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New Anti-Terror Law Includes Detention Without Trial, Electronic Monitoring

The new anti-terror act that will be tabled in Parliament this month will include provisions that allow for detention without trial and the implementation of the Electronic Monitoring Device (EMD), a source familiar with the new act said.

The source said the new act will have features similar to the Prevention of Crime (Amendment and Extension) Act 2013 (Poca), which allows suspected criminals to be detained without trial for up to two years.

“The power to decide whether or not the person will be detained or put under restrictive residence will be decided by an advisory board. The information, intelligence report and other evidence will be presented to the board before it makes its decision,” said the source.

“Besides the board, no one has the power to decide whether a suspect can be detained, not even the police or the home minister.”

Under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota), any evidence needs to go through the Deputy Public Prosecutor who will act as the Inquiry Officer, said the source.

“This (the EMD) is an additional feature to monitor the movement of the person detained under Pota.”

He, however, declined to elaborate further as to how the EMD will be worn or placed on the suspect.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar confirmed that an advisory board would be formed.

“Since the preventive measure exists, definitely we will have an advisory board, because we want to remove such powers (to detain suspects) from the executive.”

On the introduction of the EMD, he would not comment as the act has yet to be finalised.

“The very basic elements that will be in it are that it is preventive in measure, punitive in nature, rehabilitative and (provides) counselling.

“At this moment, I cannot confirm anything else as it has not yet been finalised. I will know the details once I see the Bill in Parliament,” said Wan Junaidi.

When asked how the anti-terror act would differ from the existing Poca, Wan Junaidi said: “Poca is on the prevention of crime, but terrorism is more subversive.”

Lawyers,meanwhile, told The Malaysian Insider that the new anti-terrorism act was unnecessary given the wide array of security-related legislation already in place.

“We already have laws that allow the government to stop people from leaving the country to join terror groups. They are just not using them,” lawyer Andrew Khoo, who heads the Bar Council Human Rights Committee, told The Malaysian Insider.

“So why the need for more laws when you are not even adequately and appropriately using the ones you have?”

He said he had attended a Global Law Summit in London last week and the general opinion that arose was that theSec rule of law must prevail “even more”, even as the world deals with the threat from the Islamic State (Isis).

“Any attempt to roll back on civil liberties, for example detention without trial, must be strongly resisted.”

Human rights lawyer Latheefa Koya said the government does not need to introduce a new set of laws to tackle terrorism in the country as it already has The Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) to deal with terrorists.

“Sosma should be enough. It was created to tackle safety and security issues including terrorism. We have enough laws to counter terrorism. All we need is efficient policing and intelligence work,” said Latheefa.

She said if it is true that the new act will be something similar to (Poca) then it is just another attempt to bring back the Internal Security Act.

“This is just lazy work. This will allow them to scoop just anybody and in the end, it will be open to abuse,” she said.

Criminal lawyer Datuk Baljit Singh said anti-terrorism laws typically allowed for police to conduct searches without warrants, intercept communication and detain suspects without trial.

“When it comes to terrorist acts, human rights are not the priority, so such provisions will likely be there.

“But they should also protect the basic rights of the suspects, such as allowing them to have legal representation, ensuring that the remand is not done on a rubber stamp basis, and allowing the parties to make an application to the court to review their detention,” he said.

Baljit added that the act should specify the timing of the interrogation sessions, to prevent suspects from being questioned at inappropriate hours.

Last November, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak proposed that a new law against militancy and terrorism be tabled at the next Parliament session to tackle the dangers posed by Malaysians who return after fighting alongside Isis.

In tabling the 19-page White Paper titled “Towards overcoming the threat of Islamic State”, Najib said existing anti-terrorism and militancy laws like the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma), Prevention of Crime Act and the Penal Code should be bolstered. – March 3, 2015.

Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

March 3, 2015
Saudi Blogger Who Insulted Islam May Face Death Penalty

Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian blogger who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam, may now face the death penalty, his family says.

