Malaysian MPs sent overseas amid opposition takeover bid

Dozens of lawmakers from the ruling coalition left Monday for Taiwan on an educational tour, in an apparent bid to prevent them from joining an opposition push to topple the government.

The opposition led by Anwar Ibrahim, who has vowed to unseat the coalition by September 16, said the trip was an attempt to "corral and seclude" parliamentarians amid the high-stakes negotiations.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose ruling party leads the Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, has vowed to thwart Anwar's plan to secure the 30 lawmakers he needs to form a new administration.

"Some National Front leaders are getting cold feet and more than a touch of panic," said Lim Kit Siang from the Democratic Action Party, which is part of the three-member opposition alliance.

"All in all, it is a national shame that the MPs should be treated like delinquent children who have to be packed off overseas and secluded from mischief, treating the National Front MPs as no better than chattel," he added.

But Tiong King Sing, chairman of the government backbenchers' club that organised the hastily arranged tour, defended it as an educational programme.

"It is not a forced trip. We are going to Taiwan to obtain some ideas on how to bolster our agriculture output. It has nothing to do with September 16. They can do what they want to do on that date," he told AFP.

Tiong said 50 MPs were participating in the eight-day tour, and that dozens had left on Monday. The Star newspaper said in an SMS alert that 41 had departed.

There are a total of 140 coalition lawmakers in parliament, and most of the would-be defectors were believed to be from the East Malaysia states of Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island.

Anwar said he was on track to meet the deadline, though political observers have expressed scepticism he can recruit enough defectors by that date.

The 61-year-old opposition leader said government attempts to compel lawmakers to leave the country would not work.

"We have seen some very positive signs, but we have also seen the desperate acts by the government, threats and using institutions to discourage them," he said in Jakarta.

The opposition alliance gained unprecedented ground in March general elections, securing a third of parliamentary seats and five states from the coalition, which has ruled since independence from Britain half a century ago.

Tiada GST dalam 3 tahun - KPMG

Kerajaan tidak mungkin melaksanakan cukai barangan dan perkhidmatan (GST) dalam tempoh tiga tahun akan datang berikutan kegawatan ekonomi, kos kehidupan yang tinggi dan peningkatan harga minyak sekarang ini.

Pengarah Urusan KPMG Tax Services Sdn. Bhd., Khoo Chin Guan berkata, langkah melaksanakan GST akan memberi kesan kepada orang awam.

"Kerajaan sedang (kemungkinan) mengkaji masa terbaik untuk melaksanakannya.

"Sudah tentu, dalam tahun permulaan, orang ramai akan merasa kepedihannya," katanya kepada pemberita selepas Sidang Kemuncak Cukai KPMG 2008 di sini hari ini.

Khoo berkata, cadangan pengenalan GST akan dilakukan dalam bentuk cukai nilai tambah.

Katanya perniagaan sedang menunggu pengumuman sama ada GST akan diperkenalkan atau tidak.

"Secara umumnya, wujud keperluan untuk memberikan tempoh 12 hingga 18 bulan kepada perniagaan bagi pengenalan GST.

"Juga, jika GST perlu dilaksanakan, seseorang itu boleh menjangkakan satu pengurangan cukai korporat dan peribadi," katanya.

- Bernama

Op nets foreign doctor with 12,000 drug tablets

SIBU: Police believe they scored a major success last Thursday when, with the help of the Health Department, they arrested a foreign doctor who was in possession of 12,000 unregistered Nospan cough tablets.

Sibu police chief ACP Shafie Ismail said Nospan, though used to treat dry cough, was classified as scheduled poison, and can only be sold with permission from the Health Ministry to prevent abuse.

The seizure during the raid was the largest according to Shafie who said abuse of the drug came to their attention after two local schools complained about their students being involved.

He said Thursday’s efforts were their follow-up clampdown on the problem.

He said the police had been watching the doctor from India, and finally closed their net in a coffee shop where he was having dinner with his family.

“More than 4,000 of the unregistered tablets were seized from him.

“After that, we seized 8,000 at his house in Jalan Ulu Oya,” he said.

The police also went to his clinic in Selangau and found 8,000 more tablet, but they were registered ones.

Shafie said they were determining whether the 48-year-old suspect was a supplier of the drug in town.

“We believe he has been selling the tablets in bulk,” he said, adding that the doctor had been released on police bail.

“His local wife has been brought in to help in our investigation.”

