

The NGOs are also calling for the preservation of all faiths and religions practiced by the minorities and want equal treatment to be given to all places of worship.

On the call for free and fair election, they are supporting election watchdog, Bersih’s demands.

Speaking about their third demand, Choo said that the implementation of the NEP and quotas for Bumiputera have only served to enrich the elite capitalist Malays.

On calls for mother tongue education, the group are supporting demands by Chinese educationist group Dong Zong.

Dong Zong wants all parties to give the Unified Education Certificate (UEC) its due recognition, land for the construction of additional building for Yu Hua secondary school in Kajang and resolve land issues that is confronted by New Era College in Sepang for the past 14 years.

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Judicial process and timing in Anwar’s case implies persecution not prosecution, says Bar Council

The Malaysian Insider

The charge against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the manner in which his appeal was handled fuels the perception that the opposition leader was persecuted and not prosecuted, the Bar Council said.

Malaysian Bar president Christopher Leong said that in the first place, the archaic provision under the Penal Code which criminalises sodomy and oral sex should never have been brought against Anwar.

“The case has unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public funds, and has muddied the waters of our justice system.

“We also have grave misgivings with respect to the manner and timing in which the appeal was handled, especially over the way in which mitigation and sentencing proceeded,” Leong said.

The Court of Appeal had found Anwar guilty of sodomy on Friday, overturning the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s January 2012 decision that had found him innocent.

Leong, in a statement today, said that Anwar’s legal team was notified on February 27 that substantive appeal would be heard on March 6 and 7, and that lawyer Karpal Singh only had seven days to prepare for a criminal appeal over a case that had gone through a lengthy trial and which involved 32 witnesses, including expert evidence.

According to Leong, prior to this, the Court of Appeal registry had informed Anwar’s lawyers to reserve April 7 to 10 as the proposed hearing dates, to which the team agreed.

However, these dates were abandoned and replaced with earlier dates.

“If this is true, it raises the question as to why the Court of Appeal brought forward the appeal to be heard when the April dates had been agreed on.

“After all the defendant was facing a possible 20-year jail term and the April dates would have given the legal team more time to prepare,” he said.

Leong further said that while the hearing of the appeal which extended until past 6pm was not unheard of, it was a rare occurrence.

Further to this, after hearing submissions on March 7, the court had taken approximately 90 minutes to consider before giving a unanimous decision in reversing the acquittal by the High Court.

The panel then rejected Karpal’s request for an adjournment to the following week for the mitigation and sentencing for the purpose of obtaining a medical report on Anwar and instead gave the legal team one hour to prepare.

The Court of Appeal then sentenced Anwar to five years jail that evening with proceedings ending only at 7pm.

“These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked, Leong said.

He said that questions that must be answered was whether the cause of justice was best served by the manner and timing in which this appeal was handled and whether the administration of justice was compromised or interfered with.

“Justice and independence are not only facts to be established, it is imperative that they are seen to be so established,” Leong said. – March 9, 2014.

Press Release | Conviction and Sentence of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim for Sodomy II: Justice is Not Only a Fact to be Established; It Must Also be Seen to be So Established

This item has been updated since initial publication.

The Malaysian Bar is deeply troubled by the conviction and sentence to five years’ imprisonment of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim by the Court of Appeal, for what was essentially consensual sex between two adults.

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was convicted and sentenced under section 377B, read with section 377A, of the Penal Code.

Section 377A of the Penal Code criminalises sodomy and oral sex (fellatio).  Section 377B provides that whosoever voluntarily commits the acts described in section 377A shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.  These provisions make no distinction between heterosexual and homosexual consensual sexual acts, and are thus applicable to both.

A law is only good and just if it is consistently and equally applied and enforced.  It is extraordinary that Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been prosecuted and convicted twice, in a country that has rarely seen a prosecution and/or conviction for an offence of consensual sexual acts between adults under section 377A, read with section 377B, of the Penal Code.

This glaring anomaly and inconsistency brings the administration of justice into disrepute.  It also fuels a perception that Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is being persecuted, and not prosecuted.

The charge against Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim is based on an archaic provision of the Penal Code, and should never have been brought.  The case has unnecessarily taken up judicial time and public funds, and has muddied the waters of our justice system. 

The Malaysian Bar also has grave misgivings with respect to the manner and timing in which the appeal was handled.  In particular, we are shocked by the manner in which mitigation and sentencing proceeded.

