Meet the denizens of old KL

G Tangarasan was in no mood for casual chit-chat. It was mid-morning, both suppliers and customers were criss-crossing paths in his spices shop and he had ledger sheets to tally. “Take as many pictures as you want,” he said in mild irritation. “But I have no time to talk to you. Go ask my son your questions.”
The 36-year-old Krishnan Tangarasan is a fourth generation owner of VKM Traders, a spices shop his great-grandfather began in 1927.His family business is one of the many pulses of old inner KL that has defied the onslaught of modernity to claim a position as an unofficial heritage site.

“My great-grandfather arrived in KL from South India in the early 1920s,” Krishnan said. “He started this business but it was my grandfather who really established it.”“Our shop was originally located in Lebuh Ampang but that area is prone to floods so we moved here, to Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, in 2000.”
A glance around VKM Traders is like taking a peek back in time.From the heavy iron safe to the scarred iron paperweight, not much has changed over the years. Even his 59-year-old father prefers to use a calculator and ledger books instead of the computer in the little back room.

Msia wins AFF Suzuki Cup, PM declares Friday holiday

Malaysia beat Indonesia on a 4-2 aggregate to lift the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 for the first time in 14 years.

An elated Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced on his Twitter page that Friday will be public holiday to mark the victory.

Indonesia won the second leg of the final 2-1 at the Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, but was unable to overcome the three goal cushion set during their 3-0 lost at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

The crime stories that make headlines

Court cases on the gruesome murder of cosmetics queen Sosilawati Lawiya, the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, Teoh Beng Hock's inquest and the graft charge against former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo were the attention grabbers over the past 12 months.

However, the much-awaited Anwar Ibrahim's second sodomy trial was marked by application after application, mainly by the defence team headed by counsel Karpal Singh.

Palanivel should invite us, says sacked MIC man

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 - Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) founder V. Mugilan urged newly-installed MIC president Datuk G. Palanivel today to prove his worth by inviting all members his predecessor had removed back into the party’s fold.The former MIC Youth deputy chief claimed to The Malaysian Insider this morning that during Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu’s three-decade reign, the powerful leader had removed, both directly and indirectly, at least 100,000 members.

Sore Indons hack Malaysian sites

PETALING JAYA: Indonesian hackers have attacked Malaysian websites after their country lost in a football match. The hacked sites include that of Universiti Teknologi Mara, an online furniture directory and the image gallery of a secondary school in Pekan, Pahang.Even an online directory on pet dogs was not spared from the Indonesian cyber wrath.

A group known as “kaMtiEz” has claimed responsibility for the attacks, which appear to be targeting websites with the “.my” suffix.Last Sunday, Malaysia defeated Indonesia 3-0 in the first leg final of the AFF Suzuki Cup at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

MIC warns leaders: Shape up or ship out

Three weeks after taking over the party's reins from S Samy Vellu on Dec 6, new MIC president G Palanivel appeared to be coming out of his former mentor's shadows.

At a retreat for party leaders in Selangor last week, he wasted no time in reclaiming the party's position as the champion of the Indians.

Palanivel took a tough stance by reprimanding “seat warmers”, some holding high positions in the MIC, and ordered them to get cracking in helping the community.

Weak laser beam won't affect goalkeeper's vision

A beam shone from far - from the stadium terraces to the playing field, for example - is weak and does not affect vision, an optometrist said today.

This is especially so if a laser pointer is used, Dr Zahimi Chik said when commenting on an incident during the first-leg of the Malaysia-Indonesia final in the AFF-Suzuki Cup in Bukit Jalil last night.

The match was stopped for five minutes after the Indonesian coach complained that Malaysian fans were dazzling his goalkeeper with a laser beam.

'Little India' still big on vice

BRICKFIELDS: Residents and business owners in 'Little India' feel the government should do more to make the place vice-free, especially at the red-light area of Jalan Thambipillay.When The Malay Mail checked the area on Nov 23, we saw prostitutes and pimps openly soliciting for customers, many of whom were foreigners.This was a far cry from the vice-free scenario in late October when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, visited the area.

Two cops arrested for alleged brutality

Two police officers, believed to have beaten and rob a businessman for allegedly carrying drug and for driving a car without a valid road tax last Saturday, were arrested today.

Selangor police chief Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah said the two police constables, aged 25 and 27, from the Damansara police station were arrested after Chia Buang Hing identified them in a parade of six people.

"Police view this case as serious because it concerns abuse of power among policemen and there will be no discrimination (against the accuser) if they are found guilty," he told reporters at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters.

Beaten and robbed by cops over expired road tax

For being frank with the police, 34-year-old Chia Buang Hing was detained for five days and beaten up until he vomited blood.

The businessman, who is frame-maker, narrated the "horrific" incident today, saying that the police bashed him up, threatened and robbed him of RM13,000 in cash he was carrying - all for the expired road tax of his wife's car that he was driving.

Chia's nightmare began about 11pm on Dec 18, as he was driving from his house in Tropicana to Kota Damansara, where traffic police had set up roadblocks.

Minus Samy Vellu, voters see stronger MIC

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 24 — Most voters in peninsular Malaysia believe Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu’s exit from MIC will help the party win back Indian support, according to a survey by the Merdeka Center this month. Fifty-three per cent of those polled said they believed MIC will be able to regain the trust of Indians now that the veteran politician has stepped down as party president, while only 19 per cent disagreed.
The remaining 28 per cent said they did not know.

Ex-PM has date with Shah Rukh on Xmas day

When former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad arrives in Mumbai on Christmas Eve, he will be a special guest of Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan.

Mahathir and his wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, both on a private visit to India, will be arriving in the Indian financial capital today, where the famous actor will play host to the elder statesman.

"When he heard I was coming to India, he said I must go to Bombay (Mumbai).

Indian candidates to break the calm

KUALA LUMPUR: Indian candidates are expected to turn the upcoming Tenang state assembly by-election in Johor into a multi-cornered fight.While Indian social NGO Astivaaram Foundation vice-president R Sri Sanjeev  remained tightlipped over his candidacy, sources within the foundation confirmed that he would be contesting the seat.On the same note, PKR Kluang member S Jeevan told FMT that he might be running for the seat as an independent candidate.

Hindraf urges Indians to abstain from voting in GE

GEORGE TOWN: Ethnic Malaysian Indians should abstain from voting in the 13th general election unless the constituency offers a candidate from the Human Rights Party (HRP), which is the the political axis of Hindraf Makkal Sakti, said its chairman P Waythamoorthy. London-based Waythamoorthy said it was time for ethnic Indian voters across the country to teach existing political blocks – Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat - a lesson in electoral politics.

New MIC president not bothered with 'rivals'

Newly-minted MIC president G Palanivel said that other Indian-based political parties do not pose a threat to MIC because the party is far more established.

“To be very frank we are a very structured party. We are not worried about any form of competition. They are not our competitors, please la,” said Palanivel, who is also the Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister.

Palanivel said this when asked about the MIC's position following the growth of the Human Rights Party (HRP) and Malaysian Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP), during a press conference after chairing his maiden central working committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

Pala to create Indian millionaires

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 23 – Senator Datuk G. Palanivel is set to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor when he today offered to create millionaires in the Indian community.Palanivel took over the MIC leadership after Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu stepped down and ended his 31 years reign as party president.Samy Vellu’s tenure as president was marred with allegations of embezzlement and mismanagements of party linked companies including venture group, Maika holdings.

Najib's prompt response gives ex-estate workers hope .

PUTRAJAYA : Less than four hours after submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office, former Bukit Jalil estate workers were given a reprieve. According to Bukit Jalil action committee member K Balakrishnan, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had ordered the Human Resources Ministry and the Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Ministry to look into the matter, which had dragged on for two decades.

