Missing MH370: How can a jet disappear?

KUALA LUMPUR - In an age when people assume that any bit of information is just a click away, the thought that a jetliner could simply disappear over the ocean for more than two days is staggering.

But Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is hardly the first reminder of how big the seas are, and of how agonising it can be to try to find something lost in them.

It took two years to find the main wreckage of an Air France jet that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. Closer to the area between Malaysia and Vietnam where Saturday’s flight vanished, it took a week for debris from an Indonesian jet to be spotted in 2007.

Today, the mostly intact fuselage still sits on the bottom of the ocean.

Missing MH370: Thai police doubt terror link to stolen passports

Italian Luigi Maraldi (pic) whose passport was stolen
made a police report in Thailand

BANGKOK - Thai police suspect two men travelling on stolen passports on a Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared on Saturday were not involved in terrorism but instead evidence was suggesting they could have been asylum seekers.

Interpol confirmed on Sunday that at least two passengers on the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing used passports stolen in Thailand within the last two years leading to speculation that the plane had been attacked.

Thai police and foreign police investigators have been questioning two travel agents in the resort city of Pattaya, where the tickets were bought for the two men who boarded the flight using the stolen passports.

"We haven't ruled it out but the weight of evidence we're getting swings against the idea that these men are or were involved in terrorism," Pattaya chief of police Supachai Puikaewcome told Reuters on Tuesday.

Karpal fined RM4,000 for seditious remark

KUALA LUMPUR - The High Court today fined DAP chairman and lawyer Karpal Singh RM4,000 committing sedition against the Sultan of Perak in 2009.

Judge Datuk Paduka Azman Abdullah handed down the sentence after taking into account mitigation plea from Karpal's counsel Gobind Singh Deo and arguments for deterrent sentence by deputy public prosecutor Noorin Badaruddin.

Under the Federal Constitution, an MP is disqualified if he is fined more than RM2,000 or sentenced to jail of more than a year.

Karpal was also represented by counsel Sangeet Kaur Deo and Ram Karpal Singh.

Missing MH370: "Yellow floating object" not plane life raft - reports

The object has been identified as a moss-covered cap of a cable reel

KUALA LUMPUR - Vietnam's civil aviation body said they had retrieved a "yellow floating object," but it was not a plane life raft, reports AFP.

Civil Aviation Department (DCA) head Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said two ships had been dispatched to investigate the sighting of the "floating object" that could be a life raft, as it the hunt for the missing MH370 airplane continues.

Missing MH370: Identified man with stolen passport, say Malaysian cops

CNN-IBN reports that the Malaysian Police has identified one of the persons who boarded the ill fated MH70 flight with a stolen passport. However the police are tight lipped about the details of the passenger for now and haven't listed his nationality but clarified that he wasn't Malaysian.

Missing MH370: Oil slick not from plane, says MMEA

PASIR PUTEH - Tests on a sample of the oil slick found off the Kelantan coast reveal that it was not from the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) eastern region enforcement chief Datuk Nasir Adam revealed test results showed that it was bunkering activities.

"This is information I received from Kuala Lumpur. The oil slick is from bunkering activities and not from an aircraft," said Nasir at the MMEA's base in Tok Bali here on Monday.

Officials at the MH370 operation coordinating centre in Sepang said this was confirmed by the Chemistry Department.

On Sunday, MMEA's search team found a "yellowish" oil slick about 10 miles (16km) long, some 20 nautical miles (37km) south of the last point of contact of MH370.

Missing MH370: Search teams scramble helicopters and ships to investigate sighting of 'possible life raft'

Authorities searching the missing Malaysia Airlines jet have scrambled rescue helicopters and boats after the unconfirmed sighting of what could be a life raft from the plane.

The crew from a Vietnamese jet reported seeing a "yellow object" floating in the sea around 250 miles off the country’s southern coast, but were unable to get close enough to describe it in any more detail, the Vietnamese transport minister said.

Missing MH370: MH370 hijacked?

Is there a possibility the flight was under threat by a third party within the plane? Was it a hijack that went horrifically wrong?

If it was indeed highjacked mid-air upon reaching the ‘hand-over’ to the Vietnamese air control authorities, the hijackers could have taken control of the flight, thus the abrupt cut in communication. They could have disengaged all systems, paralysing radio tracking and radar detection.

For a plane to nose dive from 35,000 feet at cruising speed, takes time. It does not happen in a split second and there will definitely be sufficient time to relay a distress signal.

Missing MH370: 'Radar data can tell if plane blew up'

A veteran military and commercial pilot said today that with radar and transponder information alone, investigators should be able to tell if missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 blew up in mid-air.

