MALAYSIA TABLES 6 BILLS TO FIGHT TERRORISM

KUALA LUMPUR - The Government has tabled six bills to deal with the growing domestic and international threat of terrorism.
Two of the six bills, the Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2015 (POTA) and the Special Measures Against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Bill 2015, were tabled for their first readings while the rest are amendments to existing laws including the Penal Code and Prevention of Crime and Security Offences (Special Measures) Act.

The Prevention of Terrorism Bill 2015 was tabled for first reading on Monday following the tabling of a White Paper on tackling the Islamic State's threat by the Prime Minister on Nov 26 last year.

Among other provisions, the Bill enables a person who has been engaged in terrorist acts to be detained for up to two years in the interest of Malaysia's security after a detention order is issued.

The Bill also paves way for a Prevention of Terrorism Board to be established.

The Special Measures Against Terrorism in Foreign Countries Bill, meanwhile, seeks to provide special measures to deal with anyone who engages in activities involving listed terrorist organisations in a foreign country.

Source: AsiaOne

TINTED LIQUOR KILLS 7 IN INDONESIA

 
PALEMBANG, Sumatra, Indonesia - At least seven people died after drinking contaminated alcohol in an Indonesian Sumatran town, reports said.

The victims fell ill last week after drinking liquor allegedly mixed with energy drinks and mosquito repellent in Kota Prabumulih on Sumatra island, the Kompas daily cited local police as saying.

Dozens of Indonesians die every year after consuming home-brewed drinks, often adulterated with a variety of toxic substances to increase their potency.

Source: Agency

PROTESTERS SHARE LIGHT MOMENT WITH DETAINED OPPOSITION LEADERS IN IN KUALA LUMPUR POLICE HQ

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Protesters at the #KitaLawan rally shared a light moment in front of the Dang Wangi police headquarters when they were greeted by waving Opposition leaders currently detained there.
PKR vice president Tian Chua and PAS deputy president Mat Sabu peeked out the window several levels up at the police building and waved slowly as the group of protesters marched through Jalan Dang Wangi.
Also present were Simpang Pulai ADUN Tan Kar Hing and Teja ADUN Chan Lih Kang, who were detained during a sit in protest in Dataran Merdeka on Friday morning.
The waving MPs and ADUNs immediately caught the attention of the singing crowd, who cheered loudly and waved back, shouting "Reformasi" and "Bebas, bebas". 
On Friday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar threw down the gauntlet, saying that the pro-Opposition rally will not be allowed to assemble anywhere.
He hinted at massive crackdowns should they continue. 

Khalid said police were not against assembly or protests, but added that the group had "crossed the line" and was disrupting the peace and surrounding businesses.

• However, the protesters moved ahead onto Jalan Tun Razak without incident. 
• Police presence at the fringes of the crowd were limited and directed at stopping traffic at busy junctions as the protesters moved through.

The protest has been staged weekly since February, after Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to five years in jail by the Federal Court for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
Since then, the police have launched a dragnet of arrests on Opposition leaders involved in the rallies - including Opposition members of Parliament, state assemblymen and human rights activists.

Those arrested include PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli, PKR vice-president Tian Chua, PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and DAP Socialist Youth chairman Teo Kok Seong.
Other arrested politicians and activists are Simpang Pulai ADUN Tan Kar Hing, Teja ADUN Chan Lih Kang, activist Hishammuddin Rais, PKR Kelana Jaya Youth chief Saifullah Zulkifli, PAS Youth treasurer Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mohd Mokhtar and Jingga 

13 coordinator Fariz Musa.

Source: The Star

TO CURB THE THREAT OF JIHADISTS AND YEMEN REBELS, ARAB LEAGUE AGREES TO CREATE JOINT MILITARY FORCE

The heads of Arab League countries meeting in Egypt have agreed to create a joint Arab military force.

The League has been meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh amid a crisis in Yemen and the threat of jihadists who have made major gains in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

However, establishing the make-up and remit of the force could take months, analysts say.

A 10-nation, Saudi-led coalition is currently carrying out air strikes against rebels in Yemen.

The strikes are in support of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled after gains by the Shia Houthi rebels.

Correspondents have described the conflict as a proxy war between Sunni Arab nations and Shia Iran.

Source: BBC...More...

ALBAMA POLICEMAN INDICTED FOR HURTING AN INDIAN

WASHINGTON: A US grand jury has indicted an Alabama police officer, captured on video throwing an Indian man to the ground, on a civil rights charge stemming from the use of unreasonable force, federal prosecutors said on Friday. 

Eric Parker, 26, then an officer with the Madison Police Department, was seen on video recorded from inside a patrol car on February 6 throwing Sureshbhai Patel, 57, to the ground after attempting to question him. 

