London in Horror......

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A manhunt is under way in London for the driver of a car abandoned in the center of the city that police say was packed with explosives that could have caused huge numbers of casualties.

Security sources told CNN's Paula Newton they believed the device -- loaded with fuel, gas cylinders and nails -- was intended to be detonated by cellphone.

British police anti-terror chief Peter Clarke said detectives were examining CCTV footage after the car was found outside a nightclub in the heart of London's busy theater district shortly before 2 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Friday.

Police deactivated the explosives but the incident stoked renewed fears of a terrorist strike almost two years after London's transport network was hit by deadly suicide bombers.

Hours later, another road in central London was closed as police investigated a "suspicious" vehicle. Park Lane, an upmarket address close to Buckingham Palace and the main Oxford Street shopping area was cordoned off.

Security sources told CNN that the "relatively crude device" found in the first car near Piccadilly Circus contained at least 200 liters, or about 50 gallons, of fuel in canisters.

LONDON - Police in London’s bustling nightclub and theater district on Friday defused a bomb that could have killed hundreds, after an ambulance crew spotted smoke coming from a Mercedes filled with a lethal mix of gasoline, propane and nails, authorities said.

The bomb near Piccadilly Circus was powerful enough to have caused “significant injury or loss of life” — possibly killing hundreds, British anti-terror police chief Peter Clarke said.

Authorities believe the bombers had intended to set the bomb off remotely, by cell phone, Sky News television reported, citing sources.

Britain’s new home secretary, Jacqui Smith, called an emergency meeting of top officials and later called the attempted attack “international terrorism.”

Hours later, police closed a major road, Park Lane, on the edge of Hyde Park after reports of a suspicious vehicle.

Sky News reported that the second vehicle was connected to the car bomb found earlier. But, prior to the television report, a police spokesperson said there was nothing to immediately suggest it was linked to the earlier incident.

CCTV key to investigation
Police planned to examine footage from closed-circuit TV cameras in the area, Clarke said, hoping the surveillance network that extends throughout the city would help track the driver.

Officers were called to The Haymarket, near Piccadilly Circus, after an ambulance crew — responding to a call just before 1:30 a.m. about an injury at a nearby nightclub — noticed the smoke, Clarke said.

Yemyin cyclone’s intensity lowering fast

2007.06.27

KARACHI: The intensity of a powerful cyclone Yemyin, which lashed Pakistan's southern coast on Tuesday, is lowering very fast and the cyclone is likely to be converted in low winds with in six to eight hours, the meteorological department, said.

Director Pakistan meteorological department Tauseef Alam said that the cyclone Yemyin is near Ormara off the Makran Coast but its intensity was lowering.

However, the heavy rains in coast areas of Sindh and Balochistan is likely with in twenty-four hours. The rain with intervals is also likely in Karachi during next 12 hours.

The reports said the cyclone has killed at least 14 people, leaving dozens more missing and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

Man who stabbed his father 30 times at Tochigi home turns himself in to Sapporo police

2007.06.26

SAPPORO — A 20-year-old student at Chuo University turned himself in to police in Sapporo on Tuesday after being placed on a nationwide wanted list over the fatal stabbing of his father in Tochigi on June 16. Police allege that Ryusuke Ohno killed his father Michitaka Ohno by stabbing him about 30 times in the back and stomach at their home on June 16. Ohno went missing right after the incident.

Ohno walked into the police station at 11 a.m. Tuesday morning, saying that he had committed a murder. According to police, Ohno said that he went to Aomori by train the day he killed his father, and then to Hokkaido two days after that by ferry. "I planned on turning myself in once I had no money left," he told police. He only had a few hundred yen with him, police said

I think the world is getting sicker as day pass by..... rest in peace my fellow man....

Perwaja Steel's Eric Chia acquitted of CBT

2007.06.26

PUTRAJAYA: Tycoon Tan Sri Eric Chia Eng Hock was acquitted Tuesday by the Sessions Court of the criminal breach of trust charge brought against him more than three years ago.

Chia had maintained his innocence since he was first charged on Feb 10, 2004.

Sessions Court judge Akhtar Tahir presided over the trial, which lasted 43 days and saw 29 prosecution witnesses testifying against the 74-year-old former managing director of Perwaja Steel Sdn Bhd.

Chia had been charged with misappropriating RM76.4mil from Perwaja Rolling Mill and Development Sdn Bhd in his capacity as its managing director at Level 13, Menara UBN at 10 Jalan P. Ramlee on Feb 19, 1994.

He was alleged to have dishonestly authorised a payment for the sum to the account of Frilsham Enterprise Incorporated with the American Express Bank Limited, Hong Kong, for technical assistance provided by NKK Corporation Japan for the “Beam and Section Mill Plant project” in Gurun, Kedah, when in fact no such payment was due to NKK Corporation.

should be at least a penalty of million for least? an acquittance seem little suspicions....

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Mafia-style killing shocker at cyber cafe

2007.06.26

SIBU: The Mafia-style “public execution” of a man in a cyber cafe here on Saturday has sent shockwaves through the town.

However, the police said the murder was not related to gang rivalry.

Wong Bak Hung, 21, was shot at point-blank range at 2.15am when he was at the cyber cafe with his wife.

She was not harmed. A masked man had reportedly entered the cafe and walked up to Wong, pulled out what looked like a handgun and shot him in the eye. The gunman then warned the patrons not to raise the alarm before fleeing. The shooting has shocked townsfolk, who fear gang violence could have flared up again in this timber and commercial hub.

However, Sibu police chief Asst Comm Nicholas Sebastian said there was not need for the public to panic.

“From our investigations so far, the shooting does not seem to be gang-related,” he said.

He added that police have taken statements from the widow and witnesses. Sibu has been in the headlines lately over concerns about gangstersim. Bukit Aman police have arrested dozens of gangsters here and throughout the state.

A deputy minister and a senior politician in the state are also under probe for alleged involvement in gangsterism, illegal logging and attempted bribery of senior police officers

Point blank execution and you tell me that it is not gang related? maybe I am missing something here.......

Israel agrees fund transfer to help Abbas

JERUSALEM: Israel agreed yesterday to transfer several hundred million dollars to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s emergency government, a measure designed to undercut Hamas Islamists controlling Gaza.
The money, some of the Palestinian tax revenues withheld by Israel since Hamas won election in 2006, is part of an initial package of benefits to bolster Abbas that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is likely to announce at a summit in Egypt today.

Israel wants to isolate Hamas economically, diplomatically and militarily in the Gaza Strip, where the Islamist group seized control more than a week ago, while allowing funds to flow to Abbas’s emergency administration in the West Bank.

“Is Israel releasing the money for free? No. It is in return for Abbas destroying Hamas and the resistance,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.

An Israeli government official said Olmert’s cabinet approved the transfer of about $350mn, short of the $700mn the Palestinians say Israel is holding. Israel says courts have frozen some of the funds to cover Palestinian debts.
The money slated for release will be given to Abbas’s government in stages, the official said, once a mechanism is in place to ensure it does not reach Hamas in Gaza.

“The Israelis should release all our money. These are Palestinian, not Israeli, funds,” Saeb Erakat, a senior Abbas aide, said after the cabinet decision.
Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin said the Israeli leader and Abbas would discuss today “the transferring of the funds” to the new Palestinian government.

Their talks, Eisin said, also would focus on “access of movement – ways to improve dramatically the quality of life of the Palestinians, first and foremost in the West Bank”, a reference to easing travel restrictions in the occupied area.
“We will attempt in a sober and cautious manner to take advantage of the opportunities created as a result of the recent events in the Gaza Strip, in order to build a diplomatic process with the Palestinians,” Olmert told reporters.

