All four bodies of the missing victims have been recovered today after the boat of 18 students and an adviser teacher capsized in the middle of the sea.
My deepest sympathy to the victims of SMJK Chung Ling Penang and their family members.
Search and rescue team carrying the body of the fourth victim of the Dragon boat tragedy. - Bernama pic
PENANG, Jan 18 — The recovery efforts this afternoon of the bodies of two more students involved in yesterday’s boat mishap has taken the total death toll to six in the tragedy.
The bodies of Yong Xiang, 16, and Cheah Zi Jun, 17, were found close together at 4.15pm in the waters near Tanjung Marina pier, about one kilometre from the spot off Lebuh Macallum where the accident occurred, said a spokesman of the search-and-rescue (SAR) team.
The bodies of two other students, Brandon Yeoh, 17, and Goh Yi Zhang, 15, were found earlier today, in the waters near the Raja Tun Uda ferry terminal and Tanjung Marina pier, respectively.
Yesterday, the SAR team recovered the bodies of student Jason Ch’ng, 17, and teacher Chin Ai Fang, 28.
The Chung Ling High School teacher and the five students as well as 10 other students and two instructors were training for the Penang International Dragon Board Race scheduled for July in Teluk Bahang when their dragon boat capsized after being hit by a huge wave at 8.45am yesterday.
The mishap occurred about 100 metres offshore Lebuh Macallum, in an area often used by schools for their weekly boat rowing exercises.
The Chung Ling High School dragon boat team had been training for almost an hour since 8am when it was hit by the wave, the impact of which dashed the boat against a tugboat.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who visited the families of the students, said the school should attend to all the queries of the families so that they understand what had actually happened.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon visited the scene of the accident with Balik Pulau state assemblyman Datuk Seri Hilmi Yahaya.
Dr Koh extended his condolences to the families of those who drowned in the mishap and asked the state government to look into the safety aspect before designating an area as the venue of the dragon boat race.
The Gerakan president, who is a former student of the school, said he would meet with the school board, administration and principal on the tragedy. — Bernama
Lawyer of third world mentality. Dont ask me, but i really have no idea how he can pass his law exams and be awarded Datukship. Pictures from Malaysia Freedom.
The lawyer of MACC insulted Karpal Singh today in a heated exchange. After failing to interrupt, Datuk Abdul Razak Musa was ordered to get back on his seat by Karpal.
Probably he had nothing else to say, so he began, " I can sit down but you cannot stand up". Knowing that Karpal is handicapped, he humiliated him in the court room. Instantly he was forced and pressured by Karpal and Gobind to apologise following his the offensive remarks against the disabled. That makes me wonder, is it not an insult to ALL the disabled communities in Malaysia, if a handicapped lawyer on a wheelchair can be humiliated even in the court? And what's more, the coroner refused to take further actions against Datuk Abdul Razak Musa simply because "he has already apologized"?
Now I know why Malaysian judiciary is so powerless.... that it can no longer function to protect its own people from getting hurt.... Malaysia Boleh.
Hisham, like most other high ranking ministers in Barisan Nasional, has never failed to make himself look like a fool in front of everyone.
When asked about the lagging response by PDRM, he defended them by saying that they were not being reluctant to act to fend off security threats. He claimed that the church attacks were under control. As if.
Not long after that, a 100 year old sikh temple was hit by stones. The law firm representing The Herald was broken in today. And, an attempt to vandalise The St Elizabeth Catholic Church in Kota Tinggi, Johor has caused the wall of the building to be splattered with red paint.
PDRM and the Home Ministry have been very defensive on these issues since the very beginning, saying that they are not to be blamed on for the attacks. And on the other hand, they are not acting to protect the victims. So far, none has been detained for the crime after 10 prayer grounds of other faiths have been arsoned and vandalized.
Who are to be blamed on? And the key point here is, WHO STARTED THE WHOLE DRAMA? The Christians? Muslims? I'll say none of them.
The below are some reasonings I plundered from the reader's comments on The Malaysian Insider, which basically tell you that, from the legal battle between home ministry and the Herald, to the church attacks - they were all started, and probably planned by our beloved Barisan Nasional Government.
written by Dont Just Watch, January 14, 2010
ALLAH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
INTRODUCTION - What did not happen
I will first start with what did not happen.
Christians did not wake up one day and say, “hmmm… instead of using the word ‘GOD’ lets replace it with ‘ALLAH’. We shall go to the court to declare it our right to use the word ‘ALLAH’”.