As for the drug, he said a sample had been sent for chemical analysis.

“We are now investigating the case under Section 30(3) of the Dangerous Drugs Act.”

Last July, Shafie caused a stir when he revealed that 27 students, including 18 girls, had been taken in for counselling after they were caught abusing the controlled tablets.

He said this came about after they received complaints from two schools here.

“We are now giving priority attention to such offences to prevent more teenagers from turning into drug abusers.”

Apart from counselling the students, the police have also gone to popular spots frequented by teenagers to do drug checks.

Shafie said yesterday after their all-out action there had was no more complaint from the schools.

A pharmacist in town said such tablets could be sold for as little as RM1 each.
The police chief confirmed that students had used them as an alternative drug because of the cheap price.

An abuse of such drug will cause the users hallucination, vomiting, drowsiness and sleepiness.

bp online 5/9/2008

Marital crisis? Blame it on male genes

Swedish researchers said Tuesday what women have suspected all along: that marital woes can often be attributed to men's genetic make-up, according to a study linking a common male gene to relationship problems.

The gene variant, which is present in four of 10 Swedish men, can explain why some men are more prone to stormy relationships and bond less to their wives or girlfriends, a team of researchers at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute said.

"There are, of course, many reasons why a person might have relationship problems, but this is the first time that a specific gene variant has been associated with how men bond to their partners," Hasse Walum, one of the researchers, said in a statement.

The team found that men who carry one or two copies of a variant of the gene often behave differently in relationships than men who lack the gene variant, called allele 334.

"The incidence of allele 334 was statistically linked to how strong a bond a man felt he had with his partner," the statement said.

Men who had two copies of allele 334 were twice as likely to have had a marital or relationship crisis in the past year than those who lacked the gene variant, it said.
Their wives or girlfriends also noticed the difference.

"Women married to men who carry one or two copies of allele 334 were, on average, less satisfied with their relationship than women married to men who didn't carry this allele," Walum said.

He stressed however that the effect of the genetic variation was relatively modest and could not be used to predict with any real accuracy how someone would behave in a future relationship.
The study surveyed 550 twins and their partners or spouses in Sweden.

Martin Ingvar, a professor of neurophysiology at Karolinska Institute, said the results were "very exciting."

"These are original findings which shed light on the fact that all of our behaviours are influenced by both nature and nurture. Even complex, cultural social phenomens such as marriage are influenced by a person's genetic make-up," Ingvar said.

The gene in question controls the production of a molecule receptor for vasopressin, a hormone that is found in most mammals.

The same gene has previously been linked to monogamous behaviour in male voles, a mouselike rodent.

The researchers said they hoped greater knowledge of the effect of vasopressin on human relations could also help understand the causes of diseases characterised by problems with social interaction, such as autism.

The results of the study were published Tuesday in the US scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Oil prices drop as US opens reserve taps

Oil prices fell on Wednesday as the US government decided to release crude stocks from its strategic reserve after Hurricane Gustav halted energy production in the Gulf of Mexico.

"The release of the oil will prevent any shortage and that will, of course, help calm the market," said Victor Shum, an analyst with energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz.

Oil prices were also weighed down by a strong dollar, which Wednesday struck an eight-month high against the euro.

A stronger US currency makes oil more expensive for buyers paying in weaker currencies, which in turn reduces demand and leads to lower prices.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in October, shed 1.42 dollars to 108.29 dollars a barrel after sliding almost six dollars by the close on Tuesday.
Brent North Sea crude for October was down 1.25 dollars at 107.09 dollars.
Brent had tumbled below 105 dollars at one stage on Tuesday to reach its lowest level in four months after Gustav appeared to have wreaked less damage than feared on Gulf of Mexico US energy facilities.

The United States announced late on Tuesday that it was releasing 250,000 barrels of oil from its strategic reserve to help cover lost production.

There was no oil production on Tuesday in the Gulf of Mexico region, where a quarter of US oil is normally produced, the US Department of the Interior said. Ninety-five percent of natural gas production was also offline.

The threat from Gustav had raised grim memories of the 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita which damaged or destroyed about 165 of around 4,000 oil platforms in the Gulf. Damage this time appeared to be much less severe.

A fire meanwhile broke out at Kuwait's largest oil refinery on Wednesday but was quickly brought under control, an oil official said. Kuwait pumps around 2.6 million barrels of oil per day.
Oil prices have eased about 25 percent since reaching record levels above 147 dollars in July, largely because of falling demand as the global economy slows, analysts say.

