New Straits Times articles from September 2009

New Straits Times archives from September 2009

Tourist village now an eyesore.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Nadia Badarudin ALOR STAR: It was touted to be the latest and one of the biggest tourist attractions in the state. However, the "Kampung Tradisional" in Gunung Keriang here is fast becoming an eyesore. Barely six months after its...

Oct 22 date for Sivakumar plea.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will rule on Oct 22 whether to grant leave to former Perak speaker V. Sivakumar to review the Election Commission's decision which held that three assemblymen did not resign. High Court judge Lau Bee Lan fixed the...

Provide fast service, civil servants told.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants have been told to provide quick service to the people - and with respect - for key performance indicators (KPIs) of ministries to be meaningful. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of National...

Police say bad road habits behind high death toll.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Lee Shi-Ian KUALA LUMPUR: The high death toll of Ops Sikap XX during the Hari Raya holidays reflects the behaviour of Malaysian road users, which includes speeding and beating the traffic lights. Federal traffic chief Datuk Abdul Aziz...

Man stabs ex-girlfriend.
September 30, 2009... BUTTERWORTH: A 24-year-old stabbed his ex-girlfriend while at the staircase to her flat in Bagan Jermal here on Sunday afternoon. Seberang Prai Utara police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Alias said the suspect stabbed the girl in her...

Trishaw riders 'live below poverty level'.
September 30, 2009... GEORGE TOWN: The Permai Malay Trishaw Riders Association is disputing claims by the state government that there are no more hardcore poor. Its chairman Abdul Latiff Mohd said most of his 60-member group, including himself, were living below...

Land at centre of graft trial 'never belonged to council'.
September 30, 2009... IPOH: A 37ha parcel of land, central to the corruption trial of two former Perak Pakatan Rakyat executive council members and three others, was never alienated to the Perak Tengah District Council (PTDC). In fact, when the state government,...

Subra's fate not on agenda.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Suganthi Suparmaniam KUALA LUMPUR: MIC strongman Datuk S. Subramaniam, facing the possibility of disciplinary action in the wake of losing the fight for the No. 2 post in the party elections a fortnight ago, will have to wait longer...

RM150m for early education centres.
September 30, 2009... PORT DICKSON: The government has allocated RM150 million to improve the quality of childcare and early education. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, wife of the prime minister, said 478 childcare and early education centres would receive assistance...

16-year-old held for posing as policeman.
September 30, 2009... PETALING JAYA: A 16-year-old boy was arrested for impersonating a policeman and robbing several college students yesterday. His 17-year-old accomplice managed to escape. District police chief Assistant Commissioner Arjunaidi Mohamed said the...

Anti-cervical cancer jabs to go on despite UK death.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry will proceed with plans to administer cervical cancer vaccines to schoolgirls in Form One despite the death of a British student who had received a dose two days ago. Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said...

Freud's sources of suffering and Afghanistan.
September 30, 2009... Byline: W. Scott Thompson MY favourite essay of Freud is Civilization and its Discontents. Anyone arriving in Manila last Saturday night knows about the first of three "sources of suffering", "the superior force of nature": 43cm of rain...

Chilling data from Noordin's laptop.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Amy Chew JAKARTA: Data recovered from the laptop of Malaysian terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top was a chilling revelation of twisted ideology, murderous intent and manipulation of the young. A video released by police yesterday showed...

Malaysia off to fine start.
September 30, 2009... THE National Under-18 side got off to a resounding start in the Sea Cup tournament when they thrashed Thailand 'A' 6-0 in Bangkok yesterday. Nor Faeez Ibrahim was the hero when he bagged a brace. The other scorers were Mohd Fitri Saari, Amir...

World economy not quite out of the woods yet.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Mohamed Ariff THERE are signs that the global economic crisis is abating and a recovery is dawning. Economic data and earnings have surprised on the upside. While this seems reassuring, there are nagging doubts about the...

Chance for Hafiz to come good.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh UNDER-FIRE Hafiz Hashim, in the absence of World No 1 Lee Chong Wei, will get a chance to prove himself in the Terengganu Open which starts today. Chong Wei has skipped the tournament due to a recurring knee injury....