1. What actually happened
The Catholic newspaper, Herald, has been using the word Allah in their Bahasa Melayu edition for a long time. Suddendly, they are told, their publishing licence will not being renewed unless they stop using the word “Allah” and replace it with “Tuhan”.
2. Why go to the Court?
When the enforcement of the ban was taking place, what could the Herald do? They appealed to the Home Ministry to relax the ruling but this was rejected. There was no offer for inter-faith dialogues to be carried out.
The court was the last resort.
3. Why can’t Christians use “Tuhan” instead of “Allah”?
Actually, they can. They can also use various other names such as “The Almighty”, “The Creator”, “Lord God”, etc.
BUT unfortunately there are books including the Bahasa Melayu version of the Holy Bible which has already used the word “Allah” for years. Now the government has started confiscating these books.
Also Christians who use Bahasa Melayu have been accustomed to using the word Allah. It has never been an issue. So why should they suddenly change the way they pray?
4. We all know Allah refers to the Muslim God, Why the sudden need by Christians to also use Allah?
If you have never heard Christians call their God, “Allah”, chances are you never will. This practice of certain Christian groups referring to God as “Allah” is mainly in East Malaysia.
If yesterday I called God, “God”. Today I won’t call him “Allah”.
You won’t suddenly hear me acclaiming, “Oh my Allah”. I will still say, “Oh my God”.
Additionally, I don’t think Muslims will pick up a Bahasa Melayu version of the Herald. I am from West Malaysia and even I have not seen a Bahasa Melayu version of the Herald.
5. Malaysia is a peaceful multi-religious country. Why do the Christians suddenly bring up this sensitive issue and cause tension among the different religions?
Christians did not bring up this issue. This sensitive issue was started by the Home Ministry when they decided not to renew the Herald’s publishing licence.
Yes. Another church in Seremban was attacked by Molotov cocktails and the exterior of the building was burnt this morning. And the usually fast-acting FRU who was swift in evacuating peaceful demonstrations by force and interrupting Perak DUN assembly, did absolutely NOTHING to protect churches around the country.
To prove how retarded these people are, just read what our Deputy IGP said following the most recent attack. “What I know is that it did not happen. Where did you get this information from? That is what I want to know. You must double check,” Ismail said.
Well Sir, it really DID happen. (Image taken from Malaysiakini)
Our government and also IGP have been deliberately demonstrating leniency towards the raging demonstrators who went on the road to protest against the court's final verdict on Allah's case. Hishamuddin said it is people's right to "express their feelings". My memory is not really good, but I suspect Najib and Hishamuddin are more forgetful than the average Malaysians, including me myself. All of a sudden, the high ranking UMNO hate leaders have turned deaf and blind.
Remember the petrol hike, PPSMI and abolish-ISA peaceful demonstrations? Everyone of them ended up showered by water cannons and rained by thousands of tear gases. Demonstrators of all races were hit by the batons of Federal Reserve Units, kicked to the ground and arrested without charges.
And now? The terrorists who scorched the Malaysian churches are still out there. No arrest has been made even though 8 churches have been attacked to date. No actions taken to prevent further damage to the Christians in Malaysia and their churches are not secured from barbaric invasion. The reason being, as claimed by the IGP, they are short of police personnels. Probably our FRU's and police are now busy stalking Lim Guan Eng or Raja Petra who was said to be hiding somewhere in London.
Hishamuddin was fast to deny any involvement in these attacks. He condoned the racist cow-head demonstration and he allowed street protests that eventually morphed into hate assaults. He permitted TV3, Utusan Malaysia to provoke angers among Muslims on the Allah issue, but he threatened internet users and the public not to relate the assailants to UMNO.
NO? Hah. I'll let Malaysians be the judge. These fools probably dont have mirrors at home.
Najib promised many things. Change, he said. He wanted to change Malaysia. Unity, by showing off his copy-cat-ed slogan 1Malaysia to the whole world, he claimed he could unite Malaysians. But ever since the son of Razak took over Abdullah's position last year, everything changed, from bad, to worse. Beng Hock was killed while being interrogated by MACC. Najib denied any participation in the freak accidents.
Soon, any news regarding Altantuya disappeared from all major newspapers and electronic media. Port Klang Free Zone scandal was buried, no high-ranking officers were involved in the multi-million ringgit corruptions, they reported. Before that, UMNO members went on the street with a cow head, stepping, and kicking on it because they knew it is the holy animal for the Hindus. Everyone else was blamed on except the culprit itself.
