New Straits Times articles from March 2010, page 14

New Straits Times archives from March 2010

Getting excited over S word.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Azmi Anshar THE three hyper-sensitive issues known as the 3Rs - royalty, race and religion - have dominated under-the-radar discourses for decades but, in the open, there is barely enough data to fill a floppy disk. Another letter...

Govt pro-Orang Asli, says Muhyiddin.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Sajahan Waheed; Sean Augustine; Ili Liyana Mokhtar THE government has always been "pro-Orang Asli", with a department to look after their welfare and interest, including health and education, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri...

Penang CM: We want chance to explain.
March 18, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission should listen to the views of the Penang government before making any decision whether to accept the proposal to hold local council elections. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said by doing so, the EC...

MP: No need for caucus.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Shuhada Elis KUALA LUMPUR: It is not timely to have an independent caucus as the party-less members of parliament first need to agree to disagree, said Pasir Mas MP Datuk Ibrahim Ali. He said it was better for the seven independent...

Full of sound and fury.
March 18, 2010... LAST Friday, an angry Hillary called "Bibi" at home, gave him an earful, and apparently expects a return call before she leaves for Moscow. At the time of this writing, we don't know whether the Israeli prime minister has phoned the US secretary...

No malice intended to the Hainanese.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Chok Suat Ling THE 1Malaysia clarion call has not only been well received, but well emulated, too. The "1" has been appended to almost anything it plausibly and even implausibly can be added to - 1Region, 1World and, bizarrely in...

Chinese citizens' freedom exists only in theory.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Frank Ching IN many ways, the Chinese Constitution is a marvelous document. It guarantees Chinese citizens a host of rights, including "freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of association, of procession and of demonstration"....

Non-top scorers can be successful.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Moses Kumar AS a teacher who has been teaching for the past 20 years, my heart goes out to students who did not do well in public examinations. It's always heart wrenching to see them, especially after the SPM results. One may...

It's harmful.
March 18, 2010... Byline: J.H. I REFER to the letter "Polystyrene use no threat to climate" (NST, Feb 18). Polystyrene is especially harmful to the environment as it is not degradable and is energy intensive in production and disposal. When burned at...

Standards for students.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Liong Kam Chong THE Education Ministry has announced that it will make sports activities compulsory in all schools starting next year and each student must choose a game. There are merits in promoting sports and a sports culture in...

Exemplary success.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye I CONGRATULATE World No. 1 Datuk Lee Chong Wei for clinching his first All England title. It was a hard-fought victory against Japan's Kenichi Tago for Chong Wei, the third Malaysian in 44 years to win the All...

Victory long overdue.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Mohd Faizal Abdullah CONGRATULATIONS to World No. 1 shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei for being called the 100th All England champion in the 100th edition of the tournament. It is a proud moment for all Malaysians. This is his third...

Many reasons for remaining single.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Gursharan Singh IN the report "Married Life Blues" (NST, March 11), it was reported that one of the reasons for the falling birth rate is that women are settling down later. This is a common problem among women in the high-income...

Unfair for viewers to pay for bundled channels.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Siva Pillai I HAVE been an Astro subscriber for many years and am saddened by its deteriorating standards. From its programmes and deluge of advertisements to the never-ending, rain-affected blackouts, nothing has changed. Astro...

Fly only flags in good condition.
March 18, 2010... Byline: S. Sundareson THE Jalur Gemilang is a symbol of our national identity and the soul and pride of our nation. Every citizen must accord it the honour and respect it deserves. Those responsible for flying the Jalur Gemilang on their...

Both sexes are from Earth.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Darren Nah I WOULD like to rebut Yhto Nainif's opinion ("Do girls really have what it takes?" - NST, March 17). Nainif, in talking about girls performing better than boys in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exam, suggests that even...

Ministries should clarify issue.
March 18, 2010... Byline: M.A. I AM bewildered by the attitude of some people who are either oblivious, ignorant or simply don't give two hoots about the country's laws. I am head of a human resource department in a multinational manufacturing plant in...

Day-care centre in Petra Jaya.
March 18, 2010... KUCHING: The Sarawak Early Childhood Development Council plans to set up a day care centre in the vicinity of the Petra Jaya civil service golden triangle. The pilot project is aimed at strengthening early childhood education and work...

