New Straits Times articles from April 2010, page 4

New Straits Times archives from April 2010

Teach Civics.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Gunasegar Thiyagaraja STUDENTS are involved in gangsterism, bullying, rape, drugs, assault of teachers and much more. What's shocking is that these incidents take place within the school premises in spite of the watchful eyes of...

Give it more powers.
April 27, 2010... Byline: M.G.D. I REFER to the report, "Time for new members to take over Suhakam" (NST, April 23) in which the outgoing chairman of Suhakam Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman was quoted as saying: "We are a body with no executive powers. What can we do...

Students must pick course early.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Norizan Othman THE annual Facon and Mara education fairs are excellent for school-leavers. But I feel that the abundance of choices leaves youngsters bewildered and not knowing what field to choose or which university or college to...

More sanctuaries should be provided.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye I HAVE been following closely animal welfare issues, particularly acts of cruelty to animals. I applaud the many NGOs and activists who have been championing the cause of animal welfare and working hard to draw...

Public now more aware.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Mohd Khamde Khuzaini Tukiman WE refer to the letter entitled "EPF: A model govt agency" from CCT of Subang Jaya (NST, April 16). The writer mentions that he did not receive a reply from the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and...

Revive housing project.
April 27, 2010... Byline: S.K. THERE has been much excitement and hype about the by-election in Hulu Selangor, but voters like me are sad. Many areas in Hulu Selangor are poverty-stricken, have low economic and social activity and are littered with abandoned...

It's a crying shame to allow this.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Samuel Yesuiah I REFER to the letter "LCCT shuttle service ruined my holiday" (NST, April 21) on how the writer's wonderful time here in Malaysia was marred by the shuttle bus experience from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport...

Lawyer: No reasons given for Benjy's re-arrest.
April 27, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: No reasons were given to actor Khaireyll Benjamin Ibrahim when he was rearrested outside court immediately after being granted bail on a drug possession case on March 25. This was revealed in court yesterday where Khaireyll,...

Heated argument over two written questions.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Adib Povera AN argument erupted between backbenchers of the Pas-led state government and Barisan Nasional assemblymen during the state assembly's first meeting yesterday. It started with a concern raised by state opposition leader...

Steps taken to ensure projects not delayed.
April 27, 2010... Byline: T.N. Alagesh THE state government has adopted several measures to ensure that contractors carrying out Public Infrastructure Projects (PIA) and Basic Infrastructure Projects (PIAS) here complete their work on schedule. Menteri...

Navy plans to expand fleet.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Adrian David KUALA LUMPUR: The grounding and training provided for our submariners are of such high quality that Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) crew were invited to serve with the French navy. RMN chief Admiral Tan Sri Abdul Aziz...

Teacher held over drugs.
April 27, 2010... BETONG: A teacher and his 17-year-old wife were arrested by police on Sunday for suspected drug trafficking. The couple were nabbed at a jetty near Sungai Saribas Pusa, near here, with some 1,800 nospan pills (or dextromethorphan), a cough...

Herzog murder: Sentences upheld.
April 27, 2010... PUTRAJAYA: A young man will be hanged while another youth will be detained at the pleasure of the Ruler for murdering German-born Australian Hans Herzog six years ago. The Federal Court yesterday unanimously affirmed the decision of the Court...

Man kills girlfriend, drinks pesticide.
April 27, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Suspecting that his girlfriend had been unfaithful, a man stabbed her to death on Sunday and then attempted to commit suicide by drinking pesticide. Chan Yoke Mun, 27, and her boyfriend, 26, were found lying on a bed at their...

Heart baby needs help.
April 27, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Sai Chok Yan is barely a month old and it is heartbreaking to hear her breathing with great difficulty. She suffers from Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Drainage (TAPVD), a condition where her heart drains blood abnormally. ...

Burst pipe sends three cars flying.
April 27, 2010... PETALING JAYA: Three motorists were injured, one seriously, when their vehicles were "flung" into the air by the pressure of water from a broken underground pipe in Jalan Universiti here, yesterday. The burst pipe also caused a 4.5m deep...

Five rob elderly couple of RM50,000.
April 27, 2010... KUANTAN: Five armed robbers blindfolded an elderly couple and tied their hands and legs before making off with cash and valuables worth RM50,000 yesterday morning. In the 3.30am break-in at Bandar Indera Mahkota here, the men, wearing masks...

