4 theSun | THURSDAY AUGUST 27 2009

PUASA TIMES news without borders

PERLIS Break Fast 7.29pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.45am

KOTA SETAR Break Fast 7.29pm

Imsak (tomorrow) 5.45am

PENANG

KUANTAN
Break Fast 7.28pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.45am

Break Fast 7.16pm

Imsak (tomorrow) 5.37am
Only Muslims who drink alcohol
KUALA
TERENGGANU

KOTA BARU
Break Fast

Break Fast
7.17pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.34am

7.22pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am
in public face action
by Karen Arukesamy or both, for drinking in public, whereas Muslims do not have to worry about it and can live happily
newsdesk@thesundaily.com who make, sell, offer, display or possess any in Selangor.”
IPOH Break Fast 7.25pm alcoholic drink can be fined up to RM5,000 or Hasan added that it would work on the imple-
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.43am SHAH ALAM: Action will be taken against only jailed up to three years or both. mentation in stages by “creating awareness and
Muslims who drink alcoholic in public and those Abdul Khalid said the state government’s educating and taking action as the last resort”.
PETALING JAYA Break Fast 7.23pm working in premises selling or handling such intention is to “cultivate good livelihood” for Asked why mosque officials are empowered
/SHAH ALAM drinks are not affected, said Selangor Mentri the Muslims according to the Islamic faith. to arrest when that is the job of the Selangor Re-
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am
Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yesterday. Asked if the implementation will affect the ligious Department (Jais), he said: “They are not
“We have not reached that stage yet. We are employment of Muslims in places that sell or enforcement officers as such. They are there only
KUALA LUMPUR Break Fast 7.23pm only creating awareness and educating,” he said handle alcohol, he said: “We are not going to to help the enforcement officers in the localities
/PUTRAJAYA Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am after the state executive council meeting solve that overnight. In time, individuals should of the mosques where they receive complaints
On Monday, PAS commissioner and state ex- be given a preference whether they want to from residents.
SEREMBAN Break Fast 7.20pm ecutive councillor in charge of Muslims Affairs, Ma- work in the area that directly handles (beer) or “In other words they are just merely ears and
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.41am lay Customs, Infrastructure and Public Amenities in other areas. eyes for the enforcement and they would advise
Datuk Dr Hasan Ali had announced that all mosque “It is not our intention to stop Muslims work- and bring the offenders to the right authority for
officials could now arrest Muslims caught drinking ing in (for instance) factories manufacturing beer further action.”
MALACCA Break Fast 7.19pm
alcohol in public places. or hotels and so on tomorrow.” When asked whether they were hauling up
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.40am He had said this was provided for under the Asked if this means that the state government all Muslims working in establishments handing
Selangor Syariah Criminal Enactment. will eventually stop Muslims handling alcoholic or selling alcoholic beverages, Hasan said their
JOHOR BARU Break Fast 7.12pm Hasan reiterated yesterday that Muslims can drinks, he said: “No, no, don’t speculate. Selangor focus is on the rural and semi-urban areas like
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.35am be fined up to RM3,000 or jailed up to two years is not heading in that direction. The non-Muslims villages and small towns.

