What's Wrong With The Northerners?

khunking · Dec 30, 2010

Crime of the young, wayward

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</TD></TR><TR><TD>News @ AsiaOne
Crime of the young, wayward
Should we blame the suspects' families or media and the Internet? -NST

Wed, Dec 29, 2010
New Straits Times
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>THE recent attacks on two teenagers in the state has shocked many as not only were the acts heinous but they were suspected to have been committed by youngsters.
In the first incident, in Kampung Baru Sungai Redan in Ulu Tiram, 17-year-old Nur Ain Ashikin Jemedi was brutally stabbed 19 times and splashed with acid by the suspect, a neighbour, whose overtures were rejected by the victim .
The victim, who was six months' pregnant, had to abort her foetus due to the attack. The attack had left her with over 70 per cent of burns in the body.
The 44-year-old neighbour, an odd-job worker, later surrendered at the Ulu Tiram police station. It is understood that the suspect is close to the victim's family and that he had known her since she was 12.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The other incident that shocked the country was the murder of Form Two student Siti Mazni Abdul Rahman whose body was found at an oil palm plantation near her house in Parit Ju Darat in Tongkang Pechah near Batu Pahat.
The victim, a student of SMK Tengku Putra, was earlier reported missing when she failed to return home after telling her grandmother that she was meeting some friends.
Her body was found hidden under a pile of oil palm fronds in the plantation.
Based on a post-mortem report, the police did not dismiss the possibility that Siti Mazni was stabbed, hit on the head and her throat slit after she was raped.
The police have so far arrested five suspects, including four teenagers aged between 14 and 16 and a 44-year-old man, who is the stepfather of one of the teenagers, in connection with the murder.
These incidents, especially Siti Mazni's murder, makes me wonder how teenagers could have been involved in such heinous acts.
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</TD></TR><TR class=bodytext><TD>Siti Mazni's friends praying at her grave site.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Should we blame the suspects' families or media and the Internet?
Maybe what Siti Mazni's father, Abdul Rahman Hassan, said make sense and that the police should take a more serious view of murder cases involving teenagers.
The roti canai seller also said that juvenile offenders who commit serious crimes like murder and rape should face heavier sentences. At the moment, juvenile offenders are protected under the Child Protection Act 2001.
Rahman said although these offenders are not matured enough to make wise decisions, they should be made to face the consequences of their actions.
Maybe if juvenile offenders know that they stand to face heavy penalties if they commit serious crimes, they would stay away from them.
Whatever happens next, one thing is certain, that the lives of these families have changed due to these two incidents.
It is not only the families of the victims that will be affected by these incidents, but also the families of the suspects, who have to live with the fact that one of their own has been implicated.
-New Straits Times
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khunking · Dec 30, 2010

Petty thieves won't stop pinching mosque's taps

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Petty thieves won't stop pinching mosque's taps
Hussin Ngah is peeved that thieves have twice stolen taps from the mosque. -NST

Tue, Dec 28, 2010
New Straits Times
THE Bandar Mersing Jamek Masjid congregation in Mersing hopes police will beef up security in their area to prevent petty thieves from stealing and vandalising the facilities installed for those who perform their prayers at the mosque.
They also hope stern action will be taken against the culprits who stole metal taps from the mosque recently.
At the beginning of this year, after installing the taps for the convenience of those who pray at the mosque, the taps were stolen.
A week later, another batch of taps was installed to replace the stolen ones, but replacements were also stolen.
The mosque bilal Hussin Ngah said they believe the taps were taken at night.
The mosque is situated on top of a hill and the person appointed to take care of the mosque lives in quarters nearby.
"We believe the thieves come in when he goes home after his shift," he said.
Hussin believed the taps were stolen by drug addicts who use the rear portion of the mosque as their hangout.
He said frequent police patrol would prevent break-ins in places of worship.
"People should not steal, especially from mosques, temples or other places of worship."
-New Straits Times
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khunking · Dec 31, 2010

Najib declares Friday a holiday

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Najib declares Friday a holiday
Holiday over first ever victory in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup championship. -The Star/ANN

Thu, Dec 30, 2010
The Star/Asia News Network
KUALA LUMPUR: Tomorrow has been declared a public holiday to celebrate Malaysia's first ever victory in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup championship.
The Prime Minister made the announcement last night.
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak also congratulated the Malaysian football team for making the country proud.
"Well done, Malaysian Tigers! You played well as a team and have made your country very proud. Congratulations!" Najib wrote in his Twitter yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also praised the team, saying: "The victory proves that nothing is impossible if we truly want to win."
MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the victory was a timely boost to Malaysian football and all Malaysians were united in cheering the team.
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khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Enraged car owner bashes up six-year-old boy

Saturday January 1, 2011

Enraged car owner bashes up six-year-old boy

Other News & View
Compiled by DHARMENDER SINGH, CHRISTINA TAN and A.RAMAN

A SIX-year-old boy who accidentally spat the food in his mouth from his shophouse which landed on a BMW, spent four days in hospital after the car owner became furious and bashed him, reported Harian Metro.

In the incident which occurred on Sunday, the enraged car owner barged into the boy’s house on seeing his soiled car.

The man, in his 30s, hit Solihin Ramzan repeatedly like a possessed man, says Solihin’s uncle Mohd Amir Salamatula.

Mohd Amir, 43, added that during the incident, the boy’s mother was asleep in her room in the upper level of a shophouse in Jalan Batu Belah, Jalan Ipoh, in Kuala Lumpur.

He said Solihin’s aunt, who was lives nearby, saw the incident and begged the man to stop but he ignored her and continued landing punches on the boy.

