Kugan's death in police custody: Trial begins, first witness ASP Rodney Pasla Harris testifies

PETALING JAYA, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- The police have the rights to initiate investigations on any crime suspects, the Sessions Court was told Thursday.

ASP Rodney Pasla Harris, 31, of the Taipan police station in Subang Jaya said the investigations would begin once approval was granted by an investigating officer.

Harris, who is from the serious crime branch, said the number of policemen assigned to pursue a case would depend on the seriousness of the case.

The Taipan police station is not equipped with a lock-up, he told the court during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Abazafree Mohd Abas.

"Normally, a suspect is held in custody at the Puchong Jaya police station and will be brought to the Taipan police station for questioning before being sent back to the lock-up," said Harris.

Harris is the first witness at the trial of a constable with the Subang USJ police station, V. Navindran, 28, who was charged with causing grievous hurt to A. Kugan, 23, who died while in police custody.

The offences were allegedly committed at the interrogation room of the D9 office of the Taipan police station at 7am and 4pm on Jan 16.

Navindran, who is represented by Datuk P.M. Nagarajan, faces two alternative charges of causing hurt to Kugan at the same place and time.

Kugan was detained by the police on Jan 15 on suspicion of being involved in a car theft but died several days later.

Judge Aslam Zainuddin will visit the Taipan police station on Monday.

The trial continues Friday with testimonies from a doctor and a police photographer.

-- BERNAMA

Dr M blamed me instead of himself: Soros - interview with Malaysiakini

EXCLUSIVE Controversial currency speculator George Soros says he received bad press in some Asian countries due to Mahathir's comments.

Soros told Malaysiakini in an interview in Hong Kong that it really started with Mahathir blaming him instead of accepting responsibility (for the Asian financial crisis 1997-98). Soros also said Mahathir blamed him instead of accepting blame for his excesses, which led to the crisis.

Isn't that the most convenient thing to do - to pass the buck? ;)

Nevertheless, Soros was quick to credit Mahathir for his response to the financial crisis.

Najib & Rosmah masterminds behind Sodomy II, accuses Karpal

Karpal accuses PM and wife of being Sodomy II masterminds

UPDATED

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer accused Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor today of masterminding the sodomy charge being faced by the Opposition Leader.

“As I said, there’s a black hand in this trial, and that is the hand of the present Prime Minister..there are two hands and one is of his wife,” Karpal Singh told the court today.

Anwar echoed Karpal’s accusations by shouting from the dock the words “conspiracy, blatant lies.”

Karpal's accusations was the latest allegation flung by the defence against the PM and his wife, in what appears to be an attempt to link them to an alleged "political conspiracy."

Both Najib and Rosmah has been listed down as witnesses the defence wants to call during the trial.

Karpal was addressing the court soon after the sodomy trial resumed today after he failed in his bid to disqualify High Court judge Datuk Zabidin Mohd Diah from presiding over the case.

Karpal had wanted to disqualify the judge because of dissatisfaction with the way the court had dealt with Utusan Malaysia’s coverage of the trial.

The veteran lawyer has been unrelenting in his onslaught on the judge by citing what he claimed were examples of the judge’s lack of objectivity with regards to an Utusan Malaysia report on the trial published at the beginning of Saifu Bukhari’s questioning by the prosecution.

Zabidin, in summing up his decision, said he did not see any reason why he should recuse himself from the case.

“If I were to step down from this trial, I would be running away from my responsibility as a judge who has taken an oath of office,” said Zabidin.

Karpal gave notice to the court that Anwar’s defence team would be filing an application for appeal against the decision of the judge not to recuse himself from hearing the trial.

He also urged that the trial go on and the defence team be allowed to cross-examine Saiful, and that there be no more delays.

“Accusations of delay tactics by the defence must be cleared from people’s minds,” said Karpal to the court.

At this point, Solicitor-General 2 Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden replied by stating that neither the prosecution nor the judge had ever accused the defence of utilising delay tactics in the trial.

Karpal then retorted by saying that some media organisations had been doing so.

“We are prepared to carry on. There have been demonstrations, too many things going, like the protest at the Australian Embassy.

“We don’t want a repetition of it and Pemuda Umno cannot be allowed to run wild.”

Yusof, on the other hand, stressed that the trial must continue as the defence and the prosecution owed it to the Malaysian public, not the Australians, to do so.

The judge decided, however, to adjourn the trial until March 25 pending the appeal to the Court of Appeal.

The 62-year-old Anwar is accused of sodomising Saiful at the Desa Damansara Condominium here on June 26, 2008. Anwar has denied the charge, the second time in 12 years he has faced similar charges.

The former deputy prime minister has vehemently denied the accusations hurled by Saiful, describing them as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power” when the charge was read out to him. He is charged under section 377B of the Penal Code and can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction. The trial is taking place 18 months after Anwar was charged in August 2008.

Anwar was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences. He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.

He had earlier led the opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, to a historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008.