Freeing up the tax revenues, he said, would “gradually help the new Palestinian government – one that is not a Hamas government”.

The cabinet decision also cleared the way for Israel to resume monthly tax revenue transfers of about $50mn.
Since Hamas’s violent takeover of Gaza, Olmert has spoken of laying the groundwork for resuming talks with Abbas on Palestinian statehood, but has stopped short of accepting his call for immediate negotiations on a land-for-peace accord.

230 die as rains destroy buildings

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani officials Sunday continued to search for survivors a day after heavy rains collapsed buildings and brought down power lines in Karachi, killing more than 230 people, provincial health and police officials said.

The storm cut electricity to most of Karachi's 13 million residents, compounding the heat from temperatures that have soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C) in recent days.

Angry mobs Sunday staged demonstrations, blocked roads, and raided electricity offices, protesting the 24-hour power outage, which follows weeks of temporary outages.

More than 15 millimeters (0.7 inches) fell in Karachi on Saturday, flooding low-lying neighborhoods and stressing poorly-constructed buildings.

Video showed cars wading through several inches of water on the streets.

Most of the victims died as a result of collapsed buildings, electrocution, and falling trees, according to Edhi, a non-governmental organization that operates hospital services across Pakistan.

The government Saturday declared an emergency situation in all hospitals, according to Maj. Zia ul Hassan, the police chief of Sindh Province. He said his police were helping get the injured to hospitals and recover bodies from collapsed homes.

The storms uprooted trees and toppled billboards on Karachi streets, causing massive traffic jams and some injuries, officials said.

It is the beginning of Pakistan's monsoon season and more rain is forecast for the next few days.

Junior high school student kills self over exam

A female junior high school student upset over failing the national exam killed herself in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, on Saturday.

The father of the 15-year-old victim, a student at a junior high school in Kerjo district, said his daughter received her exam results just hours before committing suicide.

He said his daughter cried during the drive home from the school, where the exam results were posted.

As soon as they arrived home, at about 2 p.m., she locked herself in her room. Several of her friends came to the house, but the girl refused to leave her room.

When one of her friends went outside the house and looked into the bedroom through a window, she saw the victim hanging from a piece of cloth.

The victim's father broke into the bedroom and cut his daughter down. The girl was barely breathing and died en route to the nearest community health center.

Head of the Karanganyar Education Office, Sugiyarso, said 535 junior high school students in the regency failed the national exam this year.

At the provincial level, of the 495,381 junior high school students who took the exam this year, 56,053, or 11.32 percent, failed, said Gatot Bambang Hastowo, deputy chairman of the Central Java Education Office.

By comparison, 64,340, or 13.29 percent of the 419,660 students who sat the exam last year, failed, he said.

An 18-year-old student at a vocational high school in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, reportedly tried to commit suicide after failing the earlier national exam for high schoolers.

The girl drank cleaning fluid in a failed attempt to take her own life, according to detik.com news portal.

According to data from the National Commission for the Protection of Children, at least 100 students across the country committed suicide or attempted suicide in 2006 after failing the national exams.

Meanwhile, in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, it was reported that six junior high school students in Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara, who missed this year's national exam were included on the roll of those students passing the exam.

Five are students at state SMP Negri I in Maumere, with the sixth attends Catholic junior high school SMP Virgo Videlis, also in Maumere.

Head of the regency education office, Robert da Silva, said Sunday he was coordinating with representatives of the two schools to postpone the announcement of the exam results while awaiting clarification from the Education Ministry in Jakarta.

SMP Virgo Videlis chairwoman Hildegardis said students understood why the announcement of the results had to be delayed.

However, she added, students and their parents hope everything is cleared up as quickly as possible so they can begin the process of registering for high school.

According to data from the East Nusa Tenggara Education Office, of the 51,770 junior high school students who took the exam, 17,959, or 33.69 percent, failed.

from Jakarta Post.....


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Can't Fish

Cebu, Philippines - The search for oil along the Cebu-Bohol Strait has just started, but fishermen from two southern coastal towns in Cebu are already complaining.

At least 500 fishermen in Sibonga town have been out of work after they were told to stop fishing from June 14 to 28 during the conduct of a seismic survey, Sibonga Mayor Nestor Ponce said.

He is asking the Department of Energy (DOE) to help the fishermen get compensation for lost revenues.

At least 300 fishermen in Argao town are also seeking financial assistance out of fear that they might not be able to feed their families if they can no longer fish during the conduct of the seismic survey.

The DOE has granted a service contract to Australian-based NorAsian Energy Ltd. to undertake oil exploration in the Cebu-Bohol Strait, a protected seascape that separates the two island-provinces.

The first phase of the exploration is the conduct of a seismic survey to determine if there is indeed oil or gas deposits along the strait.

Five southern towns in Cebu would be affected by the seismic survey — Argao, Sibonga, Dalaguete, Alcoy and Boljoon.

The survey started in Argao town on Tuesday on board MV Pacific Sword from Palawan, which would carry the seismic testing.

On Monday, MV Pacific Sword and two to three supporting vessels conducted “test shots” to familiarize the areas where the survey would be conducted and to check on their equipment.

The supporting vessels, bearing personnel from the Coast Guard, the DOE and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), would also ensure that no other vessels, or fishermen, would stray into an 8.5-kilometer radius delineated around the seismic vessel.

NorAsian dispatched a public advisory last week, requesting all passenger ferries and commercial fishing vessels to stay 8.5 kilometers away from MV Pacific Sword to avoid damage to their vessels and fishing equipment.

Swimming and diving activities were also prohibited within 10 kilometers of the moving vessel. Fishermen were also advised to clear out their fish pens or “payaos” before the seismic survey.

No fishing allowed

Mayor Ponce told Cebu Daily News that many fishermen came to him to complain that they were not allowed to fish on June 14 to 28 during the conduct of the seismic survey in their area.

“While the survey has been conducted, affected jud ang atong mga mananagat kay sila man ang nasakprisyo like ilang panginabuhi naputol og syempre mi-reklamo sila unsaon na ang budget nila sa pamilya (our fishermen are affected after their livelihood has been cut off. Of course they will complain because the family budget has been affected),” he said.

Ponce asked Antonio Labios, DOE-Visayas director, on Monday that the fishermen be given P8,000 in compensation.

The amount would be separate from the P8,000 that would be given to each fish pen owner. There are 22 registered fish pen owners in Sibonga, Ponce said.

Ponce said the fisherfolks were not opposed to the seismic survey and the oil exploration. What they wanted was for the DOE to help them financially.

Alfredo Bacacao, barangay captain of Bagacay, a coastal village, said the proposed P8,000 in compensation might not be enough for the entire duration of the seismic survey.

He said the energy department should coordinate with the BFAR in the discussion because the agency knows average income of the fishermen.

Additional compensation

Fishermen in Argao town also want to receive compensation for lost in revenues aside from payment for their fish pens that were removed to make way of the survey.

Two fisherfolk associations received P7,000 for each of the payao destroyed during a clearing operation on June 13. The members earlier complained to the police that 14 fish pens were destroyed by people on board a tugboat hired by NorAsian.

These are Langtad Fishermen Association (LFA) and Nagkahiusang Mananagat sa Taloot (Nagmata). Their complaint prompted NorAsian and DOE officials to meet with the fishermen inside the office of Argao Mayor Wilfredo Caminero on Monday night.

After the negotiations, the organizations were compensated.

Ariel Sarajena, LFA president, said that aside from the payment of the fish pens, each affected fisherman should receive P5,000 for each month that they were not able to fish because of the seismic survey.

If they could not go fish, he added, their family would go hungry because they had no other means to earn a living.

