1Malaysia steadily getting traction

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Thurs:

THERE may have been some scepticism at home on the 1Malaysia concept introduced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, but people outside the country appear to be attracted to it. This could be seen from the numerous questions on the concept posed to Najib during his two-day visit to Brunei which ended today.

“I was frequently asked by the people whom I met here about the concept. It appears that they have been following developments in Malaysia,” Najib said.

He was speaking at a breakfast meeting with about 250 members of the Malaysian community in Brunei at the Empire Hotel and Country Club here.

Bruneians saw the concept as most appropriate to galvanise the people, irrespective of race and religion, to work together for their common good.

“It (the 1Malaysia concept) is a way forward for us to enhance ethnic relations in Malaysia,” Najib said.
Also present were his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hisammuddin Hussein, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and Deputy Foreign Minister Senator Kohilan Pillay.

Najib hoped that Malaysians in Brunei would embrace the concept as a guide to foster closer ties and understanding with the local people.

He said Malaysia and Brunei had always enjoyed a reliable and cordial relationship at the leaders-to-leaders and government-to-government level and that it should be translated to the ground by the people of both countries.

He advised Malaysians who were either working or doing business here not to create any problem.

On his meeting with Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman on Wednesday, he said it was conducted in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

“The meeting lasted longer than expected and this showed the good bilateral relations between both countries,” Najib said.

The meeting, which saw both leaders discussing a range of bilateral issues including the demarcation of the Malaysia-Brunei land and maritime border, was scheduled for only 30 minutes but it lasted more than an hour.

The demarcation of the Malaysia-Brunei border, which Najib hoped could be completed soon, is considered crucial as it involved a territorial dispute over Limbang in Sarawak and waters in the continental shelf which is rich in oil and gas reserves.

During the meeting, Najib invited Brunei to invest in the Sabah Devlopment Corridor, the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy and the Iskandar Development Region in Johor.

He said the investment opportunities in the the development initiatives were avenues for Malaysia and Brunei to strengthen economic ties.

Consistent with the desire of both countries to explore new areas of cooperation, Najib said he would be bringing a strong delegation to the annual consultation between Malaysia and Brunei here in early August.

Describing his brief visit here as very meaningful, the prime minister said it has paved the way for a lasting and fruitful relationship between the two neighbouring countries.

Brunei was the second Asean country after Indonesia that Najib visited after his appointment as prime minister.

News by NSTOnline..

Please help find our baby

Tan Lay Khiaw (left) and her husband, Kee Bak Siang, with a picture of Hao Kit.

KUALA LUMPUR: A 1-year-old boy has gone missing from his home and his family suspects that he has fallen into the hands of a human trafficking syndicate.

The toddler, Kee Hao Kit, was believed to have been abducted by a worker in his father's coconut plantation in Sungai Air Tawar, Sabak Ber- nam, Selangor, 12 days ago.

To date, his family has not received any ransom demand for his release.

Hao Kit's parents, Kee Bak Siang and Tan Lay Khiaw, are worried that their only child may have been smuggled out of the country.

"Nobody has contacted me for a ransom. He is just a baby," said Kee, 33, adding that the family did not have enemies nor did he owe anyone money.
Hao Kit went missing on April 10, when his mother Tan, left their house to go to a nearby shop at 4pm. She left her son in the care of her nephew and niece, both aged 13.

As she was leaving the house, Tan saw three men at her back door who claimed they were waiting for her husband.

"One of them was our gardener, who started working for us five days earlier. He was from Sabah."

When Tan returned home half an hour later, her nephew and niece were playing in front of the house but the baby was nowhere to be found. The two teenagers did not know that the baby had disappeared.

Witnesses told the grieving parents that they saw the child with their gardener who was riding a motorcycle.

The gardener has since gone missing and his mobile phone number is no longer in service.

"I can't asleep at night. Hao Kit is still a baby and needs me to comfort and feed him," said Tan, a housewife.

They have lodged a police report and have sought the help of the media to highlight their baby's disappearance.

A woman contacted them recently, claiming she had seen Hao Kit in Taman Maluri, Cheras. Police checked out the tip-off but to no avail.

Yesterday, the couple sought the assistance of MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong.

The couple urged those who had seen their son to contact them or a nearby police station. They can be contacted at 016-5963109 and the department at 03-21615678.

