Cops seize contraband fags, tobacco

KUALA LUMPUR: Police seized contraband cigarettes and tobacco worth RM35,000 from a store in Sentul here and detained four people including a woman, believed to be the mastermind.

Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Ahmad Sofian Md Yassin said a team from the Commercial Crime Department headed by Chief Insp Wee Bee Seng raided a store in Jalan Segambut at about 7.15pm on Sunday, after carrying out surveillance on it for several days.

He said three men including two Myanmar citizens who were in the midst of loading several boxes into a van were detained by the raiding team after they were found behaving suspiciously.

"As the team was in the midst of arresting the three men, a woman believed to be the mastermind and the employer of the three men tried to flee the store by driving out in a car.

"However, the police team managed to prevent her from doing so and apprehended her too,'' he said here Monday.

ACP Ahmad Sofian said upon checking the store, the police team recovered 1,840 boxes of Nepalese cigarettes, 72,000 packets of Indian tobacco and 28 sacks of unbranded tobacco.

He said the police team also recovered a van and a car believed to have been used by the suspects to distribute the contraband to their clients.

ACP Ahmad Sofian said that the woman, who is married and has three children, was believed to be the leader of the group.

The woman who is from Kedah, is believed to be linked to a syndicate smuggling the contraband into the country.

"Investigations showed that the suspects had been involved in smuggling activities for the past two years.

"Our investigations also show that the contraband was distributed mainly to shops and restaurants in the Klang Valley as there was demand for the contraband due to the high number of Nepalese and Indian nationals in the country,'' said ACP Ahmad Sofian.

He added that the four suspects aged between 20 and 40 including the two Myanmar citizens who did not possess any valid travel documents have been handed over to the Customs Department for further investigations for possession of undeclared goods under Section 135(i)(d) of the Customs Act.

Deny Room For Extremism, Says PM

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 31 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tonight called on the people to deny extremists the room to influence, let alone dictate, the country's agenda.

The prime minister said all efforts must be founded on the objective of delivering benefit to all the people instead of being mere reactions to pressure from this narrow-minded group.

"Each of us has the responsibility to safeguard the country from sliding into chaos as a result of what is touted as the freedom of expression with no regard for the feelings and sensitivities of others," he said in his 2008 New Year message televised nationwide.

Abdullah said the freedom of expression would be meaningless if it was not exercised with responsibility.

"We have seen the calamities and disasters which have befallen other countries as a consequence of the exercise of unrestricted freedom of expression, purportedly assumed to be absolute," he said.

The prime minister also touched on religious freedom, which has emerged as an issue over the past few weeks, and said: "We should deal with it with patience and caution and not allow ourselves to be influenced.

"We should take the stance of rejecting the adoption of extreme measures to arrive at solutions. This issue cannot be resolved through street demonstrations."

Abdullah said he believed that every Malaysian had the capacity to think and reason with wisdom and would never allow any element "to undermine the harmony which we have established and nurtured for so long".

"Let us join hands to safeguard the peace and prosperity that we now enjoy. If there are shortcomings in implementation, let us together strengthen the process with honesty and sincerity, for the sake of our beloved Malaysia," he said.

He said the prevailing peace and harmony, which has been in existence for a long time, was the outcome of the goodwill, tolerance and moderation exercised by the people which had enabled them to understand one another.

The prime minister said it was this goodwill, tolerance and moderation that had torn down the divisive barriers which had kept the people separated at one time in terms of race, religion or status.

"And, we do not merely perceive things from our point of view but also from the perspective of others.

"We do so as we understand that Malaysia does not belong to any one particular individual or race but to all of us, every Malaysian. In this country, no one is accorded a citizenry higher than another's," he said.

Abdullah also said that it was this goodwill, tolerance and moderation that had made Malaysia what it was today, a nation undergoing intensive development and enjoying peace and prosperity.

"I believe this is the very spirit which will reject any extreme action that can only undermine our solidarity and threaten peace and prosperity," he said.

