Mishaps Mar Malaysia’s Handling of Flight Tragedy

Critics furious over crossed signals from government officials as search grows more confused

A series of miscues and media gaffes are turning Malaysia into an object of anger and criticism in the aftermath of the disappearance early Saturday morning of a Malaysian Airlines jetliner carrying 239 passengers and crew.

No trace of the craft has been found despite a search encompassing thousands of square kilometers. On Wednesday, the day was dominated by confusion over reports that the aircraft might have attempted to head back toward Malaysia before it disappeared.

Malaysia’s air force chief told reporters very early Wednesday that the plane had veered off course. Later in the morning, the same officer denied the report sharply. By Wednesday afternoon, the government seemed to reverse itself again, requesting assistance from India in searching the Andaman Sea, north of the Malacca Strait, where the plane may have gone down far from the current search area off the coast of Vietnam.

Officials finally said the plane "may" have been heading toward the Strait of Malacca when it disappeared and that the search was now also concentrated in that area.

Other countries have grown frustrated. The Chinese, with 152 passengers on board, have complained about a lack of transparency over details. They have also complained that Malaysian Airlines staff handling relatives of the victims in Beijing have been short of information and in many cases don’t speak Mandarin.

From the start, according to critics, the Malaysians have treated the disappearance and ensuing inconsistencies as a local problem instead of one that has focused the attention of the entire world’s media on the tragedy. In a semi-democratic country with a largely supine domestic media, the government insists it has the situation in hand but that hardly seems the case.

Often, those giving press briefings about the affair communicate badly in English to an international press whose lingua franca is English. Because of widely differing reports of where the aircraft actually disappeared, the picture being delivered is one of incompetence. Networks like the BBC and CNN are openly declaring that the post-accident situation is a mess.

Some of it isn’t Malaysia’s fault. An initial report that two possible hijackers using fake passports somehow got through the country’s passport control because of lax surveillance turned out to be false. While the two were traveling on false passports, apparently the stolen documents had never been reported to Interpol, which tracks such incidents. The pair turned out to be Iranians seeking asylum in Europe.

But that wasn’t helped by the fact that Malaysian authorities originally said erroneously that as many as four to five people could have been traveling with suspect passports, raising the possibility of a fully-fledged hijack gang aboard.

But five days into the loss of the aircraft and with no idea of where it could have disappeared, there is growing concern over who is in charge, coupled with the fact that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has largely removed himself from the picture, allowing his cousin, Hishammuddin Hussein, the defense minister and acting transport minister, to deal with the affair.

International treaties that allow for Malaysia to greatly expand the probe by calling in experts from foreign governments to help were not invoked until Wednesday, it seems, when it was reported that US and other foreign experts had finally been invited to take part in the formal investigation. It seemed again that valuable time had been lost.

Much of the problem is due to the fact that the Malaysian government has habitually handled information as a problem rather than as a means of communication. The mainstream news media are all owned by the ruling political parties and are used to being fed information the government wants them to hear. Government-owned MAS at one point issued a press release only to recall it twice because of misspellings and misinformation.

In a deeply divided political culture, especially in the last year as the opposition has grown more effective, the government is finding it difficult to manage the flow of information on a disaster. In addition, in the midst of this flight crisis the government is seeming preoccupied by court actions to drive two opposition leaders, Anwar Ibrahim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and Karpal Singh of the Democratic Action Party, out of Parliament.

At the start, the plane was characterized as having simply gone off the radar – until Wednesday, when a report carried in Berita Harian, a government-controlled Malay-language newspaper, quoted Air Force chief Gen. Rodzali Daud as saying Malaysian radar had tracked the missing Boeing 777-200 turning left from its last known location on radar. It then supposedly crossed Malaysia itself and disappeared over the Strait of Malacca.

The report set off a frenzy. CNN and the BBC carried maps of the new possible crash site as it was reported that the massive search for the wreckage had shifted to the waters between Malaysia and Indonesia instead of the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam.

Then the report was emphatically denied by Daud, who told a press conference that "I wish to state that I did not make any such statements as above.”

CNN, however, quoted an unnamed “senior air force source” as saying the plane indeed had shown up on radar for more than an hour after contact was lost at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The craft was last detected, according to the official, near Pulau Perak, a small island in the Strait of Malacca.

Has four days been wasted by a huge flotilla of airplanes and ships that have been scouring the South China Sea for wreckage while the plane might actually be somewhere 900 km. to the west? The Vietnamese announced they were suspending their participation in the search.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Tuesday complained about the lack of progress in finding the plane, saying “We once again request and urge the Malaysia side to enhance and strengthen rescue and searching efforts.” The Chinese government itself is starting to feel the heat, offering to deploy 10 satellites in the effort to find the plane.

The crisis wasn’t helped any by a sensational revelation from Australia by a young South African woman that she and a friend had once ridden in the cockpit of an MAS flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of the missing co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, and had pictures of themselves flirting with the pilots, who were even smoking in the cockpit, to prove to prove it.

