New Straits Times articles from May 2010, page 8

New Straits Times archives from May 2010

Beware the Web predator.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Rozana Sani Blogs, social networking and instant messaging tools keep you connected with loved ones and friends even when you're away on holidays. But technology can turn bad when people take advantage of the information divulged on...

Safer browsing.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Izwan Ismail ENTREPRENEUR and blogger Samuel Tan keeps a constant watch on his two children, whom he says are literally born to "surf". "In today's well-connected world, not letting the kids go online is not an option. "They...

Low-tech censoring.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Ridzwan A. Rahim When it comes to censorship, you do not always need high-tech solutions, writes RIDZWAN A. RAHIM DID I ever tell you that I once worked as a film censor? It was during this French workshop that I was helping to...

'Better image for MACC' (HL).
May 24, 2010... Byline: Fauziah Ismail KUALA LUMPUR: Troubled by the public's negative perception of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board has made two recommendations to turn it into a more credible institution....

Govt to 'unlock' idle land.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Eileen Ng KUALA LUMPUR: The government will unlock the strategic value of its idle or under-utilised land to benefit the country's economy. "We have land owned by the government that is now idle or under-utilised for various...

Second wife again not allowed into palace.
May 24, 2010... KOTA BARU: It was another disappointment for Cik Puan Elia Suhana Ahmad, the second wife of the Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra, when she was again refused entry to the Istana Mahkota here yesterday to see her husband. Elia Suhana, who...

Ruler's wife's objection rejected.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah KOTA BARU: The Syariah High Court yesterday rejected a preliminary objection by Cik Puan Elia Suhana Ahmad, the second wife of the Sultan of Kelantan Sultan Ismail Petra, to dismiss a divorce application...

Files seized from state Forestry Dept.
May 24, 2010... KOTA BARU: Officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday seized documents from the state Forestry Department to assist their investigations into logging concessions. The four-man team from the state and MACC...

Gerakan eyes Western Digital's RM3.9b.
May 24, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan will use its influence at the federal level to lobby for Western Digital Corp to invest in Penang. State Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan also urged Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to lobby hard for the investment and...

Seeking a venue to quiz Bala.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Shuhada Elis PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will decide on a suitable place in London to record private investigator P. Balasubramaniam's statement relating to the murder of Mongolian national...

Perak won't hand over assets to water body.
May 24, 2010... IPOH: The Perak menteri besar has rubbished claims, including newspaper reports, that the state government would hand over the state's water assets to Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) by the end of this month. "That is not true. It will not...

Chua: Wanita MCA not ignored in govt.
May 24, 2010... IPOH: Wanita MCA has not been ignored by the party leadership as claimed by the wing. Instead, their position in the government is stronger then the Youth wing. "The Wanita movement is represented in the government by a minister and a deputy...

CJ orders early start for courts.
May 24, 2010... Byline: V. Anbalagan PUTRAJAYA: Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi has ordered the magistrate's, Sessions and High Courts throughout the country to start proceedings 30 minutes earlier at 8.30am from July 1. The Court of Appeal and Federal Court...

Ex-deputy denies hand in drive.
May 24, 2010... KULIM: Former MIC deputy president Datuk S. Subramaniam has denied being behind the formation of Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu or GAS. He said the allegations by MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu's son and newly-appointed central working...

Party heads give GAS a pass.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Patrick Sennyah; B. Suresh Ram KUALA LUMPUR: A MIC central working committee member and the Youth and Wanita wings yesterday said they were confident that the Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement will soon run out of steam and die a...

Under pressure but not enough to quit, say analysts.
May 24, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: The soon-to-be launched anti-Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu movement or GAS could attract many supporters but may not be enough to force Samy Vellu to "surrender" his position. Political analyst Prof Mohammad Agus Yusoff of Universiti...

Where chats can go on in silence.
May 24, 2010... KOTA BARU: For a coffee shop packed with customers, Kedai Kopi Tok Penghulu in Jalan Khatib Ali here is surprisingly quiet. This is because most of its customers are the deaf mute. The coffee shop has been a favourite joint for the...

Media the punching bag for Pakatan again.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Zubaidah Abu Bakar AGAIN, the media has been blamed for reporting on the purportedly shaky state of the Pas-led Kedah Pakatan Rakyat government. Last Tuesday, Pas secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali decribed as a media ploy the...

