EXPLAIN OR FACE ACTION

Monday September 8, 2008 MYT 9:37:45 PM

PM to Ahmad Ismail: Explain, or face action

PUTRAJAYA: Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail’s fate will be decided Tuesday after a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“He will be asked to explain himself, after which we will decide what action will be taken against him,” Abdullah said.

“I’m very unhappy with what has happened and will take a firm stand on the issue,” he told reporters after meeting ambassadors and foreign dignitaries at Wisma Putra on Monday.

When briefed on a meeting earlier Monday in which Ahmad had asked Gerakan to leave the Barisan Nasional coalition, Abdullah said, “Ahmad should not blame other parties; it’s not for him to ask a component party to leave Barisan.”

Ahmad, already embroiled in a controversy where he is alleged to have described Malaysian-Chinese as “squatters,” has also been involved in a war of words with Gerakan.

Earlier Monday, he said Gerakan should leave the coalition because it has only created chaos among the component parties.

He also said that Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon should be stripped of his post as the state Barisan chairman and the post be given to the MCA.

He said this was because a few Chinese leaders from Gerakan, including Dr Koh, had deliberately taken advantage of the situation and turned it into a racial issue “to hide their own weaknesses.”

Dr Koh should apologise not only to the Malays and the Muslims but also to the Chinese in the country for creating so much tension, he said at a press conference called by leaders and representatives of the 13 Umno divisions in Penang, led by state Umno liaison committee deputy chairman Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah and secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim.

Ahmad made veiled threats as well, saying that “He (Dr Koh) is a leader who is really good at tai chi but I would also like to remind everyone not to forget that the Malays are equally good at silat,’’ referring to two martial arts disciplines.

He reiterated that he would not apologise for his remark made at a ceramah on Aug 23 and was prepared to face the consequences.

He said what was important now was for all parties to be united so that there would be peace and harmony in the country -- however, at the end of the 40-minute press conference, reporters who were in the meeting room witnessed several supporters bringing down a picture of Dr Koh, which was hanging on a wall, and tearing it to pieces.

When contacted later, Ahmad denied any role in the incident.

SOURCE: http://thestar.com.my

US - RUSSIA

U.S.-Russia ties soured further by Georgia crisis

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington's poor relations with Moscow have soured further over Russia's military action against Georgia and experts say it will be impossible for President George W. Bush to mend them before his term ends.

An unidentified military aircraft is seen near anti-missile flares over the town of Gori, about 80 km from Tbilisi, August 12, 2008. (REUTERS/Gleb Garanich)

"This is the most intense crisis in U.S.-Russia relations since the end of the Cold War," said Russia expert Stephen Jones, a professor at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts.

With just months before Bush leaves office in January, 2009, there had been efforts to focus on areas of cooperation and paper over disagreements on a missile defense shield in Europe proposed by Washington and a strong U.S. push for NATO membership for Georgia.

But experts say a rapprochement is unlikely and Russia's actions in Georgia will make it tough for a new U.S. president -- whether it is Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain, who has taken a hard line against Russia.

"This is a setback for U.S.-Russia relations and it will make it very difficult for this administration to push forward any kind of positive initiative," said James Collins, former U.S. ambassador to Russia.

He predicted Russia's military action in Georgia and its breakaway regions, would also make it harder for "pragmatists" in Washington.

"This will confirm the views of those that have been Russia critics and have taken the harder line. They will be saying, 'I told you so,'" said Collins, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

A senior U.S. official warned that Russia's integration into the World Trade Organization and other global clubs may now be at stake because of its actions in Georgia, adding "that's what's at stake when Russia engages in behavior that looks like it's from another time."

Former senior State Department official Steven Pifer predicted the focus of the administration in the waning months would be more on Afghanistan and Iraq rather than Russia.

"Unless someone has a particularly brilliant idea to give it some impetus, there should be a do-no-damage mode (with Russia) before January 2009," he said.

REGIONAL INFLUENCE

Although the Georgia crisis has damaged ties, it was in America's national interest to continue dealing with Moscow on many issues, one of which is Iran's nuclear program, said State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

"It has affected the relationship. There is no doubt," he said. "But we will continue to work with Russia."

Moscow's military action in Georgia followed years of bellicose statements and promises by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and other officials to rebuild Russia's military might.

