Body snatching: Syariah court can't cite kin

Lawyers familiar with cases of conversion say the Negri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS) cannot cite the family of the late Lawrence Selvanathan for contempt of the syariah court for cremating his remains. According to noted syariah lawyer Muhamad Burok, this is because the family is Christian and they therefore do not fall under the jurisdiction of the syariah court.

"The jurisdiction of the syariah court, according to the Administration of the Religion of Islam (Negri Sembilan) Enactment 2003, only extends to cases where all parties are Muslim."This is the law, but if there is a clause that allows (the contempt action) then let me know," Muhamad  said when contacted.

Agreeing with him, lawyer M Kulasegaran said the federal constitution, through the inclusion of clause (1A) into Article 121, clearly states that Malaysia practices two parallel legal systems.

The clause states that the high courts have "no jurisdiction in respect of any matter within the jurisdiction of the syariah court".

It also states that the syariah court has jurisdiction only "over persons professing the religion of Islam". "In view of this, the law does not apply to non-Muslims, subpoenas don't apply and it is my view that contempt also does not apply," Kulasegaran said.

1 mil ‘anti-Interlok’ CDs to be printed

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Interlok Action Team (NIAT) has come up with a new plan to remove the controversial novel from schools.NIAT steering committee chairman Thasleem Mohd Ibrahim said one million CDs will be printed and distributed nationwide to give the people the true picture of Interlok.

“Our objective is to get the message across to all Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affliation,” he told FMT."We are now confronted with a new danger – ethnic characterisation. Introducing Interlok as compulsory reading material for SPM students will take these students back 100 years,” he added.He also said that Interlok, penned by national laureate Abdullah Hussain, would damage the respect between the different races in the country.

Indian EC: Only poor quality indelible ink is removable

India's Election Commission has explained that the use of poor quality indelible ink is the reason such an ink used on voters is quite easily "removable".In an email reply to questions from Malaysiakini, Indian EC secretary KN Bhar said this had occurred in India, and has since been rectified through "strict orders" to manufacturer Mysore Paints and Varnishes Ltd (MPVL), which is owned by the Karnataka state government.

"The main cause of failure (of the ink) was poor quality due to some negligence in the preparation process. The MPVL was directed to strictly maintain the quality of ink," Bhar said.The Indian EC is widely known for its independence.

"No complaints were subsequently received. The use of indelible ink has been quite effective in checking multiple voting."In 2009, a candidate in the parliamentary election for the city of Pune was reported by the Times of India to have lodged a complaint that the indelible ink used could be rubbed off.

Explosion rips through Empire Gallery, four hurt

SUBANG JAYA, Sept 28 — Four people were hurt in an early morning explosion at the Empire Gallery shopping mall here, which was heard from as far away as Bangsar.Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos, adding that police, ambulances and the fire brigade were still on the scene.Police tracker dogs were also there as were Fire and Rescue Department personnel from stations across Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Damansara and Puchong to investigate the incident.Subang Jaya OCPD ACP Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar told reporters at the scene that the blast was believed to have started in the basement and involved a gas pipeline. “We have yet to determine the cause of the blast but damage is extensive, affecting the parking lot and many outlets on the basement level and even the ground floor,” he said.

“Our forensics team is still investigating. We have not been able to enter certain parts of the mall . . . the damage is too bad and the areas are sealed off.”He confirmed that a distress call was received at 3.45 this morning on the explosion at the mall, which is at the entrance of Subang Jaya from the Federal Highway.
Zainal Rashid said four people were injured — two Nepalese security guards and a couple. They received minor scrapes and bruises. Rescue workers are still combing the basement in search of more victims.
The security guards, who were initially trapped in the basement, have been sent to hospital.

Ambiga conferred France’s top civilian award

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — Resplendent in a black-and-gold sari, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was tonight conferred France’s highest honour, the Chevalier de Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).As he pinned the distinctive five-pointed medal on her sari, France’s ambassador to Malaysia, Marc Barety, said the award was to recognise Ambiga’s dedication to human rights and to boost the rule of law in Malaysia.Ambiga joins an exclusive club of some 20 to 25 Malaysians conferred the French award. Among them were the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, airline maverick Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Ipoh-born Hollywood actress Datuk Michelle Yeoh, Barety said.

Yeoh was recognised in 2007 for her contribution to film and the media.Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Aziz was another recipient this year, but was unable to attend the award ceremony, Barety said.“Ambiga is the right person to get it,” Barety told reporters, adding the latest announcements on political transformation by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak after the Bersih 2.0 street rally on July 9 demanding free and fair elections proved the merit of her fight.He noted the leadership of the then president of the Malaysian Bar in a 2008 forum on Orang Asli issues, jointly organised by the French embassy and the European Union, as having contributed strongly to the nomination of Ambiga.

The order of the Legion of Honour is a merit-based award and there are only 55,000 recipients worldwide at any one time.“I think it reflects well on Malaysia’s civil society,” Ambiga said in her acceptance speech, with a nod to Najib’s latest pledge to repeal the Internal Security Act and other security laws that allowed for preventive detention.“It really shows how important civil society is; they are the eyes and ears of the rakyat,” Ambiga said, vowing to continue her charge to improve the rule of law.

Source : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/ambiga-conferred-frances-top-civilian-award/

Tussle over body takes another strange twist

It appears the troubles have just piled up for the family of purported Muslim convert Lawrence Selvananthan, as his friends allegedly took matters into their own hands to cremate his body yesterday afternoon.

It is understood that Lawrence's friends, transporting his body to a church in Seremban for funeral rites, decided on their own to cremate his remains and bury the ashes in Segamat.

The situation has left the Lawrence's family in a fix, as they are now facing legal action initiated by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Affairs Department (JHEAINS), said Port Dickson state assemblyperson Ravi Munusamy, who is acting as mediator in discussions between the family and religious officials.

Ravi said police officers turned up at the family's home in Lukut around midnight to serve a Syariah court order on the family, informing them that action would be taken against them.

"Because of that, the mother suffered some heart problems. She is still a bit sick now, and has not risen from bed yet.

Civil war horrors still torment survivors

KILINOCHCHI (Sri Lanka): Ranjini wakes up screaming. Her mother’s body is on fire, her teenage sister is covered in blood and the mutilated, charred corpses of her relatives lie scattered everywhere.

It’s a recurring nightmare.“I see my mother’s burning face… she is calling me to help her, but I can’t or I will be killed from the shelling also,” says the 23-year-old, petite Sri Lankan woman, wiping the tears from her face with a blue and white chequered handkerchief.“My little sister is lying with blood all over her skirt, but I cannot see the wound. She is unable to speak but from her eyes she is trying to tell me something. She dies. I too want to die.”

More than two years since Sri Lanka’s 25-year-old conflict ended, mental health experts say thousands of survivors are living in torment typical of war survivors – haunted by memories of the final months of fighting between the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and government forces.“The horrific, abrupt end to the war saw people witnessing their family members die, but most could do nothing but run, forced to abandon the bodies of their loved ones without performing important last rites,” said a Western aid worker with an EU-funded charity, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of upsetting the Sri Lankan government.