Killed by lightning outside house.
April 27, 2010... KLANG: An assistant chef at a coffee shop died when he was struck by lightning outside a two-storey terrace house at Southern Park, here at 5pm yesterday. The victim, Toh Cheng Liang, 42, from Perak, was washing his motorcycle when the...

Car-jacking victim stabbed to death.
April 27, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Just two days after arriving in the city, a 32-year-old man was killed during a car-jacking in front of a bank in Jalan Ipoh, here yesterday. The victim, Chui Fook Lum, was last seen with two other men in his four-wheel drive at...

All quiet on the Red front.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Sharanjit Singh A SOLDIER who had just seized several parang, bamboo spears, knives and other home-made arms from vehicles at a roadblock here on Sunday night suddenly turned his attention to me and New Straits Times photographer...

Fans treated to spectacular Derby.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram THE Perak Turf Club's (PRTC) first Classic of the season - the Perak Derby - a Malaysian Group 1 event was a huge success judging from the massive turnout over the weekend in Ipoh. The Derby, which dates back to 1896,...

Toss-up between Chong Wei, Azizul.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh CYCLIST Azizul Hasni Awang is poised to strongly challenge World No 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei for the 2009 Sportsman of the Year award in Kuala Lumpur today. Squash player Nicol David, with a strong showing last year,...

FIH looks like anything but a guardian.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Jugjet Singh THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) is supposed to be the guardian of the sport around the globe, and its officials are supposed to work without fear or favour. FIH officials are also expected to be the experts...

Junior meet on May 8.
April 27, 2010... Byline: K. Kandiah THE Perak Amateur Athletics Association (PAAA) will host the Junior Open Athletic Championships at the Perak Stadium, Ipoh, on May 8. Perak AAA secretary S.O. Appan said the two-day Under-23 meet is open to all...

Games in Malacca will not play second fiddle.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Jassmine Shadiqe ORGANISERS are confident the Malacca Malaysia Games will not be overshadowed by the June 11-July 11 Fifa World Cup in South Africa. Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the World Cup could even be...

McCann unsure of a hat-trick.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul FROM the startlist of the Jelajah Malaysia that begins today in Kuala Selangor without the glitter of the past three editions, it should be easy for David McCann's Giant Asia Racing Team, Ng Yong Li's LeTua Cycling...

Crunch time for BJSS.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Jugjet Singh NEXT weekend will be crucial for double champions Bukit Jalil Sports School in Division One of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior Hockey League. They play an erratic Petaling Jaya City Council on Friday as a warm-up to their...

Nursyamimi sizzles with a double.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh PERAK'S Nursyamimi Supardi stole the limelight on the second day of the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) bowling championships by winning gold in the girls' Under-18 doubles and All Events at the Malacca...

Executive coaches for Azlan Shah Cup.
April 27, 2010... Byline: V. Sivaji IPOH-based express bus operator, Sri Maju Sarata Ekspres will sponsor five executive buses to transport players and officials taking part in the Azlan Shah Cup. The tournament, being held in conjunction with Sultan Azlan...

Second win in Slovakia.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh THE national Under-21 team, despite having only 14 players available, notched their second victory in the Slovak Division One league by edging FK LAFC Lucenec 1-0 on Saturday. Midfielder Mohd Affize Mamat scored the...

Kien Keat on a double mission.
April 27, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh KOO Kien Keat will play a double role - as player and motivator in next month's Thomas Cup as he is the most senior doubles shuttler in the squad. Kien Keat, who made his Thomas Cup debut in the 2004 Jakarta edition...

Yao Han a smashing success.
April 27, 2010... Byline: K.M. Boopathy OW Yao Han established himself as one of the finest boys' doubles players in the World Junior Championships when he defended his title with Yew Hong Kheng in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sunday. Yao Han, who partnered...

Innovative tweaks.
April 26, 2010... MAC DELIGHTS 1. APPLE'S latest update of the MacBook Pro line promises faster processors, more powerful next-generation NVidia graphics and even longer battery life. Available in 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch flavours, pricing starts from...

