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Zaid Ibrahim: Under Najib, Malays Will Become Like Talibans

KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — If Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak remains in office, the Malays here will become like those living under the repressive rule of the Taliban and not like Singapore’s Malays, former Umno minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said.

Zaid, who was disagreeing with Dr Mahathir’s claim that Najib’s leadership would force the Malays here to become as marginalised as Singapore’s Malays, told the former prime minister that if his assertion were true, he would gladly support Najib.

“Sorry Tun if under Najib Malays here will become like Spore Malays; I will give him full support. Malays under Najjb will be Talibans,” the former minister wrote on Twitter today.

“Malays under Najib and Hadi will abandon their culture, traditions and values. Tun M must read my new book Assalamualaikum out in Sept,” he said in another post on the microblogging site.

In a video of a Wednesday forum released online today by blogger Din Turtle, Dr Mahathir was recorded saying that if Najib stays in power, the Malays here could become marginalised like their Singaporean brethren.

The former prime minister also remind his audience that the struggle for the country is not for the personal goals of one man but for the survival of the nation, its race and its religion.

“I think we are smart people. Do we want to protect Najib? Or do we want to protect the Malays and the country?

“This is what we have to ask ourselves,” he said in his speech during the forum with several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at the Perdana Foundation.

Dr Mahathir has been at the forefront of attacks against the Najib administration and has been actively campaigning for the prime minister’s resignation, believing the latter will lead BN to doom in the next federal polls.

Among others, Dr Mahathir has attacked Najib over his handling of the controversy surrounding 1MDB, the troubled state-owned firm that has racked up a debt of RM42 billion since its inception in 2009.

Najib, however, has refused to step down and has responded to Dr Mahathir’s accusations — several times via his blog and once through a pre-recorded interview on TV3.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

June 22, 2015
More Than $6,000 Raised For Waterloo Street Cat Ginger

More than $6,000 has been raised by a group of animal lovers to cover the medical expenses of a neighbourhood cat which was apparently knocked down by a motorcycle on Wednesday evening.

Affectionately known as Ginger, the seven-year-old cat was found with serious head injuries by a group of office workers in the basement car park of Bylands Building at Middle Road.

Mr Patrick Yeo, 38, a private investigator, found out about the incident when he received a message from a group that he and 15 others are part of.

They work nearby at Waterloo Centre and feed Ginger and another neighbourhood cat, Oliver, regularly.

The group set up a Facebook page to appeal for donations and they have raised more than $6,000 as of Friday night.

Mr Yeo, who is managing the funds, said that the medical expenses came up to $3,800 so far, including $1,500 for a CT scan, and an $850 accident and emergency bill.

Ginger had a procedure on Saturday and its condition has “stabilised”, said Mr Yeo.

He added that the vet will perform reconstruction surgery for its broken cheekbone and jaw next, so that the cat can chew again. The procedure is tentatively set for Tuesday.

Mr Yeo said a member of the group who viewed the CCTV footage on Friday said the cat was knocked down by a motorcycle.

“We suspect the footrest pedal hit the cat. After that, the bike rode off,” said Mr Yeo.

“The footage showed the incident at an angle, limited view. We can’t be sure it was an accident involving a bike or a case of abuse. We want to catch the culprit,” he said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 21, 2015
Scam Victims From China Allegedly Lost $1.6B, Look For Clues In Singapore

Ripples from a scam that has allegedly cost Chinese investors US$1.2 billion (S$1.6 billion) touched Singapore’s shores yesterday.

A group of angry investors from China showed up at a flat in Sengkang yesterday afternoon to demand their money back from a Singaporean employee of the company that allegedly caused thousands of investors to get their fingers burnt.

The seven, who had flown in from Beijing on Sunday, knocked repeatedly on the door of a Singaporean’s flat for two hours to no avail.

He purportedly worked for API Premiere Swiss Trust AG – a finance firm that has reportedly cost almost 30,000 investors from China US$1.2 billion of their savings.