News and Pics By: NSTOnline

Malaysian student killed in Melbourne crash

MELBOURNE, Tues:

A Malaysian student was killed on Saturday when a car in which she was travelling skidded and hit a tree in Apollo Bay, about 190km from here.
Sharon Chua Sook Teng, 35, a MBA student at the RMIT University here, died on the spot.

"It appears that a Toyota sedan lost control on the Great Ocean Road and hit a tree about 10km west of Apollo Bay just after 4.30pm," a police spokeswoman told Bernama.

Another woman, also a passenger in the car, was trapped for some time before being airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition," she said.

The driver, believed to be the husband of the injured woman, was taken to Apollo Bay Hospital and then transferred to the Geelong Hospital for treatment.

The couple, friends of Sharon, were holidaying here from Singapore. Their names have not been released.
Sharon brothers, Poi Hean and Poi Keong, and sister Jennifer flew in here this morning to claim the body.

Jennifer said the family was waiting for the body to be released by the coroner before being cremated and the ashes taken back to their home in Cheras.

News by NSTOnline..

P/S May her soul rest in peace.. Amen

Altantuya murder: It's death for Azilah and Sirul

SHAH ALAM: Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 32, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar,36, were found guilty and sentenced to death for the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu three years ago, wrapping up the country's longest trial ever.

Justice Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin, said the prosecution had proven the case against them beyond reasonable doubt.

He said their defences were essentially ones of denial and of blaming each other and as such, were irreconcilable and unbelievable.

"Thus they have failed to raise any reasonable doubt in the prosecution's case which I find to be irresistibly conclusive on account of the physical and circumstantial evidence adduced before me.

"I therefore now sentence you, Azilah and Sirul Azhar, to death and both of you will henceforth be kept in lawful custody until you are brought to a lawful place where you will be hung by the neck until you are dead," he said.

The defense counsels said they would appeal.

Azilah, is represented by two counsels, Datuk Hazman Ahmad and J. Kuldeep Kumar while Sirul Azhar, is represented by Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, Hasnal Redzua Marican and Ahmad Zaidi Zainal.

In elaborating the sole defence of C/Insp Azilah who testified under oath in January, Justice Mohd Zaki said the first accused had contended that he did not utter those statements relating to the scene which were admitted by the court as evidence of information leading to discovery of facts.

“That he (C/Insp Azilah) was not at the scene of crime at the relevant dates and times and instead claimed that he was somewhere in Wangsa Maju as per his notice of alibi, and that he was not the last person to be with the deceased for he had handed her over to the second accused on the night in question to send her back to Hotel Malaya,” he said.

However, Justice Mohd Zaki noted that C/Insp Azilah did not call any of his witnesses to support his defence and his alibi.

“The law relating to the non-calling of a witness by the defence is well settled,” said the judge.

On the defence of Kpl Sirul who gave his statement in dock on Feb 4, the judge said Kpl Sirul claimed that he was made “the scapegoat”.

“Kpl Sirul claimed that he did not utter all the statements relating to those personal belongings of the deceased which were admitted by this court as evidence of information leading to the discovery of facts under Section 27 of Evidence Act.

“He claimed that he was not at the crime scene but was instead having tea at Devi’s Corner in Sri Hartamas and having “sahur” at Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur and that the deceased had never been handed over to him by the first accused for her to be sent back to Hotel Malaya,” he said.

Justice Mohd Zaki said the law relating to the weight to be attached to the unsworn statement from the dock, which was not subjected to cross-examination by the prosecution, was also likewise settled.

“The weight to be attached to this category of defence may not be the same as one attached to the defence upon evidence on oath,” he said.

However, he said the court must consider it for whatever it was worth having regard to the other evidence available and to see whether the defence had succeeded in casting a reasonable doubt in the case.

In Thursday’s proceedings, Justice Mohd Zaki only read out the final four pages of his 283-page draft judgment.

Kpl Sirul and C/Insp Azilah had claimed trial to murdering the Mongolian beauty between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20, 2006 at Mukim Bukit Raja here.

The two were ordered on Oct 31 to enter their defence.

Last October, political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda was acquited without his defence being called of abetting in the murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian woman.

Eighty-four witnesses out of 198 witnesses had testified in the trial that took 165 days to complete recording their evidence.

In an immediate response, lead prosecutor DPP Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah said it was a fair decision saying that the prosecution had strong circumstantial evidence against both accused.