“She even offered herself to be beaten instead, but it did not stop the man from beating the boy.

“Only after Solihin vomited blood did the man stop and leave the house,” Mohd Amir said.

He added that the boy was taken to Selayang Hospital where he was admitted for four days when the doctor confirmed that there was a blood clot in his head.

A report was lodged at the Jinjang police station on Dec 26.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Sad new year for single mum

Saturday January 1, 2011

Sad new year for single mum

By CHAN LI LEEN
[email protected]

IPOH: There will be no celebration to usher in the New Year for a pasar malam trader and her family here until her runaway daughter returns home.

Lee Sheau Ling, a 34-year-old single mother, first thought that her daughter Choo Poi Hwa, 15, had gone to Kuala Lumpur to look for her Facebook friend.

She contacted the 16-year-old boy, only to be told that he and the girl had “broken up” two months ago.

Where are you?: Kim Thou and Lee (second from right) holding up photos of the missing Poi Hwa as her grandfather Lee Yoon Kim (second from left) looks on. With them are Lee Kon Yin (right) and committee member Lip Chooi Fun.

Her daughter has been missing from their home in Menglembu here since Monday, Lee told reporters at the Perak MCA headquarters here yesterday.

“She left home in a taxi, taking her mobile phone and RM100. She did not take her identity card,” Lee said.

She added that her eight-year-old son Kim Thou also saw his sister taking along a large bag of clothes and make-up.

“Poi Hwa has since turned off her phone and she cannot be reached. Her friends claim they do not know where she is,” said Lee.

Recalling events before her daughter went missing, Lee said she and Poi Hwa had a minor misunderstanding about dinner on Chirstmas Day.

“Kim Thou teased her that we were going out without her and she got mad.

“But then, we went out together, anyway,” she added.

“I want my daughter to come home. Everything else does not matter,” said Lee, adding that Poi Hwa’s paternal grandfather was ill and was asking for her.

Poi Hwa’s 75-year-old maternal grandfather, Lee Yoon Kim, was distraught that the girl has run away, and said he has neither slept nor eaten since she left the house.

Perak MCA public services and complaints bureau chairman Datuk Lee Kon Yin urged the public to notify him at 012-515-1178 or call the Perak MCA at 05-253-6981 should they come across Poi Hwa or know of her whereabouts.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Woman's misery drove her daughter to commit suicide

AN Indian national who came to work in Malaysia in August 2009 was not only cheated of her salary but her misery also drove her daughter to commit suicide, Makkal Osai reported.

Latha Shanmugam, 37, a widow from Thanjavur in South India, was employed by a local family when she first came to Kuala Lumpur with a promised salary of RM750 a month.

However, the employers purportedly held back her salary for four months, claiming that they had to pay RM5,000 to her employment agency.

The family then chased her out of the house and told her to contact the agency.

Latha later found a job as a restaurant helper, with the same salary, in Taman Maluri.

Her new employer paid her wages for the first month but allegedly refused to give her any salary for the ensuing six months.

In the meantime, her eldest daughter, aged 18 and studying at a college in Chennai, had been pestering her to send Rs10,000 (RM1,500) for her school fees.

Her two other daughters, aged 15 and seven, study in their village schools.

Latha claimed that she later received news from India that her eldest daughter had taken her own life due to shame, as her name had appeared on the college notice board for non-settlement of school fees.

Latha said she worked in the restaurant for eight months before her employer gave her RM2,200 and asked her to leave.

She said a taxi driver helped her to meet a social worker, who is making arrangements to send her back to India.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Malaysia Struggles to Stem Brain Drain

Malaysia Struggles to Stem Brain Drain
Beh Lih Yi December 30, 2010

Kuala Lumpur. When computer engineer Wan Jon Yew left Malaysia in 2005 for a job in Singapore, all he wanted was to work in the city-state for a few years before going home. Now, he says he will never return.

With a family, a home and a car, he now plans to settle in Singapore for good — just one of the many Malaysians stampeding abroad every year in a worrying “brain drain” the government is trying to reverse.

“I wouldn’t consider going back to Malaysia, I won’t look back. If I were ever going to leave Singapore, I would migrate to Australia,” the 28-year-old with permanent-resident status said.

“It’s not about the money. I could have a better quality of life in Malaysia with my pay. I could have a semi-detached bungalow and have a maid there, but I would rather live in a government flat in Singapore.”

Wan, who is ethnically Chinese, is one of some 700,000 Malaysians — most of them highly educated — who are currently working abroad in an exodus that Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government is struggling to reverse.

The brain drain has a number of causes. Some have been lured by higher salaries, but others blame political and social gripes including preferential policies for Muslim Malays, who form the majority.

A decades-old affirmative action policy which hands Malays and the indigenous groups privileges in housing, education and business, has been criticized as uncompetitive and improperly benefiting the elite.

As a consequence, many of those who have left are members of Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who make up some 25 percent and 10 percent of the population, respectively.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Man’s hand chopped off by angry robbers

Saturday January 1, 2011

Man’s hand chopped off by angry robbers

Other News & View
Compiled by DHARMENDER SINGH, CHRISTINA TAN and A.RAMAN

A gang of three armed robbers chopped off the left arm of a car repairman in Johor Baru because he did not have enough money on him.

They only managed to get RM300 cash and a mobile phone from the victim, reportedSin Chew Daily.

At about midnight on Wednesday, Wang Kai Yin, 28, from Kulai was driving home alone but stopped his car at a parking lot in a park after hearing an unusual noise.