(Source: The Malaysian Insider)

4km parade for Maulidur Rasul

(Source: Sun2Surf)

Obama fails to impress Soros - exclusive interview with Malaysiakini

EXCLUSIVE Financial legend George Soros talks to Malaysiakini about the failings of Barack Obama and the global financial system.

Soros who appeared incisive and sharp at 79, told Malaysiakini that he was let down by Obama's unwillingness to hold previous president George W Bush accountable for his “war crimes” and said he had helped bankroll Obama's 2008 presidential campaign because “there was a need to disassociate America from the Bush administration”.

Perarakan Maulidur Rasul pernah dibatalkan di Kedah semasa kepimpinan Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi selaku perdana menteri

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — PAS mempersoalkan keiklasan Umno yang didakwa sengaja mempolitikkan isu kononnya Pulau Pinang membatalkan perarakan Maulidur Rasul sedangkan parti itu tidak pernah mempersoalkan tindakan kerajaan negeri Kedah yang pernah terlepas beberapa kali sebelum Mac 2008.

Justeru Naib Presiden PAS Datuk Mahfuz Omar (gambar) berkata, pihaknya menganggap serangan ke atas kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang khususnya terhadap Ketua Menteri Lim Guan Eng seolah-olah “dijadikan modal politik murahan” untuk menjatuhkan Pakatan Rakyat.

“Ada beberapa negeri lain yang pernah membatalkan perarakan Maulidur Rasul sebelum ini, tetapi saya tiada maklumat yang tepat.

“Bagaimanapun di Kedah, saya sudah periksa dengan Majlis Agama Negeri Kedah, di mana saya dimaklumkan perarakan Maulidur Rasul pernah dibatalkan semasa kepimpinan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.

“Mengapa perkara ini tidak ditimbulkan oleh Umno sebelum ini, mengapa perkara ini tidak dipersoalkan oleh Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi semasa menjadi perdana menteri,” kata Mahfuz yang juga Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena, Kedah.

Pada Jumaat lalu, Abdullah berkata kerajaan Pulau Pinang tidak wajar membatalkan perarakan Maulidur Rasul kerana ia adalah perarakan aman dan tidak mendatangkan keburukan.

Abdullah yang juga Pengerusi Institut Kefahaman Islam Malaysia berkata tindakan membatalkan perarakan itu seolah-olah memberi gambaran bahawa kerajaan negeri mengandaikan perarakan itu akan menjadi sesuatu yang tidak baik, membawa keburukan serta menyebabkan pergaduhan.

Mahfuz juga berkata, Islam tidak mewajibkan umatnya mengadakan perarakan sempena hari keputeraan Nabi Muhammad SAW.

“Yang diwajibkan ialah umat Islam mengikut apa yang diperturunkan oleh Nabi Muhammad, perarakan bukan satu kemestian,” katanya.

Oleh itu soal beliau, apa erti kalau berarak dan berselawat ke atas Nabi Muhammad kemudian menolak apa yang diperintahkan baginda.

“...rasuah, sapu duit rakyat dan salah guna kuasa.

“Bagi saya, tak berarak tidaklah berdosa. Apa erti kalau berarak dan berselawat ke atas Nabi kemudian tolak apa yang Nabi suruh? Apa guna kita berarak dan berselawat tapi tak hayati sunah Nabi?” soal beliau.

Beliau menyifatkan sikap Umno yang membesar-besar dakwaan palsu kononnya kerajaan Pulau Pinang membatalkan perarakan Maulidur Rasul sebagai “perbuatan menghalalkan cara.”

“Matlamat Umno nak kucar-kacirkan kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat dengan menimbulkan suasana yang boleh membawa kepada keadaan huru-hara,” katanya.

Dalam hal ini, Mahfuz juga mempertahankan Ketua Menteri dengan menegaskan bahawa syor awal dibuat oleh jawatankuasa induk, perarakan akan dibatalkan, yang pastinya bukan dipengerusikan oleh Lim.

“Jadi tidak wajar Lim dituduh sebagai anti-Islam... lagi pun keputusan awal sebenarnya hanya merupakan syor, bukan keputusan muktamad,” katanya.

Sehubungan itu beliau menyeru umat Islam dan rakyat Malaysia supaya menjauhkan dari bahaya Umno dan Barisan Nasional demi keamanan, kestabilan dan kesejahteraan negara.

Lim sudah pun menafikan dakwaan kononnya tiada perarakan Maulidur Rasul di negeri ini tahun ini, malahan pelbagai program telah diatur selama empat hari berturut-turut mulai 25 Feb.

Lim berkata kerajaan negeri tidak pernah membuat sebarang pengumuman mengenai perkara itu.

(Source: The Malaysian Insider)

MIC failed: There's Makkal Sakthi, Umno failed: There's Perkasa, MCA failed: Will there be a NEW CHINESE PARTY?

Najib finds new Indian allies, bypasses the MIC

Dr M: Perkasa popular because Umno appears incapable

So you see, there's no more Chinese cause in Malaysia.

MCA is busy infighthing with self-serving interest at heart.

No Chinese politician is intrested to start a NEW CHINESE PARTY.

Looks like Malaysia is more divided along racial lines under Najib. Whither 1Malaysia?