Elsewhere, the oil market was gearing up for next week's meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Some members of the cartel have said that OPEC, which produces 40 percent of world oil, was likely to maintain current output quotas, citing oversupply and falling demand.

Coffee may lower risk of uterus cancer: Japan study

Women who drink a lot of coffee may have less risk of developing cancer of the uterus, a Japanese study said Monday.

The study led by Japan's health ministry monitored some 54,000 women aged 40 to 69 over about 15 years, during which time 117 women developed cancer in the womb, according to the medical team.

The researchers at Japan's National Cancer Center divided the women into four groups by the amount of coffee they drank.

They found the group of women who drank more than three cups of coffee every day were more than 60 percent less likely to develop uterine cancer than those who had coffee fewer than two times a week, the study said.

"Coffee may have effects in lowering insulin levels, possibly curbing the risks of developing womb cancer," the study said.

The medical team also studied the effects of drinking green tea, but did not find any link to uterine cancer.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control, uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women.

World's tallest building just got taller

The world's tallest building just got taller -- the Burj Dubai tower in the booming Gulf emirate of Dubai has now reached a height of 688 metres (2,257 feet) and is still growing, developers Emaar said on Tuesday.

It now boasts 160 storeys, the highest skyscraper in the world, Emaar said in a statement.
The skyscraper, set for completion in September 2009, is one of several mega projects taking shape in Dubai, which is a member of the oil-rich United Arab Emirates (UAE) federation.
Burj Dubai, which was started in 2004, overtook Taiwan's Taipei 101 tower as the world's tallest building when it reached 512 metres (1,533 feet) in April 2007.

It became the tallest man-made structure on the planet, when Emaar announced in April that it has surpassed the 629-metre (2,063-foot) KVLY-TV mast in the United States.

Its eventual height remains a closely-guarded secret, though there is speculation it will reach a final height of 900 metres (2,953 feet).

It had been due for completion in the bustling city state at the end of 2008, but Emaar said in June that "finishing touches" had pushed back the date until September next year.
The skyscraper is being built by a consortium involving Arabtec Construction LLC of the UAE, Samsung of South Korea and Besix of Belgium.

Many building projects in Dubai, which is going through a construction frenzy, have been facing delays caused by shortage of building materials and skilled labour.

Kuota subsidi diesel bas ekspres naik sehingga 9,000 liter

Kabinet hari ini bersetuju supaya kuota subsidi diesel untuk bas ekspres sepanjang musim perayaan bermula 15 September ini hingga 15 Oktober depan dinaikkan sehingga 9,000 liter berbanding hanya 2,500 liter sebelum ini.

Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Shahrir Samad berkata, langkah itu diharap mampu menggalakkan pengusaha bas menyediakan lebih banyak bas-bas tambahan bagi menampung permintaan yang meningkat sepanjang musim perayaan tidak lama lagi.

``Kerajaan dijangka mengeluarkan tambahan peruntukan antara RM100 juta hingga RM150 juta bagi menyediakan subsidi diesel untuk bas ekspres sepanjang tempoh sebulan itu,'' katanya.

Beliau bercakap kepada pemberita selepas menyaksikan pelancaran saluran berita internet secara langsung Pertubuhan Berita Nasional, Bernama Web TV oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi di sini hari ini.

Ibu bapa harus peka kegiatan kokurikulum

Sikap sesetengah ibu bapa di negeri ini yang memandang remeh pembabitan anak mereka di dalam kegiatan kokurikulum yang dianjurkan pihak sekolah adalah dikesalkan kerana aktiviti berkenaan diambil kira ketika pelajar menyambung pelajaran ke universiti.

Menerusi aktiviti kokurikulum, pelajar dapat menimba pengalaman yang tidak diperoleh ketika di bilik darjah dengan ia dijadikan merit ketika mereka mahu menyambung pengajian.

Kepentingan kokurikulum ketika ini tidak boleh dipandang remeh kerana ia menjadi syarat 10 peratus kemasukan pelajar ke Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam (IPTA) atau mana pusat. pengajian lain. Pembangunan modal insan bergantung kepada sistem pendidikan yang berkualiti.

Dalam hal ini, ibu bapa memikul tanggungjawab bagi memastikan anak mereka menjadi insan yang cemerlang khususnya dalam bidang pendidikan kerana ia bukan tanggungjawab pihak sekolah saja.