In a statement published on Facebook, Badawi’s family says they’ve “received information from reliable sources” that Raif will be retried on charges of abandoning his religion by the same judge who has unsuccessfully tried to charge him with the crime twice before.

“We have reasons to believe without any doubts that the same judge has again asked the Head of the Court of Apeal [sic] to charge Raif with ‘Apostasy’,” the statement reads.

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Amnesty International, the international rights group that has been working to secure Badawi’s release, says the family’s claims could not be verified and that the controversial Saudi blogger shouldn’t be behind bars regardless.

In May 2014, Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, banned for life from giving media appearances and flogged for insulting Islam and violating Saudi Arabia’s information technology laws with his “Free Saudi Liberals” blog. His writing promoted secular and liberal views and denounced religious extremism.

The judge’s attempt to charge Badawi with apostasy previously failed because the criminal court in Jeddah didn’t have the jurisdiction to rule on cases that resulted in the death penalty. Yet in September 2014, that changed as Supreme Judicial Council gave the court the ability to rule on capital punishment cases.

In their statement, the family renewed their call to have Badawi pardoned and permitted to fly to Canada, where he can be reunited with his wife and children.

Ensaf Haidar, Badawi’s wife, is appealing to Sigmar Gabriel, the German vice chancellor and economic minister, who will travel to Saudi Arabia next week,Deutsche-Welle reports. Haidar appeared on German TV channel ZDF on Sunday and directly asked the country’s government to help secure her husband’s release.

“I would like Vice Chancellor Gabriel to make contact with those responsible in Saudi Arabia and to ask them for Raif’s release, and not just for his release but also for an exit visa allowing him to travel from Saudi Arabia to Canada,” Haidar said.

Gabriel said the German government is working on Badawi’s release, but that details shouldn’t be discussed on national television. In recent weeks, human rights groups and Germany’s opposition parties have criticized the German government for cultivating business ties and exporting military goods to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, which all have poor human rights records.

Badawi received his first 50 lashes in a public flogging in January. He is supposed to receive 50 lashes every week until he has endured 1,000, buthealth complications from the first round have prevented him from receiving any more, The Guardian reports.

Source: www.newsweek.com

March 3, 2015
Toa Payoh’s Teenage Vandals Given Two Years’ Probation

Two teenagers who vandalised the rooftop of a block of flats in Toa Payoh last year have been sentenced to two years’ probation.

Reagan Tan Chang Zhi and Chay Nam Shen, both 18, were each placed on 24 months’ probation by the State Courts today (March 2) for theft, vandalism and trespassing. They were also placed on a curfew from 10pm to 6am daily, and ordered to perform 180 hours of community service.

Both will be electronically tagged for six months, while each of their parents have been bonded for S$8,000.

Tan and Chay were among five teenagers involved in the incident. In January, David William Grasskov, 18, who helped steal the cans of paint used but did not take part in defacing the rooftop, was sentenced to 15 months’ probation.

The remaining two. Boaz Koh Wen Jie and Goh Rong Liang, both also 18, are waiting to be sentenced.

The five — good friends who called themselves “Mikecool” — had, on the evening of May 6, 2014, met at Block 85A Toa Payoh Lorong 4. Later that night, they spotted a parked lorry carrying cans of spray paint and decided to steal four cans. They then agreed to climb to the rooftop of Block 85A and spray graffiti on the walls.

At this time — about 11.50pm — Grasskov who had initially agreed to participate, decided to catch the last bus home. The others made their way without him to the rooftop, by squeezing through a gap in the wall, as the rooftop access door was locked.

After waiting for the lights in the flats facing the rooftop to go off, the four sprayed profanities insulting the People’s Action Party and the police, on the wall using red paint.

The next morning on May 7, the police received a call reporting the graffiti, which was splashed across a large flat wall panel on the top of the block unit. The total cost incurred for repainting the vandalised walls was S$128.84.

Further investigations revealed that the four had trespassed the same rooftop twice before, and Grasskov once.

The five had also trespassed onto the Marina Bay Suites condominium on Mar 29 last year, where they had gone to the rooftop to chat and smoke. In another incident in late 2013, the five had trespassed into a construction site, where they climbed onto a crane.