Patel, who speaks no English and moved to northern Alabama from India about two weeks before the incident to help his son’s family care for a young child. He was badly injured, said his lawyer Henry Sherrod. 

Sherrod applauded the one-count indictment handed down late on Thursday, which charges that Parker acted under the colour of law to deny Patel’s civil rights, and which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
In the following video footage a Madison police officer throws Sureshbhai Patel the ground paralyzing him. The officer was arrested  and was fired from the force following the violent confrontation.

Source: Agency

HUDUD LAW CAN HELP GOV’T SAVE MONEY?

KUALA LUMPUR: The Pan Malaysia Islamic Party(PAS) Ulama Council has expressed confidence that the enforcement of Islamic criminal laws will result in a reduction of crime and thereby help the government save some of the money it spends on prisoners.

In a statement published by Harakah Daily today, the council’s information chief, Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, compared Malaysia’s crime rate with that of Saudi Arabia, where hudud is in force. 

He noted that there were 63,221 criminal cases in Malaysia between January and May 2012. In Saudi Arabia, there were 2,699 cases for the entire year.

He also noted a statement by the Director of the Prisons Department, Zulkifli Omar, that the government spends RM35 per day on a prisoner.

Among the inmates in Malaysian prisons in 2013, a total of 6,796 were repeat offenders and out of this figure 5,533 were involved in crimes punishable under hudud.

If hudud were to result in criminals not repeating their offences, Khairuddin figured that the government could save much of the RM5.8 million it spends every month on the repeat criminal offenders. 

He acknowledged, however, that he was assuming that most of the 5,533 were Muslims.

“We should admit that we really need a new law that can protect us from the threat of crime,” he said.

He quoted police statistics showing violent crimes rising from 14,811 cases in 2012 to 15,098 in 2013.

“Violent crimes and crimes against property are becoming rampant in our society,” he said. “Therefore, it would be appropriate to accept Islamic criminal law as the new criminal law in our country.”

Khairuddin pointed out that Islamic criminal law was in force in the nine Malay states before the Malayan Federation was formed.

“The fact is that Islamic criminal law is not foreign to Malaysians. It has been enforced before and it will be enforced again, God willing,” he said.

Source: Free Malaysia Today

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE TRULY MALAYSIAN?

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia -  A heartwarming story posted on Facebook about a Chinese, Malay, and Indian drew praise and garnered many ‘likes’ from the Facebook community for reminding them what it means to be Malaysian.
Balamuraly Doraisamy related on the social media website his encounter at a coffee shop which he frequented during tea time.
As he sat down to place his order, he saw a Chinese man wolfing down four packets of nasi lemak as if he had not eaten for days. 
After the starving man had wiped out his fourth packet of nasi lemak, the shop owner offered him an additional packet of Kuey Teow which the man eagerly accepted and devoured.
On seeing this, Balamuraly decided to pay for the hungry man’s bill but was informed by the shop owner that it had already been settled. 
All that was left to pay was the Kuey Teow, which the shop owner had decided to put on his own tab.

• “Anyway, the best part of this is, the poor man is a Chinese, the generous shop owner is a Malay and I am an Indian,” wrote Balamuraly.
• He added that there were still many among us who understood the true meaning of what it means to be Malaysian.
• He said that instead of bickering and politicising the dengue and “bantuan banjir” (flood relief efforts) issue, we should be more concerned about helping needy people, no matter what their race.
• “I am proud to be Malaysian. Truly Malaysian,” concluded Balamuraly.
• To which, Facebook fan Arun Pillai replied, “Lovely Sir! Happens only in Malaysia!”, while Nurul Aini, responded that she was proud to be Facebook friends with Balamuraly.

A number commented on how Balamuraly’s story had made their day, while others came forward to say they were proud to be Malaysian too.
There were no negative comments, as everyone unanimously agreed that racism was not a Malaysian trait.
“Have Faith in True Malaysians”, wrote Ashraf Shamshiri.

Source: FMT

GUSTY ELDERLY WOMAN DRAG 15 M ON ROAD BY SNATCH THIEVES

PETALING JAYA, Malaysia — A 76-year-old woman was dragged on the road for 15 metres during an attempted snatch theft  in front of onlookers here yesterday.

The 45-second video of the incident that occurred in broad daylight was caught on a dashboard camera of a car.

Two suspects were arrested hours later.

Residents told Malay Mail they were shocked that a snatch theft could occur in a heavily congested street in Taman Paramount.

The attack on the senior citizen brought back memories of Tan Kim Chuan, 60, who died after she hit her head and was dragged a few metres in a similar incident in George Town, Penang in 2012.