“Of course, the battle is not over yet. It will be a fight at the Court of Appeal and Federal Court. Only if the Federal Court affirms the decision, is it settled. Let’s wait and see at the appellate court,” he said with a smile.

For now, DPP Tun Abd Majid said the prosecution was satisfied as their hard work had paid off.

“As far as the prosecution is concerned, there was no involvement of anyone else, politically or otherwise,” he added.

Lawyer Datuk Hazman Ahmad, for C/Insp Azilah, said he would file an appeal against the court ruling, probably by next week.

Counsel Hasnal Rezua Merican, acteing for Kpl Sirul, said he would file an appeal against the court decision.

Among those present in court included Mongolian translator Enkhjargal Tsetsgee, who sent a text message to Altantuya’s father over the verdict.

Earlier, over 60 media representatives were screened to the courtroom at 8.50am.

C/Insp Azilah, clad in blue checked long-sleeve shirt and black pants, walked to the courtroom at 9am and jovially chatted with his fiancee Nur Azila Baharuddin and hugged his friend.

Shortly later, Kpl Sirul, attired in black shirt with a matching dark coat and black pants, came and shook hands with his police friends.

In the high profile trial that hogged the local and international media, the duo were charged with murdering Altantuya, who was 28 then, between Lot 12843 and Lot 16735 Mukim Bukit Raja near here, between 10 pm, Oct 19 and 1 am, Oct 20, 2006.

Initially they were tried together with the executive director of Malaysian Strategic Research Centre (MSRC), Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 48, who was charged with abetment in the murder of Altantuya.

However on Oct 31, 2008, the political analyst walked out a free man after the court found that the prosecution had failed to furnish proof on an important element on the abetment charge.

Abdul Razak since has left to United Kingdom and is said to be taking up a PhD at Oxford University.

While Azilah and Sirul Azhar -- who pleaded not guilty -- were hoping to be released, the prosecution went all out to prove they were the ones behind Altantuya's murder and the disposal of her remains using explosives.

The prosecution team consisting of Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, Noorin Badaruddin, Manoj Kurup and Hanim Rashid, stressed in their submissions that Azilah and Sirul Azhar were the people behind Altantuya's murder.

Based on the evidence gathered from prosecution witnesses, the explosive used to blow up Altantuya's body was probably placed in her mouth.

Manoj noted at the end of the prosecution's case that both accused had the motive to kill and it was a preplanned crime.

Manoj noted that several circumstantial pieces of evidence that the prosecution tried to prove were never denied, explained or answered by both defendants.

"Several of the strong evidence deduced from the testimonies when spun together will make two ropes that are strong enough to hang each one of them.

"The prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt on the actions of the duo calls for their conviction on the murder carried out with the common intention," he had said.

Azilah, who started his testimony on Jan 15, stated that he had no motive to kill or destroy the woman and instead he only met Altantuya to advise her politely not to harass Abdul Razak or create a ruckus outside the latter's home.

Azilah also told the court that he was ordered by a superior, DSP Musa Safri to help Abdul Razak and thus he would not have done something stupid like killing -- especially seeing he was a policeman.

While defending himself Sirul Azhar broke down a few times and claimed he had been made the sacrificial lamb in the murder.

The case has set many records including being the most number of days for hearing (159 days) and 84 witnesses at the prosecution stage and two at the defence stage, and it remained the high profile case for almost two years before Abdul Razak was released.

According to records, Azilah has been incarcerated at the Sungai Buloh Prison for 891 days while Sirul Azhar 895 days.

News by TheStar Online..

p/s Lord, have mercy on them..

Freed ISA detainees to leave Kamunting Sunday

KUALA LUMPUR: The 13 freed Internal Security Act (ISA) detainees will be allowed to leave the Kamunting Detention Centre near Taiping on Sunday, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan on Saturday.

He said they would leave after the documentation process pertaining to their release had been completed.

"They cannot be released immediately. The documentation process has to be completed first. We will release all of them tomorrow after the documentation process has been completed," he said when contacted by Bernama here. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, in his maiden address over television last night as the new prime minister, had announced the immediate release of the 13 ISA detainees.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, in a statement Friday, said two Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders, V. Ganabatirau and R. Kenghadharan, were among the detainees to be released. They had been held since Dec 13, 2007.