When he got down to check, three men on two motorcycles demanded he hand over all his cash and valuables.

Wang surrendered his wallet, but when he told them he had no more money, one of the robbers got angry and cut off his arm.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Good Samaritan left holding the baby

Saturday January 1, 2011

Good Samaritan left holding the baby

SEREMBAN: A Good Samaritan panicked when the mother of a baby did not return for her child after going to the washroom at KL Sentral station.

Nursing student Qurratnaini Amni Jamaludin, 20, said she was at KL Sentral at 10.25am yesterday when a woman approached her with a week-old baby boy.

“The woman, who wore a head scarf, pastel green blouse and jeans, asked me to look after her baby as she had to visit the washroom,” she told Bernama.

Qurratnaini, who had arrived at KL Sentral from Seremban at 10am yesterday, became anxious when the woman did not return to claim the baby.

She waited two hours for the woman to reappear.

Subsequently, Qurratnaini contacted her parents, who went to Kuala Lumpur by car to fetch her and the baby.

The 3.5kg baby with dark complexion was handed over to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital here.

A police report was also lodged.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Car rams into m-cyclist and cop at roadblock

Saturday January 1, 2011

Car rams into m-cyclist and cop at roadblock

GEORGE TOWN: A policeman and a motorcyclist were injured when a car driven at high speed rammed into them at a roadblock in Jalan Paya Terubong, here.

L/Kpl Amirul Fitri Norrizat, 25, was seriously injured in the right thigh while motorcyclist Basiruddin Jamari, in his 20s, suffered cuts and bruises on his left arm and back during the incident at 12.30am yesterday.

Kpl Amirul is warded at Penang Hospital and is reported to be in stable condition.

Out of control: The scene of the accident at Jalan Paya Terubong yesterday. The driver is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol when he rammed into the victims at the roadblock.

The 33-year-old driver of the car, who is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol, has been detained.

He is believed to have lost control of his car before ramming into Basiruddin’s motorcycle, causing the latter to be flung off the machine.

Accident victims: Basiruddin (left) and Kpl Amirul.

The car also hit Kpl Ami_rul Fitri, who was standing near a police truck.
Firemen from the Paya Terubong fire and rescue station were summoned when the car’s engine caught fire.

Basiruddin said he was waiting in line to be checked at the roadblock when the car crashed into his motorcycle.

“I was flung off my motorcycle and I landed on a slope. I consider myself lucky to have sustained only minor injuries,” said Basiruddin, who was returning to his home in Balik Pulau after an outing at Pesta Pulau Pinang with his friends.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Birthday boy seeks an end to ‘clone’ dilemma

Saturday January 1, 2011

Birthday boy seeks an end to ‘clone’ dilemma

By LEE YUK PENG
[email protected]

KUALA LUMPUR: Taxi driver Mohd Daud Salleh claims he has a “clone” somewhere who has been making a mess of his life.

He is tired of sharing his identity with another man and his New Year and birthday wish is to put an end to a string of embarrassing situations that resulted from the duplication of his name, said Daud, who was born in Kampung Chain in Lenggong, Perak, on Jan 1, 1969.

For instance, he said, a man once showed up at his house in Batu 5, Jalan Gombak, here, with records of a car in his name.

This is me: Daud flashing his MyKad. He has been sharing his identity with an unknown man for the past 20 years.

Daud claimed he did not own a car in 2008.

“The man was shocked to see, from the photocopies of the identity card, a different face from the person who wanted to sell the car,” he said in an interview here.

Some time in 2009, Daud received a call from a bank officer asking him to settle an outstanding car loan of RM5,000, with the guarantor stated as one Roslina Mat Said, said to be his wife.

Daud, who has three children, said the woman named Roslina was not his wife. He said he has only one wife, whose name is Mastura Abdul Rahman.

Both men owned cars but Daud said he had neither taken a car nor a housing loan.

“I bought an old car with cash,’’ he said.

Daud said between 1993 and 1995, he served a jail term for house-breaking, but police records show that he committed a traffic offence in Langkawi in 1994.

Daud, who also claimed he did not have an account with the Employees Provident Fund, said the EPF sent him a statement to say he has more than RM26,500 in contributions.

Daud carries an identity card with the number 690101-08-8023.

“In 2005, when I went to the National Registration Department in Taman Melawati to apply for a MyKad, an NRD officer told me I had already made one,” he said, adding that the NRD office in Putrajaya then started an investigation into the matter.

Four years later, the NRD replied and confirmed that he is a Malaysian.

Subsequently, the department sent several notices for him to pick up his new identity card, with the number 690101-36-6011.

“The ‘36’ denotes the new generation of those born in Perak. But I am not that young.

“The change in number will legalise the other Daud using my identity,” he said, adding that veteran lawyer Karpal Singh had advised him not to opt for the new IC number.

Daud said he had lodged several police reports and went to the Public Complaints Bureau as well as Karpal Singh’s law firm in his bid to seek a solution to his dilemma.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

“Mat Rempit” arrested while performing dangerous stunts on PLUS expressway

Published: Saturday January 1, 2011 MYT 6:54:00 PM

“Mat Rempit” arrested while performing dangerous stunts on PLUS expressway

SEREMBAN: A group of young 'mat rempit' or daredevil motorcyclists and pillion riders were detained while performing dangerous stunts on the North-South Expressway near here early Saturday.

Federal police traffic chief Datuk Abdul Aziz Yusuf said they were nabbed after the police found out about their plans of turning the expressway into a racing track as part of their new year celebrations.

"They did not expect that we will be conducting an operation there.