Abdullah expressed his sympathy for the tens of thousands of victims of the recent floods, and said the catastrophe was a test of Allah (God), not only for the victims but also others as well as the government.

He was grateful that during the floods, the compassionate nature of Malaysians and their eagerness to help the victims was very much evident, rising above race, religion and social status.

"It has been like this every time a disaster occurs, wherever that may be, in the towns or villages. This is what makes me proud of you, the people of Malaysia," he said.

He expressed his gratitude to the police, army, and governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as members of the public and others who had assisted the flood victims.

Abdullah said 2007 witnessed numerous successes for Malaysia, all achieved through the spirit of unity and togetherness nurtured by the people for so long.

He is pleased that the country's economy is expected to grow at six per cent in 2007, supported by vibrant trade and an active stock market with inflation and unemployment under control at a low rate.

In the development of human capital, Abdullah said, 2007 was a starting point for excellence in the area with the launching of the Education Development Blueprint in January followed by the National Higher Education Strategic Plan.

Abdullah said that to ensure that the fruits of the country's development were equally shared, 2007 saw the launching of massive development corridors in southern Johor and in northern and eastern Peninsular Malaysia.

He said the year also demonstrated the caring nature of the government when it maintained the price of fuel despite the escalating global price and monitored the prices of essential goods to check a rise in the cost of living.

On public security, the prime minister said the police would step up crime-prevention operations and were recruiting up to 60,000 more personnel over the next five years to help facilitate the job.

He said the government had also taken measures to boost its delivery system with the setting up of "Pemudah".

"As a token of appreciation and to strengthen the public service delivery system, the government announced salary increases of between 7.5 and 42 per cent for civil servants in July," he said.

Abdullah said the year 2007, which is also Malaysia's 50th anniversary of independence, had also highlighted the country's success in numerous areas in and outside the country.

He said the greatest achievement for Malaysians in 2007 was the launching of a Malaysian into space. The country's first astronaut travelled to the International Space Station on Oct 10 and another would go there in 2010 or 2011, he added.

Visit Malaysia Year 2007, he said, had attracted 20.7 million tourists, generating a revenue of RM45.7 billion, while in the sports arena, the country's athletes won 68 gold medals at the Korat SEA Games in Thailand, he said.

On 2008, the prime minister said it promised a thousand and one challenges as well as blessings for all, and called on everyone to cooperate to maintain peace and unity and bring greater progress for the country.

Source :Bernama
More News at Malaysiaonnews

Worker dies trying to save his friends

KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian worker died from smoke inhalation when he tried to rescue three of his colleagues from a fire at their worksite quarters in Jalan Tun Razak here.

The construction worker identified as Durang Surano, 35, was overcome by smoke when he went back into the burning building to rescue his colleagues during the 3.30am fire Tuesday.

Mohd Ramali Arbai, the officer-in-charge of the Pudu Fire and Rescue Department said Durang Surano collapsed and died due to smoke inhalation while trying to help three of his friends who were trapped inside the quaters.

He said three men whom he tried to save, however, managed to escape with minor injuries minutes later.

A total of 102 workers were fast asleep in the quarters when the fire broke out.

Durang Surano's body was sent to Hospital Kuala Lumpur for a post-mortem, while the injured workers were given treatment at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Mohd Ramali said the fire was put out by 29 firemen who rushed to the scene in three fire engines from the Jalan Pudu, Jalan Hang Tuah and Jalan Chow Kit stations, after receiving a call at about 3.45am.

He said the cause and damage was yet to be ascertained.

Source :Thestar
More News at Malaysiaonnews

Church leaders explain use of 'Allah'

PETALING JAYA (Dec 23, 2007): The use of the word “Allah” to refer to God among Christians has been widely practised for generations in many countries and it is not meant to offend or confuse the Muslims, Christian leaders said on Sunday.

Father Lawrence Andrew, the editor of local Catholic weekly The Herald, told theSun that its Bahasa Malaysia segment catered to the many Bahasa Malaysia-speaking Catholics in the country.

“The newspaper is only circulated among Catholics and not sold at newsstands and neither is the paper issued to Muslims,” he stressed.