When the court first read its final verdict on the recent Allah's case, UMNO knew what it had to do. Seize the chance and creating turmoil among Malaysians. That's their ultimate aim. By allowing illegal gatherings and demonstrations, Hishamuddin showed how the Barisan Nasional government can accept humiliations towards other people's religions. And now, churches have been attacked.... explosives marred the buildings of the prayer grounds of the Christians........ The victims can only ask for help in their silent prayers, because they have no one to turn to for help...not even their own government can do a thing about it..
Violence involving both religious issues and religious organizations is gonna turn really really bad. When people fight,people cry. Religious problems will be further amplified by the current racial tension among Malaysians.
But from afar, Malaysians could hear someone clapping their hands and cheering for the never-ending racial politics in this country...... and 1Malaysia will forever remains a lie and the slogan will continue to fool Malaysians for another few decades..... just like its cousin, Malaysia Boleh.
MALAYSIANS MUST REMAIN STRONG AND UNITED. WE BELIEVE WE CAN RESIST BARISAN NASIONAL AND KICK RACISM OUT OF OUR BELOVED MALAYSIA.
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — Police are urging for calm as they secure churches nationwide, after three were attacked with firebombs in separate pre-dawn incidents in the Klang Valley, which have been linked to protests against the recent “Allah” ruling.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan confirmed the attacks, saying the first attack was by motorcyclists who threw a helmet filled with flammable liquid at the Metro Tabernacle Church in Desa Melawati, causing a fire that burned books and chairs near here, at midnight. Its administrative office was gutted in the attack.
He confirmed that they have identified one suspect who was seen by a guard at the church, which is part of the Assemblies of God.
“This is not a well-planned, coordinated attack so people should not be scared,” he told reporters at Bukit Aman here.
The second attack was at about 4am at the Church of Assumption in Petaling Jaya, where a Molotov cocktail thrown by a motorcyclist failed to break and explode. There were several Catholics attending a prayer session at the time, police added.
The third incident took place at the Life Chapel Church in Section 17, Petaling Jaya at 9am, where two Molotov cocktails, also thrown by a motorcyclist, exploded to blacken the walls of the porch and upper-storey window of the two-storey church building.
Musa also confirmed that he has a received a phone call from an undisclosed church saying there have been threats against them.
The national police chief had directed his men to be alert nationwide and all patrol teams to monitor churches since 6pm yesterday.
“I advise all the churches to make police reports if they receive any threats or they can contact me directly at 019-282-3701,” Musa said.
Musa said that the motives of the attack are still unknown. Police forensic teams and fire investigators have swung into action searching for clues in the three attacks.
The top cop also warned the demonstrators that the police will take the necessary action and every means to ensure national security including using the Internal Security Act (ISA) to dampen rising tension in the country.
"I will do whatever is needed to ensure that the country is safe," he promised.
He reiterated that the demonstrations being planned after Friday prayers today were illegal as no permits have been issued.
"I have told all of my officers to monitor all the mosques in the country, especially those that will have the demonstrations," he said.
He said that every individual, including those writing blogs including updates in the social networking website Facebook, will be investigated for sedition if they flamed sentiments and encouraged people to break the law.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein also condemned the attacks.
"I am assuring not only minorities but all Malaysians that they are safe. The issue of race and religion is always sensitive and it is not something new to Malaysia.
"We saw the signs, signals, warning after the court made its decision. We have been monitoring the situation," he said.
He added that the government has always and will engage with religious leaders in the country which is in line with the prime minister's vision of 1 Malaysia.
Hishamuddin again denied he and the PM had condoned the planned demonstrations.
"We never said that the demonstration could go on, do not put words in my mouth," he said. Hishammuddin and Najib, who are cousins, have said over the past few days that Muslim groups have a right to express their feelings about the “Allah” ruling but they should not break the law.
Hishammauddin also laughed off allegations made by Pakatan Rakyat that the Umno-led government should take responsibility for the spate of church attacks.
"If they want to blame us for the attacks, then the Pakatan Selangor government should take responsibility (because all the attacks happened in the state)," he said.
Like in other government examinations, Jit Sin has once again topped the chart of PMR 2009. With 238 candidates scoring straight 8A's, Jit Sin is the best among the best in Penang state, if not the whole nation. Congratulations to all smart and hardworking students who have again made us proud of SMJK Jit Sin.
We are Bukit Mertajam-kia. The unbeatable 大山脚人。
Below is the extraction from Kwongwah.com.my. Click Here to read the full report.