The conflict has renewed concerns that a nationalist Russia, strengthened by oil revenues, will seek to directly influence states in the formerly Soviet sphere.

The impact on U.S. influence in the region is uncertain but experts say the United States cannot ignore Russia's wealth and strategic influence.

Washington's lack of leverage with Moscow was underscored by Europe's lead role in mediating. France's President Nicolas Sarkozy took a lead role and was in Moscow on Tuesday as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced a halt to military operations in Georgia.

The Bush administration grappled with how to respond, delayed sending an envoy for days and relied on key staff who were on vacation, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a Russia specialist.

Washington's close ties with Georgia, which Bush has hailed as a beacon of democracy, meant the rest of the world did not see the United States as an honest broker in the conflict.

Some Russia experts believe the United States dropped the ball by putting too much faith in Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Not enough was done to restrain his actions in South Ossetia, which triggered the crisis.

"We thought Saakashvili was going to be a nice prudent democrat and failed to look at the signs. We talk ourselves into these things," said Robert Hunter, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO now with RAND Organization.

Not enough attention was paid to intelligence which showed a build-up of Russian military hardware and troops in the region before the invasion, said Hunter.

The State Department's Wood rejected such suggestions. "I don't think there was a failure of intelligence or U.S. policy here," he said. "We have been working the diplomatic track on this and the Russians clearly over-reacted. This was plain and simple, blatant aggression on the part of Russia."

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

SOURCE: http://thestar.com.my

IRAN VOWS NO NUCLEAR

Sunday August 3, 2008

Iran vows no nuclear retreat on day of deadline

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrives at the presidential office to attend a welcoming ceremony for his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Tehran August 2, 2008. (REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl)

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran will not retreat "one iota" from its nuclear rights, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Saturday, the day of an informal deadline set by Western officials in a row over Tehran's atomic ambitions.

Ahmadinejad made the remark in a statement posted on the presidential website after talks in Tehran with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Copyright © 2008 Reuters

WAN AZIZAH QUITS

Thursday July 31, 2008 MYT 5:12:01 PM


Wan Azizah quits, Anwar to contest

By ROYCE CHEAH



PETALING JAYA:

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has resigned as Permatang Pauh Member of Parliament to make way for her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election.


At a packed press conference at the party headquarters on Thursday, Dr Wan Azizah said the decision was made after deliberations with her family, the PKR leadership and its partners in the Pakatan Rakyat loose coalition of Opposition parties.


"I have officially submitted my resignation as MP to the Parliament Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, to make way for my husband, Anwar Ibrahim, to contest as a candidate for Pakatan Rakyat in a by-election as soon as possible," she said.


Dr Wan Azizah, who showed no emotion during the press conference, said it was the right decision for Malaysia and that she would continue serving as PKR president and chairman of the Peace Foundation.
Together with her were PKR vice-presidents Azmin Ali and R. Sivarasa, her daughter and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, and Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai.
Dr Wan Azizah also thanked her supporters in Permatang Pauh who had stood by her in the most difficult of times.


"Anwar Ibrahim has the experience and intelligence to reinvigorate our economy, and the charisma and integrity to unite Malaysians.
"And I'm not saying this just because he is my husband," she added.


As to who would be taking over as the Opposition leader in Parliament, Dr Wan Azizah said that would be discussed with other Pakatan Rakyat leaders.
Anwar, under a police investigation for allegedly sodomising a former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 23, had previously said he would contest in the Kulim-Bandar Baharu parliamentary constituency, where an election petition is pending.



The case is scheduled for hearing on Aug 19.
On Thursday, Anwar said he had decided to contest in Pematang Pauh instead because the Kulim petition might take too long to settle.


He had previously said that he would have the numbers to form the government by Sept 16, and said the sodomy allegation was a part of a conspiracy to stop him from doing so.


He has denied the sodomy allegations and has filed a defamation suit against Mohd Saiful.
The Election Commission is required under the law to call for a by-election within 60 days.
Its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman said the Commission would start preparing for the by-election upon receiving notice from the Speaker.


