Kayveas: No threats, PPP members will decide future

PETALING JAYA (July 30, 2007): People's Progressive Party (PPP) president Datuk M. Kayveas today denied threatening to pull out of Barisan Nasional (BN) and issued veiled references against senior Umno leaders.
"I would never issue such threats. A threat is waving a keris and asking when you are going to draw blood," he said.
"I just said we would have to think about our future in the BN if we are not going anywhere. I don't think that is an ultimatum. Come on, we are in no position to give ultimatums to anyone."
He also took to task Umno vice-president and Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam for saying the PPP can join other political parties, which will just mean more seats for other BN member parties.
He said Malacca can "award 200 Datukships to people without positions or even addresses in Malaysia, but he (Ali) could not recommend one to our state chairman of 15 years who is a senator".
"He campaigned for Umno and Ali Rustam in the rain and sun. What did he get in return?"
Stressing that PPP's future presence in BN will be dictated by its members, Kayveas said: "While I would prefer the party to remain in the ruling coalition, I also cannot ignore the voices of our 500,000 party members.
"I'd rather work from within than from outside, but at the end of the day, if the majority of PPP members decide we have to rethink our strategy, and if we are strong enough to do so, then I will have to respect the voices of the majority."
Kayveas, who holds the PPP's sole seat as Taiping MP, said Sunday (yesterday)'s reports that he issued an ultimatum to the BN that PPP would leave the coalition if its demand for more seats and positions were not fulfilled, were untrue.
He said he did make the request for four parliamentary seats, 12 state seats, 79 local council seats and the position of Ipoh mayor at the party's 54th anniversary celebrations in Johor Baru on Friday (July 27).
"These are seats and positions that were already in PPP's hand before it joined the BN in 1972," he said.
"When you speak to party members, of course you need to tell them what they want to hear. They want to know where the party is headed and it is my responsibility to tell them but I never issued any ultimatum although I did voice my dissapointment at not being given due recognition."
Kayveas said the seat allocation to the PPP would be discussed in September among the four main BN component parties Ð Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan.
"PPP is not part of this and there are two parties that will not be happy if seats are given to PPP."
Kayveas, who is a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said he did not request a full ministership because it was inappropriate for him to do so as the position would ultimately go to him as party president.
Yesterday, Kayveas was taken to task by senior BN component party leaders, including Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, Ali Rustam, Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Perak mentri besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali, and MCA vice-president and Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Kayveas said: "Ali Rustam doesn't know history. It was our strength, not weakness that prompted (then prime minister) Tun Abdul Razak to invite us to join the coalition.
"PPP is worse off now after joining the BN. If we are outside, we could be a formidable opposition. This, again, is not a threat. I'm just stating facts."
Accusing Mohd Ali of not recognising the PPP's contributions, he said: "In 1996, he asked for the PPP's single senate allocation to be given to Umno. I acceded to his request, and when I asked for the seat to be returned, he refused. It was only through the prime minister's intervention that we got our senatorship back."
Kayveas also said the party is on an membership drive.
In Kelantan, he said, 5,000 Malays, including Umno members, have joined the party.
"Eventually, we want at least a 40% Malay membership in the PPP," he said.

tunku : i didn't know that there are many malays in PPP.anyway kayveas hit one stone to kill many birds judging from the news above but i wonder why he's hitting much at ali rustam when there are many others who comments on him.sometimes the media take one's speech out of context i guess just to sell it.i agree with kayveas when he said that "When you speak to party members, of course you need to tell them what they want to hear." this thing is applied by all the political parties in this world just to show that they are the greatest.

Umno Youth Proposes Formation Of Cyber Police

KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 (Bernama) -- The government was today urged to form a cyber police unit to maintain surveillance over the acivities of bloggers.
Federal Territory Umno youth head, Datuk Paduka Norza Zakaria said the Internal Security; Energy, Water and Communications; Science, Technology and Innovation; and Information Ministries should also take immediate action on the matter.
"The government should take firm action against the irresponsible bloggers according to existing law," Norza said in a statement representing Umno youth at state levels.
The statement was issued following a police report made by Umno on July 23 against the owner and operator of "Malaysia Today", Raja Petra Kamarudin, for publishing sensitive comments on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's position and on racist issues through the blog's website on July 11 2007.
Norza said according to section 121 (B) and Section 123 of the Penal Code, Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948, Section 263 and 266 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, being a publisher, Raja Petra Kamarudin was responsible for providing clear warning to every person who gives comments that they were responsible for their comments.

He said Umno Youth wanted stern action to be taken against Raja Petra including under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for failing to carry out his responsibilities.
Norza also asked the mainstream media not to publish unconfirmed information from websites.

tunku : first the hired cyber troopers to fight the bloggers who are against them and now they want cyber police.i think pdrm is capable in handling cyber crime. we don't need another team just because to please kj and the geng.don't use cheap tactics after all the deputy is oxford graduate.fight it with brain.i guess norza's sponsored website can't do the job that's why he is suggesting to create cyber police to watch their activities. the police are there, if a blogger to create chaos,threatening the nation security and creating tension among the races then by all means put them behind bars. but don't attack all the bloggers who don't disagree with you or those who don't like you. after all what are the cyber troopers for(makan gaji buta)?

Decision today on contractor’s appeal against termination

KUALA LUMPUR: A contractor responsible for building a stretch of the Trans-Eastern Kedah Interland (TEKI) highway will know today the result of an appeal against the termination of its contract by the Works Ministry.
Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said he would decide on the fate of the contractor after receiving a report from the Public Works Department (PWD) director-general.
On Thursday, Samy Vellu said he had ordered the PWD to issue a termination letter to the contractor, Konsortium BDB Kerry Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture company between Kedah government-owned company Bina Darulaman Bhd (BDB) and Pembinaan Kerry.
He said they were slow and had not shown much interest in completing the project.
At a press conference yesterday, Samy Vellu said Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid had appealed to him to reconsider, saying the problem was not that the contractor was slow but that the two companies had problems.
“I will consider this request and then decide based on a report by the PWD. If my decision remains, then we will have to look into other alternatives such as appointing the sub-contractor to take over,” he said.
Samy Vellu said the contractor was in charge of one of three packages of the RM480mil highway or 74.3km of the 114.7km highway.
“The value of the contractor’s package is RM287mil and only 21% of the work has been completed when the target is 37%. The package is due for completion in September 2008.”
In August 2004, the Government had allocated the money for the TEKI highway, which is to be classified as a federal road and meant to connect Durian Burung in Padang Terap to Kupang in Baling (both in Kedah).

tunku : once you(samy) had said that their the original contractor's contract terminated because of delays then why you have to consider it just because the kedah menteri besar asked you so. this is a very clear case of abuse of power.

PPP gives ultimatum

JOHOR BARU: The People’s Progressive Party will leave the Barisan Nasional if it is not allowed to contest seats it held three decades ago in the general election.
The ultimatum was given by its president Datuk M. Kayveas on the eve of the party’s 54th anniversary.
Kayveas, who is the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, was referring to the clutch of seats it had held in its stronghold of Perak in the 1960s before it joined the coalition.
"All that we are asking for is the return of those seats to us.
"They are four parliamentary seats, 12 state assembly seats, 79 local council seats and the post of the Datuk Bandar of Ipoh.
"These were once held by the PPP," he said.
Today, his parliamentary seat of Taiping is the party’s only seat.
In the past, Kayveas had continually appealed to the BN for a bigger allocation of seats as the seats the PPP had once held were taken away during the party’s turbulent period.
Kayveas, who has helmed the party for 14 years and is credited with bringing it back from the brink of de-registration, said on Friday that he had a hard time responding to calls from his 500,000 members for more seats.
"We do not want to be treated like a step-child in the BN. But this is our stand that must be communicated to the BN leadership.
"We are asking for four parliamentary and 12 state seats. We are willing to settle for less as long as there are additional seats."

Don't Fuss Over Seat Allocation, Najib Tells BN Components

PEKAN, July 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today asked BN component parties not to make a fuss over seat distribution for the next general election as the issue will be discussed only at the right time.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Barisan leadership did not make decisions according to component parties' demands.
"When it comes to seat allocation, we will negotiate when the time is ripe," he said when responding to the ultimatum by the People's Progressive Party (PPP) that it would leave the Barisan if it was not allowed to contest seats it held three decades ago in the general election.
PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas, who issued the ultimatum, was referring to the clutch of seats the party had held in its stronghold in Perak in the 1960s before it joined the coalition.
The party is asking for four parliamentary seats, 12 state seats, 79 local council seats and the post of the Batuk Bandar of Ipoh.
Najib said decisions on seat distribution are made based on consensus in the Barisan power-sharing spirit and principle.
"This is not the time to make a big fuss over the issue...we actually decide on seat allocation based on consensus, we don't have additional seats.
"We have to make do with the existing constituencies. Hence, if there are changes to seats that have been allocated to component parties, it must be negotiated among the parties," said Najib, who is also Barisan deputy chairman.
"We don't make decisions according to requests of each component party. We decide based on the Barisan principle and spirit," he said.
On the ultimatum by Kayveas that PPP would leave the Barisan if its request was not met, Najib said: "I don't think PPP will leave the Barisan."

tunku : what has happened to our BN president.a small party can blackmail the bn nowadays.i wonder if the president is in control.well kayveas wants more seats, they are currently holding 1 seat only.by right i think they deserve more than 1 seat but the way kayveas is asking by threating is not right.he's not supposed to bring this to media, they can talk it during the bn's meeting but i guess kayveas trying to be the hero here and he's taking advantage of the bn president who seems not in full control.ppp is asking more seats that means other component party will have to sacrifice, obviously it would not be umno as ppp won't be standing in umno strong hold but will mic,gerakan or even mca would sacrifice their seats? i agree with najib that ppp would never leave bn as they are nothing without bn and most of their members will leave the party if it decide to leave.