Sarajena said their demand for compensation has the support of the Nagmata.

Sarajena said his group had 200 member-fishermen, while Nagmata had over 100.

Compensation should also include those unregistered fishermen.

Can fish

Labios of the DOE said the fishermen could still go out to the sea to fish every now and then, depending on the location of the seismic vessel.

He said NorAsian would just want to avoid accidents because the seismic vessel would be tugging cables about six-kilometers long.

“We do not prohibit fishing. What we want to happen is that if the vessel is there, they (fishermen) must be in the safe distance for safety. But if the vessel has passed by their area, they can go fish,” Labios said.

Unlike in Cebu, Bohol officials held off the conduct of the seismic survey in their waters unless safety nets were in place to protect the fishermen and the province’s rich marine resources.

Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado said the DOE and NorAsian must present a protection and rehabilitation program of the Bohol marine resources. There should also be clear compensation package for the hundreds of fishermen who will be displaced.

Aumentado also wanted the DOE and NorAsian to be held accountable to whatever negative effect that the seismic survey would later have.

He said the survey might drive away the dolphins , which is the main attraction on Pamilacan Island, Bohol.

Labios assured that all the issues raised by Bohol officials would be threshed out this week so the seismic activity could proceed.

DOE Assistant Secretary Francisco Delfin said that NorAsian had started paying the affected fishermen. “As far as fisher folks are concerned those things had been ironed out,” he said.

Labios, for his part, said NorAsian had committed to pay to those affected by the survey. He added he had talked with Mayor Ponce of Sibonga to discuss the concerns of the fishermen.

Airport tout war going badly

Police who promised to end the operations of the operations of cheating unlicensed black-plate taxis and illegal tour guides at Suvarnabhumi airport by mid-June have admitted a first-round defeat - but will try again.

Last month, Pol Maj-Gen Wut Liptapanlop, deputy chief of Police Region 1, vowed a major crackdown that would take the touts and illegal guides out of the airport within 15 days.

On Sunday, Pol Maj-Gen Wut urged Airports of Thailand (AoT) to apply tax laws to curb the illegal operators, and vowed it would take just 15 days.

But police have essentially given up. The new plan to halt the activities of illegal guides-cum-taxi drivers who prey on visitors requires action by the Airports of Thailand.

AoT chairman Saprang Kalayanamitr gave the request to use tax laws to attack the so-called black-taxi rogues weak support, agreeing to discuss the matter with the Revenue Department this week.

Pol Maj-Gen Wut said 36 gangs of illegal taxi drivers are active at Suvarnabhumi airport. They work for companies that between them operate about 3,000 illegal taxis.

Their operations damage the national image because some of their customers are assaulted and robbed.

Authorities have no record of the vehicles' registration numbers or the drivers so it is difficult to keep track of them, Pol Maj-Gen Wut said.

Last May 28, Pol Maj-Gen Wut was confident he could wipe out the problem within 15 days.

To clean up the mess, Police Region 1 would seek the cooperation of other police units to crack down on unlicensed taxi drivers, he said, adding both criminal and civil laws would be strictly enforced against them.

If caught, drivers would face a maximum fine of 2,000 baht each and have their driving licences seized while the cab operators would face back-taxes. Police already know who are the operators. He said a crackdown would also be launched against illegal tour guides operating at the airport.

Pol Maj-Gen Chayut Thanataweerat, Samut Prakan police chief, said a court order would be sought to prohibit black-plate taxi drivers and illegal tour guides from operating at designated areas in the province.

from Bangkok Post 2007-06-25

Man stabbed at McDonald's counter

A man was stabbed at a McDonald's restaurant in front of a young family.

The 18-year-old victim was ordering food at the outlet in Eastgate Mall, Christchurch, when two males approached him, and following a conversation he was stabbed with a knife by a third man.

"A man with two young children, probably both under four years old, one a toddler, was standing close by at the counter," police spokeswoman Maggie Leask said.

"Police would like to speak to this man about what he saw happen."

Ms Leask, who said the incident happened at about 7pm on Saturday, called for any witnesses to come forward.

Ms Leask said the victim was taken to hospital, and an 18-year-old man was arrested and charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and assault with a weapon.

The alleged offender appeared in the Christchurch District Court this morning and entered no plea. His next appearance is on July 2.

Constable Michelle Johnston, who is investigating the case, said the victims and alleged offender are from two rival factions of youths.

Ms Johnston said the two groups can be identified by their colours but she would not identify the groups as giving them publicity "built them up".

Police allege the same man attacked another teenager on a bus half an hour before the incident at McDonald's.

The victim of that attack was not hurt.

Dumped: $9 an hour, no security for vulnerable

THE young men who collected trolleys at three Centro shopping centres in and around Albury were always good for a cheery hello and a chat.

One day in late May they were not there, and the story of instant dismissal, shipped-in replacements and the unending search for lowest-cost services by Australia's largest retailers exposes deep social and economic forces changing Australia.

The 20 trolley boys who were summarily dismissed by a Melbourne labour-hire company, Xidis Pty Ltd, trading as Effective Supermarket Solutions, are among those least able to defend themselves from such forces.

Some got their jobs through a community organisation, Personnel Employment, that places mentally and physically handicapped people into work.

They are, said the director of the Office of Workplace Services, Nicholas Wilson, "the most vulnerable of the vulnerable".

An investigation by the Office of Workplace Services has found that Xidis paid as little as $9 an hour, below the minimum wage, and fell short on other entitlements.

The new trolley boys may not be faring much better.

Xidis, through another company, has hired at least six trolley boys, five originally from Sudan and one from Iraq. Their living conditions in a group house in Albury have been a matter of concern to the local St Vincent de Paul Society.

The sackings of the original trolley boys on May 29 followed investigations by the Office of Workplace Services into underpayment at the shopping centres.

When they were sacked there was no easy channel for them to protest about their dismissal. The Office of Workplace Services generally has no formal jurisdiction over dismissals (except if they are a result of a whistleblower being penalised, a matter the office is investigating in relation to this case).

And under the Workplace Relations Act, the NSW Office of Industrial Relations, which has a record of prosecuting trolley companies, no longer has jurisdiction over incorporated companies.

Under the act there is no unfair dismissal in a company that has fewer than 100 employees. Claims of unlawful dismissal must be lodged with the Australian Industrial Relations Commission by the sacked workers. But this is for conciliation only. If reinstatement or conciliation does not occur, the employee has 28 days to decide whether to take the case to the Federal Court, initially at his or her expense.

Personnel Employment has helped six of the trolley boys lodge a claim with the commission, which is listed for hearing in Albury on Thursday.

This case is not an isolated one. The Office of Workplace Services, which becomes the Workplace Ombudsman on July 1, is taking action in four cases alleging underpayment against Xidis in Victoria and in two cases alleging underpayment in Western Australia. It has taken action against several other trolley companies nationally.

It is unclear whether anyone holds ultimate responsibility for contractors such as Xidis.


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Cambodian plane crashes, 20 feared dead

A chartered plane flying today between two popular tourist destinations in Cambodia has crashed, with at least 20 people on board feared killed, an aviation official said.

The plane, a Russian-made AN-24, was flying from Siem Reap - where the famous Angkor Wat temple complex is located - to Sihanoukville, a coastal city with access to beaches, said Him Sarun, Cabinet chief for the Secretariat of Civil Aviation.

An official at Siem Reap airport said 13 of the passengers were from South Korea, three were Czech, one was Russian and five were Cambodian.

He said the plane carried a crew of five Cambodians.

The plane belonged to a small Cambodian airline called PMT Air, which began flying from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville in January.

The airport official said contact with the plane was lost at 10.50am, local time, five minutes before it was due to land.