Man held for royal slur on Facebook

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Police have detained the man owning the Facebook that allegedly insulted the Sultan of Johor and the state monarchy.
Director of the commercial crime investigation department Datuk Wira Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said the 40-year-old man was arrested here on November 29.

He told reporters that a task force was formed in August after several complaints were received about the Facebook page, which the man was believed to have created after the death of Sultan Iskandar Almarhum Sultan Ismail of Johor last January.Police seized from the man five cell phones and PDAs, five lap tops and a wireless router.

Syed Ismail said that investigations showed that the man, who is from Kuala Lumpur, was self-employed and was driven by certain ideals.The Facebook account had the e-mail address pendekar.bentan@gmail.com but the man had stolen the identity of a user who had not signed out.

Zeti receives lifetime achievement award

Bank Negara Malaysia governor Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday at the Annual Islamic Business and Finance Awards held in Dubai.

In her acceptance remarks, she said Islamic finance is one of the fastest growing segments in the global financial system.

"The industry remained resilient during the recent global financial crisis. It has continued to be competitive, providing financial products and services, to changing requirements of businesses and investors," she added.

Bukit Jalil folk to seek Najib's intervention

PETALING JAYA: Eight families of Bukit Jalil estate, facing imminent eviction by DBKL, are hoping for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to resolve their predicament. The residents are planning to submit a memorandum tomorrow to the Prime Minister's Department seeking Najib's intervention in their on-going spat with DBKL.S Thiakarajan, the residents' action committee secretary, was hopeful that the premier would take time out to listen to their grouses personally.

DPM rubbishes Pakatan's 100-day reform plan

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said Pakatan Rakyat's reform pledges to be implemented within 100 days of seizing Putrajaya are “empty promises”.Muhyiddin said Pakatan can promise whatever it wants now because it is not in power and does not have to be accountable for the country's future.

“They probably think that the general election is close, so maybe they know better than us. They are just luring voters with their empty promises, like a supermarket sale," he said.“But all in all, this is an issue of governance, and the issue of the nation's future. If they just make this kind of offer without proper planning, it would be a lie and a huge deceit. So I hope that the people are not easily influenced by this."

Indians in PKR should end their charade

COMMENT For a time, Indian Malaysians in PKR looked like they had a case worthy of serious consideration, whenever they went berserk over perceived slights and wrongs against them in the party.
But the public sympathy they had - even from former MIC head S Samy Vellu - seems to have dissipated after the recent PKR polls. Their bluff has been called and their continued antics are driving Indian voters back into the gleeful arms of BN, if not the MIC.

Tactile path torn up, blind community cries foul

Visually-impaired pedestrians in Brickfields are up in arms over the removal of facilities that assist them.

Facilities such as tactile walking paths, pedestrian gates and junction ramps along Jalan Tun Sambanthan and Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4 were torn up without notice last week by the contractor, Malaysian Resource Corporate Bhd (MRCB).

Those concerned are now dicing with danger as they negotiate their way to work or home. A casualty was reported last Wednesday, when a visually-impaired pedestrian was injured when she fell into a construction hole.Nur Haryati was on her way to the Bank Simpanan Nasional branch in Jalan Tun Sambathan when the incident happened.

Bid to free 'whistleblower' Selvach fails

A writ of habeas corpus to free K Selvach Santhiran, a witness who implicated police in a death-in-custody inquest, was rendered academic following his transfer to the Batu Gajah detention camp in Perak on the Home Ministry's order.


Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Su Geok Yiam ruled that she has no jurisdiction to hear the matter as the writ had been filed to challenge the grounds of detention by the police.

22 dead in Cameron Highlands bus crash

KUALA LUMPUR: A bus carrying Thai tourists crashed on a highway today killing 22 people on board after a trip to the Cameron Highlands, authorities said. "We believe that 22 people were killed in the accident," said Aminuddin Abdul Rahim, spokesman for the Fire and Rescue Department, who was at the accident site.

'Ignore Indian woes and national unity crumbles' .

KUALA LUMPUR: National unity would be at risk if issues within the Indian community continue to be ignored, warned Asli Centre for Public Policy Studies chairman Ramon Navaratnam. Ramon said this in his speech at a recent book launch here.Titled “National Development Plans & Indians in Malaysia”, the book, authored by political analyst Denison Jayasooria was meant to act as a benchmark to assess whether the government had delivered its promises to the Indian community through its eighth, ninth and 10th Malaysia Plan.

Hindraf to refile suit against UK gov't

Self-exiled Hindraf founding member P Waythamoorthy is confident of being able to refile a class-action suit against the British government by July next year. In a summary of his research, read out during the launch of his brother P Uthayakumar's second book yesterday, Waythamoorthy said he had found 24,000 supporting documents in the UK Public Records Office. “He has been working 12 hours a day in London with the help of two volunteers in London to search for these documents,” the 400-strong audience was told.

Palani tells members to get more members .

SEREMBAN: MIC president Senator G Palanivel's main focus after taking over the party leadership is to get the Indian community who are eligible to vote to register as voters.He said there were currently about 400,000 of them nationwide who had yet to register as voters."We have launched the exercise last August and are mobilising party divisions to identify the persons and to get them to register as voters.

Bukit Jalil residents want a better package from DBKL

KUALA LUMPUR: The ongoing saga between residents of Bukit Jalil estate and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) looks set to continue with the residents rejecting the compensation package offered by the latter.The residents want a better housing scheme and a permanent land title for their temple and cemetary. They also want more facilities for the new Tamil school.

HRP to Pakatan: Give us 15 parliamentary seats

Hindraf-Human Rights Party (HRP) has issued an ultimatum to Pakatan Rakyat to back out and allow the Indian-based party to take on BN in straight fights in 15 parliamentary seats and 38 state seats in the next general election. In a letter sent today to PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Hadi Awang, HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar said that if Pakatan does not heed HRP's call, the opposition coalition will find itself in three-corner fights in the constituencies.

Retired Samy Vellu now more popular

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 — In a strange reversal, former MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu finds himself more popular now that he has retired, with Indians flocking to see and hear him speak at religious and cultural functions throughout the country.Many groups, temples and Tamil schools are inviting Samy Vellu, who retired on December 6 after 31 years as MIC president, for dinners, culture shows and Deepavali functions even though the festival is long over.

SPM candidates can re-sit History paper from 2014

History will be among subjects offered for candidates re-sitting for their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination from 2014, said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin said the decision was made to give students an opportunity to achieve better results in their SPM.

"Currently only Bahasa Malaysia and Mathematic subjects are offered for candidates who wished to re-sit for the SPM," he told senator Yeow Chai Thiam in Dewan Negara today.

GAS men mull return to MIC

PETALING JAYA: Following S Samy Vellu's resignation as MIC president, former members of the now defunct Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement are contemplating on rejoining the party. Former GAS coordinator V Mugilan said he had not thought about the matter yet as a lot of things had changed in the country's political landscape.“I must talk to my colleagues and supporters before deciding,” he added.

PM: Be bold enough to review decisions

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants government agencies to exercise boldness in reviewing decisions and conditions made in the public interest to ensure effective implementation.He said it might be felt that a decision was right when it was made but, with the imposition of conditions, there might be difficulty in implementation of plans or projects."What we have proposed in the 10th Malaysia Plan, Budget 2011 and other plans can be implemented, and when we know that something is not working, we must find out the reason.

S'gor kekal destinasi utama pelaburan Jan-Sept 2010 .

