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Najib’s China visit
will strengthen ties
PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak is scheduled to go on a
five-day official visit to China from May
28 to strengthen bilateral relation-
ship between the two countries, the
Chinese Press reported yesterday.
Najib’s visit, his first outside the
Asean region as prime minister, holds
a special significance as it coincides
with the 35th anniversary of the visit
to China by his father, second prime
minister Tun Abdul Razak.
Razak’s visit to China on May 28,
1974 opened up a historic chapter in
the Sino-Malaysian relationship.
According to Nanyang Siang Pau,
the foreign ministry has invited the
media to join Najib’s entourage for
the visit.
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk
Lee Chee Leong told the daily the
Chinese embassy in Malaysia and the
Prime Minister’s Office are making
final arrangements for the visit.
He said the itinerary of the visit
will be announced soon.
Lee said among those in Najib’s
entourage will be cabinet ministers,
who will meet their Chinese coun-
terparts to forge closer cooperation
in areas under the purview of their
Rocky returns to Malay Mail
PETALING JAYA: Blogger Ahirudin At-
tan, who helms the popular Rockybru
weblog, will take over as chief executive
officer of the 112-year-old The Malay
Mail, the newspaper he once edited.
It is learnt the newspaper’s editor in
chief Tony Francis held a staff meeting
yesterday to announce that Ahirudin
would take up his new post in two or
three weeks, and that he (Francis) may
be resigning.
The afternoon tabloid was previ-
ously in the New Straits Times Group
but was sold to Dynahall Sdn Bhd,
Clarification
IN OUR report yesterday titled “Women NGOs want Shahrizat to
speed up law reforms”, it has been pointed out that the Joint Action
Group for Gender Equality (JAG) comprises All Women’s Action Society
(AWAM), Pusat Janadaya (Empower), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Women’s Aid
Organisation (WAO) and Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC).
Women’s Development Collective (WDC) and Malaysian Trade Union
Congress (MTUC)-Women’s Section have left JAG.
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
ministries.
“I believe the visit will be fruit-
ful, and will take the relationship
between the two countries to new
heights on the 35th anniversary
establishing Sino-Malaysian diplo-
matic relations.”
Prior to this, Najib visited China
as defence minister in August 1992,
as education minister in May 1996
and June 1997, and as deputy prime
minister and defence minister in
September 2005.
Former ambassador to China
Firefly sanctuary under threat
Datuk Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan said
Najib’s visit will mark a new mile-
stone in the bilateral ties and raise
the cooperation between the two
countries, especially on bilateral trade
and in education, to a new level. by Maria J.Dass
Meanwhile, the Malaysian-Chinese newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Friendship Association and Malay-
sia-China Chamber of Commerce SHAH ALAM: It may be your last chance
expressed hope that they would be to catch a marvel of mother nature – the
included in Najib’s entourage. firefly colony in Kuala Selangor – as the
spectacle of synchronised twinkling by
the insect may be gone by the end of the
year if efforts to revive and rehabilitate
its habitat do not work out.
which is owned by Datuk Ibrahim Massive land clearing for oil palm
Mohd Noor’s Simpletech and Media plantations and development in the sur-
Prima’s Gabungan Kesturi Sdn Bhd. rounding areas of the firefly colony in
Ahirudin was editor of The Malay Kampung Kuantan and Kampung Bukit
Mail from 2001 until he left under a Belimbing in Kuala Selangor has been
voluntary separation scheme in early pinpointed as the cause of the diminish-
2006. ing firefly colonies.
He then started a blog which was “It could be gone by the end of this
often critical of the Tun Abdullah year,” said Selangor executive councillor
Ahmad Badawi administration. for environment, tourism and consumer
His appointment follows the recent affairs Elizabeth Wong when announcing
naming of Datuk Ahmad A. Talib as
editorial adviser of the New Straits Times,
where he was once group editor.
Govt officer charged
over bank deposit
KUALA LUMPUR: A senior
government officer pleaded not
guilty in the magistrate’s court
here yesterday to two counts
of receiving a RM100,000 bank
deposit one year ago.