He said The Herald was informed by the Internal Security Ministry in a letter dated Dec 10 to stop its Bahasa Malaysia segment.

He added that the letter said this would be so when the publication permit is granted.
The annual permit expires on Dec 31 and the publication has yet to receive the renewed permit.

Lawrence said the term “Allah” used by Christians or in Christian literature was not intended to offend Muslims or create confusion.

We follow the Bible, he said. “The Malay-language Bible uses ‘Allah’ for God and Tuhan for Lord.”

He said since the early 19th century, Catholics in Malaya had prayer books in the Malay language and “Allah” was used to refer to God.

The Maltese Catholics also use the term “Allah” to refer to God and so do Christians in Indonesia, Pakistan and the Middle East.

There are more than 850,000 Catholics in Malaysia, and The Herald has a circulation of 12,000 and a readership of 50,000.

Other than the English segment, it also has sections in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil to cater to the multi-racial and multi-lingual make-up of the Malaysian Catholic population.

Hence it is common for some Catholic religious celebrations to be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia during the Sunday worship, and even on special national occasions such as Merdeka Day.

Lawrence said the ministry had no right to interfere in the internal management of the church, in accordance with the Federal Constitution.

Quoting Article 11 (3) A, he said the constitution allowed every religious group to manage its own affairs.

He said the ministry’s decision to abolish The Herald’s Bahasa Malaysia segment was unconstitutional and had no legal standing.

The weekly is still in talks with the authorities to renew its permit, and would appeal if the government refuses to issue the permit.

The general-secretary of the Council of Churches Malaysia Rev Herman Shastri told theSun each religious community was endowed with the right to translate its respective holy scriptures.

“Christians living in Muslim-majority countries are using the term ‘Allah’ in reference to God during their liturgical celebrations. Even if the authorities disallow the use of certain words, the churches will continue to use them because it has to do with our sacred scriptures,” he said.


Source :Thesundaily
More News at Malaysiaonnews

Bank Negara introduces new RM50 notes

SUBANG (Dec 21, 2007): Bank Negara today introduced an all new "50th Merdeka Anniversary" RM50 notes that feature anti-photocopy technology.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also Finance Minister, received the first note from Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz in the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here.

Twenty thousand pieces of the commemorative notes, specially packaged with information on the security features, would be sold at RM60 each at Bank Negara branches from Wednesday (Dec 26).

Abdullah said: "I'm thankful that we are able to issue this to mark success in our 50 years of independence. It's a symbol of Malaysia's success, stability of the ringgit and the economy and strength and prosperity of the nation.

"This RM50 note is very meaningful. Insyallah (God Willing), in the next 50 years, we will also be successful," Abdullah told reporters after the brief ceremony to launch the circulation of the notes.

The ceremony was held in the RMAF base before Abdullah and his wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, left for a one-day official visit to Kelantan.

Zeti said another 50 million notes without the packaging would be distributed through all banks in the country from Jan 30, and people could exchange the current RM50 notes for them.

She said the new note, designed with anti-photocopy technology to prevent forgery, featured the 50th independence logo on the upper right corner on its back and a picture of First Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj raising his right hand.

"Subsequent issues will not carry the logo," she said, adding the multi-colour design currency note would be issued for daily transaction in stages in the next few years, while the current RM50 note would be phased out gradually in three to five years.

"The old series are already 12 years old. We change the design between 10 and 12 years. We are now looking at new designs for other denominations," she said.

Among the 145 x 69mm note's main features are such as watermark portrait with electrotype highlight, security thread, perfect see-through register, invisible fluorescent, intaglio print, multicolour latent image, holographic stripe, numbering, braille feature, background micro-lettering and intaglio micro lettering.

Zeti said the anti-photocopy technology, which had been adopted by several world currencies, would prevent forgery through photocopy.

She said the current notes will be phased out naturally for a period between three to five years.

- Thesun

To read many more click here

Floods: Fourth victim in Segamat

JOHOR BARU: Floods have claimed a fourth victim in Segamat after a man fell into a swollen river and was swept away by the swift currents.

