ANWAR: I DON'T FEAR ARREST.

Anwar: "I don't fear arrest."
Tim Leonard

newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR (July 30, 2008) : Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today went to the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Department (Jawi) where he handed over a copy of a medical report by Hospital Pusrawi based on an examination done on his accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan that showed no signs of sodomy.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim surrounded by reporters at Kuala Lumpur Syariah Court today.

He also submitted other 'evidence' to support his complaint lodged with the department on July 9 that the 23-year-old man had made false accusations against him.

"I was asked what other evidence could be produced to substantiate my claims, other than medical evidence and alibi, and I have done all these...which is somewhat similar to the normal criminal cases conducted by the police," Anwar told reporters after spending close to two hours at the department.

He was accompanied by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, his lawyers and friends.

He praised Jawi investigators as being more professional than the police.

"I can sense the manner questions asked was more professional...wanting to know the facts and not in an accusing tone," he said.

Anwar said there was no reason why the police should charge him for sodomy because there was no proof.

Despite rumours of his imminent arrest published in blogs and newspapers, Anwar declared that he was not afraid of being arrested.

The rumours had prompted scores of local and foreign journalists and photographers to posiition themselves in front of his house in Bukit Segambut.

"Let me remind that this country is not a police state. The decision (to charge) must be based on facts and law. If they (police) follow the law, then the facts, the alibi and the medical report is enough to drop the case," he said,.

It has been a month since the sodomy report was lodged, and it is learnt police have yet to complete the investigation.

Anwar later lashed out at Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan.

Asked to respond to Syed Hamid's comment that he (Anwar) was not co-operating with the police, Anwar said: "Ask Syed Hamid if he is willing to be stripped naked and his private parts examined and made to sleep on a cement floor.

"I have cooperated all this while. So why is he (Syed Hamid) saying that I am not co-operating (with the police)?" he asked

Syed Hamid was referring to the fact that Anwar had refused to offer his DNA sample, which Anwar reportedly said he feared would be tampered with.

Anwar said he also did not fear the Kuala Lumpur Hospital's medical report on Saiful as he believed it would vindicate him.

He said if the medical examination and investigations were done professionally, like the one done by Pusrawi, he believed the authorities would come up with the same conclusion that he did not sodomise anybody.

The authorities had said they would stand by the HKL report, which is normally done in any such investigation.

A copy of the medical report on Saiful, carried out by a Myanmar doctor attached with Pusrawi allegedly claims there were no signs of sodomy.

Anwar said his reform agenda and his intention to run for Parliament are still on track despite the possibility of arrest.

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

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

ANWAR

Tuesday July 29, 2008 MYT 3:53:08 PM

Anwar: Drop the case (Update 3)

PETALING JAYA: PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed that the medical report leaked on Monday confirmed that the sodomy allegations against him were baseless and were politically-motivated.

He urged the police to stop their investigation and to send the medical report to the Attorney-General’s Chambers and classify the case under “no further action.”

The medical report from Hospital Pusrawi, signed by Dr Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid at 2.14pm on June 28, was leaked on the Internet on Monday.

The report said that there was no medical indication that Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, Anwar’s 23-year-old former aide, had been sodomised.

In the report, Dr Mohamed Osman had also recommended that Mohd Saiful go to a government hospital for further check-up.

In KUALA LUMPUR, Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said that the case won't be dropped based just on the medical report.

"This is just one aspect of the investigation. The police are piecing together evidence, let them do their job and complete their investigation," he said.

"As it is, they haven't charged Anwar with anything yet," he noted.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin, editor of news portal Malaysia Today which first carried the medical report, also claimed that Dr Mohamed Osman had gone into hiding because the police wanted him to change his medical report to implicate Anwar.

The police have denied that allegation.

“We interviewed the doctor in the early stages of our investigations following the police report lodged by Mohd Saiful,” said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar.

“But we did not arrest the doctor or detain him for three days as alleged by the Malaysia Today report. We don’t have any plans to do so either,” he said.

In GOPENG, (PKR) vice-president Dr Lee Boon Chye went one step further and said the police should act against Mohd Saiful for lodging a false police report against Anwar.

Speaking at the opening of the Gopeng PKR service centre here on Tuesday morning, the Gopeng MP said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan should stop all investigations into the sodomy claim against the Opposition de facto leader.

Based on the medical report, "Saiful should be arrested for lodging a false report against Anwar and the IGP should also stop all investigations into the claim," Dr Lee added.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://thestar.com.my

KFCH STILL ATTRACTIVE

Tuesday July 29, 2008 MYT 11:41:49 AM

KFCH still attractive, cheap valuations

KUALA LUMPUR: KFC Holdings (Malaysia) Bhd (KFCH) remains a buy at RM6.35 and Aseambankers Equity Research says there is more upside for the counter due to the cheap valuations.

In a report issued Tuesday, it said other factors were the potentially better capital management in the second half of 2008, and more remotely, a chance at privatisation.

On the consumption trends in the first half of 2008 (1H08), it estimated KFCH’s 1H08 revenue rose more than 20% year-on-year from the RM808mil in the previous corresponding period.

The increase was underpinned by a by 2%-3% store network expansion and 12% same store sales (SSS) growth at the Malaysian KFCH chain.

“Strong consumption trends were driven by the government’s fiscal measures, innovative new products (Triple XL Burger, Breakfast menu) and effective marketing promotions such as KFC’s 400th store celebration set meals,” it added.

Aseambankers Research said despite the firm earnings momentum anticipated for 2Q08, it was maintaining its 2008 forecasts in anticipation of consumption slowdown and margin erosion.

“We expect SSS to slow to mid single-digit levels in 2H08, as consumers curtail their discretionary spending as inflation chips away disposable income (July’s inflation rate rose to 7.7%).