Missing MH370: 'Mystified' why no jet debris found

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia said Monday there is still no trace of wreckage from a jet that vanished with 239 people on board, deepening the anguish of relatives two days after the "mystifying" disappearance.

A potential breakthrough emerged Sunday when an aircraft scouring waters off southern Vietnam - part of an international search and rescue effort - spotted two objects authorities said could be debris from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

But Malaysian authorities said there was no confirmation they came from the Boeing 777 which slipped off radar screens early on Saturday, an hour after leaving Kuala Lumpur bound for Beijing.

"Unfortunately ladies and gentleman, we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft itself," said Malaysia's civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.

Missing MH370: Man claims possible sighting of MH370 airliner

KELANTAN - A businessman in Ketereh claimed that he saw a bright white light, believed to be of an aircraft, descending at high speed towards the South China Sea about 1.45am on the day flight MH370 went missing.

Alif Fathi Abdul Hadi, 29, told the New Straits Times what he saw after lodging a report with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) in Tok Bali earlier today.

Alif said he was in the compound of his home when he saw the bright white light, which he described as similar to the ones used by airplanes during night flights.

Missing MH370: Mysterious flight: Malaysia launches terror probe over vanished jet

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia on Sunday launched a terror probe into the disappearance of a passenger jet carrying 239 people, investigating suspect passengers who boarded with stolen passports, as relatives begged for news of their loved ones.

Missing MH370: Plane-Debris Hunters Seek Suspected Aircraft Window Part

Vietnamese forces looking for a missing Malaysian Airline System Bhd. (MAS) aircraft said they were searching for a suspected window or door fragment spotted from the air, as efforts to learn the plane’s fate extended to scrutiny of security images of two passengers using stolen passports.

Missing MH370: Malaysia Airlines shares down by 10pc over missing jet

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia Airlines shares lost 10 percent on Monday, the first trading day since the company was rocked by the weekend disappearance of a passenger jet with 239 people aboard.

Missing MH370: Vietnam says cannot find object thought to be missing Malaysia Airlines jet door

Kuala Lumpur -  A Vietnamese official says searchers on ships worked throughout the night but could not find a rectangle object spotted on Sunday afternoon that was thought to be one of the doors of a missing Boeing 777.

Missing MH370: Duo with stolen passports never planned return, ticket info shows

KUALA LUMPUR - One-way tickets were purchased by the two passengers who boarded the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with stolen passports, authorities revealed as more law enforcement agencies study the possibility of foul play in the disappearance.

Missing MH370: Suspected aircraft fragments found, says Vietnam ministry

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

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

Missing MH370: Terror fear over four mystery passengers on missing plane MH370

Air safety experts investigate whether terrorism was behind the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight which vanished over the South China Sea

Air safety experts are investigating whether an airliner that mysteriously vanished in the Far East could have been the target of a terrorist attack.

More than twenty-four hours after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared over the South China Sea, the only clue to the fate of its 239 passengers and crew was the revelation that the identities of four people on board, including two using stolen passports, were being investigated.

The disclosure raised fears that terrorists could have used false passports to board the craft, which vanished with no prior signals of trouble to air traffic controllers.

Stolen passport holders bought ticket together adds to mystery

Two people who traveled on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight under the passports of an Italian and an Austrian citizen appear to have bought their tickets together, a media report said today.

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

Interference, static, mumbling and then silence: Last moments of Flight MH370 revealed

Royal Malaysian Air Force chief Rodzali Daud said: "We realised there is a possibility the aircraft did make a turnback."

A pilot claims to have made contact with Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 shortly before it went missing - but all he heard was interference, static and mumbling

In an interview with a Malaysian newspaper, the man said he got in touch with the plane via his emergency frequency at the request of Vietnamese aviation authorities, who had been unable to reach it as expected.

Missing plane highlights Phuket's stolen passport trade

Investigations into the stolen passports of two passengers listed on missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 have swung to the Thai resort island of Phuket, where there is a thriving stolen passport racket.

Police in Malaysia have also viewed CCTV footage of the passengers on the flight, specifically looking for images of two men listed as Italian Luigi Maraldi and Austrian Christian Kozel.

New possible sighting of debris at sea of missing Malaysian Airlines flight

Photographs purporting to show debris in the sea in the area where the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 lost contact have been posted on Chinese social media.

The pictures, supposedly taken by a Chinese passenger on board another MA flight from Beijing which landed safely in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning, shows what appears to be fragmented debris floating on waters about 90 minutes out to sea from the Malaysian capital.

