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No. 4766 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Tuesday
May 26, 2009
TELLING IT AS IT IS www.sun2surf.com

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the prize

Welcome home
T he Sultan of Selangor, Sultan
Sharafuddin Idris Shah, is wel-
comed by the Raja Muda of Perak,
Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, on his return
at KL International Airport yesterday
after undergoing heart surgery for
mitral valve repair at Stanford Uni-
versity Medical Centre in Palo Alto,
Husam goes for No.2
by Meena L. Ramadas
newsdesk@thesundaily.com.
turned unopposed. Making it a three-corner
fight is another vice-president Datuk Mo-
hammad Sabu.
“I’m focusing on efforts to gain more
public support for PAS. I feel we can have
national change if we have more support,”
California. KUALA LUMPUR: A battle royale is on Nik Aziz and Hadi clashed last year Husam said.
The Sultan looked cheerful as the cards for the PAS party elections on in leadership opinion when Hadi and He stressed that he opposed any form of
he was greeted by several VIPs and June 5 after vice-president Datuk Husam Nasharuddin held what was then billed as cooperation with Umno as opposed to some
senior state government officials, Musa announced yesterday he is taking on “unity talks”, or muqabalah, with Umno. members and leaders who “are considering
including Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul incumbent Datuk Nasharuddin Mat Isa for Nik Aziz strongly objected to such talks, with the idea of forging a cooperative relationship
Khalid Ibrahim and Agriculture and the deputy presidency. the majority support of party grassroots. with the reigning party”.
Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Party members will be Hadi and Nasharuddin, a religious He said the party “should not be liberal to-
Noh Omar. split in support for Husam scholar, abandoned the talks after Datuk Seri wards Umno and should remain centrist”.
In a statement, the Sultan thanked and Nasharuddin, with Najib Abdul Razak succeeded Tun Abdullah He expressed confidence that it is time
the people who prayed for his speedy Husam being seen as Ahmad Badawi as the Umno president and for PAS to replace Umno as the main driver
recovery. a protege of PAS spir- prime minister. of Malaysia’s politics and this can only be
Sultan Sharafud- itual leader Datuk Nik At a press conference to announce his done if PAS is a competitor of Umno.
din still needed Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, candidacy, Husam, an economist by train- Husam said he agreed with the PAS
to rest and while Nasharuddin ing, said: “After the talks with the current muktamar’s decision last year to support the
had been is aligned to presi- party leaders and weighing the options, I opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
advised not dent Datuk Seri have decided to run for deputy president.” “I believe the liaison with PR will bring
to perform Abdul Hadi He said his decision to join the race for about change for the better. The confidence
official Awang, deputy president is not a strategy to con- of the non-Malays in PAS as the most trust-
duties for w h o solidate his position to be the next Kelantan worthy party is strong,” he said.
at least six w a s mentri besar. PAS is scheduled to hold a press con-
weeks, his r e - Nik Aziz is the current mentri besar. ference at the PAS headquarters here this
personal It had been reported that Nik Aziz had morning, where the candidacy for all the
physician been grooming Husam for his job. posts will be announced.
said.

Couple given RM22m overdraft

BERNAMAPIX

by mistake flee New Zealand

WELLINGTON: New Zea-
land police said yesterday
they will ask the Chinese
government for help in
returning a couple who
fled to Hongkong with mil-
lions of dollars mistakenly
transferred to their bank
account.
Police also confirmed
the names of the couple
as Leo Gao, 29, and Kara
Hurring (also known by the
surname Yang), 30, and
appealed to the couple to
return to New Zealand.
Police believe the
couple, from the North
Island tourist city of Ro-
torua, fled to Hongkong
three weeks ago after
their bank mistakenly
gave them a NZ$10 million (RM21.9
million) overdraft, instead of an
approved NZ$100,000 (RM219,000)
facility.
The New Zealand Herald reported
yesterday that after the overdraft
was approved, Gao attempted to
transfer around NZ$6.7 million
(RM14.67 million) to other ac-
counts, of which the bank managed
to recover NZ$2.8 million (RM6.13
million).
Australian-owned Westpac Bank
confirmed last week the couple had
been able to withdraw NZ$3.8 mil-
lion (RM8.32 million).
Detective Senior Sergeant David
Harvey of the Rotorua police said a
family member who had been trav-
elling with the couple had returned
to New Zealand and was talking to
police.
Reports said Hurring’s sister
Aroha had returned to New Zealand
on a flight from Hongkong and was
interviewed by police yesterday.
The Herald also reported that
Gao’s mother, business partner
Huan Di Zhang, and Kara Hurring’s
seven-year-old daughter Leena had
disappeared with the couple.
Harvey said the pair had other
family members living in New Zea-
land and would want to return to
see them one day.
“I would suggest that they take
the opportunity to return to this
country to resolve this matter before
the outstanding sum of up to $3.8
million is spent,” he said.
Gao owned a petrol station in
Rotorua, which has been put into
receivership since the couple’s
disappearance. – AFP