Rilek1Corner

Tag: malaysians

  • Singapore And Malaysia To Deepen Cooperation In Search And Rescue Capabilities Following Signing Of MOU

    Singapore And Malaysia To Deepen Cooperation In Search And Rescue Capabilities Following Signing Of MOU

    Singapore and Malaysia will deepen their cooperation in urban search and rescue capabilities.

    A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on this was inked between the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Malaysian National Security Council on Tuesday (May 5), as part of the Annual Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat.

    The MOU seeks to further strengthen and promote cooperation between the two agencies in terms of training, techniques and information-sharing pertaining to urban search and rescue (USAR) and disaster management.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Malaysian Police Arrest 12 Linked To ISIS, Foils Attempt To Attack Government Buildings

    Malaysian Police Arrest 12 Linked To ISIS, Foils Attempt To Attack Government Buildings

    Police have foiled an attempt to attack government buildings in the Klang Valley after 12 people linked to the militant Islamic State (Isis) group were arrested, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

    Khalid said police also seized explosive materials and items likely to be used in bomb-making.

    “The 12 were arrested in the Hulu Langat area, in Cheras in Kuala Lumpur, and in Selangor yesterday and today, ” Khalid said in a statement.

    He said the group was planning attacks on several strategic locations in the Klang Valley, in a bid to avenge police clampdown on Isis sympathisers.

    The youngest among them was a 17-year-old. The others included a school dropout, a university student, a businessman and a wireman.

    The arrests, under anti-terrorism provisions in the Penal Code, were made yesterday and today by the counter-terrorism unit of the police’s Special Branch.

    The targets, according to police intelligence, were “strategic and important” government buildings, Khalid said.

    An Isis flag among bomb-making items which the police say it seized from the 12 suspects. – PDRM pic, April 26, 2015.An Isis flag among bomb-making items which the police say it seized from the 12 suspects. – PDRM pic, April 26, 2015.Among the explosive materials seized were 20kg of a powder suspected to be ammonium nitrate, 20kg of potassium nitrate, two litres of kerosene, two remote controls, batteries, digital weighing machines and other items believed to be “ingredients” and tools in bomb-making.

    Khalid said the planned attacks were in response to a call by a senior Isis leader in Syria to the group’s members and sympathisers to launch attacks against the interests of “secular Islamic countries” which the group deems as its enemies.

    The planned attacks were also meant as retaliation against the Malaysian police for the arrests of suspected Isis members and sympathisers, and those detained on suspicion of terrorism, he added.

    Khalid’s statement this evening follows his announcement on Twitter earlier today on the arrests and seizure of explosives.

    “12 people in Ulu Langat/KL were planning to create chaos in the country. Explosives were seized,” he had tweeted.

    To date, more than 90 people have been detained by Malaysian police for alleged ties to Isis.

    Earlier this month, 17 people were arrested for suspected involvement in the planning of terrorism activities in Kuala Lumpur.

    Khalid had said then that the April 5 arrests included two people who had just returned from Syria.

     

    Source: www.themalaysinsider.com

  • Taman Medan Church Pastor Forgives Protestors

    Taman Medan Church Pastor Forgives Protestors

    Overwhelmed by support for his church, the senior pastor of Taman Medan’s Community of Praise Petaling Jaya church Pastor Paul Packianathan choked back tears as he thanked Malaysians for standing in solidarity with the congregation and said the church had forgiven protesters who demanded the removal of the cross displayed on the outside of the building.

    Speaking after the Sunday service today, he said the church had forgiven the protestors who staged a demonstration outside the church last Sunday.

    “That’s what my Jesus taught me. On the cross, Jesus said forgive them father for they do not know what they are doing. We do not hold any grudge.We pray for forgiveness for all. That is why we forgive them.

    “If they are here I will hug them now,” he said.

    Also present was his wife Victoria, who is also a pastor, members of the congregation, and other members of the public.