The others to be released include seven members of the Darul Islam group Binsali Omar, A. Artas A. Burhanudin, Idris Lanama, Francis Indanan, Mohd Nazri Dollah, Pakana Selama and Mohd Arasad Patangari who were detained in 2006 and were to have been held until the end of next year.

Also to be released are three foreigners Sundaraj Vijay of India and San Khaing and Amir Hussain of Myanmar who were detained in 2007 for falsifying documents, and one member of the Jemaah Islamiah Wan Amin Wan Hamat who was detained in 2003 and was to have been held until 2011. - Bernama

News by TheStar..

Dr M, wife and son rejoin Umno

PUTRAJAYA, Sat:

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad; his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali; and son Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir have rejoined Umno. They handed in their forms and RM2 fee to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak at noon.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today rejoined Umno after having resigned from the party almost a year ago.

The former Umno president handed his application form and the RM2 membership fee to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at Sri Satria, the official residence of the deputy prime minister here, at noon.

After that, Dr Mahathir''s wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and their son Datuk Mokhzani also handed their forms and fees to Najib.

Najib expressed his thanks to Dr Mahathir for having returned to Umno to continue with the party's struggle.
"I believe Tun Dr Mahathir's return will provide a strong impetus to Umno and can help in the rejuvenation of Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN)," Najib told reporters.

He said that as a statesman, Dr Mahathir could play a meaningful role in helping to restore the people's confidence in Umno and the BN.

Najib, who is Umno president, also welcomed the return to Umno of Dr Siti Hasmah, saying her services to the party and the country could surely be of assistance to the role of women in the future.

Dr Mahathir had resigned from Umno on May 19 last year, saying he had lost confidence in the party which he had led for 22 years.

"Although I was out of Umno, my heart and soul were in Umno," said Dr Mahathir, adding that the criticisms he hurled at the party were with the intention to strengthen it and not destroy it.

Asked about him having joined Umno previously during the era of second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and rejoining now during the era of Tun Razak's son, Najib, as the sixth prime minister, Dr Mahathir said: "That family link was not something intended."

Dr Mahathir was expelled from Umno on Sept 26, 1969 during the era of first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman for having criticised the party leadership. Tun Razak had welcomed Dr Mahathir's return to Umno in 1972.

Two other children of Dr Mahathir -- Datuk Mukhriz and Datuk Mirzan -- were also present at today's function.

Asked what role he would play in the party now, Dr Mahathir said he believed that a leader should help Umno after he has retired and not isolate himself from the party after retirement.

On him taking up possible posts in Umno or the government, Dr Mahathir said positions were unnecessary and added that he was prepared to give his views if necessary.

Asked about the impact of Dr Mahathir's return to Umno on the by-elections in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, Najib said he believed it would have a positive effect which would be well received by Umno members.

Najib said this was evident at the Umno general assembly last week when party delegates gave a resounding welcome when Dr Mahathir made a surprise entry at the gathering.

Dr Mahathir said the biggest challenge for Umno now was to revive the image of the party which had taken a beating in the last few years.

Asked whether he would continue to be vocal during Najib's administration just as he had been during former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration, Dr Mahathir said: "I was critical whenever Umno went wrong."

At the handing over of the Umno application forms, Mokhzani had forgotten to attach the RM2 membership fee.

When asked by Najib, Mokhzani found he had no small change and Mukhriz came up with the money, causing Dr Mahathir to remark "This is money politics", which left everyone present in stitches.

News by NSTOnline..

Earth hour campaign - lights off from 8.30-9.30pm Saturday

PETALING JAYA: It's lights off for an hour Saturday night and it's all for a good cause.

Several companies and agencies have thrown their weight behind the Earth Hour 2009 campaign by pledging to turn off the lights from 8.30pm to 9.30pm.

The campaign, an annual event initiated by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in 2007 to get households and businesses to turn off non-essential lights for an hour, aims to raise awareness on global climate change.

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) group chief executive officer Datuk Zamzamzairani Mohd Isa said all non-essential lights would be turned off at its Menara TM headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and offices nationwide.

He added that more than 23,000 TM employees have also pledged to turn off the lights at home to show support for Earth Hour 2009.

While the move was a symbolic gesture, he said TM was already adopting good practices to conserve power and that the environment was one of the major social responsibilities of the corporation.

“This building is built using advanced technology and techniques to conserve power,’’ he said Saturday at the launch of TM Earth Hour 2009, at Menara TM.

“We have placed recycle bins here to encourage employees and tenants to be environmentally friendly,” he added.