Him Sarun said the crash site had not yet been located by rescue teams.

DPM: Address KL floods in comprehensive way

KUALA LUMPUR: Leave open areas and ponds alone. Their development will worsen the flood situation, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“We must look at the overall development density in the Klang Valley. This means that if there are places such as open areas and ponds and so forth, it is not proper to develop them

“If they are developed, then we will be adding to the flood problem,” he told reporters after attending the “Anak Anak Pekan” Family Day here.

Najib said the flood problems in Kuala Lumpur should be addressed in a comprehensive way.

“The SMART Tunnel can only solve part of the problem. We know that if water rises in Sungai Gombak, it can lead to problems.

“However, various steps are being taken, including the building of 10 more retention ponds around Kuala Lumpur, increasing the number of pump stations and so forth,” he said.

The SMART Tunnel’s flood channel component became operational on Saturday. The road tunnel had been opened since mid-May.

However, it is only capable of diverting 45% of floodwater from the city because it is designed to divert excess water from Sungai Klang.

The problem of the remaining floodwaters from Sungai Gombak and Sungai Batu is expected to be solved once retention ponds and related flood diversions are ready in December.

On Saturday, Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general Datuk Keizrul Abdullah said the RM2.1bil tunnel could help divert 90% of Sungai Klang waters from flood-prone areas such as Masjid Jamek and Dataran Merdeka.

The waters would then be channelled into retention ponds before being dispersed into rivers in stages.

Last Monday, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid had said that the flood problem was not easy to resolve despite the billions of ringgit spent because new development and drains and rivers due to rubbish thrown could result in flash floods.

Najib, speak as your brain does, not as your $%^& .....

Deadly cyclone causes carnage

Oman has begun clearing up after it was lashed by Cyclone Gonu, which killed up to 28 people and seriously damaged the Gulf state's infrastructure. Twenty-six people were also reported missing.

The fiercest storm to hit the region for 30 years forced thousands of people from their homes and left a trail of destruction along the east coast of a country unaccustomed to such violent weather.

A police spokesman, who had earlier given a toll of 20 dead, said that half of those killed had drowned in flooding caused by torrential rain and that police and army helicopters were searching for the missing.

In the capital Muscat, heavy-duty ploughs, dumper trucks and diggers began the mammoth task of clearing roads of the thick mud and debris deposited at the height of the storm.

The popular Al Qurm commercial district, with its upmarket shops and cafes, was particularly badly hit.

"I have this feeling of such terrible loss and sadness," said 53-year-old Ahmed Melay.

His staff at the Lebanese restaurant he part owns - including waiters and cooks - worked in the main dining area with shovels to clear mounds of mud that had surged inside through smashed windows.

Melay estimated the damage would cost $US100,000 ($119,054) to repair.

There were similiar sights all across the district, which was heavily patrolled by police to deter potential looters.

One employee of a government-run craft centre carefully moved expensive pots and carpets from the battered shop into an off-road vehicle.

"I've never experienced anything like this," said Faraj al-Hamdani, 25, his face flecked with mud.

Farther down the road, a department store stocking luxury goods had an electricity pole jutting from its main display window.

Several cars with broken windscreens sat at crooked angles in what was once the store's car park.

By the city's waterfront, residents of usually sunny Muscat inspected objects that had been swept ashore overnight. These included a television and a car seat.

Badr al-Abdali, a 26-year-old Omani accountant, took snapshots of the beach and the still choppy waves with his mobile phone.

Like many Muscat residents he spent the previous day indoors riding out the storm and was now curious to see its aftermath.

"This is the first time I've seen anything like this," Abdali said. "I feel much like everyone else in that I was frightened and excited about the storm at the same time."

State TV reported that the government had ordered food shops to reopen as soon as possible and that work was under way to restore power to remote areas.

Gonu also killed three people in Iran, where tens of thousands of people hunkered down in shelters, and officials said more than 40,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas in southern provinces to higher ground.

The cyclone initially packed winds of 260 kmh an hour and was the strongest to lash the Arabian peninsula since 1977


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Bird flu virus found in Sungai Buloh village

PUTRAJAYA: The dreaded bird flu virus has been found in Kampung Paya Jaras Hilir near Sungai Buloh in Selangor.

This is the first time the H5N1 virus has reappeared after the outbreak in Kelantan in March last year.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Zulkifli Idris said culling of chickens and birds within a 1km radius of the village started yesterday. Three other villages – Kampung Paya Jaras Hulu, Kampung Jaras Dalam and Kampung Kubu Gajah – are within the affected zone. A duck-breeding centre operated by the Veterinary Services Department is also within the zone.

Dr Zulkifli said the whole country has been put on red alert and officers in other states have been directed to monitor birds in their areas.

“This is an isolated case and there is no worry at present. We will attempt to clear the affected areas of any sick bird within 36 hours,” he said.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who is overseas, has been informed of the latest development.

Dr Zulkifli said the virus was discovered when the Petaling veterinary office received a report from a resident in the village on June 2 that 60 of his chickens had suddenly died over three days.

Dr Zulkifli said eight teams from the department have been dispatched to carry out the task of destroying the livestock. An estimated 2,000 birds and eggs, including chicken and ducks, would be destroyed.

He added that the Health Ministry had been informed and it would take all the necessary steps to monitor the health conditions of the residents in the area.

The department's Selangor director Dr Nor Aidah Abdul Rahim, when met at the village, said owners of the poultry culled would be compensated.

She said the compensation would range between 20 sen to RM10. Among the compensation rates were 20 sen for each chicken egg destroyed, RM9.50 for each chicken, and RM10 for each duck and goose.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi asked the authorities to take prompt action to contain the spread of the killer H5N1 bird flu virus

People should pay more attention to what and where you buy the chickens

20 saman dalam seluar

KLANG: Lebih 20 saman trafik ditemui di dalam poket seluar seorang penjenayah yang ditembak mati di sebuah pangsapuri di Bukit Kuda, awal pagi semalam, sebelum bedah siasat dijalankan terhadapnya.

Saman trafik terbabit milik rakan jenayahnya yang melarikan diri dan penjenayah yang mati itu dipercayai hanya sempat mengambil saman itu sebaliknya meninggalkan salinan kad pengenalan lelaki yang sedang diburu.

Berdasarkan saman itu, penjenayah sering melanggar undang-undang jalan raya dengan memecut selain melanggar lampu isyarat.

Ketua Polis Daerah Klang, Asisten Komisioner Mohd Rodwan Yusuf, berkata dalam kejadian jam 6.10 pagi semalam, penjenayah terbabit terkena tembakan di bahagian atas telinga kiri selepas menyerang polis menggunakan parang.

“Dua anggota sedang melakukan rondaan cegah jenayah di kawasan itu sebelum terlihat kelibat dua lelaki India sedang mencangkung di tepi sebuah kereta Proton Wira dalam keadaan mencurigakan.

“Ketika dihampiri, tiba-tiba sebuah Proton Satria berwarna putih berhampiran dua lelaki itu memecut meninggalkan kawasan berkenaan,” katanya di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Klang, di sini, petang semalam.

Dua penjenayah terbabit terus melarikan diri walaupun sudah diberi amaran untuk tidak berbuat demikian untuk pemeriksaan.

“Selepas berlari kira-kira 70 meter, seorang daripada penjenayah tiba-tiba berpusing dan mengeluarkan parang sebelum melibasnya ke arah anggota polis.

“Untuk mempertahankan diri, polis melepaskan tembakan dan terkena kepala penjenayah itu menyebabkannya tersungkur,” katanya.

Pemeriksaan mendapati penjenayah masih bernyawa dan dihantar ke Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR), Klang untuk rawatan tetapi mati kira-kira tiga jam kemudian.