A 37-year-old man is serving a 15-year jail term for causing Tan’s death.

The elderly have become easy targets of snatch thieves, mainly because they do not put up a struggle. But in this case, gutsy Seow Wah Yin, never let go of her handbag.

The former Malaysian Meteorological Department officer survived the incident with light injuries to her body and received treatment at a nearby clinic.

Seow was waiting to cross the busy road at about 10.20am when two youths  on a motorcycle closed in on her.

Source: Malay Mail...More...

SCAFFOLDING COLLAPSED IN CENTRAL VIETNAM, KILLING 14

HANOI, Vietnam – At least 14 people were killed and 28 others were injured when scaffolding collapsed at a construction site in central Vietnam.

The deputy police chief in Ha Tinh province, Bui Dinh Quang, said Thursday that all the victims were Vietnamese subcontractors hired to work on a seaport breakwater project.

He said it was not known if any other workers were trapped in the rubble. Police and rescue workers are still searching through the rubble from the Wednesday night accident.

Dinh Ninh Dan, 27, one of the survivors, said the workers were cleaning a frame for a giant concrete block for the breakwater when the scaffolding collapsed. There were more than 40 workers on the scaffolding at the time of the accident.

• He said nearly an hour after they started work the scaffolding shook twice and many workers panicked and began running to an elevator before someone said there was no problem.

• “After 10 more minutes, the scaffolding which was about 20 meters (65 feet) high, suddenly collapsed. I quickly grabbed an iron bar but fell free,” Dan told The Associated Press by telephone from Ky Anh General Hospital in Ha Tinh province where he was being treated for hip pain along with eight others who suffered lesser injuries.

• “People were screaming, calling for help from the rubble,” said Dan. “I was very lucky to survive.”

Dr. Hoang Song Hao of Ha Tinh General Hospital said 19 workers were being treated, 15 with serious injuries.

The Son Duong seaport is part of the Vung Ang economic zone where Taiwan’s Formosa Plastics Corp. is building a multi-billion dollar steel complex.

The site was the scene of an anti-China protest last May where three Chinese nationals were killed following China’s deployment of an oil rig in disputed waters in the South China Sea.

Source: – AP

SHOCKING VIDEO SHOWS MOTORIST PULLED FROM CAR BEATEN BY POLICE

INKSTER, MI, USA - A pastor leading a protest on Wednesday outside a Detroit-area police department threatened to shut down the city until two white officers are fired for the bloody arrest of a black man who was pulled from his car and repeatedly punched in the head. 

The march in Inkster came a day after television station WDIV aired police video of the January arrest of Floyd Dent, 57. 

The video shows an officer punching Dent many times in the head while another officer tries to handcuff the motorist who is on the ground. 

Dent’s head and shirt are bloody. “I’m lucky to be living. I think they was trying to kill me, especially when they had choked me,” Dent told WDIV. 

"I mean, I was on my last breath. I kept telling the officer, "Please, I can’t breathe."

Police treatment of black men has become a major issue in the US in the aftermath of killings in Ferguson, Missouri, and in New York City. Inkster, population 25,000, is 73% black.

Source: AP

MALAYSIAN PENANG’S FIRST MAYOR A WOMAN

 

GEORGE TOWN - Penang will have a woman as its first mayor after regaining its city status.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had on March 10 proclaimed the declaration of the new status for the Penang Municipal Council (MPPP) effective Jan 1 this year.

He said the MPPP would now be known as the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) with Datuk Patahiyah Ismail as mayor.

"It's historical that George Town is finally able to regain its city status," he said at his Komtar office yesterday.

George Town was the first town in the country to be given city status by way of a Royal Charter by Queen Elizabeth II on Jan 1, 1957.

But when the George Town City Council was merged with the Penang Rural District Council to form a local government ­management board in 1974, it lost that status.

When the Local Government Act 1976 was enforced two years later, the local government management board was replaced with MPPP.

Talks to upgrade George Town's status started in 2001 under the then Barisan Nasional adminis­tration before a formal application was submitted by the Pakatan Rakyat state government in 2010.

The Cabinet approved the application on Nov 7.

Lim said the new city council would be covering a larger area, from 297 sq km to 305.773 sq km, adding that the number of personnel would also increase by 388 from the current 3,576.

Patahiyah will be sworn in at 10am on March 31 at the official residence of the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas in Jalan Utama.

Patahiyah was also the first woman to be appointed council president - as head of the Penang Municipal Council - in 2010.

Source: Asia One

PRESIDENT FLEES AS YEMEN COLLAPSES

SANAA, Yemen — Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi(photo) fled the country by sea Wednesday on a boat from Aden, as Shiite rebels and their allies advanced on the southern port city where he had taken refuge, captured his defense minister and seized the city's airport. 