Also on Thursday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar announced that the police had wrapped up their investigations into the sodomy case, and have sent their report to the Attorney-General's Chambers for further action.


articles source: http://thestar.com.my/

MORE CONFUSION

'Missing' doc's report sparks more confusion

By Yushaimi Yahaya, Frankie D'Cruz. Badrolhisham Bidin, Teoh El-Sen and Najiha Najib

Doc in the Anwar mix

DOCTOR Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid, the newest player in the second Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sodomy scandal, has triggered a sequel that has sparked off another round of confusion.

A medical report attributed to the doctor of Hospital Pusrawi that claims that Anwar's accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, was not sodomised and, now, his sudden 'disappearance' are taking centrestage this time around.

At Press time, the whereabouts of Dr Mohamed Osman, a Myanmar Muslim, was not known. His employer, Hospital Pusrawi (Pusat Rawatan Islam), said he was on leave. His 'disappearance' is being likened to that of private investigator P. Balasubramaniam, who was hired by one of the accused in the murder trial of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribu.

P.I. Bala disappeared after making two conflicting statutory declarations that fuelled speculation, leaving a trail of accusations and denials.

Barely 24 hours after making public the first statutory declaration in which he alleged that police had omitted vital information in the Altantuya case, P.I.Bala made an about-turn and withdrew parts of it.

Police had said there were three likely possibilities for Bala's disappearance: he could be hiding out of fear; he does not want to co-operate in investigations; or he has been 'forced' to go into hiding by certain parties.

Transparency International Malaysia president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said that in the wake of the latest developments the police should expedite investigations into Dr Mohamed Osman's "revelations" to clear the air.

"The matter is getting out of hand as there are so many conflicting reports.

The authorities must come clean on this," he said.

Institute of Public Relations Malaysia president Datuk Hamdan Adnan said police should either drop the case against Anwar or charge the so-called victim if there was truth in the doctor's report.

"There are too many question marks in the case," he said, adding the authorities should resolve the matter soon.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar told Malay Mail that contrary to speculation, Dr Mohamed Osman was never "arrested" but was only interviewed for a short while.

He said that police recorded his statement but that it was untrue that they had detained him for three days.

"Many things have been said and reported that are not true," he said, adding that "police have been very transparent and professional in handling this case".

Asked why Anwar was arrested even after a statement from Dr Mohamed Osman had already been taken, Ismail declined comment, saying investigations are ongoing.

Ismail was reported as saying police were considering investigating a "news website and a blog over their reports".

Online news portal Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today had reported that there was no evidence that Saiful was sodomised, according to Dr Mohamed Osman who examined him for four hours before he lodged a police report alleging he was sexually assaulted by Anwar, the de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader.

Saiful, Anwar's former aide, is said to have gone to two different hospitals on June 28, the day he lodged the police report claiming that he was sodomised by his ex-boss.

He first went to Hospital Pusrawi at Jalan Tun Razak about 2pm, complaining of 'tenesmus', a medical term for difficulty and pain in passing motion. He had alleged he was assaulted by the intrusion of a piece of "plastic" in the anus. He was examined by Dr Mohamed Osman, the medical officer on duty.

It was reported that Dr Mohamed Osman, in his medical report which was recorded at 2.14pm, found "zero active bleeding", "zero ulcer or pus", "zero tear and scar" in Saiful's anus.

In his report's concluding remarks, he advised Saiful to go to a government hospital so as "to rule out" assault and sodomy.

At 6pm that day, Saiful went to Hospital Kuala Lumpur for his second medical examination. He subsequently lodged a report against Anwar at the hospital police beat base.

Malaysiakini reported that the police had recorded statements from Dr Mohamed Osman after Saiful lodged the report against Anwar.

The doctor was said to be under tremendous stress as a result of the police interrogation over a number of days and was advised by the hospital to take leave.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.mmail.com.my

PERDANA V6

PERDANA V6 PROBE:

Five, including two workshop managers, detained by ACA

By : Zarina Abdullah



KUALA TERENGGANU:

Five people, including two workshop managers, have been detained by the Anti-Corruption Agency in connection with the probe on the high maintenance cost of Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars used by state executive councillors.

State ACA director Sharudin Sapian said so far, 20 people including mechanics and civil servants, have had their statements recorded to assist the investigations.

Sharudin, however, refused to comment if the workshop managers were operating within Kuala Terengganu or outside the state capital.