Bloggers Who Slander Must Be Brought To Book, Says Khairy

KIMANIS (Sabah), July 28 (Bernama) -- Umno wants bloggers who resort to slander to be brought to book, said Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said these bloggers did not think about the sensitivities of others and the repercussions their writings can cause.
"There are no laws in the cyberworld except for the law of the jungle. As such, action must be taken so that the "monkeys" behave," he told reporters after opening the Papar, Kimanis and Sipitang Umno Youth annual delegates conference here today.
Khairy said there were some bloggers who thought they were above the law.
He said this when asked about Malaysia-Today webmaster Raja Petra Kamaruddin being called by the police for alleged seditious comments posted on it.
Khairy added that he too had been slandered on websites but had yet to take legal action because the case might take a long time to be settled.

tunku : a monkey himself calling others as monkeys.finally kayjay is back from holiday with the in-laws.if there are slanders against you why don't you follow the footstep of mat taib, lodge police report.so what if the case take a long time as long as it will clear all the slanders(if its really slanders) against you.

PM To Decide On Rais' Withdrawal From Contest For Common Secretary-General's Post

SUNGAI PETANI, July 28 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is to make a decision on the announced withdrawal from contest for the Commonwealth secretary-general's post by Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak said today Rais was nominated by the Malaysian government and the government had not altered its decision.
"I discussed the matter (of Rais' announced withdrawal from the contest) with the prime minister, and he will make an announcement on it," he told reporters after opening the Merbok Umno Division delegates conference here.
Rais had announced on Thursday that he had withdrawn from the contest for the post because his duties and commitment as chairman of the 50th National Day anniversary celebrations committee had deprived him of the opportunity to lobby for support overseas. He had also said that he had informed Najib and Wisma Putra of his decision.
The term of the current Commonwealth secretary-general, Don McKinnon, ends on March 31 2008. There is a general understanding that the next secretary-general should come from Asia.
The election of the new secretary-general is to be held at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala from Nov 23 to 25.

tunku: this is not a government job or government post so if the person had said that he witdraws then what's left for the pm to decide?may be they are not happy that they can't get rid of rais.

IGP & FORMER ACA CHIEF CLEARED.

AG Orders Corruption Investigation Against IGP Closed
PUTRAJAYA, July 27 (Bernama) -- Attorney- General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail has ordered that the Anti-Corruption Agency's (ACA) investigations against Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan on allegations that he received RM2 million to release three detainees under the Emergency Ordinance, be closed.
This is because the ACA investigations through witnesses and relevant documents revealed no evidence to implicate Musa, he said.
"Analysis of Tan Sri Musa Hassan's bank account statements also did not show any suspicious entry," he said in a statement to Bernama here today.
The ACA opened an investigation paper on June 18 and conducted a thorough investigation, including recording statements from the parties said to have paid RM2 million to Musa, and all the six witnesses said to have linked the three detainees to an illegal betting syndicate.
It also checked Musa's bank accounts and properties.
The investigation was opened after Home Ministry Principal Assistant Secretary Nazree Mohamad wrote a complaint letter and an e-mail containing the allegations to the ACA on April 27.
Gani said the ACA investigation revealed the following facts:
* All the three subjects were detained on March 30 2007 for allegedly being members of an illegal betting syndicate based on the evidence of six witnesses whose statements were recorded at the Kluang police headquarters (IPD).
* After all the three subjects were arrested by the Kluang IPD, the Inspector-General of Police received information that there was victimisation in the arrest.
* Musa then instructed the then Deputy Director of Intelligence/Operations of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department, DCP Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar, to probe the arrest of the three in view of the information on victimisation. Musa never issued any instruction to release the three subjects but informed Khalid that if there really had been victimisation in the arrest of the three subjects, they should be released.
* The investigation headed by Khalid found that all the six witnesses who were said to have linked the three subjects to an illegal betting syndicate had denied giving any statement to the Kluang IPD linking the three subjects to an illegal betting syndicate. Pursuant to this, Khalid instructed that the three subjects be released and suggested that disciplinary action be taken against the police officers involved.
* All the three subjects were released on April 6 2007 after seven days' detention.
Gani said further investigation by the ACA from recordings of the statements of the six witnesses found that they never made any statement to the Kluang police about the involvement of the three subjects in an illegal betting syndicate.
All the six also said that their signatures on the statements which were said to have been taken by the Kluang police were not theirs, he said.
He said samples of the signatures of the six witnesses taken by the ACA were found to be different from those on the police statement forms and it was clear that the signatures were not theirs.
The ACA investigation of the registration book of the lockup at the Kluang IPD where the six witnesses were detained and their statements taken by the Kluang police found that on the day and time stated on the statements, five of them were in the lockup and the sixth was being taken to court.
"Therefore, it was not possible for the six witnesses to have given their statements to the Kluang IPD police on the date and time stated in their written statements," he said.
Following the disclosure from the ACA investigation, Gani instructed the ACA to probe the police personnel suspected of falsifying the statements of the witnesses.
"I have also instructed the Kluang district police headquarters to submit all the files investigated under the Emergency Ordinance 1969 to the ACA," Gani said.
Earlier, Musa had denied the allegations and left it to the ACA to investigate.
Musa, who is due to retire on Sept 12 this year, has had his service extended by way of contract by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who is also Internal Security Minister.
Abdullah had said that the extension was to enable the Inspector-General of Police to carry on with his efforts to fight crime and corruption.

Former ACA Chief Free Of Criminal Misconduct, Abuse Of Power, Says AG

PUTRAJAYA, July 27 (Bernama) -- Former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) director-general Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mat Noor did not engage in any criminal misconduct or abuse of power, Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said today.
"The investigation process did not show any criminal element in the form of practices, conduct or omission by Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mat Noor or any abuse of power.
"Nevertheless, an incident where a road accident involving a department vehicle that went unreported was seen as a breach of departmental procedure but Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mat Noor had acted so solely to safeguard the mode of operation/intelligence undertaken by the Anti-Corruption Agency," he said in a statement to Bernama here.
Zulkifli was investigated by the ACA after former Sabah ACA director Mohamad Ramli Abdul Manan lodged a report early this year alleging misconduct by Zulkifli by way of corrupt practices and sexual misconduct as well as irregularities and abuse of power.
Gani said preliminary police investigation identified 28 issues.
Gani said the accusations identified were that Zulkifli used a government official vehicle to go to the Mobil service station in Pagoh, Muar in Johor; a wealthy nephew/niece attached to the MISC stayed in Zulkifli's house and took care of three luxury cars -- a Mercedes Benz, a Toyota Camry and a Volvo; a former Segamat district police chief and Zulkifli (when he was the Johor police chief) sought a bribe from a contractor, one Noor Hazin Mohd Zin, when the latter won a tender to build the housing complex of the Segamat district police headquarters.
Among the accusations were that Zulkifli has three shophouses in Shah Alam; owns a condominium in Sri Vista, Kampung Kerinchi, Kuala Lumpur, possesses land bequeathed by the Sultan of Pahang, has Magnum Corporation shares in the name of Shafiah Mohamad (Zulkifli's wife), owns a penthouse in Gold Coast, Australia, occupied by Zulkifli's child, and did not take action on information pertaining to alleged corruption by ministers and politicians.
There were also accusations that Zulkifli did not act on a complaint that Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (then Federal Territories Minister) had allegedly accepted a RM5 million bribe from a person identified only as Tee Yam to allow construction of a building for the purpose of gambling.
The statement said Zulkifli was also investigated for not having acted against Datuk Marina Mahathir who was alleged to have deposited US$15 million in the Bank of Singapore in the name of Tengku Iman, and for the alleged issuing of a contract to Marina for the construction of the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway and for allegedly giving part of the shares to Zulkifli.
"In 2004, Mohamad Ramli Abdul Manan had sent a letter to ACA Deputy Director-General Datuk Mohamad Zawawi suggesting an investigation of the alleged corruption and abuse of power by Zulkifli," Gani said in the statement.
Gani also said that one of the accusations was that Zulkifli was involved in a road accident in December 2005 when driving a Mercedes Benz car with registration number CBE 5216 belonging to the department but the repair process of the vehicle did not adhere to departmental procedure.
Other accusations were that no police report was made on a missing Honda Civic car bearing registration number WJR 2830 belonging to the department; that an ACA intelligence director had helped Zulkifli buy a Mercedes Benz car from the Customs; that Zulkifli owned land in Alai, Melaka, which was to have been the site of the ACA headquarters; that he misused the so-called SS Fund to purchase a flight ticket for his wife; that he was involved in sexual misconduct; that Zulkifli allegedly had an intimate relationship with a Sikh police officer; that he owned shophouses in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan; that he owned the Mobil service station in Pagoh, Muar, Johor; and that he owned the Shell service station in Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kuala Lumpur.
Zulkifli was also accused of owning six houses in Pagoh; of owning land and chalets in Desaru, Kota Tinggi; of owning 12 acres of oil palm smallholding in Port Dickson and of using the department's Mercedes Benz car bearing registration number CBE 5216 as his personal vehicle.
"On April 17 2007, Mohamad Ramli sent a letter to the Inspector-General of Police stating that Zulkifli had closed several corruption cases involving Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman relating to the Wisma Bandaraya scandal and alleging that Zulkifli had received RM700,000 as an inducement as stated in a police report made by Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan on March 19 2007," said Gani.
The attorney-general said 43 witnesses as well as the complainant, Mohamad Ramli, were interviewed in the course of the investigation.
"The investigation showed that Mohamad Ramli's allegations against Zulkifli were only assumptions. Mohamad Ramli was unable to support his accusations with documentary evidence.
"Mohamad Ramli did not have valid information and had never handled or managed the matters as per his allegations. All the allegations were garnered from third parties which were not revealed to the investigating team. The claims by Mohamad Ramli were baseless and doubtful," said Gani.
He said ACA witnesses stated that there had been no abuse of power by Zulkifli as alleged by Mohamad Ramli.
Their statements were made based on records relating to administration, operation and finance kept at the ACA.
"This showed that Mohamad Ramli had made assumptions without solid facts or information," Gani said.
He said two investigations into sexual misconduct undertaken in 1997 were probed and referred to the deputy public prosecutor and the cases were declared "NFA" (no further action) by the DPP for lack of sufficient evidence to bring charges against Zulkifli.
On an allegation that a vehicle auctioned by the Customs was bought at lower than the market price, he said investigations found that the purchase had adhered to regulations as per the Treasury's instructions, he said.
"Investigations were conducted into Zulkifli's sources of finance, and the loans given to his children for business were through savings from emoluments (allowances, salary and ASB investments). Investigations also showed that Zulkifli saved almost 40 per cent of his income and they showed that there was reason to believe he had the capability to accumulate the savings which were loaned to his children.
"Zulkifli also acknowledged that he gave the loans to his children in fulfilling his responsibility as a father wanting to see his children lead a successful life," Gani said.
The attorney-general also said that it was found that there was no violation of laws as alleged by Jeffrey Kitingan in his police report.
"There were 25 allegations in that report, three of which were related to general crime investigated by the Sabah police. The other allegations were on corrupt practices which were investigated by the Sabah ACA. The police investigation was referred to the Sabah chief police officer and the case was classified as `NFA' (no further action).
"An inspection showed that there was no delay in the investigations conducted by the ACA after the complaints were received. Also, Zulkifli did not issue any directive to prolong the investigations.
"The investigations also did not show any transaction of an alleged RM700,000 bribe to Zulkifli by the Sabah chief minister," Gani said.