SHAH ALAM: Selangor kekal sebagai destinasi utama pelaburan apabila sebanyak RM6.53 bilion diluluskan di antara bulan Januari hingga September tahun ini. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim berkata, dari jumlah itu sebanyak RM2.76 bilion atau 42% adalah pelaburan tempatan manakala sebanyak RM3.78 bilion atau 58% merupakan pelaburan asing.

Pakatan trio face six-month suspension

The federal government has recommended the suspension of three opposition members for releasing embargoed information on the probe involving opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.According to the Order Paper for today, the motion by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department is scheduled to be tabled against Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor), R Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) and Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) for violating Standing Order 85.This regulation states that any statement recorded in front of Rights and Privileges Committee must be embargoed until the decision is tabled before the Dewan Rakyat.

Expensive broadband discouraging Internet usage in Malaysia

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia is crawling along on the digital slow lane due to the high cost of Internet access according to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) lecturer Dr Ali Salman.Speaking at the 10th Pacific Sociological Association Conference of the Asia (APSA 10) recently, he said while the use of Internet in Malaysia had seen a major increase over the years, the high fees imposed by Internet access providers needs were causing a stagnation and needed to be brought down to an affordable level.

Mother of dead teen suspects cover up

KAPAR: Sixteen-year-old R Kishornath died last Saturday after purportedly falling ill during a camping trip organised by a welfare home at a waterfall in Hulu Selangor. The cause of his death was stated as leptospirosis but his mother, S Shanti, wants the authorities to conduct a thorough probe.According to a report in Makkal Osai today, the 36-year-old kindergarden teacher discovered bruises on her son's body, and suspects that he could have been assaulted.Kishornath was sent to the welfare home, Institute Kemahiran Serendah, in April after his parents separated.

Rights panel wants Anwar shelved for six months

Parliament's rights and privileges committee has recommended that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim be suspended for claiming that a public relations firm hired by the federal government had strong links with Israel. "The privileges committee has tabled its majority report which recommended that Anwar be suspended for six months," committee member Karpal Singh, the Bukit Gelugor MP, told a press conference in the lobby of Parliament this morning.

Police assault 'witness' detained without trial

The key witness to the R Gunasegaran inquest, K Selvach Santhiran, was today transferred to the Batu Gajah detention camp, without being given a chance to meet his family members.Suaram coordinator E Nalini (right) said police had called Selvach's family members last night, saying they would bring him from the Bukit Jalil detention centre to the FT police headquarters in the morning where they could meet him, before they took him to Batu Gajah.When they arrived at 10am, she said Selvach was already gone.

Police stations no land for the disabled .

PETALING JAYA: It isn't easy being a disabled person. Confined to wheelchairs and dependant on crutches, many have had the toughest of times in entering even the most public of places.V Murugesan, president of the Damai Disabled Association found this out the hard way after trying to settle his traffic summons at the Petaling Jaya police station on Dec 6.

No honeymoon for Palanivel .

One late evening, just a few months after the historic March 2008 general election, S Samy Vellu received a familiar visitor at his residence in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur.The 74-year-old MIC supremo listened calmly as the visitor, his former political secretary S Ananthan, told him that his time was up, that he must quit active politics and let another leader of his choice take over the reins of the largest party for Malaysian Indians.

Samy Vellu's 'tell-all' biography launched

In a "tell-all" biography, former MIC President Samy Vellu revealed how he tried in vain to stop the demolition of a Hindu temple in 2007, which the author describes sowed the seeds of a revolt against the party."A Life. A Legend. A Legacy" written by award-winning author Bernice Narayanan reveals Samy Vellu's greatest achievements and setbacks as well as "behind-the-scenes" events in his almost 50 years of active politics.

Samy to Indians: Go forth and multiply

Former MIC president S Samy Vellu wants the 1.8 million current Indian population in the country to boosted to 2.5 million to strengthen their bargaining power when it comes to sharing the economic wealth of the country.He said: "The 1.8 million Indian population is slowly rising to about 2 million now but this is not enough and the target of 2.5 million must be reached to have a stronger bargaining point."

No jobs or water, estate folks suffer .

SUNGAI BULOH : Abandoned by the plantation owner and the Selangor government, 24 families in Coalfied estate here are suffering. When FMT visited the estate recently, it was discovered that the residents were struggling without jobs and proper water supply.According to Coalfield estate's St Anthony Church committee chairman Peter Anthonysamy, the state government was reluctant in solving their woes.

10-year jail if employer punishes whistleblower

An employer could be hauled to court for engaging in retaliatory action such as dismissal, against a staff who spills the beans on him.This was one aspect of the Whistleblower Protection Act when it came into effect on Dec 15, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Liew Vui Keong.
He said, the staff could go to court and ask for an injunction and any other relief, and the government would cover the costs which would be taxed against the defendant.

New Tamil schools: Cheer in Johor, gloom in Selangor .

MERSING: In this season of gift-giving, some dreams do come true as in the case of the Mersing Tamil school. After more than 50 years of squatting on someone else's land, it finally received a gift of a three-acre plot to build its own school.According to Tenggorah assemblywoman T Murukasvary, Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman had on Dec 2 visited the school and informed the school authorities of their land allocation.

Hindraf duo to file suit against Najib

Two lawyers and Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) leaders, P Uthayakumar (below, right) and M Manoharan, are scheduled to file a RM200 million suit against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak tomorrow over their allegedly unlawful detention under the draconian Internal Security Act law for 514 days.They will also name former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and former inspector-general of police Musa Hassan and the government as the other defendants.

Dad to lead MIED and Aimst, son could be next info chief .

KUALA LUMPUR: Retired MIC president S Samy Vellu will lead the party's educational wing Maju Institute of Educational Development and MIC's "jewel in the crown" the Asian Institute Of Medicine, Science and Technology (Aimst).The combined worth of these two educational organisations, which was initiated by Samy Vellu during his 31-year tenure as president, was more than RM700 million and had been under constant attack from critics for mismanagement of funds.

New dawn for Vell Paari as sun sets on Samy

MIC Youth advisor S Vell Paari's fortunes in the party are set to improve now that his father S Samy Vellu has resigned as party president.It is an open secret that Samy Vellu had limited his eldest son's role in the party to avoid allegations of nepotism.Speaking to Malaysiakini yesterday, Vell Paari said that there are no longer obstacles for him to pursue a greater role in the party."In terms of my involvement in politics, when father was around he always felt that people will always talk of nepotism if I was around.

MMSP now BN affiliate, not eyeing seats

Although the newly established Malaysia Makkal Sakti Party (MMSP) has joined BN as an affiliate, it will not be seeking to contest in the general elections just yet, said president RS Thanenthiran. “We feel this is the first step as BN has opened up its doors to accept other component parties... In the past, the Indian community had only MIC but now there are other parties that can represent them,” he said.

Fuel, diesel, gas and sugar prices up

The government has increased the price of RON95 grade of petrol, diesel, liquified petroleum gas and sugar.
Sugar prices will be raised by 20 sen per kg while RON95 petrol, diesel and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) all go up by five sen. The breakdown of the new prices are as follows:

RON 95 grade petrol - from RM1.85 to RM1.90 per litre

Diesel - from RM1.75 to RM1.80 per litre

White refined coarse granulated sugar - from RM1.90 to RM2.10 per kg

Liquified petroluem gas - from RM1.85 to RM1.90 per kg

The new prices are effective at 12.01am tomorrow. This was revealed during a special briefing for editors in Putrajaya by the Performance and Delivery Unit (Pemandu).

Tony Fernandes named businessman of the year

Forbes Asia has named AirAsia Group's pioneering chief executive officer Tony Fernandes as its 2010 Businessman of the Year. Forbes said in a statement that the 46-year old Fernandes, a former record company executive, took over Malaysia's then-ailing AirAsia in 2001 and relaunched it as a no-frills airline that has now become South-East Asia's hottest global brands.