We waited on both sides of the expressway from 1am till noon today and as a result, 320 motorcycles were inspected," he told reporters at the Seremban south-bound rest and service area near here.

Of the total, he said 37 motorcycles were confiscated for having expired road tax, while 166 summonses were issued for various offences including for not having driving licence and illegal modification of vehicles.

In ALOR SETAR, five teenagers were also arrested for illegal racing early today. Kota Setar police chief ACP Adzaman Mohd Jan said the teenagers were nabbed in an operation dubbed 'Ops Samseng Jalanan', conducted at about 4am in conjunction with the New Year celebration.

"Four of the motorcycles used by the teenagers were reported stolen and they (suspects) had also modified the machines," he told reporters.

Throughout the operation, 109 motorcycles and four cars were confiscated, while 208 summonses were issued for various traffic offences. - Bernama

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Malaysian lawyer charged in millionaire murder

Published on The Jakarta Post (http://www.thejakartapost.com)

Malaysian lawyer charged in millionaire murder

The Jakarta Post | Wed, 10/13/2010 6:00 PM | World

</SPAN>

A Malaysian court charged a lawyer and three farm workers Wednesday with the murder of a self-made cosmetics mogul and three others in a case that has gripped the nation.

The remains of cosmetics line owner Sosilawati Lawiya and three of her aides were found on a poultry farm in Banting town in the central state of Selangor last month, days after the four went missing.

Lawyer . Pathmanabhan, the alleged mastermind of the killing, and three other men were charged in a district court in the state with the murder of the four, his lawyer Ravi Nekoo said. Murder carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction in Malaysia.

Sosilawati, 47, went missing after allegedly going to see Pathmanabhan to discuss a property deal gone wrong. She was accompanied by her driver Kamarudin Shamsuddin, 44, financial adviser Noorhisham Mohammad, 38, and her lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32.

According to the charge sheet, all four were murdered on Aug. 30 at the poultry farm, Nekoo said. Police saytheir bodies were burned and ashes strewn into streams near the farm.

No plea was recorded pending a transfer of the case to a higher court. The next district court date is Dec. 16, Nekoo said. He could not immediately identify the three others who were charged.

Three others, including Pathmanabhan's bother, who is also a lawyer, remain in police custody but are expected to be released, Nekoo said.

The case made headlines for days last month, shocking Malaysians who were riveted by high-profile personalities and grisly details of the crime.

Police have said they were also investigating Pathmanabhanand his brother in the disappearance of several others and the murder of a housewife who was slashed to death in front of her house.

The two lawyers were disbarred last November following a complaint over a property transaction. They are appealing the decision.

— JP

Copyright © 2011 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.

khunking · Jan 1, 2011

Nepali, Asian Migrant Woes in Malaysia

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Nepal Monitor: The National Online Journal <HR>Nepali, Asian Migrant Woes in Malaysia

The London-based Amnesty International has some concete recommendations to alleviate migrant abuse in Malaysia.

The woes of Nepali migrant workers in Malaysia have been often reported in our media. The London-based Amnesty International nows comes out with a study detailed report on South and Southeast Asian labour in Malaysia, and some concrete recommendations. The following is the summmary of the report entitled Trapped: The Exploitation of Migrant Workers in Malaysia (Amnesty International March 2010):

Trapped: The Exploitation of Migrant Workers in Malaysia
Summary
Drawn by the promises of jobs in Malaysia, thousands of men and women travel there every year from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Vietnam and other countries in the region. Once they arrive, many toil for 12 hours each day or longer, often in unsafe conditions, sometimes enduring physical and verbal abuse from their employers. Many do not receive the wages they were promised in their home countries. The government of Malaysia has a responsibility to prevent such abuses, which can include exploitation, forced labour, and trafficking in persons. Too often, the state fails to do so.
Migrant workers who come to Malaysia may find, in fact, that everything their recruitment agents told them in their home countries about their new jobs is untrue—the amount they will be paid, their employer, the type of work they will do. Some agents promise jobs that do not exist.
Many never receive a contract at all; others are handed documents in English, which they may not be able to read, just before they depart for Malaysia.
Migrant workers typically hand over large sums of money to their recruitment agents in order to secure jobs in Malaysia. Most workers pay at least US$1,000; workers from Bangladesh pay more than three times that amount. To raise the money, they and their families sell land or take out loans, often at exorbitant rates of interest. The need to repay the debt they incurred to come to Malaysia limits their choices.
For many, returning to their home countries is not an option, even though they realise that they are being exploited. The amount of money they owe, on loans they have taken out on the promise of good jobs, is too large, and they find themselves in situations akin to debt bondage.
Some workers have no choice at all—they are compelled to work against their will, locked into their workplaces and threatened with violence. As a practical matter, most workers cannot leave their employers without considerable risk. Nearly all employers hold their workers’ passports, documents that workers must be able to present on demand to law enforcement authorities, and which they would need to return to their home countries. Coercive practices such as these are markers of forced labour.

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“If the government can take care of these problems, even if the earning and work is not good, we can feel at peace. I had a dream before coming here; now it’s gone.”