IGP Happy His Name Cleared By ACA

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan is a happy man today after the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) closed its investigation against him on an allegation that he received RM2 million to release three detainees under the Emergency Ordinance.
"I thank the ACA for expediting the investigation and I believe there would be no more speculation on the matter. Everything's back to normal now," he told Bernama tonight.
Musa was commenting on the statement by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail that he had instructed the ACA to close its investigation into the allegation since it was baseless.
Musa said he had given the fullest cooperation during the ACA investigation.
"The ACA did their job, and I cooperated to clear my name," he added.
The ACA opened an investigation paper on June 18 and recorded statements from parties alleged to have paid RM2 million to Musa, and all the six witnesses said to have linked the three detainees to an illegal betting syndicate.

IGP Advises Senior Police Officer To Clear His Name

KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 (Bernama) -- Inspector- General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan today advised a senior federal police officer under probe by the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to give the fullest cooperation and clear his name.
He said this would expedite the ACA investigation and avert unnecessary speculation.
"The (ACA) investigation is a normal procedure. Let them complete their probe as it might take time.
"I believe in my men. If they are on the right track, there is nothing to worry," he told Bernama.
Musa was commenting on a media report today which highlighted an ACA probe into a federal police officer for alleged abuse of power and failure to declare his assets, which allegedly ran into millions of ringgit.
The officer is also alleged to have ordered the arrest of several villagers in Lahad Datu, Sabah, after they opposed a development project by a company of which he was a director.
In a related development, the ACA is to interview the villagers and scrutinise documents belonging to the company to ascertain the status of the senior police officer in the company.
A senior ACA official told Bernama the agency was currently evaluating the multi-million ringgit assets supposedly owned by the police officer.
"It is impossible for a senior police officer (like him) to have accumulated so much (in assets). Thus, we need a clarification on how he obtained them. We need to look into many aspects during our investigation as this is part of our procedure. We may call him for questioning, from time to time. No one is above the law," he said.
The police officer, who heads a department at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, however could not be contacted by Bernama.

tunku : so now it's clear that the IGP is not guilty. what say raja petra?will he be writing more slanders/allegation on IGP? hope that the IGP would really fight crime that is worsen day by day now as he can fully concentrate on it now without any obstacles.

Lies Will Not Affect Umno's Chances In General Election

PUTRAJAYA, July 27 (Bernama) -- Lies and distorted facts levelled by certain bloggers in their blog sites will not in any way affect Umno's chances of winning seats in the next general election, party secretary-general Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said Friday.
"No, I don't think so. Umno is strong and getting stronger," Radzi said when asked if these allegations would hurt the chances of the party, which is the largest political party in the country and the backbone of the ruling Barisan Nasional, in the general election.
He was speaking to reporters after presenting the MyPR card to Malaysian badminton doubles coach Rexy Mainaky, at the Home Ministry here. With the presentation of the card, Rexy, an Indonesian, is now a permanent resident in Malaysia.
Radzi, who is Home Minister, said bloggers had been given "a lot of freedom" under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi but this did not give them the right to abuse the freedom granted.
"They should not ridicule religion, or the King...their allegations have no basis at all. It would be good if they could come up with ideas and suggestions for the betterment of the government," he said.
On Monday, Umno Information chief senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhamad Taib lodged a police report against blogsite Malaysia Today for carrying articles deemed to have insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He claimed that statements and comments posted in the blogsite dated July 11 were deemed to have contravened the Penal Code, Sedition Act and the Communication and Multimedia Act.
The police report also alleged that the blog site had insulted and poked fun at Islam as the official religion of the federation and incited hatred among the various races which could affect unity and national security.
Asked if Muhammad's police report could be considered a report lodged by Umno, Radzi said: "Well, he is the information chief and whatever he does officially is the representation of Umno".
Radzi said the top Umno leaders had on several occasions met to discuss the lies spread through blog sites and a decision was made to lodge a police report to investigate the blogger of the site.
On another note, Radzi said there was no need for guidelines on the resolutions passed at the party's divisional meetings, which are now underway.
Several Umno divisions had passed resolutions calling for a no contest for the party presidency and deputy presidency during their meetings recently.
"It is still too early (to pass a resolution like that). Umno members are mature, they don't need a set of guidelines for this purpose. The resolutions they pass go by issues and time," he said.
Earlier this year, Umno decided to defer its party polls this year to give importance to the general election, which is widely expected to be held within the next eight months.
Radzi clarified today that according to the party constitution, Umno could defer the party elections for 18 months starting from November 2007.

tunku : radzi you're righr umno is strong but it's not getting stronger believe me. i am an umno member too. i guess most of you still have the habits of day dreaming which one day could destroy umno. certainly the lies will effect umno's performance in the next general election if it's not dealt with.people will certainly believe it if there are no efforts make to counter it.there are more serious issues in malaysia today's article that the umno leader should take action against it but choose to report on the agong and islam issues only. by doing this other allegations in malaysia today will look like true facts.

Irresponsible bloggers forcing us to act, says govt

KUALA LUMPUR: The government's policy from the start has been not to intervene in the people's use of the Internet, including bloggers who are free to use cyberspace to do "proper things", said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
However, the Umno vice-president said the action of irresponsible bloggers who went overboard in their Internet postings had forced the Government to step in.
"If they go overboard and insult, slander and break the laws, they will not get off scot-free. No one is above the law.
"Whether in the alam maya (cyber world) or the alam nyata (physical world), people cannot simply write whatever they want especially if it is touches on religion, culture, the rulers' position or the Constitution. These will be monitored," he said.
The Opposition parties were also free to set up their own websites and blogs, but the same rule applied to them, he added.
"We are a democratic country but it does not mean anyone can do whatever they want, including break the laws.
"For postings that insult (religion and the King), there are laws that can be used against the culprits," said Muhyiddin, who is also Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister, after launching the four-day Malaysia International Machinery Fair 2007 at the Putra World Trade Centre on Thursday.

tunku : i hope the umno leadership will read below open letter by ABD JALIL BACKER from http://mykmu.net.The points given by Jalil is too good.i hope after reading this article may be some of the leaders would realize.

Surat Terbuka Kepada Tan Sri Muhamad Muhd Taib


Oleh Ab Jalil Backer (jalil74@myjaring.net)

Assalamualaikum Tan Sri,

Pertamanya, izinkan saya mengucapkan jutaan syabas dan tahniah kepada Tan Sri. Setelah lebih tiga tahun dilantik sebagai Ketua Penerangan UMNO, baru minggu inilah tampaknya taring Ketua Penerangan UMNO Malaysia.

