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news without borders
Police question two reporters
KUALA LUMPUR: Two report-
ers from a local newspaper were
questioned by police for two hours
on Saturday night over a false report
about sexily-clad women entertaining
patrons at a restaurant.
Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Ku
Chin Wah, when contacted, confirmed
that the police had questioned the two
over the report.
The reporters had claimed in their
report that the service was reserved for
members of the restaurant and it was
provided only on certain weekends.
The newspaper had claimed that
briefs
32 gay club patrons
tested positive for syabu
KUALA LUMPUR: Police raided a gay club
in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng early yesterday
and detained 32 people, 28 men and four
women, aged between 20 and 50, after
they tested positive for syabu or meth-
amphetamine.
Kuala Lumpur narcotics police investi-
gating officer ASP Mohd Ashril Md Johar
said the premises were packed with
about 500 patrons, mostly men dancing
in an erotic manner.
The raid at 1.30am also found the drug
Eramin 5 strewn all over the floor, believed
to have been disposed by patrons of the
club which began operations last year.
The 32 people were detained under
Section 15(1)(a) Dangerous Drugs Act
1952 which carries a three-year jail sen-
the information was obtained from an
e-mail sent to the daily and the report-
ers, after a month-long stakeout, had
smuggled themselves into the restau-
rant to be among the VIPs.
Ku said investigations showed such
a restaurant did not exist and the pic-
ture the reporters had used had been
obtained over the Internet and was of a
restaurant in a neighbouring country.
He said the case was being investi-
gated under the Printing Presses and
Publications Act 1984 for the publica-
tion of false news with malicious
intent. – Bernama
tence and a fine of RM5,000.
In another raid on an entertainment
joint in Jalan Changkat Imbi, police de-
tained 13 Chinese women working as
hostesses and 11 customers. – Bernama
Uthayakumar
sets up political party
KLANG: Lawyer P. Uthayakumar, the
brains behind the outlawed Hindraf
(Hindu Rights Action Force) movement,
yesterday launched a political party
named Human Rights Party (HRP).
Describing HRP as a party which will
champion issues affecting all races,
especially the Indians, Uthayakumar
said Hindraf was moving into politics
now because it was the only option
available to continue its struggles.
“I’m not a politician. I’m just a po-
litical activist, a political worker,” said
Uthayakumar.
“We need more political clout.
Without entering mainstream politics,
we can’t accomplish anything … can’t
make our voices heard,” he said.
6,337 complaints
against govt agencies
KOTA BELUD: The Public Complaints Bu-
reau (PCB) received 6,337 complaints against
public sector agencies in the first six months
of this year over unsatisfactory service de-
livery.
Its director (complaints), Aziz Ismail, said
yesterday 4,281 cases, or 67.6% of the com-
Developer plaints, were resolved.
threatens He said complaints over delays or inaction
to sue for made up 31.5% of the total, followed by poor
service including at the counters or through
at least the phone (18.4%) and failure to enforce
RM150m (10%).
pg 6 “Although not all the complaints were on
delays in taking action to resolve problems,
they nevertheless give a negative public per-
ception that the civil service is more of a bane
than a boon.
“Therefore, public servants must give satis-
factory service to the public as that is what the
service is for in the first place,” he said when
officiating at a programme on the Integrated
Mobile Counter for Complaints organised by
Undergrads ‘dismissed’ 10
months into degree course
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: To be thrown out of a uni-
versity 10 months into a degree course for not
having the required entry paper qualifications
can be traumatic.
That is what four students of Universiti
Industri Selangor (Unisel) who were studying
industrial psychology in a degree programme
since July last year went through when told
the news by the head of their faculty in April.
The students were served the bad news
after an auditing carried out by the univer-
sity authorities on the academic credentials
of its undergraduates showed they only had
a principal in the STPM examinations instead
of two required to pursue the programme – an
oversight by the university which led to the
students being accepted for the course.
