6 theSun | WEDNESDAY JUNE 17 2009

news without borders

‘ISA considered for

illegal uniformed group’
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
Stemming the decline

MASRY CHE ANI/ THESUN

KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry may invoke the Internal
Security Act (ISA) on key members of the so-called Federal
Special Forces of Malaysia (FSFM) which was busted for the
second time on Monday.
Its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said police
have intensified their watch on the activities of group, and if
it was found that the group is a threat to the authorities then
of traditional
they will face the full wrath of the law including the ISA.
“We urge the public not to be tricked by such groups who
make baseless claims,” Hishammuddin told a press conference
at the closing ceremony of a police inter-department shooting
tournament at the Central Brigade General Operations Force
base in Cheras yesterday.
Meanwhile, Federal Commercial Crimes Investigations
living cultures by Himanshu Bhatt
(CCID) director Commissioner Datuk Koh Hong Sun said the newsdesk@thesundaily.com
six suspects including its leader Nor Azami Ahmad Ghazali, 41,
have been remanded until Jun 19 for further investigations. He GEORGE TOWN: The Pen-
declined further comment on the case. ang government is working
Police arrested the six men with 36 “recruits” at a on ways to arrest the decline
shophouse at Taman Gombak Jaya on Monday following police of traditional trades and living
cultures in the Unesco herit- Yin Oi Tong ...
reports lodged by a former member of the group.
age zone of inner city George the 120-year-
The 36 “recruits” were sitting for a “qualifying test” when
Town. old Chinese
police arrived. They were released hours later after having
State Local Government medicine
their statements recorded.
Committee chairman Chow parlour.
Chong ... willing Kon Yeow said numerous
They don’t make pillows to donate traditional businesses and Kongsi and corporate sponsors. Leong said the family had thought
like they used to family artefacts
if the Cheah
residents have moved out of the
city following the repeal of the
“These living cultures are
important intangible assets of the
of moving out of the premises 15
years ago as they were not enjoy-
Kongsi converts Rent Control Act in 2000. city’s heritage,” Chow said during ing good business, but remained
A SECRETARY had the shock of her life when she discovered Describing the people in the city
part of the a visit to the building in China because of the family legacy and
that her pillow was stuffed with recycled materials, including as valuable intangible assets of its
Straits Eclectic Street yesterday. But the issue of interest shown by tourists.
a large quantity of bloodstained surgical gloves. heritage, he said making them
The Kuala Lumpur woman, identified as Liong in a report in building into a them moving out is not easy to He said he was willing to donate
gallery. stay in the city was not as easy as resolve,” he said. his family’s artefacts if the Cheah
China Press yesterday, said she bought the pillow at a promo- preserving the buildings.
tional price of slightly over RM10 from a hypermarket. PHT manager Magdeline Ng Kongsi plans to convert part of the
In the latest case, a traditional said the Yin Oi Tong family busi- building into a gallery.
Liong, 31, told the daily her curiosity over the fishy smell com- Chinese medicine business run
ing from the pillow turned to suspicion one night recently when ness, which has its roots in China He said the family may consider
by a family has announced it will from 1795, was an example of Chi- maintaining its business on the
she detected some lumps inside the pillow and decided to cut it leave the city and the Straits Eclec-
open to check and discovered its nauseating contents. nese investment in Penang during ground floor, but lamented that the
tic building it has occupied for 120 the early colonial period. fewer residents in the city meant a
Liong, who first thought the smell came from her child’s years, by the end of the month.
urine on the pillow, said: “I don’t know where the pillow was The business was instrumental declining business clientele.
The move prompted the Penang in supplying traditional medications Cheah Kongsi representative
manufactured but whoever is responsible is unethical. Heritage Trust (PHT) to intervene throughout the Malay peninsula, Cheah Swee Huat denied a news-
and induce the business to remain on Singapore and Borneo, as well as to paper report that it had increased
Ex-director denies CBT charges the premises, by mediating between Medan during the past 120 years. its rental and was forcing the ten-
KUALA LUMPUR: A former company director was charged
the tenant, property owner Cheah Yin Oi Tong manager Chong Yit ant to move out.
with three counts of committing criminal breach of trust
involving RM110,000 in a sessions court here yesterday.
Karman Abu Bakar, 58, a former director of car dealer Jati Asia
Jaya, is alleged to have received three cheques from Prof Datuk
Dr Zulkifli Ismail of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM), who
now works in the Subang Jaya Medical Centre, totaling RM110,000
Rehda kicked out of MPSJ’s plan
by Llew-Ann Phang State executive councillor for tourism was on the committee until much later.
for the purchase of a car. newsdesk@thesundaily.com and environment Elizabeth Wong, one of “I have nothing against them personally but
He allegedly received a cheque for RM1,000 in HUKM on Aug the three excos on the public hearing com- these are housing developers with projects in
2, 2002, a cheque for RM19,000 at the same place on Aug 21 the PETALING JAYA: The Real Estate Housing mittee, said Rehda has been asked to with- Subang Jaya so their presence on the committee
same year and a third cheque for RM91,000 in Zulkifli’s house on Developers Association (Rehda) has been draw its representative (Selangor branch will definitely give rise to perceived vested and
Jalan Setia Kasih, Bukit Damansara, on Jan 15, 2003. removed from the Subang Jaya Municipal committee member Datuk David Tan of IOI conflict of interest,” she said when contacted.
Judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah allowed bail of RM15,000 with Council’s (MPSJ) Draft Plan public hearing Properties) as it was inappropriate to have The two other excos on the committee
one surety, ordered Karman to surrender his passport to the court committee after protests of conflict of in- a housing developer at the hearing. are exco for local government, research and
and fixed July 16 for mention. terest from residents and politicians alike. Wong said she had no idea that Rehda development Ronnie Liu and exco for housing,
building management and squatters Iskandar
Abdul Samad, who chairs the committee.
The public hearing began with protests from
several residents, including Subang Jaya assem-
blywoman Hannah Yeoh, who had attended the
meeting as an observer and heard that Rehda
members were in attendance.
“As observers, we were not allowed to speak
so I checked with the Planning Department who
said these members had dual roles in the hear-
ing (as advisers and panelists).
“I raised the issue with the councilors who
contacted the MPSJ president but I’ve yet to get
an official reply,” she said when contacted.
Liu, meanwhile, said Subang Jaya residents
should not be irked by the presence of Rehda
members at the public hearing as they were
not on the committee and attended as “invited
guests”.
“I don’t know why there is an issue ... they are
there because they are sound in development
and housing issues,” he said when contacted,
adding that Rehda could chip in with consulta-
tive advice on issues and opinions concerning
the Draft Plan.
Asked on the possibility of adding relevant
stakeholders to the panel such as architects,
NGOs and residents’ associations, which would
dispel accusations of conflict of interest, Liu
said: “I’m not sure what kind of people should
be enlisted for consultation purposes but I will
put the question to the chairman (Iskandar)
because the decision is his.”
However, Liu reiterated that there should be
no issue with Rehda members’ presence since
they were not involved in local development
and could not influence decisions in the local
plan.
“It is the exco members who, with feedback
from the hearings, decide if the plan should be
unchanged or revised,” he said.