Tindakan membuat laporan polis ke atas laman web Malaysia-Today dan pengendalinya Raja Petra Kamaruddin atas tuduhan menghina Yang Di Pertuan Agong dan agama Islam wajar ditahniahkan.

Perkara ini amat signifikan kerana selama hari ini, banyak isu-isu sensitif yang dibincangkan secara terbuka oleh individu terkemuka tidak diambil sebarang tindakan oleh penerangan UMNO. Ini kita akan bincangkan kemudian.

Tan Sri,

Izinkan saya mengulas terlebih dahulu laporan polis ke atas Malaysia-today dan Raja Petra yang dibuat oleh Penerangan UMNO. Saya mengharapkan laporan polis yang dibuat oleh sebuah parti besar, yang saya ahlinya, tentulah mencerminkan sikap profesional dan bertanggungjawab.

Dilaporkan oleh media bahawa UMNO membuat laporan polis kerana terdapat komen-komen yang dikatakan menghina YDP Agong dan Islam dalam laman web Raja Petra.

Sekiranya Tan Sri dan mereka yang berada di Penerangan UMNO mahir dengan selok belok siber tentu faham bahawa komen yang dilakukan oleh pelayar atau pengunjung web adalah tanggungjawab pemberi komen.

Amatlah sukar untuk pengendali blog dan web menyaring hampir ke semua komen. Komen juga tidak pernah dianggap mewakili pandagan pemilik laman web.

Namun tentulah Tan Sri boleh berhujah bahawa adalah tanggungjawab penerbit laman untuk bertindak atau tutup sahaja laman tersebut jika tidak mampu mengawalnya. Baiklah. Kita katakan Raja Petra harus bertanggungjawab, demikian juga pemilik laman ini (mykmu.net).

Cuma jika Tan Sri berharap laporan tersebut akan menamatkan riwayat Raja Petra di alam siber hampir mustahil boleh berlaku. Apa yang Raja Petra perlu buat hanyalah memberi nombor-nombor Internet Protocol (IP) pemberi komen tersebut. Dan sudah banyak kes, pendakwaan hanya dilakukan ke atas mereka yang memberi komen bukannya pengendali laman.

Saya khuatir jika ini dilakukan, tidak mustahil terdapat ahli UMNO sendiri akan terperangkap. Bolehkah Tan Sri pastikan tiada sesiapa di kalangan pasukan siber yang UMNO bentuk ada menjalankan provokasi sedemikian? Malangnya, jika orang lain telah maju, pasukan siber UMNO belum lagi mampu menggunakan spoof atau menipu IP mereka.

Seterusnya Tan Sri, laporan ini, jika diperhalusi, lebih menguntungkan Raja Petra dan merugikan UMNO. Khalayak akan tertanya-tanya, mengapa sedemikian banyak tuduhan rasuah, salah guna kuasa dan campur tangan keluarga dalam pentadbiran negara tiada satu pun UMNO buat laporan. Sebaliknya sedemikian susah Tan Sri menerokai komen-komen pada setiap artikel yang tersiar hanya untuk membolehkan satu laporan polis dibuat.

Secara logik akalnya, tentulah artikel-artikel yang disiarkan oleh Raja Petra yang berunsur fitnah, khabar angin dan memburukkan pemimpin tertentu lebih wajar diambil tindakan berbanding komen-komen sampah di bahagian bawahnya.

Bila ini berlaku akan terdapat persepsi bahawa "tuduhan dan tulisan Raja Petra serta artikel yang tersiar dalam laman webnya memang benar dan sebab itu UMNO terpaksa mencari perkara-perkara kecil seperti komen pengunjung."

Memang benar saya akui bahawa persepsi ini belum tentu benar tapi impaknya besar.

Jika dahulu apa yang Raja Petra tulis belum tentu orang percaya, belum tentu diterima ramai kerana khalayak menganggap ini hanyalah sebahagian perang politik semata. Khalayak menganggap UMNO tidak berminat untuk berperang melalui undang-undang seperti mana Tun Dr. Mahathir tidak pernah menyaman sesiapa pun yang memfitnah atau memburukkannya.

Namun apabila terdapat ruang undang-undang sudah digunakan oleh UMNO maka akan timbul persepsi bahawa apa yang terdapat dalam Malaysia-Today tetapi tidak dilaporkan kepada polis itu benar.

Proses penaakulan minda khalayak akan membawa pertanyaan mengapa UMNO tidak membuat laporan Polis atau menyaman Raja Petra berikutan artikel-artikel beliau dalam The Corridors of Power?

Justeru saya tertanya-tanya. Apakah laporan polis tersebut dibuat untuk membantu UMNO dan kepimpinan negara atau sekadar menonjolkan kembali nama Tan Sri sebagai calon pilihan raya?

Tan Sri,

Laporan polis yang dibuat atas nama menghina YDP Agong dan Islam juga menimbulkan kembali tanda tanya kepada saya selaku ahli UMNO. Mengapa UMNO perlu membuat laporan polis ke atas laman web seperti Malaysia Today yang tidak besar impaknya kepada masyarakat Malaysia berbanding apa yang dilakukan oleh Kumpulan The New Straits Times suatu masa dahulu yang jelas menghina Islam. Sekiranya lupa Tan Sri boleh membaca kembali laporan Mykmu di sini.

Saya dan ramai ahli UMNO juga pasti tertanya-tanya jika Tan Sri menyeru kepada pemimpin UMNO supaya berani mempertahankan hak orang Melayu dan UMNO seperti dilaporkan Utusan hari ini, mengapa Tan Sri tidak bersuara walau sepatah haram pun bila Datuk Kalimullah Hassan (Ketua Pengarang NSTP ketika itu) menulis butiran perbincangan mesyuarat Penerangan UMNO Malaysia yang berada di bawah batang hidung Tan Sri?

Tan Sri,

Sebagai ahli UMNO tentulah saya tidak bersimpati dengan Raja Petra secara total. Namun saya fikir jika mahu menjatuhkan Raja Petra perlulah bertindak sebagai lelaki budiman (gentleman). Saman dan laporkanlah artikel-artikel beliau, bukannya menggunakan komen-komen yang entah dari mana dan tiada impak pun kepada khalayak.

Tan Sri,

Sebagai ahli UMNO juga saya merasa simpati kepada parti saya yang menjadi mangsa kerja-kerja tidak profesional pemimpin di PWTC.

Apabila mahu membuat laporan Polis tidak membawa bukti sebarang bukti menyokong laporan. Media massa dan yang dituduh pun keliru apa yang dilaporkan. Adakah Tansri mendapat nasihat peguam UMNO terlebih dahulu atau membuat laporan semberono sahaja?

Apabila mahu membantu UMNO di dalam Siber maka disiytiharkan seantero dunia penubuhannya, lalu jadilah semua pejuang siber UMNO "mati Katak" dicop pejuang berbayar.

Apabila mahu mengadakan pertemuan dengan bloggers UMNO dibatalkan kerana terdapat nama Datuk Ruhanie Ahmad dan Datuk Kadir Jasin. Apa salah UMNO berbaik dengan semua blogger yang bersimpati dengan UMNO biar pun tidak sependapat dalam polisi negara? Rugikah UMNO mempunyai ramai sahabat dan kawan?

Sebagai ahli politik kita jangan marah-marah. Tidak salah mendengar pandangan yang di bawah dengan senyuman manis biar pun pahit. Tidak semestinya semua pendapat yang kita anggap buruk perlu diherdik.

Sekian sahaja catatan ini Tan Sri. Bukan niat memalukan tapi sekadar menyatakan untuk kebaikan bersama. Apa yang saya tulis mungkin baik bagi saya tapi tidak bagi UMNO. Terserahlah kepada Tan Sri untuk menilainya.

Sekiranya terkasar bahasa tersalah bicara mohon dimaafkan.

Altantuya Murder Case 26/07/07

Prosecution Fails To Admit Sirul Azhar's Disclosure Of Crime Scene

SHAH ALAM, July 26 (Bernama) -- The prosecution suffered another blow when it failed to get the High Court to admit Sirul Azhar Umar's information to the police disclosing the location where Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered.
Justice Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin ordered that the information produced by the prosecution through its 22nd witness, Chief Insp Kamaroszaman Othman, be expunged from the record.
In his oral ruling, Mohd Zaki held that the information given by Sirul Azhar, the second accused, during the 20-minute interrogation by Kamaroszaman on Nov 6 last year was not within the ambit of Section 8 of the Evidence Act 1950.
The prosecution had sought to admit the information as evidence under Section 8 to show that there was a disclosure by Sirul Azhar which led the police to the crime scene.
Mohd Zaki ruled that the information given by Sirul Azhar was a statement and Section 8 did not include statement.
Sirul Azhar, 36, together with Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, both of the Bukit Aman Special Action Force, are charged with murdering Altantuya, 28, at a location between lots 12843 and 16735, Mukim Bukit Raja, between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20 last year.
Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 47, is charged with abetting them in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur between 9.54am on Oct 18 and 9.45pm on Oct 19 last year.
The judge also ruled that the information given by Sirul Azhar did not fall under the ambit of Section 27 of the Evidence Act.
Under Section 27, it must be proven whether or not information leading to the discovery of crime scene given by a accused person under police custody is a confession of guilt.
Earlier, when Kamaroszaman, 44, from the interrogation branch of the Bukit Aman CID revealed the information which he had obtained from Sirul Azhar during interrogation, Sirul Azhar's counsel, Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, objected to its admissibility under Section 27 of the Evidence Act.
Deputy public prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, however, said that the prosecution was not adducing the information under Section 27 but under Section 8.
Kamarul Hisham then applied for Kamaroszaman's evidence relating to the information to be expunged from the record as it was not evidence under Section 27. He also said that the evidence was not within the ambit of Section 8 as Sirul Azhar's conduct during the journey to the alleged crime scene was not known to Kamaroszaman.
The court on July 10 also threw out Sirul Azhar's alleged confession to the crime.