Family loses all as fire engulfs home.
March 18, 2010... KUALA TERENGGANU: A labourer and his family from Kampung Alor Tumang, Tok Jiring, here were left with only the clothes on their back when their house was destroyed in a fire yesterday. In the 12pm incident, Zulkifli Che Embong, 44, was away...

'I gave businessman RM1.21m for visas'.
March 18, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A prosecution witness in the corruption trial of former Immigration director-general Datuk Wahid Md Don yesterday said that a businessman had helped him in getting approval for calling visas for Bangladeshi workers. Businessman...

There was no offence, says police officer.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Jennifer Gomez KUALA LUMPUR: The investigating officer in the sedition trial of DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said the veteran politician did not commit an offence, going by a provision in the Federal Constitution. Assistant...

Sahabat Puteri BN launch on April 4.
March 18, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Puteri Barisan Nasional looks likely to be the first to embrace the BN's new concept of establishing links with individuals and organisations that support the coalition. Its head, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, said several...

Two men stuck in Thai jail.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah KOTA BARU: Two Malaysians are still languishing in a jail in south Thailand as their families cannot afford to pay the 900,000 baht (RM90,000) bail fixed by a southern Thai court. The two, one of them a...

Cancer kids get their wish.
March 18, 2010... IPOH: Despite their illness, three young cancer patients continue to harbour a strong drive to acquire knowledge and do better in their studies. Muhammad Rozaidi Rosli and Hajar Nur Azureen Samat, both 18, and Nurul Ezzaty Arizam, 9, are...

'Foreign tourists bypassing Perlis'.
March 18, 2010... KANGAR: Maximise the use of local products to attract more tourists to Perlis. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen made the call to the state government after visiting the Kota Kayang Museum near here yesterday. She felt that the...

What the universities must employ.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Mazlinda Mahmood SHAH ALAM: Local universities and other higher learning institutions have been urged to find ways to instil entrepreneurship qualities to produce employable graduates. Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed...

Land for jetty being acquired.
March 18, 2010... SHAH ALAM: The state government has agreed to acquire land next to the Pulau Ketam jetty to build a permanent public jetty for Pulau Ketam and Sungai Lima residents. Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state was in the process...

Seminar taps potential of women.
March 18, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Social entrepreneurism is the new buzzword where entrepreneurs would also contribute to the community. This was one of the topics at a three-day workshop on "Empowering Women through Entrepreneurship" which started yesterday. ...

Kids learn to study smart.
March 18, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: About 200 primary school pupils are spending their week-long school break learning how to study effectively in various workshops. The two-day workshops, organised by the New Straits Times' Newspaper in Education unit, kicked off...

Zambry rails against KTMB.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Jaspal Singh IPOH: There appears to be no quick solution to the impasse over the price of a railway reserve land near Taiping. The cabinet alienated the land to the Perak government earlier this year to help hundreds of squatters...

Three remanded over gang rape.
March 18, 2010... JITRA: Police have obtained a seven-day remand order against three men to assist in investigations into the gang rape of a 20-year-old woman in Kampung Sungai Korok here on Monday. Kubang Pasu district police chief Superintendent Sawaludin...

Smuggling attempt foiled.
March 18, 2010... JOHOR BARU: Johor marine police, working together with the Singapore Police Coast Guards, foiled an attempt to smuggle a consignment of cigarettes from here into the republic early yesterday. The fishing boat used by the smugglers was spotted...

50 foreigners held over vice.
March 18, 2010... SEREMBAN: Police detained 50 women believed to be involved in the flesh trade in a raid at the Sri Delima flats in Taman Bukit Delima, near here, yesterday. The women - 45 from China, three Vietnamese and two from Myanmar - were said to be in...

Captains, crewmen jailed.
March 18, 2010... KUALA TERENGGANU: Two Vietnamese fishing boat captains and their 11 crewmen were jailed by the magistrate's court yesterday after they pleaded guilty to fishing without a permit in Kuala Terengganu waters. The captains were fined RM80,000...

