theSun | WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 2009 5

news without borders

Police nab
Money Laundering Act may suspected
loanshark
be used against along
by Husna Yusop money lending, Abu Seman said to date, awareness on the danger of borrowing
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: One of four

newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: Illegal money lenders
may be charged under the Anti-Money
Laundering Act (AMLA) 2001 which has a
wider scope compared to the old laws and
provides a stiffer penalty for offenders.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Abu
Seman Yusop said the offence has been
included in January last year in the
schedule as one of the cases which can
be investigated under AMLA.
“Apart from the Money Lenders Act
1951, the police can take action through
the AMLA which is more severe and
wider. Not only is the penalty stiffer, but it
also gives power to seize money lenders’
assets,” he said.
“Under Section 4 of AMLA, upon
conviction, the offender is liable to a
maximum fine of RM5 million or five
years’ jail or both, while under Section 5
of the previous act, the penalty is between
RM20,000 and RM100,000 or five years
jail or both,” Abu Seman said.
Speaking to reporters yesterday after
chairing the main committee meeting on
the awareness campaign to curb illegal
Chinese associations hail Najib’s China visit
PRESS DIGEST by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
THE Chinese community in Malaysia is
abuzz over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak’s four-day official visit to China
which began yesterday.
Leaders from the community say the
visit is significant in further cementing the
already cordial relationship and are holding
out hope that it will also herald more op-
portunities for trade and synergies.
Below are some of the comments they
made in the Chinese press yesterday:
» Malaysia-China Friendship Associa-
tion secretary-general and Hai-O Enterprise
Bhd group managing director Tan Kai Hee:
Najib’s trip holds an exceptional sig-
nificance in that he is the son of the prime
minister who broke the ice between Ma-
laysia and China more than three decades
ago.
Malaysia has established diplomatic
ties with China for 35 years and we hope
that our good relationship would not only
be raised to the next level but several more
levels with the visit.
The late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein had
won the goodwill and friendship of the
Chinese with his bold and far-sighted move
Pork sellers vent anger on pig farmers
IRKED by the steep increases in the ex-
farm price of pigs, the National Pork Sellers
Association has urged its more than 3,000
members to raise the retail prices of pork.
By passing on the pig price hikes to con-
sumers, the association hopes to pressure
them to eat less pork so that eventually, pig
farmers will be forced to lower their prices,
Oriental Daily News reported yesterday.
The latest move by the federation,
which came on the heels of three hikes in
the last month that saw ex-farm price of
pigs soar from RM570 to RM690 per 100kg,
five illegal money lending cases were
under investigation under the AMLA but
none have been charged in court yet.
This includes the recent case of loan-
sharks torturing three defaulters for two
months at a shoplot in Seri Kembangan
before they were rescued by the police
after two lenders were caught.
Apart from the two Acts, Abu Seman
said illegal money lenders can also be
charged under the Prevention of Crime
Act 1959 and other related laws.
“If the actions taken in the commission
of their offences were related to AMLA,
we will charge them under AMLA. But if
their actions were related to some other
offences under any laws, for example,
involving death, then it is under the Penal
Code,” he added.
Abu Seman said the formation of the
main committee was the cabinet’s deci-
sion including the setting up of a working
committee for implementation purpose
chaired by Deputy Secretary-General
(Security) Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ab Aziz.
Apart from enforcement, Abu Seman
said the ministry was working together
with relevant agencies to create public
to go against the global anti-communism
tide to become the first Asean country to
reach out to China.
Now Najib should make use of Malay-
sia’s good ties with China and the country’s
Mandarin-speaking talents to forge more
cooperation with the Chinese.
» Associated Chinese Chambers of
Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (AC-
CCIM) president Tan Sri William Cheng
Heng Jem is confident the Sino-Malaysian
relationship will scale new heights under
Najib’s leadership.
“The ties between the two countries
have never been stronger. Last year, bi-
lateral trade figures had breached RM50
billion, making Malaysia China’s biggest
trade partner in Asia.
“Apart from enhanced economic co-
operation, cross visits between the two
countries have also been increasing. So
has the number of Malaysians studying in
China and vice versa.
“China has many entrepreneurs who
are keen to invest overseas and we hope
they would make Malaysia the No. 1
choice. We have ample natural resources
such as natural gases, petroleum, cocoa
and palm oil.
“As China is Asia’s economic giant with
means pork consumers may have to fork
out an additional RM2.40 for each kg of
the meat.
Federation president Goh Chui Lai
told a press conference on Monday that
consumers who deem the pork price hike
too steep should temporarily switch to
other meat.
He admitted that the hike is artificial
but that the pork sellers have no choice
and he believes that consumers will not
have to wait very long before pork prices
are back to normal.
from unlicensed money lenders.
Among others, those involved in the
campaign are the Housing and Local
Government Ministry, Finance Ministry,
Information Ministry, National Security
Council and Malaysian Communications
and Multimedia Commission.
He also welcomed ex-victims of loan-
sharks to volunteer in educating the
public.
Meanwhile, the National Union of
Bank Employees general secretary J.
Solomon said the government should
examine the entire financial system for
individuals and not just companies and
businesses.
He said that while banks were willing
to fork out for corporations and busi-
nesses, the poor were forced to turn to
