Lock-up deaths: Some believe beatings are justified...

PETALING JAYA: People who do not distinguish between a suspect and a criminal believe that beatings that occur in lock-ups are justified, opined a criminologist.

Dr Geshina Mat Saat, from Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Health Sciences, believes this perception is unfair as those in custody had not yet been found guilty of any crime.

"Some of suspects were later found to be innocent of the crime they were accused of," said Dr Geshina, who is also a psychologist.

She also said some did not differentiate between petty criminals and career criminals, and believed petty criminals would 'grow' into serious criminals.

Dr Geshina, however, stressed that only about 10-15% of these petty criminals would become serious or career criminals.

"Most are petty criminals who stop when they get gainful employment or have a strong reason to stop their activities," she said.

However, Padang Serai MP N.Surendran said people are disturbed by the number of deaths in police custody and want an immediate end to it.

"There is a perception that the police are being let off lightly. Lock-up deaths are the ultimate denial of human rights," he said.

Over last four weeks, four people have died in police custody, the latest being that of 33-year-old Japanese international Nobuhiro Matsushita who was found hanged with his own shirt at the USJ 8 police station lock-up on June 8.

On June 1, P.Karuna Nithi, 41, was found unconscious in a Tampin police station lock-up and was later pronounced dead, while James Ramesh had died a week earlier in Penang.

On May 21, N. Dhamendran was found dead at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters lock-up.


Source: The Star

Part-time lecturer charged with molesting 15-year-old boy

KUALA LUMPUR: A part-time lecturer pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate's Court on Tuesday to molesting a teenager two weeks ago.

Vasuthreva Menon, 42, was charged with committing the offence on a 15-year-old boy on the front seat of a car parked at Jalan Raja Uda, Kampung Baru, between 7.30pm and 10.30pm on May 30.

The charge, under Section 354 of the Penal Code, provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine, whipping or any two of the punishments upon conviction.

Magistrate Saiful Akmar Said allowed bail of RM5,000 with one surety and set July 11 for mention.

Deputy public prosecutor Sarihan Abdul Shatar prosecuted while Menon was unrepresented. - Bernama


Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2013/6/11/nation/20130611160850&sec=nation

Penjawat awam sementara gaji bawah RM3,000 layak carum Perkeso

KUALA LUMPUR: Penjawat awam bertaraf sementara dan kontrak yang bergaji RM3,000 sebulan atau kurang layak mencarum dalam skim Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial Pekerja (Perkeso) mulai 1 Jun lepas, kata Ketua Eksekutif Perkeso Datuk K. Selvarajah.

Beliau berkata pekerja yang menerima gaji bulanan lebih RM3,000 dan tidak layak mencarum di bawah Akta Keselamatan Sosial Pekerja, masih boleh mencarum dengan syarat majikan dan pekerja setuju memilih untuk diliputi skim Perkeso dengan mengemukakan notis pilihan.

Bagi pekerja yang sebelum ini telah mencarum dan pada masa sekarang bergaji melebihi RM3,000, mereka wajib untuk terus mencarum selaras dengan prinsip 'sekali layak mencarum terus layak mencarum', katanya.

"Perkeso akan memastikan semua pekerja dan majikan memahami perkara ini dengan menganjurkan taklimat ke seluruh negara bermula hari ini," katanya kepada Bernama selepas merasmikan Taklimat Perlindungan Keselamatan Sosial Perkeso Kepada Penjawat Awam Bertaraf Sementara dan Kontrak di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra di sini, hari ini.

Selvarajah berkata penjawat awam akan menerima faedah yang sama dengan pekerja swasta berdasarkan dua skim perlindungan yang disediakan Perkeso.

"Skim pertama ialah Skim Bencana Pekerjaan iaitu Perkeso memberi perlindungan kepada pekerja yang mengalami kemalangan dengan faedah-faedah seperti perubatan, hilang upaya sementara dan kekal, pendidikan, orang tanggungan dan pengurusan mayat.

"Skim kedua ialah Skim Keilatan iaitu meliputi pencen ilat, pendidikan dan pencen penakat," katanya. Beliau berkata caruman yang perlu dibayar penjawat awam adalah sama dengan pekerja swasta iaitu kategori pertama ialah caruman untuk Skim Bencana Pekerjaan dan Pencen Ilat; dan kategori kedua ialah Skim Bencana Pekerjaan.