Bangkok diisytihar darurat

Seorang penyokong Samak tersungkur selepas diserang penentang kerajaan di Bangkok

Tentera diberi kuasa pulih keamanan, parti Samak mungkin bubar

Perdana Menteri Thailand mengisytiharkan darurat di Bangkok semalam dengan memberikan kuasa kepada tentera untuk memulihkan semula ketenteraman selepas pertempuran tengah malam antara penyokong pembangkang dan kerajaan yang menyebabkan sekurang-kurangnya seorang maut dan 43 yang lain cedera.

Perdana Menteri, Samak Sundaravej menyifatkan perintah darurat itu sebagai 'cara paling lembut' untuk mengembalikan keamanan. Dalam satu sidang akhbar yang disiarkan televisyen kebangsaan, beliau tidak memberikan tempoh berapa lama perintah itu akan berkuatkuasa tetapi menegaskan ia akan berakhir dengan cepat.

Di Thailand, perintah darurat membenarkan penggunaan pasukan tentera bagi mengawasi aktiviti dan menghalang kebebasan awam tertentu. Polis dibenarkan menahan tanpa dakwaan selama 30 hari dengan kelulusan mahkamah. Pemimpin tentera, Anupong Paochinda berkata, tentera tidak akan menggunakan kekerasan meskipun dibolehkan mengikut peraturan darurat.

Ketegangan politik selama seminggu tiba kemuncak apabila berlaku pertempuran awal pagi semalam antara penunjuk perasaan yang mendesak peletakan jawatan Samak dan kumpulan penyokong perdana menteri itu.

Sekurang-kurangnya 500 penyokong Samak turut berarak di jalan raya awal semalam dan berikrar untuk mengambil alih semula pejabat terbabit.

Sementera itu, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Thailand mencadangkan supaya Parti Kuasa Rakyat (PPP) yang memerintah dibubarkan kerana menipu undian, satu lagi tamparan hebat kepada kerajaan campuran pimpinan Samak yang kini goyah.

Dalam undian sebulat suara, suruhanjaya lima anggota itu mendapati PPP bersalah membeli undi ketika pilihan raya umum Disember lalu dan merujuk kes itu kepada pendakwa, kata Pesuruhjaya suruhan itu, Sumate Uppanisakorn.

Jika mahkamah bersetuju membubarkan parti berkenaan, sehingga 33 anggota kanan PPP termasuk Samak dan Menteri Kewangan, Surapong Suebwonglee, akan kehilangan kerja dan dilarang berpolitik selama lima tahun.

AP/Reuters

Harga minyak mungkin diturunkan lagi sebelum Aidilfitri

Harga minyak tempatan mungkin akan diturunkan lagi sebelum Aidilfitri, kata Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Shahrir Samad.

Shahrir berkata beliau mengharapkan berita gembira itu seperti yang diharapkan rakyat sejajar dengan trend penurunan harga minyak pada masa ini.

“Saya memang seronok melihat harga minyak di pasaran dunia turun, walaupun dijangka adanya kekangan berikutan masalah Gustav dan politik di Eropah dan sebagainya.

“Tetapi nampaknya harga minyak di paras yang stabil dan saya harap ia akan berterusan stabil dan menurun sedikit supaya sebelum menyambut hari raya nanti, dapat satu berita yang baik.

“Jadi, harapannya ialah kalau dapat, kita lihat kepada harga pasaran ke hadapan, pasaran hadapan pun AS$110, jadi kemungkinan ia akan rendah daripada itu saya pun nak melihat juga bahawa kita akan dapat hadiah hari raya,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas majlis pelancaran Web TV Bernama di Pejabat Perdana Menteri di sini, hari ini.

Majlis pelancaran itu disempurnakan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Shahrir berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai trend harga minyak dunia pada masa ini yang menurun kepada AS$109 setong hari ini berbanding AS$115 setong pada dua minggu lalu.

Ditanya sama ada kerajaan telah menetapkan tarikh untuk mengumumkan harga minyak baru, beliau berkata dari segi amalannya, kerajaan telah bersetuju untuk mengambil harga bagi tempoh sebulan.

Bagaimanapun, katanya pada bulan lalu, kerajaan mengumumkan untuk menurunkan harga minyak lebih awal selepas mengambil kira tentang kenaikan indeks harga pengguna dan sempena sambutan Merdeka pada bulan berkenaan.