Since 9/11 in the United States, airline regulations forbid anyone not part of the crew from gaining access to the cockpit. If nothing else, the story, and the pictures are an indication of lax flight deck discipline and raise questions if someone could have got into the pilots’ cabin aboard MH370.

Malaysia Airlines mystery: US issued warnings over Boeing 777 'weak spot'

Potential weakness in fuselage of Boeing 777s was identified by the Federal Aviation Administration last year

By David Millward, US Correspondent - telegraph.co.uk

American transport officials warned of a potential weak spot in Boeing 777s which could lead to the "loss of structural integrity of the aircraft" four months before the disappearance of Malaysia airlines Flight MH370.

The Federal Aviation Administration in Washington drew up an Airworthiness Directive in November. It was triggered by reports of cracking in the fuselage skin underneath a Boeing aircraft's satellite antennae.



In its directive the FAA, which is responsible for supervising the safety of American-made aircraft such as Boeing, told airlines to look out for corrosion under the fuselage skin.

This, the FAA said, could lead to a situation where the fuselage was compromised leading to possible rapid decompression as well as the plane breaking up.

"We received a report of cracking and corrosion in the fuselage skin underneath the SATCOM antenna adapter," the FAA warned. "During a maintenance planning data inspection, one operator reported a 16-inch crack under the 3-bay SATCOM antenna adapter plate in the crown skin of the fuselage on an aeroplane that was 14 years old with approximately 14,000 total flight cycles.

"Subsequent to this crack finding, the same operator inspected 42 other aeroplanes that are between 6 and 16 years old and found some local corrosion, but no other cracking. Cracking and corrosion in the fuselage skin, if not corrected, could lead to rapid decompression and loss of structural integrity of the aeroplane."

The FAA directive in November called for additional checks to be incorporated into the routine maintenance schedule of the worldwide 777 Boeing fleet.

According to a Malaysia Airlines spokesman, the missing aircraft was serviced on February 23, with further maintenance scheduled for June 19.

The FAA stated that carrying out necessary inspection work would cost airlines $3.060 (£1,841).

With terrorism now appearing less likely as a cause of the Malaysian airlines disaster, which claimed 239 lives, focus has switched to problems with the aircraft or pilot error.



Despite both the Boeing 777 and Malaysia Airlines having good safety records, there have been other incidents which could prove relevant during the investigation of the disappearance.

In 2005, a 777 operated by Malaysia Airlines suffered problems with its autopilot system on a flight between Perth and Kuala Lumpur.

It led to the plane pitching up into a sudden 3,000-foot climb, almost causing the plane to stall.

The problem led to another airworthiness directive to correct a computer fault that had been found on 500 Boeing 777s.

Airworthiness directives are commonplace, similar to car recalls.

In the majority of cases, airlines are told to look for and correct the fault, if found, during maintenance.

On rare occasions an entire fleet will be grounded as happened in January last year when the FAA ordered Boeing to stop flying its flagship 787 Dreamliner after faults were discovered with the plane's batteries.

While investigators from Malaysia and the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington search for the plane's black box, they will also be able to glean vital information from a live-data stream broadcast during the flight.

Known as Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, it is the equivalent of an "online black box".

However James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer who has represented bereaved families in other air accidents, warned they face a long wait before the original black boxes are recovered.



A Boeing spokesman said it was working with the NTSB as a technical adviser.

"The team is now in position in the region to offer whatever assistance is required."

The company declined to comment further.

Missing MH370 may have strayed toward Andaman Sea, says air force

The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Malaysia’s military has traced what could have been the jetliner missing for almost five days to an area near India’s Andaman and Nicobar islands, hundreds of miles from its last known position, the country’s air force chief said today.

After a series of at times conflicting statements, the latest revelation underlined that authorities remain uncertain even where to look for the plane, and no closer to explaining what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 or the 239 people on board.

The flight disappeared from civilian radar screens shortly before 1:30am on Saturday, less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, as it flew northeast across the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand bound for Beijing. What happened next is one of the most baffling mysteries in modern aviation history.

Malaysian air force chief Tan Sri Rodzali Daud told a news conference that an aircraft was plotted on military radar at 2:15am, 320km northwest of Penang Island off Malaysia’s west coast.

It was not confirmed that the unidentified plane was Flight MH370, but Malaysia was sharing the data with international civilian and military authorities, Rodzali said.

“We are corroborating this,” he added. “We are still working with the experts, it’s an unidentified plot.”

Agonising wait

According to the data from Rodzali, if it was the missing plane it would have flown for 45 minutes and lost only about 1,500 metres in altitude.

There was no word on which direction it was headed and still no clue what happened aboard, prolonging the agonising wait for news for hundreds of relatives of those on board.

