New Straits Times articles from December 2009

New Straits Times archives from December 2009

Musa: We won't be biased in Teoh probe.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Political considerations will not get in the way of investigations into Teoh Beng Hock's death, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. Commenting on recent allegation by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and an...

'Only low-ranking officers involved'.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Kalbana Perimbanayagam KUALA LUMPUR: Police confirmed no top-ranking Royal Malaysian Air Force officer was involved in the theft of fighter jet engines case. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said investigations by...

D-G: No intention to defame anyone.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Director-general of Broadcasting Datuk Ibrahim Yahya said he did not intend to defame anyone in his blog article. The former Berita Harian chief news editor was responding to a police report lodged against him by Penang Chief...

Kelantan must pay RM800m.
December 31, 2009... KOTA BARU: The High Court here yesterday ordered the Kelantan government to pay more than RM800 million in compensation to a logging company for breaching a number of contracts signed between both parties. The compensation ordered by High...

MPs council: Change function schedules.
December 31, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: The Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Council (BNBBC) will ask the government to ensure that all community-related government functions that required the presence of members of parliament be held only when Parliament was not in session....

New currency declaration rule for travellers.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Beginning tomorrow, travellers entering or leaving Malaysia and carrying more than US$10,000 (RM34,000) must make a declaration to the Customs Department. The new rule, which will be enforced at all airports and seaports in the...

State claims right to oil royalties.
December 31, 2009... KUALA TERENGGANU: The state government is convinced that it has a legal right to ask for oil royalties to be returned to the state administration. Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said the request was based on the Petroleum Development Act 1974...

Wee denies link to PKFZ project.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: MCA Youth chief and deputy education minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong has slammed certain quarters for continuing to link him to the controversial Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project. He said although his former firm, Hijau...

Sahabat Alam at a loss over registrar's warning.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Sahabat Alam Malaysia, an affiliate of Amsterdam-based Friends of the Earth, does not want to speculate on the motive behind the Registrar of Societies' warning about its possible deregistration. Earlier this week, the Registrar...

Credibility of green groups questioned.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Ooi Tee Ching KUALA LUMPUR: Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth (FOE), Wetlands International and World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) could play invaluable roles in highlighting environmental problems and promote public and corporate...

MP: Help me prove study loan scam.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Kulim Bandar Baru member of parliament Zulkifli Noordin is conducting his own investigations into alleged abuse of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) by several private institutions of higher learning. He is...

'Make sure complaint boxes are not abused'.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: There must be rules to ensure complaint boxes put up in schools for students to air their grievances are not abused, a teachers union said yesterday. Students must be prevented from making false accusations and be responsible...

Education grads still have a place in govt schools.
December 31, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Holders of a bachelor's degree in education from public universities will continue to be accepted by government schools, Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said yesterday. This would, however, be based on the current...

Horse trainer's leg broken in attack.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: A veteran horse trainer suffered a broken leg, bruises and head injuries when he was attacked by a group of men on Tuesday evening. Prakhash Pereira, 58, said he was driving home when a car rammed into his vehicle near the...

Letting students speak up.
December 31, 2009... Byline: li Liyana Mokhtar KUALA LUMPUR: Universities are encouraged to set up speaker's corners for their students. Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said this would be in line with the ministry's vision to produce...

DAP blames partners for absence of local council polls.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Suganthi Suparmaniam KUALA LUMPUR: DAP is now pointing fingers at Pas' resistance and PKR's reluctance for Pakatan Rakyat's failure to implement local government elections, as promised in their 2008 election manifesto. The issue...

Sarawak's Voon puzzled at being left out of panel.
December 31, 2009... KUCHING: DAP Batu Lintang state assemblyman Voon Lee Shan, who lost his place on the party's powerful state committee, is perplexed by his exclusion and suspects a hidden hand from within the party for his loss of support. Voon, a former...

Witness: Rep wanted cash for support letter.
December 31, 2009... SEREMBAN: A witness told the Sessions Court that Lenggeng assemblyman Mustafa Salim, who is on trial for corruption, demanded RM2,000 from him last year. Manimaran Marimuthu, 37, told judge Amran Jantan that Mustafa, 50, had asked for the...

