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Proposed Kelantan Cinema, Its First In 26 Years, Sparks Protests, Excitement

The Kelantan Youth wing of opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) has delivered a memorandum of protest against the opening of the first cinema in the east coast state since the Islamist party took over in 1990, but it is unclear what exactly it is rallying against.

The memorandum submitted last week is believed to be against Paragon Cinema which was supposed to open this month at the KB Mall in Kota Baru, but the cineplex’s launch is still on hold as its operators await licence approval from the local municipal council and the Kelantan state government.

However, the PAS-led state government has denied receiving any licence application from any cinema operators so far, despite a posting on the mall’s official Facebook page claiming that Paragon’s doors will open this month.

“There has been no application made at all as of this moment,” Kelantan’s local government, housing, youth and sports committee chairman Abdul Fattah Mahmood told Malay Mail Online when contacted on Monday (July 18).

However, he refused to comment when asked about the status of Paragon Cinema, which was reportedly nearly completed.

PAS Kelantan Youth Chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who led the protest, told Malay Mail Online on Monday that he was afraid the opening of cinemas would cause the state government to deviate from its strict rulings on entertainment outlets.

“We asked for the government to be stricter with the enforcement of the enactment if they are going to allow it,” he said.

“We are worried that it won’t follow the enactment at all and this might lead to problems in the future.”

KB Mall’s leasing executive Mohd Ashrul confirmed the plan to open a cinema is still in the pipelines, but said an opening date has yet to be set as no licence has been issued so far.

“The construction is still on-going. There is no actual date on the opening yet,” he told Malay Mail Online on Monday.

When asked for elaboration on the licence application, Mr Mohd Ashrul revealed that the mall is still negotiating with Paragon Cinema’s top management about adhering to the strict restrictions set by the state authorities.

“About the licence, we are still negotiating on the application details. We are waiting for an answer from the top management,” he added, but refused to confirm whether an application has been lodged.

Since PAS took over Kelantan in 1990, several cinema outlets including Rex, Odeon and Lido were closed down as they did not adhere to the Entertainment Control Enactment 1998.

PAS vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, who is also Kelantan’s Deputy Chief Minister, told The Star over the weekend that the state is willing to consider the return of cinemas, even after the staunch protest from PAS Youth wing.

Mr Mohd Amar said however cinema operators would still be subjected to stricter guidelines which include gender-segregated seatings and restricted screenings during Muslim daily prayer times.

The Paragon Cinema complex, said to offer eight screening halls, stoked the excitement of Kelantan folks after its opening was announced on KB Mall’s Facebook page. The Facebook post has since been deleted.

According to Mr Mohd Ashrul, the cinema is a joint-venture between the mall operators and an outside investor looking to open the first cinema there, where entertainment outlets are a thorny topic.  Meanwhile, PAS’ Youth Wing on Monday objected to a concert by Selena Gomez in Shah Alam next week, claiming that the “sexy” American pop singer taints the Muslim month of celebration.

The Islamist party wing’s missionary bureau chairman Hafez Sabri said Ms Gomez’s concert on July 25 coincides with the 20th day of Syawal, the month of Aidilfitri.

“The appearance of the American born artist who has been synonymous with a sexy appearance would tarnish the nobleness of the month of Syawal that is celebrated with gratitude and penitence by Muslims … (It) promotes the culture of hedonism among the younger generations in this country,” he said in a statement.

Source: TODAY Online

July 19, 2016
TMJ Dakwa Ada Bukti FAM Amalkan Rasuah Selama 30 Tahun

Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim mendakwa beliau mempunyai bukti bahawa Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM) dicemari amalan rasuah selama 30 tahun.

Dalam catatan di laman Facebook rasmi kelab Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) hari ini (18 Julai), Tunku Ismail memuat naik gambar beliau sedang memegang ‘pendrive’ sambil tersenyum.

Beliau juga mendakwa mempunyai butiran lanjut amalan rasuah itu, termasuk ketirisan penjualan tiket perlawanan akhir Piala FA dan Piala Malaysia, pengambilan duit kelab dan laporan audit yang “merepek”, menurut Malaysiakini.

“Apa yang pelik adalah anda semua boleh terima selama ini dan sanggup mempertegakkan 30 tahun korupsi dalam Persatuan Bola Sepak Malaysia (FAM).