Kulim rep adds to state PKR's woes.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Noor Adzman Baharuddin; Adib Povera ALOR STAR: The troubles in the Pakatan Rakyat-led state government are far from over. Kulim state assemblyman Lim Soo Nee, of Parti Keadilan Rakyat, without mincing his words, has blamed state...

Defence attaches promote ties, not espionage.
May 24, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: They are often mistaken as international spies. In fact, there is nothing shady about members of the Military Attache Corps (MAC). As representatives of the defence minister or defence forces chief of their respective...

Envoy seeks end to 'nuisance' tag.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Kristina George PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Zakaria Sulong is going out to ensure that all Malaysians visiting and living in Britain abide by its laws. The newly-minted Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom said this would prove...

Residents the losers after hasty move.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Sharanjit Singh AFTER months of a dry spell which saw temperatures rising to dizzying levels, Penang is finally enjoying some respite from the heat and humidity. The last few days have seen a welcome return of rainfall. However,...

Teens flung out of high-speed car die.
May 24, 2010... KLANG: A couple, on their way home to Bukit Tinggi here, died when they were flung out of their car in an accident on the Kesas Highway yesterday. Ng Kai Seng and his girlfriend, Wong Pao Wen, both 19, died at the scene from serious head...

PSD to get data on scholarship appeals.
May 24, 2010... JOHOR BARU: Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong yesterday said MCA would present its findings to the Public Service Department on appeals by top Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2009 achievers who were denied PSD scholarships. Wee, who is...

United after blitz, Thais clean up city.
May 24, 2010... IN a show of unity, city folk put on gloves and armed themselves with broomsticks to clean up the city in the aftermath of the deadly unrest. They joined hands with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) in cleaning up the former Red...

Troubles hit his pocket.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Ben Tan; Khairul Ghazali AS the dust settled in Bangkok's former anti-government hot spots, tuk-tuk driver Tiratchai Artsukho hoped that the capital would come back to life again soon. At the height of the demonstrations and...

Kapar MP told to attend Selcat hearing.
May 24, 2010... SHAH ALAM: Kapar member of parliament S. Manikavasagam has been served with a notice requesting his presence at the Select Committee for Competency, Accountability and Transparency's (Selcat) public hearing next month. The public hearing, to be...

Hunt for rest of heist gang after 7 held.
May 24, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: The seven-man heavily armed robbers who were nabbed by police on Saturday were planning a series of robberies here and in other states. In announcing this at a press conference yesterday, state police chief Datuk Ayub Yaakob said...

Handcuffed man flees in cop's car.
May 24, 2010... KOTA BARU: A car theft suspect put his skills to use when he escaped in a patrol car while being taken by police to Pasir Tumbuh to assist them in their investigation yesterday evening. The 33-year-old man, who was handcuffed, sneaked into...

Baby jumbo on brink of death saved.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Roy Goh KOTA KINABALU: A baby elephant on the brink of death was rescued in the east coast district of Lahad Datu. Weak and dehydrated, the female calf appeared to have been abandoned when found by the wildlife rescue unit of the...

Back on her feet after cancer.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Teresa Yong KUALA LUMPUR: When her left thigh started swelling three years ago, Endang Sri Astuti thought nothing of it. She thought it was because of her involvement in marching drills as a member of her school's police cadet...

Shipping company takes precautions.
May 24, 2010... KUALA LUMPUR: A shipping company in Seri Kembangan, Selangor vaccinated all its staff against influenza A (H1N1) yesterday after three of them came down with the illness. Of those infected, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican...

'Harian Metro' goes east.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Lian Cheng KUCHING: The country's best-selling Malay language newspaper, Harian Metro, officially launched its Sarawak and Sabah edition yesterday. The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad chief executive officer Datuk Anthony...

Terengganu gets extra sugar.
May 24, 2010... KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu has been allocated additional supply of sugar to cope with a sudden demand of the commodity due to panic buying. State Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry director Mohd Hilmi Mohd Noor said 400 tonnes of...