Too much a shock for guard to take.
December 31, 2009... GEORGE TOWN: Police detained a 35-year-old security guard after he accidentally fired a shot from his pump gun inside the Maybank premises in Jelutong yesterday. The incident, which happened at 5pm, also slightly injured a female clerk's...

Bench and Bar make new start.
December 31, 2009... Byline: V. Anbalagan PUTRAJAYA: After a lapse of 30 years, members of the bench, the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Malaysian Bar will gather here in a symbolic start to their legal year. Federal Court Chief Registrar Hasnah Mohammed...

Senior police officer arrested for sodomy.
December 31, 2009... KLANG: A police officer is assisting in investigations in a sodomy case involving a 15-year-old boy at the Pandamaran Sports Complex on Sunday. In the 11pm incident, the 50-year-old assistant superintendent allegedly sodomised the boy, who...

Gunmen send warnings to businessman.
December 31, 2009... BUKIT MERTAJAM: A motorcycle dealer received two warnings to settle his debts yesterday when gunmen fired at his car and his house in Taman Serumpun, Berapit. The attacks came days after the 38-year-old received a notice written in Chinese...

Security assurance for Johor investors.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Anis Ibrahim JOHOR BARU: Johor police will meet with foreign investors soon to brief them on the crime situation in the state. It is expected to take place as early as next month. State police chief Datuk Mokhtar Mohd Shariff...

Sabah police cut crime with swift action.
December 31, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: The number of cheating cases has risen sharply in Sabah. Up to Dec 25, 1,237 cases of cheating were reported to the police commercial crime unit, up from 796 cases last year. State Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid...

Obstacles but convoy soldiers on.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Koi Kye Lee KUALA LUMPUR: It's getting tougher for the Viva Palestina convoy but they are not giving up. The convoy has arrived in Damascus after a 12-hour-long drive from Aqabah, Jordan. It was only six days ago that the...

Drivers need double-decker courses.
December 31, 2009... KUANTAN: Double-decker express bus drivers should be compelled to attend a special course to better equip them to handle such vehicles. Peninsular Malaysia Malay Bus Drivers Association president Mohd Yasin Yakob, who proposed the idea, said...

Opening up Dubai for Malaysian products.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Regina Lee PRODUCTS from local small and medium enterprises are going global with snazzy marketing and some government help. REGINA LEE was in Dubai to see how these products are brought into the Gulf city state. What does a...

The trouble with tattling.
December 31, 2009... WHILE parents rightly tell their children not to tattle, the hard truth is that there is a need for stool-pigeons to blow the lid on crime. Ordinarily, like adults, children would be loath to stick their necks out. But if every school has...

Fighting for the freedom to speak their mind.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Frank Ching THE trial and imprisonment last week of Liu Xiaobo, a scholar and human rights activist, was eerily reminiscent of another trial 72 years ago, that of Shen Junru, a legal scholar who went on to become the first president...

Be forewarned, 2010 is upon you.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Chok Suat Ling FENG shui experts have made a series of predictions for the year that starts tomorrow. They say 2010, the year of the brave and flamboyant Yang Metal Tiger, is one of conflict - there will be aggression between...

Speed up road safety action.
December 31, 2009... Byline: S.M. Mohamed Idris THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) laments the slow action by the authorities over express bus accidents, which are claiming more lives every year. Each time horror crashes occur, there are calls for probes,...

Need to address root cause.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Saran Gopi MORE lives will be lost in express bus accidents if the authorities do not address the root of the problem - the sorry state of the industry and its companies. The bigger firms run their operations well with commendable...

Why no suspension order?
December 31, 2009... Byline: B.S.J. YET another horrific bus accident has occurred on our roads. Despite lives being lost in the crash involving an express bus, the Road Transport Department and Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board are singing the same old...

Guard rail not a safety tool here.
December 31, 2009... Byline: K.K. Lai REFERRING to the Boxing Day bus crash, it was reported that "the metal barrier on the left side of the highway pierced the left side of the bus, and this caused the deaths and injuries" ("Bus crash horror" - NST, Dec 27). ...

Get drivers to assume duties with courtesy.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Mansor Puteh WHY is it so difficult for the authorities to discipline express bus drivers? It is basically a psychological issue concerning the bus drivers who are indisciplined and nothing else, as there can be all the monitoring by...