“Ini adalah ‘pendrive’ diberikan kepada saya oleh sahabat-sahabat saya yang berkedudukan tertinggi di Kuala Lumpur.

“Ia berkenaan maklumat dan aktiviti dalam FAM, ketirisan penjualan tiket perlawanan akhir Piala FA dan Piala Malaysia, orang-orang media yang FAM selalu gunakan termasuk bekas-bekas pemain di Malaysia, duit-duit kelab yang diambil oleh FMLLP (Usahawan Liabiliti Terhad Bola Sepak Malaysia) dan diberikan kepada FAM serta laporan audit yang merepek,” tulis Tunku Ismail dalam catatan di Facebook Johor Southern Tigers.

JANGAN DIAJAK PENEMBAK TEPAT PERGI MENEMBAK Anda memberi komen tentang pemain yang bersara dan membuat kenyataan…

Posted by JOHOR Southern Tigers on Sunday, 17 July 2016

Tunku Ismail menambah, beliau memutuskan untuk mendedahkan demikian hari ini kerana “mungkin sudah sampai masanya untuk penyokong bola sepak tanahair melihat dan menilainya sendiri.”

“Akhir sekali, saya ingin mengingatkan, duit rakyat sepatutnya digunakan untuk rakyat sahaja. Bukan untuk bola sepak dan kepentingan politik. Sila selesai isu gaji pemain yang sudah lama tidak diselesaikan,” kata beliau.

Selain itu, Tunku Ismail juga mengkritik komen-komen yang dikeluarkan tentang persaraan empat pemain JDT dari skuad kebangsaan, dan berkata, ia “seolah-olah mereka tidak pernah berkhidmat dan mencapai kejayaan bersama pasukan kebangsaan.”

Empat pemain JDT – Safiq Rahim, Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak, Amirul Hadi Zainal dan S Kunanlan – mengumumkan persaraan mereka sebelum ini. Tunku Ismail ketika itu mendakwa mereka bersara kerana tidak diberi layanan baik.

“Apa yang susah sangat untuk menghormati keputusan mereka? Satu perkataan sahaja yang anda (pengkritik) harus katakan tentang mereka atau kepada mereka iaitu ‘terima kasih’.

“Terima kasih atas pengorbanan mereka selama ini. Itu sahaja,” tulis Tunku Ismail dalam catatannya di Facebook.

TMJ DEDAH DOKUMEN BUTIRAN KELEMAHAN PASUKAN, FAM

Dalam satu lagi catatan di Facebook itu beberapa jam setelah itu, Tunku Ismail juga mendedahkan sesetengah maklumat yang menurutnya, dicetak dari sumber dalaman FAM dan “salah satu organisasi tertinggi yang masih sayangkan bola sepak Malaysia.”

Antara masalah yang didapati pada pasukan kebangsaan, kata beliau memetik dokumen itu, ialah “kualiti pada jurulatih tidak memuaskan” dan “pemilihan pemain di tahap liga diganggu oleh pegawai-pegawai atasan”.

SESETENGAH MAKLUMAT DI HALAMAN 3.1.2.1 dan 3.1.2.2 YANG TELAH DICETAK DARI SUMBER DALAMAN FAM DAN SALAH SATU ORGANISASI…

Posted by JOHOR Southern Tigers on Monday, 18 July 2016

Antara masalah pengurusan yang didapati dalam FAM pula, menurutnya, ialah “FAM menggunakan kaedah lama dalam pengurusan bola sepak”, “gaji jurulatih tempatan dan jurulatih pasukan kebangsaan terlalu tinggi” dan “tidak pernah mengambil serius skandal mengatur perlawanan.”

FAM NAFI BENARKAN BUDAYA RASUAH

Sementara itu, FAM menegaskan pihaknya tidak membenarkan budaya rasuah dalam persatuan itu kerana Persekutuan Bola Sepak Antarabangsa (FIFA) dan Konfederasi Bola Sepak Asia (AFC) turut bertegas dalam menangani rasuah, lapor Malaysiakini.

“Jawatankuasa Integriti juga ditubuhkan FAM untuk memantau bukan sahaja pasukan bola sepak, malah keseluruhan pentadbiran dan juga barisan kepimpinan,” kata Setiausaha Agung FAM Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin dalam sidang media hari ini.