The poster, whose profile information says he is a banker working for China Minsheng Bank in Beijing, wrote that he took the snaps from his window at a height of 11,000 metres, at about 6.45am on Sunday.

Possible scenarios of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

It's clear now that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777-200ER, hasn't landed on some remote strip and hope is all but lost.

While most of the flight's route was overland, it seems to have gone down in the South China Sea at what should be the safest point in the flight--when it should have been at cruising speed on autopilot at 35,000 feet.

While we can only speculate on what happened at this point of time, what does seem clear is that whatever happened was very sudden and catastrophic, leaving no time for the crew to react or even send a mayday call.

Typically, this would most likely be a sudden structural failure that breaks the aircraft up.

Vietnamese air force searching suspected crash site of MH370

Vietnamese air force planes have sighted two large oil slicks stretching for 15 – 20 km in the sea  near Tho Chu Island, Vietnam on Saturday afternoon. It is suspected that they are related to the missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing-777 aircraft.

At 4:25pm (Vietnam time), an AN 26 aircraft found a large oil spill in the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam. The aircraft later discovered another oil spill about 150 km from Tho Chu Island. The Vietnamese authorities have informed both Singapore and Malaysia about the oil spills for further verification.

So far, the search and rescue agencies of both Singapore and Malaysia report that they have found no traces of the crashed plane.

Fed up being treated second class by Malaya, Is DAP Sarawak mulling to form new party?

SUPP claims its rival, DAP Sarawak is fed up with being treated as second class by their Malayan officials.

KUCHING: Is DAP Sarawak preparing to ‘severe’ its umblical cord with its national parent and form a state based party?

Its rival Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) claims that such plans are afoot and is a reaction to calls to “ban” Malayan-based political parties from the state.

In a statement yesterday, SUPP Youth wing claimed that DAP Sarawak had been “dealt a raw deal” in terms of representation in the national DAP central working committee (CWC).

MAS flight crashed, says Viet Navy

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

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

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

US concern as Malaysia overturns Anwar’s sodomy acquittal

The United States yesterday voiced concern over what it says are politically motivated charges brought against Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, urging Malaysia to ensure fairness and transparency.

In a long-running case which stretches back to the late 1990s, the Malaysian Court of Appeals yesterday overturned Anwar's acquittal on sodomy laws and sentenced him to five years in jail. He was freed pending appeal.

MAS plane missing, feared crashed near Vietnam

Malaysia Airlines said Malaysian and Chinese authorities are still confirming speculation that flight MH370, that went missing this morning, has landed in an airport purportedly in China.

"This is speculation we have to confirm. The authorities are working hard to confirm, both the Malaysian and Chinese authorities. There has been no confirmation," MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told media.

MH370, which departed from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12.40 this morning en route to Beijing, went off the radar at 2.40am.

Anwar found guilty: Court allows appeal

PUTRAJAYA - The Court of Appeal today allowed an appeal by the prosecution against Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy acquittal by the High Court in 2012.

The court made the unanimous ruling today after hearing submissions from both the prosecution and the defence team yesterday and today.

The three-man Court of Appeal panel was chaired by Justice Balia Yusof Wahi with Justices Aziah Ali and Mohd Zawawi Salleh.

The decision was announced in the court after the judges had deliberated for about an hour and a half.

Anwar sodomy appeal: Guilty

PUTRAJAYA - The Court of Appeal found Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim guilty of sodomising his former aide in 2008.

The three-man panel allowed the prosecution's appeal against a 2012 High Court decision that acquitted Anwar of the charge.

Earlier, the court heard that the DNA profile of a third party was found in Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's anus despite his claim of not being a homosexual.

Anwar's co-counsel Ramkarpal Singh submitted that the prosecution had failed to explain the source of the contributor of the third DNA in the "intimate samples" during the Opposition leader's sodomy trial.

Khalid told Sultan he wanted to remain menteri besar

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today admitted that he met with Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah about his stand on holding onto his position.

Khalid's admission confirms earlier reports that he had met with the Sultan of Selangor after receiving a letter from PKR on his resignation early last month.

He said that he had explained his stand not to relinquish the post to the executive council.

"I have informed the Sultan and the exco of my intention," he told a press conference after a meet-the-people session at Dewan Taman Mesra in Kajang.

Anwar sodomy appeal: Third DNA profile found in Saiful's anus?

(Breaking News) PUTRAJAYA - The DNA profile of a third party was found in Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan's anus despite his claim of not being a homosexual, the Court of Appeal heard.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's co-counsel Ramkarpal Singh submitted that the prosecution had failed to explain the source of the contributor of the third DNA in the "intimate samples" during the Opposition leader's sodomy trial.