More cases after Raya holidays.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Annie Freeda Cruez; Beatrice Thomas KUALA LUMPUR: There has been an increase in the number of people seeking treatment for influenza-like illness after the long Hari Raya holidays. Doctors in hospitals and clinics attribute the...

Nekmat is down but not out.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Jason Gerald John IN his glory days, Nekmat Jantan's left jab would send shivers down the spines of his opponents. However, the blows that his opponents rained on Nekmat, a silver medallist at the 1989 Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur,...

Allan confident Azlan will bounce back.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh AZLAN Iskandar's defeat in the national team's 2-1 win over Finland at the Men's World Team Championship in Odense, Denmark, on Monday was just a blip. National elite coach Allan Soyza said Azlan struggled to get to...

Terengganu Umno clears tension by sharing.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Sean Augustin KUALA TERENGGANU: A new beginning - this about sums up the outcome of Monday's gathering of state Umno leaders with their chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein in Marang. The tension between two rival factions with...

Ex-JI leader: Noordin's death won't end terrorism in Indonesia.
September 30, 2009... JOHOR BARU: Although Asia's most wanted terrorist, Noordin Mohammad Top, was killed by Indonesian security forces recently, his death does not spell the end of terrorism in the republic, said a former leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Nasir...

Battle of champions loom.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh DEFENDING champion Jason Spong returns for a crack at winning his third Malakoff Powerman Malaysia title at the eighth edition of the duathlon race in Seri Manjung, Perak, on Nov 8. But the South African, who also...

Care centres can cut costs, says Liow.
September 30, 2009... PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry wants to develop more ambulatory care centres (ACCs) to reduce the escalating cost of healthcare and overcrowding in government hospitals. Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said ACCs could accommodate minor...

Try these on speedsters.
September 30, 2009... Byline: G.M.C. I REFER to J.D.V's letter "Let states handle road safety" (NST, Sept 28). Having driven in Malaysia for the past 10 years and with 25 years' driving experience in Australia, I totally abhor the disgraceful attitude and...

Put fear in reckless drivers.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Dr M.A. Jamil MUCH has been said about Ops Sikap, which began in 2000. Twenty campaigns in this operation have come and gone and the death toll remains pretty much the same. I think the authorities should declare the operation a...

Pas to field Negri chief.
September 30, 2009... PORT DICKSON: Pas yesterday named Negri Sembilan state commissioner Zulkefly Mohamad Omar, 44, as its candidate for the Bagan Pinang state by-election next month. The announcement was made by party president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang at a...

State Pas to discuss MB's Selcat refusal.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Mazlinda Mahmood SHAH ALAM: Selangor Pas will meet soon to discuss the decision by Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim not to review the state Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat). State Pas...

Passengers shortchanged despite increase in bus fares.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Chin Robert THE new fares charged by RapidKL do not do justice to paying passengers. It is a lose-lose situation to paying commuters as RapidKL is striving for higher profits and not providing its social obligation to the public....

Get a glimpse of Da Vinci's genius.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: It took a decade for scholars to analyse and interpret the works of one of Florence's favourite sons, Leonardo Da Vinci. Scholars in Rome from the museum, which was named after the artist and inventor, deciphered notes from the...

I'mbless gears up for comeback win.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Go-Ram FOUR-time winner I'mbless geared up for a comeback win in the Selangor Trophy for Class 3 horses over 1600m on Saturday with a smart workout in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Taken out by a track rider, the five-year-old New...

2 nabbed for stealing laptops.
September 30, 2009... SHAH ALAM: Police nabbed two break-in suspects within minutes after they had broken into a house shared by 11 students in Taman TTDI Jaya here on Monday. The suspects, aged 19 and 20, had broken into the house rented by the Sultan Abdul Aziz...

Six who posed as cops caught.
September 30, 2009... ALOR STAR: Six men, who posed as policemen, were arrested over the past three days after three of them relieved several Bangladeshi migrant workers of more than RM200 in cash and valuables in Tanjung Bendahara here on Sunday. Police rounded up...

Cover can still be provided.
September 30, 2009... Byline: V. Thomas THE general insurance industry (GII) is barking up the wrong tree by citing the high number of vehicle thefts and accidents as reason to refuse insurance coverage to vehicles more than 10 years old. This has put many vehicle...