“Jadi, Kabinet berasakan mengapa tidak, daripada kita tunggu, kerana harga minyak telah turun begitu baik pada paras yang baik, jadi kita memutuskan untuk menurunkan harga minyak pada ketika itu lebih awal daripada sepatutnya,” katanya.

Shahrir berkata keadaan yang sama dijangka akan berlaku pada bulan ini selepas mengambil kira pada bulan lalu yang berhadapan dengan sambutan Hari Kemerdekaan. “Hari Raya pun lebih kurang sama tarikhnya, jika ada berita yang baik diharap hari raya nanti ada berita yang benar-benar baik,” katanya.

- Bernama

Koike eyes bid as Japan's first woman PM

Yuriko Koike emerged Wednesday as a possible contender to be Japan's first female prime minister, with heavyweights in the ailing ruling party urging her to challenge conservative favourite Taro Aso.

Koike, 56, a former television anchorwoman who has been a defence minister and environment minister, has stayed coy on whether she will contest a party vote on September 22 to replace outgoing Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.

Fukuda, who has faced months of low poll ratings, announced his resignation Monday, plunging Japan's long-dominant ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into crisis mode.

Liberal Democratic Party General elections must be held by September 2009, but the government is in trouble against an emboldened opposition while the economy, the world's second biggest, is teetering on the verge of recession.

"I want to consider what we need in general, rather than my own individual situation," Koike told reporters when asked if she would seek the top job.

"I'm contacting various people since you can't play a baseball game all by yourself."

Hidenao Nakagawa, the former number two of the party and a backroom fixer, hinted at his support for Koike following their meeting Tuesday, saying: "We have to pick a candidate among reformists."

The vote is for the LDP's president, who then becomes prime minister.

Koike, an expert on the Middle East and fluent in both English and Arabic, is known for her close ties with reformist premier Junichiro Koizumi, who was popular during his 2001-2006 tenure.

Fukuda She belongs to the LDP's largest faction. Its head, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura, hinted he supported a competitive race.

"All of us share the view that it's desirable for the LDP, which has been driven to the edge of a cliff in a sense, to hold an active, fair election to elect its president," said Machimura, the government number two.

But the Asahi Shimbun reported that 23 of the LDP's 47 prefectural chapters have already made up their minds to back Aso, a former foreign minister.

"The front-runner is Aso. That's for sure. For the LDP, Koike is a gamble," said Hidekazu Kawai, honorary professor of politics at Gakushuin University in Tokyo.

He likened Koike to the failed US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, saying she would energise Japanese women voters.

Japan has one of the developed world's lowest rates of female representation among politicians and corporate executives. Only 89, or 12 percent, of the 722 members of parliament are women.

"It may be no exaggeration that the survival of the LDP depends on the upcoming election," Kawai said.

The conservative party has been in power for all but 10 months since it was created in 1955. But it lost control of one house last year to the opposition, which contends that the LDP's free-market reforms hurt ordinary people.

Political observers speculate that the next prime minister could seize on any initial popularity to call a snap election.

Aso has run unsuccessfully three times to be prime minister. The former Olympic marksman is known for his hawkish views, although he has softened his image in recent years by highlighting his love of comic books and pop culture.

Currently the LDP's secretary general, he is expected to formally announce his candidacy on Monday and propose election pledges, including new stimulus measures to put the brakes on an economic slowdown.

"From a common-sense perspective, Secretary General Aso will become" the next prime minister, Takashi Sasagawa, chairman of the LDP's general affairs committee, told a television news programme on Tuesday.

leadership New Komeito, the LDP's coalition partner, has also backed Aso as leader of their coalition.

Among other potential candidates are Seiko Noda, who is consumer affairs minister, along with former finance minister Fukushiro Nukaga and Nobuteru Ishihara, son of nationalist Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara.

Thousands of protesters besieging Thailand's seat of government rejected talks with the military Wednesday, insisting they would only negotiate after

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani escaped an assassination attempt after shots were fired at his vehicle Wednesday, his spokesman said.

"By the grace of Allah the prime minister is safe," the spokesman said.

Thai protesters reject talks as strike fails to bite

Thousands of protesters besieging Thailand's seat of government rejected talks with the military Wednesday, insisting they would only negotiate after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej steps down.

There appeared little sign of an imminent end to the crisis as a state of emergency in Bangkok entered a second day following the worst unrest seen on the capital's streets in 16 years.

