New Straits Times articles from November 2009, page 10

New Straits Times archives from November 2009

Tea and talk at the Dewan.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Bulbir Singh THANK you for the picture of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim having tea at the lounge in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon (NST, Nov 18). I was glad to see the two...

Making money out of illegals is a shameful act.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Mohd Faizal Abdullah EIGHTEEN illegal immigrants were detained during a raid by the police, Immigration Department, Rela, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and the National Registration Department recently. These illegals were renting...

S. Sulawesi can be our new rice bowl, says PM.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Farrah Naz Karim MALAYSIA has identified South Sulawesi as the country's new rice bowl area where it hopes to tap this Indonesian province's resources and availability of land. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the...

Panel to review monitoring of foreign students.
November 19, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Officials from the home and higher education ministries will hold discussions to review the filtering and monitoring process for enrolling foreign students here. They would look into the procedural aspect and the entry...

Judge's oversight saves three men from the gallows.
November 19, 2009... Byline: V. Anbalagan PUTRAJAYA: Three men escaped the gallows for murdering a secondhand car dealer due to an oversight by the trial judge and the prosecution. Khairul Adli Ramli, Noorazli Abdul Hamid and Mohd Aswadi Zainal, all aged 27,...

S'pore trip for lucky 3.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty Harian Metro readers were lucky yesterday when they were picked as winners in the "Reasons to Visit Singapore" contest organised by the Malay daily. The grand prize winner is Siti Noor Hanisah Osman who won a...

Attack on lawyer's home.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: A prominent lawyer's bungalow in Damansara Permai was the target of a Molotov cocktail yesterday. It caused minor damage to the compound of the house. No one was hurt in the 7.20pm attack on the home of Manjeet Singh Dhillon as...

Singapore hands over 4 Malaysians.
November 19, 2009... JOHOR BARU: Singapore yesterday handed over four Malaysian youths who were caught encroaching into Singaporean waters in search of sea snails two days ago. Marine Operations Force Region (2) base commander Assistant Commissioner Mohd Khamsani...

Team Raluca F1 the champ.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: It was worth all the hard work for Team Raluca F1 of Sekolah Datuk Abdul Razak when they were crowned champions of the F1 In the Schools Technology Challenge yesterday. Raluca F1 beat the Annihilation team from Sekolah...

Four rescued at Gunung Lambak.
November 19, 2009... KLUANG: Four Form One students, who lost their way while returning from the summit of Gunung Lambak here on Tuesday evening, were found at 1.30pm yesterday by rescuers. Mior Shahidan Mior Azman, Normayzurah Nursalim, Nurfazlin Azwa Mohd Zain and...

12-year-old boy feared drowned.
November 19, 2009... SEREMBAN: A 12-year-old boy is feared to have drowned after he and three of his friends went for a swim at a river in Kampung Baru Rasah near here, yesterday. The boy's father, S. Subramaniam, 41, said a witness told him that he last saw his...

Polytechnic's 'wajik' effort pays off.
November 19, 2009... JASIN: Students at the Merlimau Politeknik here made it to the Malaysian Book of Records when they created the longest wajik dish in the country. Measuring 600 metres, the wajik, or sweet glutinous rice cooked with palm sugar, was prepared by...

Diplomat molested me, says woman.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: A diplomat is being investigated for allegedly using force to outrage the modesty of a saleswoman in the embassy premises in Jalan U-Thant here. The alleged incident took place on Tuesday afternoon when the saleswoman went to...

12 years for causing death.
November 19, 2009... SHAH ALAM: A security guard was sentenced to 12 years' jail yesterday for causing the death of a man four years ago. High Court judicial commissioner Siti Khadijah Sheikh Hassan Badjenid sentenced P. Prem Anand, 29, after he pleaded guilty to...

Two cops cleared of graft.
November 19, 2009... KUALA TERENGGANU: Two police officers, charged with corruption, were cleared by the Sessions Court yesterday. Deputy Superintendent Ahmad Saad and Assistant Superintendent Mohd Fadzir Mamud were released without their defence being called...

Smuggled cigarettes seized.
November 19, 2009... BUTTERWORTH: Cigarettes, with unpaid duties amounting to more than RM1.1 million, were seized in two separate operations over the past several days. Penang Customs Department director Datuk Matrang Suhaili said acting on a tip-off, the...

