Home Blog Page 517

Meanwhile, at the RPK trial…

Anil Netto
-
6

Two of the most well-known critics in the land, Anwar and RPK, are involved in legal proceedings today, both facing different charges.

Blog reader Stephen gives us a taste of what it was like in court on Day Two of the RPK sedition trial:

I went to the PJ Sessions Court this morning at 8.15am. It was full house. I went back to work and came back at 1.30pm. The court had a short break for 15 minutes at about 1.30pm, but no one came out to give up their seats.

We had to be seated in “transit” outside the court’s front office . As one visitor left, another went in. I went in from 2.15 to 2.26pm when one guy left to answer his phone and he let me ‘borrow’  his ‘seat’. Better than the Mama Mia! blockbuster showing in cinemas in PJ now.

Continue

Judge Komathy dismisses preliminary objection

Anil Netto
-
8

I see Malaysian Insider has since removed that bit where it reported that Sessions Court judge Komathy has ruled against the prosecution’s application to transfer Anwar’s sodomy case to the High Court.

Not quite sure what happened there.

Apparently, it was just a preliminary objection by the prosecution that Komathy dismissed. This is what Malaysiakini is reporting:

Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court judge SM Komathy Suppiah will deliver her decision today on whether the matter can be moved up to the High Court as applied by the prosecution.

This morning she dismissed a preliminary objection raised by the prosecution that she had no choice but to transfer the case to a higher court.

She said that she had the jurisdiction to hear the defence team’s objections against the transfer notice.

Continue

Will Abdullah spring a surprise?

Anil Netto
-
26

Hmm, I wonder what’s going on… Are we in for a surprise?

Mahathir, for one, suspects that Abdullah has something up his sleeve:

It is said that on 9th October, the day before the divisions are to hold their meetings, he will announce that he will not stand for election as President of UMNO. The question is, will he announce it? I have this suspicion that he will not. If he does not it would not be surprising. He is not a man of his words.

There really is no reason for this extension unless it is because of a possibility to influence the divisions into countering the Supreme Council and its demand that Abdullah steps down. In which case the extension may be further extended. Already SMS messages are denouncing Najib.

Meanwhile Suara Keadilan, citing sources, has a report predicting that Abdullah will defend his Umno presidency.

Continue

Inspiring sense of one-ness outside RPK’s trial

Anil Netto
-
3


Raja Petra arrives in court for his sedition trial this morning

Rakyat@Work sends us this eye-witness account from court:

Folks, keep supporting Raja and be there tomorrow? It was a fantastic experience. I got to shake hands with great people such as Marina, Din Merican, Lim Kit Siang, Ronnie and some famous bloggers. You wanna feel what justice is all about? Be there.

There were really generous people too, who gave out free T-shirts, drinks, and cakes. Of course, stocks of T-shirts for sales were also available. A feeling of one-ness was there: people of different races who share the same sadness but carry the same hope and resolve to see this through. It’s difficult to express in words.

Continue

RPK in court now

Anil Netto
-
12

Lim Kit Siang reports from the Sessions Court in PJ:

In Petaling Jaya sessions court now where the celebrated RPK sedition trial has just started.

Big crowd of RPK supporters and well-wishers including household names in Malaysian blogosphere like Haris Ibrahim, Zorro and Delcapo in court but space too limited to accommodate even a substantial number of people who had to overflow outside.

Continue

From tsunami to fire, Tg Bunga fisherfolk need your help

Anil Netto
-
7

Four fishermen’s homes were damaged in the 26 July blaze

Faizal showing me his tiny home a few weeks before the fire

Now even that is gone: What’s left of Faizal’s home after the fire

In early July 2008, I wrote a blog entry ‘Where has all the tsunami money gone?’ highlighting the plight of several fisherfolk in Tanjung Bunga, victims of the 2004 tsunami that hit the shores of Penang. They were forced to relocate to temporary housing – actually, they were more like small cubicles in a longhouse on the beach – as they were unable to obtain lots in affordable flats built on the site of their former fishing village.