Kategori pertama melibatkan pekerja belum mencapai umur 60 tahun iaitu syer dibayar majikan ialah 1.75 peratus dan pekerja 0.5 peratus, manakala kategori kedua pekerja berumur melebihi 60 tahun iaitu syer caruman 1.25 peratus hanya dibayar majikan, katanya.

Sementara itu, Selvarajah berkata majikan yang mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya seorang pekerja dikehendaki mendaftar dengan Perkeso dalam tempoh tidak lewat 30 hari daripada tarikh diambil bekerja.


-BERNAMA

Siti Nurul: I will not go back to Everest

An expedition member Jeffry Mustafa, 45, greeting family members upon his arrival at KLIA. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: The cold, harsh winds of Mount Everest will forever be a reminder of a painful memory for Siti Nurul Azzua Tamjis.

It was there that the 29-year-old lost her training buddy and close friend, Muhamad Shahrulnizam Ahmad Nazari, 25, to acute mountain sickness (AMS) while scaling the world’s highest mountain.

“We were very close. We were paired as training buddies from the beginning, and he even took care of me when I suffered from AMS.

“I can’t forget any of this. I will not go back there again because this was the most bitter experience of my life,” a tearful Siti Nurul said on her return from Kathmandu last night.

Siti Nurul and Shahrulnizam were part of a 14-member team from the Putrajaya Corpora­tion which attempted to scale up to Mount Everest’s base camp as part of an expedition organised by their sports and recreation club.

Expedition members were overcome with emotions when they reached the arrival hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with nary a dry eye as family and friends showered them with love and affection on their return.

Siti Nurul said many on the team experienced mild AMS, but none realised the extent that the deadly condition had affected Shahrulnizam.

“He never showed any signs of suffering from AMS. He always put on a strong front for everybody, so we were all shocked to find out how bad it was,” she said.

“I am sad that we lost a friend ... whatever that we achieved in the expedition is dedicated to his memory,” she said.


-THE STAR

China launches Shenzou-10 space mission

Chinese astronauts (from L to R) Wang Yaping, Zhang Xiaoguang and Nie Haisheng wave before leaving for the Shenzhou-10 manned spacecraft mission at Jiuquan satellite launch center in Jiuquan, Gansu province June 11, 2013. REUTERS/China Daily

:              :               :              :              :              :              :

BEIJING - A Chinese manned spacecraft blasted off with three astronauts on board on Tuesday on a 15-day mission to an experimental space lab in the latest step towards the development of a space station.

The Shenzhou 10 spacecraft was launched from a remote site in the Gobi desert in China's far west at 5:38 p.m. (10:38 a.m. British time) under warm, clear blue skies, in images carried live on state television.

Once in orbit, the craft will dock with the Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) 1, a trial space laboratory module, and the two male and one female astronauts will carry out various experiments and test the module's systems.

They will also give a lecture to students back on Earth.

China successfully carried out its first manned docking exercise with Tiangong 1 last June, a milestone in an effort to acquire the technological and logistical skills to run a full space station that can house people for long periods.

President Xi Jinping oversaw Tuesday's launch personally, addressing the astronauts before they blasted off to wish them success, saying he was "enormously happy" to be there.

"You are the pride of the Chinese people, and this mission is both glorious and sacred," Xi said, according to state media.

This mission will be the longest time Chinese astronauts have spent in space, and marks the second mission for lead astronaut Nie Haisheng.

It is China's fifth manned space mission since 2003, and was accompanied by the usual outpouring of national pride and Communist Party propaganda, including children dressed as happy ethnic minorities waving off the three at the space centre.

However, some wondered why China was spending so much money exploring space when it was still a developing country with a plethora of more pressing issues, from food safety and pollution to the prevalence of workplace fire disasters.

"Why don't they spend this money solving China's real problems instead of wasting it like this?" wrote one user on China's popular Twitter-like service, Sina Weibo.

China's space programme has come a long way since late leader Mao Zedong, founder of Communist China in 1949, lamented that the country could not even launch a potato into space.

REUTER

Pampasan insurans RM50,000 untuk keluarga Mohammad Shahrulnizam

PUTRAJAYA: Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj) akan menyerahkan pampasan insurans berjumlah RM50,000 kepada keluarga Allahyarham Mohammad Shahrulnizam Ahmad Nazari yang meninggal dunia akibat penyakit akut gunung (AMS) ketika dalam perjalanan ke Everest Base Camp pada 3 Jun lalu.

Presiden PPj Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat berkata walaupun Mohammad Shahrulnizam merupakan penolong jurutera kontrak PPj, Allahyarham layak mendapat pampasan insurans seperti pekerja tetap perbadanan itu.