Finally someone got charged and brought to the court of justice. The PKFZ had indeed cost taxpayers billions of ringgits, and just like many other corruption cases in Malaysia, those who have been charged are only the ikan bilis. So far, the ministerial level individuals who condoned and involved in this shameful scandal are still at large. The abuse of power had definitely happened, but the government took its first step to legally clear themselves of any wrong doings with the help of MACC.
The whole Port Klang Free Zone scandal is not this simple; without the guarantee of protection and participation of the government, such multi-million-dollars crime could never happen just like that. It's just not convincing enough that a few engineers or architects are the masterminds behind everything happened.
KLANG, Dec 14 — A former engineer with Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the turnkey contractor of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), was brought to the Sessions Court here this morning and charged with 24 counts of cheating in connection with the PKFZ scandal.
Law Jenn Dong, 51, is jointly accused with Bernard Tan, an architect with BT Architect, who was charged last week for cheating involving RM122.3 million.
Law is accused of making 24 false claims involving a total sum of RM122.267 million. He claimed trial.
Bail was set at RM250,000 by Sessions Court judge Yong Sazali and the case will be mentioned on Feb 4.
Tan also faces two other charges of making false claims with KDSB chief operating officer Steven Abok.
Law is led into court by a policeman. — Picture by Jack Ooi
Apart from the Tan and Abok, the most senior person charged thus far has been former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang, who was charged with CBT amounting to RM254 million, to which she claimed trial, last Thursday.
She was granted bail of RM350,000 in one surety. The case will start on Jan 12, on which date she has been asked to surrender her passport.
Abok and Tan's case meanwhile will be mentioned on Feb 4. They have also been released on bail.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail had also given his assurance that more people will be charged in relation to PKFZ.
"The charging of other individuals will come in stages," promised the A-G in a statement on Thursday.
The PKFZ controversy arose after the cost to develop the massive 400-hectare integrated cargo distribution hub spiralled from RM2 billion to RM4.6 billion.
Law is accused of cheating PKA into endorsing payment to KDSB for electrical infrastructure work which allegedly was not carried out.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ jail, whipping and a possible fine for each of the 24 charges.
So far it’s unclear if prominent Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians such as former Transport Minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy or Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who controls KDSB, will face any action.
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee recently recommended that Chan and Phang be investigated for criminal breach of trust in the PKFZ scandal.
It also recommended investigations into the role of other government officials serving in PKA when the project was being developed. The PAC found both Chan and Phang to have breached the Financial Procedure Act 1957 by issuing three letters of support and three letters of undertaking without the approval of the Finance Ministry.
The PKA sued Phang on Oct 8 for breach of duties in connection with the scandal-plagued PKFZ project.
Received news from a friend a couple of minutes ago about the road accidents involving a school bus with Jit Sin Philharmonic Orchestra and Jit Sin Chinese Orchestra's members which were on their way to Genting Highland.
No serious injury was reported and everyone managed to crawl out from the overturned vehicle.
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — The exhumation of Teoh Beng Hock’s body for a second autopsy, ordered by the inquest into his recent death, has been completed. The exhumation comes following the testimony of Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand that the death of the political aide was very likely a homicide.
A team of over ten police forensic experts had earlier cordoned off the grave area with the aid of several cemetery workers, who are helping with the exhumation.
Teoh’s family members arrived earlier, and began offering rites to the departed’s spirit. A feng shui master explained that the time of the exhumation had been chosen specifically to coincide with swallows beginning the day, for good luck.
Dr Pornthip is also on the scene to observe the exhumation process.
Also present were two other forensic experts — Dr Shahidan Md Noor, who is chief pathologist at the Sungai Buloh Hospital, and UK pathologist hired by the MACC, Dr Peter Venezis.
Following the prayer rituals, the casket was successfully disinterred and displayed to the media present, before being covered in plastic sheets.
Dr Pornthip (centre) was on hand to observe the exhumation. — Pictures by Choo Choy May
The family’s lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, said that all parties involved were satisfied with the way the exhumation was performed and added that Teoh’s body was still in good condition for the second autopsy.
Dr Shahidan along with Dr Pornthip are expected to carry out an X-ray examination on the body later.
The casket containing the body has been transported to the hospital, which will be the site of the second autopsy scheduled to run from 9.30am to noon tomorrow.
Gobind said lawyers representing Teoh’s family will also be there to hold a watching brief.
“This is to ensure that no complications will come in the future, so it’s better to make sure everything is alright now,” explained Gobind, who is also Puchong MP.