    Victoria had been the pastor in charge last Sunday when a group of 50 Muslim residents from the Taman Medan community protested in front of the shoplot where the house of worship was located and demanded that the cross affixed to the building facade to be taken down.

    They said the cross was a challenge to Islam and would sway the faith of youth in the area.

    The church, however, has not decided if it will return the cross back to its place on the building.

    “We are waiting the Lord to direct us what we should do next,” Paul said, when asked if the church’s leadership would put up the cross again.

    Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali earlier this week said the church should put back the cross on the building’s facade, as there was nothing wrong in doing so as it was the symbol of Christianity.

    Paul today thanked Azmin, and also Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, for speaking up to defend the church on the matter.

    The pastor said removing the cross from the building had been the “right thing” to do at the time of the protest.

    “Last week at this time she conducted the service. The worship cannot be stopped no matter what. But she also had to consider the safety of everybody,” he said, referring to Pastor Victoria.

    “I fully support her decision to take down the cross at the time. Being a keyboard warrior is easy as you did not experience what happened,” Paul added, referring to those who had criticised the move to take off the cross last Sunday.

    The pastor also defended one of the protestors, an Umno branch chief Datuk Abdullah Abu Bakar, and said news and photos circulating of him being in a casino was “wrong”.

    “That is character assassination. It’s very, very wrong. What does it have to do with any of this?

    “The news also said he was very ‘angry’ when he was here. There was no such thing. Pastor Victoria mentioned everything in a police report she lodged recently,” Paul said.

    Abdullah, the elder brother of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, had told the media subsequently that he had been at the protest to help keep the situation calm.

    Police are now investigating the demonstration, and have interviewed several protestors, including Abdullah.

    Khalid, who at first cleared the demonstrators of any wrong, has since said that he will not interfere if action is taken against his brother.

    Najib in a statement on April 21, said the Cabinet had directed the police to investigate the protest and warned, that action could be taken under the Sedition Act or other existing laws.

    The Selangor government has also clarified that churches do not need permits to hold worship services in shop lots or commercial properties, and that only a notification of their activities to the state’s Council on Non-Islam Affairs, was required.

     

    Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com

  • Going To A Concert In Malaysia? Be Prepared For Separate Seating And No Raunchy Dancing

    Going To A Concert In Malaysia? Be Prepared For Separate Seating And No Raunchy Dancing

    Attending a concert in Malaysia? Be prepared to sit separately from your friends of the opposite sex and refrain from excessive laughter.

    The latest entertainment guidelines by the Department of Islamic Development for concert organizers include ensuring artists who plan to perform in the country have no criminal record and that they sport hairstyles and attire that won’t leave anyone confused about their gender. Singers can forget about raunchy dance moves and comedians about making jokes on serious topics.

    Prime Minister Najib Razak’s party has brought in policies to shore up support with itsMalay Muslim base since the ruling coalition’s worst-ever showing in the 2013 election. Rising Islamization in Malaysia is creating friction between those calling for stricter adherence to the religion in the Muslim-majority nation and others who want greater tolerance in a country with a sizable Chinese and Indian minority.

    “Race and religion traditionally are convenient tools” in politics, said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “There is a vocal minority who are occupying positions of influence who are opportunistically inciting” divisive policies, he said.

    Muslims make up more than 60 percent of Malaysia’s 30 million population. The Department of Islamic Development, known as Jakim, is a division within the prime minister’s office.

    Guidelines, Not Law

    Islamic authorities in recent months have criticized young female Muslim fans of South Korean pop stars for kissing or hugging the singers during concerts, calling it public indecency. They’ve also investigated a social activist who organized a dog touching event for Muslims.

    The entertainment guidelines are not the law and are instead a point of reference, the Star newspaper reported Monday, citing Othman Mustapha, director-general of Jakim. He commented after Jakim was criticized for the guidelines, which were set out in a 16-pagereport on its website.

    “We do not want to curtail any events, we just want to do what’s best for the people,” Othman was reported as saying. “The guidelines are meant to help the entertainment industry as there are more Muslim fans in it now.”