Help these boys walk again.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Teresa Yong KUALA LUMPUR: Muhammad Shazwan Zuki vividly remembers the accident eight weeks ago that eventually led to the loss of his right leg. One minute he was riding pillion on a friend's motorcycle to a college in Hulu Langat,...

Man jailed for having drugs.
November 19, 2009... SHAH ALAM: A market trader was sentenced to nine years' jail by the High Court yesterday for two counts of drug possession. Judicial commissioner Mohd Yazid Mustafa sentenced Mazli Abdul Manaf after he pleaded guilty to possessing 513.8g of...

Formula One Racer set to break the ice.
November 19, 2009... FORMULA One Racer looks ready to go one better in the Admiralty Classic Stakes over 1800m in Race 7 tomorrow going by his impressive trial at Kranji yesterday. Taken out by a track rider, the five-year-old Australian entire by Anabaa cantered...

Coppa Del Mondo a sprinter to note.
November 19, 2009... COPPA DEL MONDO is a winner from eight starts in his native New Zealand. The four-year-old by Van Nistelrooy out of Oenotria scored over 1,200m on a good track at Avondale last February. The bay gelding clocked 1 minute 11.71 seconds with...

Triple Happy in tune for another Classic victory.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram DUAL classic winner Triple Happy geared up for a third classic success in the RM300,000 Sultan Gold Vase for Malaysian Group 1 horses over 1100m straight on Sunday with a one-round workout in Ipoh yesterday. Taken out by...

All set for National Premier Sale.
November 19, 2009... BUYERS on the lookout for value-for-money investments in the horseracing industry need not look further than the unreserved National Premier Sale of Malaysian-breds at the National Stud Farm (NSF) in Tanjong Rambutan tomorrow. Many of the...

Roslinda undeterred by critics.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh ROSLINDA Samsu has refuted concerns that her form is on the slide after below-par performances in her last two competitions. The pole vaulter relinquished her title at the Asian Championships last week after failing...

Malaysia will be chasing shadows in Vientiane.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh EIGHT gold medals is the target but don't expect any new names to emerge to herald a new dawn for Malaysian athletics at the Laos Sea Games next month. The talent pool has gone dry and the Malaysian Amateur Athletic...

Milo, Sri Garden host successful clinic.
November 19, 2009... THE Milo Play More...Learn More Under-12 badminton coaching clinic at Sri Garden Kuala Lumpur in Taman Maluri on Saturday was a resounding success with 120 enthusiasts taking part. The clinic, conducted by Lee Guan Chong and his panel of six...

Ending year on a high.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh NICOL David will seek to end a successful 2009 season on a high when she plays in her final tournament of the season at the Qatar Classic in Doha today. With seven Wispa Tour titles to her name this year, Nicol has...

Hosts know what is required.
November 19, 2009... MALAYSIA know what they are in for when the Fiba Asia Under-16 men's basketball competition gets underway at the Johor Baru Indoor stadium today. The hosts open against Thailand, opponents they should overcome tonight, but after that the hard...

Prize money is inevitable.
November 19, 2009... PROFESSIONALISM and prize money is the way forward for Malaysian table tennis. But as things stand, the timing isn't right to introduce prize money for the National Championship, according to Datuk Steve Chong, president of the Johor Table...

Uzbekistan book spot in finals.
November 19, 2009... THE national team found Uzbekistan's height advantage and strength too much to overcome as their Asian Cup qualifying campaign came to a virtual end with a 3-1 defeat at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday. While Malaysia never...

Derby match to kick-start meet.
November 19, 2009... NEW Straits Times and Berita Harian will clash in an eagerly anticipated derby match after yesterday's football draw for the 2nd National Sports Council (NSC)-Media Games. The two newspaper teams in the New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad...

Chong Wei's future the key concern.
November 19, 2009... Byline: K.M. Boopathy LEE Chong Wei competing in the Laos Sea Games is a riddle the BA of Malaysia (BAM) must solve in the next few days. Chong Wei, who has just returned from a left knee injury, has left it to BAM to decide but given a...