Segamat deputy OCPD Dept Supt Ahamad Sukarno Mohd Zahari said unemployed Sapihie Zakaria, 32, fell into the river at 3pm on Thursday.

A search and rescue mission was launched immediately and his body was recovered near where he fell at 12.30pm yesterday.

The earlier flood fatalities in Segamat were Mohd Irwan Mohd Nazam, 13, Lim Tong Ta, 44, from Kampung Tengah, and vegetable farmer Ang Wee, 74.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in the state continued to improve, with the number of evacuees down to 4,314 people in 57 centres.

Of these, there were 301 evacuees in Mersing, 276 in Batu Pahat and 2,181 in Segamat.

However, the number of evacuees in Kota Tinggi and Muar increased to 30 and 1,526 respectively.

No way out: A lorry stranded on a flooded road in Pekan, Pahang.

Three roads in Segamat remained closed to all vehicles – Jalan Kuala Paya-Balai Badang, Jalan Segamat-Tangkak and Jalan Pogoh Tekam.

In Pahang, the number of evacuees in Pekan continued to rise with 5,590 people rescued from their homes as at 2pm, compared to 4,564 at 8am yesterday.

According to the Drainage and Irrigation Department official website, rainfall recorded since midnight in Pekan was 43mm and categorised as heavy.

The waters of Sungai Pahang in Pekan were also above the danger level.

The state flood operation control centre spokesman said the number of evacuees in Pahang stood at 21,409, who were being sheltered at 234 relief centres.

The number of evacuees in Kuantan stood at 3,571, followed by Temerloh (3,402), Rompin (3,298), Maran (2,657), Bera (2,479) and Jerantut (412).

Some 100 people who were evacuated in Lipis were allowed to return home at noon and all the seven relief centres there were closed.

The 113rd km of the East Coast Expressway near Lanchang was accessible to only heavy vehicles while the 23rd km of Jalan Kuantan-Pekan near Lamir was closed to all traffic after a bridge collapsed.

A stretch from the 24th to 31st km of the same road near Inderapura was also closed to all vehicles.

National Security Council’s Pahang branch director Datuk Abdull Muain Abdul Hamidsaid relief work to distribute food and other supplies to flood victims was proceeding smoothly.

He added that there were a few glitches in areas that were inaccessible due to bad weather.

The latest flood victim in the state was a senior citizen in Temerloh who fell and drowned while on his way to the mosque for his subuh prayer yesterday.

In Kelantan, overnight rain worsened the flood situation, with the number of evacuees at the relief centres rising to 3,292 yesterday morning.

The situation in central Sarawak continued to improve as some evacuees began returning home.

In Sibu, three flood victims returned home yesterday while 53 remained at a relief centre.

A spokesman at Sibu division’s flood operations room said the situation was improving although many parts of town remained flooded.

There were no more evacuees in Kanowit as the waters there had receded.

A spokesman at the Kanowit operations room said the floods had left traces of mud in the town centre.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, who made an aerial survey of the affected areas yesterday, advised people living in low-lying areas to be on the alert for rising waters.

To read many more click here

NGOs discuss Indian issues with PM in heart-to-heart chat

PUTRAJAYA: A frank and open discussion. That was how representatives of Indian groups described their two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday.

The talks centred on issues affecting the community, particularly its socio-economic standing in the country.

A spokesman from the Prime Minister's Office said Abdullah told the representatives of the 13 non-governmental organisations what the Government was doing to help uplift the economic and social standing of the Indian community.

“He also explained the Government’s stand on the Hindraf issue. All those who attended pledged to work with the Government for the betterment of the Malaysian Indian community,'' he added.

The meeting took place just 24 hours after the arrest of five Hindraf leaders under the Internal Security Act on Thursday.

The spokesman said Abdullah also stressed on the importance of preserving peace and stability, which was important to a developing nation like Malaysia.

“One thing for certain is that the NGOs disagreed with the way Hindraf used demonstrations to voice its views and claims, specifically ethnic cleansing of the Indian community, which they said did not make sense,” he added.