A position 200 miles northwest of Penang, in the northern part of the Straits of Malacca, would put the plane roughly south of the Thai holiday island of Phuket and east of the tip of Indonesia’s Aceh province and India’s Nicobar island chain.

Indonesia and Thailand have said their militaries detected no sign of any unusual aircraft in their airspace.

The position is hundreds of miles west of the point where the Boeing 777-200ER dropped off air traffic control screens. Malaysia has asked India for help in tracing the aircraft and New Delhi’s coastguard planes have joined the search.

Authorities, however, are continuing to search around both locations — at the last known position of the plane over the Gulf of Thailand and around the radar plotting site where the Malacca Strait meets the Andaman Sea.

In total, the search is over 27,000 square nautical miles (93,000 sq km), an area the size of Hungary or Indiana.

Until now, there has been no confirmed sighting of the plane or any debris.

A dozen countries are helping Malaysia in the search, with 42 ships and 39 aircraft involved, acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said.

“My heart reaches out to the families of the passengers and crew,” he said. “And I give you my assurance we will not reduce the tempo and that we will not spare any effort to find the missing plane.”

Confusing information

Malaysia has been criticised for giving conflicting and confusing information on the last known location of aircraft.

Earlier today, air force chief Daud had denied saying military radar had tracked MH370 flying over the Straits of Malacca.

Vietnam briefly scaled down search operations in waters off its southern coast, saying it was receiving scanty and confusing information from Malaysia over where the aircraft may have headed after it lost contact with air traffic control.

Hanoi later said the search — now in its fifth day — was back on in full force and was even extending on to land. China also said its air force would sweep areas in the sea, clarifying however that no searches over land were planned.

“As long as the plane is not found, we would continue doing our mission,” Vo Van Tuan, spokesman for Vietnam Search and Rescue Committee, told reporters in Hanoi.

“We should always keep up hope, there can be miracles, human can survive for a long time in difficult conditions. We must not give up hope that the missing people are still alive.”

Nothing ruled out

In the absence of any concrete evidence to explain the plane’s disappearance, authorities have not ruled out anything. Police have said they were investigating whether any passengers or crew on the plane had personal or psychological problems that might shed light on the mystery, along with the possibility of a hijacking, sabotage or mechanical failure.

The airline said it was taking seriously a report by a South African woman who said the co-pilot of the missing plane had invited her and a female companion to sit in the cockpit during a flight two years ago, in an apparent breach of security.

“Malaysia Airlines has become aware of the allegations being made against First Officer Fariq Ab Hamid which we take very seriously. We are shocked by these allegations. We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident,” the airline said in a statement.

The woman, Jonti Roos, told Reuters that she and her friend were invited to fly in the cockpit by Fariq and the pilot between Phuket, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur in December 2011.

“I thought that they were highly skilled and highly competent and since they were doing it that it was allowed,” Roos said. “I want to make it clear, at no point did I feel we were in danger or that they were acting irresponsibly.”

Hugh Dunleavy, the commercial director of Malaysia Airlines, told Reuters there was no reason to blame the crew.

“We have no reason to believe that there was anything, any actions, internally by the crew that caused the disappearance of this aircraft,” he said.

The Boeing 777 has one of the best safety records of any commercial aircraft in service. Its only previous fatal crash came on July 6 last year when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 struck a seawall on landing in San Francisco, killing three people.

US planemaker Boeing has declined to comment beyond a brief statement saying it was monitoring the situation. — Reuters

Najib Calls For Another Briefing On Missing Aircraft SAR Operation

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has called for another briefing today with the search and rescue (SAR) team mounted to locate the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft.

"I have called for another briefing today with the SAR team. We will work relentlessly, on multinational basis to find MH370," said the Prime Minister on his Twitter account today.

Yesterday, Najib attended a briefing, for about 90 minutes, given by Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) director-general Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman at the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre at the DCA Air Traffic Control Centre in Subang, Selangor

In his twitter, Najib also shared a picture during the briefing which include him with Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, Azharuddin and MAS Group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.

MAS flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, went missing enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from KL International Airport (KLIA) at 12.41 am on Saturday.

It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.

Karpal fined RM4,000 for sedition

Kangaroo meat ‘halal,’ Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate says

Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) has issued a fatwa stating that kangaroo meat and grasshoppers are “halal” food, but Islam bans eating “badgers, martens, weasels, beavers and sea otters.”

“Islamic scholars agree that ‘halal’ animals that are not mentioned in the Quran and in the hadith [the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad] are those that don’t eat feces and carcasses, and which are therefore neither wild nor coarse,” the Diyanet’s High Committee of Religious Affairs said in response to a citizen’s question.

As such, the fatwa continues, kangaroo is classified in the same category with other “grass eating, clean animals like deer, gazelle and antelope.” Grasshopper is also categorized as “halal” because “there is a special provision in the Sunnah,” it adds, referring to the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of Prophet Muhammad.