"Kita akan cuba usahakan. Saya fikir ini tidak menjadi masalah. Walaupun beliau pegawai kontrak, apa juga faedah yang diterima pekerja tetap beliau juga layak, kecuali tiada pencen," katanya pemberita selepas majlis makan malam sempena pelayaran pertama Cruise Tasik mengelilingi Pusat Pentadbiran Persekutuan di sini Isnin malam.

Aseh berkata PPj juga akan melakukan kutipan dalam kalangan warga kerjanya bagi menghulur sumbangan segera kepada keluarga Allahyarham.

Mohammad Shahrulnizam, 25, meninggal dunia akibat AMS ketika di Labuche dalam perjalanan ke Everest Base Camp dan jenazahnya dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Batu Belah, Klang, Khamis lepas.

Ekspedisi Mendaki Gunung Kala Patthar dan Everest Base yang bermula 27 Mei itu disertai 14 pendaki (11 lelaki dan tiga wanita) yang mewakili Kelab Rekreasi Sukan dan Kebajikan PPj.

BERNAMA

Kementerian tidak tolak kemungkinan sekat Facebook

KUALA LUMPUR: Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia tidak menolak kemungkinan akan mengharamkan penggunakan media social seperti Facebook.

Bagaimanapun, menterinya Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek berkata sekatan akses media sosial seperti tidak perlu dibuat pada masa sekarang. Jelasnya, kerajaan tidak akan berbuat demikan hanya kerana tindakan segelintir pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab.

“Cuma rakyat perlu tahu pihak berkuasa tidak akan berdiam diri jika mereka menyalahgunakan penggunaan laman media social,” tambah beliau.

"Tetapi saya tidak menolak kemungkinan itu andainya terdapat penggunaan secara negatif yang keterlaluan hingga mendatangkan rasa resah, gelisah dan kemarahan di kalangan rakyat.....mungkin ketika itu kerajaan perlu menerima pandangan dan desakan dari pelbagai pihak untuk melakukannya," katanya.

Beliau kata kementerian memandang serius memandang serius kes penyalahgunaan internet terutama membabitkan penyebaran fitnah dan hasutan.

Ia sekali gus boleh menimbulkan keresahan dan kemarahan rakyat.

Ahmad Shabery turut mengingatkan, tiada siapa akan terlepas dari undang-undang seandainya mencetus provokasi di laman sosial. Ia termasuk perlakuan atau penyataan di laman media sosial seperti facebook, twitter dan blog walaupun atas dasar peribadi.

Katanya, kecanggihan teknologi membolehkan individu terbabit dikesan pihak berkuasa seperti kes menghina yang di-pertuan agong sebelum ini.

Pada masa yang sama, Ahmad Shabery kata kementeriannya sudah mengenalpasti identiti individu hina Nabi di laman sosial Facebook. Nama individu itu sudah diserah kepada polis untuk tindakan lanjut.

Kelmarin, dua akaun facebook menggunakan nama 'Calvin Gani' dan 'Rakyat Anarki' memaparkan kenyataan menghina Nabi. Kenyataan itu mencetuskan kemarahan umat Islam negara ini. Katanya, facebook turut mempunyai kebaikan yang dapat dimanfaatkan banyak pihak.

Bagaimanapun, Shabery tidak menafikan kemungkinan kerajaan menyekat laman sosial itu seandainya terdapat penggunaan negatif dan keterlaluan.

Antara negara yang mengharamkan akses Facebook ialah China, Vietnam, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Korea Utara dan Uzbekistan


BERNAMA

Kadar jenayah Kota KInabalu menurun sejak Januari lalu

KOTA KINABALU: Statistik terkini kadar jenayah bagi kawasan bandar raya Kota Kinabalu pada keseluruhannya menurun kepada 635 kes dalam tempoh Januari hingga 9 Jun ini berbanding 752 kes dalam tempoh yang sama tahun lepas.

"Ini menunjukkan penurunan sebanyak 117 kes atau 15.56 peratus," kata Ketua Polis Daerah Kota Kinabalu ACP Jauteh Dikun.

Beliau berkata bagaimanapun dua kategori kes menunjukkan peningkatan iaitu kes curi motosikal sebanyak 4.9 peratus dan pecah rumah 13.46 peratus.

"Polis sentiasa komited dalam menjalankan tugas dan amanah untuk mencegah serta menbanteras jenayah," katanya ketika menyampaikan amanat sempena perhimpunan bulanan anggota polis di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah Kota Kinabalu di di sini hari ini.