Style and sense.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Edwin Kee THIS week, EDWIN KEE shares some gadgets for fun and leisure. PLANTRONICS EXPLORER 395 BLUETOOTH HEADSET * PLANTRONICS' entry-level Explorer 395 Bluetooth headset is an easy-to-use device that features a compact, classic...

Malaysia's Top 10 Fastest Rising Searches on Google.
April 26, 2010... * Week: April 16-22, 2010 FOR both, breaking news and obscure information, people around the world search for information on Google. What follows is a summary of Google Zeitgeist results for the top gainers on www.google.com.my when comparing...

iPhone for the blind.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Ridzwan A. Rahim SOMEONE has mastered the use of iPhone 3GS and he's completely blind. RIDZWAN A. RAHIM finds out how. VISUALLY impaired Yam Tong Woo first had a taste of iPhone 3GS last year when I brought a unit to him for...

Much slicker.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Reviewed by Chris Chan CHRIS CHAN is happy to find the best parts of Mass Effect have been kept for the sequel. THE latest follow-up to the popular game Mass Effect banks on a combination of space adventure and first-person-shooter...

Secure multi-tasking on the go.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili THE Lenovo ThinkPad SL410 comes with great design elements for business users, writes SITI SYAMEEN MD KHALILI. ENCASED in a glossy, black housing, the Lenovo ThinkPad SL410 makes it clear that it means...

High-speed HDMI cables.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Izwan Ismail PCOM goes all out to bring these cables to those looking for a better HD content experience, writes IZWAN ISMAIL. ARE your high-definition electronic devices giving you less than satisfactory audio and video quality?...

New clicks on the block.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Izwan Ismail IZWAN ISMAIL checks out some of the latest netbooks and dSLR cameras on the market. NETBOOKS Aspire One AO532 RM1,299 This is another netbook from Acer, but smaller, at 10.1-inch. It comes with Intel Atom N450...

Aspire-ing to extend reach.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Siti Syameen Md Khalili ACER is offering six new Aspire notebook computers that promise good performance and design. According to Ricky Tan, general manager of Acer Sales and Services Sdn Bhd, the company is banking on the new...

All switched on for eco-lighting.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Rozana Sani ROZANA SANI learns how much consumers can save if they use energy-efficient lamps. THINK energy-efficient lamps are boring? Well, think again when you see the selection from Germany-based Megaman. From home interior,...

Putting lipstick on ICT.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Rozana Sani SOME 60 per cent of the local ICT industry are made up of women, and there are opportunities for them to contribute further, as ROZANA SANI finds out from the co-founder of the Gorgeous Geeks charter. EVEN when in...

Golf without the sun.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Ridzwan A. Rahim NON-GOLFER RIDZWAN A. RAHIM has a newfound respect for the game, thanks to a state-of-the-art simulator. AS a non-golfer, my thinking has always been, "there's exercise, and then there's golf". I'm sure many of...

BN wins by 1,725 votes (HL).
April 26, 2010... KUALA KUBU BARU: Barisan Nasional gained a parliamentary seat last night when P. Kamalanathan defeated Datuk Zaid Ibrahim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat with a 1,725-vote majority in the Hulu Selangor by-election. This is the first parliamentary...

Malay voters gave solid support.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Patrick Sennyah; Sajahan Abdul Wahid; G. Surach BARISAN Nasional's victory yesterday was achieved on the back of strong backing from Malay voters who make up 52.7 per cent or 34,323 out of the 65,058 registered voters. The...

Najib: BN win shows we're on right track.
April 26, 2010... PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the Barisan Nasional's victory in Hulu Selangor marked a good beginning for the BN and a new direction for the coalition's political agenda. "This victory has given us a lot of encouragement and I...

Chua: It's a wake-up call for MCA to be more vocal.
April 26, 2010... MCA'S dismal performance at the Hulu Selangor by-election is a "wake-up call" for it to change and be more vocal. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said the party needed to focus more on national issues instead of basic issues. ...

Polls dates turn out to be winning number.
April 26, 2010... COINCIDENCE is a funny thing. More so when it comes to something important. In the just concluded Hulu Selangor by-election, it seems the numbers 17 and 25 came to the fore. It was on April 17 that nomination for Hulu Selangor by-election...

MCA seems unable to arrest the 2008 slide.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Eileen Ng MCA has its work cut out for it as it returns to the drawing board to discern why Chinese voters continue to shun the party and by extension Barisan Nasional. A preliminary analysis of the 10 voting streams with a...

