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Police detain singer-guitarist Paula at Penang vigil

Anil Netto
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Paula leading the crowd with a freedom song

Riot police arrived as the event was winding down

Shining the light for justice and freedom in the land

All eyes will now be on the vigils in Petaling Jaya and Ipoh tomorrow.

2358: The rumour goes out among those outside that B K Ong has been arrested. But Chin Tong confirms over the phone that B K Ong is safe and sound with him inside the station. The small crowd of about 20 outside the police station are now allowed to enter the premises.

2321: Chin Tong sends me a text message:

She’s actually arrested. But probably (to be) released soon.

2258: Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong has been allowed into the police station. He tells me over the phone he understands that she has not been formally arrested but they are questioning her at the moment.

2154: Four or five activists and friends, along with several journalists, are now outside the police station. They have not been allowed to enter the compound.

2133: Singer-guitarist Paula Khoo was detained by police as the Abolish ISA vigil in Penang drew to a close after 8.30 pm, just about 30 minutes after it had begun. Ironically, Paula, who was the emcee for the night, was detained minutes after leading the crowd in a rendition of “Sing a song of freedom”.

As the event was winding down, police including about a dozen light strike force personnel arrived. An officer using a loud hailer gave the crowd ten minutes to disperse as the riot police stood in a row behind him. The crowd gradually dispersed, but unknown to many of them, Paula was quietly led to a police van and taken to the Patani Road police station.

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Kee Thuan Chye speaks about “fairly current” events

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A relaxed-looking Kee Thuan Chye talks about his latest book ‘March 8: The day Malaysia woke up’, unfulfilled promises, renewed fears of a crackdown, and the political transition. He says Malaysians need to be more politically conscious and let the powers-that-be know that they can’t ride roughshod over the people.

Abolish ISA “freedom run” in progress

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Candlelight vigil at the Esplanade, Penang at 8.00pm today, organised by the Penang Anti-ISA Network.

An Anti-ISA freedom run from the Pandamaran new village in Selangor to the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak was flagged off at 8.15am today.

The 350-km two-day run, organised by the DAP, is taking the following route:

Saturday, 15 Nov 08 (Selangor)

0800 – Flag off at DAP Pandamaran Service Centre (near the market). Route towards Bt Tinggi/Bayu Perdana traffic light (YB Charles Santiago Service Centre). Towards Jalan Kim Chuan and onwards to YB M. Manoharan’s service centre (near Hin Hua school). Simpang Tujuh roundabout and towards Jalan Tengku Kelana (Indian Street).

0845 – Cross the Klang bridge and towards Gold Coast hotel, Pin Hua school. Pin Hua school to CIMB bank and Jalan Meru, pass High School to (YB Teng Chang Khim’s service centre).

0900 – Jalan Kapar, batu 2 setengah. Straight to Kapar town.

1000 – Kapar town. Proceed to Jeram.

1200 – Kuala Selangor.

1330 – Tg Karang.

1430 – Sekinchan.

1630 – Sg Besar.

1800 – Sabak Bernam.

Run stops for the night.

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Bakun: More public money to be pumped in?

Anil Netto
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RM3 billion of your EPF money has been lent for the Bakun Dam project (Photo credit: Raymond Abin/IPS)

This news report below doesn’t sound good. The Tenaga Nasional Bhd CEO is saying that government support is needed for the Bakun Dam to be economically feasible. Is this a request for a bailout?

Remember, we already have more than a 40 per cent electricity reserve margin in the peninsula, and more dams are supposed to sprout like mushrooms in Sarawak.

Remember, they have already borrowed RM3 billion from the EPF and RM0.4 billion from the Pension Trust Fund for Bakun. Does that mean they have already lent your EPF money for a project that will not be feasible without government support?

Then there’s the whole question of the viability of the Bakun Dam, seeing how even the dam catchment areas have been logged or degraded.

And they still want to build the Murum Dam near the Bakun Dam and relocate a thousand Penan inhabitants. Where is the money for Murum going to come from?

(TheEdgeDaily) Kuala Lumpur: Tenaga Nasional Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamed Noh said government support was needed for the Bakun Hydroelectric dam to be economically feasible.

“It can take the form of a pseudo-govt support in terms of the financing or other kind of support. But to ensure that the tariff from Bakun to Tenaga is at an affordable rate there must be some support. For Bakun, it cannot be purely commercial financing,” he told reporters during the International Energy Security Forum 2008 yesterday.

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LIVE updates: A wet night in Seremban

Anil Netto
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Live updates from an eye-witness at the scene.