Jauteh berkata setiap anggota polis mempunyai tanggungjawab yang ditetapkan terutama dalam memberi perkhidmatan kepolisan yang lebih baik kepada rakyat.


- BERNAMA

PLUS bakal guna Kad Transit Pintar

PLUS Malaysia Berhad (Plus) akan menggantikan kad transit biasa kepada kad pintar di semua lorong tunainya di Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan dan Lebuhraya Elite bermula Selasa depan.

Pengarah Urusan Plus Datuk Noorizah Abd Hamid berkata penggunaan kad transit pintar yang akan dilaksana secara berperingkat itu merupakan antara strategi Plus meningkatkan operasi di plaza tol.

"Ini sebahagian usaha Plus menaik taraf sistem tolnya sejajar dengan perkembangan teknologi selain menyokong dasar 'Go Green' kerajaan untuk memelihara alam sekitar dengan menggunakan kad transit kitar semula," katanya dalam kenyataan, di sini Selasa.

Katanya kaedah penggunaan kad transit pintar itu sama seperti sistem sedia ada iaitu kad yang diberi kepada pengguna laluan tunai ketika memasuki lebuh raya akan diserah semula semasa melakukan pembayaran tol.

"Pelaksanaan kad transit pintar ini tidak menjejaskan mereka yang menggunakan kaedah pembayaran secara elektronik seperti SmartTAG, Touch n'Go atau PLUSMile," katanya.

Sistem kad pintar kitar semula itu dilaksana di plaza tol Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan di antara Sungai Dua dan Hutan Kampung sejak 2009.


BERNAMA
Jun 11, 2013

14 rare lions found: Thai pet shop owner arrested

• 

A lioness bares its teeth inside an enclosure after a raid at a zoo-like house on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand Monday, June 10, 2013. Thai police and forestry officials searched and seized a number of imported and endangered animals including 14 lions from Africa and arrested the house's owner. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)


BANGKOK (AP) — Thai police found 14 albino lions imported from Africa and hundreds of other protected animals in a warehouse near Bangkok and have arrested a pet shop owner. Birds, meerkats, tortoises, peafowls, capuchin monkeys and other species from overseas and Thailand were found at the warehouse, police Col. Ek Ekasart said.

They said Montri Boonprom-on, 41, faces charges of possessing wildlife and carcasses and could face up to four years in jail and a fine of 40,000 baht ($1,300).

Ek said Montri owns an exotic pet shop at Bangkok's renowned Chatuchak weekend market and was previously convicted of wildlife trading.

Montri told reporters the lions were shipped legally and were to be transferred to a zoo in Thailand's northeast. He did not explain why only 14 lions remained at his warehouse, while the documents showed he had imported 16. Thailand is a hub of the international black market in protected animals. While the country is a member of a convention regulating international trade in endangered species, Thai law does not extend protection to many alien species.

Police also found a hornbill and a leopard, both protected by Thai law, which were packed in a box and were scheduled to be delivered to clients on Monday.

"We have been monitoring the location for a few days after the neighbors complained about the noise from the animals," Ek told reporters during the raid in a residential area of Bangkok's Klong Sam Wa district. "And if you looked through the gate, you could spot lions in the cage."

The animals were confiscated and will be under the care of the Department of Natural Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.



Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/thai-pet-shop-owner-14-rare-lions-arrested-012528097.html

Jamalul Kiram III will be arrested soon

KUALA LUMPUR: The controversial self-proclaimed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III and his followers will be arrested and charged soon.

According to a report in Utusan Malaysia today, the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) which was investigating the Sulu intrusion into Sabah, has submitted its report to the country’s Department of Justice.

Quoting to the news article, citing a source, it reported that the Sulu group will be charged for three offences including launching a war on a foreign country, possessing illegal firearms and carrying firearms during the election period as during time of the incident Philippines was going through election campaigns.

The source also said that investigation by Philippines authority reveals that the intrusion was planned as early as November last year, before they landed on the eastern coast of Sabah on Feb 12.

It added that the Philippines authority is also looking for Jamalul Kiram’s brother, Agbimuddin Kiram who is reportedly in hiding in the country.

Meanwhile, the sultan's daughter Princess Jacel Kiram yesterday claimed that the family had received information from sources "within the government" about plans to turn in the Kirams to the Malaysian government.

However, according to a report in a Philippines daily, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda denied the claim.

"It's just a claim...there's none...let's wait for (an) official statement from us," Lacierda had said.


- Astro Awani