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6 theSun | TUESDAY DECEMBER 23 2008

news without borders

Woman gets 8
Khalid: Sensors to monitor soil years for forcing
another into
prostitution

movements in Bukit Antarabangsa KUALA LUMPUR: A 32-year-old woman

from India was jailed eight years by a
sessions court here yesterday for traf-
ficking another woman, who is also
an Indian national, for exploitation by
threat and force.
by Maria J. Dass but there will be constant monitoring, especially if Abdul Khalid said the ACA officers will be stationed Sessions judge Mohd Nasir Nordin
newsdesk@thesundaily.com there is continuous rainfall.” in the mentri besar’s office, mayor’s offices, selected ordered Punitha Raja to serve her
On Sunday, the state government declared 174 of local authorities and in strategic decision-making sentence from the date of her arrest on
PETALING JAYA: The Public Works Department (PWD) the 269 homes affected by the Dec 7 landslide safe. areas in the state. Dec 7, 2008.
has placed sensors in several areas around Bukit The landslide killed four residents and destroyed 14 He said this was a practice he had introduced in Punitha admitted to committing the
Antarabangsa to monitor soil movements. houses. Permodalan Nasional Berhad where he was previ- offence at a house in Sentul.
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim Eighty-one families have been barred from return- ously the chief executive officer. According to the facts of the case,
yesterday assured residents who are reluctant to ing to their homes which have been declared unsafe. “That is why there are no doubts or questions in April 2008, the victim, aged 33, from
move back to their homes the area is being closely They will have to wait for another month to know if raised about the investment and handling of the Tamil Nadu came to Malaysia to work
monitored. they can return, based on the ongoing evaluation of Amanah Saham Nasional (ASN) and Amanah Saham as a housemaid for RM300 to RM500
Many residents, including those whose homes the structure and hillslope in the area. Bumiputra (ASB) up to today,” he told the participants a month, as she was promised by an
were declared safe, are afraid to return for fear that Earlier, speaking of the state’s efforts to promote at the seminar. agent in India.
another landslide may occur. integrity and fight corruption, Abdul Khalid revealed Abdul Khalid said he also wanted the ACA direc- When she arrived in Malaysia, she
“The PWD’s decision (to declare the houses safe) that a state committee set up for this purpose will tor and officers to be a part of the state assembly’s was handed over to Punitha, who forced
was based on close monitoring of the area and the be revived. Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) deliberations and her to prostitute.
recordings of the sensors placed around the vicinity,” “The committee will be chaired by the mentri scrutiny, in addition to efforts being made to second When the victim resisted, Punitha
Abdul Khalid told reporters after closing an anti-cor- besar and will be a joint effort by the state and the ACA officers to the various districts in Selangor. scolded and assaulted her.
ruption and integrity awareness seminar. Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) towards combating “We hope that by seconding these officers to the Punitha told her she would hire
“The risk is, of course, there, just like there are corruption and promoting integrity,” he said. various areas in the state they, too, will be exposed gangsters to kill her family in India if she
risks involved when driving a car. “This committee will scrutinise major deals and to the system and provide better monitoring and refused to cooperate.
“We do not anticipate anything will happen now decisions made in the state and local authorities.” scrutiny of the processes involved,” he said. The victim was placed in a hotel in
Kuala Lumpur alone for a week and
Punitha brought her food twice a day.
Punitha did not allow the victim to
PAS admits difficulty getting consensus on Hudud Najib: An old story come out of the room and told her she
KUALA LUMPUR: PAS is seen to be was being watched by gangsters.
KOTA BARU: PAS admits that the im- Husam said PAS would not act uni- ing holding a referendum or discussions intentionally raising outdated issues The victim had 20 to 25 customers a
plementation of Hudud and Qisas laws laterally in coming up with the Hudud with the legal bodies. when it brought up the question of day but all the money went to Punitha.
would have to be postponed even if law if the party ruled the country but He said at the same time, several implementation of “hudud” laws She was also forced to serve
Pakatan Rakyat is able to take over the would instead work together with DAP national issues such as racial unity, the with the impending Kuala Tereng- customers from a hotel near Punitha’s
government in future. and PKR on the matter. New Economic Policy (NEP), corruption ganu by-election on Jan 17, Deputy home.
This is because it will require the “However, PAS will continue with its and the economy would also have to be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib The victim escaped with the help of
agreement of its two other Pakatan struggle to implement Hudud law, which addressed fast. Abdul Razak said yesterday. a taxi driver, who took her to the Indian
Rakyat (PR) partners, Parti Keadilan is God’s law, by explaining to all quarters, “The Hudud law is still hypothetical. He said the implementation of Embassy.
Rakyat (PKR) and DAP, which have ob- including the PR component parties, There are other issues that have to take hudud laws was often brought up In mitigation, Punitha said she is the
jected to the plan. until they are ready to accept the law. precedence,” he said. during elections but so far nothing sole breadwinner of her family and has
The admission was made by PAS “We will discuss the Hudud law and He cited the NEP which focused on has been done by PAS to fulfil its a child, two brothers and two sisters
vice-president Datuk Husam Musa at if they cannot accept its implementation the advancement of the Malays in the political slogan, Bernama reports. in India.
a press conference here yesterday as when the time comes, we will postpone field without taking into consideration “This is an old story. They have She said her mother is in hospital
the three opposition components had it,” he said. the poor among the Indians and Chinese not implemented the hudud laws in with a broken leg and is in serious
signed an agreement in August, stating Husam said many things had be who also needed assistance, hence Kelantan and Terengganu but at every condition.
that any policy change should have a done before the Hudud and Qisas laws PAS regarded the NEP as unIslamic. election they raise it as an issue,” he She appealed for a lenient sentence.
multilateral agreement among them. could be brought to Parliament, includ- – Bernama said of Husam’s statement. – Bernama