The 13 NGOs that attended the meeting were the Malaysian Hindu Sangam, Malaysian Hindu Dharma Mamandram, Malaysian Hindu Association, Sri Murugan Centre, Malaysian Hindu Youth Council, Malaysian Tamil Youth Bell Clubs Council, and Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The others were the Malaysian Indian Business Association, National Land Finance Cooperative Society, National Union of Plantation Workers, Malaysian Tamil School Headmasters Association, Child Information Learning and Development Centre, and Yayasan Strategik Sosial.

Works Minister and MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam also attended the meeting.

Malaysia Hindu Dharma Mamandram president Assoc Prof N.S. Rajendran said the meeting was called to hear the expectations and feelings of the Indian community.

“He asked us to be frank about the real situation. All of us were given a chance to express our views.

“We raised issues on education, civil service, promotions, racial integration, religion and others.

“The Prime Minister was very attentive and took down notes,” he said.

Rajendran said: “Some of the representatives raised ‘rather hard issues’ to which Abdullah replied ‘Don’t worry, I am here to listen and I want you all to be frank’.

“The Prime Minister also stressed that this would not be the last meeting. He said he would have a discussion with Samy Vellu on the issues raised,” he added.

Malaysia Hindu Sangam president Datuk A. Vaithilingam said they asked Abdullah to consider releasing the five Hindraf leaders held under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and charge them in court.

“We also made a request to release the 31 people charged in court as they were at a place of worship (Batu Caves) and many of them were merely bystanders who might have just questioned the police and were arrested,” he added.

Vaithilingam said he also agreed to be the coordinator to prepare a memorandum to be submitted to Abdullah on the community’s plight.

Siva Subramaniam said it was the first time he saw NGOs boldly pouring out all their grievances.

Before the discussion Abdullah also met with Bar Council chairman S. Ambiga.

- Thesun

To read many more click here

Demos By Umno Youth And Hindraf Have Nothing In Common

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- Attempts by certain people to equate the demonstration by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) with efforts by Umno to stand for the rights of Palestinians are difficult to be accepted because the gap in their struggles is very wide, like between the earth and the sky.
The public may still remember when Umno Youth vice chief Khairy Jamaluddin and 10,000 other Malaysians of various religions stood together in a wave of anger towards the United States (US) for defending Israel that openly murdered the Lebanese and Palestinians.
The rally on July 28 last year in this capital city, initiated by Umno Youth, finally managed to hand over a memorandum to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who was here for the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, calling for the world power to broker a ceasefire to end the Israeli military campaign.
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) senior lecturer Dr Siva Murugan said the demonstration by Umno, participated by people of various races and religions, was a genuine global struggle compared to the one by Hindraf that was desperate in trying to champion its personal interest.
"The issues fought for by Umno Youth and Hindraf are far different. It is clear to the people that both have different ideologies though in principle, they voice out oppression against a particular race," he said.
Dr Siva said Hindraf actually tried to cloud the eyes of the Malaysian people by saying that it was fighting for the Indians in the country to the extent that it was willing to use violent means including "battling its own people and authorities."
"Peaceful demonstrations are not something new in the country and often allowed by the authorities. The issue now is Hindraf has exceeded the line by disrupting public order and challenging the authorities," he said.
He said an assembly bent on radicalism and extremism should not be accepted by the people in the country.
"It is not our way. It is not our culture. I agree with the government's firmness on Hindraf who tries to promote violent demonstrations," he said.
Dr Siva said Hindraf was not only challenging the law of the land but also other principles enshrined in the Federal Constitution including by questioning Malay privileges and trying to challenge the Malay rulers institution.
Malaysian Association for Community Development president Norizan Shariff said the demonstrations by Umno Youth and Hindraf had nothing in common.
The one by Umno Youth, he said, was the only way to protest against the Israeli aggression after international powers refused to prevent Israel from year to year from murdering more Palestinians.
"There are two things completely different. Umno Youth tried to stop the aggression in Palestine when the world saw Israel attempted to commit ethnic cleansing at rampant.
"It (Palestine) required assistance after no help came from the international community. Because there was no platform to voice the issue out, it was channelled through a demonstration in Malaysia and other places as well," he said.
On the other hand, Hindraf deliberately created issues and had their own agendas, he said.
"In Hindraf's context, all their allegations are more of a claim that has yet to be proven," he said. In fact, MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu also disputed Hindraf's accusations, he said.
Norizan said Hindraf leaders had adopted a wrong strategy by staging a demonstration which clearly showed it was not sincere in its struggle and drew criticisms from the majority of people in the country.
"They did not meet members of the government first. Instead, after staging the demonstration and breaking the law, only then they wanted to meet the government," he said.
On Hindraf's allegation that the government had violated the people's basic rights by disallowing public assemblies, Norizan said: "No one has denied them the freedom to assemble but only if it does not make the people worry.
"If they say their basic rights have been violated when their assembly have been disallowed, what about the rights of others who are disturbed by their actions at the assembly?" he asked.