Now what little they had has literally gone up in ashes after fuel stored for their motorboats accidentally leaked and caught fire, seriously damaging four longhouse homes belonging to Faizal bin Mhd Yusuff, Ahmad bin Ismail, Ramli bin Din and Ismail on the night of 26 July 2008.

The fisherfolk received prompt assistance of RM300 from the Buddhist Tzu Chi group in Penang. They also received relief assistance of RM1,000 each from the Pejabat Daerah dan Tanah. The Penang Office for Human Development chipped in with close to RM10,000 to help the fisher folk replace their burnt nets so that they could go back to the sea as soon as possible.

Now the fishermen are hoping to rebuild their homes and repair the damage done. For that, they will need to raise a total of RM21,000.

Continue

Penang govt to widen consultation on wi-fi health risks

Anil Netto
-
35

Some good news reported in The Star. The Penang state government will broaden its consultation about the possible health risks of wi-fi.

Wide consultation is a good idea. Such public consultation should take place before any major project is  launched.

“The state government is ready to cancel and abandon the project if there is scientific proof to show that the health of the people will be adversely affected by the wireless network,” says Guan Eng.

Fine. But what if studies point to significant health risks? When it comes to untested new technology and public health,  caution should be exercised – especially if we are not sure of the long-term effects.

There is a difference between free wi-fi for the whole of Penang and say, mobile phones. In the former, the technology is thrust on the people, who do not have a choice. In contrast, in the case of mobile phones, people are free to choose whether or not to use them.

Continue

Recalling the day Malaysians stirred from their slumber

Anil Netto
-
9

This is a new book by Kee Thuan Chye, published by Marshall Cavendish Editions, which is shooting up the best-sellers’ charts. (It was No. 2 on the MPH’s best-sellers’ list on 27 September – RPK’s birthday! – which seems appropriate as one of the highlights of the book is a lengthy interview with him.)

It is a collectors’ item, for it captures the mood of the nation in the aftermath of the political tsunami that swept across the land on 8 March.

Other highlights are interviews with Guan Eng, Zaid Ibrahim, Steven Gan and Husam Musa.

Continue

JBJ is laid to rest; salute to an inspirational life

Anil Netto
-
5

Today, J B Jeyaretnam is laid to rest after a long struggle for democracy and human rights in Singapore. Looking back, we can now see what an inspirational life he led, his principles and idealism shining forth like a beacon.

Hopefully, there will be others who will rise to accept the baton and continue the race. In years to come, the legend of JBJ will be narrated to future generations of Singaporeans, who will come to regard him as one of the island republic’s greatest heroes in the fight for democracy and freedom.

Aliran President P Ramakrishnan has issued a moving media statement, paying tribute to this giant of a man.

Today Singaporeans will bid farewell to an iconic symbol of a fighting spirit that had stood up for democracy and human rights, paying every price that was extracted from him!

We were saddened to learn of JB Jeyaretnam’s demise in the early hours of Tuesday, 30 September 2008. JBJ, as he was fondly referred to, succumbed to a heart attack, bringing to an end a life that reflected an indomitable spirit and a formidable fortitude that helped him to stay the course. Full statement

200 attend Abolish ISA vigil in Penang

Anil Netto
-
9

Ordinary Malaysians scrawl their signatures on the Abolish ISA banner

The Bishop of Penang (left) was among those who showed up

Some 200 concerned individuals turned up tonight in front of the Dewan Sri Pinang to attend the weekly candle-light vigil. The turnout was slightly lower than last week’s 300 perhaps because of the Raya holidays as some were still out of town.

But there were a few ‘visitors’ from KL attending tonight’s vigil, taking advantage of the holidays to return to Penang. One of them remarked that the Penang police appeared to be more tolerant of these candlelight vigils compared to the cops in KL.

Aliran’s Angeline Loh read out the names of the 66 ISA detainees and the duration of their detention as the crowd listened in silence.

A huge ‘Mansuhkan ISA’ banner was placed on the ground and those present then scrawled their signatures to support the call for the repeal of the Act.

Continue
1...516517518...568Page 517 of 568
© Newspaper WordPress Theme by TagDiv