The Malaysian Bar makes no comment at present as to the grounds for the reversal by the Court of Appeal of the acquittal by the High Court in January 2012 of Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim (“Respondent/Defendant”), and his present conviction and sentence by the Court of Appeal, as no written substantive grounds have been proffered as yet, save to say that there appears to be doubt and reservations as to the integrity of the DNA evidence in the case.

However, there are several aspects of this case that raise questions or concerns:

(1) The haste with which the appeal proceeded in the Court of Appeal.  No doubt the appeal had been pending since about July last year, but time had been taken with intervening applications on several issues and appeals arising therefrom.  It appears that the Respondent/Defendant had been notified on 27 February 2014 that the substantive appeal was to be heard on 6 and 7 March, thus providing his legal counsel with only seven days’ notice to prepare for a criminal appeal arising from a lengthy trial that had taken many weeks and involved about 32 witnesses, including expert evidence;

(2) This was despite counsel for the Respondent/Defendant having informed the court that he was not available on those dates, as he was scheduled for other cases in court;

(3) It appears that about two weeks before the appeal was heard a registrar from the registry of the Court of Appeal had informed the office of Karpal Singh, the Respondent/Defendant’s counsel, to reserve 7 to 10 April 2014 as the proposed hearing dates for the appeal.  The Respondent/Defendant’s counsel apparently agreed to these dates;

(4) It appears that these proposed dates when the Respondent/Defendant’s counsel was available were subsequently abandoned and replaced with much earlier dates;

(5) If this is true, then questions arise in the mind of the public as to why the Court of Appeal brought forward the appeal to be heard, when the originally contemplated dates in early April had already been agreed to by the Respondent/Defendant, and would have provided the Respondent/Defendant, facing a possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, more time to prepare for the appeal;

(6) The appeal was heard on 6 and 7 March 2014.  It is reported that each day’s proceedings carried into the early hours of the evening, ie between 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  Although this is not unheard of, it is nevertheless rare;

(7) It is not uncommon for an appellate court to reserve judgment for a few days or months before handing down a decision, particularly where the proceedings in the trial court have been lengthy, the evidence substantial and the issues weighty;

(8) In this instance, the Court of Appeal had, at the conclusion of submissions by the parties on 7 March 2014, taken approximately 90 minutes to consider the matter, and then rendered a unanimous decision in reversing the acquittal by the High Court and finding the Respondent/Defendant guilty, at approximately 5:00 pm the same day;

(9) 5:00 pm is when the court usually adjourns for the day.  On this occasion, the Court of Appeal and the prosecution insisted on proceeding with hearing mitigation and sentencing;

(10) The Respondent/Defendant’s counsel requested an adjournment until the following week, beginning 10 March 2014, to address the court on mitigation and sentencing, and to obtain a medical report concerning the Respondent/Defendant’s medical condition, which would be relevant in considering the sentence to be imposed.  The Court of Appeal refused this request, and instead gave counsel one hour to prepare for mitigation and sentencing;

(11) Upon reconvening after about one hour’s recess, the Court of Appeal and the prosecution accepted counsel’s contention that the Respondent/Defendant suffers from medical conditions such as back pains, high blood pressure, and a heart ailment.  They accepted that these were relevant to sentencing, but refused to allow time for a medical report to be prepared and provided to the court.

(12) The Court of Appeal had thus denied itself relevant medical information pertaining to the particulars or peculiarities (if any), and extent of, the Respondent/Defendant’s medical condition before considering the appropriate sentence to be imposed; and

(13) The Court of Appeal pronounced a sentence of five years’ imprisonment, and the proceedings concluded at approximately 7:00 pm.

These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked.  

The questions to be answered, in the mind of the public, are thus, “Was the cause of justice best served by the manner and timing in which this appeal was handled?” and, “Was the administration of justice compromised or interfered with?”

The sanctity of the administration of justice and the independence of the Judiciary are intertwined, and essential for upholding the rule of law and instilling public confidence.  Justice and independence are not only facts to be established; it is imperative that they are seen to be so established.

It is heart-rending, for those who sacrifice and work hard in good faith to protect and defend the administration of justice, and to maintain and promote the independence of the Judiciary, when public confidence in these two precepts may be shaken or in jeopardy.

 

Christopher Leong

President

Malaysian Bar