Datuk Hamidin juga menambah, “sesiapa sahaja ada hak (laporkan) kepada SPRM (Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia” ketika ditanya sama ada beliau berpendapat Tunku Ismail perlu melaporkan perkara itu kepada SPRM.

Datuk Hamidin berkata beliau akan menghubungi sendiri Tunku Ismail berhubung hal itu.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

July 19, 2016
Failed Coup In Turkey: Returning Travelers Recall The Fear And Chaos

With helicopters buzzing overhead, the sound of gunshots and soldiers in full battle dress with weapons at the ready – it was total chaos at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport in the hours after Friday night’s attempted military coup in Turkey.

Singaporeans who returned from Istanbul to relieved family members yesterday described scenes of fear, with travellers hiding in toilets to wait out the siege.

Jet planes would take off and thunder past so close that the windows would vibrate.

“It sounded like explosions,” said Ms Joanne Lim, 33, who is in between jobs.

She was one of the Singaporeans who arrived home yesterday evening on a Turkish Airlines flight. She spent 24 hours waiting for a plane out of Turkey after her initial flight was cancelled.

Another Singaporean, Ms Grace Feng, 33, said she was at the airport waiting for her flight to depart at about midnight, when all flights were suddenly cancelled.

Ms Feng, a teacher, said it was “a huge mess” and that travellers were piecing together what happened from television broadcasts and news on their mobile phones.

People also started running in panic after a glass wall broke at the airport, she said.

Ms Feng said that what was “most scary” was the sense that “anyone could just walk in” to the area where travellers were huddled in the airport in the middle of the night. She added that people were sleeping at restaurants in the transit area.

At Changi Airport yesterday, travellers were also faced with a frustrating wait at the baggage belt, as luggage from their flight went through additional screenings.

At the Terminal 1 belt, security staff were also seen scanning people with metal detectors.

Two hours after the flight landed at about 8pm, families were still waiting anxiously for their loved ones. Some, like Ms Feng, shared a tight embrace with family members after finally coming out of the baggage area.

Many family members said they were worried after hearing about the attempted coup and the airport being closed.

Musician John Chua was waiting for his cousin, who told him that bombing sounds could be heard at the airport.

“We were worried, we also weren’t sure if he was telling us everything that was happening,” said Mr Chua, 31.

Mrs Lyn Sam, 71, said her son – who was returning from a business trip – had to queue for more than three hours to get his ticket revalidated for the new flight.

“It sounded like a harrowing experience, with the helicopters and soldiers standing outside the glass door with guns,” said the housewife.

Earlier yesterday morning, a group of 10 ITE College Central students and their lecturer also arrived back from Istanbul via Kuala Lumpur.

The group, comprising students aged between 18 and 21, were stranded at Ataturk airport for about 13 hours and had hid inside a toilet, said an ITE spokesman, who added that they were relieved at the “safe return of all students and staff”.

Source: The Straits Times

July 19, 2016
Imam Shafie: For The Little Ones

Carrying a cardboard box, 42-year-old Mohd Shafie Mohd Hanapiah made his way to a room in the Pusara Aman Mosque at Lim Chu Kang Road.

When he entered the room, Shafie placed the box on a table and carefully took out its contents, laying them out in front of him on a stainless steel slab.

The box contained four foetuses and a few other surgical remains which he collected earlier from Changi General Hospital.

After reciting a quick prayer, Shafie began to carefully wash each foetus and each of the surgical remains. A sombre mood hung over the room.

Shafie said that he treats the foetuses as if they were his own.

“Sometimes when we do our duty and cleanse the foetuses, I will talk to them and say that they are like my children,” he said.

Working with an assistant, Shafie proceeded to carry out the necessary Islamic rites before shrouding the foetuses and surgical remains, then putting them back into the cardboard box to transport for burial later.

As an Imam with the Singapore Muslim Casket (SMC), it is Shafie’s responsibility to cleanse, shroud and bury unclaimed foetuses and surgical remains in accordance with Islamic ritual.

“It is wajib (compulsory) in Islam to wash, shroud and bury the foetuses. We cannot just dispose of them anyhow,” said Shafie.