    Islam is recognized as the official religion of Malaysia, which Najib describes as a “moderate” Islamic state, and non-Muslims have the right to choose and practice their faith.

    Kesha, Beyonce

    “Malaysia is a multi-racial, multicultural and multi-religious” country, said Chew Mei Fun, Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development and also vice president of the Malaysian Chinese Association. “Any public policy which will restrict movements or alter the normative lifestyle of non-Muslims is unfeasible for Malaysia.”

    Malaysia has previously asked foreign performers to cover up or face a ban. In October 2013, singer Kesha’s concert was canceled, BBC reported, while in 2006 the local organizers of a Pussycat Dolls concert were fined for breaking decency laws.

    In 2009, Beyonce Knowles canceled her planned concert for a second time after conservative Muslims criticized the pop star for her raunchy stage clothes. In 2004, singer Mariah Carey agreed to dress less provocatively in order for her concert to go ahead, wearing a shirt and jeans throughout her “Charmbracelet” show as a protest.

    Rising Intolerance

    Signs of rising religious intolerance include Malaysia’s top court in January dismissing a final bid by the Catholic church to use the word “Allah” in its newspaper. Last month, members of Najib’s party joined an opposition Islamic party in supporting a law that punishes adulterers with death and thieves with amputation in the state of Kelantan.

    About 50 people in a township near the capital of Kuala Lumpur protested against the placement of a cross on the facade of a building housing a new church, the Star reported Sunday. The protesters said the sight of the cross may sway Muslim youths in the area, and the church later agreed to remove it, the paper said.

    Muslim leaders were among those who defended the church’s right to place a cross on the building, and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Monday the protesters may be charged under the country’s sedition laws for stirring religious tensions, the paper said in separate reports.

    Malaysians should exercise tolerance and mutual respect with people of different races and religions, and abide by principles that are enshrined in the constitution, Najib said in a statement Tuesday after a discussion of the protest during a cabinet meeting. The police are investigating, he said.

    There are signs of greater Islamization in other Southeast Asian nations too.

    In Indonesia, a regulation supported by Islamic groups came into effect this month that prohibited the sale of beer at convenience stores and other small shops in the world’s fourth-most populous country.

     

    Source: www.bloomberg.com

  • PM Najib Razak Explains Sedition Act May Be Used Against Anti-Church Protestors

    PM Najib Razak Explains Sedition Act May Be Used Against Anti-Church Protestors

    The Cabinet today agreed that police must investigate the protest by a group of residents against a church in Taman Medan, and warned that action could be taken under the law.

    Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that the Sedition Act or other existing laws could be used against the protesters.

    “The protesters should have discussed with the church, instead of taking actions that have created worry and restlessness in this multi-racial country.

    “Police will investigate the group that protested in Taman Medan. If they are found to have violated any laws, action can be taken under the Sedition Act or other laws,” Najib said in a statement this evening.

    “The people must abide by the country’s laws and practice respect of other religions as enshrined in the Constitution.

    “We also need to have an attitude of tolerance and mutual respect among communities of different religions,” Najib said.

    In the incident on Sunday, some 50 people gathered outside the new church to demand that the cross affixed to the building be removed.

    The protesters said the presence of a cross in a Muslim-majority area posed a challenge to Islam and could sway the faith of youths in their community. The cross was taken down by church leaders a few hours later.

    The Selangor government today announced that the church did not need to register itself with the local authorities nor did it need a permit to operate on the basis of constitutional guarantees on the freedom of religion.

    The Inspector-General (IGP) of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were initially at odds over whether the protest was seditious.

    The IGP cleared the protesters of any wrongdoing, saying that they were only protesting the location of the church and were not against Christianity itself.

    But Zahid said the protesters’s actions were seditious and action could be taken against them.

    Khalid today said the police would investigate the matter and he would not interfere, even if action was taken against his older brother, Datuk Abdullah Abu Bakar, who had participated in the protest.

     

    Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com