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James Raj Arokiasamy aka the Messiah Pleads Guilty To 36 Charges Of Computer Misuse

Hacker James Raj Arokiasamy, who goes by the moniker “Messiah”, has pleaded guilty to 39 charges of computer misuse for hacking into the web servers of Fuji Xerox, a fan site of popstar Sun Ho and government-related websites in 2013.

The 36-year-old had faced a total of 162 charges, of which 39 computer misuse charges and one charge for drug consumption were proceeded with. The remaining 121 charges will be taken into consideration for his sentencing. Deputy presiding judge S. Jennifer Marie adjourned sentencing to next Friday (Jan 30).

The prosecution, which described James Raj’s offences as “the largest, most prolific cyberattacks … against IT systems in Singapore”, asked for five to six years’ imprisonment, while defence lawyer M Ravi sought a jail term of four years.

Today, a district court heard that James Raj performed a series of seven high-profile cyberattacks between March and November 2013, six of which were committed within a span of two months.

On Oct 17, 2013, he defaced a web page of the People’s Action Party Community Foundation (PCF) with a hooded figure accompanied by the word “HACKED”.

His other actions included illegally accessing and modifying content on servers of the Ang Mo Kio Town Council’s website, The Straits Times blogs, a fan site for popstar Sun Ho, who is also the wife of City Harvest Church’s founder Kong Hee, and Fuji Xerox. The Fuji Xerox hack attack compromised a server containing confidential data belonging to 650 of Standard Chartered Bank’s clients.

The attacks had stirred public anxiety, with government agencies raising vigilance after James Raj published an online video threatening that infamous hacker group “Anonymous”, which he claimed to be part of, would “go to war” with the Singapore Government.

Affected organisations spent about S$1.36 million to repair their computer systems, the court heard.

Deputy Public Prosecutor G Kannan said James Raj was a serial offender whose acts warranted a sufficiently severe sentence to deter re-offending.

“The offences involved a significant degree of premeditation and were committed in a highly sophisticated manner … It was easy and will remain easy for him (to do it again),” said
Mr Kannan.

Defence lawyer M Ravi contended that the acts were “highly amateurish” and had not resulted in any physical damage or theft of intellectual property.

“(James Raj’s) acts helped to identify weaknesses in the networks which could have, in time, been destroyed by people with far more malicious intent,” Mr Ravi added.

Source: www.todayonline.com

January 24, 2015
Chan Chun Sing to Join NTUC

Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing on Friday joined the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), in a move widely seen as his imminent takeover as labour chief later this year, when Lim Swee Say steps down.

He will be co-opted into its central committee on 27 January, and will be appointed the role of Deputy Secretary-General, according to local media.

The news of Chan joining the NTUC was posted on its website alongside correspondence between the 17-member committee and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The committee had written to PM Lee in a letter dated Friday to request his release of Chan, one of the youngest ministers of Singapore’s current cabinet. The letter explained that current labour chief Lim Swee Say will not be able to serve another four-year term in office as he will turn 62 in July next year.

“We would therefore like to put in place the succession for the NTUC Secretary-General, preferably a few months ahead of the National Delegates’ Conference (in October), to pave the way for election by Delegates at the said Conference,” the committee wrote. “After careful deliberation, the Committee unanimously agrees that Minister Chan Chun Sing is a suitable Cabinet Minister who can strengthen labour leadership at the NTUC and the link between the labour movement and the Government.”

In a reply dated Friday as well, PM Lee said he would allow Chan to join the NTUC immediately on a part-time basis and full-time from 1 April onwards.

“For now Chun Sing will continue in MSF (and MINDEF, where he is Second Minister). But he will leave gaps when he goes over to NTUC full-time in April. I will announce Cabinet changes to fill the vacancies after the Budget session,” he added in a Facebook post on Friday evening.

In his first comments following the announcement, Chan wrote on his Facebook page that he was “humbled” for the opportunity to serve the labour movement.

“There is much to learn. I look forward to working closely with the tripartite partners to advance our cause to care for all workers,” he said.

He also expressed his appreciation to his ministry staff, whom he worked with for the past four years as acting and then full minister.

“I’ve no doubt that they will continue to strive unwaveringly to improve the lives of all Singaporeans, especially the less privileged ones,” he added.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

January 24, 2015
#IamRaviPhilemon – Charlie Hebdo Cartoon Not Attack On Islam

Dunno if our community knows this. I read on another alternative media actually. As a Muslim I am offended.

After the Charlie Hebdo incident, this Ravi Philemon tweeted #IamCharlieHebdo and express “solidarity with victims of terror attack in France”. This he share himself on his Fb and blog – some people later advise him not to share in bigotry and racism of Charlie Hebdo.