The fatwa describes badgers, martens, weasels, beavers and sea otters as “naturally wild.” Although there are differing views among Islamic scholars related to these animals, the fatwa argues, “As these animals are wild and carnivorous, it’s not appropriate to eat their meat.”

Phones of MH370 passengers ringing, online accounts active, claim relatives

4

Relatives of passengers on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 watching television news for the latest updates in a waiting lounge at the Lido Hotel in Beijing, yesterday. – AFP pic, March 11, 2014. 

Relatives of passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 claimed that they were able to call cell phones of their loves ones, according to media reports.

The Washington Post said that the families of some of the 239 people onboard the missing Boeing 777 claimed to have heard the mobile ringtones.
"In some cases, the relatives could see them active online through a local Chinese networking site called QQ," the Post reported.

The eerie development comes even as Malaysian authorities described MH370's disappearance an unprecedented mystery.

One man told the Washington Post that his brother-in-law's QQ account indicated that he was online.
Frustratingly for those desperate for some news or sign, messages have gone unanswered and calls were not picked up.

Search and rescue (SAR) operation involving 10 countries has so far failed to find any trace of the missing airliner.

Britain's Daily Mail reported that the phantom phone calls and online presence had set off a new level of hysteria among relatives and next-of-kin, most of whom have spent three days cooped up at a Beijing Hotel waiting for news on the missing plane.

MAS officials in Beijing have been told repeatedly about the QQ accounts and ringing telephone calls, and relatives are hoping that SAR forces will be able to triangulate the GPS signals of the phones to locate their loved ones.

Bian Liangwei, sister of one of the passengers aboard MH370, claimed that she was able to reach her elder brother's phone.

"This morning, around 11:40am, I called my older brother's number twice, and I got the ringing tone," she told the International Business Times.

At 2pm, Bian called again and again heard its ring tone.

"If I could get through, the police could locate the position, and there is a chance he could still be alive," she said.

However, at a press conference in Beijing, MAS spokesman Ignatius Ong said one of the numbers provided to the airline's head office in Kuala Lumpur had failed to get through.

"I myself have called the number five times while the airline's command centre also called the number. We got no answering tone," Ong said.

Search for the missing plane has now moved to the Straits of Malacca, some 100 miles away from where it was last recorded by electronic monitoring devices.

The dramatic shift raises the possibility that it flew undetected, crossing mainland Malaysia, before ditching into the sea.

MAS said Malaysia's western coast near the Straits of Malacca was now the focus of the hunt.
Civil aviation chief Datuk Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, however, said the statement didn't imply authorities believed the plane was off the western coast.

"The search is on both sides," he said.

The plane was carrying 239 people when it vanished off radar screens early Saturday morning en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, triggering a massive international search effort.

Authorities have expanded their search to include areas where the plane could have in theory ended up given the amount of fuel it had on board.

On Sunday, Malaysia's air force chief said military radar indicated that the jet might have turned back before disappearing. – March 11, 2014.

MH370 detected above Malacca Straits at 2.40am

 

The search for Malaysian Airlines Flight MH307 has been expanded to Sumatran waters, north of Straits of Malacca, as military radar may have detected the missing plane in the vicinity of Pulau Perak.

A Berita Harian report today quoted the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) as saying the plane may have reversed course further than expected while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Air Force chief Rodzali Daud (left) is quoted as saying that based on military radar readings from its station in Butterworth, MH370 may have turned west after Kota Bahru and flown past the east coast and Kedah.

"The last time the plane was detected was near Pulau Perak, in the Straits of Malacca, at 2.40am," Berita Harian quoted Rodzali as saying.

This contradicts earlier reports that the aircraft had disappeared from radar screens 120 nautical miles off Kota Bharu and over the South China Sea, at 1.30am on March 8.

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) had previously said the search for the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, which is missing for the fourth day, had been focused around the waters between the east coast and Vietnam.

Berita Harian also said that military radar noted that the plane was flying about 1,000 metres lower than its original altitude of 10,000 metres after the turnaround.
          
There are 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members on board the plane. Of these, 152 are Chinese nationals, 38 are Malaysians and the rest are from 12 other countries.

Utusan Malaysia reported that 20,000 fishermen nationwide have been roped in to help in the search-and-rescue operation.

The newspaper quoted Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as saying that this would involve 1,788 fishing boats around the waters off Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, Perak and Penang.

IGP contradicts DCA on MH370 passengers

Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar says only one person cancelled her ticket because she had mistook the date of the flight.
UPDATED

PETALING JAYA: Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar today refuted claims by the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) that several passengers who had checked in did not board the fateful Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

In a press conference today, Khalid revealed that only one person had missed the flight.

“Only one person missed the flight, and it was a lady. She had called Malaysia Airlines to cancel the ticket because she had mistook the date,” said Khalid.

His statement contradicted DCA director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman’s previous statement that five people had purchased the plane tickets and had even checked in their baggage but did not make the flight.