But a strike by unions representing 200,000 employees at state enterprises, who had threatened to cripple government agencies by cutting water and power supplies, won few followers with services running as usual.

Some workers who began disrupting train services last week returned to the job Wednesday, the State Railway of Thailand said, adding that operations had had actually improved, with trains suspended only in southern provinces.

Flag carrier Thai Airways reported no disruptions and transport authorities in Bangkok said public buses were running as usual.

Thousands of activists stormed Samak official compound 10 days ago but the tensions turned deadly Monday night when street fights erupted with supporters of the premier, leaving one dead and 44 injured.

The violence prompted Samak to invoke a state of emergency early Tuesday, essentially giving control of the capital to the military.
Political gatherings are banned and the army is empowered to suspend civil liberties.

But while the protesters have defied the ban on assembling, the army chief General Anupong Paojinda, said he would use talks rather than violence to end the siege.

The military has made no move to evict activists squatting in the Government House compound, and one of the key protest leaders said they would only open negotiations if Samak resigns.

"Our stand is always firm -- that Mr Samak has to go. If Mr Samak doesn't go we will not talk to anybody," said media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, who has spearheaded the movement.
"Samak was very upset and he has tried every possible way to make us yield," he added.

"There are no guns among us. There might be golf clubs and sticks which we use to defend ourselves but absolutely no guns."

No soldiers were seen around the protest site early Wednesday, where 5,000 activists had again slept on the Government House lawn, now little more than a smelly mass of mud, after days of occupation with little sanitation.

Samak told CNN that he believed the army would find a way to break up the protesters, although he refused to rule out the possibility that the generals could use the turmoil as a pretext to stage a coup -- as they did after the same protesters rallied against then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006.

"I must have confidence" in the army, he said. "The coup or not a coup, I don't guarantee."
The turmoil has already battered Thailand's stock market, which has fallen 24 percent since protests first broke out in May.

The protesters, who call themselves the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), accuse Samak of acting as a puppet for Thaksin.

Thaksin has fled to Britain to escape corruption charges, while Samak also faces a barrage of legal cases that could see his party dissolved.

But more broadly the PAD wants to weaken the voting power of the rural poor, who form the base of support for both Samak and Thaksin, by appointing rather than electing 70 percent of parliamentarians.

Such a change would undo most of Thailand's democratic development over the last three decades. The kingdom has only ever had a shaky hold on democracy, with 18 military coups since absolute monarchy ended in 1932.

"All these calls for Samak to resign now constitute a litmus test for Thailand's democratic system," said political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University.

"If the PAD remains intransigent and gets its way, that would mean Samak is ousted and PAD is unlikely to stop there. Ultimately they're going far to the right, taking Thailand back to the dark ages."

Detroit Electric eyes comeback with Malaysia's Proton as partner

The Netherlands-based firm Detroit Electric said Tuesday it has begun talks with Malaysia's state-owned carmaker Proton to produce electric cars for the Southeast Asian market.

"We are in preliminary talks with Proton. It started last month. We hope to conclude the talks by year-end," Albert Lam, chairman and chief executive officer of Detroit Electric, told AFP.

Proton has said it is keen to develop electric cars, to reduce carbon emissions and avoid rising fuel costs.

Lam also said Detroit Electric was keen to establish a plant in Malaysia to manufacture batteries for the electric cars, along with a research and development unit, at a total cost of about 30 million dollars.

Detroit Electric was an icon of the United States auto industry in the early 1900s, producing the first electric cars. But it went bankrupt in 1939 and was revived by Lam and other shareholders in the Netherlands and the US last year.

Lam said Detroit Electric hoped to collaborate with Proton to sell electric cars for the Southeast Asian market or to use Proton's existing manufacturing platform to produce electric cars under the Detroit Electric brand.

He said the company planned to roll out 30,000 electric cars by 2010, as he demonstrated their performance at a Proton test circuit in Shah Alam, west of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Detroit Electric fitted the battery into Proton's Savvy and Pesona models and in a Lotus Elise sports car.

Proton said Tuesday it was "evaluating and studying the technology" but it was "too early to comment on the progress."

Proton was formed 25 years ago by former premier Mahathir Mohamad as part of an ambitious national industrialisation plan, but its market share has slumped in recent years as it faced difficulties coping in a new deregulated market.