The maximum sentence for vandalism is up to three years’ imprisonment, or a fine up to S$2,000, or both. Offenders may also face between three to eight strokes of the cane. Those who trespass may face up to three months in jail, or with a fine of up to S$1,500 or both if convicted, while those convicted of theft may be jailed up to three years, fined, or both.

Source: www.todayonline.com

March 3, 2015
Vehicle SJT1444Y Is Not Registered With Uber

Ride-booking service Uber said on Monday that the driver involved in an alleged case of overcharging – which is going viral online – is not one of theirs.

This is in response to a Facebook account by a passenger, who said he was offered a ride in a private Honda car and ended up paying $97 for a trip from Beach Road to Yio Chu Kang.

Uber said that the car, with a licence plate SJT 1444Y, was not registered with the company, and it has filed a police report over the incident.

Mr Joverst Lee, 22, who made the Facebook post, told The Straits Times that he was waiting for a taxi along Beach Road on Sunday afternoon, when he was approached by a driver who claimed to be from Uber.

Mr Lee, who was with his wife, 21, and his daughter, 3, and one-month-old son, said he was told there would be a flat rate of $3.90 along with a $0.70 charge for every kilometre.

However, Mr Lee said he was in for a rude shock when during the journey, he noticed that the fare – which was being displayed on a phone app – had amounted to $50.

Mr Lee said they were on the Central Expressway then, and he told the driver to drop them off at the nearest exit, which was at Yio Chu Kang, instead of going directly to his home in Woodlands.

The final bill amounted to $97, with the driver changing his tune to say that the charge was $8 per kilometre instead.

Mr Lee, who works in the construction industry, said he was concerned with the safety of his family then. “I didn’t want to do anything harsh, I paid him the money and just go,” he added.

Mr Lee’s story has gone viral on Facebook, being shared more than 9,600 times as of 11pm on Monday, with over 1,700 likes.

An Uber spokesman said this is the first case of its kind here, and that all of its rides are booked through the Uber app and the company does not allow street hails.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

March 3, 2015
Seven Career Life Tips For My Third Year Undergraduate Daughter

We have our fair share of enquiries from fresh graduates seeking career direction from us over the past few years.

My own daughter is also a third-year overseas university student now and is rather clueless as to what she wants to do after graduation.

Gone were the days when young people could simply graduate and get a job pretty soon – some could even land a job before they graduate!

Nowadays, unless you are a A-class student, chances are you will need to job search for a while before landing that elusive job.

Many fresh graduates will opt to work for the civil service for a 2-year contract before they decide what to seriously do next.

Its a good interim measure and one that allows you to chalk up some valuable work experience and yet you get paid for doing that! Talking of best of both world…

I have list down seven tips for my own third-year undergraduate daughter or any other soon-to-graduate young people to look out for positive direction in their career path:-

1. Know what you want to do

Many fresh graduates we met over the years are rather clueless as to what they want for themselves – this is understandable as they have spent many years pursuing an education and aceing their exams rather than anything else.

There is hardly any time left to find out what interest them or make them tick.

It is my hope that my own daughter and our young people take some time to pursue their hobbies during the school holidays to explore more of what interest them than attending educational classes that only expand their IQ further but not their EQ.

More and more employers are questioning the inter-personal and mangement skills of our fresh graduates – they are good in their work alone but often find it difficult to work with other people in a team project.

Leadership in a company also involves the ability to talk and convince a group of people to follow after a direction that you set out and people often prefer to follow after someone who is good at persuasive communication.

Besides the ability to communicate effectively, its also good to find out what you like and dislike – what make you tick and what don’t.

People who are older often look for jobs that interest them – something that they could find their passion in and its often not all about the money.

Nevertheless, this is something that most young people would not be able to identify with as they equate a good salary with their achievement and self-worth and its fine.

Unfortunately, they often could not really find out, by the time they hit their twenties, what they really like to do until very much later in life.

Young people who are thinking of starting a family also needs the right salary to provide for their family and often times its not all about work passion and career satisfaction.