Azharuddin had then confirmed that MAS had removed the passengers’ baggage after the national carrier learned that the five people did not board the place.

However when asked by reporters today, Khalid stressed that no such incident had occurred.

“There is no such thing as five person who did not board the plane. There is no such thing,” said the police chief.

“You take it from me, there were no such thing.”

“Nobody booked the ticket that did not board.”

Four areas

Khalid said that four areas were being looked into, namely, possible hijacking, sabotage, the psychological problem as well as personal problem of passengers and crew members.

Explaining further, he said a passenger might have bought a huge sum of insurance and wanted family members to gain from it.

Khalid added that the police were working with counterparts from 14 other countries and are exchanging information with them.

A discussion was also held with a team of officers from China’s public security office.

“We have been supplied with photographs of 150 Chinese passengers. We are currently going through the profiles of all the passengers,” he said.

When asked on whether there were possible leads of the plane being hijacked, he said: “We are looking into all angles.”

“Give us some time to go through everything,” he said, admitting that the police do not have prior intelligence on activities of terrorists in particular.

Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew, went missing enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from KLIA at 12.41am on Saturday.

It should have landed at 6.30 am.

Karpal Singh fined RM4,000 for sedition

Karpal Singh's remark was made at the height of the Perak political crisis in 2009.
VIDEO INSIDE

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur High Court today sentenced lawyer and DAP chairman Karpal Singh to a fine of RM4,000 for sedition.

On Feb 21, the same court had found him guilty of sedition for questioning the Sultan of Perak’s action in removing Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the menteri besar of Perak in 2009.

Trial judge Azman Abdullah delivered the sentence today after hearing mitigation from Karpal Singh’s lawyers Ram Karpal Singh, Sanjeet Kaur and Gobind Singh Deo, and from the prosecution.

Justice Azman however did not allow the Bar Council and Lawasia to make submissions for Karpal Singh.

The RM4,000 fine means Karpal Singh can be disqualified as the Bukit Gelugor MP if he fails in his appeal to either overturn the conviction, or to reduce the fine to be below RM2,000.

Karpal Singh later told reporters that that he would file an appeal in the Court of Appeal.

“In my 35 years (of political activism), I fought… and I will keep fighting. It’s no problem. As an MP we have to take risks,” he said.

Wheelchair-bound Karpal Singh, 74, was found guilty of having said at his legal firm in Jalan Pudu Lama on Feb 6, 2009, that the removal of Mohammad Nizar and the appointment of Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the new menteri besar by the sultan could be questioned in court.

The charge, under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, provides for a maximum jail term of three years and a fine of RM5,000, or both, upon conviction.

The High Court had, on June 11, 2010, acquitted and discharged Karpal Singh without calling for his defence but, following an appeal by the prosecution, the Court of Appeal, on Jan 20, 2012, ordered him to make his defence.

The court today was filled with Pakatan Rakyat leaders and supporters.

Shouts of ‘zalim’


Earlier, in mitigation, Karpal Singh’s defence team argued that the politician merely offered a legal opinion and the charge leveled at him was done in bad faith.

Also present at the court today was Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, Pas deputy president Mohamad Sabu, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Hundreds of Pakatan Rakyat supporters gathered at the court as early as 8am. However the situation remained calm throughout except for one instance when the crowd shouted “zalim” (cruel) when the prosecution sought jail sentence for Karpal Singh.

The court’s decision has since received heavy criticism from lawyers and pro human rights group.

The group expressed shock over the conviction as they strongly believed that it was not a crime to make critical comments.

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan also pointed out that what Karpal Singh had said in regards to Sultan Azlan Shah’s decision to remove Nizar Jamaluddin as the Perak Menteri Besar in 2009 was merely an opinion from a legal expert.

On related matter, Lawyer for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen was shocked at the sentence meted out against Karpal.



“Making political or critical statement is not a crime, especially in Karpal’s case. The MP merely gave a legal opinion on the Perak crisis and it cannot be described as being seditious,” he said.

Paulsen added that Karpal conviction and PKR leader Tian Chua’s one month imprisonment show that government was embarking on political persecution and underhanded tactics to undermine its political adversaries.

“The Sedition Act Sedition is an outdated law designed by our former British coloniser to protect the minority white rule.

“It has no place in Malaysia, and most modern democratic states have repealed the legislation,” said Paulsen

Meanwhile, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said in a press statement that Karpal Singh’s conviction sent a message that lawyers in Malaysia were not free to express their opinion on legal issues before condemning the conviction saying it was inconsistent with international law.

Straight fight in Kajang: Azizah vs Chew

PKR president will take on MCA vice president Chew Mei Fun in a straight fight for the Kajang state assembly seat

KAJANG: PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will take on MCA vice-president Chew Mei Fun for the Kajang state assembly seat by-election on March 23.