To read many more click here

Senior Opposition Leaders Among 29 Arrested For Illegal Assembly

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama) -- The police have arrested 29 people, including Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) secretary-general Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and PKR information chief Tian Chua, for gathering illegally in front of the Parliament building here today.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Ismail Omar, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the arrests.

He said those arrested were from opposition parties and non-governmental organisations and that they had defied a court order prohibiting the illegal assembly.

Among the others arrested were PAS treasurer Mohd Hatta Ramli and PAS central committee member Dr Lo'Lo Ghazali.

Meanwhile, five more representatives of opposition leaders and NGOs headed by PAS elections director Datuk Mustafa Ali were also arrested after they entered Parliament House without permission to hand over a memorandum to members of parliament calling for the rejection of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 which extends by one year to 66 years the retirement age of members of the Election Commission (EC).

Others were Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) executive director Yap Swee Seng, a member of the Writers Alliance of Media Independence Wong Chin Huat, founder of Community Communication Centre Mein Lor, and Centre for Independent Journalism executive director V. Gayathry.

They were also among those who participated in an illegal gathering organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) in the federal capital on Nov 10.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, when asked about the matter, said the police had the right to arrest anyone within the compound of Parliament if they were found to be a threat to security.

He said that the group which entered the Parliament building had been given entry passes and were the guests of Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) but they were found to have intruded into Parliament's security zone and insisted on handing over the memorandum.

Nazri said the group had also failed to inform him, as minister in charge of Parliament, about their real intention in going into the august house.

The four of them, who were arrested at 1pm in front of the main entrance to Parliament House, did not put up a struggle when they were placed under arrest by policemen in mufti.

However, Mustafa, a former member of parliament, who was arrested 45 minutes later while he was exiting the Parliament building, was seen struggling with and shoving the policemen before he was arrested and taken away in a van.

Among the opposition members of parliament who were with Mustafa and who were seen objecting to the police action were Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, M.Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Timur), Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) and Chong Eng (DAP-Bukit Mertajam).

The memorandum was in relation to the Dewan Rakyat sitting today to approve the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007.

The bill was passed by a majority of 189 votes.

Those arrested were taken to the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters to have their statements recorded.

They were released in stages from noon to night.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Director I Datuk Acryl Sani, when contacted, said they were released unconditionally with police bail for a week.

"They will be charged in court next Tuesday," he said.

Last night, the police obtained a court order to stop Bersih supporters from gathering at the Parliament building to hand over the memorandum.

Following the gathering, several roads around the federal capital experienced massive traffic jams this morning, including the road from Selayang heading here as well as Jalan Kuching, Jalan Ampang, Jalan Dato Onn, Jalan Maharajalela, Jalan Pudu and Jalan Sungai Besi.

-- BERNAMA

To read many more click here

Khazanah & CIMB To Decide Soon On Stake In Banks In Indonesia

SEPANG, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- Khazanah Nasional Bhd, together with Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd, is expected to make an announcement soon on their equities in two Indonesian banks -- PT Bank Niaga and PT Bank Lippo.