Caroline has her priorities right.
November 19, 2009... CANADA'S Caroline Lagrange is one of the most accomplished graphic designers in Canada. The 25-year-old, despite a promising bowling career, took a break from the sport for two years to concentrate on her career before returning to the lanes...

Zulmazran and Siti in quarter-finals.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh ZULMAZRAN Zulkifli and Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman had to battle fatigue before marching into the quarter-finals in their QubicaAMF World Cup categories after the completion of the second stage of 24 bowlers at the...

'Iron Lady' Zaiton deserving winner.
November 19, 2009... THE former "Iron Lady of Athletics" Zaiton Othman was crowned as the winner of the 2009 Women and Sport Award at the Wisma OCM Indoor Sports Complex last night. Zaiton received her award from Deputy Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim. There...

Chong Wei: Up to BAM to decide.
November 19, 2009... Byline: K.M. Boopathy AS the debate on whether Lee Chong Wei should compete in the Laos Sea Games rages on, the World No 1 was served an unceremonious first round exit from the China Open by Denmark's Jan Jorgensen in Shanghai yesterday. ...

Frager states his target.
November 19, 2009... TENNIS is his fascination and Robert Frager jumps at any opportunity to compete in an event and the general manager of Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel is already talking about winning the CEO and Celebrity Charity Tennis on his debut. Frager,...

Adiq Husainie ready to sizzle in Round Two.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Arnaz M. Khairul HE may have been a last minute inclusion, but Adiq Husainie Othman is raring to go at his second shot at UCI World Cup history in Round Two in Melbourne, Australia today. The 18-year old World Junior Championships...

Exams go on despite floods in some states.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: More than half-a-million students began their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) examinations yesterday as floods continued to ravage much of northern Peninsular Malaysia. A total of...

Pakatan 'needs only one leader'.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat is embroiled in a crisis because everybody wants to be a hero in the party, says Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat. "We are a multiracial party and it is quite hard to appoint a spiritual...

'Illegal workers posing socio-economic problems'.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Noor Adzman Baharuddin DEPUTY Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government was considering setting up a special department to monitor foreign workers whose work permits have expired. He said this was important...

Ong's 'slash and burn politics'.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and his allies have slammed president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat's reshuffling of the presidential council as the "politics of slash and burn". Liow said: "MCA is at war and the...

'Umno may have to step in'.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Noor Adzman Baharuddin TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Umno may be compelled to represent the Chinese community if MCA fails to resolve its leadership crisis. The deputy prime minister, who is also Umno deputy president, said it was...

Proposed EGM illegal, says MCA panel.
November 19, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The proposed MCA extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Nov 28 is illegal as the resolutions and notices of meeting are "defective", the party's central committee declared yesterday. President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said 23...

Ex-Perlis mufti claims trial.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Irdiani Mohd Salleh KUALA LUMPUR: Former Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin was charged at the Gombak Timur Lower Syariah Court yesterday with teaching matters related to the religion of Islam without tauliah (certification). ...

Flood situation still serious.
November 19, 2009... IPOH: The number of flood victims taking shelter at eight relief centres in Kerian has increased to 1,225 as of 10am yesterday, from 1,083 on Tuesday. A Kerian district police flood operations room spokesman said 142 more victims were...

Nazri: Floods are normal, so no compensation.
November 19, 2009... RANTAU PANJANG: The government will pay compensation to flood victims only if the floods are declared a national disaster. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said the government considered the recent floods,...

At least one cell phone for every Malaysian.
November 19, 2009... BUTTERWORTH: Malaysia has joined Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand in achieving 100 per cent cell phone ownership for its 27 million population. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission statistics, based on the...

'Don't worry, no snow tomorrow'.
November 19, 2009... Byline: Veena Babulal KUALA LUMPUR: The Meteorological Department has described rumours of a snow blizzard hitting Malaysia tomorrow as untrue. "There is no such thing as snow blizzards in Malaysia," said its director-general, Dr Yap Kok...

TI lauds govt efforts to fight graft.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Marc Lourdes KUALA LUMPUR: Transparency International has recognised the government's efforts to combat corruption despite a slip in rankings. At the launch of TI's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2009 yesterday, its president,...

Anwar: Shares claims a smear campaign.
November 18, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has shrugged off the share ownership claims as a smear campaign against him and PKR. "These people were working for me when I was the minister. And they had to leave when I...