Provide correct info to youths.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Samuel Yesuiah THE reports - "Body of newborn found at park" (NST, Dec 27) and "Foetus found in river" (NST, Dec 28) - on incidents of baby dumping necessitate the implementation of sex education with great urgency. Adolescents...

Why grant him a licence?
December 31, 2009... Byline: A.A. I AM a subscriber of National Geographic magazine and was horrified to read the article "The Kingpin: An expose of the world's most notorious wildlife dealer, his special government friend and his ambitious new plan" by Bryan...

Medical assistants have treated patients for years.
December 31, 2009... Byline: M.S.G. I WAS touched by the Malaysian Medical Association president's concern over the setting up of 1Malaysia clinics ("Rethink 1Malaysia clinic move" - NST, Dec 25). He is unhappy that these clinics are going to be manned by...

Learn to coexist than take risks.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Cheah S.T. ASK any students about global warming and they will spout this mantra: increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) traps more heat, melts the ice caps, drowns ocean nations and causes widespread flooding, and desertification. Sadly,...

Mother tongue reflects our culture.
December 31, 2009... Byline: D.R.S. I AM writing in response to the letter from Datuk Tunku Yusuf Jewa ("Let's not go back to square one" - NST, Dec 28). While I understand his concern with the difficulty in forging forward with the Education Ministry's policies...

We should be thankful.
December 31, 2009... Byline: James Gonzales LIKE a gush of water cascading down a waterfall, 2009 draws to a close. I thank God that Malaysia is still a relatively good and safe place to live. Despite the racial polarisation prevailing in the country, we have...

Air patrol to keep revelry in bounds.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Phuah Ken Lin GEORGE TOWN: Police will deploy helicopters to step up its surveillance in the state in conjunction with New Year's eve celebrations today. State police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said the air patrols would enable the...

Thief wrecks BMW and walks away.
December 31, 2009... SHAH ALAM: A car thief stole a BMW yesterday only to damage in an accident with a lorry minutes later. At 12.30pm, the suspect, posing as the owner of the three-month old BMW 5-series parked by a jockey at the Shah Alam City Centre Mall,...

MTUC lauds move to review act.
December 31, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress has welcomed the move by the government to revise the Occupational, Safety and Health Act. MTUC vice-president A. Balasubramaniam said this would help plug the loopholes in the law, making it...

Accused: We beat couple to chase away demons.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Irdiani Mohd Salleh KUALA LUMPUR: An Al-Arqam movement follower who allegedly caused the death of his uncle and aunt told the High Court yesterday that he had beaten them using a helmet and piece of wood from a broken table as part of...

Help on the way for poor Indians.
December 31, 2009... SHAH ALAM: Selangor MIC Youth has established an understanding with the Selangor Welfare Department to register poor Indians in the state to help them get the assistance they desperately need. Selangor MIC Youth chief Shanker Raj Ayanger said...

Erosion topples Pantai Sepat's attractions.
December 31, 2009... KUANTAN: Hundreds of campers and picnickers would usually frequent Pantai Sepat near here during the weekends, but the worsening coastal erosion has caused their numbers to dwindle. The spot is famous for inshore fishing competitions as the...

Go slow, mussel-breeders urge speeding ferry boats.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Sim Bak Heng JOHOR BARU: More than 20 mussel breeders operating in the Tebrau Straits claim they are incurring huge losses as waves generated by passing ferries have swept their shellfish on to the seabed. The affected...

Nur Hidayah in reach of a dream.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Jaswinder Kaur TUARAN: Taking a few steps before leaning against a tree to catch her breath, a teenager stricken with cancer refused to give up and made it all the way through a jungle path to see a orang-utan. Nur Hidayah Aziz,...

Fatal outing.
December 31, 2009... TANAH MERAH: An 8-year-old girl is believed to have drowned while swimming in Sungai Kelantan in Kampung Paku near Gual Ipoh here yesterday. Siti Azirah Che Deraman went to the river with her 15-year-old sister and 10-year-old cousin when the...