KUCHING Break Fast 6.47pm

Imsak (tomorrow) 5.11am
KOTA KINABALU Break Fast
Imsak (tomorrow) 4.42am
www.islam.gov.my/portal/puasa.php
No Merdeka countdown
celebrations
6.26pm
KUALA LUMPUR: There will be no Merdeka
countdown celebrations at Dataran Merdeka
and Petronas Twin Towers (KLCC) due to the
fasting month and the Influenza A(H1N1)
outbreak.
A Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Corporate
Communications Unit spokesman said unlike
previous years, there had been no applications
for permits from anyone to organise such
celebrations.
“There will be no concerts, fireworks and
countdown celebrations this year like what
was done in previous years,” the spokesman
told Bernama yesterday.
A Petronas spokesman said the normal
countdown celebrations in KLCC would not
be held this year as a mark of respect for the
fasting month, since there would be numerous
religious functions and “tarawih” prayers.
Information, Communications and Culture
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim had said
the venue of the Merdeka Day celebrations,
earlier scheduled at the National Stadium in
Bukit Jalil, would be moved to the Parliament
house compound, following increasing cases
of Influenza A(H1N1) and also to respect the
month of Ramadhan. – Bernama
No road closure during
M-Day fete
KUALA LUMPUR: The main roads in the city
will not be closed for the 52nd Merdeka
Day celebration to be held in Parliament
Square on Monday.
Acting Kuala Lumpur police traffic
chief Supt Rusli Mohd Noor said no road
closure was necessary as the anniversary
of the country’s independence would be
celebrated on a moderate scale.
“We will not close the roads because
this year the celebration will be held in
the Parliament compound and not on
Merdeka Square like in previous years,”
he told Bernama here yesterday.
Chua: I will endorse EGM if
it is meant to save MCA
that Chua’s sex DVD scandal last year had
» From Front Page tarnished the party’s image.
Chua had attended the council meeting but left Although Eng withdrew the complaint on
at 9.30pm when the council started to discuss on July 30, the board did not entertain the division
the board’s recommendation. chief’s decision as it claimed that the withdrawal
He was summoned to appear before the was not approved by the board.
disciplinary board on Aug 4 after the presidential Chua had openly pleaded to the party lead-
council had decided to let the board clear up the ership to allow him to fulfil his responsibility
“backlog” cases including a complaint lodged by to serve the mandate entrusted to him by the
Simpang Renggang division chief Eng Cheng Guan members, and had hinted that there was an
attempt to kill his political career.
The former health minister and vice-presi-
dent who resigned all posts following the sex
DVD scandal, made a successful comeback by
winning the party No. 2 post in the party elec-
tion in October last year.
Speaking to reporters while the council was
SNAP AND WIN deliberating the board’s recommendation, Chua
said he would endorse an extraordinary general
TICKETS TO ANY DESTINATION meeting (EGM) if it is meant to save the party.
IN MALAYSIA! “I have confidence MCA members will not
let one man self-destroy the party. It will be a
sad day for MCA if we do not rise to the chal-
lenge of saving the party,” he said.
“Saving the party is the only way to move
forward so that we can contribute to strengthen
MALAY Barisan Nasional (BN) and together help to
PH T
SIAN H
OSPITA
LITY achieve One Malaysia.
CONTE “Today, it is not about Chua Soi Lek, neither
ST is it about Ong Tee Keat. It is about MCA as the
second largest component party of BN still drift-
ing without direction and purpose.
“It has been more than 16 months since the
general election and 10 months since the last
Capture people, food,
f d traditions,
t diti
party election, but there has been little evidence
cultures and anything else that best of change.
showcases Malaysian Hospitality. “There is no closing of ranks, no unity,
morale is low and suspicion is the order of the
day,” he said.
However, he said it was never his idea to call
for an EGM to topple the party president as he
For more information, go to
www.sun2surf.com/mas.html
has said it many times that he is not interested
to become a minister.

Educate public on seriousness of human trafficking, says

by Hemananthani Sivanandam
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: The public should be educated
on the seriousness of human trafficking, Human
Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam)
commissioner Datuk Dr Raj Abdul Karim said
yesterday.
This can be done by carrying out more aware-
ness, prevention and enforcement training pro-
grammes, she told reporters after a workshop on
the development of Asean national human rights
institutions against the trafficking of women and
children here.
The workshop was held to draw up recom-
mendations on what a national human rights
institution or a human rights commission can
offer trafficked persons.
Raj said the findings of the workshop, jointly
organised by the human rights commissions of the
Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, will
be submitted to the National Council for Anti Traf-
ficking under the purview of the Home Ministry.
“Human trafficking is a gross violation of
human rights and it’s one of the worst forms of
human rights abuse,” Raj said.
She said apart from prevention and aware-
ness programmes, enforcement agencies such
as the police, maritime, customs and immigration
officers, who are the first point of contact for traf-
ficking victims, should be given proper training on
handling them.
“When officers raid a vice den, for example,
they should not be aggressive and scare the
victims. They should be trained to ask the right
questions so they are able to identify the victims
and help them,” Raj said.
She said not everyone who is arrested in such
raids is a victim as some are “voluntarily involved
in these activities for some reason”.
“Thus, it’s important to have a good screening
and identification system to separate the victims
and others caught in these raids,” she said.
Raj said there are also loopholes in the Anti
Trafficking in Persons Act 2007, which came into
force in February last year.
She said trafficking victims who are trauma-
tised by their ordeal also need to be counselled
properly but at the moment, the counselling is
only done at gazetted shelter centres operated
by the government.
“More non-governmental organisation (NGO)
shelters should be used for the trafficking vic-
tims,” she said.