Jobless rate down in June.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Vasudevan; Sajahan Waheed; Joseph Sipalan; Lydia Gomez THE Human Resources Ministry has no plans to make it compulsory for jobless graduates to register with the ministry. Deputy Minister Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan said this in...

Dumped ICs causing runaround.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Vasudevan; Sajahan Waheed; Joseph Sipalan; Lydia Gomez PAS yesterday blasted the police and the National Registration Department for allegedly passing the buck over a memorandum which the party submitted regarding 14 identity cards...

'No oil royalty for Kelantan'.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Vasudevan; Sajahan Waheed; Joseph Sipalan; Lydia Gomez MINISTER in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz told the house yesterday that the Federal Government would not budge from its stand that the...

RM7b fund fully used up.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Vasudevan; Sajahan Waheed; Joseph Sipalan; Lydia Gomez FUNDS for the Working Capital Guarantee Scheme (WCGS), which is used to finance medium-sized companies, has been fully disbursed, the house was told yesterday. The scheme,...

Phone towers OK on shophouses.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Vasudevan; Sajahan Waheed; Joseph Sipalan; Lydia Gomez DOUBLE-STOREY shophouses in Kuala Lumpur are allowed to install telecommunication towers and dishes as long as they are certified as safe by an engineer. Federal Territories...

Work on second LCCT '18 days behind schedule'.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Vasudevan; Sajahan Waheed; Joseph Sipalan; Lydia Gomez WORK on the RM2 billion second Low-Cost Carrier Terminal( LCCT) in Sepang is behind schedule by 18 days, the house heard yesterday. Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul...

AirAsia awaits nod for flights to Jeddah.
November 18, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Once the Saudi Arabian government sanctions AirAsia Bhd's proposal to fly to Jeddah, Muslims across Asia will be able to enjoy low fare flights to that city. This was the reply from AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri...

Net-savvy Najib is way to go, says Facebook's Zuckerberg.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Kristina George; Koi Kye Lee PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak once again scored brownie points for being Internet savvy by embracing new media on the world wide web. This time he was lauded by Facebook marketing...

Trump's key to success.
November 18, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Focus, discipline, passion, proper stress management and determination are the key to success. So said American business tycoon Donald Trump during a live video conference at the Youth Engagement Summit 2009 (YES) here yesterday....

'Private sector should use Bahasa not English'.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Ili Liyana Mokhtar KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians in the private sector should use Bahasa Malaysia and not English to show pride of the national language, Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said yesterday. He said they used...

Business student enriched by US varsity exposure.
November 18, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: "The opportunity given by MSU to me to continue my studies at Northwood University has proven to be worthwhile. There, I learnt how to be independent," explained Afiqah Lokman, who is on her semester break. Afiqah was the...

MSU wows Disneyland.
November 18, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Students of Management & Science University (MSU) went on an educational tour to Hong Kong recently. The trip, under the Young Ambassador Programme, was the sixth in a series of visits organised by students from the Faculty...

Risen waters.
November 18, 2009... FLOODS are and always have been an annual occurrence in this country. Recurring like clockwork especially in the north and northeastern parts of the peninsula with the winter northeast monsoon, their simple predictability has meant that...

Krugman's five points on financial crises.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Kamrul Idris THEY came in smart business suits to hear Paul Krugman tell them they were wanton creatures whom governments had saved from losing their shirts. At the World Capital Markets Symposium held by the Securities Commission...

Am I an idiot to advocate free elections?
November 18, 2009... Byline: W. Scott Thompson DELUSIONS are the stuff of nationhood. And it's intellectuals who create delusions. They also unmake them. I was reading some new books on the fall of communism. It was when the intelligentsia stopped believing in it...

Kudos to a public hospital.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Christine K. VERY often, one hears complaints about public hospitals which can give a negative impression of the health service as a whole. Since September 2008, I have been in and out of the Selayang Hospital Rheumatology Ward and...

The real test for those company bosses.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Lionel Perera I AM puzzled why the government must buy extra trains for Keretapi Tanah Malayu Bhd. The government must stop pampering government-linked companies. If the CEO of such a company can't do his job, then he should be...