MACC seeks assistance in probe.
December 31, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: The Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is looking for Tan Yoke Chung, 58, to assist them in a corruption case. His last known address is 2, Jalan Sungei Nibong 2, Taman Mewah Batu 4, Jalan Kapar, 42100 Klang, Selangor....

Making children's wishes come true.
December 31, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: The Children's Wish Society of Malaysia that has so far made the dreams of 22 children come true, has set up a Sabah chapter to bring some cheer to the terminally ill. The Sabah chapter, based at the New Straits Times office in...

Revenge motive for attack.
December 31, 2009... KUANTAN: Revenge has been identified as the motive behind the attack on a 49-year-old businessman who was slashed by two men in front of his house at Jalan Haji Ahmad here on Tuesday. State Criminal Investigation Department chief Assistant...

Star Of The Park ready to strike again.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram STAR Of The Park geared up for a comeback win in the Banded 38 and Below event over 1200m in Race 2 on Sunday with a smart workout in Ipoh yesterday. Taken out by a track rider, the seven-year-old Australian gelding by Testa...

Trainer Tan introduces Blue Spirit.
December 31, 2009... PENANG-based trainer Jerome Tan will be introducing a promising Class 4 newcomer in Blue Spirit at the Perak Turf Club (PRTC)'s first meeting of the 2010 racing season starting in Ipoh this Saturday. Racing as Rapid Rhythm back home, the...

Some sparks but no flame.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Jugjet Singh MALAYSIAN athletes are hard to judge, and their achievements even harder to measure, especially if pitted against the money spent and medals won. The National Sports Council (NSC), associations and sponsors pumped in...

World and Olympics title drought must end in new term.
December 31, 2009... Byline: K.M Boopathy DATUK Nadzmi Salleh has been entrusted with the responsibility of leading the BA of Malaysia (BAM) for a third term and this has granted him a final opportunity to settle a bit of unfinished business. BAM has moved...

Selangor survive scare to book place in final.
December 31, 2009... CHAMPIONS Selangor were stretched to the limit by Malacca before securing a place in the final while Penang comprehensively outplayed Malacca in the 100Plus National Junior Inter-State badminton championship semi-finals at Juara Stadium in Kuala...

Lydia falls at last hurdle in Denmark.
December 31, 2009... LYDIA Cheah went down fighting to Tine Rasmussen of Denmark in the final of the Copenhagen Masters on Tuesday. Lydia, who lost tamely to the former World No 1 in a group match earlier, stretched Tine to three games before losing 21-11, 18-21,...

Clean sweep for Yew Meng.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh SI Yew Meng easily retained his Ayam A1 National Hardcourt Championships singles and doubles titles at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Yew Meng was hardly troubled by Muhd Ashaari Zainal in the...

FMG throws FAS a lifeline.
December 31, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh IT is not the first time the FA of Sarawak (FAS) will be entrusting the management of the state football team to a private entity as it looks to recover from its worst season since the game turned professional in...

'Xmas peace message is for all people'.
December 30, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: Malaysians should view the vital message of Christmas - peace and goodwill to all mankind - as a universal concept for all people, regardless of race and religion. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said as part of...

Not practical to stop night buses, says PM.
December 30, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the suggestion that express buses stop operating at night is impractical. "An accident can happen in the day. "A driver can become sleepy even during the day," he said after opening...

Najib: No need for royal inquiry on Dr M's rule.
December 30, 2009... Byline: Jaswinder Kaur KOTA KINABALU: There is no need for a royal commission of inquiry to investigate claims in a book that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had squandered up to RM100 billion during his 22 years in power. ...

Industry backs twin-deck design.
December 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Are double-decker buses suitable for Malaysian roads? The automotive industry seems to think so. An industry source said the safety of double-decker buses used in Malaysia met stringent international safety standards. "Most...

SHE takes safety seriously for commercial drivers.
December 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Drivers of all commercial vehicles, including buses, are expected to be fully-trained in risk management and safety as part of a new driver training programme. Road Safety Department director-general Datuk Suret Singh said the...

Express bus driver claims trial to reckless driving.
December 30, 2009... Byline: M. Husairy Othman IPOH: Just hours after his remand order was extended by another two days, the 37-year-old driver of the Sani Express double-decker bus that crashed early on Saturday was charged at the Special Traffic Court here with...