Rais Withdraws From Commonwealth Sec-Gen Race

KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (Bernama) -- Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim today announced that he is withdrawing from the contest for the Commonwealth secretary-general's post.
He said this was due to his duties and commitments as the chairman of the Main Committee of the Merdeka Celebrations, which limited him from going abroad to lobby for it.
"The responsibilities for this year's Merdeka celebrations being the 50th year of independence are far too heavy and as such does not give me the opportunity to make personal visits abroad to do any lobbying... it is one of the problems I am facing and as such it is not fair for me to say that I want to contest but am unable to campaign like the other candidates," he told Bernama.
"My responsibilities (for the Merdeka celebrations) are far more important and furthermore it is already too late (to campaign)... so it's better that I withdraw," he said.
Malaysia had nominated Rais to be a candidate for the post last month.
Rais said he had informed Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that he was withdrawing from the race and also Wisma Putra (Foreign Ministry).
He added that Wisma Putra had acknowledged that it understood his predicament.
The election for the post will be held at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kampala, Uganda, in November.
Two other candidates in the fray are India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Kamalesh Sharma and Malta's Foreign Minister, Michael Frendo.
The election is being held as the term of office of the current secretary-general, Don McKinnon of New Zealand, ends on March 31, 2008.

tunku : wise decision by rais yatim. he should be in the government and umno as he is one of the cabinet minister who is not half past six type.keep up the good work rais.

Malaysia Today webmaster, Raja Petra questioned for 8hrs

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Today owner Raja Petra Kamarudin spent eight hours at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters having his statement recorded over a police report lodged by Umno.
The Umno police report concerning articles and comments posted on his website alleged that Raja Petra had insulted the Yang diPertuan Agong and Islam.
“I was interrogated as a witness and questioned under Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” Raja Petra, 57, told a press conference after his statement was recorded on Wednesday.
Raja Petra arrived at the Dang Wangi police station at 11am accompanied by his wife Marina Lee Abdullah, 50, and several family members and friends.
Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman spoke briefly with Raja Petra before the webmaster was brought to the CID office at 12.15pm.
Zulkarnain confirmed that Raja Petra was called in to record a statement under the Sedition Act. He declined to comment further.
In the police report lodged on Monday, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib claimed the comments and remarks published on the website on July 11 had insulted the King, degraded Islam and could incite hatred and violence in Malaysia’s multi-racial society.

Umno Youth Hails Action Against Errant Bloggers

KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 (Bernama) -- The Umno Youth movement said it fully supports the government's move to act against webmasters and bloggers who flouted the law and belittled the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Its Economic Bureau chief Datuk Reezal Merican Naina Merican said although they were free to voice their opinions, they should do so responsibly.
"Those found guilty of insulting the king must be brought to justice," he said in a statement here today.
Reezal Merican, who is also Federation of Peninsular Malay Students Association president, said nowadays bloggers were abusing freedom of speech to the extent that they dared to insult the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and disseminate slander and lies against the administration, the prime minister and his deputy.
Concerned about errant bloggers, he said, the movement lodged a report with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission on July 10.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth Public Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Subahan Kamal described groups who write on sensitive issues which include insulting the king and Islam as irresponsible and having little respect for the dignity of the people or the country.
"They should not only be severely punished under the Internal Security Act but also jailed for life for failing to count their blessings, having been able to live in an independent country which enjoys racial harmony all these years," he said.
"Bloggers should not let personal interests, emotions and personal grudges mar the progress and unity which have existed for the past 50 years," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday said that webmasters and web journalists were not exempted from the law and the government would not let any party disturb the nation's harmony and cause unease among the community.
On Monday, Umno information chief Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib lodged a police report against blogsite Malaysia Today for carrying articles deemed to have insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

tunku : raja petra case is very clear, he did not insult islam or the agong but the commentators are the one who insults islam and the agong but as a blog owner it's raja petra's responsibility to moderate all the comments posted in his website.i agree with subahan kamal that groups who write on sensitive issues which include insulting the king and Islam as irresponsible and having little respect for the dignity of the people or the country.They should not only be severely punished for failing to count their blessings, having been able to live in an independent country which enjoys racial harmony all these years. but i hope there are no action taken against bloggers who don't disagree with the government.


photo courtesy of JINGGO

Altantuya Murder Case 25/07/07

I Did Not See Any Traces Of Murder, Says Senior Policeman

SHAH ALAM, July 25 (Bernama) -- DSP Zainudin Abdul Samad told the High Court here today that he did not see any traces of murder when he was at the place where Altantuya Shaariibu was allegedly killed.
The 52-year-old interrogation branch head of the Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department said that he went there on Nov 6 last year, he only stood next to a four-wheel-drive vehicle parked in a clearing.
The 21st prosecution witness in the trial for the Mongolian woman's murder, also said he did not follow Chief Inspector Koh Fei Cheow who went to a bushy area with Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and several police officers.
Azilah, 31, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 36, are accused of murdering Altantuya, 28, at lots 12843 and 16735 in Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19, last year and 1am the next day.
Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 47, is alleged to have abetted the two Special Action Squad (UTK) personnel in the murder at between 9.54am on Oct 18 last year and 9.45pm the next day in Kuala Lumpur.

Witness Denies Action Meant To Suppress Evidence

SHAH ALAM, July 25 (Bernama) -- The police officer responsible for interrogating Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, the first accused in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, told the High Court here that the fact that he did not make any notes on the journey by the investigating team to the crime scene was not meant at suppressing evidence.
Head of the Bukit Aman CID Interrogation Branch, DSP Zainudin Abdul Samad, rejected the contention that he deliberately told the court that he did not take any notes so that he did not have to answer any question on the discovery of the crime scene.
When asked by defence counsel Hazman Ahmad, representing Azilah, he however conceded that according to procedure, the police record book must be filled with the movement and tasks carried out and it should be submitted to the superior offficer every month for review.
In his testimony on the 25th day of the trial, Zainudin said that in his investigation, all information were entered in the intelligence file but the notes were not meant for the trial like the investigation papers.
He denied that his action in not recording the notes in the record book and investigation diary resulted in his testimony on the discovery of the murder scene to be inaccurate and incorrect.

Azilah Said He Does Not Like To Lie, Witness Tells Court

SHAH ALAM, July 25 (Bernama) -- A police officer told the High Court here Wednesday that Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, on trial for the murder of a Mongolian woman, had told him that he did not like to lie.
DSP Zainudin Abdul Samad, the 21st witness in the case, said Azilah had said this during the time he was interrogated over five days.
Zainudin, 52, head of the interrogation unit at Bukit Aman police headquarters, gave this reply under cross-examination by Azilah's counsel Hazman Ahmad when the lawyer asked him what Azilah hated most.
Azilah, 31, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 36, both of the Bukit Aman Special Action Force, are charged with the murder of the Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, 28, at a location between lots 12843 and 16735, Mukim Bukit Raja, between 10 pm on Oct 19 and 1 am on Oct 20 last year.
Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 47, is charged with abetting them in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur between 9.54 am on Oct 18 and 9.45 pm on Oct 19 last year.
Zainudin also told the court that Azilah had also told him that he (Azilah) was an intelligent person and that he liked to fast and that he had fasted even in detention.
He said Azilah, who hails from Sarikei, Sarawak, also liked to enjoy himself and go window shopping.
Under re-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, Zainudin said that during his "interview" Azilah had stated his desire to show the place where Altantuya was murdered rather reluctantly.
Earlier, under cross-examination, he said Azilah had said he was happy to discharge his duty because he could often go overseas.
Zainudin said Azilah, who was from a poor family, admitted to him that he had a fiancee who then worked at the D7 Branch at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters.
"Azilah often referred to his fiancee as Ani," Zainudin said when questioned by counsel Hazman.
Azilah's fiancee Lance Corporal Rohaniza Roslan had also testified in the trial.
Zainudin denied that Azilah had informed him that he (Azilah) had another girlfriend whose name was Azila, almost resembling his (Azilah's) name.
He said that after completing school, Azilah worked in Johor before joining the police force.
He said Azilah first served as a crime investigation officer at the Sepang district police headquarters for five years before he was absorbed into the Special Action Force.
Zainudin said Azilah informed him that his job at the Special Action Force was to escort the prime minister and deputy prime minister and do other escort duty.
Hazman: He (Azilah) told you he only did escort duty? What about other duties?
Zainudin: I was told only that.
Zainudin said Azilah had told him he had many siblings and both his parents had relocated from Sarikei to Sepang, Selangor. He said he told him his parents were old and no longer worked.
"He (Azilah) also told me he had an adopted child," said Zainudin, adding that Azilah did not tell him the age and gender of the child but that the child was still young.
He also said he did not know what special skills Azilah had acquired at the Special Action Force.