Hadi's departure marks a dramatic turn in Yemen's turmoil and means a decisive collapse of what was left of his rule, which the United States and Gulf allies had hoped could stabilize the chronically chaotic nation and fight al-Qaida's branch here after the 2011 ouster of longtime autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh. 

Over the past year, the Shiite rebels known as Houthis, who are believed to be supported by Iran, have battled their way out of their northern strongholds, overwhelmed the capital, Sanaa, seized province after province in the north and worked their way south. 

Their advance has been boosted by units of the military and security forces that remained loyal to Saleh, who allied with the rebels. 

With Hadi gone, there remains resistance to the Houthis scattered around the country, whether from Sunni tribesmen, local militias, pro-Hadi military units or al-Qaida fighters.
Hadi and his aides left Aden after 3:30 p.m. on two boats, security and port officials told The Associated Press. 
The officials would not specify his destination. 

Source: huffington post(AP)...More...

GERMANWINGS BUDGET PLANE CRASH, ALL 148 ON BOARD FEARED DEAD

MARSEILLE, France –  An Airbus operated by Lufthansa’s Germanwings budget airline crashed in southern France on Tuesday and all 148 on board were feared dead. 

French President Francois Hollande said he believed none of those on board had survived. 

He said there was likely to be a significant number of Germans on the flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf. 

He added: “The accident happened in a zone that is particularly hard to access.” 
A spokesman for France’s DGAC aviation authority said the airliner crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.
A statement from the prime minister’s office said the crash happened in Meolans-Revel, a remote and sparsely inhabited commune in the foothills of the French Alps. 
The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net 

Source:– Reuters

PIG FARMS IN MALAYSIA HAVE UNTIL 2018 TO COMPLY WITH RULES OR BE SHUT DOWN?

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -  Pig farms that do not comply with modern pig farming standards by 2018 will be shut down, warned Deputy Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman.

He said he hoped pig farmers would cooperate with the Government as sufficient notice has been given for them to take measures to adhere to the standards which required farms to be enclosed and are prohibited from polluting the environment.

"I hope politicians from both sides of the divide will not give excuses for pig farmers who still do not comply by three years from now," he said during question time at Parliament on Tuesday.

Tajuddin (BN - Pasir Salak) said the ministry was aware of public concerns and have put in place action plans to make pig farms environment and public friendly.

• He said the ministry encouraged pig farmers to pull their resources together to invest in building facilities for modern pig farming.

• "It is good business and we encourage pig farmers to carry on with it. In Malaysia, we respect each other despite our different beliefs," he said.

Source: The Star

DEPARTMENT OF ISLAMIC DEVELOPMENT MALAYSIA DECLARES BOOK ON LEE KUAN YEW ILLICIT?

Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going, a collection of Lee Kuan Yew interviews published in January, was included in a list of 15 books declared haram(illicit) by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).
Jakim’s planning and research division confirmed the decision was made when its committee on the censorship of publications with Islamic elements met in October.
However, both the division’s director and Jakim director general Datuk Othman Mustapha have not responded to queries by The Malaysian Insider on why the decision was made nine months after the book hit the shelves in Malaysia.

• According to procedure, the list of books declared haram is sent to the home ministry for further action but it is unclear if the home ministry has followed suit and banned the books. 
• Othman’s predecessor Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz had said in February that Lee was unsuccessful in developing the mindset of the Singaporean public because he was “still influenced by the landscape of the 1960s which were full of prejudice and presumptions against Muslims.” 
• Lee, who served in Singapore’s Cabinet as PM, senior minister and minister mentor for 52 years before retiring in May, said in the book that Muslims in Singapore were socially “distinct and separate” and should “be less strict on Islamic observances” to aid integration and the city-state’s nation-building process. 
• It led to uproar from Malay and Muslims groups on both sides of the Causeway with his old rival and former Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad accusing Lee of having no respect for religion.

Lee later retracted his statement in March ahead of general elections in the island which has a 15 per cent Malay-Muslim population. 

His son Lee Hsien Loong(photo) led the ruling People’s Action Party to its worst ever performance in this year's Singapore general election, gaining just 60 per cent of popular support.
Lee, 88, admitted last month he has been suffering from a nerve illness for the past two years which prevents him from walking steadily. 
Other books in the haram list include Sebongkah Batu Di Kuala Berang by Faisal Tehrani, Mengenal Diri: Ilmu Peninggalan Tok Kenali by Mohd Yusof Che Wook and The Teachings of the Quran by H. U. Weitbrecht Stanton.

 

Source: The Malaysian Insider