Drug mule in Peru set to return home after pardon.
December 30, 2009... Byline: Kalbana Perimbanayagam KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian drug mule, Jothee Batumalai, who has been pardoned by the Peruvian president after being jailed for smuggling drugs into the country, is expected home in the middle of next month. ...

Housewife falls for 'big prize money' ruse.
December 30, 2009... JOHOR BARU: Housewife May Low, 38, was walking to the car park of a hypermarket in Plentong here on Dec 21 when a woman in her 20s suddenly appeared with a bag of pamphlets. The sweet-smiling young woman claimed she was engaged by a...

'Scratch and win' syndicates use sure win ploy on victims.
December 30, 2009... JOHOR BARU: The "Scratch and Win" syndicates are back, and they are using a new ploy to entice their victims. They are offering attractive prizes with a "sure win" guarantee. And they have moved their operations from shopping centres to...

'Spare none in probe of PKFZ'.
December 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The government must allow the police or Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to act against anyone involved in the Port Klang Free Zone fiasco, including those holding high office, chairman of the Social Care Foundation, Tan Sri...

Review of laws to ensure.
December 30, 2009... KLANG: The Human Resources Ministry is reviewing several laws relating to safety and protection of workers to suit current needs. Deputy minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan said the laws under review included the Employment Act and Occupational...

Pas: No intention to amend Kelantan constitution.
December 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: A day after Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the Kelantan government was ready to change its constitution to enable Chinese Muslims to become menteri besar, Pas vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Mat said it was not intended...

Respect role of NGOs, says Gerakan.
December 30, 2009... GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has urged the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to be more civil towards non-governmental organisations. The party's central bureau chief for environment, safety and quality of life, Cheah Soon Hai, said NGOs and environmental...

Cop blamed, victim gets RM500,000.
December 30, 2009... Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin KUANTAN: A paralysed youth from Pulau Pangkor was awarded more than RM500,000 after the High Court ruled that his injuries and disability from an incident on the resort island 10 years ago were caused by a...

MB goes after bloggers over Husam issue.
December 30, 2009... KOTA BARU: Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat cursed blogs with postings speculating that senior state executive council member Datuk Husam Musa would resign. "The blogs are damned (celaka), I repeat damned. How can he (Husam) resign,...

Have complaint boxes in schools, says Puad.
December 30, 2009... Byline: Koi Kye Lee KUALA LUMPUR: Schools should put up complaint boxes to allow students to air their grievances and problems. Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said he was open to the idea of having complaint boxes as...

Anwar's discovery appeal on Jan 6.
December 30, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court will hear on Jan 6 an appeal by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to compel the prosecution to supply him with key documents in preparation of his sodomy trial. Federal Court deputy registrar Jumirah Marjuki fixed the date...

500km back into Syria and on.
December 30, 2009... Byline: Natasha Ilyas KUALA LUMPUR: Having been stranded in Aqabah, Jordan, for five days, the Viva Palestina humanitarian convoy finally agreed to take a longer route to enter Gaza via Syria. This was decided in lieu of its earlier plan...

Top women leaders retained.
December 30, 2009... KUCHING: All top leaders of the women's wing in Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) were retained at the movement's triennial general assembly. Chiew Yen Chew was returned unopposed as the movement's leader, along with her deputy, Eda...

Nyarok wins by a landslide.
December 30, 2009... KUCHING: Assistant Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture Datuk Peter Nyarok has retained his Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party deputy president's post with a landslide victory. He beat his sole challenger, Philip Ngo, with a majority of...

KPIs Open House on Jan 11.
December 30, 2009... KUCHING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday announced that the KPIs Open House would be held here on Jan 11. He made the announcement at the opening of the Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party triennial general assembly here. ...

'Don't fall into Pakatan trap'.
December 30, 2009... Byline: Nancy Nais KUCHING: Sarawak is considered to be Barisan Nasional's stronghold but that should not be taken for granted as Pakatan Rakyat is still trying its best to topple the state government, said Sarawak Progressive Democratic...

Sarawak rep to replace Sulaiman.
December 30, 2009... KUCHING: A Sarawakian will fill the deputy tourism minister post vacated by Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman, said Sulaiman's successor would be...