Only the two candidates filed their nomination papers when nominations opened for the seat here this morning.

Returning Officer Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman announced that nominations closed at 10am and the two were the only contestants for the seat.

Wan Azizah arrived at Kajang Municipal Council Sports Complex, accompanied by her husband, PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim and other Pakatan leaders and supporters.

Her nomination papers was filed at around 9am.

Chew also filed her nomination papers at about the same time. She was accompanied by top BN component party leaders, along with some 5,000 supporters.

There was heavy police presence surrounding the sports complex, especially at the route and entry point for Pakatan supporters. Federal Reserve Unit members were also deployed.

On the BN’s side they were playing their party anthem. Pakatan supporters were chanting “Reformasi” and “Allahu Akhbar”.

Despite nomination day being held on a weekday, there was a huge crowd of supporters running into several thousands on both side of the camps.

PKR de facto leader Anwar arrived at the nomination centre with Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim at 9.30am. Both were wearing light blue Baju Melayu – PKR colours.

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 for polling. 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.

In the 2013 general election PKR’s Lee garnered 19,571 votes with a 6824 majority votes. BN-MCA’s Lee Ban Seng received 12,747 votes and Mohamad Ismail (Berjasa) 1,014 votes.

The three independent candidates who contested the seat are Mohd Iwan Jefrey Abdul Majib (249 votes), Ong Yan Foo (85 votes) and Mohd Khalid Kassim (83 votes).

Aside from the two Lees, the rest of the candidates lost their election deposits.

Kajang, famous for its satay, is located in the eastern part of Selangor is one of the three state constituency in the Hulu Langat parliament constituency. It has a 342,657 population, consisting 60.4% Malays, 19.3% Chinese, 9.7% Indians, and 10.6% other ethnic groups.

Thousands at nomination centre


Meanwhile, thousands of supporters from both sides of the political divide gathered at Kompleks Sukan Majlis Perbandaran Kajang as early as 7am today, to show their support for their candidates in the by-election.

The Barisan Nasional was backed by some 5,000 diehards, while Pakatan Rakyat supporters numbering slightly more were singing and dancing to the tunes of their respective battle cry songs. No untoward incidents were reported.

BN supporters are spotted wearing T-shirts printed with words ‘Elakkan Anwar di Kajang’ ( Stop Anwar in Kajang) performing the Haka dance (Maori battle dance) made famous by the New Zealand rugby team.

The police have deployed several officers from the Unit Tindakan Khas (UTK) and 30 Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) trucks to maintain law and order during the nomination.

Mahathir Behind Rush to Justice in Anwar’s Case?

Political sources in Kuala Lumpur say former premier engineered pushing appellate decision

forward

The decision to push forward last Friday’s appellate verdict declaring Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim guilty of sodomy represents the final return to power – if from behind the scenes – of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, sources in Kuala Lumpur say.

Several Kuala Lumpur sources told Asia Sentinel that Mahathir and Daim Zainuddin, his longtime ally and former finance minister, basically pushed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak aside to dragoon the court into moving up the action against Anwar, although there is no evidence that the two engineered the actual decision.

Having been in power for 22 years until he retired in 2002, the 88-year-old Mahathir has never seemed quite comfortable out of power. In 2008, he engineered the ouster of his successor, former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, following an electoral debacle.

The former premier was largely silent during Najib’s first five-year term, in a major way because Najib's father, Tun Abdul Razak rescued Mahathir from banishment because of politics that at the time were considered too radical for UMNO. But in the past few months he and his forces have since basically taken over as a kingmakers in the wake of the 2013 election debacle in which the ruling Barisan Nasional lost the popular vote for the first time in 44 years although it held its parliamentary majority through its first-past-the-post voting system and gerrymandering.

Although he lost a bid to make his son, Mukhriz, a party vice president last October, Mahathir has since manipulated the levers of power inside the United Malays National Organization to make life uncomfortable for Najib in the past year, rousing Malay nationalists while deploying a legion of bloggers to criticize Najib, which intensified last August. He and his allies have forced Najib to discard a series of reforms of affirmative action programs for ethnic Malays that economists say have slowed economic progress for the country.

At the same time he has continued his pursuit of his old nemesis, Anwar, whose 1998 prison sentence for sodomy and corruption he allegedly engineered after he fired Anwar as Finance Minister, although he has repeatedly denied it. Both cases against Anwar have been criticized internationally as politically motivated to destroy the opposition leader as a political force.

The Malaysian Bar Council and others have charged that the Court of Appeal hearing, which ended last Friday, was pushed forward by more than a month in what appeared to be a move to thwart Anwar from an almost certain by-election victory that would have in effect made him the chief minister of Selangor, the country’s most powerful and prosperous state and given him a potent platform from which to criticize UMNO and Najib.