Blog reader We Care says:

I see Rain as a symbol for “Showers of Blessing”.

Let’s continue to fast and pray for Wisdom, Peace and Tranquility to prevail.

Let’s continue to campaign to “RELEASE all ISA detainees and ABOLISH ISA NOW”!

In a related development, Perak became the second state to approve a motion in its State Assembly to Abolish the ISA. The motion was approved yesterday, according to the Abolish ISA Movement, Syed Ibrahim Syed Nor in an email notification. It’s a huge symbolic milestone for the campaign as the Kamunting Detention Centre lies in Perak. Selangor was the first state to approve such a motion in May.

2120: The vigil ends peacefully after the crowd sings two numbers, “I have a dream” and “Where are all the flowers gone?” Zorro tells the rakyat it’s not the size of the crowd that matters but their intention and commitment to the cause of justice.

The next vigil will be held in Penang tomorrow, Saturday night, at the Esplanade at 8.00pm.

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5,000 new jobs coming up

Anil Netto
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In the midst of all the doom and gloom surrounding the global economic slowdown, it is heartening to know that there is at least one sector in Malaysia that is expanding, creating thousands of new jobs over the next few years.

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10 lessons to be learnt from the Big Bang tennis flop

Anil Netto
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Now that the recriminations have flown around after the “Kings of Tennis” debacle, it would be a pity if this episode is allowed to peter out without any real lessons being learned.

There are larger lessons here for the state when dealing with private companies coming up with all sorts of ideas and proposals:

1. Protect the public interest at all times, ahead of private interests.

2. Check out the track record of the companies concerned. Do they have a history of successful ventures? Are they in financial trouble? Check out the directors’ backgrounds.

3. Don’t get too “pally” and cosy with the business community. State government officials are there to uphold and defend the public interest. It’s fine to encourage economic activity, but when dealing with private companies, always do so at arm’s length.

4. Beware of things which appear to be free and cost nothing to the state. What do they expect in return – if not in cash, then in kind? Are they looking for relaxation of regulations, easier licences, cheap land, monopolistic advantage or a stepping stone to related ventures?

5. If they are introducing new technology, chemicals, etc, is the technology proven and safe? Remember the Precautionary Principle:

The precautionary principle is a moral and political principle which states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue, the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action.

The principle implies that there is a responsibility to intervene and protect the public from exposure to harm where scientific investigation discovers a plausible risk in the course of having screened for other suspected causes. The protections that mitigate suspected risks can be relaxed only if further scientific findings emerge that more robustly support an alternative explanation. In some legal systems, as the law of the European Union, the precautionary principle is also a general and compulsory principle of law.

In other words, the burden of proof lies with those introducing the technology to prove that it is safe – and NOT with the public to prove that it is harmful.

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Gotcha!

Anil Netto
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Selangor state assembly member Lau Weng San was assaulted on Sunday Photos by Sunny Lim

Ever wondered what the view from inside a police truck would be like as you are hauled off to the police station? This is what Sunny saw…

Waiting… and waiting: Inside the PJ police station after being arrested

More than 100 people attended the Mass for ISA detainees at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Pulau Tikus last night.  Parish priest Fr Marshall Fernandez and Fr Fabian Dicom concelebrated the Mass. Police presence was low-key, with just a couple of plainclothes officers outside.

There will be another Mass next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Lau Weng San, the Selangor state assembly member representative who was assaulted during the vigil in Petaling Jaya on Sunday, has found a picture of the man in plainclothes who he identifies as the one who assaulted him. Click here. Gotcha!

Weng San was among 23 arrested on Sunday. Also among those arrested was Sunny Lim, who provides an inspiring account of his participation in the vigil, capturing the spirit of the occasion.  He was outraged by what he witnessed.

The weather was kind and the night air was filled with patriotism. The national anthem was heard loud and clearly sung by all present in unison. Before it was over, my arm was grabbed by a plainclothes officer. I suffered shock for a moment and wondered what had gone wrong. I remained composed and walked along with him. Full article on the Aliran website here.

What do all these vigils mean and why are the authorities now getting a bit edgy? I tried to answer these questions in the article for IPS below:

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Ronnie Liu arrested

Anil Netto
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Selangor state exco member Ronnie Liu has been detained or arrested, according to two sources.

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Big Bang tennis event ends with whimper

Anil Netto
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The ‘Kings of Tennis’ tournament in Penang this weekend has been cancelled.

How much will it cost to clear the mess in the Esplanade, including all that concrete? A couple of million ringgit? Did the state government collect a deposit from the organisers? If yes, great. If not, why not?

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