loansharks as banks placed obstacles in
the way of the poor seeking loans to get
by.
“A poor person applying for a loan is
burdened by red tape, and such obstacles
by the bank compels an individual to
turn to alongs,” said Solomon, adding that
many Malaysians survived on “borrowed
income”.
a huge domestic market, we have every-
thing to gain and nothing to lose by being
friendly with China.
“Through the visit, Malaysia can also
learn from the Chinese how they handle
the current global economic crisis.”
» Federation of Chinese Associations
of Malaysia (Hua Zong) president Tan Sri
Lim Gait Tong:
Malaysia has always emphasised that
China is a trustworthy ally. Najib’s visit on
the 35th anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic ties has added significance.
It shows that leaders of the two countries
value the close bilateral ties and are ready
to enhance cooperation and exchanges in
various fields, including in education and
economy.
I hope Najib’s visit will boost bilateral
trades as well as attract more Chinese to
visit and study in Malaysia.
» Pahang Chinese Assembly Hall presi-
dent and business tycoon Tan Sri Pheng
Yin Huah said Najib’s visit marks another
important milestone in the Sino-Malaysian
friendship and will take the bilateral rela-
tionship to new heights.
He believed that there would be break-
throughs which will help strengthen trade
cooperation and cultural exchanges.
Goh said the association had wanted to
negotiate for a solution with the Federa-
tion of Livestock Farmers Association of
Malaysia but the latter is not keen on any
talks with pork sellers.
Goh also hit out at Deputy Domestic
Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk
Tan Lian Hoe for turning down a request by
the association for the ministry to intervene
in the pig price hikes.
He said it is irresponsible and irrational
for Tan to cite free market as her reason for
staying out of the pig price issue.
suspected members of a loan-
shark syndicate responsible
for confining three debtors in
Seri Kembangan for months
has been nabbed – barely 10
hours after their photographs
were released by police.
The 23-year-old suspect
was at a clubhouse in Am-
pang and waiting for his fa-
ther when he was nabbed by
a police team from the state
anti-vice, gaming and secret
society division at about 9pm
on Monday.
Selangor CID chief SAC II
Datuk Hasnan Hassan said
the suspect’s father arrived
at the time to hand over a
travelling bag with clothes to
his son who was planning to
Along beaten up and left
to die by roadside
GEORGE TOWN: An illegal
moneylender was beaten up
and left to die by the road
side in Sungai Nibong early
Monday morning.
Balik Pulau Deputy OCPD
Deputy Supt Lai Fah Hin said
Sin Chee Loon, 25, had gone
to Batu Maung to collect
some money from a man in
his 20s.
Sin asked the loan default-
er to pay RM2,000, inclusive
of interest, as the latter had
borrowed RM690 a few years
Lim congratulating Farizan while Deputy Chief Minister (ll) Prof Dr.
P. Ramasamy (2nd left) and State Secretary Datuk Zainal Rahim
Seman look on.
Appointments based on
ability, says Guan Eng
PENANG: Giving credence to
the concept of meritocracy,
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng
said state officials in Penang are
appointed based on their ability
and qualification.
“We appoint people based
on their ability and qualification,
not on their race or political af-
filiation,” he said.
“We want the best to be
above the rest,” he said at the
swearing-in ceremony of former
Seberang Perai Municipal Coun-
cil (MPSP) president Farizan
Darus as the new state finance
flee to Perak.
It is learnt that the suspect
was supposed to catch a bus
at Puduraya when the police
team nabbed him.
Hasnan said the suspect’s
role in the syndicate was to
kidnap loan payment default-
ers and keep them confined
in the syndicate’s “lock-up”.
He said early investigations
showed that the suspect was
responsible for abducting the
three men who were rescued
from a shoplot last week.
The man has been re-
manded for four days.
Hasnan said police will
release the photo of another
member of the syndicate.
“We are going all out to
get these crooks. They had
better turn themselves in or
we will get to them.” said
Hasnan.
ago. But the defaulter could
not pay and Sin left.
“However, two hours later,
the loan defaulter called Sin
to meet in a restaurant in
Batu Maung. Upon arrival, Sin
and the man fought, and Sin
was badly injured,” said Lai.
Sin was sent to the Pen-
ang Hospital but succumbed
to serious head injuries at
about 6pm the same day.
Police have picked up five
men, aged between 18 and
24, for questioning.
officer (SFO) in Komtar yester-
day.
Lim said that Farizan’s ap-
pointment as the SFO was due
to his capabilities, including
increasing the MPSP’s earnings
to RM3.02 million in 2008, as
compared with the deficit of
RM228.85 million from 2000 to
2007.
He also said that North
Seberang Perai District Officer
Mokhtar Mohd Jait would be
recommended to helm MPSP,
at the state executive council
meeting today.

26 admitted to isolation wards in five hospitals with flu

KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty-six sus-
pected cases of Influenza A (H1N1)
have been admitted to isolation wards
in five hospitals for investigation as at
8am yesterday.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr
Mohd Ismail Merican said that of the
total, 16 were tested negative, while
10 others were awaiting results.
“To date, 371 cases have been
admitted to isolation wards of whom
359 were found negative and two
were positive as reported on May 15
and 16,” he said here yesterday.
Dr Mohd Ismail said 10 people
who were still under home quaran-
tine were also in good health with
no signs of infection. However, six of
them, who had contact with a case
in Singapore, were released from
quarantine later yesterday, while the
quarantine order on four contacts in
the Hongkong case would be lifted
on Thursday and Friday. Dr Mohd
Ismail said the report from the Inter-
national Health Regulation Contact
Point also confirmed there was no
new contact involving Malaysians.
The World Health Organisation
had informed that in the last 24
hours, seven new countries reported
new cases of H1N1, namely Baha-
mas, Bolivia, Jamaica, Venezuela,
Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Hungary.
– Bernama