The government has urged it to forge a partnership with a foreign automaker to give it the expertise and economies of scale that it needs to survive, but talks with Volkswagen and General Motors have collapsed.

Agence France-Presse - 9/2/2008 9:02 AM GMT

Malaysia's Anwar promises to dump pro-Malay policies

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Tuesday he would dismantle controversial positive-discrimination policies for Muslim Malays if he seizes power in the multicultural country.

Anwar said he would replace the New Economic Policy (NEP) launched in the early 1970s with a system to boost all poor Malaysians, whether they are majority Malays or from the minority Chinese and Indian communities.

"We will do everything in our power and disposal to help and assist the poor and the marginalised, which means the vast majority of the Malays and the poor Chinese and the poor Indians, but we do it on a needs basis," he said.

He also promised to abandon the Approved Permits (AP) scheme for importing cars, which it is claimed has corruptly enriched a small number of Malay entrepreneurs.

"Those talking about Malay dominance would realise that the AP is a classic case where the Malays and the Malay name has been abused, raped and plundered by the few," he told a press conference.

Anwar, a former deputy premier and finance minister who was sacked and jailed a decade ago, has vowed to topple the government with the help of defectors within weeks.

He accused embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of spending his way out of trouble with a 2009 budget packed with perks and tax cuts, and said if he comes to power he would reduce the projected 2008 budget deficit of 4.8 percent of GDP.

"I suspect Abdullah feels that his days are numbered, so he spends as much as possible because he knows the next government has got to deal with the debts," he said.

The NEP was launched two years after racial riots broke out in 1969, in an effort to narrow the wealth gap between the Chinese -- who control the business sector -- and Malays, who dominate government.

But critics say it has failed and that the policy's beneficiaries have been Malay entrepreneurs who cash in on an array of perks including discounts on property purchases and specially allocated government projects.

Anwar's opposition gained unprecedented ground against the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in March general elections, after successfully garnering support from across Malaysia's racial spectrum.

The 61-year-old opposition leader -- himself a Malay -- has also had to defend himself against allegations he has sold out the interests of the majority community in return for political gains.

Agence France-Presse - 9/2/2008 8:29 AM GMT

Malaysia sends troops to protect ships in Gulf of Aden: report

Malaysia has sent crack troops and navy ships to the Gulf of Aden after two of its vessels were seized by pirates last month, according to reports Wednesday.

The comments by deputy premier Najib Razak come after the country's shipping giant MISC Berhad said Tuesday it had barred its vessels from the area, where two of its tankers were hijacked by armed pirates in August.

The area has seen a spate of attacks in recent weeks, with eight ships taken by pirates since the end of July.

"Our primary concern is the safety of our sailors," Najib was quoted as saying by the Star newspaper.

Malaysia's armed forces chief said the military had sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden last Saturday to monitor the situation, the Star reported.

Najib told the paper that negotiations between the pirates and representatives from MISC had not progressed much, with troops and naval vessels sent to protect another four of MISC's ships in the area.

The Bunga Melati 5 with 41 crew -- 36 Malaysians and five from the Philippines -- was seized last Friday off the coast of Yemen carrying 30,000 metric tonnes of petrochemicals.

Ten days earlier, the palm oil tanker Bunga Melati Dua, with 39 crew on board, was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. MISC said late Tuesday it had finally been able to regain radio contact with the Bunga Melati 5.

Malaysia's foreign ministry has set up a special unit to monitor the situation while appealing to authorities in both Yemen and Somalia to ensure the crew's release, state news agency Bernama reported.

It said the pirates had reportedly demanded a ransom of three million dollars for the return of the two ships and crew.

Agence France-Presse - 9/3/2008 2:12 AM GMT

PANDANGAN : Budaya berebut menaiki kapalterbang jejas imej AirAsia

AKIBAT terlalu mengejar keuntungan, syarikat AirAsia mungkin terlupa nilai murni yang patut diterapkan kepada rakyat negara ini. Memang nampak tidak ketara tetapi impaknya amat besar. Syarikat penerbangan itu, menyemarakkan budaya masyarakat yang tidak enak dipandang mata iaitu budaya berebut-rebut dan bersaing di antara penumpang lain untuk mendapatkan tempat duduk.

Wajarkah budaya ini dicanang sebagai bebas memilih tempat duduk? Mungkin ya kepada penumpang yang tidak membawa anak kecil, isteri sarat mengandung dan penumpang tidak berapa sihat.