Translation blunder may have led to Ultraman ban

The use of the word ‘Allah’ in the recently banned ‘Ultraman The Ultra Power’ comic book appears to have been another faux pas involving Google’s web translation service.

A photograph of the Malay version of the comic circulated online last night speculating the book has been banned because it described the character Ultraman King as ‘Allah’.

The original text seems to be an excerpt of an English-language biography for the character Ultraman King (right) that was taken from an Ultraman fanpage.

It describes the character as being “considered to be, and respected as, the ‘God’ or Elder of all Ultra heroes”.

However, Google translates the word ‘God’ into ‘Allah’ when translating from English to Malay.

Instructing Google Translate to translate the first seven sentences in the fan page into Malay yields the exact same words as those in the comic, except that the Japanese characters do not appear in the latter.

Using a rival machine translation service, Bing Translator, yields a similar but slightly different result, but the word ‘Allah’ remains.

Razed schools, eye openers for ministry to look into sorry state of Sabah schools

KOTA KINABALU - “Hopefully, the fires that razed two schools in Kiulu and Beaufort, Sabah recently will open the eyes of the Ministry of Education as to the sorry state of affairs of schools in Sabah” said Jalibin Paidi, STAR Sabah Information Chief commenting on the fires at SK Pekan Kiulu and SK Gadong, Beaufort.

It is very sad that, after 51 years of independence, the schools in Sabah still have dilapidated buildings, unsafe and made of wood.

To make matters worse, many schools in Sabah are difficult to reach by road and many students have to walk as far as 8km a day to go to school, sometimes through jungle paths and crossing rivers.

Pemuda SAPP: Kerajaan harus mematuhi borneonisasi dalam perjanjian malaysia 1963

KOTA KINABALU - "Objektif perhimpunan protes aman pada hari ini diadakan disebabkan ketidak puashatian kami berkenaan kenyataan Pengarah Pendidikan Negeri  Sabah, Datuk Jame Bin Alip dalam surat khabar beberapa hari yang lalu," katanya Brister Mokujal sebagai Naib Ketua Pemuda Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP) Zon Utara.

Beliau mendakwa bahawa dalam kenyataan Pengarah Pendidikan Negeri Sabah mengatakan bahawa pengambilan guru-guru untuk mengajar di sekolah-sekolah di seluruh Sabah bagi sesi Januari dan Febuari seramai 1,380 orang Guru, yang mana 481 (201-SMK, 280-SK) dari jumlah guru tersebut dari Sabah,  34 guru ( SK ) dari Sarawak, manakala 865 (747-SMK, 118-SK) dari Jumlah guru yang diambil, dari Malaya/Semenanjung. Ini bermaksud, hampir  70% pengambilan guru-guru untuk mengajar di sekolah- sekolah di Sabah ini adalah dari MALAYA, satu jumlah yang besar.

Dompok to retire from active politics on March 21

KOTA KINABALU - Saying that the time was “ just right”, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok announced his resignation as United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Organisation (Upko) president.

He said his resignation would take effect on March 21, exactly 20 years to the registration day of the party that he had founded and headed.

“I had given my decision to step down a lot of thought and soul searching,” a calm Dompok told the media at his village in Kampung Inobong in Penampang near here on Wednesday.

He said that it was not easy decision due to the numerous objections from party members after he told the Upko management committee his decision to step at a meeting on Feb 21.

Plight of the landless former Sabah Border Scouts

KENINGAU - Sabah political activist cum journalist, Kanul Gindol, called on Sabah leaders to help solve the plights of these former Border Scouts, saying helping them, especially when they are now old and sick, is the most correct action by a grateful nation called Sabah they once served.

"On being invited by a friend, I did some research on border scouts and that I went to see many of them last week in Keningau, and I just could not understand our Sabah ruling leaders did not have the heart and courage to come up with a decent idea to let these heroes and their families live a decent life.

"Straight away came into my mind that how nice it would be if the country just accedes to these border scouts final request for a mere 45 acres for their families to live on and toil the land and for the remembrance that there once existed our Sabah Border Scout," Kanul said.

Umno should be rejected from Borneo

Never in the history of Malaysia has a head of a state acknowledged that Umno is NOT as good as it advertises itself to be.

Taib Mahmud stepped down as the Chief Minister of Sarawak after holding the reign for 33 long years. He outlasted Dr Mahathir Mohamad, as the Prime Minister of Malaysia, by more than a decade.

His length as CM speaks volumes of the politician who stayed in office longer than any other leaders in Malaysia and his insight into Umno’s character.