But he stubborn. He say from what he understand, Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon was “not against Islam but against ultra-fundamentalism and extremism” (this is his own word you can see his blog on 9 January).

Everybody who follow the Charlie Hebdo saga know they attack Islam…bukan only I say but many other ppl also say! Even the Pope pun lebih open-minded.

If Ravi bother to know Islam he will find out that Islam do not allow picture or drawing of Nabi Muhammad (saw). We Muslims pun dont do it kan! If against extremism then do caricature on Osama or IS or whoever extremist. Why must use Nabi Muhammad (saw)???

Even more funny, Ravi said even his Muslim friend tell him that “we need to stand on the right to offend because if not we go down slope of censorship”. Apa ni? Muslim friend? Who is this Muslim friend? Apa advise dia give Ravi ni? Tak ke ni Charlie Hebdo cartoon is attack on Islam? So just because dier tak nak censor then he is ok with people making fun of Islam?

I shock lar bila tahu dier actually politician from NSP. Is this the calibre of politician we have? Or just NSP? Yang NSP Malay members macam mana pulak?

Then last I tengok dier ada make police report on one blogger who also write about this. The blog is kat sggeneralelections2016.blogspot.com you tengok 11 January punya entry. Dia boleh offend orang tapi orang cannot offend him? Dia confuse ke?

What about Muslims like me yang offended? What about me and my friends who are offended with dier punya pandai-pandai on Islam? Who is he to say that Charlie Hebdo cartoons not attack on Islam? What right he have?

Entah lah why have this kind of people…I dunno why dier mesti action pandai macam dier understand Islam sangat and dier understand intention Charlie Hebdo. To me dua-dua pun salah. Condemn lah yang attackers memang patut…they deserve it. Tapi must be fair lar and condemn Charlie Hebdo juga kan? I betul concern ada politician macam gini.

Tolong publish so that our Muslim friends will be aware.

Muslimah Singapura

January 23, 2015
Zaqy Mohamad Opts Out Of PAP’s CEC Due To Conflict Of Interest

People’s Action Party (PAP) backbencher Zaqy Mohamad will not join the ruling party’s top decision-making body due to a conflict of interest.

Mr Zaqy had been co-opted by the PAP’s 18-member central executive committee (CEC) earlier this month, but has since informed the body that he cannot take up the appointment, according to a statement issued by CEC organising secretary Chan Chun Sing on Friday.

This is because Mr Zaqy’s employer, Ernst & Young, is the PAP’s current auditor.

In his place, the CEC will co-opt backbencher Baey Yam Keng to its ranks, said the statement.

Both Mr Zaqy and Mr Baey are serving their second term in Parliament.

The PAP CEC is made up of 12 elected members, who were chosen by PAP cadres at the party’s conference last December, and six co-opted members.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

January 23, 2015
Thousands March Through Karachi To Protest Against Charlie Hebdo

Thousands of people marched through Pakistan’s largest city on Thursday in the country’s biggest protest yet against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The march through the streets of Karachi is the biggest in a series of demonstrations against the magazine, whose Paris offices were attacked on January 7 by Islamist gunmen, killing 12 people.

An intelligence official overseeing the rally told AFP that the protesters numbered in the “thousands”, still a relatively small turnout in a city of 18 million people.

Protesters carried green flags printed with the prophet’s mausoleum and chanted anti-Charlie Hebdo slogans as they marched.

“Down with Charlie Hebdo, down with the blasphemers,” they shouted.

Many carried placards demanding blasphemers be killed.

One of the protest leaders, Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, demanded the Pakistani government cut diplomatic ties with France.

“Their ambassador should be declared persona non grata and must be expelled from the country,” Qadri said.

In the southwestern city of Quetta, some 400 activists of Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadith, a Sunni Muslim organisation, held a demonstration in front of the press club and burned a French flag.

The demonstrators, many of them children, carried placards condemning the satirical magazine and shouted slogans including: “Let blasphemers be hanged, we will not tolerate anyone ridiculing our prophet.”

Across the border in Afghanistan, around 50 people gathered outside the French Embassy in Kabul to protest against the magazine, chanting “France you are the devil”.

Charlie Hebdo last week published a “survivors” issue with an image of the Prophet Mohammed weeping on the cover. The issue quickly sold out before more copies of an eventual print run of five million hit newsstands.

Under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws, insulting the prophet can carry the death penalty, and the country’s prime minister and parliament last week strongly condemned the publication of the cartoons.

At least three people were injured on Friday when protesters and police clashed at an anti-Charlie Hebdo demonstration outside the French consulate in Karachi.

They included AFP photographer Asif Hassan, who was shot in the back and is now recovering in hospital.

Source: https://sg.news.yahoo.com

January 23, 2015