What hope now for local hockey?
November 18, 2009... Byline: Harban Singh I WATCHED the hockey World Cup qualifier between New Zealand and Malaysia (held in New Zealand) on Sunday and I thought we played our hearts out. It was definitely one of our better games of late. Congratulations to coach...

Showcase ethnic mix in trade.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria I WAS really inspired at the presentation of the inaugural Malaysia CSR Business Leadership Awards 2009 organised by the Kuala Lumpur Malay Chamber of Commerce on Sunday. Very often ethnic-based...

Elect a new MCA council.
November 18, 2009... Byline: C.T.C. I AM indeed tired of the squabbling going on within the Malaysian Chinese Association. I can imagine this kind of political tricks, back-stabbing and shows of bravado by Pakatan Rakyat rookies. But MCA political veterans? In...

It's hard times for all workers.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Wong Chi Lik I FAIL to understand why there are so many requests for additional perks and benefits for those in government service, or for those who have retired. Bad economic conditions affect everyone, and not public servants alone....

The Iraq war was not the issue.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Abdul Razak Abu Samah PIZI Jihat's letter ("Issues don't bear comparison" - NST, Nov 13) on my comment on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ("A chance lost to question Blair" - NST, Nov 6) does not address what I was talking about. I was not...

Use tax returns format in probe.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Noramtaz Abdullah I REFER to your report on the former menteri besar of Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo ("Khir declared assets to MACC on time" - NST, Nov 14). I hope the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission will not rely...

Our image takes a hit - yet again.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Bill Sherwood I WRITE to highlight the poor service provided by taxi drivers in Kuala Lumpur. Recently, after arriving from Perth on a Saturday afternoon, my wife and I took the bus to KL Sentral with the intention of then taking a...

It's the language of knowledge.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim I REFER to the letter "PPSMI: Ministry must stick by decision" (NST, Nov 13) from Sa'ari Hasan of Ayer Keroh, Malacca. The teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) was never...

A hub of innovation in science and technology.
November 18, 2009... Byline: B. Suresh Ram KUALA LUMPUR: The National Innovation Centre (MyNIC) will be launched in the first quarter of next year to further bring to the fore development in science and technology. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said...

Najib: BN will abide by the court's decision.
November 18, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The Barisan Nasional abides by the High Court's decision in declaring the Kota Siputeh seat in Kedah vacant. Its chairman, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said the BN would now await the outcome of the Election...

Abu Hassan, EC file appeal.
November 18, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Former Kota Siputeh assemblyman Datuk Abu Hassan Sarif and the Election Commission yesterday filed an appeal against the High Court decision which declared that he was no longer an assemblyman and that the seat was vacant. The...

Lawyers up in arms over fast-tracking of cases.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Sharanjit Singh GEORGE TOWN: The legal fraternity's discontent over strict directives given to judges not to allow adjournments is set to boil over. Lawyers, who have so far only been grumbling, are now set to take more drastic...

3 face court martial over blaze.
November 18, 2009... Byline: Adrian David KUALA LUMPUR: Calling it a major embarrassment to the Royal Malaysian Navy, its chief, Admiral Tan Sri Aziz Jaafar said the Oct 8 fire that gutted KD Sri Inderapura should not have happened. Aziz said the RMN's board...

Prisons to probe.
November 18, 2009... Byline: V. Shuman KUALA LUMPUR: The Prisons Department is conducting its own investigations into the alleged suicide of suspected murderer Saravanan Jeganathan in the Air Molek prison in Johor Baru. Department secretariat unit and public...

Sivarasa loses bid to contest for Bar Council.
November 18, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court has ruled that lawyers who are elected representatives or office-bearers of political parties are barred from holding office in the Bar Council. Federal Court judge Datuk Gopal Sri Ram said this was to keep the...

80,000 expected at education fair.
November 18, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The Facon Education Fair 2009 from Dec 12 will have participation from 600 institutions of higher learning from Singapore, Indonesia, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Switzerland. Facon Exhibitions Sdn Bhd...

MAS to be among the major players.
November 18, 2009... SUBANG JAYA: As one of the biggest supporters of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace exhibition, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will again be the official airline and ground handler at this year's show. And, as on previous occasions,...