—Thirty-six-year-old male factory worker from Nepal
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In some instances, agents recruit workers who are under the age of 18 and obtain false passports to conceal that fact. Underage workers are more likely to be cheated, more vulnerable to other forms of abuse, and more likely to suffer injuries on the job. In many cases, they are performing work they should not be doing—Malaysia is obligated under international law to protect children under age 18 from hazardous work and economic exploitation.
Malaysia has some 2.2 million documented foreign workers, almost 20 per cent of Malaysia’s workforce. Approximately the same number is undocumented. Many migrant workers in Malaysia are the victims of trafficking in persons—they are recruited through fraud or deception for the purpose of exploitation. In fact, the US Department of State’s 2009 report on trafficking gave Malaysia the worst designation, Tier 3, placing it among those countries that do not comply with minimum standards to combat trafficking and are not making significant efforts to do so.
Trafficking is perpetrated by individual recruitment agents, but the government of Malaysia facilitates this abuse. Loose regulation of agents, abusive labour laws and policies, and the practice of allowing employers to confiscate their workers’ passports allow trafficking to flourish.
Some Malaysian immigration authorities themselves engaged in trafficking in persons by delivering immigration detainees to traffickers operating on the Thai border. Amnesty International identified over a dozen cases of individuals who were trafficked in this way, sometimes more than once, between 2006 and early 2009.
In principle, most migrant workers are covered by the employment laws generally applicable in Malaysia. In practice, however, the lack of effective enforcement and the dependence of migrant workers on their employers and recruitment agents mean that they have few or no safeguards against abuse.
Domestic workers have even less recourse when their rights are violated. Domestic work is systematically excluded from most labour law protections. As a result, a form of work that is generally performed by women and girls receives less protection than other types of labour. No compelling justification exists for the exclusion of domestic work from the labour laws. In fact, the isolated nature of domestic work creates particular risks of abuse, compelling the conclusion that more protection, rather than less, is required. The exclusion of domestic workers from most labour law protections violates the right to freedom from discrimination.
Migrant workers are regular targets for ill-treatment and extortion by police and agents from the People’s Volunteer Corps (Ikatan Relawan Rakyat or RELA). Police are authorised by law to investigate immigration status; RELA had the same authority until mid-2009. Both police and RELA agents frequently abuse that authority, treating stops as opportunities to make money.
Much of Malaysia’s approach to migration is effectively to criminalise it, even though the country could not function without migrant labour. Large-scale public roundups in markets and on city streets and indiscriminate, warrantless raids on private dwellings in poorer neighbourhoods send the message that being poor and foreign—regardless of immigration status—is automatically suspicious. An “arrest now, investigate later” approach to immigration enforcement prevails. Too often, in fact, the government’s approach targets the victims of human rights abuses rather than those who commit abuses.
Losing one’s legal status is easy—many migrant workers become undocumented through no fault of their own when their employers fail to renew their permits. The emphasis on enforcement is often unburdened by a sense of justice; in some cases documented by Amnesty International, workers who complain about mistreatment have been themselves arrested for technical violations of the immigration laws.
The penalties for being undocumented are severe. Irregular migrants are subjected to fines, imprisonment and deportation. Judges may and often do impose caning on migrants who are convicted of illegal entry: Nearly 35,000 migrants were caned between 2002 and 2008.
Those who are arrested are placed in immigration detention centres under conditions that fall far short of minimum international standards. The three facilities inspected by Amnesty International were overcrowded in the extreme—in fact, some detainees reported that they could not lie down to sleep without touching their neighbours on either side. They lack bedding, regular access to clean water, and medication for those who fall ill. Almost universally, detainees complained that they often went hungry and that what food they did receive was sometimes rotten or undercooked. Detainees sit in their cells all day with little or nothing to do, often spending days without going out into the open air. There is no opportunity for exercise, organised worship, or other activities. Unsurprisingly, diseases spread quickly in such conditions, and fights between detainees are common. In addition, Amnesty International heard reports of violence at the hands of guards. Moreover, detainees under age 18 are held together with adults, in contravention of international law.
Persons who are convicted of illegal entry may be sentenced to up to six strokes of the rotan, a thin wooden cane. Caning is deeply humiliating and extremely painful. It leaves deep welts on the buttocks that take days to heal sufficiently to dress and move ordinarily without reopening the wounds. The practice violates the international prohibition on torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.
Malaysia is also a destination for refugees and asylum seekers. At least 90,000 and as many as 170,000 or more refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from Myanmar and the Philippines, are in the country. Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 protocol, the major international instruments governing the protection of refugees, and Malaysian law makes no distinction between refugees and undocumented migrants. As a result, refugees and asylum seekers can be arrested, detained, and prosecuted for immigration offences, and they may be sentenced to caning and then deported. In addition, their precarious status makes them especially vulnerable to abuses in the workplace and at the hands of police and RELA agents.
As a matter of priority, Amnesty International calls on the government of Malaysia to:
Undertake an immediate review of the labour outsourcing system for migrant workers, with a view to its reform.
Make the withholding of passports and other identity documents an offence subject to appropriate penalties, and immediately amend policies and memoranda of understanding accordingly.
 Prosecute recruitment agents and employers who engage in fraud or deception in recruitment for the purpose of labour exploitation, under Malaysia’s Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
 Substantially increase workplace inspections and refer for prosecution employers who have engaged in forced labour or other forms of labour exploitation. The primary focus of these inspections should be on abusive practices in the workplace rather than individual workers’ immigration status
 Promptly investigate all complaints of ill-treatment, extortion or other misconduct by police or others acting under colour of law, including RELA agents.
Ensure that places of detention, including immigration depots, comply with minimum international standards.
 Strengthen human rights protections in memoranda of understanding with sending countries, including through agreements for the monitoring of recruitment agents who operate in sending countries.
A complete list of recommendations appears at the end of this report.
* * *
A four-person Amnesty International delegation visited Malaysia in July 2009 and conducted private interviews with over 200 documented and undocumented migrant workers. The delegation met with government officials, employers, recruitment agents, lawyers, staff with nongovernmental organisations, members of religious groups, and diplomatic missions. The delegation also inspected three immigration detention facilities near Kuala Lumpur, observed hearings before a special court at one of these facilities, and reviewed records of ongoing and completed administrative hearings handled by the Labour Department and the Industrial Relations Department.
Interviews with migrant workers were voluntary and followed a semi-structured format. They were conducted in English or Bahasa Malaysia, with translation when necessary, with the exception of a handful of detainee interviews conducted in French and Spanish by researchers fluent in those languages. All interviews were conducted in the Kuala Lumpur federal territory and the states of Selangor and Pahang, although some workers described experiences they had had elsewhere in Peninsular Malaysia. The names of all workers have been changed to protect their privacy.
This report does not examine the situation of migrant workers in the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, which have their own labour laws and immigration procedures.
Amnesty International appreciates the willingness of the government of Malaysia to meet with its delegates at length and to afford access to immigration detention facilities.