Seorang lagi penjenayah dapat melarikan diri dan hasil pemeriksaan terhadap kereta Proton Wira itu, polis menemui salinan kad pengenalan, dua bilah parang, pisau, pemutar skru selain pelbagai alatan pecah masuk rumah dan kenderaan.

“Pada mayat penjenayah, polis turut menemui parang serta pisau selain lebih 20 saman trafik tersimpan di poket seluarnya.

“Siasatan terhadap Proton Wira berkenaan mendapati ia milik seorang lelaki beralamat di Negeri Sembilan dan polis akan menahannya untuk siasatan,” katanya.

Pemeriksaan turut mendapati, penjenayah yang mati di tembak itu dikenali sebagai M Kumar, 22, berasal dari Kapar dan mempunyai empat rekod jenayah lampau iaitu tiga di Ipoh, Perak dan satu lagi di Klang.

Lelaki yang tertinggal salinan kad pengenalannya dan kini diburu polis pula dikenali sebagai M Miharaja, 18, dan turut mempunyai satu rekod jenayah lampau membabitkan serangan terhadap penjawat awam yang sedang bertugas.

“Berdasarkan pemeriksaan terhadap senjata digunakan, polis percaya mereka melakukan jenayah terlebih dulu sebelum cuba melarikan diri dan ditembak.

“Orang ramai yang mempunyai maklumat diminta menghubungi Rakan Cop di talian 03-21159999 atau balai polis berhampiran,” katanya.

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Civil servants advised to budget and spend money wisely

news on 05.06.2007

PUTRAJAYA: Government servants should stop moonlighting as this would affect their productivity at work the next morning.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said although he would prefer them not to take up second jobs given the recent salary increase, if they had to continue moonlighting, they should at least refrain from working too late into the night.

“The pay rise saw a higher percentage of increase for the lower-paid staff who I understand take up second jobs to make an honest living, such as selling nasi lemak and traditional cakes.

“I respect them for working extra hard to provide a better life for their family, but if they work late at night, their productivity the next day may be affected,” he said when addressing staff of the Prime Minister’s Department at a monthly gathering here yesterday.

Abdullah also advised them to budget and spend their money wisely, and not on unnecessary things.

Whipping? Paedophile changes plea

KUALA LUMPUR: A security guard who first admitted to forcing a 13-year-old boy to perform oral sex on him changed his plea when he found out the sentence was 20 years and whipping.

T. Prabayar, 33, initially pleaded guilty when he was charged at a Sessions Court here with committing the offence inside the toilet of a showhouse in Bandar Baru Sentul on May 20 around 4pm.

The security guard, when told about the sentence, hesitated for a moment before he decided to claim trial despite an explanation from judge Datin Anita Harun that he would be given a chance to mitigate.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Abazafree Mohd Abbas informed the court that although the victim was not known to the accused, the teenager resided within the same area where the incident happened.

As such, he said the probability of witness-tampering was high. He suggested an RM30,000 bail. Anita then turned to Prabayar and asked if he had a bailor to which he answered yes. She then asked him if he had anything to say about the bail sum. He shook his head.

"Can you afford RM30,000?" the judge asked? Prabayar, who is from Perak, nodded and said yes.

The judge then set bail at the proposed amount in one surety and fixed July 5 for a mention of the case to allow the security guard to appoint a lawyer.

At press time, bail had yet to be posted.

Altantuya trial postponed, family sues govt and accused

news on 04.06.2007

PETALING JAYA: The Shah Alam High Court has postponed the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial to June 18 to allow the new prosecution team time to prepare its case.

In the meantime, her family has filed an RM100mil civil suit against the Government of Malaysia as well as the three defendants in her murder trial which began Monday. The three include policemen Cif Inspektor Azilah Hadri, 31, and Koperal Sirul Azhar Umar, 36, who are charged with committing the murder in Mukim Bukit Raja, Selangor, between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20 last year.

The third is political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, 47, who is accused of abetting the two Unit Tindakan Khas (special action force) personnel, allegedly committed his offence at the Bangunan Getah Asli in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, between 9.54am and 11.05am on Oct 18 last year.

The trial has garnered much attention in local and foreign media because of Abdul Razak's policital connections as well as the gruesome manner in which the 28-year-old Altantuya was killed. The Monggolian beauty was apparently blown up with explosives after having been shot dead. Justice Mohd Zaki Md Yasin is presiding over the case. The prosecutors are head of the Civil Division in the Attorney-General's Chambers Tun Majid Tun Hamzah and Deputy Public Prosecutor M. Kurup. Veteran lawyer Karpal Singh is holding a watching brief for Altantuya’s family.

Teacher pleads guilty to molesting nine-year-old student

KUALA LUMPUR: A jawi teacher pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court here to molesting a nine-year-old pupil in a religious school classroom last year.

Husin Rohimi, 36, from Kodiang in Kedah, was accused of committing the offence at a Year Two classroom of a school here at 10.30am on Nov 10.

He was charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which provides for up to 10 years' jail or a fine or whipping or any two such punishments upon conviction.

The girl's mother had lodged a police report over the molestation on May 25 this year.

A prosecuting officer asked the court to set bail at RM6,000 in one surety and order that the accused would not get any closer to the victim or her family members.

Pleading for a lower bail, Husin said he was only earning RM979 per month from his job.

He said he had to support his three children.

"My youngest child is admitted at Instititut Jantung Negara, madam," he said adding that his wife was present in court to be his bailor.

Magistrate Azniza Mohd Ali granted him to be released on a RM4,000 bail in one surety and set July 23 for sentencing.

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Mob sets fire to trailer after accident

news on 02.06.2007

BUTTERWORTH: An angry mob set fire to a trailer following a road accident which killed a motorcyclist in Jalan Assumption.About 30 people rushed to the scene upon seeing the accident at 2.40am on Saturday, forcing the trailer driver to abandon his vehicle.

In the accident, G. Ranganathan, 23, from Batu Lanchang died while pillion rider, V. Surenthiran, 23, from Greenland Heights sustained injuries. North Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said said several people from the group set fire to the trailer and blocked firemen from putting out the fire.

He said the crowd gave in after state exco P.K. Subbaiyah intervened.

“The area where the accident happened was congested with people waiting to see a chariot procession.

“Both the accident victims were rushed to the Seberang Jaya Hospital where Ranganathan died upon admission," he said.

ACP Wan Abdullah said firemen only managed to save the back portion of the trailer. He said the suspects involved in burning the trailer had nothing to do with the chariot procession. Subbaiyah was leading the procession with Sungai Puyu assemblyman Phee Boon Poh. The driver has been detained pending investigations but police are looking for the suspects involved in the arson.

ACP Wan Abdullah urged those with information to call the district CID division at 04-5762222 or the nearest police station

Mummy, tough guys can hurt too

MIRI: A burly man with dragon tattoos all over his body caused a stir when he broke down and cried at the police station here, then called his mother. The man, in his 30s, had been arrested for allegedly assaulting a youth outside a supermarket in Taman Tunku.

Fifteen minutes after being questioned by police at the front desk, the man was sobbing. He kept telling the investigating officer “dia pukul saya dulu” (he beat me first.) The man called his mother who arrived with his sister 10 minutes later and was released on police bail.

As they left in a hurry, the man was still wiping his tears as a crowd of on-lookers at the station stared in amusement.

The mother of the victim who suffered a cut in his head said they were shopping at the supermarket when the dragon-tattooed man appeared and attacked her son.

"I shouted for help. He (the man) made a call using his handphone and soon five cars came.

“I saw many men coming out of the cars, some of them with parangs (machetes).