Bumiputra-Commerce's chief executive officer, Datuk Nazir Razak said this follows the Indonesian government's December 31 deadline disallowing foreign parties to own more than one bank.

"We would be making an annoucement with Khazanah Nasional within the next three weeks," he told reporters after opening a new CIMB bank and CIMB Islamic branch at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here Thursday.

Khazanah, which owns about 88 percent equity in Bank Lippo of Indonesia, is the major shareholder of Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Bhd.

In turn, Bumiputra-Commerce holds a 66 percent stake in Bank Niaga.

Jakarta's ruling means that foreign parties would either have to sell off their stakes or merge their bank entities.

Nazir is also the chief executive officer of CIMB which comes under Bumiputra-Commerce.

Industry sources have reportedly said that a merger between both banks was the best option for Khazanah to comply.

-- BERNAMA

RM3m cellphones seized

SEREMBAN: Ten men were arrested and about 3,000 units of the latest Nokia and Sony Ericsson mobile phones worth some RM3mil were seized when Customs foiled an attempt to smuggle in the gadgets on the North-South Expressway near Pagoh early yesterday.

Also confiscated in the 7.15am operation at the 135th kilometre of the northbound stretch were six vehicles – two Mitsubishi Storms, two Nissan Cefiros, a Perdana V6 and a Toyota Vios.

Certain sections of the NSE were temporarily closed as Customs officers laid their trap.

Department director-general Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid said that at one point, the smugglers drove against the flow of traffic to escape the dragnet.

“We were ready for them. Since we knew they were going to be aggressive, we had little choice but to close certain stretches of the highway as well as the exit points,” he said, adding that several cars belonging to the department were damaged in the ambush.

Abdul Rahman said the Perdana V6 driven by one of the smugglers crashed into a valley in an attempt to escape.

“Of the 10 arrested, six are smugglers. The other four are tontos on the lookout for enforcement agencies,” he said.

The men were aged between 25 and 55.

Abdul Rahman said the department had been monitoring the syndicate’s activities over the past two months following complaints from dealers that some outlets sold mobile phones lower than the market price.

He said the mobile phones were brought in from neighbouring countries without the relevant duties being paid.

“Those who wish to sell handphones here must get Sirim’s endorsement for their products. This costs about 10% of the price of the product,” he said.

Abdul Rahman said his officers monitored the movement of the syndicate members for nearly 24 hours before executing their plan.

“Our intelligence revealed that the smugglers and tontos moved around in 40 to 50 cars at any one time. They take turns to be on the road to hoodwink us. But we know how to checkmate them,” he said.

Abdul Rahman said one of his officers was also injured when one tonto tried to attack him with an iron rod. In the melee, the smuggler struck the windscreen of one of the Cefiros, breaking it in the process.

“We have crippled what we believe is a big syndicate involved in handphone smuggling activities,” he said.

The crack team was made up of Customs officers from Penang, Pahang and Negri Sembilan.

Source :Thesundaily
More News at Malaysiaonnews

Abdullah slams Hindraf over allegations

MALACCA: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tore into the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) yesterday, saying that it is spreading blatant lies with the intention of arousing hatred among multiracial Malaysians and sparking racial clashes.

Singling out Hindraf’s accusation that the Government was carrying out ethnic cleansing of the Indians in Malaysia, the Prime Minister fumed: “I'm really angry, I rarely get angry but this blatant lie cannot be tolerated at all.”

Abdullah even offered to resign if there was proof that the Government was involved in ethnic cleansing.

He said he did not want the people, especially the Indians, to be misled by Hindraf's unfounded claims and allegations, hoping that other races would not show sympathy towards the Indian activist group.

However, despite his anger during the 20-minute press conference where he dealt mostly with the Hindraf issue, Abdullah pledged to look after the interests and the well-being of the Indian community.

“The social problems faced by the Indian community are clear. I have never said no. We support the Indians but there are some quarters instigating them and making them feel unhappy with the Government,” he said..

Source :Thesundaily
More News at Malaysiaonnews