See the full 101-page report, Trapped: The Exploitation of Migrant Workers in Malaysia (Amnesty International March 2010)

###

Posted by Editor on April 13, 2010 8:37 AM

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khunking · Jan 4, 2011

'Policeman beat us up'

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'Policeman beat us up'
The man took out a police authority card and flashed it at Mr Tan. -NST

Fri, Dec 31, 2010
New Straits Times
JOHOR BARU - A couple returning from a holiday in Cameron Highlands with their three sons claimed they were beaten up by an off-duty policeman after a misunderstanding at the Tapah Rest and Relax (R&R) area of the North-South Expressway on Sunday.
Lim Chung Keok, 34, suffered from bruises and lost seven of her teeth, while her husband Tan Khoon Hor, 35, suffered bruises all over his body and lost two teeth.
In the 5pm incident, the couple who lives in Kempas, were travelling with their sons, aged between 3 and 9, after spending the Christmas holiday in Cameron Highlands.
They had stopped at the R&R area as one of their sons needed to use the toilet.
As there was no available parking space at the time, Tan took their son to the toilet while his wife waited in the car.
He was away for about five minutes and while walking back towards his car, he saw his wife arguing with two men, one in his 30s, and the other, believed to be the father of the first man.
"I tapped him on the shoulder lightly to make my way back into my car. Suddenly, he punched me and my wife screamed for help. The younger man then told her to 'shut up'. When she didn't, he punched her on the face.
"When I said I would report the incident to the police, he took out a police authority card and flashed it at me."
With the help of Parti Rakyat Malaysia deputy chairman S.K.Song, the couple held a press conference at the Southern Chinese Press Club in Jalan Maju here yesterday.
Meanwhile, Perak police chief Datuk Shukri Dahlan confirmed that a report had been lodged about the incident by Tan.
-New Straits Times
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khunking · Jan 16, 2011

'Spirit' keeps residents awake

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'Spirit' keeps residents awake
Residents claim they have been disturbed by a "spirit" which has caused them sleepless nights and has damaged their properties. -NST

Sun, Jan 16, 2011
New Straits Times
LABIS: Residents of a little-known estate, Ladang Bukit Dato in Tenang Station here, are also busy trying to get a right "candidate" to help them resolve their problems. The "candidate" must possess strong and proven credentials, but in the realm of the supernatural.
The 450-odd residents of Ladang Bukit Dato are seeking a bomoh to help them regain their normal lifestyle.
The residents claim they have been disturbed by a "spirit" which has caused them sleepless nights and has damaged their properties.
Since early this year, six families claimed to have been disturbed by an apparition which throws stones, gravel and used batteries at their homes, vehicles and also at them.
Some outsiders have even made trips to the estate to seek out the spirit. These are, of course, the punters who want the stones thrown as they allegedly contain four-digit numbers.
Several police reports have been lodged by residents alleging that the spirit was creating such a din at night that it was impossible for them to sleep.
According to a Tenang resident, who only wanted to be known as Krish, the "spirit", which was 1.2 metres tall, started bothering the residents in October last year.
"A bomoh managed to appease the spirit but since the announcement of the Tenang by-election, the apparition has returned."
Politicians, policemen and community leaders have been talking about the apparition in the same breath as the by-election.
Meanwhile, Segamat police chief Superintendent Abdul Majid Mohd Ali advised residents to be more careful and urged the public not to speculate on the matter. He said police were investigating.
Currently, talk is rife that the estate's management, as well as its residents, have agreed to pay for the services of a famous bomoh from the east coast.
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khunking · Jan 16, 2011

PM, wife among 500 at Taib's wedding bash

http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=29616

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PM, wife among 500 at Taib's wedding bash
Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud married his Syrian wife, Puan Sri Ragad Waleed Alkurdi at the new state legislative assembly complex. -NST

