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news without borders
MIC offers RM3.2m to get back
Kampung Buah Pala land
PENANG: The MIC is willing to offer RM3.2 million
if the Penang government can get back the land
in Kampung Buah Pala, Bukit Gelugor from the
developer.
MIC Youth chief T. Mohan said the move was
to enable the residents to continue living in the
village.
He was speaking to reporters after handing
a memorandum to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng
through the latter’s political secretary Ng Wei Eik at
the Tun Abdul Razak Complex (Komtar) yesterday.
Mohan and a group of men arrived at Komtar
at about 5.30pm to hand over the memorandum
immediately after he was released from police
detention, Bernama reports.
They were arrested about 10am yesterday in
Jalan Datuk Keramat here for illegal assembly to
hand over the memorandum to the chief minister.
At about 10.40am, some 100 MIC members
gathered outside the George Town district police
headquarters to demand Mohan’s release. Sev-
eral residents rode on bullock carts from Kampung
Suaram calls for urgent human rights reforms
by Tan Yi Liang
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Suaram has called
for urgent reforms to be put in place to
prevent human rights in Malaysia from
further deteriorating.
“Many pledges made by former prime
minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
since 2003, such as reforming the police
force, have not yet been implemented.
In fact, we are witnessing an alarming
number of deaths in police custody while
substantial reforms on the police force
are nowhere in sight,” the human rights
organisation’s chairman K. Arumugam
said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters at the launch
of its 2008 Human Rights Report, Aru-
mugam noted that in 2008 there were 13
cases of deaths in police custody, while
255 deaths were reported in prison the
same year and 44 reported cases of
deaths through police shootings.
He said there has been no improve-
ment so far this year.
“The state must listen to the voice of
the people, and reform the institutions.
Buah Pala to the police headquarters. The crowd
dispersed after police issued a warning.
We will not be happy as long as viola-
tions of human rights are continuing.
“We are saddened over the five
deaths in police custody and one in the
hands of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Agency (MACC) since the beginning of
this year,” he said.
Citing the case of M. Ulaganathan,
who died in police custody in 2003,
Arumugam said the situation had not
improved.
“This year, we had the case of A. Ku-
gan who was beaten to the point where
his kidneys were no longer functional.
How are we going to reconcile such
happenings.”
Arumugam praised civil society’s in-
creasing participation in protests against
human rights abuses.
“Civil society participation is amaz-
ingly great. Civil society is responding
adequately, especially in the aftermath of
Kugan’s death, on his death in custody,
as well as Teoh Beng Hock’s death at the
MACC compound.”
However, actual reforms need to be
done at the institutional level.
“There must be a political will on the
Asked whether the value of the land of the land
could be higher than the price at which the land
was sold, Mohan said: “Why did the Pakatan Rakyat
state government proceed with the sale of the land
when they knew the value was higher?”
According to the records, the Barisan Nasional
had initiated the sale of the land but the confirma-
tion letter on the land ownership was issued by
the present state government led by Lim on March
27 last year.
There was commotion at Komtar after Mohan
handed over the memorandum when a man
verbally abused the group, causing them to chase
the man and beat him, but the police managed to
restore order.
The Kampung Buah Pala land controversy came
about when the villagers were ordered to vacate
the land before Aug 3 following the sale of the 2.6ha
land by the previous state government to Koperasi
Pegawai Kerajaan Pulau Pinang Bhd, which then
appointed Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn to develop
the land. – Bernama
Participants
at the
launch of
Suaram’s
Human
Rights
Report
2008
yesterday.
part of the government to reform,” he
said.
Arumugam said while there were
positive reforms from the government,
such as the reduction of detainees under
the Internal Security Act, more changes
are needed. Susilo
Suaram documentation and moni- under fire
toring coordinator John Liu said there
had been no reforms by the government for bomb
since Suaram began its monitoring in response
1998. ‘rant’
“We have been documenting cases
of human rights violations since 1998, pg 8
and the cases we documented in 2008
are mainly similar to the ones reported
in 1998.
“Despite the growing calls for reform,
not only has the government failed to
reform, they have also repeated the same
violations we asked them not to commit
10 years ago.”
He said the government under Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak
has announced populist measures but
“it is still early to assess whether real or
meaningful improvements have been
made”.
theSun | FRIDAY JULY 24 2009
Open tender for
companies to
operate in Komtar
by Opalyn Mok
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Development
Corp (PDC) is calling for open tender from
local and international companies to operate
at Level 59 and 60 of the Komtar tower.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also
PDC chairman, said the open tender is part
of the state’s efforts to revitalise Komtar.
“We are accepting proposals from
companies interested to operate Level 59
and 60 as a restaurant or other suitable
activities that could turn the premises into
a tourist attraction,” he said yesterday.
He said the tender is open only to
interested and reputable companies that
have proven expertise in restaurant op-
erations and tourism related activities and
the project must cater to both local and
international markets.
The companies must meet several
criteria such as having paid-up capital of at
least RM100,000.
“We do not want RM2 companies
tendering for this project,” Lim said. The
company must be committed to the project
and be able to highlight other economic and
social benefits to the state.
The tender period is until Sept 3. Require-
ments and other details are available from
PDC’s public affairs division at 04-6340111
or at www.pdc.gov.my
briefs
Brothers killed in crash after
snatching woman’s handbag
SHAH ALAM: Two brothers were killed after their
motorcycle rammed into the rear of a taxi while
making their escape after snatching a woman’s
handbag in Jalan Persiaran here yesterday.
Shah Alam police chief ACP Noor Azam Jamalud-
din said the suspects had earlier smashed the glass
of a Mercedes Benz belonging to Junaini Abdul
Hamid, 43, and snatched her handbag at the traffic
junction near Shell petrol kiosk in Persiaran Kerjaya,
Glenmarie at 4.45pm.
Junaini chased the suspects until Jalan Subang
when they lost control and crashed into the taxi.
“The crash sent one suspect under the taxi
while another went flying about 20m in the air.
“A suspect fled on foot towards Jalan Batu Tiga
Lama but died near a construction site about 50m
from the scene,” he said.
Another suspect died on the way to Tengku
Ampuan Rahimah Hospital, Klang.
The suspects were identified as Norazman
Nizam Sulaiman, 30, and Harman Sulaiman, 25, of
Sungai Burong, Sekinchan. – Bernama
Review whipping of women,
SIS urges govt
PETALING JAYA: Sisters in Islam has urged the gov-
ernment to review whipping of women as a form
of judicial punishment by the Syariah Court.
In a statement yesterday, its executive
director Dr Hamidah Marican said the whip-
ping of women not only constitutes further
discrimination against Malaysian women,
but also violates constitutional guarantees of
equality and non-discrimination.
“Whipping of women under Syariah Criminal
Offences legislation contradicts civil law where
women are not punishable by whipping under
Section 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code
and whipping of men are limited by age.”
Only Penang, Perlis and Kelantan provide for
whipping of women under their state Syariah
Criminal Offences Codes, she said.
Maybank TreatsFair
PETALING JAYA: Maybank launched its four-day
TreatsFair at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre yes-
terday. The on-the-spot redemption fair is held in
conjunction with the Malaysia Mega Sale carnival
which started on 4 July.
“The fair is a flagship event for our cards busi-
ness and has become a much anticipated annual
promotion for our customers,” said Maybank senior
executive vice-president and head of consumer
banking Lim Hong Tat.
“Cardholders can redeem their TreatsPoint for a
wide range of goods and services with huge savings
in a single location,” he said.