It is interesting to note that never in the history of Malaysia has  a head of a state acknowledged that Umno is NOT as good as it advertises itself to be and that Umno should be rejected from Sarawak.

Sabah for Sabahan

Letter to the Editor

Before you send me to Kamunting, realize I am not advocating Sabah leaving Malaysia, but I think it is high time Sabahans have a good, long think about the status quo, as it is, things cannot stand.

Last I checked, Sabah is still the poorest state in Malaysia.

Nabawan in Sabah is the poorest town in the country, with a 70-per-cent poverty rate.

On top of that, a small private army has landed in Lahad Datu intent on claiming Sabah as its own.

If we had a referendum, what with all the "free citizenships" Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration has so benevolently bestowed upon foreigners, would Sabahans actually have the numbers to keep the state in Malaysia?

DAP's sudden denial on Rudy's membership questionable

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Youth Chief Edward Dagul today in response to DAP Sabah Organizing Secretary Junz Wong's denial on Mairi's membership said that it was Teresa Kok who had cheerfully announced on 11th June 2013 that Rudy Mairi Sulaiman had joined DAP.

"The Selangor DAP leader had tweeted her photo (attached) receiving Rudy at a ceremony in Tenom flanking a big rocket logo in the presence of an apparently satisfied Jimmy Wong, the State DAP chief. So, is the newly promoted Sabah DAP Organising Secretary, Junz Wong, calling Theresa Kok and Jimmy Wong liars?

Following the so called ceremony, Rudy had been issuing statements to the press under the tag of a DAP leader of Tenom and no one from DAP has ever denied that he (Rudy) is neither a member nor a District DAP leader. In fact, in the 5th July 2013 issue of Daily Express, Rudy confirmed that he was in direct communication with Junz Wong. So, how can Junz Wong now state that Rudy was never a member of DAP?"

Yong files four suits against Junz, DAP

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee has filed four separate libel suits against Likas assemblyman Junz Wong Jun Han and Democratic Action Party (DAP) at the High Court here and is seeking a total of RM4 million in damages.

In the first, second and third suits, Yong named Junz and DAP as first and second defendants respectively, while in the fourth suit, Junz was named the sole defendant.

Yong has named himself as first plaintiff and SAPP as second plaintiff for the first to third suits, and as sole plaintiff in the fourth suit.

Dompok to announce retirement tomorrow

KOTA KINABALU - United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok is expected to announce his retirement from politics on Wednesday.

“He is expected to make the announcement in the next few days. Once he steps down, based on our party constitution, the deputy president would take over the leadership,” said a party leader who did not want to be named when contacted by Bernama yesterday.

Talks are rife that the former Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister is about to step down with Dompok already delegating duties to the party’s second-in-command, Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau.

However, Tangau when contacted by Bernama neither confirmed nor denied talks that Dompok would be stepping down except asking the media to wait for few days.

KL shrouded by Haze coupled with dry spells

KUALA LUMPUR: Haze shrouded Malaysia’s capital and its surroundings on Tuesday, causing “unhealthy” air quality due to fires from a drought that has led to water rationing.

While dry spells are common in the tropical nation, the current two-month heatwave has been unusually long, sparking bushfires and water supply cuts to more than two million people as reservoirs threaten to run dry.

The air pollution index rose as high as 150 on Tuesday in seven areas — mostly in Kuala Lumpur and the central state of Selangor, the country’s economic hub which surrounds the capital.

A reading of 100 to 200 means air quality is “unhealthy”.

Visibility was lower than one kilometre in central Malaysia early Tuesday, where the iconic Petronas Twin Towers were shrouded in smog that forced city residents to wear face masks.

The Haze in Indonesia has made thousands sick

Slash and burn farming is generating huge amounts of pollution

An estimated 30,000 people in Riau province, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, have fallen ill after excessive exposure to air pollution caused by slash and burn farming on the island, according to Australian news outlet SBS.

“Cases of respiratory infections and other illnesses such as pneumonia, asthma and eye and skin irritation are increasing,” National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho told the agency.

Officials have said there are reportedly 330 “hot-spots” where fires are burning. Authorities have arrested close to 30 people for starting fires and are using aircraft to battle the blazes.

ICJ criticises Sultan’s threat to netizens

KOTA KINABALU - The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has called on Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei to respect human rights including freedom of expression by its citizens on the impending implementation of Syariah laws in his kingdom.

ICJ is particularly concerned with Sultan Hassanal’s recent threat to put those criticising the Islamic penal codes and try these first-offenders under the strict laws.

Syariah law penalties include stoning to death, amputation of the limbs and public flogging.