Unclaimed bodies handled by SMC and MTFA

Working together with the Muslimin Trust Fund Association (MTFA), the SMC handles the burial of miscarried and aborted foetuses, surgical remains and unclaimed Muslim bodies in Singapore.

MTFA pays for the burial services for the burial of unclaimed Muslims bodies who have passed away in Singapore, as well as those whose next-of-kin are unable to pay for the burial rites. The services also include burying foetuses and surgical remains.

MTFA said the number of burials that includes unclaimed bodies, surgical remains and unclaimed foetuses varies from month to month.

In 2015, the association buried 27 bodies, 239 foetuses and 489 surgical remains. The number of foetuses rose by 15 per cent to 239 in 2015 after declining in the previous two years.

Unmarked graves

A former Company Sergeant Major with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Shafie has been preparing the foetuses, bodies and surgical remains for burial for the past 28 years. He started volunteering to cleanse and shroud Muslim bodies when he was 14.

The bachelor sees it as his responsibility to ensure that the unclaimed bodies, especially foetuses, are given proper burials.

“According to Muslim laws, even a small part of the body needs to be buried. We cannot just anyhow put the remains (foetus or body parts) at any plot of land. It has to be buried in a cemetery,” explained Shafie.

Shafie takes about 40 minutes to cleanse and shroud each foetus before they are brought to an unmarked piece of land at Lim Chu Kang Muslim Cemetery for burial.

Each plot is divided into two parts, and up to 20 foetuses are buried in each part, he said. At the cemetery, another quick prayer is recited after the foetuses and remains are buried.

There are no tombstones to mark the area.

Despite doing this job for almost 30 years, Shafie admits that burying a foetus is always heartbreaking.

“The feeling of sadness is there. We do have feelings for it (the foetuses) and it is not an easy task to do but we still have to proceed with it,” he said with tears welling up in his eyes.

Source: Yahoo News

July 19, 2016
‘Tipah Tertipu’, Suamiku Rupa-Rupanya Wanita!

Siapa yang akan menyangka suami yang sah dinikahi rupa-rupanya seorang wanita.

Namun itulah hakikat pahit yang terpaksa ditelan seorang wanita dari Boyolali, Jawa Tengah, lapor laman Jakarta Post.

Wanita yang dikenali sebagai Heniyati, 25 tahun, hanya mengetahui identiti sebenar suaminya, Efendi Saputra, 40 tahun, setelah tiga bulan meniti kehidupan sebagai pasangan suami isteri.

“Dia (Efendi) memalsukan semua dokumen untuk perkahwinan itu. Dia merubah nama dan jantina daripada wanita kepada lelaki. Keluarga saya dan saya sudah ditipu. Kami berasa malu,” kata ahli keluarga terdekat Heniyati seperti dilaporkan Jakarta Post.

Pasangan itu bertemu pada hujung tahun 2015 dan sepanjang pertemuan itu Efendi, atau nama sebenarnya Suwarti, mendakwa bahawa dirinya merupakan seorang anggota polis.

Heniyati mempercayainya kerana paras rupa Efendi persis perwatakan seorang anggota polis.

Setelah bercinta selama enam bulan kedua-duanya memutuskan untuk melangsungkan pernikahan.

Namun, setelah berkahwin, Heniyati mula mencurigai suaminya memandangkan dia enggan melaksanakan tanggungjawab sebagai suami dan menjalinkan hubungan intim.

Lantas, Heniyati cuba mencari maklumat mengenai suaminya, sehingga beliau membongkar dompet Efendi dan mendapati kad pengenalannya tertera nama seorang wanita bernama Suwarti.

Heniyati bersama keluarganya kemudian membuat aduan polis, menurut.

Menurut Jakarta Post lagi, Ketua Polis Boyolali, Agung Suyono mengesahkan aduan yang dibuat dan Efendi sudahpun ditahan untuk siasatan lanjut.

“Siasatan awal mendapati Suwarti memalsukan semua dokumen peribadinya untuk urusan lesen perkahwinannya,” kata Encik Agung.

“Kami masih menyoal beliau untuk mengetahui tujuan perbuatannya itu,” tambah beliau sambil menambah bahawa Suwarti akan didakwa atas kesalahan penipuan dan pemalsuan dokumen.

Source: Berita MediaCorp

July 18, 2016