“If necessary, we will not hesitate to call executive councillors to give their statements. We hope to complete our investigations into the case as soon as possible,” he said.


articles source: http://www.nst.com.m

ABDUL RAZAK NEVER MEANT TO HURT ALTANTUYA

Lawyer: Abdul Razak never meant to hurt Altantuya

By Maria J.Dass

nwsdesk@thesundaily.com

SHAH ALAM (July 29, 2008) : Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda never intended to hurt Altantuya Shaariibuu and the surrounding circumstances of the case which corroborates with his affidavit proves this, his counsel Wong Kian Keong told the murder trial today.

"Abdul Razak never retracted his affidavit which stands to be scrutinised by all and sundry. It is an affidavit of truth and proves that the accused is innocent beyond a reasonable doubt," he said during his submission for the trial proper.

Wong said the surrounding circumstances and corroborating testimonies by prosecution witnesses show that Abdul Razak never meant to harm Altantuya and instead chose to play "the waiting game" – which was to wait until she had exhausted all her finances following which she would return to her home in Mongolia.

"This he had made known to private investigator Balasubramaniam who testified that Abdul Razak paid him RM4,000 for protection services required until Altantuya ran out of cash and returned home," he said.

"He never told Balasubramaniam to harm Altantuya," Wong said, adding that all this showed that Abdul Razak had intended that Altantuya returned safely to Mongolia.

Abdul Razak had also made his relationship to Altantuya known to his wife Mazlinda, daughter Rowena, parents and staff Siti Aisyah Mohd Azlan, Wong said.

He added that Abdul Razak also appointed lawyer Dhiren Rene Norendra and contacted police officers who are duty bound to uphold the law including DSP Musa Safri who had referred him to officers at the Brickfields police station.

He also told Siti Aisyah that a police Special Action Unit (UTK) officer C/Insp Azilah Hadri would be coming to the office and to show him in when he showed up.

"All this are not consistent with the behaviour of a person planning a murder," Wong argued.

"His family and neighbours too knew what was happening and Abdul Razak had even asked Musa what happened to Altantuya as mentioned in the affidavit," he said of Abdul Razak's openness.

He said Abdul Razak had only met Azilah once and had never known or met Cpl Sirul Azhar Umar, adding that it was unlikely that he would appoint two police officers to carry out a murder instead of a hired killer.

"Furthermore, he would not have been so stupid as to allow Altantuya to be abducted from in front of his house for everyone to see if his intention was to murder her," Wong added.

Azilah and Sirul both UTK personnel are charged with murdering the Mongolian woman at Mukim Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20, 2006 while Abdul Razak is charged with abetting them.

Wong also argued that the charge against Abdul Razak was defective based the manner of the charge, the 36 hour time-frame given, (between 9.54am on Oct 18 and 9.55pm on Oct 19) and because the specific place of where the purported event took place was never mentioned. The charge only states the place as Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, he said.

Wong added that the testimony of prosecution witness L/Cpl Rohaniza Roslan who is facing impeachment should not be thrown totally out as some of the statements can be adduced.

He was referring mainly to a statement by Rohaniza that she did not know Abdul Razak, which Wong said was corroborated by a witness from telecommunication company Maxis Goh Peng Chew who clarified that there were no call transactions between the two.

Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin commented that some people who knew each other never called one another.

Wong will tomorrow be submitting on six grounds as to why Abdul Razak is innocent. He said these are:

> Overwhelming credible prosecution evidence to prove that Abdul Razak is innocent of the abetment charge

> No direct nor circumstantial evidence to prove circumstantial evidence to prove Abdul Razak committed the abetment charge.

> Totality of the prosecutions evidence clearly raises at the very least, a reasonable inference that Abdul Razak did not commit the abetment charge which should be adopted by the court.

> There should is more than reasonable doubt about the third accused guilt in the abetment charge.

> Adverse inferences should be drawn against the prosecution for failure to call certain material witnesses and to explain how Abdul Razak was alleged to have been the registered user of phone number 012-9042042 which was co-related in telephone logs prepared by CyberSecurity Malaysia Bhd.

>The abetment charge is defective for not specifying the manner, approximate time and place of the alleged abetment which irreparably prejudices Abdul Razak’s defence.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://www.thesundaily.com