“A statement issued last Sunday by Sultan Hassanal suggesting that critics of the kingdom’s new penal code may be criminally prosecuted for slander is clearly meant to curb freedom of expression and opinion in the country,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.

Malaysia is worst in global study on electoral boundaries

The quality of Malaysia's electoral boundaries used in the general elections last year has been ranked the worst out of 66 countries in a global study on the integrity of elections.

The findings of the Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) based in the University of Sydney and Harvard University, released in February, showed that Malaysia’s 13th general election last May scored just 28 out of a maximum of 100 points on the electoral boundary indicator.

“The experts’ perceptions suggest that the voting districts were not impartial and discriminated against some parties, since they strongly favour rural constituencies as opposed to urban ones,” Max Groemping, doctoral researcher with the EIP team, told The Malay Mail Online in a recent email interview.

Umno's anti-Shia campaign cost Malaysia dearly

An aggressive anti-Shia campaign launched by the Malaysian government last year has taken its toll on the country's economy, leaving the government millions of ringgit in losses after a backlash from predominantly Shia Iran, forcing a minister to seek help from PAS to restore ties, said a source.

Dr Syed Azman Ahmad Nawawi, who heads PAS's international bureau, confirmed this, but declined to name the minister.

"It is true the minister contacted me for help," Syed Azman told The Malaysian Insider.

The Batu Burok state assemblyman said Iran's reaction to the anti-Shia campaign spearheaded by Umno has cost Malaysia dearly.

"The biggest loser is Petronas whose oil exploration in Iran has been met with hurdles from the Iranian government, while at the same time, American firms such as Esso and Conoco are making their way into the country," added Syed Azman.

Mojigoh to Siambun: "Bark up your own tree"

KOTA KINABALU - Putatan MP Datuk Dr Marcus Mojigoh says he will not stop telling the government the grouses and issues affecting the people, especially those in his constituency.

Mojigoh said it is therefore wrong for Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah vice chairman cum Moyog assemblyman Terrence Siambun to tell him to stop voicing out the grouses of the people.

“To tell me to stop shouting for the Sabah people because it would fall on deaf ears is wrong. I am an elected representative, so if the rakyat ask me to voice out I will because if I don’t, it means I have failed as a wakil rakyat,” he said.

Mojigoh was responding to Siambun’s statement where the latter opined that it is useless for him to keep on complaining as if he is an opposition member of parliament when he himself knows very well that his complaints will not be entertained.

UPKO president to quit?

KOTA KINABALU - United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok has been reported as considering to step down from his position in the party.

According to The New Straits Times online, talks of Dompok stepping down as UPKO president is rife as a power transition plan appears to be on the cards.

The article said that the speculations of Dompok resigning as UPKO president was fuelled when he was absent from the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

The New Straits Times article also said that Dompok had delegated deputy president Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau and secretary-general Datuk Donald Mojuntin to attend the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is Barisan Nasional chairman.

Filipino communist rebels detonate mines; 16 hurt

MANILA - Philippine communist rebels using land mines have wounded 11 troops and five civilians in the south of the country, military officials said Monday.

Army Col. Marcos Norman Flores, Jr, a brigade commander in the area, condemned the attacks as a violation of international humanitarian law.

New People's Army guerrillas encountered troops Sunday morning in Davao del Sur province, triggering an hour-long clash. As troops maneuvered, the rebels exploded a land mine, wounding 11 soldiers, a military statement said. It quoted villagers as saying the rebels carried away four dead colleagues.

Fulfill Malaysia Agreement or Go Separate Ways - Dr. Jeffrey

KOTA KINABALU -  “Now that the installation of Pehin Sri Taib as the 7th Governor of Sarawak has taken place, the leaders of Sabah and Sarawak need to focus and speak with one voice that the Malaysia Agreement needs to be implemented and fulfilled” said Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief, commenting on Malaysia’s top judge, Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria that Sabah and Sarawak formed Malaysia and that they are key partners in the Federation of Malaysia.

And equally important, Tun Arifin had clearly stated the correct history that Malaya gained independence on 31 August 1957 and that Malaysia was only formed in 1963 with special safeguards for Sabah and Sarawak in their constitutional arrangement.

Star: “Don’t Stop At Manggatal" “Jangan Berhenti Sahaja Dengan Manggatal "

KOTA KINABALU - "The proposal of DSP Masidi to revert the name of Menggatal to its original Manggatal is appropriate in terms of history and local characteristics of Sabah and ought to be fully supported” said Paidi Jalibin, STAR Sabah Information Chief, who was also an opposing candidate to Masidi in DUN Karanaan in the last elections.