Palanivel to become 8th MIC president next week

G Palanivel is set to take over the MIC leadership from S Samy Vellu next week, making him the eight president in the party's 64-year history.Samy Vellu who has helmed the party for almost 31 years, is set to hand over the reins to Palanivel after the party's central working committee (CWC) meeting on Monday.

Youth beaten black and blue by 'tensed' traffic cop .

KUALA LUMPUR: Little did S Karthik suspect that an outing with his girlfriend would leave him black and blue after being allegedly beaten by a traffic cop, who was having a bad day.The 20-year-old mechanic filed a report with the Setapak police station yesterday.Speaking to FMT, Karthik said the 9.30pm incident occurred last Tuesday when he was travelling on his motorcycle with his girlfriend near Section 1, Wangsa Maju here.

Penang gov't denies demolishing Hindu shrine

The Pakatan Rakyat government in Penang continues to be assailed by allegations that it is out to marginalise the Indian community. The latest rumour circulating via the SMS accuses the state government of demolishing a shrine in Kampung Jawa, Seberang Jaya, causing panic among Pakatan supporters.Only last week, one calling for an anti-DAP rally at the party's Penang headquarters had irked its leaders, who claimed the message was circulated by "racist elements" ahead of the state convention in December.

Few turn up in sign of Hindraf’s flagging support

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25 — Only a handful of Hindraf supporters showed up today to participate in a hunger strike to mark the third anniversary of its mass rally in the federal capital — an indication of the group’s waning influence.Thousands of ethnic Indians rallied at the Petronas Twin Towers on November 25, 2007 to protest the government’s alleged discrimination against the minority community.But the gathering at the Suria Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) entrance today, however, saw only about 30 members turning up.

Hunger strike to mark Hindraf's epic protest .

PETALING JAYA: Hindraf Makkal Sakthi will hold a hunger strike at the entrance of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) on Nov 25 to commemorate the massive Hindraf rally three years ago. In a press statement, its chairman P Waythamoorthy said a five-member delegation would also hand a memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office at 10am.

Samy Vellu to make major announcements Monday

MIC president S Samy Vellu, who is to step down soon, said today he would make some major announcements concerning party affairs at the central working committee (CWC) meeting on Monday."For your information, at the CWC meeting on Nov 29, I will present a lot of things to the CWC and then they will decide what to do next.

'Racist' relocation plan by Kepong Umno under fire .

KUALA LUMPUR: Jinjang Utara Rumah Panjang residents are unhappy over what they claim is a 'racist' relocation plan by Kepong Umno which neglected the other races.Last Friday, Utusan Malaysia reported that 300 Malay residents would be moved to the Kepong PPR (People's housing project) by January.
It quoted Kepong division head, senator Rizuan Abdul Hamid, who expressed gratitude to Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin for approving the relocation.

Banished teen to know if he can go home on Dec 1

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — Teen Jiegandran Panir Selvam who was banished to Negri Sembilan by order of the Home Ministry earlier this year will know if he can go home this December 1. The Selangor-born who was suspected of being involved in armed gang theft at four schools was arrested by the police last year and later locked up for 60 days under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) while still a minor.

Don't worry, I'll quit as promised: Samy

S Samy Vellu said today that he will step down as MIC president in January next year as he had announced, ignoring speculation casting doubt on his intention.He said the speculation and negative reports on his resignation would not affect his thinking on his responsibility to the party.

Ex-servicemen launch broadside at Zahid Hamidi

When Admiral (rtd) K Thanabalasingam ascended to the position of the nation's first ever local chief of Navy,it would have never crossed his mind that his loyalty to the country would be questioned.Having spearheaded the navy's mission to protect Malaysia from numerous threats that arose in the 1960s-1970s period, the former naval chief spoke in disbelief at Defence Minister Zahid Hamid's recent statement that patriotism among non-Malays was "not strong enough" for being reluctant to sign up with the Armed Forces.

Rental hikes and lack of parking bays a bane in Little India .

KUALA LUMPUR: After the pomp and pagentry at launch of 'Little India' in Brickfields on Oct 27, the lights have dimmed and a pall of gloom has decended in the area. Traders and businessmen at the 3km stretch of Brickfields are at crossroads with the prospect of 'impending' rental hikes and dwindling sales due to the absence of car parks.Several businessmen voiced their frustration over these two issues which could hamper trade in the bustling area, where one could purchase almost all items found in India.

Banting murders: Disposal of evidence appeal on Nov 25 .

SHAH ALAM: The High Court here today fixed Nov 25 to hear the appeal of farm worker K Sarawanan who had been sentenced to seven years' jail for disposing of evidence in the murders of cosmetic millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others. On the same day, judge Wira Mohtarudin Baki will also review the sentence handed down by the Telok Datuk Magistrate's Court on Sarawanan and another estate worker, U Suresh.

MIC slams S'gor non-Muslim house of worship curbs

Selangor's decision to bar the establishment of non-Muslim places of worship in residential areas has irked the MIC, which has demanded that the ruling be retracted. Describing the decision as short-sighted, MIC president S Samy Vellu said that the Selangor government has demonstrated a lack of understanding in managing race relations.

A Politicized Self-Immolation

EDITOR'S PICK A weak or bastardized political structure will result in the downfall of a community and that is what exactly the Indian community is experiencing. From day one, MIC has been echoing their call for transformation but up to date, not many changes have been observed despite their loud speeches. Whereas on the other side, we have Human Rights Party bashing the government, protesting here and there without any proper measures to tackle the problems.

48,327 UPSR candidates score all As

PUTRAJAYA, Nov 11 — A total of 48,327 or 10.02 per cent of the 482,334 Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) candidates this year obtained all As.The percentage is higher than the 9.51 per cent recorded last year.Education director-general Datuk Abdul Ghafar Mahmud said this was the best achievement in four years based on the national average grade, the index used in measuring the achievement of school examination candidates nationwide.

'Ambassador' Samy to quit end of the month .

KUALA LUMPUR: Long-serving MIC president S Samy Vellu would quit the top post end of this month and not in January next year as announced earlier.Party sources revealed that the 74-year-old veteran leader has informed those close to him that he would vacate the number one seat end of November to enable him to take up the ambassador-at-large position offered by the government.

Improve quality of life of Indians in S'gor, urges MP .

PETALING JAYA: The state government should work concertedly on solving the ills plaguing the Indian community in Selangor, said Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San. The Indian community is still suffering from social problems such as high rate of unemployment, low level of education, and low household income."These problems faced by the minority group remain unsolved till now," said Lau when debating the Selangor government's Budget 2011 yesterday.

Muslim convert Deepavali ad: Finas in hot curry .

PETALING JAYA: A Deepavali advertisement by the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) about a Muslim convert has drawn flak from MIC Youth and a DAP senator. MIC Youth chief T Mohan demanded that the advertisement, which was aired on TV, be retracted and Finas apologise to the Indian community.

PTPTN under PAC microscope

Problems with the National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) today became the first of the nine serious concerns raised in the Auditor-General's Report that are to be scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)."We are looking at the hows and whys of the fund still being defective after 13 years, especially in collection and the tracing of information. What we see is that the fund is unable to sustain itself. Expenditure is in excess of income," PAC chairman Azmi Khalid said.

Two individuals sue Sosilawati's cosmetics company .

KUALA LUMPUR: Two individuals have filed a suit against the late cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya's company, Nouvelle Beauty Centre Sdn Bhd, for breach of agreement in the sale and purchase of a property, worth RM3 million, in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.