Selangor close in as Kedah crash.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Devinder Singh; Zainuddin Muhammad SELANGOR took a step closer to the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Police at the Shah Alam Stadium yesterday as ailing champions Kedah face a premature exit. Police went a goal...

Manhunt for burglary suspect.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: A manhunt has been mounted for a burglar after police arrested two of his accomplices near the Sungai Penchala toll plaza following a high speed pursuit. Sentul deputy police chief Superintendent Zainuddin Ahmad said a police...

Murugiah puts EPF squeeze on bus firms.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Bus operators may be required to obtain letters from EPF and Socso confirming that all deductions due to their employees have been settled before their annual licences are approved. This is a proposal being forwarded by the Public...

Orang utans' fate on the line.
September 30, 2009... KOTA KINABALU: More than 130 experts and researchers will gather at a resort in Tuaran tomorrow to discuss ways to develop models to conserve orang utans within fragmented ecosystems on Sabah's east coast. The Orang Utan Conservation Colloquium...

Was this a valid roadblock?
September 30, 2009... Byline: Mohd Faizal Abdullahj SOMEWHERE near Km359 of the North-South Expressway, I saw a couple of policemen on the emergency lane stopping and issuing summonses to motorcyclists. This happened while I was on my way back to Kuala Lumpur...

Isa confident voters will support Barisan.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Shahjahan Waheed; Heidi Foo PORT DICKSON: Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad yesterday expressed confidence that the voters will continue to support Barisan Nasional in the Bagan Pinang by-election on Oct 11. Isa, 59, promised to campaign...

Not our scene, best unseen.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Sathas I REFER to the letter "Imported Tamil movies excessively violent" (NST, Sept 28). I thank S. Sundareson of Petaling Jaya for his views on Tamil movies. I agree with him that Tamil movies do need to be censored strictly....

Let's be practical in pursuing dreams.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Mohammed Kadeer Mydin WE have heard the pros and cons of Malaysia's impending involvement in Formula One from NST readers and we can go on arguing until the cows come home. But we must drive home these points since the government has...

'Awaiting caning order on Kartika'.
September 30, 2009... KAJANG: The Prisons Department is ready at any time to carry out the punishment meted out on part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno for drinking beer in July last year. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said, however, that the...

Someone must lead.
September 30, 2009... Byline: M.G.D. I REFER to your article, "Woman, have you got cheating on your mind?" (New Sunday Times, Sept 27) in which it was reported that 50 per cent of marriages end in divorce and that gender equality may be a significant contributory...

Nik Aziz to Dr M: See for yourself.
September 30, 2009... KOTA BARU: Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has extended an invitation to former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to visit the state to see for himself the development there. He dismissed criticisms that Kelantan had not...

A safer way to firecracker fun.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Maureen Anne Muthu NEWSPAPERS were filled with festive greetings and news of orphans and the less fortunate being feted with sumptuous meals and duit Raya during Hari Raya Aidilfitri. However, there was something new in the New...

An enjoyable read indeed.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Bulbir Singh THE story "Reunited by a photo after 37 years" (NST, Sept 28) made my eyes teary. I believe it would have done the same to many of your readers. It was not so much the story itself, but the way it was written by Halimatul...

No respect for Mother Nature.
September 30, 2009... Byline: James Gonzales ONCE again as I look out of my house, I can see the haze enveloping the skies of Kuala Lumpur. While everyone seems to be concerned and pre-occupied with the spread of influenza A (H1N1) and dengue, little or no...

Wife faints as man gets jail for rape.
September 30, 2009... Byline: M. Hamzah Jamaludin KUANTAN: A woman was overcome by emotion and collapsed outside the Sessions Court yesterday after she learnt that her husband was sentenced to 15 years' jail and five strokes of the rotan for raping a friend's...

Cadmium in cuttlefish.
September 30, 2009... GEORGE TOWN: The public has been advised to stay away from dried cuttlefish. The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has detected cadmium - an extremely toxic metal commonly found in industrial workplaces - in random tests conducted on six...

Umno's final briefings.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Umno will hold briefings for all state liaison committees on the proposed constitutional amendments which will be tabled at a special assembly next month, said party deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. "We will meet every...

Najib declares Port Dickson an 'Army Town'.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Patrick Sennyah; Heidi Foo PORT DICKSON: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday declared this popular beach town as an "Army Town" in recognition of the deeds and sacrifices of the nation's armed forces. Najib said the...