Prostitution ring busted.
March 18, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: A mobile prostitution ring which used Thai women to service clients was busted after police raided a motel in Simpang Empat. A couple managing the motel, four Thai women between the ages of 25 and 30, and a local man, believed to...

Man held with 3.15kg heroin.
March 18, 2010... SUNGAI PETANI: Police arrested a Myanmar and seized 3.15kg of heroin and 1,200 Ecstasy pills worth about RM125,000 at Bandar Laguna Merbok here on Tuesday. Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Hashim Ali said the suspect,...

MPV slams into stalled lorry.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Siti Idayu Rohayu Awang GUA MUSANG: Three people were killed and two others injured when their four-wheel drive multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) rammed into a stationary lorry at Km65 of the Gua Musang-Kuala Krai road yesterday. The...

Cizen Fighter looks fitter.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram CIZEN Fighter, who was resuming after a break last week, showed the benefit of the run with a smart workout one-round workout in Penang yesterday. Taken out by a track rider, the four-year-old New Zealand gelding by Le Bec...

Prinzio impresses in workout.
March 18, 2010... LAST-START shock winner Prinzio drew attention with an impressive gallop in Kranji yesterday. With race-day jockey Barend Vorster up, the five-year-old gelding by Pure Prize reeled off 600m in a swift 34.3sec. The Patrick Shaw-trained...

Figos D win inaugural women's meet.
March 18, 2010... FIGOS D edged Putra Ria 1-0 to win the 1st leg of the Milo Fuze Hidup Bola Women's Futsal Carnival at the Sports Planet Futsal Complex at Ampang Point last weekend. In the semi-finals Figos D beat Figos A 3-2 while Putra Ria beat Figos B 1-0....

Chong Wei must not get distracted again.
March 18, 2010... Byline: K.M. Boopathy IT was a rare sight to see cabinet ministers and members of parliament (MPs) congratulating Lee Chong Wei and rushing to take photographs with the newly crowned All England champion during a luncheon at Parliament...

Khyril in frame for national duty.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh KHYRIL Muhymeen Zambri is ready to don national colours again after recovering from a career-threatening knee injury. The 23-year-old winger was forced to miss last December's Laos Sea Games after damaging his knee...

Selangor still in a daze.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh SELANGOR, still smarting from the 6-1 mauling at the hands of Indonesia's Sriwijaya in Palembang on Tuesday, have confessed that it hurts like hell. "In recent years, we have become used to winning matches, we always...

Theiviya, Lyn Yee champs.
March 18, 2010... S. THEIVIYA won her first title of the year when she partnered Choo Lyn Yee to win the girls' Under-16 doubles event in the Ayam A1 National Junior Championships at the National Tennis Centre in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Theiviya-Lyn Yee beat...

KL move into semis.
March 18, 2010... TITLE-holders Kuala Lumpur have qualified for the semi-finals of the National Under-16 Championship in Sandakan yesterday. KL collected their fourth straight win in the competition edging Johor 3-2 in Group A. They will next face Kelantan in...

Delia takes Alison all the way.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Devinder Singh NICOL David cruised through the first round of the CIMB Kuala Lumpur Open but it was Delia Arnold who almost stole the limelight from the world champion in Bukit Jalil yesterday. Azlan Iskandar and Ong Beng Hee also...

Asian meet postponed.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh THE Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) confirmed that the 1st Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in Ipoh on April 13-18, has been postponed indefinitely after South Korea and Pakistan pulled out. MHF...

Adrian breaks into top 20 in Europe.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh ADRIAN Ang is now the highest ranked Asian on the European Bowling Tour (EBT) men's ranking list. The 22-year-old, who earned 120 points for finishing second in last weekend's Brunswick Euro Challenge in Paris, is...

Circuit upgrade to boost Lotus' chance.
March 18, 2010... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul IF the Lotus Racing team expect their debut on home soil in the Petronas Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix on April 2-4 to be just a homecoming, it will be that in more ways than one. Even organiser Sepang...

Chong Wei is fired up.
March 18, 2010... Byline: K.M. Boopathy LEE Chong Wei, after bagging the All England singles title on Sunday, now believes he has the grit and confidence to win any of the upcoming major titles. The Malaysian World No 1, who was invited to a luncheon by...