Gunasegaran inquest: Appeal against open verdict

R Gunasegaran's sister has filed an appeal to revise the open verdict in the recently-concluded inquest into his death while in police custody.R Ganga Gowri, 34  said the verdict does not explain why her brother died at the Sentul police station."And all I want is simply for someone to tell me how and why my brother died," she told reporters when met at the Kuala Lumpur court complex today.

Vote BN as Deepavali gift, says MIC

GUA MUSANG - Voters from among the Indian community in the Galas state constituency are asked to vote the Barisan Nasional (BN) as a Deepavali gift, said MIC Youth chief T. Mohan.He said the Deepavali celebration on Nov 5, one day after the by-election for the Galas state seat, would be more meaningful if the BN were to win.

Suaram: Selva beaten in police custody

Human rights group Suaram has claimed today that detainee K Selvasanthiran was "beaten, kicked and punched" by police officers since he was arrested last Monday on a drug charge.In a statement faxed to the press this afternoon, Suaram coordinator E Nalini said Selvasanthiran , told his wife Saraswathy  who visited him this morning, that he was having hearing problems after being allegedly badly assaulted during his first two days in detention.

'Umno will lose 70 seats without our support' .

SUNGAI SIPUT: MIC president S Samy Vellu today poured scorn on the storyline that Umno can win the next general election without the support of the Indians and Chinese.He took particular aim at Titiwangsa Umno division chief Johari Abdul Ghani who recently said that Umno could take the Titiwangsa seat if it could convince 70% of the Malay voters to back the party.

Hilary Clinton arrives Monday to begin official visit

KUALA LUMPUR - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will begin her three-day official visit to Malaysia begining Monday.In a statement, the foreign ministry said this was the first bilateral visit to Malaysia by Clinton since the 1995 visit of Secretary Warren Christopher.Most recently, Secretary Condoleeza Rice visited Malaysia in a multilateral context to attend the Asean Regional Forum in 2006.

Saravanan walks off in huff over 'mandore' label .

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Deputy Minister M Saravanan, miffed at being labelled a “mandore”, walked off in huff from a group of residents wanting to hand a memo to Kuala Lumpur mayor, Ahmad Fuad Ismail. Saravanan brusquely told them to seek legal help and left them in a lurch at Kuala Lumpur City Hall after reading a copy of the memo which referred to him as “mandore” (supervisor).

Beneath the glamor and the rhetoric of Little India

The Indian community has made important contributions to the development of Malaysia during the past hundred years. They have worked with sincerity and dedication. They have excelled at medicine, law, engineering and accountancy. They have participated at each stage in the building of Malaysia - Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India


It must have been a sense of achievement, pride, a moment of heightened emotion, even a short period of mild ecstasy that Malaysian Indians felt on hearing these words from the Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh during the Inauguration of Little India in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur recently.

Of all his speech, perhaps these were the words, the balm that the Indian community in Malaysia valued the most. For their tired ears, injected and attacked once too often by heart-stabbing and pride degrading racial slurs, Manmohan's gentle and limited comfort still offered a source of interim refuge.

The encounter while brief was fascinating for the mostly-Indian residents there, who gawked to see their congested and almost-slum neighbourhood turned into the center of attention and used as a bridge to strengthen India and Malaysian ties.

Despite their mental slavery, few Malaysian Indians will refuse to acknowledge Brickfields as a platform of Indian heritage, a hub where traditional food, costumes, savories, decorations, spices and accessories can be found along with the personal treasure troves of deeply-buried memories of many family gatherings.


Stacked-to-the-brim shops beautified with authentic India decorations like Sakthi Rasam, Parampara incense and Gold Winner Sunflower oil plus grand welcoming archways seem convincing enough to crown the streets of Brickfields as 'Little India', although many also claimed that such a description actually belittled the Indians.

Since the first day it was proposed, the Little India project has received mixed reactions from various groups. Unsurprisingly, 'barking agents' barked with baseless allegations, while 'community welfare driven' people threatened to protest. But the biggest group were the clueless jokers who clung onto their 'favorite figures' for the free publicity.

Looking at it from a different context, Little India might help to beef up the economy of this nation, or so the Malaysian authorities say. A series of MoU and Agreements -Agreement towards implementing Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between India and Malaysia on 1st July 2011

MOU on Cooperation in the Field of Traditional Systems of Medicine

MOU for cooperation in the filed of Tourism

MOU for Cooperation in the filed of IT & Services

Agreement between CSIR of India and UNIK of Malaysia on Research and Development Collaboration

Cultural Exchange Programme for 2010-13

- were signed between both Prime Ministers and widely touted to improve access to each other's market. The mutual benefit that is expected to be achieved by both regimes is the increase in FDI.

The visions look promising for those who read the details of each MoU, yet the yield of the projects are questionable especially against the current reality of the racially-protected Malaysian economy. With the Najib administration hesitant to implement the NEM and meritocracy to overcome leakages and wasting capitalism, the possibility for the people to really benefit is doubtful.

Why dream of driving a Ferrari when even owning an old kapchai is difficult? Within the Indian community, there were many grouses from the grass root people. Some hawkers were not happy with the project, complaining that the promised relocations for their shops were not ready and this affected their business badly.

A walk along Brickfields on a fine day wold explain to you the existing marginalization in the community. Wedged between luxurious condominiums and high-class restaurants are many poor and middle-income families - trapped by the lack of opportunities. If you are a frequent visitor, you would have bumped into kids selling pens or souvenirs. When questioned, they will utter their infamous memorized sentence 'My family is poor and I am selling these things after school to support them'. But few of their customers would not be able to guess correctly that these kids are actually controlled by syndicates who are taking advantage of them.

Although, one can argue that the community's sufferings is exacerbated by their own attitude, won't the implementation of 'Gigantic Projects' create greater marginalization and enlarge the economic and social gap between the rich and the poor. In other words, won't it worsen urban poverty - the signs of which are already apparent in Brickfields - with or without the Little India revamp.

You do not need a degree in Economics or Science Political to make sense of the current situation and pose a simple question, 'How does Little India benefit these 'Little Indians' as a whole?'

We might need Little India for various reasons but with fundamental rights and necessities ignored and abandoned, dreams about building a business empire is equivalent to building a sand castle in the air!

To talk about exporting expertise or competing globally to folks gathered at the streets there is ridiculous when their basic rights are axed and daily livelihood jeopardized. To reminisce about past walkabouts in the area or eating curry does not make sense to the folks, who are struggling to make a meager income stretch for a month.

In this context, what else can Little India be if not another of the government's rhetoric to boost public relations or some other agenda to fish for Indian votes for upcoming General Election. Perhaps Little India is the 'help' extended to the people there for which they are expected to 'return' this help' very soon.

The fact is it is just too early to judge whether Little India is a successful project or a failed mission. The yield can only be observed in the long run. However, we need to remind ourselves that unresolved issues at the grass root level could generate disastrous impact that could contribute to the down fall of the larger society.

Is Little India promised wealth or planned disaster? Figures in the future shall speak for themselves
 
Source : http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/10/beneath-glamor-and-rhetoric-of-little.html

Banting murders: Convict's dad says cops duped him .

KUALA LUMPUR: The father of one of the youths sentenced in connection with the murder of cosmetics millionairess Sosilawati Lawiya and three others claimed that the police duped him and his son.K Sarawanan, 19, was sentenced to seven years in jail after pleading guilty to disposing of evidence pertaining to the quadruple murders.However, his father N Kandasamy filed a report with the Dang Wangi police headquarters here this morning claiming that he was misled over his son's legal representation.

Najib, Manmohan light up 'Little India' .

KUALA LUMPUR: Amidst much fanfare and heavy security presence, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh today put “Little India” on the big map of the world.