RM550m will make our roads safer.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian roads can be upgraded to five-star safety rating at a cost of RM550 million, says international movie star Datuk Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh, who is the road safety ambassador for the "Make Roads Safe Campaign" run by...

SUPP chief calls for peaceful resolution.
September 30, 2009... KUCHING: Sarawak United People's Party president Tan Sri Dr George Chan said yesterday the dispute over the establishment of the party's Dudong branch has to be settled in a family way. He hoped all members would accept the decision of the...

Najib to visit France.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak will make his first official visit to France as prime minister from Sunday. This will be his first visit to Europe since taking over the premiership in April. Najib is scheduled to meet French president...

'Cattle farmers told of danger'.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Mazlinda Mahmood SHAH ALAM: The two cattle farmers affected by a landfill collapse in Kampung Sungai Kertas in Gombak, last Thursday, were repeatedly warned that the area was not safe and were told to move out. Batu Caves assemblyman...

'Visible results'.
September 30, 2009... TAN Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has ruefully observed that while the government and nation as a whole are moving forward on the concerns of the people as expressed in their unhappiness with Barisan Nasional in the last general election, the political...

On their toes for a tsunami.
September 30, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is more than prepared to handle any tsunami threat now that the second phase of the National Tsunami Early Warning System (SAATNM) is almost complete. Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili...

Bank sees through bogus cop's ploy.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Phuah Ken Lin GEORGE TOWN: A suspected member of an international drug ring tried to withdraw RM2.3 million from the frozen bank account of a Datuk businessman who is on trial for trafficking. He walked into a bank in Jelutong here...

SMS call-up by psychiatrist earns criticism.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Rita Jong SHAH ALAM: The Teoh Beng Hock inquest was yesterday postponed to tomorrow because the investigating officer Assistant Superintendent Ahmad Nazri Zainal was on medical leave. Coroner Azmil Muntapha Abas granted the...

Family affair at the Penang Turf Club.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Melissa Darlyne Chow GEORGE TOWN: Abidin Abdul Ghani's father, Abdul Ghani Endang, worked as a farrier in the Penang Turf Club (PETC) after migrating from Boyan, Indonesia, in 1914. Now 62, Abidin is still at the paddock as a...

Varsities vie for pharmacy quiz honours.
September 30, 2009... KUANTAN: For the first time ever, a national-level quiz for pharmacy undergraduates will be held at the International Islamic University (IIU) branch campus here this weekend. Fourteen teams from nine public and private institutions of higher...

Shot dead at close range.
September 30, 2009... ALOR STAR: A used-car dealer was gunned down gangland-style outside a stationery store in Jalan Teluk Wanjah here yesterday. Cheng Chun Keat, 39, of Taman Pulasan here, succumbed to several gunshot wounds to his chest and neck in the 6.15pm...

RM28,000 needed for surgery.
September 30, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Muhammad Faiq Daniel Muhammad Hazly, 2, struggles to breathe and complains of chest pains whenever he exerts himself while playing. Faiq suffers from a heart condition called total anomalous pulmonary veneous drainage and needs...

Swede shock for Hewitt.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh WORLD No 446 Joachim Johansson of Sweden stunned former World No 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the first round of Proton Malaysian Open at Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil yesterday. World No 19 David Ferrer, the...

Gonzalez simply loving it in Kuala Lumpur.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh FERNANDO Gonzalez has picked up a few words of Bahasa Malaysia since arriving in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday for the Proton Malaysian Open. The jovial Chilean, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the recent...

Verdasco puts surgery on hold.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Ajitpal Singh SPANIARD Fernando Verdasco has postponed surgery to his foot in a bid to qualify for November's ATP World Tour Finals in London and also to feature in Spain's Davis Cup team for the final against the Czech Republic in...

Malaysia to build RM60mil wind tunnel.
September 30, 2009... Byline: Goh Thean Eu THE development of a Formula One technology centre, which will include a wind tunnel that costs some RM60 million, is expected to be completed in two years, according to 1Malaysia F1 Team principal Datuk Seri Tony...

Traffic at standstill in major city roads.
September 29, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Traffic was at a standstill in Jalan Tun Razak and other major roads in the city yesterday morning as thousands returned to work after the long Hari Raya break. A Kuala Lumpur traffic police spokesman said the jam began from the...