"My son and I ran into the supermarket. We then heard the sound of police sirens and ran towards the police,” the mother told The Star at the police station.

Police have recovered a metre-long steel bar.

SC lauded for blocking access to web scam sites

PETALING JAYA: The financial community has welcomed the Securities Commission’s (SC) decision to block access to illegal investment schemes operated by some 60 websites after it received 720 complaints and queries.

They are urging the SC to be more alert as such illegal sites could re-emerge as other websites.

Financial adviser Billy Toh, who is also a certified financial planner for unit trusts, said: “I am surprised the SC had to wait for 720 complaints to act. It should have acted much earlier because the complainants are only the tip of the iceberg, as the vast majority who were cheated may not have complained.”

“Now the SC has to be more alert to check if the illegal investment websites emerge under another website. The SC has to employ experts on investment websites to monitor and block fly-by-night websites,” he added.

He said the SC said had done a good job of publicising licensed and illegal websites.

“This will allow licensed companies to operate and the spoilt apples to be weeded out.”

The SC’s exercise to block the websites will begin on June 11.

The commission, in a statement on Thursday, advised investors in such schemes to withdraw their investments and terminate their accounts immediately.

Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Pardip Kumar urged faster action in such cases in future.

“We must appreciate the fact that SC has acted finally, but it has to move faster as the website scams could start at another website address.

“The scams haves been around for some years and the SC should constantly monitor illegal operators,” he said.


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Trailer driver, attendant in miraculous escape

news on 01.06.2007

SABAK BERNAM: A trailer driver and attendant miraculously escaped death when their vehicle overturned and totally crushed the driver’s cabin in an accident in Sungai Panjang here on Friday.

Trailer attendant K. Saravanan, 25, said they had been travelling from Johor Bahru to Lumut with a load of poultry feed and were passing through Sungai Panjang at about 8.30am when the accident occurred.

He claimed an oncoming car had crossed into the trailer’s path to overtake another vehicle but could not return to its own lane in time. The driver, he said, slammed on the brakes to prevent a collision and one of the back tyres of the trailer exploded due to the friction, causing the trailer swerve and overturn before landing in the trench at the side of the road.

“We are extremely lucky to escape without even a scratch, although the driver was complaining of a neck ache,” he said.

Thieves struck by 'heavenly bolt'

KOTA KINABALU: An attempt to steal metal bars from a steel factory here turned tragic for two men when one of them was killed after being struck by lightning. The dead man's 33-year-companion was seriously injured in the noon mishap on Thursday at Kampung Minintod, Penampang district police chief Asst Supt Azhar Hamin said.

He said the factory owner alerted the police about the incident after noticing the two victims near his premises. ASP Azhar said the injured man who was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth hospital sustained burns in the right thigh and in the stomach. He said the dead man also suffered burns in the stomach and right hand as well as in the face.

Cleaner fuel from now

PETALING JAYA: Starting today, Malaysians will be able to breathe cleaner air and by 2009, the air may be even cleaner. This is because the Government will start enforcing a law today that requires the sulphur content in fuel not to exceed 0.05%.

The Government is trying to ensure that the sulphur content will be only 0.005% by 2009. All this will be achieved without any increase in the price of fuel. Lower sulphur content means engines will emit less pollutants.

With 0.05% sulphur, the engines will comply with Euro II emission standards, while 0.005% will make engines Euro IV-compliant.

The current sulphur content for petrol and diesel in Malaysia is 0.15% and 0.3% respectively. Euro emission standards are enforced throughout the European Union and the higher the standard, the lower the emission of pollutants.

Euro II was introduced in 1995 and replaced by Euro III in 1999. Euro IV was then introduced in 2005. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid confirmed that his ministry would begin enforcement of the new emissions standards today. He said oil companies had agreed to comply with the ruling and would start selling cleaner fuel that complied with the Euro II emission standard by this month.

Azmi added that the Government would not allow any more deferment to the oil companies, as the ruling should have been enforced in April.

The date, however, was postponed because the petroleum companies asked to be allowed to finish non-compliant fuel stocks.

“The oil companies must comply with the ruling by now. They have been given some time to clear their stocks,” he said.

Azmi added that fuel prices would remain the same. The ministry’s parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah, who also confirmed the start of enforcement, said the Government wanted to implement the emission standards because motor vehicles contributed 60% of emission to air pollution.

Meanwhile, Petrol Dealers Association president Alang Zari Ishak said he did not know about today’s compliance date.

He said negotiations for the deferment of enforcement was still ongoing.

“We did not receive any notice but if the Government really wants us to comply, there will definitely have to be adjustments in the price,” he said.

Malaysia moving in the right direction, say auto firms

PETALING JAYA: Auto companies have welcomed the news that the Government is planning to bring forward the implementation of fuel compliance to Euro IV emission standards.

“The attempt to introduce Euro IV fuel standards, especially for diesel, by 2009 is definitely something we welcome because then, our diesel models will be able to offer even better performance, efficiency and emissions,” said Wolfgang Schlimme, managing director of BMW Group Malaysia.

“It would be a positive move as it indicates that the Government is following the global trend. Perhaps it might even look at rewarding consumers for adopting ‘green’ behaviour, by offering duty or tax incentives, as opposed to ‘punishing’ diesel owners with higher taxes and prices.”

Schlimme said the most significant impact would be in emissions and clean motoring.

“The diesel engine is a core technology used by the BMW Group in its strategy toward efficient dynamics and the availability of Euro IV diesel promises a much more environmentally sound future for Malaysia,” he added.

Volkswagen Group Malaysia also welcomed the effort.

“We believe that there is a fair bit of interest in diesel-powered vehicles in Malaysia, and upgrading the standard of fuel would be a positive move towards having a higher adoption rate for diesel-based platforms,” Karen Cheng-Yoong, its director of PR & Marketing, said.

Kyoya Kondo, chief executive officer of Isuzu Malaysia, said the company fully supported the Government’s call for the industry to offer better and cleaner fuel complying with current world standards.

“The Government’s call to reduce the sulphur content in fuel is a move in the right direction as we will be taking positive steps towards reducing the effect of greenhouse gases and global warming.

“The move will also boost interest in diesel vehicles, as manufacturers will be able to introduce advanced technologies into the Malaysian market without fear of repercussions from extended exposure of precision components to high levels of sulphur,” Kondo said.

The sentiment was echoed by Ford Malaysia’s managing director Mike Pease.

“In line with Ford’s global environmental commitment, Ford Malaysia welcomes the initiative to provide improvements in emissions and a better environment in Malaysia.

“This move will not only lower harmful emissions and provide cleaner air, it will provide Malaysian motorists access to new global products with advanced powertrains which are not able to be sold here today,” Pease said.

Ministry: Assunta not at fault

PETALING JAYA: Assunta Hospital fulfilled its legal obligation of providing emergency treatment to Yek Yow Ngan, who died in a car accident after being allegedly pursued by a gang of armed men.

In a statement here yesterday, the Health Ministry's medical practice division said facts showed that the hospital had taken all necessary steps in arranging proper transfer and referral of the patient to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL).

The division conducted an investigation following allegations that it refused to provide emergency treatment to Yek unless a deposit was paid.

Division director Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub met up with the hospital management and interviewed the attending medical officer and the two staff nurses on duty at that time.

Yek's son Yeong Hon had claimed that Assunta Hospital had demanded a RM10,000 deposit from him before his mother could be treated. However, the statement said Yeong Hon was informed by hospital of the cost of further treatment only after emergency treatment was rendered.

“The patient, who was in critical condition, was brought in by her son at about 4.10am to 5am on Sunday and was immediately resuscitated by the medical officer and his staff,” the statement said.