In the five days here, the investors have engaged lawyer Chung Ting Fai and lodged a police report with the Commercial Affairs Department.

They left a note written in Chinese on the man’s door. It read: “Return our hard-earned money.”

Street protests were held in Beijing and Hong Kong earlier this year when investors realised they might have been duped.

In January, API sent out a message informing investors that its servers had been hacked.

Investors could not access their accounts and were told that their money was gone.

Mr Zhao Guangcai, the group’s leader, said in Mandarin: “We went to Switzerland and found out that the company was a shell.”

The police had sealed doors to its so-called headquarters.

The group in Singapore said they had invested through another Singaporean, who visited China and held seminars in Beijing.

Some investors were also invited to all-expenses-paid trips to Switzerland – where they met with traders – and Dubai.

They saw forex trading rooms, where traders worked and made deals online.

Most investors had started by investing about US$10,000 and could withdraw their money any time they wanted. They got back their principle sum – with 8 per cent interest – within a week.

Over time, they began to pump in more money. Mr Zhao and Ms Miao Lihua, 33, who owns a fashion company, put in more than US$1 million each.

Now, they want their money back.

The group, due to return to China yesterday, extended their stay after realising that one of the company’s employees was in Singapore.

So far, they have spent about $10,000 each, flying around the world to look for leads.

They plan to stick around the Singaporean’s registered address to demand an explanation from the employee.

Mr Zhao, 58, said: “He is the closest clue we have to getting our money back. We are not giving up so easily.”

According to Chinese evening daily Lianhe Wanbao, the Singaporean said he was also a victim and that the company owed him $30,000 in wages.

He blamed the other Singaporean, whose registered flat in Mei Ling Street is empty, for roping him into the business.

“I have been looking for him since the start of the year, but I can’t find him. I don’t want to talk about this incident any more. I just want the situation to be over,” he said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 21, 2015
Aung San Suu Kyi: Instability Could Delay Elections

YANGON — Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi told her party’s senior members today (June 20) that this year’s general election could be delayed if there is any instability in the country.

The former Nobel Peace Prize winner did not go into specifics but Myanmar has seen several deadly outbreaks of violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the last few years amid a surge of Buddhist nationalist sentiment. This weekend, a movement of ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks is holding a keenly watched conference.

Ms Suu Kyi spoke at the opening of a two-day conference of her National League for Democracy (NLD), which is expected to mount a sharp challenge in the polls to the current military-backed government.

In her speech at the party’s twice-yearly meeting of central committee members, Ms Suu Kyi said that stability ahead of the poll was “very important” as she wanted to see it go ahead on time.

“The election is getting closer. I want to stress that stability in the country is very important ahead of elections,” said Ms Suu Kyi. “I want to warn that elections could be delayed using instability as a reason.”

Ms Suu Kyi’s remarks can be seen as suggesting that the government or the military — which holds power behind the scenes — might want to take advantage of disorder to hold on to power.

The election is slated for late October or early November but no exact date has yet been set. The NLD is expected to see heavy gains against the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party.

Ms Suu Kyi also said when her party contested by-elections in 2012, it pledged to work for amending the 2008 constitution, and it continues to seek that. The current constitution contains clauses that bar her from becoming president. Parliament this coming week will debate several constitutional amendments.

Source: www.todayonline.com

June 21, 2015
Japan Offers $4.7 Million To Help Rohingya Refugees

TOKYO (AFP) – Japan on Saturday offered US$3.5 million (S$4.7 million) to help the Rohingya boat people who have fled Myanmar where they faced severe discrimination.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Japan remained committed to helping national reconciliation efforts on various fronts in Asia, including between Myanmar’s government and “ethnic minority groups”.

“With regard to non-regular immigrants, including women and children trying to cross the Indian Ocean, Japan has decided to extend US$3.5 million” through global agencies such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, he said in a public address.

The money will go to providing food and shelter as well as to fund data analysis of their maritime movements, the foreign ministry said.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

June 21, 2015