Zaid takes defeat in his stride.
April 26, 2010... DATUK Zaid Ibrahim said last night that he could accept his defeat in the Hulu Selangor by-election. The Pakatan Rakyat supreme council member said in Kuala Kubu Baru that his supporters should not worry about his feelings because he was used...

'Indians back with MIC'.
April 26, 2010... THE Indian vote swing to MIC shows the community is back with Barisan Nasional. Newly-elected Hulu Selangor member of parliament P. Kamalanathan declared, moments after the announcement of results, that his victory meant Indians now...

Automation can help reduce foreign workers.
April 26, 2010... IRAINI (not her real name) clocks in for work at a government hospital in Petaling Jaya at 7am and is out at 7pm before continuing her cleaning job at the adjacent private wing. Her hours finally end at 10pm, she takes the bus home and looks...

Adopt stick and carrot method, says MTUC.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim THE Malaysian Trades Union Congress is doubtful that mere calls to employers to encourage locals to fill up job vacancies will have an impact. Instead, compelling them to do so or at least providing them incentives...

Cabinet to review 55 proposals.
April 26, 2010... WITH Malaysia's focus shifted on becoming a high-end economy, the government is confident that the plan to reduce foreign labour in the country to 1.5 million in 2013 will not put a brake to development. Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk...

10 highway buses to promote Everest climb.
April 26, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Soon, you will get to see buses featuring pictures of Perdana de' Everest climbers on the North-South Expressway. Sponsored by Handal Holdings Bhd, 10 buses on the Kuala Lumpur/Singapore and Kuala Lumpur/Hatyai routes will...

Take load off students' backs.
April 26, 2010... Byline: B. Suresh Ram; Sean Augustine KUALA LUMPUR: Scoliosis - the spine taking a S-shape sideway - is becoming very common among schoolchildren, especially girls, says the Malaysian Physiotherapy Association. This follows the finding...

Contact embassy, travellers advised.
April 26, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians going to Bangkok are advised to report to the Malaysian Embassy on arrival. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister A. Kohilan Pillay said this would help the embassy to contact their families in case of emergencies and to...

Bangkok sweats amid tension.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Sharanjit Singh THE streets of Bangkok around the Sae Dang (Red Shirts) encampment at the Rajprasong intersection near the Silom commercial area here have been turned into security zones as soldiers and other armed forces personnel...

Zoos back wildlife bill.
April 26, 2010... Byline: R. Sittamparam; Kristina George KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (Mazpa) has come out in support of the proposed Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which is expected to be enforced at the end of the...

Preschool closes to contain outbreak.
April 26, 2010... ALOR STAR: Some 270 children were forced to skip classes after Tadika An-Najaah in Jalan Teluk Wanjah here stopped its operation for 10 days to prevent the spread of hand, foot and mouth (HFM) disease. The kindergarten management came to the...

Elderly man latest to succumb to disease.
April 26, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A 63-year-old man who suffered from chronic obstructive airway disease became the latest victim of influenza A (H1N1) when he died at Tuanku Jaafar Hospital in Seremban yesterday. His case brings the H1N1 death toll to 80 so far....

Obama loses out to newbie.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Zainuddin Muhammad KUALA TERENGGANU: Obama won the preliminaries but lost the finals to a rookie in Tasik Kenyir yesterday. Pedigree and past titles meant little in the second annual ayam serama (bantam chicken) competition...

School wins RM1,000 in trust units.
April 26, 2010... KOLEJ Datu Patinggi Haji Abang Abdillah yesterday emerged the winner of the inaugural 1Malaysia interactive quiz organised in conjunction with Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia 2010 in Kuching. The college beat two other schools, SMK Batu Lintang...

Online registrations likely to rise on final day.
April 26, 2010... THE final day of the 11th Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM) in Kuching, today is expected to see an increase in the number of visitors using the e-Registration service. Last year, the service drew 74,102 registrations from 155,109 people...

Four come by bus and win cellphones.
April 26, 2010... IT was a lucky trip for four visitors to Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM) 2010. For using the free public transport sponsored by the Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Bhd (MIDF), they each won a mobilephone in a lucky draw held...