Teoh’s former employer, Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, said at the cemetery: “I hope the second autopsy will reveal the truth.”
Yong also stated his desire to know how much the government spent hiring the UK pathologist, Dr Venezis — one of two foreign pathologists, along with Dr Pornthip, who will be observing the second autopsy.
Teoh’s sister, Lee Lan, leads the procession at today’s exhumation.
He said it was of public interest that the amount paid to hire the foreign expert be disclosed, as public funds were used to procure his services.
Dr Venezis, who serves as a director at the Cameron Centre for Forensic Medical Sciences in London, has handled over 2,000 autopsy cases involving sudden death, of which 1,500 were found to be homicides.
“The fact that they hired a foreign expert shows they have no confidence in the local pathologists,” Yong added.
DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and Ronnie Lie were also in attendance. Both expressed hope that a fresh autopsy will reveal who or what “killed” Teoh.
Lim also added that Teoh’s death may have been a contributing factor towards Malaysia’s worst ever placing in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index.
The Speaker, Sivakumar being dragged out of the Hall by police, while PR members tried in vain to protect him.
Death of the Malaysian Constitution
Barisan Nasional will do just about ANYTHING, be it lawful or not, and often not, to achieve what they want. Going against democracy is their BIGGEST mistake.
Barisan MURDERED Democracy
Revive Democracy in Malaysia, Reject Barisan Nasional.
Run, run away, far from pain and misery. Fly, fly away, towards hopes and the future. It is the "yuan" that had brought us together as a family, and it is our own destiny that bring us further towards our dreams.Please remember that if we were once Bio One, then we will always be Bio One. The spirit and the legend of our class will forever stay in our minds; it will glow eternally in our hearts.
二零一零年一月十八日 下午五时五十六分
如此一来，赵家向验尸庭申请
今年的最后一场补选，峇眼槟榔州议席补选，当地老树盘根的国阵候选人依沙，突破曾涉及金钱政治的阴影，并拉拢华印选民回流，成功以创新高的多数票胜出。这次的补选成绩给民联敲响了一记的警钟。
纳吉不久后也推出“一个马来西亚，以民為先，即刻表現” 口号，作为自己的治国标志，企图给人耳目一新的新形象。他也高调地走访吉隆坡各个拥有明显种族色彩的地区，例如茨场街及十五碑等地，突出与民同在的作风。
国阵在今年2月
根据宪法学者的说法，这场风波就涉及至少13个宪法和法律上的争议，包括
UPDATED
INTRODUCTION - What did not happen
I will first start with what did not happen.
Christians did not wake up one day and say, “hmmm… instead of using the word ‘GOD’ lets replace it with ‘ALLAH’. We shall go to the court to declare it our right to use the word ‘ALLAH’”.
1. What actually happened
The Catholic newspaper, Herald, has been using the word Allah in their Bahasa Melayu edition for a long time. Suddendly, they are told, their publishing licence will not being renewed unless they stop using the word “Allah” and replace it with “Tuhan”.
2. Why go to the Court?
When the enforcement of the ban was taking place, what could the Herald do? They appealed to the Home Ministry to relax the ruling but this was rejected. There was no offer for inter-faith dialogues to be carried out.
The court was the last resort.
3. Why can’t Christians use “Tuhan” instead of “Allah”?
Actually, they can. They can also use various other names such as “The Almighty”, “The Creator”, “Lord God”, etc.
BUT unfortunately there are books including the Bahasa Melayu version of the Holy Bible which has already used the word “Allah” for years. Now the government has started confiscating these books.
Also Christians who use Bahasa Melayu have been accustomed to using the word Allah. It has never been an issue. So why should they suddenly change the way they pray?
4. We all know Allah refers to the Muslim God, Why the sudden need by Christians to also use Allah?
If you have never heard Christians call their God, “Allah”, chances are you never will. This practice of certain Christian groups referring to God as “Allah” is mainly in East Malaysia.
If yesterday I called God, “God”. Today I won’t call him “Allah”.
You won’t suddenly hear me acclaiming, “Oh my Allah”. I will still say, “Oh my God”.
Additionally, I don’t think Muslims will pick up a Bahasa Melayu version of the Herald. I am from West Malaysia and even I have not seen a Bahasa Melayu version of the Herald.
5. Malaysia is a peaceful multi-religious country. Why do the Christians suddenly bring up this sensitive issue and cause tension among the different religions?
Christians did not bring up this issue. This sensitive issue was started by the Home Ministry when they decided not to renew the Herald’s publishing licence.