WWF senior director (support operations) Sudeep Mohandas said more than five million people worldwide were expected to participate in the event.

Meanwhile, the National Service (NS), in support of Earth Hour, will switch of the lights in its camps except in certain areas, to ensure trainees’ safety, said NS Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil in a statement Saturday.

Male and female trainees will be separated, he added.

Furthermore, camp commanders will explain global warming and the significance of environmental conservation to the 34,119 trainees in 80 camps nationwide during the hour.

News by TheStar..

p/s Let us show our love to our earth ya.. Ikut ya kempen ni.. but jangan time2 driving kna lights off juga... hehehe

Angry wives chop off cheating husband's manhood

NEW DELHI, SUN:

Two young women frustrated with their husbands'' sexual promiscuity decided to teach their partners a painful lesson -- by slicing off their manhood.

One of the women, a 39-year-old from Katihar district in Bihar state, unable to cope with her husband''s persistent illicit affair with another woman from the same village, admonished her husband several times but blew her top when she caught him in the act with his ex-beau in the family bedroom.

After a morning quarrel last week, the wife decided to settle her vengeance by trying to slice off Singh's private organ using a sharp blade.

"It was a domestic dispute and a case was reported on the woman. She is out on bail and living with her parents now. She had attacked her husband using a sharp object; he suffered minor injuries and is fit now," Katihar superintendent of police Anil Kishore Yadav told Bernama.

Villagers had rushed the husband, in his 30s and a peon at a local school, to a nearby hospital where doctors managed to save him from any worse trauma.
But the anger on infidelity reached a peak and was far scarier in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, where another fuming wife chopped off her husband's manhood early this month after discovering that he was having sexual relations with other women.

In a well-planned revenge, the 35-year-old wife from Amraiwadi district lured her unfaithful husband to bed after sedating him during dinner.

Thinking he was in for a nice bondage sexual rendezvous, the excited 30-year-old husband, got into bed where the wife tied both his hands and legs to the bed using ropes. In a fit of rage, she cut off his penis using a sharp knife.

"She had nicely planned the whole attack after she caught her husband doing it with his ex-woman. She gave him some sedation and tied his limbs and hands to the bed. Once he got excited, she chopped off his organ.

"The organ was completely cut off and they brought it in two pieces. Doctors did some skin grafting but could not reconnect it. It was badly cut and he can''t function," Dr Gautam Sharma, assistant administrator at the Civil Hospital in Amraiwadi, where the victim was treated, told Bernama.

Police detained the woman for questioning and the husband was discharged from hospital.

News by NSTOnline..

p/s Alamak.. bahaya nie.. bha sepa2 yang pernah mo fikir curang tue, bagus fikir 100x..

what a productive python

KUALA LUMPUR: A reticulated python on display at the Cave of Reptiles at Batu Caves has laid more than 160 eggs over the past two days.

This is believed to be the first time such a large number of eggs has been laid by a python in captivity, said Arun Raveendran, who owns the snake.

The 25-year-old snake weighs about 115kg and measures 7.6m.

"Normally reticulated pythons lay 30 to 40 eggs with a maximum of up to 100 eggs," he said yesterday.

"We incubate the eggs. They are kept at a constant room temperature of about 30o Celcius.
"We have 100 per cent success in hatching them."

The reticulated python is non-venomous but it is an aggressive constrictor and feeds monthly on a live goat weighing 20kg to 40kg or large turkeys.

It is the longest snake in the world. The largest one ever caught in the wild was found in Sulawesi in 1912. It measured 10.05m .

The blood python, the other python species found in Malaysia, is short and fat and grows to a maximum of 2m.

Both are protected species. They are in danger of extinction because they are hunted for their meat and skins, said Arun, who kept a pet tortoise when he was 3 years old but has since turned to researching and conserving reptiles.

His pet monitor lizard of seven years is also on display at the Cave of Reptiles together with a menagerie of Malaysian king cobras, spitting cobras, water snakes, frogs and other amphibians.

Arun also breeds cobras and other reptiles and releases them into the jungle for nature conservation.

News and picture by: NST Online..

No dodging NS for singers

MALACCA: One is a singing competition winner. The other is a finalist. But Low Sook Yee, popularly known as Suki and Muhammad Aliff Mohd Satar will still have to report for national service.