Election early next year ??

Get set for polls early next year, BN told
Heads of Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties were told at a meeting yesterday to be prepared to face general election early next year, said sources privy to the meeting.
The meeting, said to have lasted for about three hours, was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the absence of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is on leave until Friday.
The meeting was held at the defence ministry in Jalan Padang Tembak, Kuala Lumpur. Najib is also the defence minister.
Sources told malaysiakini, on condition of anonymity, that those present were asked about the preparedness of the respective parties to contest the general election.
Legally the next polls are not due until end April 2009. However speculation is rife that it will be called much earlier.
At the meeting, Najib told fellow leaders to fine-tune their preparations and be prepared to face polls early next year, said the sources.
Several leaders based in Peninsular Malaysia are said to have told Najib that they are in the process of discussing seat-swapping arrangements.
Parties like MIC and Umno are believed to be holding talks over exchanging some parliamentary seats between them.
MIC is also believed to have asked for an extra state seat, for which no decision has been made by the BN supreme council.
Most of the party heads told Najib that they were “almost there” in facing the polls.
They were also told that a BN convention would be held just before the general election is called, to portray the ruling coalition’s unity and strength. It is expected to be held towards the end of this year, said the sources.
Along those lines, the BN will also play a big role in celebrating the nation’s 50th Merdeka.
The sources said Najib wants BN parties to lead the celebrations to “remind people that it was the BN (formerly Alliance) parties that won us independence from the British”.
With that in mind, the BN will hold a big bash at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on the night of Aug 30. All cabinet members and BN leaders will be present.
The private sector has already been told to play down their celebrations that night so as not to over-shadow the BN event.
Islamic state issue
Yesterday’s meeting also briefly touched on the on-going contentious debate on the ‘Islamic state’ issue with Najib apparently seeking input from all the leaders on their stand.
While it was not a fiery affair, sources said Gerakan acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon expressed opposition to the notion of Malaysia being deemed an Islamic state.
This was Koh’s first participation in a BN meeting after taking over from Dr Lim Keng Yaik, who stepped down on April 8.
The sources said Najib then told those present that there should not be any debate or public discussion on whether Malaysia is an Islamic state or a secular state, and to leave the matter as it stands.
Najib had touched a raw nerve when he declared last week that Malaysia is an Islamic state which also protects the rights of its non-Muslim minorities.
While this remark drew strong opposition and rebukes from various groups, it was BN-ally MCA’s open rebuttal that has caused some concern in Umno, the strongest partner in the ruling coalition.
The Chinese-based party pointed out that all historical documents and facts, as well as the Federal Constitution, indicate that Malaysia is a secular state with a majority Muslim population.

Tun Mahathir On Malaysia As An Islamic State

Mahathir echoes 'Islamic state' claim

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has expressed tacit support for Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s recent declaration that Malaysia is an Islamic state.
“We consider ourselves an Islamic state regardless of whether it is written in the Federal Constitution or not. The reality is (that) we practise Islamic teachings in the administration of this country,” said Mahathir.
“This is a Muslim country because we follow Muslims teachings and Muslim injunctions, which make provisions for certain situations where injunctions cannot be carried out or can be amended.”
He said this at a press conference today on the sidelines of the International Conference on Gold Dinar Economy, organised by the Kelantan Research Institute and Strategic Studies in Kuala Lumpur.
Tun Mahathir was asked to respond to Najib’s comments last Tuesday where the latter had insisted that Malaysia is an Islamic state. A furore erupted, leading to a gag order barring the press from reporting public debate on the matter.
In September 2001,Tun Mahathir had made a similar declaration, but debate on the matter has waned over the years.
On apostasy,Tun Mahathir said Muslim converts typically seek to renounce their faith when they are involved in a mixed marriage.
“What we are following (presently) are certain interpretations which in many places are contrary to the teachings of the Koran,” he said.
“These are the interpretations made by certain people in countries where Muslims make up 100 percent of the population. They have no problems.”
Asked if Muslim converts should be allowed to renounce their faith, Tun Mahathir replied: “That is for the ulama to return to the teachings of the Quran and make a proper interpretation. I’m sure this happens in many other countries.”
He refused to be drawn into the debate as to whether or not there is growing religious intolerance in the country, but cited the case of former Argentine president Carlos Menem who had to embrace Catholicism in order to hold the post, as an example of religious intolerance.
“I’m not responsible (for the country) now. I cannot talk about that (religious intolerance in Malaysia)... In many countries, they have that kind of intolerant situation,” was all he would say.

Dinar economy

Tun Mahathir, delivering the keynote address at the conference, addressed the application of a Dinar economy as the alternative to using US dollars in international trade.
He said many countries were being “held to ransom” because they have reserves in US dollars.
“These same dollars are being used by the US to finance the production of weapons to kill Muslims, to kill the Palestinians, Iraqis and Afghans,” he said.
Use of the gold Dinar, he said, would reduce the power of the Western banking system and countries would benefit due to the constant value of gold.
“The need today is to persuade governments to enter into bilateral payment arrangements in gold Dinar. The system has already been worked out, it remains just to take this first step,” he noted.
Elaorating on this later, Mahathir said he was not proposing this to the Malaysian government but that he was only expressing his ideas.
The Dinar is a gold coin made of 4.25 grams of 22k gold. Kelantan is the sole state in Malaysia that has issued such coins.

Govt Warns Of Tough Action Against Bloggers Who Disparage

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) -- The government today warned of tough action against web bloggers who write on sensitive issues which include insulting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Islam.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the government would not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 121b of the Penal Code against these bloggers.
He said the government had exercised restraint in the matter for a long time and the time had come for it to act according to those laws.
"I want to issue a warning that the time has come for us to take action against them (bloggers who make disparaging statements). We have the right and we will do it. We have been very patient," he said when winding up debate on the Electronic Government Activities Bill 2007 in the Dewan Negara here. The bill was passed.
Yesterday, Umno lodged a report at the Dang Wangi Police Station against the web portal "Malaysia Today" for publishing sensitive comments on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Islam, and of a racial nature.
Umno Information Chief Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who had made the police report, had said that the public comments carried on the portal on July 11 violated the law and insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"Such publication is deemed as likely to spark crime and incite racial and religious violence," he had said.
Muhammad, also raised the matter in the Dewan Negara today during the debate on the Electronic Government Activities Bill.
Urging the government to act against the portal, he said the contents could undermine unity as well as corrupt young minds.
"The liberal writing on the portal can cause young minds to think that there are no rules and sensitivities governing articles and that anyone can write on any matter in the name of individual freedom," he said.
"At a time when the government is introducing the system of electronic government, there are unhealthy developments in the form of publications on the web such as this, articles which can be read not only by our society but also the whole world and anyone for that matter, even children," he added.
Muhamad said there was no absolute freedom in any country and that Malaysia had its own ways to regulate the freedom, which was founded on the practice of tolerance and mutual respect among the races that had been going on for a long time.
Senator Datuk Norraesah Mohamed intervened to get Muhamad's explanation on his view that the issues raised in "Malaysia Today" went beyond criticism to attacks specifically to incite hatred among the people.
She also called for tough action, saying what had happened would not only ruin the ruling party but also touched on the integrity and stability of the country.
Nazri also hit out at the blogger for criticising Muhamad for his having lodged the police report, and described him as a blogger who was childish.
He said his officers would consider the appropriate law so that the blogger involved could be penalised as per the misconduct.
He also said that the government planned to draft an act to enable it to monitor and act against bloggers who committed offences.
"This is not aimed at eliminating the freedom of speech but to wipe out the freedom to cheat, defame and hurt people so that blogs can really be a source of correct information and sincere views and not a platform to hurl abuses at people," he said.
When replying to a question raised by Senator Ismail Kassim, Nazri said he did not rule out the possibility that full-time bloggers were sponsored by certain quarters.
The Dewan Negara also approved the Elections (Amendment) Bill 2007, Islamic Banking (Amendment) Bill 2007, Takaful (Amendment) Bill 2007 and Bills of Exchange (Amendment) Bill 2007.

tunku : there are few full time bloggers and for sure the are sponsored otherwise how they want to feed their family.even the ruling party hires full time bloggers.There are also part time bloggers who blogs because they want to express their own views.there are many type of bloggers. in dewan negara yesterday it was said that there are good bloggers and bad bloggers. i hope the government can define it clearly, what are the meaning of good and bad bloggers. is it that the good one's are the one who always praise them and the bad one's always condemn them(some with facts and evidence). mat taib said that the bloggers could corrupt the young minds, i agree some will be corrupted because they don't have the brain, but most of the readers have brain that can think which is true or false news/stories.the mainstream media too can corrupt the young mind with their propaganda.mainstream medias are only government communication tools and only good things about them. as for me those bloggers who instill racial /religious hatred should be punish,no doubt.but do not punish the bloggers which don't agree with the government.that is not a right thing to do.mat taib and the gang are desperate as election are coming soon and the internet had been well receive by many voters who will decide who they'll be voting for.so now there will be bloggers hunting all the way.by the way mat taib, malaysiakini too carry stories that can disrupt the unity in this country(the murtad stories), why no police report against them?a person(mat taib) who is convicted in the court and found guilty,carrying million or dollars in his briefcase does not fit to be a politician.