Although Anwar remains free on appeal to the Federal Court, the decision, opening the 66-year-old opposition leader to a five-year prison sentence, means he is disqualified from running for the seat in Kajang, a Kuala Lumpur suburb. His wife, Wan Aziza Wan Ismail, registered to run for the seat instead.

The March 7 appellate decision against Anwar and another finding Democratic Action Party Chairman Karpal Singh guilty of sedition on March 11 has led to widespread calls for US President Barack Obama to cancel an April visit to meet with Najib. Failing that, opposition groups and NGOs are calling for the Obama to refrain from praising the country as a democracy and to meet with opposition leaders as well.

A high court declared Karpal, Malaysia’s most prominent opposition lawyer, guilty of sedition for saying a decision of the Sultan of Perak to remove Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the Perak chief minister in 2009, shortly after the opposition won the state, could be questioned in court. Karpal was fined RM4,000 and, if the decision stands on appeal, would be disqualified from serving in Parliament for five years.

As with Anwar, a high court had declared Karpal not guilty in 2010. The prosecution appealed the case and an appellate court sent it back to the high court for a new trial, which ruled Tuesday that the 73-year-old attorney was guilty.

Because nominations for the Kajang seat were to be submitted March 11, it appeared that pushing forward the appellate decision, which disbarred Anwar from running for the seat, had more political than judicial overtones. For one thing, instead of Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail arguing the case before the three-person Court of Appeal, Mohd Shafie Abdullah, a private attorney and ally of the former prime minister, was brought in to do so, which rarely happens in appellate cases.

Daim in particular has made several public statements that Anwar must not be allowed to become Selangor chief minister. Bloggers aligned with Mahathir have said the same thing repeatedly.

The Bar Council protested the decision against Anwar, citing the haste with which the appeal – which had been pending since July of last year – was taken up. The defense was given only a week to prepare, although in most appeals the defense is given weeks or even months to prepare.

The case was taken up despite the fact that Anwar’s counsel told the court he was unavailable on the dates set. Invariably appellate courts grant delays in such situations. Also, the Bar Council said, the registry of the Court of Appeal had told Anwar’s lawyer to reserve April 7-10 as the proposed hearing dates, but suddenly moved them up to last week.

Normally judgment is reserved for a few days, or even months. But the appellate court insisted on delivering the guilty verdict against Anwar on the same day, insisting on proceeding with sentencing into the early evening despite the fact that in most cases the court adjourns at 5 pm.

“These matters raise many questions, cause much speculation, and lend to the perception that justice may have been hijacked,” according to a bar council statement, signed by Christopher Leong, the Malaysian Bar President. “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’?”

Wan Azizah: Langkah Kajang masih hidup walau tanpa Anwar

Legal limbo hampers probe into missing MAS jet

Malaysiakini

Siva Govindasamy, Alwyn Scott and Tim Hepher, Reuters

Investigators trying to solve the disappearance without trace of a Malaysia Airlines jetliner face an extremely rare challenge that could hinder their efforts: they lack the powers of a formal air safety investigation.

Four days after Flight MH370 went missing in mid-air with 239 people on board, no nation has stepped forward to initiate and lead an official probe, leaving a formal leadership vacuum that industry experts say appears unprecedented.

Malaysian officials are conducting their own informal investigations, in cooperation with other governments and foreign agencies, but they lack the legal powers that would come with a formal international probe under UN-sanctioned rules.

Those powers include the legal rights to take testimony from all witnesses and other parties, the right to have exclusive control over the release of information and the ability to centralise a vast amount of fragmentary evidence.

A senior official familiar with the preliminary Malaysian probe said Malaysian authorities could not yet convene a formal investigation due to a lack of evidence on where – namely, in which national jurisdiction – the Boeing 777-200ER jet crashed.

He said this was not hampering their work, that preliminary investigations had begun and that they were working with their neighbours, US officials and the jet’s maker Boeing.

The Malaysians have begun collecting information from neighbouring countries without any problems, including air-traffic control communications and radar data, he said. “There have been no issues in getting that information.”

But Southeast Asian waters are rife with territorial disputes, and any decision by Malaysia to unilaterally open a formal investigation under UN rules could be seen as a subtle assertion of sovereignty if the crash site turns out to be inside another country’s territory.

Without a formal investigative process being convened quickly under rules set out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, there is a risk that crucial early detective work could be hampered, and potential clues and records lost, air accident experts said.

Witnesses such as cargo handlers, mechanics and company officials might be reluctant to speak to Malaysian investigators who were operating outside a formal ICAO-sanctioned probe which could offer them some protection from law suits, experts said.

“The sole objective of an accident investigation is to prevent future accidents and not to apportion blame or liability,” said aviation lawyer Simon Phippard of international legal firm Bird & Bird.

“The international standards attempt to provide a degree of protection, for example from criminal prosecution, for individuals who give statements to the enquiry.”