Aw Joon Ching, 50, former
principal assistant director in the
Housing and Local Government
Ministry, was alleged to have
received the money from XCN
Technology Sdn Bhd director
Caleb Khoo Nee Sien in connec-
tion with the installation of incin-
erators in Pangkor and Langkawi
islands.
Aw, who was attached to the
Engineering Structure Unit of the
ministry’s implementation and
maintenance branch, had man-
aged the projects then.
Aw, who had since been
transferred to the Public Works
briefs
Man gunned down
while changing tyres
KUALA LUMPUR: A man was gunned
down at close range by two men armed
with pistols, while changing tyres to his
van near a restaurant at Lorong Tiong
Nam 5, Jalan Raja Laut, here at 9.30am
yesterday.
Chew Yee Peng, 52, a liquor distribu-
tor from Bentong, Pahang, was shot in
the chest and died on the spot.
Dang Wangi deputy police chief
several plans by the state government
to rehabilitate the area to conserve the
colonies.
“What we have in Kuala Selangor is
a unique firefly species which is capable
of synchronised twinkling,” she told a
press conference after the exco meeting
yesterday.
There are only two places in the
world which has this species – Selangor
and Brazil, she said.
Elizabeth said the exco has decided
to take over and gazette 20km land along
the river surrounding Kampung Kuantan
and Kampung Bukit Belimbing which
have been affected by development and
logging of trees that are important for
the survival of the insect.
These include the berembang, sago,
nipah and rumbia trees which are needed
during the three month lifecycle of the
Department, was alleged
to have received the
money through the ac-
count of his sister-in-law,
Tan Yee Pik, 41, at the
Bangsar Baru branch of
Malayan Banking Berhad
between May 8 and June
30, 2008.
He was charged under
Section 165 of the Penal
Code. If convicted, he is li-
able to a jail term up to two
years jail or fines or both.
Magistrate Nazran Mohd
Sham fixed bail at RM5,000
and set June 10 for re-men-
tion.
Aw was represented by
counsel Yusof Khan while
Deputy Public Prosecutor
Iznina Hanim Hashim pros-
ecuted. – Bernama
Supt Sulaiman Salleh said the victim
who had just made his collection from
the distribution of liquor in the area had
earlier been at the restaurant to have
his breakfast. When he returned to his
van after breakfast, Chew realised
one of his tyres had a puncture and
decided to replace it.
“Two assailants came by on a mo-
torcycle and shot at Chew,” Sulaiman
told reporters at the scene.
Chew’s body was sent to Hospital
Kuala Lumpur for post-mortem. – Ber-
nama
Magistrate ticks off
lawyer for drunk driving
KUALA LUMPUR: A lawyer who
pleaded guilty to driving under the
theSun | THURSDAY MAY 7 2009
A large tract of mangrove at
Tanjung Beluntas, Kampung
Bukit Belimbing, cleared for oil
palm cultivation.
firefly as food sources among others.
The state will be creating a 100m
buffer zone along the 20km stretch of
the river.
“It is crucial to start replanting the
rumbia, nipah, sago and berembang
trees in four areas immediately, if not,
a majority of the firefly colonies will die
off,” she said.
The trees in these areas had been
felled for the planting of oil palm trees.
She said all logging activities in the
area will be stopped and the setting up
of oil palm plantations disallowed.
Wong said although areas had been
declared as crucial firefly zone and sanc-
tuary in the Selangor structure plan and
the Kuala Selangor local plan, nothing
has so far been done to gazette the land
or to conserve the habitat of the fireflies
so far.
Aw at the
magistrate’s
court
yesterday.
influence of alcohol was yesterday
reprimanded by magistrate Zura
Syazween Hamizan for not comply-
ing with the law despite having
knowledge in the field.
“I am shocked to know of your
profession and disappointed be-
cause you have knowledge of the
law.
“You should be the best role
model for society to emulate,”
she said before imposing a fine of
RM3,000 or 10 days’ jail against
Eugene Tan Su Chuan, 36.
Tan was charged with driving a
car when the alcohol content in his
body had exceeded the permitted
level, from Jalan Damansara head-
ing to Jalan Taman Tun Dr Ismail at
2am yesterday. – Bernama