Both premiers jointly launched Malaysia's new attraction at Brickfields here at about 6pm to rousing applause of the nearly 10,000 crowd.Najib and Manmohan unveiled a giant water fountain at Jalan Travers, as performers showcased their dance routines to reflect the multi-racial nature of the country.

Little India launch: Nurul slighted by Saravanan .

KUALA LUMPUR: Nurul Izzah Anwar is disappointed that she was not extended an invitation for the launching of “Little India” in Brickfields by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh despite being the MP of the constituency. The Lembah Pantai MP said she was given an assurance by Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Deputy Minister M Saravanan that she will be invited to the event.

Malaysia, India to begin free trade mid-2011

Malaysia and India announced today that a long delayed trade accord between the two countries would take effect by July 2011, increasing two-way trade to 15 billion dollars by 2015."I'm glad to officially announce that the agreement will come into effect in 2011."That will signify a huge strategic move... and establish a strategic and stronger bilateral relationship," Prime Minister Najib Razak told a joint news conference after a meeting with Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

Protest demo in Brickfields: SMS making the rounds .

KUALA LUMPUR: Police today advised the public to ignore a SMS going around urging people to gather in front of the Sri Kota building in Brickfields here tomorrow to protest the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. City police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman, in a statement here, said the SMS asked people to wear black or black armbands and gather at the venue at 10am.

A kiss before being beaten and taken away

A witness in the R Gunasegaran death in custody case was whisked away by the police from his house in Kuala Lumpur last night.K Selvachandran's wife S Saraswathy (left in photo), said she was told to give him a goodbye kiss by police officers - four male and one female - who came to her house at about 10pm before taking him away.She alleged that one of the policemen grabbed the house key when Selvachandran was trying to unlock the door, punched him and opened the door themselves.

Witness who testified against cops 'arrested' .

KUALA LUMPUR: A witness in the just-concluded R Gunasegaran inquest was allegedly roughed-up and arrested by several men claiming to be policemen last night. The victim, unemployed K Selvachandran, 39, was one of the witnesses who had testified against the police in the custodial death inquest.Social activist C Sekar told FMT that the men came to Selvachandran's house at the Desa Rejang flats in Setapak here around 10pm.

Help Indians, Human Rights Party pleads to Manmohan

Having had no positive response from the Malaysian government, the Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP) is now appealing to three international leaders, who are scheduled to visit Malaysia soon, to intervene and help resolve the social-economic plight of the marginalised Indian community in the country.HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar  told Malaysiakini that the first leader in HRP's agenda is Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia today.

Eyewitness in police custodial death case: Suaram calls emergency PC

Human rights group Suaram will hold an emergency press conference at 2pm today, Oct 26, at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on the arrest of Selvachandan Krishnan, an eyewitness in the inquest of police custodial death victim R Gunasegaran."We are shocked at what has happened to Selva and want to highlight to the public's attention the gross injustice and abuse of power surrounding the entire inquest," one of the lawyers involved in the inquest told Malaysia Chronicle.

'Sandwich kosong' for school kids, sardines missing

Imagine being promised a sardine sandwich, but given two slices of white bread with margarine.This is what the Auditor-General found being supplied under the Additional Food Programme (RMT) designed for schoolchildren by the government.In its report for the year of 2009, the Auditor-General found that SK Jeroco in Lahad Datu, which was supposed to provide the pupils sardine sandwiches with slices of cucumber, tomato and lettuce, gave them only margarine sandwiches.

Gunasegaran's death: Inquest returns open verdict

Coroner Siti Shakirah Mohtarudin today gave an open verdict during the inquest on the death of R Gunasegaran, ruling that the cause of death of the victim, who died while in police custody, cannot be conclusively proven.“This is an open verdict case as witness testimonies were not enough for a conclusion,” she said.An open verdict means that the evidence brought before the court could not enable it to determine the cause of death. The court therefore only records the death.

Hawkers in 'Little India' see little business .

KUALA LUMPUR: Some call it a refugee camp. Some call it a construction site. Nestled near the the Tun Sambanthan-Travers junction in Brickfields, few know it as a hawker centre. Hidden from public eye, the 68-lot centre is wedged between Jalan Tun Sambanthan and Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, and spared the dust and smoke from nearby traffic.It is also spared from one very important factor: customers.

Najib trying to win Indians over -- clan by clan .

COMMENT Realising the importance of marginal Indian votes which decide the fate of many parliamentary and state seats, Najib Tun Razak, since becoming prime minister, has embarked on a mission to directly approach the community in a systematic and calculated manner which seems to be producing the desired results. He first visited the Batu Caves temple and followed up with another visit there during Thaipusam, hailed as the first by a Malaysian prime minister after a gap of almost 30 years.

Middlemen making fast buck on Brickfields traders .

KUALA LUMPUR: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is urging Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to deal directly with traders in Brickfields. She said middlemen had become an incessant problem for traders who do business in the area during Deepavali festival season as they block space and re-rent the lots for a higher rate.Speaking to reporters after a routine visit to traders in and around Brickfield yesterday, Nurul said every year the traders complained about doing business in the area during the festive season because of the high rents.

Little India, Indian PM’s visit not vote bait, says Saravanan

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Datuk M. Saravanan has denied that the Little India project in the city’s Brickfields district was a strategy to gain Indian support, despite the rush to complete it to greet Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s arrival next Tuesday.With the majority of urban Chinese voters seen to be implacably set against the Barisan Nasional (BN), the transformation of Brickfields was among Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s several feel good measures to court the Indian electorate.“This (Little India) is not to get support for BN,” Saravanan told The Malaysian Insider.

Najib declares Melaka a developed state

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak tonight declared Melaka a developed state through video conferencing from Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) in Kuala Lumpur.The historic declaration was beamed live at Stadium Hang Jebat in Melaka before a crowd of some 50,000 people including the Yang Dipertua Negeri Melaka Mohd Khalil Yaakob and Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam.The declaration was made at exactly 8.10pm.

'Murdered' tycoon's wife wants probe speeded up .

KUALA LUMPUR: The second wife of “murdered” Indian tycoon A Muthuraja has returned to Malaysia to pressure both the police and government to hasten investigations into her husband's case.S Usharani, 24, submitted a memorandum to the Indian High Commission today which included her initial report to the commission in March this year. She also pressed the high commission to push the police and government into taking swifter action.The memorandum was received by the Second Secretary Consular, Subhash Ramakrishna Pillai.

PM 'disappointed' with Rais .

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is apparently disappointed with Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim for lodging police reports against several bloggers. According to reports in several blogs, the prime minister had mentioned this during his speech at a meeting with a group of bloggers yesterday at his residence in Langgak Duta.The premier, who used the term “terkilan” (disappointed), said that a dialogue would have been a more reasonable approach.

DAP wants HRP to clarify its political stand

The Human Rights Party Malaysia's (HRP) must decide whether it supports Pakatan Rakyat or BN before negotiations for cooperation can be made for the coming general election.In stating this DAP national labour bureau chief A Sivanesan (right) said that the HRP president, P Uthayakumar, since his release from ISA detention, had been attacking Pakatan and blaming it for every incident that has affected the Indian community.

Use liberal media, govt advised .

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad believes that the government can gain from a liberal media because of the good that comes with the "nonsense" it puts out. The former prime minister said today the government must accept that the media is more liberal now than it was before and use it to understand what the people are thinking."There is a lot of nonsense coming out from the media now but there are also good ideas. If the government takes the media seriously, then it can actually benefit from what is being put on the media," he said in his keynote address at the International Forum held on the eve of the Umno general assembly.