Exit strategy.
May 24, 2010... TWO things differentiate V. Mugilan's prospective campaign to oust MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu from the several others that have fallen by the wayside in the three decades of Samy Vellu's chieftainship: the timing, and the testy...

Manmohan government makes its mark.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Mahendra Ved ASKED to rate the performance of his government before last year's general election, India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave it six marks out of 10. A year hence, having completed a year of its second term last...

Bad rap.
May 24, 2010... Byline: S.M. Mohamed Idris THE Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) oppose the development of nuclear power plants in Malaysia. Remember the Asian Rare Earth (ARE) issue? The waste produced by the ARE...

I'm looking for someone more ears than mouth.
May 24, 2010... Byline: N.P.S. THE parliamentary by-elections in Hulu Selangor and Sibu show that voters can never be taken for granted. Voting patterns have transformed since the last general election. Wafer-thin victories are more the norm now than decades...

A horrifying spectacle.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Anisa Nishat Mohamed Ismail I WATCHED a video that documents the abuse of a tiger at a resort in Malacca. I don't know if the tiger was drugged or so tired that it could not even hold its head upright. Nevertheless, it was yanked...

Nuke power plants should hold no fear for us.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Narinder Pal Singh SINCE the idea of nuclear energy was mooted by the prime minister, many have voiced their concern about the safety aspects of a nuclear power plant in Malaysia. The Selangor government was the first to object to...

4,000 dead and counting.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Fauzi Muhamad I REFER to the letter "UN must stop this violence" (NST, May 20) by Gunasegar Thiyagaraja. He is right to question how the Thai authorities allowed the army to fight their own countrymen. He also asked the United Nations...

Strong medicine needed for this disease.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Gunasegar Thiyagaraja THE Mat Rempit "disease" is spreading among teenagers, and measures taken by the authorities have not stopped it. Mat Rempit who were caught should be charged and given the maximum jail time and caning. Their...

Reporters died in the line of duty.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Masjaliza Hamzah THE Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), as a partner in the Southeast Press Alliance (Seapa), urges the Thai government to honour free media and protect journalists in Bangkok. The centre faxed a letter to the...

Oslo, Denver plans fly high.
May 24, 2010... Byline: S.T. I REFER to the Business Times report "1MDB secures RM5b FDI commitments" (NST, May 19). The report also mentioned the proposed redevelopment of the old airport in Sungai Besi. I have often wondered why nothing has been done to...

We have to get higher stamp prices licked.
May 24, 2010... Byline: K. Thiruselvam THE management of Pos Malaysia might want to rethink its new rates to be implemented soon. Doubling the postage of a 30 sen stamp letter is not going to solve the economic woes of Pos Malaysia, which is handling a...

Road terrors.
May 24, 2010... Byline: N.G. IF you have ever had the experience of being tailed or swarmed by Mat Rempit while driving at night, you would understand how policemen feel and why they sometimes act the way they do in catching them. Public roads become the...

Villagers keen on power plant.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Julia Chan LAHAD DATU: Villagers in the coastal Kampung Sinakut, Felda Sahabat, are excited that a 300MW coal-fired power plant will be built near their village. Resort worker Gasali Djunaidi, 23, said he looked forward to the...

Held for selling pills to students.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Lee Shi-Ian KUALA LUMPUR: A woman operating a medical hall in Damansara was nabbed after she was found selling dexcophan cough pills for 50 sen each to school students. The outlet was raided by Health Ministry enforcement officers...

Kerdau rep out of second coma.
May 24, 2010... KUANTAN: Kerdau state assemblyman Datuk Zaharuddin Abu Kassim's condition improved slightly yesterday. He had slipped back into a coma at the National Heart Institute on Saturday. Kuala Krau member of parliament Datuk Ismail Mohd Said said...

Exco man pulls through op.
May 24, 2010... JOHOR BARU: State Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Committee chairman Abdul Aziz Kaprawi successfully underwent heart bypass surgery at Sultanah Aminah Hospital here yesterday. The surgery began at 2pm and ended eight hours later. The...

From draughtsman to big boat-maker.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Dharshini Balan MALACCA: If one were to use the Pulau Gadong exit to get to Klebang beach here, chances are you would see a small lane on your left named Lorong Boat Explorer, after a boat manufacturing company in the state. Boat...