Sun, Jan 16, 2011
New Straits Times

KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his Syrian wife, Puan Sri Ragad Waleed Alkurdi, were all smiles as they arrived at the hall of the new state legislative assembly complex for their wedding reception. The couple greeted some 500 guests as they walked into the hall beautifully adorned with fresh orchids, Taib in his black tuxedo and Ragad in her white wedding gown, holding a bouquet of roses.
Among the guests were Sarawak head of state Tun Abang Mohammad Salauhuddin Abang Barieng and wife Toh Puan Norkiah and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Yesterday not only marked the wedding reception for the couple, it was also Ragad's 29th birthday.
Addressing the guests, Taib's son, Datuk Seri Mahmud Abu Bekir, said his aunt, Datuk Raziah Mahmud, who is Taib's sister, and her husband, Datuk Robert Geneid, introduced them.
Ragad was born in Damascus, but later moved to Riyadh at an early age. She studied interior design and likes fishing, singing and dancing.
The guests were enlightened when Mahmud recalled his conversation with Ragad five months ago in which she told him that she had dreamt she was going to be married to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia after he had whisked her away in a Rolls Royce.
Taib tied the knot with Ragad on Dec 18, last year at his residence at Demak Jaya, Petra Jaya. It was a private affair where only his family, relatives and a handful of cabinet ministers attended.
Taib's first wife, Puan Sri Laila Taib, a Polish-born Australian passed away in April 2009 of cancer. Married for 50 years, Taib and Laila have four children and 15 grandchildren.
Three of his children, Jamilah Hamidah, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman and Hanifah Hajar Taib, and their families were also at the reception.
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khunking · Jan 16, 2011

No quick fix to maid shortage

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No quick fix to maid shortage
The current freeze on Indonesian maids is causing further problems instead of solving the present ones. -The Star/ANN

Sun, Jan 16, 2011
The Star/Asia News Network
By Amy Chew
INDONESIAN Sopiati's (not her real name) swollen and badly bruised face breaks into tears as she recounts how her employers, a husband and wife, punched her almost daily at their home in Rawang where she worked for six months without pay.
The punches cracked several of her ribs and left her traumatised, she relates at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur where she is currently sheltering.
Sopiati, who entered Malaysia through an unregistered Indonesian agent, was rescued by police last Wednesday after her Indonesian neighbours reported her employers. The police then brought her to the Indonesian Embassy.
Sopiati's fate highlights the unintended consequence of Indonesia's moratorium on sending domestic helpers to Malaysia in June 26, 2009.
The moratorium, aimed at addressing incidents of maid abuse in the country, has resulted in an increase in the number of Indonesian women entering the country illegally or on tourist visas to work.
Their illegal status leaves them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, and also beyond the protection of the Indonesian Embassy.
The moratorium has also left Malaysia with a severe shortage of domestic helpers in the country, putting a strain on families where the husband and wife have to go out to work.
"Because they (women) entered the country through unofficial agents, we cannot monitor and give them protection," a senior source at the Indonesian Embassy tells Sunday Star.
And in the case of Sopiati, who is in her 50s, there is little hope of tracing the agent who brought her in.
"We cannot punish those unofficial Indonesian agents or individuals because we don't know who they are and where they are," says the source.
Unofficial Malaysian agents or individuals, according to the source, are also involved in the scam.
The moratorium was imposed while the Malaysian and Indonesian governments revise an MOU on migrant workers to give greater protection to domestic helpers.
Indonesia wants the MOU to acknowledge the rights of their domestic workers to wage increases, regular salaries, one day off a week and to hold their own passport.
Currently, a domestic helper's passport is normally held by her employer.
Negotiations on the MOU have stalled and there is no sign as to when an agreement will be reached and the ban lifted.
"The moratorium was a unilateral action by Indonesia. When the moratorium was imposed, the Indonesian government did not revoke the MOU. So when a worker comes here on a tourist visa and later gets an employer to apply for a work permit, she could still be issued with one by the Malaysian government," claims the Indonesian source.
In Malaysia, out of 1.2 million registered Indonesian workers, 300,000 work as domestic helpers. Prior to the moratorium, Indonesia was sending 3,000 domestic helpers to Malaysia a month.
According to the Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa), some 50,000 domestic helpers enter Malaysia every year out of which 80% come from Indonesia.
"Their (Indonesian) numbers have gone down drastically. This is a consequence of the (MOU) stalemate," says Papa's deputy president, Jeffrey Foo.
A major sticking point, which has held up talks, is the proposal to reduce the fees paid by a maid to her Indonesian agent. Currently, it is 9mil rupiah (RM3,000) and the proposal is to reduce this to 5mil rupiah (RM1,660).
This is to reduce the burden of a maid who works between five and six months without salary to pay off her debt to her agent.
"We want to bring down the cost structure and reduce the burden to a domestic helper by proposing that the maid pays five million to her Indonesian agent," says the source.
"This way, the maid only foregoes her salary for three months to pay off her debt as opposed to five months," adds the source.
"However, Indonesian agents are against this reduction in their fees."
According to Papa, the association has appealed to its Indonesian counterpart to cut out the layers of middlemen involved in procuring a worker to reduce costs to both the worker and the employer.
"In the journey from the village to Jakarta, the worker has to pass through many middlemen or what you call local sponsors," explains Papa's Foo.
In the village, the local agent is the person whom the villagers trust to take care of their daughters, wives or relatives' welfare in their journey to a foreign country to work, according to Foo.
"We have asked the Indonesian agents to do away with the role of the local sponsors or middleman. That will reduce the cost by RM2,000 to RM3,000 per maid," he says.
"We (Malaysian agents) have to pay Indonesian agents RM5,000 to RM6,000 to bring in one maid," he reveals.
This huge cost ultimately is borne by both the employer and the maid.
In recent years, Malaysian employers have had to fork out more than RM8,000 for an Indonesian maid.
The Association of Indonesian Exporters (Himsataki) denies charging excessive fees and instead proposes abolishing the use of passports for Indonesians wanting to work in Malaysia.
"I propose that Indonesian migrant workers be allowed to use their Indonesian identity card to travel and work in Malaysia. After all, we are part of the Asean community. This will save a lot of money," says Himsataki chairman Yunus Yamani.
Yunus says that Himsataki members spend an average of six million rupiah each time they send a maid to Malaysia, and this has to be repaid by the maid.
"Out of the six million rupiah (RM2,000), four million rupiah is for agent fees while two million rupiah is a cash advance by an agent to tide a maid over when she first arrives in Malaysia," explains Yunus.
"The maids don't pay anything when they come to Malaysia. They just get their salary deducted after they start working."
But according to the domestic helpers like Sopiati, some of them paid the agents before they left for Malaysia.
Then there are those who do not even get a cash advance.
"I wasn't given money when I came over," claims domestic helper Yati who has worked here for four years.
"But my neighbour did get some cash," Yati adds.
Sopiati, for example, claims she paid her unofficial agent 2.5 million rupiah (RM800).
She says her agent has since disappeared with her passport.
Sopiati recounts arriving in Port Klang by ferry from Dumai, Sumatra, and was met by an Indonesian man named Djunaidi who brought her to a house where she stayed for two weeks before being placed with her employer.
"There were many people who came over with me," she says.
When asked where Djunaidi lived or worked, Sopiati shakes her head and says, "I don't know."
A combination of ignorance and lack of education makes these women easy targets for unscrupulous agents and individuals to exploit.
The rampant exploitation reflects the confidence of these agents that they will never be caught as they bank on the women's ignorance to hide their identity and whereabouts.
"Law enforcement officers in both countries are also to blame. They turn a blind eye to these women entering illegally to work. And surely they must know someone organised their trip from Indonesia to here," says the embassy source.
The fallout from the moratorium has affected all parties, with Papa and Himsataki both having reported a drastic drop in their business.
"Around 75% of the (Indonesian) agents who place domestic helpers in Malaysia are bankrupt. They have stopped working," says Yunus.
The Indonesian government is also losing money since they cannot collect the worker's levy of RM15 per person as the domestic helpers by-pass official channels to work here.
Both governments urgently need to resolve outstanding issues holding up the MOU to prevent more women from falling victims to errant agents and individuals.
As Sopiati waits for police to complete their investigation into her case, other migrant workers are at risk of suffering the same fate as her.
-The Star/Asia News Network
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khunking · Jan 20, 2011