Tough for Najib to get two-thirds, says ex-PM

Prime Minister Najib Razak will have an uphill battle regaining two-thirds majority in Parliament in the next general election, no thanks to the lacklustre performance of his predecessor, the fourth premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad says."(Najib) inherited a bad government. He is better than number five (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) who was totally incompetent," he told reporters today. Speaking on the sidelines of an international forum at Kuala Lumpur today, Mahathir (left) spared no mercy for Abdullah, who was his handpicked successor, saying that the latter had wasted the strong mandate he received in the 2004 general election.

Neighbour: More than 10 shots fired

The neighbour of 15-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah who was killed by police in April, today testified that he heard “more than 10" shots fired that night.Zafrullah Ahmad Zainal Abidin, 28, whose home at Jalan Silat Gayung 11/3A is located about 10m from the scene, said that he heard 'tap-tap-tap' sounds.“I heard something which sounded like fireworks growing louder and louder from the direction of Jalan Tarian 11/2A.

“The sound was like 'tap, tap-tap-tap, tap, tap-tap'. It was at random (with a lag of) one of two seconds between them,” he told the Shah Alam Session Court today.

Don't let Najib down, Samy urges govt agencies

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president S Samy Vellu today appealed to government agencies to work together with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in his efforts to uplift the Indian community.The party's long-serving president said that the prime minister had taken great efforts to reach out to the community and it should be supported by all government agencies.“Before 2008, the Indians had always voted for BN but the government failed to look into the community's plight," he said at a press conference at the party headquarters today,

BN amendments: MIC rejects majority decision

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC is firmly against Barisan Nasional's proposal to abolish the consensus-system in favour of a majority based decision, said its president S Samy Vellu today. “We have deliberated the matter in the Central Working committee (CWC) and we will stand firm by our decision,” he told reporters after chairing the CWC meeting at the party headquarters here.Yesterday, FMT reported that several controversial amendments were in the pipeline to be tabled during the Nov 28 BN convention. Among them is to scrap the consensus system.

MIC upset with PMR question

KUALA LUMPUR: The MIC expressed dismay over a question in the Pernilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) History examination paper, which portrays as though Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools were a hindrance to national unity. SK Devamany, who was an academic before deciding to plunge into the world of politics, said such questions were contrary to the philosophy of education and "I believe this kind of questions were in the paper with bad intentions".

Crime prevention bureau to tackle Indian ills

PETALING JAYA: The newly-set up Malaysian Indian Visionary Association (MIVA) launched its Crime Prevention and Police Affairs Bureau today (yesterday) aimed at addressing the soaring crime rate among Indians. MIVA president V Mugilan said the bureau will conduct programmes to educate Indian youths on the ills of gangsterism and the soaring crime rate prevalent in the community.In addition, it will educate Indians of their basic rights which he claimed many lacked knowledge of.

Samy Vellu: It was time to go

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — MIC’s longest serving president, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said yesterday that he had no regrets over his decision to step down in January next year, as the party needed a new leader.
He said with the changing political scenario and landscape, the party faced great challenges and needed more young and capable leaders to serve the Indian community.“So, I thought it is the time for me to leave and give them the opportunity to lead and serve the community and I’m very happy with that.

HRP wants to cut a deal with Pakatan

The Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP) wants to engage Pakatan Rakyat in talks with a view to cooperating in the sharing of election seats in the forthcoming 13th general election.HRP national information chief S Jayathas said their common political enemy is BN."In the last election Hindraf was the deciding political factor in making Pakatan shine in five states and denying BN a two-thirds majority.""HRP, which is Hindraf's political wing, has been in existence for almost one-and-a-half years now. "But PKR, DAP and PAS have refused to even engage in a dialogue with us.

Lawyer and trio charged with Banting murders

Lawyer N Patmanabhan, 41, and three farm workers were charged in the Teluk Datok Magistrate's Court in Banting with the murder of cosmetics queen Sosilawati Lawiya and three men.The farm workers T Thilaiyalagan, 19, R Matan, 20, and R Khatavarayan, 30.No plea was recorded from the four accused who were seen to be calm as the charge was read out to them, in Bahasa Malaysia for Patmanabhan and in Tamil for the others.

Yen Yen's visit Down Under cost RM245,000

A total of RM244,720 was spent by Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen and her aides during a ten day “promotional visit” to Australia and New Zealand last month. According to a written reply to Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah), the Tourism Ministry said that the minister was accompanied by a companion and a senior government officer.Fong asked the ministry to state the total expenditure of their 10-day mission and to describe the “inspirations” attained from the trip which can be applied locally.

Believe it or not - Malaysians have the most friends and are also the heaviest users of social networking sites on the planet.This is according to the latest survey by global market research firm TNS in its largest ever study into people's online activities and behaviour.Malaysians have an average of 233 digital friends, followed by 231 in Brazil and 217 in Norway.On the other end of the spectrum, Japanese have the fewest with 29, followed by 38 in Tanzania and 50 in South Korea.TNS chief development officer Matthew Froggatt said that the results could suggest "a culture that embraces fewer but closer friendships" in some countries.

Nazri: Indians are rightful citizens

All Indians who are born in Malaysia are not immigrants but rightful citizens of the country and they are eligible to enjoy their rights like other citizens, declared an outspoken senior Umno leader."The mothers of Indians born in Malaysia have spilled their blood on the soil of the nation when they delivered them into this world," Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said."Hence they are the sons of the Malaysian soil, as sung in our national anthem negara ku, tanah tumpahnya darahku (My country, the soil where my blood was shed)," explained the Padang Rengas MP."It is the Indonesians who come to our country (legally or illegally) who are the immigrants and not you Indians who were born here," the de facto law minister added.

MP Wee witnessed Rahimi sign SD, claims PKR man

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 12 — Kedah PKR Youth Chief Saiful Izham Ramli said today that Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong had witnessed Rahimi Osman sign one of two contentious statutory declarations (SD) on June 29, 2008.Saiful claimed that that the former PKR lawmaker acted as the commissioner of oaths when the SD was drafted.“My statement to the police was that on June 28, 2008 in a room at Quality Hotel Shah Alam... I had taken statements from potential witnesses that were working and had worked at the office of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Around midnight, a man named Rahimi Osman came to the room and gave his statement.

Transport Ministry probes bus crash which claimed 12 lives

SEREMBAN, Oct 11 – The transport ministry has launched a probe into a horrific road crash involving two buses, van and two cars at the 223km of the North-South Expressway near the Simpang Ampat toll plaza, which claimed 12 lives yesterday.Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said he had instructed the Road Transport Department (RTD), Road Safety Department (RSD) and Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) to carry out the probe.“The express bus involved in the accident is new and was registered in 2007. Initial investigations revealed that the bus had also undergone regular inspections at Puspakom, with the latest being in May.“However, we will conduct further investigation on the bus’ steering and brake system,” he told reporters after visiting survivors of the crash at Tuanku Jaafar Hospital here today.

Lee Kuan Yew – a different man without her

IN A grieving eulogy at his wife’s funeral, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said in a tone that was at times hardly audible: “Without her I would be a different man, with a different life... At this moment of the final parting, my heart is heavy with sorrow and grief.”Kwa Geok Choo, a pillar of his life for 62 years, passed away last Saturday at age 89 after being bedridden and unable to speak or move for two years.Three days before her demise, Lee himself was admitted to hospital for a chest infection after a fall while on a visit to Moscow. His words “without her I would be a different man” evidently referred to the past, but under the circumstances, they may well be applied to the present.