Perkara ini saya alami ketika menaiki pesawat AirAsia, bersama dua anak yang masih kecil balik ke kampung dari Kota Kinabalu ke Kuala Lumpur, tahun lalu. Disebabkan ada dua anak kecil, maka saya tidaklah beratur untuk berasak-asak dengan penumpang lain untuk mendapatkan tempat duduk dan sebagai balasan kami anak beranak terpaksa berasingan tempat duduk dan saya terpaksa minta ihsan daripada pramugara untuk minta bertukar tempat duduk dengan penumpang yang lain agar dapat duduk bersebelahan dengan anak kedua sebab umurnya baru tiga tahun.

Apa yang dikesalkan dengan selamba, pramugara menjawab; “Duduk saja di tempat yang kosong,” dan saya terus bertanya semula, “Habis siapa nak jaga anak saya... awak ke?” dan barulah dia carikan tempat duduk saya berdekatan dengan anak saya kedua dengan meminta ihsan dengan penumpang lain.

Sekali lagi, saya berdepan keadaan sama, ketika pulang pada cuti sekolah baru-baru ini, penerbangan dari Kuala Lumpur ke Kota Kinabalu. Penerbangan tertunda selama dua jam dan dalam kepala saya sentiasa berlegar persoalan dapat atau tidak nanti tempat duduk sebaris dengan anak.

Tiba masa berlepas, saya dan anak bergegas beratur dan berdiri dalam masa yang lama untuk berebut tempat duduk. Apabila pengumuman menaiki pesawat, penumpang lain berasak-asak dan berebut menyerahkan tiket untuk menaiki pesawat sehingga tidak perasan akan anak saya terhimpit dan ditolak seperti berebut menaiki bas.

Saya kecewa kerana AirAsia membuat penumpangnya tiada nilai bersopan santun dan hormat kepada orang tua dan kasihan kepada anak kecil. Selepas menyerahkan tiket terpaksa pula berjalan laju bersama-sama anak sehingga terlupa mengenai keselamatan diri sendiri dan orang lain. Ia semata-mata agar dapat tempat duduk sebaris untuk memudahkan menjaga mereka ketika dalam penerbangan.

Saya berharap pihak pengurusan AirAsia dapat mengkaji semula peraturan berkenaan, supaya tidak timbul masalah berebut tempat duduk, yang cukup menyeksakan bagi orang tua dan ibu bapa yang ramai anak kecil.

KOMEN : DALAM ERA SERBA CANGGIH TEKNOLOGIN KOMPUTER, KITA PULA KEMBALI KE ERA BATU. KENAPA TIDAK, DENGAN KEMAJUAN SEKARANG, SUKAR BENAR KAH AIRASIA MENCETAK NOMBOR TEMPAT DUDOK PENUMPANG YANG MENAIKI KAPAL TERBANG??? TIDAK HAIRAN LAH JIKA KESOPANAN RAKYAT KITA KIAN LUTUR APA BILA MEREBUT REBUT MENAIKI AIRASIA.

SARAWAK - 45 years of progress

People have never failed to support govt and this has been the pillar of development.

The support given by the people to the government had enabled political leaders to steer the state for greater development.

As a result, tremendous transformation had taken place both in the urban and rural areas in the past 45 years.

With the continous supports the way did in the last 45 years there was no reason that the state would not be able to maintain the momentum of development at current speed and this must maintain existing harmony that had been the pillar of the progress of the state and country thus attributed Sarawak’s progress to the fact that it is a part of a successful nation.

Not to forget the journey of 45 years during which time Sarawak progress forward as a Malaysian state and had been able to harness its multiracial population, peace and security was possible. Preserving peace and harmony now and in the future Sarawak has the ability and confidence to face various challenges.

Perayaan kemerdekaan ke 51 disambut penuh meriah

Rakyat pelbagai kaum banjiri Dataran Merdeka

Perayaan Hari Kebangsaan ke-51 di seluruh negara semalam tetap meriah walaupun disambut sederhana dengan rakyat pelbagai kaum bersama-sama meraikannya, sekali gus membuktikan perpaduan erat rakyat Malaysia.

Sambutan diadakan dengan acara menaikkan bendera pada malam ambang merdeka, diikuti perbarisan dan perarakan semalam dengan acara kemuncak peringkat nasional berlangsung di Dataran Merdeka.

Ia diketuai Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin yang turut disertai Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah. Turut sama Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan isteri, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan isteri.