Suki won the One In A Million competition at the age of 16 in 2006 while Muhammad Aliff was one of the finalists in the same contest.

They had applied to defer their training stint because of singing commitments.

National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said the singers were not exempted but had their stint deferred due to “extraordinary circumstances.”

When the department approached them, they promised to report for training at a later date, he added.

Abdul Hadi, who sent off the second batch of trainees at MITC, Ayer Keroh, yesterday, said: “We will decide where to place the two singers when they report for training by April 3.”

Actress Diana Danielle Danny Beeson reported for training at the Sepang Princess Haliza camp on Thursday.

Abdul Hadi said all 43,000 trainees had reported for their stints at 80 camps. Last December, nine camps were closed indefinitely due to poor hygiene and building defects.

News by TheStar..

p/s No one can escape from attending plkn once shorlisted.. i wonder kalu anak2 datuk and mentri pun kena paksa..!!

Brunei drops claim over Limbang district

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei has officially dropped its long-standing claim over Sarawak’s Limbang district after the two countries resolved various land and maritime territory disputes.

“Brunei has decided to drop the Limbang issue and as a result, Limbang is part of Malaysian territory,” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced to Malaysian media.

The resolution of the disputes were sealed via the signing of the Letters of Exchange by Abdullah and the Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman here yesterday.

The other disputes include over where the maritime boundary between the two countries in the South China Sea should run, the rights to exploit potentially rich oil deposits in the disputed maritime territory, the right of movement by Malaysian vessels over Brunei waters and the demarcation of the common boundary of the two countries.

The dispute over Limbang can be traced back to the cession of the territory by Brunei to Sarawak’s White Rajahs in 1890. The cession had been strongly disputed by the Sultanate which regarded the transfer as annexation by Sara-wak.

Yesterday, Abdullah thanked the Sultan for the resolution of the various disputes, especially that of Limbang.

He said bilateral relations between the two countries would now enter a new era.

Abdullah and the Sultan said in a joint statement that they had reached agreement over the maritime boundaries between the two countries in the South China Sea.

They also agreed to establish a “commercial arrangement area” where oil and gas revenue in the disputed area would be shared between the two nations. How much each country would get was not disclosed.

The two sides also agreed to the existence of “unsuspendable rights of maritime access” which guaranteed the right of movement by Malaysian vessels through Brunei territorial waters provided Brunei’s laws and regulations are obser-ved.

Lastly, the Letters of Exchange also established the methods to demarcate the land boundary between the two countries.

The negotiations over the agreements, which began in 1995, took 39 rounds of talks to reach the resolution.

The dispute over maritime territory arose out of a 1979 map published by Malaysia which indicated that all deep-sea territorial waters off the coast of Brunei belonged to Malaysia.

The latest dispute over maritime territory occurred in 2003 when Malaysia and Brunei awarded petroleum production-sharing contracts for four exploration blocks to different companies in the disputed area, close to where a 440 million-barrel discovery had been made the year before.

Following the dispute, both countries agreed to stop drilling activities in the area.

News and photo source: The Star..

p/s kan bagus kalu yang satu tue pun drop claim mo ambik Sabah.. huhuhu...

Lecturer raped me, alleges student

SERDANG: A lecturer at a public university here stands accused of raping one of his charges.

The lecturer, from the engineering faculty, is said to have threatened to expel the 26-year-old student from Bandar Tasik Selatan if she told anyone about the rape. He also allegedly offered to make her his third wife.

The student lodged a report last week alleging rape and molest.

Her ordeal began at the end of last year when she was told to meet the lecturer in his office. She was supposed to hand in her assignment.

"She went to the lecturer's office and handed her assignment. She was told to wait while he browsed through the work," said a source.
"The student then told him this would be their last meeting as she had completed all her assignments. She thanked him for his help and guidance."

The lecturer then locked the door and hugged and kissed the student who tried to push him off.

He allegedly took out a sleeping bag from a cupboard, grabbed the student and pushed her onto to the floor. The victim screamed for help but was gagged.

After allegedly raping her, the lecturer warned the student not to inform anyone about the incident or he would not only smear her name but also get her expelled.

"The victim claimed that the lecturer offered to make her his third wife. But she refused despite his persistence. She was molested and raped on two other occasions," the source disclosed.

Selangor CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner II Hasnan Hassan said police would question the lecturer when he returned from his holiday abroad.

News by NSTOnline..