The lengthy sodomy trial against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim took yet another twist on Wednesday when his lawyers were accused of having a hand in two dubious statutory declarations implicating Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife in the ongoing trial.In his police report, Anwar's former aide Rahimi Osman said that he was forced to do so by PKR lawyers Latheefa Koya and Saiful Izham Ramli.The little-known 25-year-old, worked for Anwar from 2007 to 2008. In an interview yesterday, Latheefa, who is also PKR information chief, traced the events surrounding the signing of the two refuted declarations, beginning on June 28, 2008.

Files removed from Sosilawati murder suspect's legal firm

BANTING: Hundreds of files were removed from the legal firm of the main suspect in the murders of cosmetics millionaire Sosilawati Lawiya and three others, here, today. The files were loaded into a two-tonne lorry by three workers including the driver watched by several police officers and policemen.Reporters and photographers noticed this about 3.30pm when they stopped for a drink at a nearby restaurant opposite the Kuala Langat police district headquarters.More than an hour later, the lorry carrying the files left for an unknown destination.

TNB face off with villagers again, three held

Chaos again erupted at Rawang New Village as Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) workers began construction work on high tension cable towers in the area. Backed by about 50 police personnel, about a dozen TNB workers appeared at the village unannounced and began work at about 9am. According to eyewitnesses, the TNB workers were trying to fill up a trench to allow heavy machinery to reach the site. This prompted scores of villagers to stop them from doing so and a fracas broke out.

Kuil diroboh, penduduk kecewa dengan DAP

SERI KEMBANGAN: Penganut Hindu sekitar Taman Bukit Serdang berasa marah dan kecewa dengan DAP kerana gagal bertindak sebelum Pejabat Tanah Daerah Petaling memusnahkan sebuah kuil. Pada pukul 9.00 pagi hari ini, dengan arahan daripada pengarah pejabat tanah daerah Petaling, sekumpulan penguatkuasa dan polis terdiri daripada lebih 60 orang memusnahkan Kuil Sri Maha Perchai Vada Bathra Kaliamman Alayam di Seksyen 5, Taman Bukit Serdang.Ketika dihubungi, pengerusi jawatankuasa sementara kuil, B Gopalan merakamkan perasaan kecewa.Beliau mengakui walaupun insiden ini berlaku bukan atas arahan DAP tetapi pada masa yang kelewatan DAP bertindak dalam isu ini adalah antara satu punca utama kuil ini di roboh.

Samy declines advisory role, free-for-all in the offing

KUALA LUMPUR: Long-serving MIC president S Samy Vellu's refusal to accept the role of party adviser after his planned retirement in January could lead to a free-for-all in the party.Party sources say Samy Vellu's open declaration yesterday that he would neither interfere in the running of the 63-year-old MIC nor assume the post of party adviser, would set the stage for the scramble for positions in the party.A party source told FMT that it was only natural that leaders start "their political game" to fill up positions that would eventually fall vacant after Samy Vellu's retirement.

Samy’s exit sparks Subra-Palani rivalry

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 — MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has only just announced he is stepping down next year, but the fight to take the lead and become party spokesperson has already started between deputy president and successor Datuk G. Palanivel and senior vice-president Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.While Dr Subramaniam and his supporters like vice-president Datuk S. K. Devamani and Datuk S. Saravanan lament Samy Vellu’s impending departure as a big loss for the party and the Indian community, Palanivel has maintained a stony silence.

Keng Yaik may have felt 'irrelevant'

Former Gerakan president Dr Lim Keng Yaik is quitting his position as party adviser because he was not consulted on the leadership crisis in Penang.As a senior leader, he is said to have been slighted that his opinion was not considered relevant any more by the party, especially by his handpicked successor Koh Tsu Koon.Lim, who said he would be sending in his resignation letter today, had once declared Koh as his "trump card" and was pleased to see the latter succeed him as party chief in 2007.

MIC wants two minister posts, says veep

SEPANG, Oct 3 — MIC vice-president Datuk S. Subramaniam insisted today the party should get two ministerial posts, signalling his intentions of not relinquishing his job once Senator Datuk G. Palanivel is announced as the party’s interim president. Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu recently announced that he will step down as MIC president in January after leading the party since 1979.However, with Palanivel as party president, leaders within MIC are pressuring Subramaniam to forfeit his post as the human resource minister.

Samy's exit: Start of a new era or a new nightmare?

MIC president Samy Vellu’s announcement that he would step down in January next year was greeted with sighs of relief especially within the Indian community, but even so, few are willing to celebrate just yet.Not only because the 74-year old leader has been known to change his mind before, there were also fears that he might still control the party behind the scenes.Or that his successor, deputy president G Palanivel, might continue the same sort of iron-fisted rule and policies that have been blamed for turning off many young intellectuals from joining the MIC.

Samy to quit in January

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president S Samy Vellu said he would relinquish his post next January and pave the way for his deputy G Palanivel to take over."Today, I am officially announcing my decision to step down and pass the leadership to my deputy in January next year," he said.Samy Vellu was speaking to reporters after chairing the MIC Central Working Committee meeting at the party headquarters here.The 74-year-old politician, who had helmed the party for three decades, said that he had announced his decision to the CWC earlier.

Samy Vellu lays red carpet for own exit

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is working to ensure his lasting legacy and has set off on a nationwide charm offensive, even as the curtain begins to fall on his three-decade long tenure as the party’s president.A new and glowing book; a grand 10,000-attendee dinner on December 18 at the Mines Convention Centre, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak possibly in attendance; and an expected new posting as Special Envoy for South Asia are among the highlights of the grand sent off.
“It will be a night to remember,” an MIC leader said. “The book is about the ‘Legend of Samy Vellu’.”If it all goes well even a Tunship may be in the offing, MIC sources added.

Guilty in a court of press

KUALA LUMPUR: When news of their arrests broke, the media had painted the town red with extensive coverage and photographs of the suspects, especially of the alleged mastermind. The prominent lawyer, his brother and six others were detained for the murders of millionaires Sosilawati Lawiya and three others. Their bodies were torched and the ashes and bones strewn into a river in Banting.The police claimed that the brothers could be responsible for a spate of murders, including that of a well-heeled Indian national. However, they had yet to charge them.

Deputy minister ordered to settle RM1.6 mil debt

M Saravanan, now Federal Territories deputy minister, has been ordered to pay RM1.6 million to VPN Marketing Sdn Bhd to settle an outstanding payment.The Kuala Lumpur High Court also ordered Project Penyelenggara Lebuhraya Bhd (Propel) to pay an additional RM690,000 to the company, for breach of contract in the supply of guard railings for the North-South Expressway among others.The decision was made in chambers today by Justice Anantham Kasinater.Two witnesses from VPN Marketing and another two from Propel had testified during the trial.Saravanan (right) was sued in his personal capacity, before he was made deputy minister, after his company RMW Manufacturing Bhd - of which he was manager and director - wound up.

Temple site a health hazard

The Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP) warns that the move by the Selangor state government to allocate land to rebuild the Padang Jawa Kuil Sri Maha Mairiamman below a Telekom tower, will endanger the lives of the priests and devotees.It considers the tower a health hazard.The Selangor Pakatan state government had recently allocated 15,000 square feet of land for the temple after BN had demolished it in 2007.
HRP pro-tem secretary-general P Uthayakumar said: "From our records, forcing a place of worship under a Telco tower has never been done before in any other part of the world.

Samy: Protector Najib will save us from racist parasites

KUALA LUMPUR: MIC president S Samy Vellu has proposed a simple method to deal with racist individuals – ignore them. The veteran politician also expressed much faith in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his 1Malaysia concept to shield Malaysians from such “parasites”.“Normally, parasites will be exterminated once they are identified, but in this case, since this kind of parasites are very rare, we can opt to ignore them as they will not pose a major threat to society.“They are what we call the minority parasites. It is just the views of one individual,” he said.