It said the patient was revived at about 5am and her condition was stabilised before she was sent for a CT scan and chest X-rays to determine any internal injury.

The medical officer then decided that the patient needed further intensive treatment and had to be monitored at the intensive care unit.

The hospital then informed Yeong Hon of the cost of further treatment. “However, the hospital was told that the patient's son could not afford the cost and was requested to transfer the patient to Universiti Malaya Medical Centre or HKL,” the statement said.

The medical officer then made the necessary arrangements by paging the two hospitals.

At 5.45am, the patient was transferred by ambulance, accompanied by Yeong Hon, a medical officer and a staff nurse.

On Wednesday, Yeong Hon called for justice and hoped that truth behind Yek's death would be revealed.

Give Chinese maids a chance, urges Papa

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians should give Chinese maids a chance and not object to the move to bring them in, said Malaysian Association of Foreign Housemaids Agencies (Papa) president Datuk Raja Zulkepley Dahalan.

“Not all Chinese girls who come here are pretty. So, if you are not comfortable with Chinese maids, then just don’t take them.

“After all, the employer is given the bio-data with the photo of the maid, and both husband and wife, as employers, can see what the girl looks like. If she’s pretty, then don’t choose her, “ he said in an interview.

He added, however, that not all those who employed maids were Chinese, and it was not right to stop others from employing these maids.

Women leaders in Chinese-based parties recently objected to bringing in domestic help from China, saying that mainland Chinese women could break up marriages and cause social problems.

They said husbands could take these women as mistresses.

However, Raja Zulkepley pointed out that if husbands wanted to stray, they could do so even with Indonesian, Vietnamese or Filipino maids.

“When we first brought the Indonesian maids in, there was initially a fear among the Malay women that their husbands could fall for the maids and take them as another wife because Muslim men are allowed four wives. But while there might have been a few such cases, you don’t hear of this problem anymore,” he said.

He questioned why the Malaysian Chinese women were not objecting to the Government’s move to bring in maids from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan as well.

“The women from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan are prettier and cuter than those from China,” he said.

There has been a shortage of maids in the country, with a 50% drop of those from Indonesia. To overcome the shortage, the Government is looking at allowing the hiring of maids from China, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Timor Leste, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and India.

Raja Zulkepley said 94.8% of the maids here were from Indonesia and pointed out one of the reasons for the 50% drop was the better wages in countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and those in the Middle East.

Five die in pre-dawn fire

news on 31.05.2007

IPOH: A family of five from Cameron Highlands died in a pre-dawn fire which razed two houses in Taman Song Choon here. The dead, all from one house, have been identified as Chai Kim, 91, his son Chai Kar It, 67, granddaughter Chai Moi Fong, 32, and her husband Tan Wei Lim, 32, and a cousin Lim Kian Hwa, 29.

Another unidentified family member, the only survivor from the 3.30am incident today, has been sent to Ipoh Hospital for treatment.

Police have classified the case as sudden death but are also investigating other possible causes of the fire, including arson.

Malaysia to host Guangdong meet

PETALING JAYA: The Fourth Guangdong (Kwang Tung) Community Federation Conference to be held in Kuala Lumpur later this year is expected to attract about 2,000 delegates from 40 countries.

Federation of Kwang Tung Associations Malaysia president Datuk Douglas Lee said Malaysia was given the opportunity to host this conference to foster closer ties among Guangdong people from all over the world.

“We are not a political association and we want to encourage people to gather and get to know one another,” he said during a recent interview.

He said several seminars, to be held in English, were planned during the three-day conference, including a panel discussion on why the non-Chinese educated youth were not joining guilds or such associations.

Lee also said another seminar would discuss and encourage overseas Chinese, apart from Singapore and Malaysia, to form Guangdong associations.

He said delegates who were keen on improving business networks could also benefit from a trade and commerce session planned for the November meet.

“We want to encourage foreign trade and foster business cooperation and we have invited speakers from Malaysia to share their experiences,” he added.

In 2000, the first meet was held in Singapore and the second in Guangzhou, China in 2002.

The third conference was held in Hong Kong in 2005 and saw the participation of about 1,800 delegates.

This fourth conference will be held from Nov 19 to 21 in Genting Highlands. For further information, please contact the association’s secretariat at 603-2031 1468 or 2078 4336/7 or www.fedguangdong.org.my.

Filipinos can SMS money home, Indons to follow suit soon

KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of Filipino workers can now send money to their families and other dependants in the Philippines within seconds through mobile phone service messaging, and without going through banks.

Maxis Communications Berhad and the Philippine’s telecommunications company Globe Telecom yesterday launched the world’s first international mobile-to-mobile money transfer service, between the two countries.

The service, approved by Bank Negara, allows users to transfer up to PHP6,500 (RM500) per transaction at RM5 per transaction and 15 sen for each SMS, half the transaction fee of banks, said Maxis chief executive officer Sandip Das.

Up to RM10,000 can be transferred per day at no charge to recipients who receive the money in pesos based on daily exchange rates

Lina unhappy with decision

KUALA LUMPUR: Lina Joy is extremely unhappy with the Federal Court judgment.

“I am disappointed that the Federal Court is not able to vindicate a simple but important fundamental right that exists in all persons; namely, the right to believe in the religion of one's choice and equally important, the right to marry a person of one's choice and to raise a family in the Malaysia context.

“The Federal Court has not only denied me that right but to all Malaysians who value fundamental freedoms,” she told The Star, through her solicitor Benjamin Dawson.

“I am hoping that my case would have made a difference to the development of constitutional issues in the plight of many others.”

Asked whether she would leave Malaysia for good, Lina, who is believed to be overseas at present, said: “It would extremely difficult to exercise freedom of conscience in the present environment.”

Lina, 42, was born Azlina Jailani to Malay parents. She was brought up as a Muslim but at the age of 36 became a Christian.

In 1999, she managed to change the name in her identity card to Lina Joy but the National Registration Department retained her religion in the card as Islam.

On April 23, 2001, the High Court refused to decide on her application to renounce Islam as her religion on grounds that the issue should be decided by the Syariah Court. It also dismissed her application for an order to direct the department to drop the word “Islam” from her identity card.

On Sept 19, 2005, the Court of Appeal, in a majority decision, also rejected her appeal.

Eight killed in five-vehicle crash near toll plaza

news on 30.05.2006

ALOR STAR: Seven members of a family and another person were killed in a horrific accident near the Hutan Kampung toll plaza, near here, yesterday.

The 3.53pm incident occurred after a trailer rammed into a Proton Iswara carrying the family and a Perodua Kancil in front of it.

The family was pinned under the wheels of the trailer as the heavy vehicle crashed into the Kancil, in which the eighth victim was travelling.

Total wreck: The mangled Iswara had to be cut apart to remove the victims.
All eight died on the spot while a six-month-old boy in the Kancil was left in an unconscious state. The child’s mother, the driver of the car, suffered a fractured right leg.

The impact caused the Kancil to crash into an Isuzu Trooper, which, in turn, rammed into another trailer.

All five vehicles were heading towards Bukit Kayu Hitam, at the Malaysian-Thai border.

Mohd Azlan
The incident, which occurred about 200m from the toll plaza, caused a traffic jam for over two hours.

Among the dead were three children, identified as Mohd Afif Alias, six, Nurul Izati Alias, four, and one-year-old Uzma Daniel Syahril.

They were travelling with their grandfather Ilias Salleh, 54, and three of his children: Suraya Ilias, 32, Mohd Azlan Ilias, 31, and Sawiyah Ilias, 27.

Suraya.
The victim in the Kancil was identified as Wan Rohani Wan Ibrahim, 54, who was travelling with her daughter Umi Syakila Sobri, 23, and grandson six-month-old Mohd Aris Irfan.