Weekend brings in the crowd.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Zuraimi Abdullah THE Wisma Bapa Malaysia complex in Kuching was busier than usual this weekend. The venue of the 11th Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia (MSAM 2010) drew a large crowd, with whole families coming to participate in the...

Terminal woman.
April 26, 2010... THE sociopolitical limbo of airport transit spaces was fully explored by Mehran Karimi Nasseri, the Iranian refugee who lived in France's Charles de Gaulle airport for nearly 20 years until being hospitalised in 2006 and subsequently transferred...

Cleansing the dark side of India's cricket league.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Mahendra Ved WHAT began as a glitzy, slick, smart and rich version of a game that's been known and played for over a century has now turned into India's sordid "Wicketgate". One of the brightest ministers in Prime Minister Manmohan...

We will use right pronunciation.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Ahmad Mustaza Ismail ASTRO would like to thank K. Kaur Dhillion for his feedback in "Sikh, not Seek" (NST, April 16). We would like to assure all our customers that we will take note of the proper pronunciation in the future. ...

Provide at least rice and 'ulam'.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Jeremiah Tan EVERY year, teachers are asked to attend courses at the district, state or national level. Lunch is served without fail. However, this is not the case this time around. Teachers have been asked to buy their own...

Quick response a must.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Datuk Dr Tam Weng Wah WE refer to the letter "Agencies must act on them" (NST, April 22). We thank Abdul Aziz Saad of Shah Alam for highlighting the need for agencies to monitor and respond to letters published in the Letters to...

Reviving old Malay custom.
April 26, 2010... Byline: M.G. I REFER to your news report, "One tree for every Malaysian" (NST, April 23) in which it was reported that to commemorate Earth Day, Malaysia had launched a nationwide campaign to plant 26 million trees by 2014, representing a...

Do more to boost reading culture.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Mohamad Sofee Razak THE Internet has stimulated the habit of reading. Internet innovation has made possible the existence of electronic books (e-books), blogs and portals of knowledge as an alternative to physical reading materials....

Cut supply chain to tackle the menace.
April 26, 2010... Byline: S. Param I HAVE been following news reports of raids by anti-narcotics officers at locations throughout the country. It is heartening to note several dadah labs were busted with several suspects arrested and millions of ringgit worth...

Many alternatives to island's growth.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Yusoff Rawther MANY letters have been sent to the press about environmental damage in Pulau Redang. Yet, strangely, the Terengganu government or those responsible have not bothered to reply. Developing the island into a...

No lessons drawn from the past.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Chris Syer WHY are we destroying our heritage? I read with grave concern the letter from Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid ("Enforce guidelines on railway station development" - NST, April 21) and would like to echo his sentiments. Isn't...

Pensioners feeling pinch.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Mohamad Rozlan Aba I OFTEN wonder: how does a pensioner survive when prices of almost everything, especially household essentials, go up almost daily? Last week, I went to buy groceries with my father. He had just received his...

Shift in national policy needed.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Jeong Chun Phuoc THE comment by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ("Malays lagging behind in education" - NST, April 16) and the follow-up report ("Problem lies with Malay community itself" - NST, April 19) raise several...

Resolve the migrant workers issue.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Philip Wong Pak Ming THERE have been many reports on the New Economic Model unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on March 30. Malaysia is indeed suffering from the middle-income trap and unless decisive action is...

BAM needs to buck up.
April 26, 2010... Byline: William Dennis I REFER to "BAM told to buck up for Thomas Cup" (NST, April 21). I am not surprised that Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek was quoted as saying that he had expected the Badminton Association of...

Scheme for those who can't work.
April 26, 2010... THE primary objective of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is to provide basic financial security for members' retirement. However, as a caring and member-oriented organisation, the EPF has introduced the Incapacitation Withdrawal to allow...

Jia Er's now one active little girl.
April 26, 2010... Byline: Teresa Yong KUALA LUMPUR: Grapes and oranges give 7-year-old Khor Jia Er a cough. This condition arose after she had an operation to close the hole between two chambers of her heart and to repair the leaking aortic valve. ...

This baby needs your help.
April 26, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Au Foong Kam was eight months pregnant when doctors told her that her foetus' heart was abnormally swollen. When her baby was born, she was heartbroken when told that her son Chin You Hayne faced a life-threatening situation. ...