Karpal Singh claims trial to sedition charge

KUALA LUMPUR, Tue.:

Veteran lawyer and politician Karpal Singh claimed trial at the KL Sessions court to one count of sedition against the Sultan of Perak.

He is alleged to have uttered seditious words during a media conference at his office in Jalan Pudu Lama here between noon and 12.30pm on Feb 6.

He was charged section 4 (1) (b) of the Sedition Act1948. If convicted, he faces a maximum RM5,000 fine or three years jail, o rboth.

He was represented by 13 lawyers including himself and four of his children.

Bail was granted at RM2,000. The case has been transfered to the High Court. The next mention date will be determined by the High Court.

News by NSTOnline..

Wives face sex clip, nude photo threats

KUALA LUMPUR: A 24-year-old housewife got a shock when her husband of five months told her that a clip of her having sex with an old boyfriend is circulating via MMS (multimedia messaging service).

The husband found the clip in a friend's phone.

It was believed the recording was made some time in 2005 or 2006, a source said.

When the woman broke up with her then boyfriend, he threatened to post a clip of them having sex but she didn't believe he had one.

"When she found out about the clip, she called her ex-boyfriend, but he denied distributing it, saying he had deleted it from his handphone after they broke up," said the source.
Supported by her husband, the woman lodged a report at Petaling police station on Thursday.

A 25-year-old nurse is also facing a similar predicament.

She lodged a report at Pantai police station on Friday that a man who raped her three years ago is threatening to circulate nude photographs of her.

According to a source, she said he had assaulted her when she refused to become his business partner in selling CDs of religious music, and had taken nude photographs of her with his handphone.

At the time, she did not file a report but he has since been threatening to tell her family and the man she married a year ago.

The last straw came when the man threatened to distribute the photographs.

Police are looking for two men in their 30s to assist in investigations into the cases.

News by NSTOnline..

Gobind suspended one year from Parliament

KUALA LUMPUR: Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo has been suspended from Parliament without allowance and benefits for one year for alleging that Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was involved in a murder case and for contempt against the Deputy Speaker.

Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia made the decision on Monday after the matter was put to vote and a majority of MPs were in favour of suspending Gobind Singh.

On Thursday, Gobind Singh was ejected from the House for the third time when he kept on speaking about Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu’s murder case although the chair had ordered him to stop.

Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee ruled that it was sub-judice to talk about a case that was pending in court.

The outburst occurred after Najib had finished replying to points raised during the debate on the mini budget.

Later at the Parliament lobby, Gobind Singh said it was most unfortunate that he had been suspended.

“The fight does not stop here. I will focus more on constituency work from now one and in one year, I will be back,” he said.

He also said he was disappointed that he was not given a chance to defend himself in the House.

News by TheStar..

Handover early April?

Kota Kinabalu: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said a date will be set for the transition of power between him and Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The handing over of the Prime Ministership was slated for the end of this month but the Malaysia Insider blog reported that he would only hand over the reins to Najib on April 3.

"(But) of course there is a date for the transition. I have discussed with Najib and I will make a formal announcement on that," he told reporters after visiting the Sepanggar Naval Base with his wife Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah.

Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and wife Datin Seri Faridah Tussin, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin, Industrial Development Assistant Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad and State Federal Secretary Datuk Ismail Wadin.

The Malaysian Insider claimed the slight change to the timetable has to do with Abdullah wanting to chair the Cabinet meeting on April 1 and bid farewell to the Ministers in person.

The swearing in of Najib as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia is set for Friday, four days before the April 7 by-elections in Bukit Gantang, Bukit Selambau and Batang Ai. The blog said the new development would pour water on speculation that Abdullah would continue in office even after the Umno elections. Speculation was also heightened after Abdullah and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim met at a lunch on Tuesday in conjunction with the Prophet Muhammad's birthday.

News by Daily Express.. Read More HERE..

Kurup to remain as Pensiangan MP

KOTA KINABALU: PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup will keep his Pensiangan parliamentary seat in Sabah.

The Federal Court here on Friday overturned the Sept 17, 2008 Election Court decision to nullify March 2008 general election results for the seat.

On Feb 12, the Federal Court had reserved its ruling on the election petition appeals for both the Pensiangan parliament and Api Api state seats.

Court of Appeal president Justice Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, who chaired the panel, said the court reserved its judgments on both cases to a date yet to be fixed.