Living in fear of 'flying' rocks.
May 24, 2010... GEORGE TOWN: Thousands of residents of Taman Chee Seng and its surrounding areas here are living in fear because of uncontrolled blasting activities at a nearby project site. Residents claim that there have been at least three incidents of...

A great deal of corporate knowledge shared at talk.
May 24, 2010... BANGI: Foreign student Khalid Mahamat, 26, was taken by surprise when he noticed how seriously undergraduates in Malaysia were taken, especially in the corporate world. Khalid, from Chad, realised how important his role was in Malaysia while...

15 foreign masseuses held at reflexology centre.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Jassmine Shadiqe JOHOR BARU: Fifteen foreign female masseuses were detained in a raid at a traditional reflexology centre in Jalan Pingai, Taman Pelangi here last week. Of the 15 women, eight of them were believed to be victims of...

Guangzhou Star shines.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Go-Ram GUANGZHOU Star upstaged his more fancied rivals to earn a berth in the final of the RM300,000 Da Ma Cai Malaysia Three-Year-Old Championship in July with an outstanding victory in the final heat staged by the Perak Turf Club...

Races cancelled due to bad weather.
May 24, 2010... BAD weather forced the cancellation of Race 2 of the Underbone 115cc and SuperSports 600cc events in Round 2 of the Petronas Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at the Autopolis International Racing Course, Japan yesterday. The Petronas...

Terengganu, Kelantan win to keep it hot.
May 24, 2010... LEADERS Terengganu and second-placed Kelantan won their Group B matches against Malacca and Sabah respectively on Saturday to keep it hot in the Minister of Education League Cup (MELC) Under-14 championship. Terengganu beat Malacca 2-0 at...

Cai Lin checks in for World meet.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul KHOO Cai Lin became the first Malaysian to qualify for the next World Championships after winning the women's 800m freestyle in record time at the Malaysian Open Swimming Championships in Bukit Jalil yesterday. The...

Filipino breaks Malaysian hearts.
May 24, 2010... MHARK Fernando of the Philippines secured a wire-to-wire win at the 108th Malaysian Amateur Open Golf Championship at the par-72 Damai Laut Golf and Country Club yesterday. Faced with strong challenge from national player, Mohd Iylia Jamil,...

Kelantan's Anuar Musa eyes deputy president's post.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh THE FAM Congress on July 31 is set for a fierce election battle. FA of Malaysia (FAM) president Sultan Ahmad Shah will likely return unopposed for another term but other incumbents may face strong challengers. It...

BAM in serious need of revamp.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Vijesh Rai IT shouldn't have come as a surprise that the national shuttlers cited a variety of reasons for the Thomas Cup failure for this has been the standard approach for some time now. This disturbing trend started following...

It's business as usual.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Devinder Singh SELANGOR did not miss coach K. Devan's presence on the bench as they went about their business in clinical fashion by beating KL Plus 2-1 in Shah Alam on Saturday to retain their six point lead in the Super League...

Malaysia in 'Group of Death'.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Ajitpal Singh MALAYSIA have been drawn in the 'Group of Death' for the New Delhi Commonwealth Games men's hockey competition. The team are in Pool A alongside world champions Australia, India, Pakistan and Scotland. England, New...

Under-16 boys upset Dutch.
May 24, 2010... THE national Under-16 team created a major upset in the Mannheim Four-Nation Championship when they edged favourites the Netherlands 4-3 in their opening match in Germany on Saturday. Malaysia were down 2-0 after 14 minutes before Shahril...

Sabah are champs.
May 24, 2010... DEBUTANTS Sabah emerged Division Two champions of the MHF-Milo-NSC Junior League when they beat Penang Frees 4-1 at the Pandamaran Hockey Stadium in Klang yesterday. Sabah opened accounts in the fifth minute through Eldon Lemery before...

There's a lack of discipline.
May 24, 2010... Byline: K.M. Boopathy DISCIPLINE has been identified as one of the main factors that has led to the decline of the national shuttlers' standards and the debate continues on how the issue should be tackled. National Sports Council (NSC)...

Zulfahmi's 125cc hopes dashed.
May 24, 2010... MOHD Zulfahmi Khairuddin's hopes of an improved performance in the 125cc World Championship in the French Grand Prix at Le Mans yesterday came to nought as the 19-year-old only managed a 25th place finish. Starting from 24th out of 29...