Umi's death sentence commuted to life term.
March 17, 2010... PASIR PUTIH: Convicted drug trafficker Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, who is imprisoned in China, has had her death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. The good news was relayed to her family here by Wisma Putra last week. Her father,...

Grieving Iranian rescued after high drama.
March 17, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A 20-year-old Iranian caused a four-hour high drama yesterday morning when he was seen seated precariously on a window ledge on the 25th floor of Villa Putri Condominium here. The man was sitting on the ledge from 8.30am before...

Fund analyst found dead in drain.
March 17, 2010... Byline: V. Shuman; Alagesh Nathan KUALA LUMPUR: A prominent fund manager was found murdered and his body dumped in a drain along the Karak Highway near Bentong on Saturday. The victim was identified as Choong Khuat Hock who is the nephew...

Coke's RM1b vote of confidence.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Heidi Foo NILAI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was heartened yesterday by the Coca-Cola Company's recognition of Malaysia as an important market and as its hub to serve the Asean region. He said the confidence demonstrated...

'Ex-CC duo have right to contest'.
March 17, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A former MCA legal bureau chief insists that central committee members Wong Nai Chee and Datuk Wong Mook Leong are eligible to contest in the March 28 party polls. Datuk Leong Tang Chong cited provisions in the party's...

Time leaders worked as one.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Chong Chee Seong WILL the new MCA leadership after March 28 be better off? Generally, many Chinese do not think so because the date chosen is unlucky. March 28, or 328, equals to 13 after adding all the three numerals. And 13 is...

'I'm a victim of sabotage'.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Adib Povera ALOR STAR: Parti Keadilan Rakyat's Bakar Arang state assemblyman Tan Wei Shu, who was dropped from the Pas-dominated state executive council last week, claims to have been "backstabbed by people" he thought "were my...

Civil servants top graft list.
March 17, 2010... KUANTAN: Most of the 500 people who were detained in the country last year on suspicion of corruption were civil servants. They numbered 191, followed by 180 employees in the private sector, 107 members of the public and 22 politicians. ...

Shahrizat: Send the right signal on child brides.
March 17, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Police and the Attorney-General's Chambers have been urged to fast-track investigations into recent cases of underage girls being forced into marriage. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul...

Three robbers shot dead.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Lee Shi-Ian KUALA SELANGOR: The mastermind of a robbery gang and two of his accomplices were shot dead by police yesterday morning here in Kota Puteri after a car chase. The three were part of an Indonesian gang believed to be...

Behave and be present, BN reps advised.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Sajahan Waheed; Sean Augustine; Ili Liyana Mokhtar BARISAN Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak has reminded all the coalition's members of parliament to safeguard their behaviour and maintain a good record of attendance during...

Why this tendency.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Azmi Anshar ANOTHER year in the Dewan Rakyat, another designed ruckus explodes. Inside the house, intellectually rigorous debate is always interchangeable with the media-driven sensational outbursts, which may turn out to be the...

'Middle Malaysia is mere rhetoric and sloganeering'.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Sajahan Waheed; Sean Augustine; Ili Liyana Mokhtar DAP'S Middle Malaysia concept is a mere rebranding of the party's old concept of "Malaysian Malaysia", said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday. Najib said that DAP...

Opposition MPs walk out after speaker refuses debate.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Sajahan Waheed; Sean Augustine; Ili Liyana Mokhtar YESTERDAY was only the second day of the third session of the august house, but a walkout, screaming matches, trading insults and heated debates were the order of the day. This was...

Strict rules apply for foreign students.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Sajahan Waheed; Sean Augustine; Ili Liyana Mokhtar INTERNATIONAL students here must fulfil certain conditions before their passes can be renewed. Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said students must be...

'All have role in new economy'.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Azura Abas KUALA LUMPUR: The soon-to-be-announced new economic model can be a key instrument to break down the walls of racism. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said this was possible as the model promised equal...

Witnesses say it's their duty to report.
March 17, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Two complainants in the sedition trial of DAP chairman Karpal Singh agreed at the High Court that a sultan could be brought to court if it was provided for in the Federal Constitution. The president of Gagasan Melayu Perak,...