Jalibin also said that Datuk Abidin Madingkir, the Mayor of Kota Kinabalu also ought to be commended for taking the appropriate action to consider Masidi’s proposal.

However, the proposal to use local names to highlight the local characteristics and uniqueness of Sabah should be extended to the whole of Sabah and should not stop at Manggatal name change or restricted to Kota Kinabalu as in the limited jurisdiction of the Mayor of Kota Kinabalu.

SPRM perlu siasat punca pusat Giatmara Tenom terbengkalai

TENOM - Kerajaan khususnya Kementerian Kemajuan Pembangunan Luar dan Wilayah (KKLW) digesa agar mengambil perhatian serius masalah yang dihadapi pembinaan Pusat GiatMara diTenom yang berharga RM3.7 juta dilaporkan mengalami dua kali terbengkalai pada sebelumnya.

Langkah langkah lain terutamanya pengawasan ketat oleh pihak bertanggung jawab perlu dijalankan agar sasaran jangka siap pada Januari 2015 sepertimana ditegaskan Ahli Parlimen Tenom Datuk Raime Unggi baru baru ini tepat dan tiada perubahan.

Ketua Cabang Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Tenom Masdin Tumas (gambar), ketika memberitahu pemberita pada Sabtu, sebagai mengulas masalah yang dihadapi Pusat GiatMara disini yang gagal disiapkan mengikut jadual yang sepatutnya pusat itu siap sepenuhnya pada tahun 2012.

Xinjiang Muslim terrorists kill 29 in China rail attack

BEIJING - Knife-wielding assailants left 29 people dead and more than 130 wounded in an unprecedented attack at a Chinese train station, state media reported Sunday, blaming separatists from Xinjiang.

Victims described attackers dressed in black bursting into Kunming station in the southwestern province of Yunnan and slashing indiscriminately as people queued to buy tickets, prompting shock and outrage.

Police shot dead at least four attackers and were hunting for the others, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The Kunming city government said the attack was orchestrated by separatists from the northwest region of Xinjiang, a vast and distant area home to the mostly-Muslim Uighur minority, Xinhua reported.

Don't try, police warn would-be intruders

The Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and security forces are ready to face any groups that wish to threaten the sovereignty of the country, said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib.

He said the police and security forces would act accordingly against any individual or group who tries to incite disorder or intrude into the country, as what had happened in Lahad Datu last year.

“This is a warning. Do not try to cause chaos or underestimate our security forces as we are always ready to face any threat to protect our country.

“We have the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), the Royal Malaysia Navy, the Royal Malaysia Army, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the RMP and security forces, so we are ready to defend our country from any threats,” he said yesterday.

Taib sworn in as Sarawak’s seventh governor

After signing the instrument of appointment, Taib took his oath before chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Richard Malanjum at the state legislative assembly

KUCHING: Abdul Taib Mahmud, who stepped down as chief minister of Sarawak after almost 33 years in office yesterday, was sworn in as the new Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak today, marking another historical milestone for the state.

The ceremony began at 11.00am with Adenan Satem, who succeeded him as the new chief minister, reading the instrument of appointment, which was presented to Taib by Yang Dipertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

PKR infighting: Khalid is going for deputy’s post

PETALING JAYA - Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today confirmed that he would be challenging for the PKR deputy president’s post in the coming party polls.

He made the announcement after holding a meeting with his supporters at his residence last night.

His announcement puts him in a direct fight with incumbent Azmin Ali.

The meeting was held to gauge his support in the party and Khalid made his announcement mid way his speech. He however urged his supporters to work hard to ensure victory in the Kajang polls first.

Chief Justice: Safeguards valid for Sabah, S'wak

KOTA KINABALU - The formation of Malaysia in 1963 was the passage to independence for Sabah and Sarawak which came with special safeguards.

The States of Malaya gained independence from the British in 1957.

"Last year we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the formation of Malaysia. It was a key milestone marking a half century since the states of Malaya, the Borneo states, namely Sabah and Sarawak, and Singapore joined as partners to form a free, independent and sovereign country - Malaysia," said Chief Justice of Malaysia, Tun Arifin bin Zakaria.

"The Cobbold Commission Report which was published on August 1, 1962 contained the unanimous conclusion that a Federation of Malaysia was in the best interests of Sabah and Sarawak," he said in an address to judges and lawyers during the book launch of 'The Constitutional Rights of Sabah and Sarawak' by Sukumaran Vanugopal at Hyatt Hotel here recently.

Malaya politics: Water deal kept secret to prevent backroom deals, says MB

The details of the water deal between Selangor and Putrajaya were kept secret until the last minute to prevent insider dealing, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said.