The driver and two passengers in the Isuzu escaped unharmed.

Rescuers took 90 minutes to extricate the bodies of the victims from the mangled Iswara.

Ilias and his family, from Kampung Baru in Tasek Gelugor, near Butterworth, were believed to be going to a relative’s house in Changlun.

Wan Rohani and her daughter were on their way home to Kampung Lubok Batu in Wang Tepus, Jitra, after visiting a relative who had delivered a baby at the Alor Star Hospital.

Kota Setar OCPD Asst Comm Zainal Abidin Kasim said the driver of the trailer had lodged a report and told police he could not stop his vehicle in time.

Media told not to speculate on events in woman’s death

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have appealed to the media to stop speculating on events leading to the death of 51-year-old Yek Yow Ngan who was said to have been pursued by a group of men with parangs and iron rods.

Subang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Zainal Rashid said that the speculations could hamper investigations.

Yek: Said to have been pursued by a group of men with parangs and iron rods
“A lot has been reported in the last two days. It is best if the police were left to complete their investigations,” he said yesterday.

ACP Zainal denied reports that police had identified five suspects in the incident.

“We have neither identified anyone nor have we detained anyone,” he said, adding that police were investigating the case from all angles, including accident and robbery.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee called upon the public to be more alert and immediately lodge a report after an accident.

“They must have the telephone numbers of police stations so that they can contact the police in case they are trailed by suspicious characters after an accident,” he said.

Yow Ngan died at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital after being involved in a road accident in Puchong. Her son, Yek Yeong Hon, said that she had been pursued by a gang of men with parangs and iron rods.

He claimed the group had earlier smashed his mother's car front and back windscreens.

Yeong Hon insisted yesterday that Assunta Hospital had demanded a RM10,000 deposit from him before his mother could be treated.

The hospital issued a statement on Monday stating that it had given Yow Ngan all the medical attention she needed and had never demanded any deposit for her treatment.

Yeong Hon also said he did not ask for his mother’s transfer to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

When contacted, a spokesman said Assunta Hospital would stand by its original statement.

Yow Ngan will be cremated at the Nirvana Memorial Park in Semenyih at 2pm today.

Many unaware of vacancies for teachers

UNITED Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong) has refuted an Education Ministry claim that no Chinese applied for the position of temporary teacher at Chinese schools, reported China Press.

The daily quoted Jiao Zong president Ong Chiow Chuan as saying that the statement was not true as many prospective candidates were not aware of available vacancies as the ministry only placed recruitment advertisements in Malay newspapers.

“How are these people going to apply for the posts when they are not aware of the recruitment campaign?”

He said some teachers at Chinese schools, who were sent for training from December to March to prepare them to be counsellors, found out on their return that they had been replaced by Malay teachers who did not understand Chinese.

“Jiao Zong opposes this unreasonable move as Malay teachers, who cannot understand Chinese, do not have what it takes to counsel students at Chinese schools,” he said.

He added that the department had not considered the real needs of Chinese schools when it made such a move.

> Sin Chew Daily reported that Singapore-based Malaysian actor Christopher Lee Meng Soon had dropped his appeal against a four-week jail term and had begun serving his sentence.

The 35-year-old had been sentenced to jail , a fine of S$4,500 (RM10,350) and a three-year driving ban on May 10 for drink-driving and hit-and-run offences.

Lee was involved in an accident on Oct 8 after his car sideswiped a motorcycle.

Customs officer transferred to desk duty after allegations

news on 29.05.2007

JOHOR BARU: A Customs Dept supervisor implicated in the case where receipts were not issued for the payment of import duties has been transferred to desk duties and will no longer have dealings with the public.

State customs director Datuk Halimah Salleh said the transfer was effective Tuesday following the department's initial investigation.

"We want our officers to know that we do not condone such actions," she said, adding that the officer was only posted to the Second Link two months ago.

Recently Dr Muhammad Ghazie Ismail, the former senior vice-president of Multimedia Development Corporation, had told an Internet news portal that Customs staff at the Second Link in Johor had solicited a bribe from him for a Sony PSP portable videogame console he bought in Singapore.

Dr Muhammad Ghazie claimed he was told that he had to pay duty amounting to 30% of the purchase price.

He said he was told to pay RM50 and when he asked for a receipt, the staff said for one to be issued, he would have to pay RM100. (Duty amounted to RM244 or 30% of the purchase price.)
He asked if the duty could be waived as the videogame console was meant as a present for his son.

The staff took him to an officer who affirmed that for RM50, no receipt would be issued. He left with disgust.

Why this staff is not being fired and penalized in the court of law? Instead putting back this officer to another department?　Ｗhat you think our government is now? I think our government is a stupid government

Push for RM900 minimum wage ruling for private sector

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) will first use the soft approach in urging the Government to enforce a national minimum monthly wage of RM900 in the private sector.

If that fails, the congress will start holding pickets at strategic locations before calling for a one-day nationwide strike.

President Syed Shahrir Syed Mohamud said that the minimum wage scheme was needed to eradicate poverty in the country.

“Millions of private sector workers still earn RM400 to RM500 per month and can barely cope with the rising cost of living.

“We want the private sector to emulate the Government in terms of ensuring that workers' basic salaries are not below the poverty income level (of RM691 per month),” he said,

Syed Shahrir said that the MTUC's general council which met last week decided to send a memorandum to this effect to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on June 20.

The MTUC is also demanding that employers pay an additional RM300 as cost of living allowance (Cola) above the RM900 minimum wage for every private sector worker.

“The payment of Cola is not something new. It was introduced in the mid-70s when the cost of living escalated and caused hardship to the people due to high global crude oil prices then,” he said.

Similarly, the high fuel prices and increasing cost of goods and services over the past few years have posed tremendous hardship to the people, especially those in the lower income bracket, he said.

Syed Shahrir said that thousands of union leaders and workers from all over the country were expected to gather in Putrajaya to submit the memorandum to the Prime Minister.

He said that there would be protests at strategic locations if there was no positive feedback from the Government on the memorandum.

“We also plan a one-day nationwide strike if the Government continues to ignore our memorandum.”

Four pirates face billion-ringgit fine

PENANG: Four people, including two Indonesian women, caught with 60,000 pirated VCDs and DVDs are liable to face a whopping RM1.2bil fine under the Copyright Act 1987.

The pirated discs, worth RM360,000, were seized from them in raid in Batu Ferringhi on Monday.

State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement chief M. Gunaselan said an offender could be fined up to RM20,000 and jailed five years for each infringed copy under the Act, if convicted.

“We will push for the maximum fine and jail when the four, aged between 25 and 36, are charged upon the completion of our investigations.

“This will help movie and music pirates to put a stop to their activities,” he said when contacted Tuesday.

Gunaselan said the some of the DVDs with the standard identification (SID) codes erased would be sent to the chemist department for forensic checks to determine the licensed manufacturers that produced the discs.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid said a commercial crime team arrested the two men and two women inside a house at 1.45pm in Batu Ferringhi.

“The team recovered a total of 37,716 DVDs and VCDs from the premises. They later raided another house nearby and recovered a further 21,785 DVDs.

“The discs were meant to be sold to tourists and locals in the Batu Feringghi tourist belt which is a popular area for pirated goods, such as bags and apparel,” he said.

ACP Azam said the discs and suspects were handed over to the ministry’s enforcement unit for further investigation, adding that their operations against these movie pirates were ongoing.

where is the people that bribe you and pay you millions in a year? Why don your department hand these guys instead? claiming billions from a poor lady? I think the Malaysia government got serious mental problem or maybe poor staff