No Price Increase, Assures Ministry Despite Pay Rise Wednesday

SHAH ALAM, July 24 (Bernama) -- Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal today gave his assurance that his ministry will not allow retailers to increase the prices of goods indiscriminately when civil servants receive their pay rise beginning Wednesday.
He said the public should not worry about price hikes and he warned retailers not to take advantage of the pay rise received by the approximately 1.2 million civil servants.
"We are confident that the 'Ops Gaji' launched after the prime minister had announced the pay rise for civil servants earlier would be able to control price increases," he said at a press conference after observing preparations for the Launching of the Malaysian Consumers' Day 2007 to be held tomorrow at Stadium Malawati, here.
Shafie said that 'Ops Gaji', which was launched in May, had proceeded smoothly and would be continued until the end of the year to ease the people's fear about indiscriminate price hikes.
"I wish to remind all traders not to exploit the situation because when we take action against errant traders, we don't want them to say we are going overboard," he said.
The minister said about 1,000 enforcement personnel had been deployed to carry out 'Ops Gaji' throughout the country and leave for enforcement officers had been frozen since it was launched to ensure that monitoring could be carried out continuously and effectively.

tunku : the minister with his sweet talk.he said that he will assure no price increase, to me this is an open lie.just go any place most of the goods price had increase tremendously and the minister is giving his assurance.from milk to powder, from rice to noodles everything increased.the most affected people are those who are not working with government, they did not receive any pay increase but have to pay more for goods.shafie afdal ministry have to go on the ground always not seasonally.

Altantuya Murder Case 24/07/07

Witness Says Police Did Not Enter Room Before Sirul

SHAH ALAM, July 24 (Bernama) -- A police officer who took Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar to his house for investigation in the Altantuya Shaariibu murder today denied that Sirul Azhar was left in the hall for 15 minutes before being taken into a bedroom where the Mongolian's belongings were found.
Chief Insp Koh Fei Chew, 38, of the Kuala Lumpur Police Serious Crime Division also denied that during those 15 minutes he and his men were in the room behind closed doors without Siru Azhar, the second accused.
He also did not instruct Sirul Azhar to hold a black jacket from a cupboard in the bedroom for a photographer to take a snapshot not did he ask Sirul Azhar to point to items placed on the jacket for the photo to bde taken.
He made the denial under cross-examination by Sirul Azhar's counsel, Kamarul Hisham Kamarudin, in the High Court.
In his testimony last Thursday Koh said jewellery and a watch belonging to Altantuya were found in an inner pocket of a black jacket kept in a cupbourad in the two-room flat occupied by Sirul Azhar.
Koh, the prosecution's 20th witness, was testifying at the trial of Sirul Azhar, 36, and Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, both of the Bukit Aman Special Action Force, charged with murdering Altantuya, 28, at a location between lots 12843 and 16735, Mukim Bukit Raja, between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20 last year.
Political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 47, is charged with abetting them in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur between 9.54am on Oct 18 and 9.45pm on Oct 19 last year.
Koh said all the photos taken at the house including the ones on Sirul Azilah holding the jacket and pointing to Altantuya's jewellery were taken on the instruction of ASP Zulkarnain Samsudin.
He said Sirul Azhar led him and several policemen to his flat in Jalan Camar, 4/1 Gugusan Semarak, Section 4, Kota Damansara, Selangor, on Nov 7 last year after making a confession during an interrogation.
Questioned on the contradictions between the investigation notes and the police report on the discovery of the crime scene which was made on Nov 6 last year when Koh and his team took Azilah to the scene, Koh said the investigation notes he made at the scene contained Azilah's words in indirect speech.
He said he was a meticulous person and the notes regarding time which he made throughout the investigation were accurate, including the time Azilah revealed the information at 5.23pm, the meeting at the scene at 6.50pm and handing over of Sirul Azhar to the investigating officer at 4.05pm on Nov 6 last year.
Under re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah, Koh said his testimony yesterday that Azilah might not have known the scene of the crime meant that Azilah did not know the exact location.
Tun Abdul Majid: That's why you lost the way several times?
Koh: Yes.
Asked why he recorded Azilah's words in indirect speech and not verbatim, he said that to him, the recordings in indirect speech were sufficient.

Tun Mahathir Declines Nomination For Delegate Seat

KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 (Bernama) -- Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he declined to contest for a delegate of the Kubang Pasu UMMO to the UMNO General Assembly due to "money politics".
He said the party would "roll out money" to buy votes from delegates if he decides to offer himself for a delegate seat.
"That's why I declined. I know I will lose because they will pay money to delegates not to vote for me," he told reporters after delivering a keynote address at the International Conference on Gold Dinar Economy 2007 here Tuesday.

Dr Mahathir, who received three nominations from branches in the Kubang Pasu UMNO to contest for a delegate seat, has declined to accept the nominations.
Last year, Dr Mahathir, who helmed Kubang Pasu Umno for more than 30 years, received 15 nominations to contest for a delegate. The former Umno president, however, lost as he came in ninth among 15 aspirants who vied for the seven seats.
-On claims that the government was clamping down on bloggers, Dr Mahathir said though there has been such attempts, it would not stop people from using the Internet.
"We have tried. I myself want to ban pornography in the Internet but it's impossible.
"Unless, of course, the people who are putting these pictures in the Internet are taken to court by their own governments but they have been putting these "dirt" from America.
"So, we can't stop it," he said, adding that it was just as the same as bloggers.
Dr Mahathir reminded bloggers to always stick to the facts and not "dabble in fiction".

photo courtesy of http://minaq-jinggo.fotopages.com

Tun Dr M: Gov't wants to curb cyber dissent

Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that there is an attempt by the government to curb voices of dissent on the Internet.
“Yes there is an attempt. But you cannot stop people from using the Internet,” he told reporters after officiating the International Conference on Gold Dinar Economy at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Tun Mahathir said in the past, his administration would have liked to ban Internet pornography but it was “impossible” because, among others, the content was based overseas.
“Same with bloggers. You can’t stop them,” he stressed.
Tun Mahathir’s comments come in the wake of growing concern among the blogging community that the government had begun a clamp down on online dissidents.
On July 14, PKR staff and blogger Nathaniel Tan was remanded for four days under the Official Secrets Act 1972 and investigated by the Cyber Crimes Unit pertaining to contents on his blog.
Subsequently, Deputy Internal Security Minister Mohd Johari Baharum announced that he had ordered the police to nab those who spread "lies" on the Internet.
Yesterday, Umno information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib lodged a police report against the Malaysia Today website for allegedly publishing remarks that insulted the King and Islam.
'Stick to facts'
Meanwhile, Tun Mahathir advised bloggers not to “dabble in fiction and stick to the facts.”
Asked if Malaysia Today webmaster Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin had ‘stuck to the facts’, the former premier replied: “If he did not, people would not read it.”
In another development, Mahathir said he did not accept the nominations to contest for a delegate’s seat in the Umno general assembly because he was “certain” that some parties would ensure that he was defeated.
“Why did I decline? Because I know I will lose. They will pay money to the delegates not to vote for me. The last time, they spent more than RM80,000... paying RM200 (per person)... when these people reported, the disciplinary committee said ‘there was no bribery’.
“In my constituency (Kubang Pasu in Kedah), everybody knows that there was bribery. There is bribery promoted by the ruling party. This is something that has never happened before,” he added.
“They sell their votes for RM200 for (a) party election. For (the) general election, it’s RM1,000. At the Ijok (by-election) recently, people were paid RM1,000, sewing machines were given, all kinds of things happened,” he said.
Three branches in Kubang Pasu,Tun Mahathir’s former Parliamentary constituency for about three decades, had nominated him for the post.
Last year, Tun Mahathir came in ninth out of 15 vying for the post.
He had claimed then that there was an attempt to stop him from addressing the Umno delegates at the general assembly because he was at odds with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Bloggers Under Attack

Mat Taib Lodges Police Report Against Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- Umno information chief Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib today lodged a police report against blogsite Malaysia Today for carrying articles deemed to have insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Statements and comments posted in the blogsite dated July 11 were deemed to have contravened the Penal Code, Sedition Act and the Communication and Multimedia Act, he told reporters after lodging the report at the Tun H.S. Lee police station here.
"It was over a report which had insulted the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the monarchy. It had also insulted and poked fun at Islam as the official religion of the federation."
Muhammad said comments posted on the blogsite also incited hate between the various races and could affect unity and national security.
The Kelana Jaya Umno division leader said he had been advised against divulging the statements and comments to the media as they were too sensitive.
"As responsible citizens, we cannot allow such articles to be posted on blogsites and urged the authorities to act in accordance with the law," he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today the government is not on a witch hunt for bloggers.
"No, we are not going after bloggers. However, everyone must be aware that there are laws in this country," he told reporters after a meeting with leaders of Chinese Chambers of Commerce at his office in Putrajaya.
He was commenting on whether the government was tracking down bloggers after Umno lodged a police report against Malaysia Today for allegedly posting disparaging remarks against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Islam.
Najib said that anyone can lodge a police report.
"It is up to the authorities to investigate whether the bloggers had contravened any laws of the country or not," he added.
Before this, a blogger was detained on July 13 for four days for questioning by police under the Official Secrets Act.