The lack of a formal investigation also means Malaysia does not have exclusive control over the release of information or the ability to centralize fragmentary evidence such as wreckage parts and witness accounts, effectively relying for cooperation on other parties’ good-will, the experts said.

Under a formal investigation, a board is set up to designate parties to the investigation, including the plane maker, engine maker, unions, the airline and aviation safety regulatory agency of the country where the airline is based.

Each of these parties typically has a representative on each of the working groups.

“If they haven’t even decided what country is in charge of the investigation, then whatever is being done at this point is probably suffering from a severe lack of top-down control and coordination,” said Ted Ellett, an aviation lawyer at Hogan Lovells in Washington and a former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief counsel.

US investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), FAA and Boeing arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday and, according to the official familiar with the Malaysian probe, have been talking with the Malaysian investigators.

An NTSB-led team, including the FAA and Boeing officials, is “standing by for when the aircraft is located and they are in touch with Malaysian officials and have offered our assistance and support for anything they may need,” NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel said.

Boeing and FAA declined to comment.

Lacking formal powers

A lack of clarity over the investigation already appears to be a source of tension between Malaysia and China, which had up to 154 citizens on the Beijing-bound flight and is pushing for a significant role in the investigation. China’s Foreign Ministry urged Malaysia on Monday to step up its search efforts and start an investigation “as soon as possible and correctly”.

The deputy head of China’s civil aviation authority urged Malaysia to help a team of investigators it has said is ready to fly to the Southeast Asian nation to help with the probe.

Governments usually step forward quickly after an accident to claim leadership of the investigation, based primarily on the territory where the plane crashed.

That crucial information remains unknown in this case, as navies, military aircraft, coastguard and civilian ships from 10 nations scour a huge swathe of the sea from the South China Sea to the Strait of Malacca.

The official familiar with the preliminary Malaysian investigation said the Malaysian government could not launch a formal probe until the crash site had been found, and that it planned to work closely with US authorities and Australia.

“If we wait, we will lose precious time. We know that. That is why our guys have been gathering all of the records and data,” the official said.

Under UN rules, if a plane crashes in international waters, the country where the aircraft is registered – in this case, Malaysia – is in charge of the investigation.

So, for example, Air France quickly took control of the official investigation when its passenger jet crashed in waters far out into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009, even though no wreckage had yet been found.

Legal protection

Vietnam would have jurisdiction if the plane crashed in its territory, but it does not have the resources to lead an investigation and would likely have to get outside help, two regional aviation officials said.

Under rules governed by ICAO, setting up an investigation grants “unhampered access” to all relevant materials including wreckage and data and “unrestricted control” over the evidence and public communications.

“Parties don’t relish the idea of their officials or employees being queried or formally interviewed in these accident investigations,” Ellett said.

“If there’s any question about who has the authority to do it, the parties involved could say we’re not going to participate until we know who’s really in charge.”

With lawsuits potentially swirling, the investigation is meant to encourage witnesses to speak freely about the incident in the interests of airline safety.

Investigators will typically “freeze” documents and records, especially the maintenance records of the aircraft, and acquire radar images and air traffic control recordings. Groups specialising in operations, maintenance and sometimes human factors are set up to sift through each scrap of evidence.

“I can’t remember anything like this. Usually it is pretty clear who is responsible for the investigation and they get to work straight away,” said one European air safety official, who asked not to be identified.

“It is very important to get all the factual information as soon as possible.”

- Reuters

MH370: Stolen Passports Not In Interpol's 'Suspect List'

KAJANG, March 11 (Bernama) -- The stolen passports used by two mysterious men to board the Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 which went missing last March 8 were not in the International Criminal Police Organisation's (Interpol) 'suspect list' (SL).

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it was because of that the two men were able to pass through the check at the Immigration counter.

"If Interpol had marked 'SL' for the missing passports, all the Immigration counters nationwide would be on the alert.

"(Therefore) I am confident with the capability of the Immigration officers who were at the check-point counter before the incident," he told reporters at Taman Kota here.

Earlier today, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the police had identified an Iranian, Pouria Nour Mohd Mehdad, 19, as one of the mysterious passengers who boarded the aircraft with the stolen passports.

The Iranian had used a passport belonging to an Austrian, Christian Kozel, who had reported it missing in Thailand.

As for the other passport, which belonged to Italian Luigi Maraldi, Interpol confirmed that it was used by Delavar Seyed Mohammad Redza, 29, also an Iranian.

Interpol secretary-general Ronald K. Noble, at a press conference in Lyon, France, that the two men travelled to Malaysia on their Iranian passports, then apparently switched to the stolen Austrian and Italian documents.

MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41am Saturday. It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30am the same day.

The aircraft was carrying passengers of 14 nationalities, with most of them from China and Malaysia.

On the negative reports by the Chinese media on the handling of the missing aircraft by the Malaysian government, Ahmad Zahid said they should exercise patience as Malaysia was doing its best.

Missing MH370: Search area expanded

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.