Acquitted of rape after 8 years.
September 29, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Two men who had a rape charge hanging over their heads for eight years, walked free yesterday. The Kajang Court for Children, sitting here yesterday, acquitted the duo, aged 15 and 16 years at the time of the offence, without...

Inquest to go on, stay bid fails.
September 29, 2009... Byline: Rita Jong PUTRAJAYA: The inquest into Teoh Beng Hock's death must go on. This decision was made by the Court of Appeal yesterday after it rejected an appeal by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for an interim stay on...

Woman saves 3 kids from blaze.
September 29, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: An 18-year-old woman saved her three young cousins yesterday when fire broke out at a 12th floor unit of the Kerinchi flats. Noremyliana Mohamad Ikmal was babysitting her three cousins, aged between 6 months and 6 years, while...

Tapper Salleh's dream realised.
September 29, 2009... Byline: Sulaiman Jaafar KUALA KRAI: After nearly 25 years of marriage, rubber tapper Salleh Mohamad, 51, finally has a home for his family, thanks to the Federal Government and its agency, the South Kelantan Regional Development Authority...

Terengganu Umno shows more unity.
September 29, 2009... KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu Umno is on the mend, its liaison chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday, pointing to the "almost full attendance" of divisional leaders and state assemblymen during its meeting here. It showed that...

MIC man loses RM250,000.
September 29, 2009... KLANG: Well-known textile businessman and Klang MIC division chief V. Ragu Moorthy lost RM250,000 during a daring robbery in the middle of the Kota Bridge here yesterday. Ragu Moorthy was on the way to a bank to deposit the weekend's...

Freed of rape charge.
September 29, 2009... SHAH ALAM: A 29-year-old factory operator was freed by the Sessions Court yesterday of a charge of raping an underage girl. Yazid Musa, from Setiu, was acquitted by judge M. Gunalan after seven witnesses testified. Gunalan ruled that the...

The wrath of Selcat.
September 29, 2009... THERE is no question that special select committees appointed by Parliament or the state legislatures serve a valuable purpose. Some would even say that the checks and balances they provide are of crucial importance to the health of our...

Witness admits throwing away notes of minutes.
September 29, 2009... IPOH: A witness in the trial of two former Perak Pakatan Rakyat executive councillors told the Sessions Court here that she never kept hand-written minutes of the Perak Tengah District Council (PTDC) board meetings. Testifying at the corruption...

Chaka Khan rocks at 'Funk This' gig.
September 29, 2009... KUALA LUMPUR: Famed R&B and soul entertainer Chaka Khan brought the house down last night with an electrifying performance at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton grand ballroom. Her Funk This concert saw the award-winning singer belting out all-time...

Selangor Pas chief not out of woods yet.
September 29, 2009... Byline: Zubaidah Abu Bakar DATUK Dr Hasan Ali may appear to be in control of Selangor Pas after Sunday's endorsement by Selangor Pas leaders on his criticism of the action of a state committee. However, some have suggested that the state Pas...

No revamp of procedures.
September 29, 2009... SHAH ALAM: The state government last night decided to maintain the membership of the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) and not to revamp the procedures. The decision was made in a two-hour closed-door...

Selcat chief accuses Hasan of lying, then covering up.
September 29, 2009... Byline: Mazlinda Mahmood SHAH ALAM: Chairman of the state's Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) Teng Chang Khim yesterday lambasted Selangor Pas commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali for lying and accusing him...

When missing 'u' is not something to LOL about.
September 29, 2009... Byline: Umapagan Ampikaipakan WORDS. Words without structure, without style, without shape, possess neither form nor function. They are meaningless and thus ghastly; grotesque. For when they are written, marked on a surface, words lack the...

Court of the world champ.
September 29, 2009... Byline: Sean Augustin A COURT to call her own? The Sports Ministry is proposing to name the central squash court in Bukit Jalil after world champion Nicol David for her contribution to the country. Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, in...

BN, Pas to name candidates today.
September 29, 2009... PUTRAJAYA: Barisan Nasional and Pas will announce their candidates for the Bagan Pinang state by-election today. Deputy Prime Minister and Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin will make the announcement at a Hari Raya Aidilfitri gathering...