“We expect gross margins to ease further in 2Q08-3Q08 as an estimated 3% average price hike at the Malaysian KFC restaurants is insufficient to offset rising raw material costs,” it added.

Aseambankers Research said the 1Q08 earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins had eased 0.8 percentage point year-on-year and 1.0 percentage point year-on-year due to rising costs.

In 2Q08, average soybean and corn prices rose 77.6% and 69.5% year-on-year (up 4% and up 22% quarter-on-quarter) to US$13.81 per bushel and US$6.29 per bushel respectively. Current soybean and corn prices were at US$14.1 per bushel and US$5.85 per bushel range.

However, the research house expected KFCH shares to gradually re-rate towards year-end, with QSR Brands Bhd expected to soon thereafter raise its stake in KFCH to over 50% (from under 49%).

It also expected KFCH to raise its net dividend payout from the 50% in 2007. It also did not rule out media reports of KFCH being taken private and merged into QSR.

“We maintain our 12-month target price of RM7.60, based on a 30% discount to its revised net asset value (RNAV) of RM10.80, which implies a target mid-2010 price-to-earnings ratio (PER) of 11.3 times,” it said.

ARTICLES SOURCE: http://biz.thestar.com.my

CHINA USING OLYMPICS

China using Olympics as 'pretext' for crackdown: Amnesty

---

China is using the Beijing Olympics as a pretext to pursue -- and in some cases tighten -- a crackdown on human rights, notably ridding the capital of "undesirables," Amnesty International charged Monday.

Reporting 11 days ahead of the August 8 opening ceremony, the rights group said that despite some minor reforms, authorities had stepped up repression of activists and lawyers to present a picture of stability and harmony.
Amnesty urged the International Olympic Committee and political leaders to do far more to challenge China, warning of even more repressive measures once the spotlight on the Games has faded away.
"Unless the authorities make a swift change of direction, the legacy of the Beijing Olympics will not be positive for human rights in China," it warned.


"In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics."


Amnesty's report, citing specific cases, said activists who had tied their cause to the Games had been singled out for the pre-Olympics "clean-up," while many others were being detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest.


"Authorities have used the Olympic Games as a pretext to continue and in some respects, intensify existing policies and practices that have led to serious and widespread violations of human rights," the report added.



It listed a series of recommendations urging China to:

- release all prisoners of conscience;

- stop police arbitrarily detaining activists and dissenters;

- impose a moratorium on the death penalty;

- allow complete media freedom; and

- account for those killed or detained in Tibet.

"It is very disturbing that Chinese authorities have indulged in such a big crackdown on the activists," Mark Allison, China researcher for Amnesty, told AFP.

"These are people who represent many many more people in China."


Officials were also extending the use of punitive administrative detention, notably of activists and petitioners as well as beggars and peddlers, Amnesty said.

In January, Beijing police launched a campaign against "illegal activities that tarnish the city's image and affect the social order," it noted.

In May, authorities adopted a "re-education through labour" law to control various types of "offending behaviour."


In June, authorities in Shanghai sent notices to activists and petitioners ordering them to report to the police every week and barring them from leaving without permission or visiting Beijing until after the Games.

A clampdown on journalists has also intensified in recent months, Amnesty said, citing figures from the Foreign Correspondents Club of China showing as many as 230 cases of reporters being obstructed from interviews this year so far, compared to 180 cases in the whole of last year.

Internet controls have also been tightened up and many websites closed down for providing information deemed sensitive, the group noted.


Amnesty said that journalists working from Beijing's Olympic press centre were unable to access the group's website, as well as those of the BBC, Germany's Deutsche Welle, Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, and Taiwan newspaper Liberty Times.

"This flies in the face of official Chinese promises to ensure 'complete media freedom' for the Games," said Allison.

Such tactics raised concerns that officials would seek to block broadcasts of anything deemed sensitive or inappropriate, despite public commitments by organisers not to cut coverage.

Amnesty said China's crackdown in Tibet earlier this year, and restrictions on reporting there, highlighted the authorities' ongoing censorship.


It urged the IOC and the international community to express concerns publicly and press China to fulfil its obligations on human rights and dissent.

"The danger now becomes that after the Olympic Games, these patterns of serious human rights violations may continue or intensify with even less attention paid by the international community than has been the case so far," it said.


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

ANWAR TO COMMENT TODAY

Anwar to comment today?

DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim was expected to have held a media conference at the PKR headquarters about noon today on the leaked medical report that his accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old university dropout, was not sodomised.

DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim was expected to have held a media conference at the PKR headquarters about noon today on the leaked medical report that his accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, a 23-year-old university dropout, was not sodomised.

He could not be reached for comment last night on the medical report, which supporters say backs the defector PKR leader's claim of innocence.

Police, however, have slammed the report as sabotage and meant to confuse the public.

PKR secretary-general Salehuddin Hashim said the leaked medical report confirms the party's stand that the allegations against Anwar were "without merit and politically motivated".

He added that it further eroded public confidence in the police investigations into this case.

"Why has this medical report surfaced only today, over one month after the allegations were made, after Anwar spent a night in jail, and after the police had spent so much time and money on this case?" Salehuddin asked in a Press statement issued yesterday evening.

He also noted the reports that Dr Mohamed Osman had been interrogated by the police for three days and that, as a result, the doctor and his family had since gone into hiding. "Every assurance must be given for his safety and protection," Salehuddin said.

Anwar's lawyer, Sankara Nair said that the legal team would discuss the latest developments.

Saiful has claimed he was sodomised several times, including abroad, on occasions when he had accompanied Anwar.

He also claimed to be Anwar's personal aide but PKR has dismissed him as just a volunteer "coffee boy".

articel source: http://www.mmail.com.my