Its no secret though that people tend to stay on longer in a job when what they do is interesting and that they are passionate about the stuff they commit to from Monday to Friday.

If you drag your way to work regularly every morning for more than a year then its time to re-examine your interest component for that piece of job.

Doing what you like requires you to first know what you want for yourself.

2. Know who you are

Its important to know who you are before committing to a work contract though fresh graduates have the luxury of trying out a few jobs first before they really know what job suits them for the long haul.

A salesman job needs someone who is able to speak and listen well and a quiet person may not be able to handle the work well.

Its good to know yourself well so you now what kind of job suits you better. However, I am all for fresh graduates trying out a few jobs first before settling down with one for the long term.

I am sure a few internships can do the trick here though the pay may suck for a while during internship.

Too many people take on a job simply for survival sake and in today’s jungle market its understandable but if my daughter could try to find out more about her own strengths and weaknesses,I am sure that she can save himself much heartache by doing what really is within her personal strengths rather than weaknesses.

Too many of us are stucked in jobs that do not really utilise our strengths and capabilities.

I was working in the civil service for close to 11 years before making a belated decision to venture out to the private sector and it was my personal regret that I didn’t came out much earlier.

I could function better in the private sector as its less regimental and more dynamic – something that is appealing to my outgoing personality.

By the time I left the civil service, I was already in my early thirties and the best part of my dynamic twenties were gone.

Of course, in today’s turbulent job market, most fresh graduates would prefer a stable job working for the government but is that what you really want for your life?

So its good to know who you are so that you know what kind of work suit you.

3. Know who can help you

When I was still in my twenties while working for the civil service, I really wish there is someone who can point me the way, my darling daughter.

I was living aimlessly for a while and the early demise of my own father robbed me of someone whom I could speak to when I am in a limbo about my own career needs.

back then, besides drawing a reasonably sound salary, there was really nothing in the job that appeals to me – there was a lack of challenge and oopm in the job that I was doing.

Its all auto-gear by year three and even though I have asked for a departmental change at year five because the previous job scope was really boring, the stagnanted feeling still haunted me for many years. It was like I was wasting my time over there.

Career coaching was an unheard of preposition then and I am glad that nowadays most local universities offer career coaching to fresh graduates perplexed at their own vocational choices after graduation.

A mentor is also crucial here as sometimes you need to walk through your needs and wants with someone who is able to provide a listening ear.

I wish there is someone who did that for me when I was struggling as a young adult – my dad passed away when I was about 23 years old and it was an uphill task having to hold the fort for my family back then.

I have to grow up fast suddenly and it was tough initially – I hope that I can be that person who will be able to walk through the turbulent young adult years for you.

4. Know your own timing

Timing is very important when we are looking out for the right job and sometimes opportunity knocks but once – you ought to learn to seize the day sometimes my darling daughter.

Learn to take some risk in your life especially if its a unique job offer that comes your way and more so if it is something that you are not comfortable with.

We tend to stick with our comfort zone too much when something uncomfortable may really be what we really need to progress further for our own life.

We have spoken to many people who have rejected jobs that require them to step out of their comfort zone and often it involves an overseas posting.

I remember venturing to a overseas posting 7 years ago teaching business English to Chinese students in a faraway province that I have not heard of before.

I was in my 40s then and had nothing to lose as I was unhappy in my job and need a way out to something fresh.

I half-suspected that it was a mid life crisis bout and getting away was part of my own personal solution to resolve the unrest stirring constantly within me.

Though the contract only lasted a year, the adventure was exhilirating and I learnt alot from the short overseas stint.

More importantly, it smashed up quite alot of my own personal hiccup like I couldn’t survive abroad on my own and my self-efficacy improved tremendously – that I could do it if I put my soul and effort into it.

Lets not kid ourselves – a stint abroad is not easy especially when you are married and you struggle with all kinds of personal inhibitions but if you dare to take the plunge there is everything to gain from that venture.