Khalid told The Star in an exclusive interview published today that if the information had been revealed before the agreement was signed, it would have had an impact on the price of stocks related to water assets.

"I was concerned with the possible abuse of information and insider dealing. These are the reasons PKR leaders were not informed ahead of the signing," Khalid told The Star.

On Wednesday, Putrajaya agreed to Selangor's acquisition of four water concessionaires for RM9.65 billion.

Sindiket IC didalangi kerajaan persekutuan Umno

KOTA KINABALU - Seorang aktivis pengguna Sabah hari ini melahirkan kebimbangan wujud sindiket yang didalangi sendiri oleh kerajaan persekutuan memberikan kad pengenalan Malaysia kepada seberapa ramai rakyat asing terutama yang beragama Islam untuk memenuhi niat mereka menukar lanskap penduduk di Sabah dan Sarawak.

Donny Yapp dalam kenyataannya di sini mendakwa selepas begitu banyak bukti dan laporan, kini kerajaan persekutuan, tidak dapat mengelak dari dituduh rakyat mendalangi     aktiviti terkutuk itu semata-mata ingin menguasai Malaysia Timur yang kaya dengan tanah, minyak dan gas.

“Kejadian beberapa hari lalu di mana beberapa orang warga Pakistan ditangkap memiliki Kad Pengenalan Malaysia dari Sabah membuktikan kerja mereka ini tidak pernah berhenti. Sudah ada pihak turut menuduh Majlis Keselamatan Negara sebagai dalang, dan kita kini tertunggu-tunggu laporan siasatan RCI terhadap hal ini.

Papagomo told to pay Anwar RM850,000

KUALA LUMPUR - A High Court here today ordered online news portal editor Wan Muhammad Azri Wan to pay RM850,000 in total damages over a defamation suit brought by Opposition de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over alleged defamatory postings implying he was engaged in indecent acts with a man.

High Court judicial commissioner Rosilah Yop delivered the verdict in chambers after meeting Anwar's counsels Latheefa Koya and N.Surendran and defendant's lead counsel Jasbeer Singh Kaura.

Speaking to reporters, Surendran said Rosilah awarded RM800,000 in general damages and RM50,000 in legal costs.

Zaid: Anwar checkmated over water deal

Former PKR leader says the water management MoU between the federal and Selangor governments yesterday has placed Anwar Ibrahim in a checkmate position.

KUALA LUMPUR - Former minister and PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim today said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is facing a “dead end” following the signing of the water concession memorandum of understanding between the federal and Selangor governments yesterday.

Zaid, who is contesting in the upcoming Kajang state seat by-election, said it showed Khalid’s resolve to end the water impasse between the state and the federal governments.

Isma: 'World must recognise M'sia belongs to Malays'

Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) today demanded global recognition that Malaysia is the land of the Malays, claiming that scientific study had proven that the Malay civilisation was older than Angkor Wat or Borobudur.

"Like how the world recognises that China is for Chinese, India is for Indians, England for the English, Ireland is for the Irish, and Germany is for Germans, surely Malays have their own land," Isma's vice-president II Abdul Rahman Dali said in a statement today.

Claiming unspecified "scientific research", Isma said that the Malay gene has been proven to exist before that of the Chinese.

"This region, which centres at the land of the Malays, is called the Cradle of Human Civilisation, which gave birth to other ethnicities.

"So it is valid that this land belongs to the Malays originally," he said.

He also claimed a recent research showed that the Kedah Tua Malay civilisation in Lembah Bujang dates back to the 2nd century BC, thus confirming that the civilisation was older than archaeological and historical sites such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in Indonesia.

Prosecution’s appeal on Altantuya case in June

The Federal Court has today fixed June 23 to 25 to hear the prosecution’s appeal over the acquittal of Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, for the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The dates were fixed by registrar Izzuddin Mohammed. This follows case management of the case today.

Lawyer J Kuldeep Kumar appeared for Azilah while DPP Manoj Kurup appeared for the prosecution.

Michael Chia sentenced to jail, whipping for cheating

Sabah timber tycoon Michael Chia Thien Foh was sentenced to a one-year jail term and one stroke of the rotan today after a Sandakan Sessions Court found him guilty in a decade-old cheating scandal involving some RM2.5 million.

Chia, who has previously been alleged to have close ties to the Sabah administration led by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman ― was charged with tricking Datuk Agus Hassan of RM2.5 million in a logging-related matter in 2004 by claiming that it was meant for Umno's political funds.

The court, however, allowed an application by Chia's lawyer Rowiena Rashid to defer the sentence while he files for an appeal at the High Court, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said in a statement today.