He said this after hearing submissions on the appeals with Chief Judge of Malaya Justice Ariffin Zakaria and Federal Court judge Justice Nik Hashim Nik Ab Rahman.

On Sept 8 last year, High Court judge Justice David Wong Dak Wah, who was sitting as an Election Court judge, quashed the outcome of the Pensiangan seat that was won uncontested by Barisan Nasional’s Kurup.

Justice Wong held that returning officer Bubudan OT Majalu had erred in overturning an Election Commission directive that PKR candidate Danny Andipai’s nomination papers be accepted though they were filed after the 10am deadline.

The judge had also ruled that the objections against Andipai’s nomination forms — on the grounds that they were not signed and that improper forms were used — were invalid.

News by TheStar..

Six to be charged for insulting Perak Sultan via blogs, postings

KUALA LUMPUR: Six people, who allegedly insulted the Sultan of Perak via their blogs or online postings, are expected to be charged on Friday under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

They are expected to be charged in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Kota Kinabalu, and Butterworth under Section 233(1) of the Act for unwise use of network or network services by making comments, demands, suggestions or communication deemed vulgar, false, threatening or disturbing. The charges are to be read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code.

The six will thus become the first to be hauled up under the Act.

Two others are also expected to face similar charges in Terengganu on Sunday.

Those found guilty under the Act face a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of one year or both as provided for under Section 233(3) of the Act.

Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail confirmed his officers are expected to charge several people on Friday but declined to elaborate on the facts of the case.

It is learnt that several senior Information, Communication and Technology executives working with the Perak State Secretary lodged a report with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Feb 16 after reading the offending posting and comments in several of the blogs that is said to be linked to the Sultan of Perak’s web site.

Several of the offending comments were also posted and sent to the Perak state government website.

The MCMC acting on their complaint started a round the clock probe and after about a month of tedious investigations applied and obtained several search warrants from the courts to further investigate the matter.

They (MCMC) officers armed with the search warrants raided several premises and shop lots throughout the country including houses and shops in Taman Tun Dr Ismail in Brickfields, Kajang, Sri Kembangan, Permatang Pauh, Ranau in Sabah and several other places where the culprits were alleged to have operated from.

The sources said the raiding team seized lap tops, modems, personal computers and even telephone bills as evidence that is said to belong to the suspects and would produce them as evidence.

News by TheStar..

p/s omg.. to all bloggers out there.. from this moment we have to be xxtxra careful on your posting..

SPM: 6,277 score straight As in all subjects

PUTRAJAYA: The 2008 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results announced Thursday saw 6,277 students scoring straight As in all subjects compared with 5,060 in 2007.

Education Ministry Director-General Datuk Alimuddin Mohd Dom said 1,676 students scored A1s in all subjects compared with 892 in 2007, while 181,416 or 46.7% passed all subjects compared with 175,452 in 2007.

“There were three excellent result achievers who scored A1s in all 16 subjects, two who scored A1 in 15 subjects while six scored A1s in 14 subjects,” said Alimuddin while announcing the SPM and STAM results here Thursday.

Last year, 442,936 students sat for the SPM compared with 439,255 in 2007; 435 Special students also sat for the examination last year compared with 355 the previous year. -- Bernama

News by TheStar..

Naked photos taken during job interview

KUALA LUMPUR: He answered an advertisement to be a guest relation officer. Instead, David (not his real name) was photographed naked as part of an interview to be a gigolo.

The 28-year-old salesman from here said he had telephoned a man called “Uncle Simon” because he needed a better paying job as he wanted to plan for his future.

After “Uncle Simon” met him for the first time, he asked David to be a gigolo as he was good-looking.

“I accepted the offer because there was an interview, and I didn’t think there would be anything wrong with it,” David said at a press conference yesterday at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department,

During the interview, he was required to be photographed naked.

He agreed to do so but covered his private parts during the photo shoot.

“I was afraid to reject Uncle Simon because he had my personal details as well as the pictures,” he said.

“They asked me to wait for a telephone call but it never came.”

He added he wanted to forget the whole issue because it was a stupid decision.

David sought help from the department yesterday because he was afraid that “Uncle Simon” would expose the photographs of him.

David also said there were other gigolos as well and their naked pictures were compiled into an album for women customers to choose from.

Department head Datuk Michael Chong said there were many such advertisements that offered lucrative pay to attract naive young men and women.

News by TheStar..

p/s This world is getting hotter..lol