Senator Wants Tough Action Against Bloggers

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 (Bernama) -- A Senator today called for stern action against bloggers who he described as "arrogant and bold" when making disparaging remarks against leaders.
"The lack of a specific act to supervise bloggers gave them the space to spread lies which touch the sensitivity of the community. It can become a threat to peace," said Senator Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi when debating the Electronic Government Activities Bill 2007 in the Dewan Negara.
The Bill was tabled for second reading by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
Dr Puad said the government should not compromise with the bloggers and use existing laws like the Penal Code, Sedition Act 1948 and the Internal Security Act (ISA) against them.
Senator Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir who spoke in support of Dr Puad said cyber crimes committed by bloggers could destroy the nation.
"This is because there are leaders who use information posted on blogsites as reference. This posed a danger to the country," he added.
Musa urged that specific legislation be drawn up to address cyber crimes.
Earlier, Nazri said the Bill was aimed at recognising electronic transactions between the government and public.
Dewan Negara had earlier passed the Promotion of Investments (Amendment) Bill 2007.
The debate continues tomorrow.

tunku : beware bloggers, you are watch 24/7 now, all the authorities eyes are on bloggers as the election coming and they want us to shut our mouth totally. on malaysia today, i had no comments, let the police investigates but i hope no arrest of bloggers.if they is hard evidence then do so(if it breaks the law).but i'm quite disappointed at mat taib, he should make more police report on malaysia today's article especially the corruption, abuse of powers allegation.we want the police to investigate them too, not only about the Agong's article.i hope the pak lah regime won't act out of desperation.

Altantuya Murder Case 23/07/07

Azilah not read his rights during arrest

SHAH ALAM (July 23, 2007): Murder accused Chief Insp Azilah Hadri was not read the rights of an arrested person before he was interrogated, the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial heard today.
Chief Insp Koh Fei Cheow revealed this when cross- examined by Azilah's lawyer Kuldeep Kumar, who also grilled Koh on the possibility that the police led Azilah to a recovery of bone fragments.
Later, Kuldeep asked Koh about what happened during the journey from the Kuala Lumpur Contingent Headquarters (IPK KL) to the crime scene and the apparent conversation between Azilah and DSP Zainudin Abdul Samad from the Bukit Aman interrogation unit (D6) who accompanied Koh, two other detectives and a driver to the scene.
Earlier, Koh said he did not know Zainudin had been assigned to interrogate Azilah and that he only met him when he was leading Azilah from the lock-up to the four-wheel-drive which was to take them to the crime scene.
Kuldeep: Do you know that Zainudin told Azilah 'Azilah, I am very happy today, we know the location of the crime scene. You don't have to tell. Sirul has also gone back. You follow the Chinese officer who will come soon.'
Koh: I don't know that DSP Zainudin told Azilah this.
Kuldeep: Did Azilah then say: 'Tuan, since you know the location, why take me there.'
Koh: I totally do not know of a conversation between DSP Zainudin and Azilah.
Kuldeep: Did DSP Zainudin say: "Azilah, this is an order you have to obey. Follow and listen to our instructions. There is no need to be stubborn (Tak payah nak tunjuk kepala angin kamu).
Koh: I do not know of this conversation between DSP Zainudin and Azilah.
Kuldeep: When Azliah was brought out of the IPK KL, the manner in which he was taken to the crime scene was as if you had all knew where it was.
Koh: I disagree.
Kuldeep then suggested that during the journey, DSP Zainudin had made and received several calls and that the calls were instructions to the crime scene.
Koh said he did not know.
But Koh agreed with Kuldeep that they stopped for a while when they reached the signboard stating Puncak Niaga Empangan Tasik Subang.
He however said he did not know if Zainudin alighted from the vehicle and took some calls outside.
To a suggestion from Kuldeep that DSP Zainudin then entered the vehicle and told the driver to wait until further instructions are given, Koh said he did not hear this.
Kuldeep: A Pajero arrived about two to three minutes later and stopped at the junction and Zainudin then gave instructions to follow the Pajero.
Koh: I don't know.
Kuldeep: As both your Pajero and the one leading you went up the hill towards the crime scene, there was a motorcycle with one rider making it's way down the hill.
Koh: I don't remember.
Kuldeep: When your Pajero stopped at the open space, you and Zainudin alighted and went to the fringes of the open space and turned back after that.
Koh: I don't agree.
Kuldeep: Azilah then alighted from the vehicle and looked around.
Koh: Agree.
Kuldeep: At that time, I put it to you that Zainudin scolded Azilah and brought him to the place on the fringes of the open area where the leaves were withered.
Koh: I don't agree.
Kuldeep: Azilah then told Zainudin that he didn't know the place.
Koh: I don't know.
Kuldeep: Was there a stench to indicate that something had happened there.
Koh: I didn't notice.
Kuldeep: Zainudin told Azilah: "Go forward some more, point it out! point it out!"
Koh: I did not hear Zainudin say that.
Kuldeep: Did Azilah then say: "Show what? I don't know this place."
Koh: I don't know.
Kuldeep: Do you agree that in this case, what happened was that the police brought Azilah to the crime scene and led him to a recovery.
Koh: I don't agree.
Kuldeep: Did you know that before you met him, Azilah had been interrogated for six days at IPK KL.
Koh: No.
Kuldeep: I put it to you that Azilah never gave you any information and that he never spoke to you when in IPK KL.
Koh: I don't agree.

Judge: Tell me at which point trial-within-trial should be held

SHAH ALAM (July 23, 2007): The court today wanted both the prosecution and the defence in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder trial to show at which stage a trial-within-a-trial should be held, if it is indeed necessary.
Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin said he did not want to hear submissions from the point of law - on Section 26 of the Evidence Act - on why a trial-within-a-trial should be held.
He instead wanted them to submit on at which juncture it should be held as "everyone knows the reason why a trial-within-a-trial is held".
He said this after the prosecution contended a trial-within-a-trial should not be held, while the defence reiterated there was a need for it.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah said any trial-within-a-trial is in respect of admission and confession, not exclusion of evidence adduced.
He said in the earlier cases referred to by the defence, a trial-within-a-trial was held before the inclusion of the confession, not information leading to discovery, and it was decided once and for all if the evidence is admissible.
Tun Abdul Majid said in those cases, the issue revolved around the confessions made by the accused person pertaining to a crime allegedly committed.
In the present case, however, he said there was no such testimony but instead a statement by the accused which led police to the discovery of the crime scene and subsequently the bone fragments.
The defence had argued that the statements made by Chief Insp Azilah Hadri which led the police to the crime scene should not be admitted because it was made by Azilah while under police custody.
"It is my submission that these are two distinct and separate matters. The procedure adopted was different. Our submission is that there should not be a trial-within-a-trial," said Tun Abdul Majid.
Lawyer J. Kuldeep Kumar, representing Azilah, said according to the case he cited, a trial-within-a-trial was held as soon as an objection was raised on the inclusion of the information derived during a testimony.
"There is no exclusion if there is no inclusion," said Mohd Zaki in reference to both the prosecution and defence arguments.
He then suggested the prosecution proceed with the examination-in-chief.
Kuldeep Kumar objected, saying that once the evidence was admitted, they would not be able to challenge it.
"That is the reason why we are trying to exclude this evidence, and this can only be done through a trial-within-a-trial," he said.
Mohd Zaki said he would decide later if a trial-within-a-trial should be held and if so, at which point.
Tun Abdul Majid then continued with his examination-in-chief on Chief Insp Koh Fei Cheow and referred him to photographs taken at the crime scene and also the path leading to the area.
Koh identified it as the road to the Tasik Subang dam area and the crime scene was in some undergrowth beside an open area on the hill.
He said they discovered some bone fragments at the site where there were leaves with burn marks and dead trees.
The spots where the Mongolian woman was allegedly shot and later blown up were also not far apart, Koh told the court.
He was later cross-examined by Kuldeep.

What happened today (Day 23)

* Prosecution continues its examination-in-chief of Chief Insp Koh Fei Cheow from KL's Serious Crimes Division.
* Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin wanted prosecution and defence to submit on at which juncture a trial-within-a-trial should be held on an incriminating testimony from Koh. He will decide later if it should be held and if so, at which point.
* Defence lawyer Kuldeep Kumar, for Chief Insp Azilah Hadri, later cross-examined him.

Witness: It's Possible Azilah Did Not Know Murder Location

SHAH ALAM, July 23 (Bernama) -- An officer from the Major Crimes Investigation Department of the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters told the High Court here there is a possibility that Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri did not know the location where Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered.
Chief Inspector Koh Fei Cheow, 38, who was continuing his testimony, agreed with defence counsel J.Kuldeep Kumar, representing Azilah, that there was a possibility that Azilah did not know the location as he was not certain of the route that they had taken to get to the murder scene.
Last week, Koh had testified that Azilah, from the Special Action Squad (UTK) of Bukit Aman, had taken a police team to Puncak Niaga Empangan Tasik Subang, Selangor, the location where Altantuya was shot and later blown up on Nov 6, last year.
The witness, however, said that throughout the journey to the murder scene, the police team had stopped several times as Azilah was not certain of the route.
Koh is the 20th prosecution witness in the murder trial which entered its 23rd day today.