Duo dominate track.
May 24, 2010... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul IT was a two-horse race in all events of the girls under-16 category in Round Two of the SportExcel National Junior Circuit (Track) at the Kuala Lumpur Velodrome over the weekend. But having lost out to Pahang's...

Status quo for MCA (HL).
May 23, 2010... Byline: Eileen Ng KUALA LUMPUR: Former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is expected to retain the transport minister's post, thus leaving the party's representation unchanged in the event of a cabinet reshuffle. Sources said the MCA...

Developing young minds.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Meera Murugesan THE Panasonic Kid Witness News training camp for children exposes them to teamwork, developing their full potential, creativity and more, writes MEERA MURUGESAN. THERE'S a shy smile on his face as he moves his...

The debate continues.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Koh Soo Ling LOCAL academicians are at odds over rankings - whether revising methodology, restricting the activity to Asian universities or even having the exercise at all, writes KOH SOO LING. LOVE it or hate it, university...

Affront to dignity.
May 23, 2010... ON graduation day at the end of a university or college degree, groups of newly-graduated friends will pose for that shot - mortar-board tilted just right, scroll in hand - to celebrate not just the hard work put in to earn that degree, but the...

Shahrizat: Decision in two months.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Looi Sue-Chern KUALA LUMPUR: The decision on the proposed 90 days maternity leave will be made in two months, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said yesterday. She said that once the...

The stakes are high.
May 23, 2010... Byline: James Campbell HENRY Kissinger is often attributed to have said, "The reason academic politics are so bitter is that so little is at stake". Is the debate over university rankings an example of another arcane academic intellectual...

Baby dies after falling 3 floors.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Lee Shi-Ian SUBANG JAYA: A nine-month-old baby boy died yesterday after falling from the third floor of the teachers' quarters in USJ6. Adam Haiqal Mohd Rostam was believed to have been playing on a bed placed near an open window...

When a grown man cries.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Zaid Mohamad IF you are a fan of the local legendary rock group Search, you would have probably listened to a song called Teguh, which literally translates as "sturdy". The song is about a man who, in pursuit of material wealth,...

Sacked MIC man sets out to GAS Samy Vellu.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Koi Kye Lee KUALA LUMPUR: An anti-Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu movement, called "GAS" will be launched on May 30, to increase the pressure on the long-serving president of the MIC to quit sooner than the promised September 2011 date. ...

PM: MIC must resolve conflict.
May 23, 2010... JOHOR BARU: The situation in MIC should be resolved and this will have to be done within the confines of the party, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said. "I see that it is becoming heated, and many MIC leaders are of the opinion that...

Live out your dreams.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Suzieana Uda Nagu YOUTH can look forward to a series of conferences on careers, creativity, entrepreneurship and media - which coincides with YOUTH'10, the largest festival of its kind in Malaysia - for inspiration to turn their...

Be sensitive but don't get angry, says Abdullah.
May 23, 2010... KEPALA BATAS: MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu will have to recognise the people's reactions and decide accordingly, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said. "As a leader, one must be able to lead and listen... this is a...

Sweet news for diabetics.
May 23, 2010... MORE help for Malaysians suffering from Parkinson's disease is on the way. In addition to the recent call by The Malaysian Parkinson's Disease Association for patients to be accorded disabled status to enable them to receive disability...

7 suspects linked to van heist held.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Phuah Ken Lin GEORGE TOWN: Police believe they have solved the RM164,000 cash-in-transit van heist on Wednesday with the arrest of seven suspects, including a woman yesterday. The raiding party seized two Chinese-made AK-47 assault...

Students vie for Berklee scholarship.
May 23, 2010... BERKLEE College of Music in the United States, the world renowned institution for the study of contemporary music, recently culminated its 12th consecutive year of conducting the Berklee World Scholarship Auditions Tour (WST) 2010 at...

Pre- and post-operative care.
May 23, 2010... Byline: Juneita Johari AT some point in our lives, someone we know might need to undergo surgery. It could be something as straight-forward as a cataract operation and appendectomy, or as complicated as an open-heart surgery. It could...