The female students, all from the Unisel
Batang Berjuntai campus, were issued letters
ending their studies and another which they
were expected to sign, indemnifying the uni-
versity of legal action.
M. Kalaavathi, 21, of Perak who was among
those affected has lodged a police report over
the matter.
“I have lost 10 months of hard work which
;
Unhealthy air in Seberang Jaya, Klang
KUALA LUMPUR: The air quality in various
areas in the country deteriorated with two
of 50 areas monitored showing unhealthy air
quality, namely Seberang Jaya 2 in Penang
and Port Klang.
Meanwhile, 80% or 40 of the areas regis-
tered moderate air quality, while eight others
(16%) enjoyed good air quality, according to the
website of the Department of Environment as
at 11am yesterday.
The Air Pollutant Index (API) for Seberang
Jaya 2 was 106 and for Port Klang it was 107.
Among areas that recorded moderate API
readings were Muar (72); Bakar Arang and
Sungai Petani in Kedah (81); Pengkalan Chepa
Three new influenza A(H1N1) cases
PETALING JAYA: Three new cases of the Influenza
A(H1N1) were reported in the past 24 hours.
According t a press statement posted on the
Health Ministry’s website, two of the cases were
imported while the third is a local transmission,
theSun | MONDAY JULY 20 2009
the PCB and Kota Belud district office. Sabah
PCB director Georgie Abas and Kota Belud
district officer Mohd Najib Muntok were also
in attendance.
Twenty-one state and federal government
agencies will take part in the programme.
Aziz said by going to the ground to meet the
people, it was hoped public service delivery
could be enhanced as the community could
directly forward complaints, pose queries or
make suggestions to improve services.
“This programme is a people-friendly
approach to also prove the government’s
seriousness in providing efficient, qual-
ity service to the public towards improving
their quality of life in line with the concept
of ‘1Malaysia, People First, Performance
Now’,” he said.
Aziz also urged the public not to make
wild accusations that could tarnish the gov-
ernment’s image, but to use the right channels
to forward their complaints or suggestions for
the good of the nation. – Bernama
I had put into the course and now I am told
I have to resit my STPM to obtain another
principal to continue the course. This will take
another year,” she said.
She also said the university had informed
her that only the study fees would be re-
funded.
The students have approached Saravanan
Muniandy of the MIC’s Education Welfare
Bureau to seek a solution to their plight.
Saravanan said he has written to the Edu-
cation Ministry and will also meet Selangor
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to re-
solve the matter.
Meanwhile, a Unisel official told theSun
that it was a tough decision the university
had to make to safeguard its standards and
credibility.
“If we allowed the students to continue, the
MQA (Malaysian Qualifications Agency) will
reprimand us and this will lead to hundreds of
other students being affected,” he said.
When asked why the university did not
spot the mistake earlier, he admitted that it
was an “oversight”.
He said the students may continue the
degree programme at the university after
re-sitting the STPM and obtaining another
principal.
in Kelantan (71); Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan
(72); Seri Manjung (81) and Taiping in Perak (84);
Prai in Penang (79); Petaling Jaya (68), Kuala
Selangor (85) and Shah Alam (73).
In Kuala Lumpur, the Cheras and Batu Muda
areas recorded readings of 73 and 66 respec-
tively, while Putrajaya charted 68.
Eight areas that registered clean air were
Langkawi (39), Kangar (47), Kota Kinabalu (49),
Sandakan (30), Tawau (44), Limbang (29), Miri
(40) and Sri Aman (44).
The classification for the API is as follows:
0-50 (good), 51-100 (moderate), 101-200 (un-
healthy), 201-300 (very unhealthy) and 300 and
above as hazardous. – Bernama
bringing the total number of cases to 874 as at
8am yesterday.
So far, 775 patients have recovered while eight
are seeking treatment at hospitals. Another 91
patients have received outpatient treatment.