Car, m-cycle torched, two teenagers injured

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Car, m-cycle torched, two teenagers injured
Police are investigating if there is a connection between the arson attack and the youths. -NST

Tue, Jan 18, 2011
New Straits Times
KANGAR - A car and a motorcycle were destroyed in an early morning arson attack at a housing estate in Jalan Raja Syed Alwi here yesterday.
Coincidently, a 17-year-old mechanic and a 19-year-old pork seller, believed to be friends, were warded with serious burns.
Police are investigating if there is a connection between the arson attack and the youths.
State Criminal Investigation Department chief Superintendent Nashir Ya said the victims had been warded at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Star.
The mechanic is in a coma and is in critical condition, while the pork seller sustained 30 per cent burns on his legs and back.
"We have received reports on both incidents.
"The first report was received about 6am from a resident of the housing estate, claiming that a Toyota LE belonging to his son-in-law, which was parked outside of the house, was torched.
"Meanwhile, the second report was from the father of the 17-year-old youth, claiming that his son was badly injured after being torched by someone," he said.
Acting on the reports, police rushed to the scene and found the burnt car and the motorcycle, parked about 500m apart.
"We have recovered evidence from the scene.
"We also discovered slippers belonging to two people, burnt cloth strips and a chunk of human flesh.
"However, we do not want to speculate until we have completed our investigations.
"We will compile the reports after taking statements from the pork seller."
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khunking · Jan 20, 2011

It's back to jail for corrupt cop

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It's back to jail for corrupt cop
The Court of Appeal allowed public prosecutor's appeal to restore Sessions Court's decision to convict him. -NST

Thu, Jan 13, 2011
New Straits Times
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - A policeman not only lost his job for receiving a bribe of RM500 (S$210.90) but also has to spend six months in jail and pay a RM10,000 fine.

The Court of Appeal yesterday allowed the public prosecutor's appeal to restore the Sessions Court's decision convicting M. Chettuvelu, 52, of accepting the money.
The trial court in 2004 sentenced Chettuvelu to six months' jail and RM10,000 fine, in default, five months' jail.
Chettuvelu, a former detective with the rank of sergeant, began his jail term yesterday. He was earning RM1,500 salary a month.
He was initially charged with soliciting RM2,000 and receiving RM500 from S. Jambukeshan as an inducement not to take action against suspected dadah addict, K. Manivanan.
The Sessions Court acquitted Chettuvelu of soliciting but convicted him of receiving the bribe at a restaurant in Damansara Utama on Aug 26, 1998. The prosecution did not appeal against the acquittal.
Chettuvelu, however, appealed against the conviction and it was allowed by the High Court in 2009, thus enabling him to return to work.
Deputy public prosecutor Kevin Morais, who appeared for the public prosecutor, submitted before the Court of Appeal that the High Court judge was wrong in his decision because he had questioned the credibility of prosecution witnesses.
Morais said the High Court set aside the trial judge's decision because the same witnesses had given evidence for the soliciting and receiving charges.
Submitting that they were different offences and occurred on different dates, he said the Sessions Court judge did not take into consideration the credibility of witnesses in acquitting Chettuvelu for soliciting and convicting him of accepting the bribe.
"At best there were minor discrepancies in evidence of witnesses but their credibility was intact," he said.
Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hasan Lah, who led a three-man panel, in agreeing with Morais, said a trial judge could choose to disbelieve a witness in one aspect while believing him in another area.
-- New Straits Times
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What's Wrong With The Northerners?

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