Mental preparation for overseas-bound students.
March 17, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: Every student should be focused and mentally prepared so that he or she will not get a culture shock when going overseas for further study, says Muhammad Izmil Fitri, a Management & Science University (MSU) graduate in...

MSU's well-tailored optometry course.
March 17, 2010... ONE expertise in high demand among employers in the public and private sectors is the eye doctor or optometrist. The role of an optometrist is as important as a medical doctor, hence the profession is highly regarded in society. Basically,...

Paedophilia by another name.
March 17, 2010... THERE are many terms to describe a girl below the age of consent. But mention "Lolita" - after the protagonist in Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name - and images of a young, nubile nymphet, 12 years old and wanton, immediately appear. In...

Iran awaits the statesman to heal its rifts.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Kamrul Idris EVEN sworn enemies can have more in common than they think. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invites comparison with his country's arch-foe, the United States, which may have had a parallel in Richard Nixon - an...

All ye fools, march no more in folly.
March 17, 2010... Byline: W. Scott Thompson IT would be hackneyed to use the overused phrase "March Of Folly", most recently of Barbara Tuchman's, while describing any particularly loathsome undertaking by a world leader or suicidal society. But when a...

Policy under review.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Jessylina Mat Lazim I REFER to the letter "Adopt build-then-sell system" (NST, Feb 22). Fines imposed on errant developers have been on the rise because of stringent enforcement measures by the Housing and Local Government...

Our heritage too easily razed.
March 17, 2010... Byline: M. Nor Alias I WAS surprised to read in Wan A. Hulaimi's column ("Coming back to a past that's being chipped away" - NST, Jan 31) about the demolition of the bookshop where he launched his book Growing Up in Terengganu, together with...

Follow your heart.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Safiya Mohamed Yahaya NOW that the SPM results are out, many school leavers will be thinking about their next step. Many people are still ruled by the stereotypical belief that the best professions are medicine, law and...

Do girls really have what it takes?
March 17, 2010... Byline: Yhto Nainif I REFER to the reports in the NST about girls outperforming boys in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination and the column by Zainul Arifin "Girls power on, but what about the boys?" (New Sunday Times, March 14). Exams...

Kill 'd' fad now.
March 17, 2010... Byline: C.H. Gallop THE report "First to NZ, then Everest" (NST, March 12) said the proposed second attempt by a group of Malaysians to climb Mount Everest is called "Perdana de Everest Mission". Is it not time to call for a halt to the...

RM10 for what was free.
March 17, 2010... Byline: L.S. Loh I AM unhappy with the way banks are imposing indiscriminate charges on customers, especially on services that used to be free but which now attract fees. For instance, the service charge for bank statements. I called OCBC...

Do yourself a favour and quit habit now.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Dr Ramesh Gnasegarah IN 2003, the Global Youth Tobacco survey revealed that 25 per cent of youths in Malaysia were tobacco users and more than half of adult men were smokers. More than RM2 billion of taxpayers' money is being used...

Vet's idea shows little love for animals.
March 17, 2010... Byline: N.A.S.S. I AM appalled by the statement of Veterinary Services Department deputy director-general Dr Ahmad Suhaimi Omar about eating dogs from pounds. Someone who wants to work in the veterinary department should have lots of love...

States should take the initiative.
March 17, 2010... Byline: Moaz Yusuf Ahmad THE Malacca government has made many announcements and comments related to public transport over the past five years. The state government has talked about introducing light rail transit, monorail, a KTMB rail link...

Charged with raping kid in kindergarten.
March 17, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: A 47-year-old kindergarten assistant was charged at the Sessions Court yesterday with raping a four-year-old in 2008. Ewe Peng Lip was alleged to have committed the offence in Cangkat Dumbar, Bukit Dumbar, here, between 8.10am and...

5 held over killing of Pas club chief.
March 17, 2010... TELUK INTAN: Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the gangland-style murder of the Perak Pas Supporters' Club youth chief on Monday. Hilir Perak district police chief Assistant Commissioner Goh Kok Liang said the suspects,...

New Ipoh airport strategy.
March 17, 2010... Byline: P. Chandra Sagaran IPOH: The Sultan Azlan Shah Airport here will serve as a feeder airport to other airports in the region as it cannot compete with Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang and the Penang International Airport in...