Singapore is just too safe and comfortable for one to experience anything that is beyond the ordinary and for many of us sometimes a stint abroad is the hard kick in the right direction so that we can grow inside.

Too many fresh graduates whom we have met are not struggling with a lack of knowledge or skills but self-confidence – they always feel that they could not do it as they lack a strong belief in themselves.

They tend to speak alot about their own weaknesses than their strengths and capabilities so much so that the interviewers have no faith in them doing the job.

Most interviewers find that the Europeans, Indians and Americans tend to fare better in interviews than our locals as they ooze self-confidence and believe in themselves alot.

So if you are offer a chance to work overseas my darling daughter, calculate the risk and if its manageable go for it – it may just change your life as it has changed mine many years before.

5. Know your own self limit

The latest SOS suicide statistics showed that those in the 21-29 age group has indicated an increase in their suicidal tendencies. The next highest group are those in the 50-59 age category.

While venturing to curve out your own career my darling daughter, its good also to realise that many fresh graduates may be too idealistic and want the whole world to themselves – as soon as possible.

In today’s instant-result economy, we want everything fast and patience and perseverance are the very last things any fresh graduate can identify with these days.

Young people want to earn X number of salary by a certain year and they demand a promotion even if they don’t really deserve it.

Job hopping is our latest professional disease and most young graduates have work at least three jobs by the time they graduated within the five-year period.

I am sure that many of those suicides that hit our young adults these days is a result of failed relationship which dashed the romantic hopes of a few but a good many may have being professional failures – failure to get that dreamed promotion or cherished posting.

Though its good to have all kinds of goals and plan after graduation its also wise to know one’s own limit and try to plan within one’s ability – not everything is defined by how much money we earn and we ought not to let one failure defines our whole life.

Ending one’s life is just a very myopic view of avoiding a situation that doesn’t goes our way.

6. Know how to slow down

We live in a very fast-paced society my darling daughter whereby everything is done at a push of the button – if you need money go to the ATM machine and if you need to buy a movie ticket just punch into your handphone apps.

Fresh graduates out to work in the society need to learn to slow down and constantly ask themselves – am I doing alright, am I happy with my own personal achievement, do I need to change course abit so that I can live better?

We ought to constantly check ourselves so that we don’t live life aimlessly and on auto-gear.

Moreover, we also have the unenviable record of having the highest number of work hours in any first world economy and there is no sign that we will slow down.

Though our young people are well rewarded – its at the expense of their mental and physical health.

It is no wonder that before they reach 30 years old, our young people are checking out the migration route as they realise that they can’t go on like this – beating themselves out at the work place till 9pm daily and not expecting any backlash on their health and psyche.

So I hope that you my darling daughter will learn how to slow down and exercise regularly.

If you have to quit from your job to save yourself, do it – nothing else matters much if you suffer mentally or physically from the stress at work especially when it affects your sleep pattern and psyche.

Its just not worth it.

I have personally quit from two jobs because of the adverse politics within the work place and the mundane nature of the job.

7. Know how to give back

Before starting to chalk up those precious hours at the work place my darling daughter, its good for you to have a habit of giving back to the less fortunate and vulnerable.

When we give back to the society, we feel good and those altruistic feelings will do wonders for us.

Studies have shown that charitable acts improve our own personal well being and have in fact lessen those depressive feelings within us.

We have all along groom a society that is rather achieving in nature and sometimes we become self-centred in our own personal pursuit – often ignoring the needs of the less fortunate.

We turn a blind eye to the down trodden and over time, we turn hardened and cold.

So take time to help out in organisations that reach out to the less fortunate. There should be many around these days.

You can also volunteer with us if you are keen – we need tutors, befrienders, drivers and counsellors.

You can do so regularly or one-off but for tutors and befrienders, we prefer that you sign up with us for at least a year to ensure continuity.

Conclusion

I have shared seven ways to look out for positive direction for my darling daughter and other fresh graduates and many are gleaned from my own personal experience.

If you have any enquiries, please write to us at [email protected], we love to hear from you.

Written by: Gilbert Goh

Source: www.transitioning.org

March 3, 2015