Myanmar should be removed as an Asean member

Malaysia, neighbours to meet amid migrant boat crisis

Published: 18 May 2015 5:55 PM

Malaysia said that its foreign minister would meet his Thai and Indonesian counterparts in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday to discuss ways to tackle human trafficking, after thousands of desperate asylum seekers arrived on its shores in the past week.

Southeast Asian governments have so far shown little sign of a coordinated response to the boatloads of Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar arriving in their waters.

Some 2,500 migrants have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia over the past week, while around 5,000 remain stranded at sea in rickety boats with dwindling supplies of food and water. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have turned back or towed overcrowded migrant boats away from their coastlines, in what the International Organization for Migration has described as "maritime ping-pong with human lives".

A meeting of Malaysian and Indonesian foreign ministers scheduled today was put back until Wednesday to allow the Thai foreign minister to attend, a Malaysian foreign ministry official said.

Talks would focus on human trafficking and people smuggling in the region, the ministry said in a statement.

"Malaysia will continue to seek a solution on this issue through... concerted and coordinated efforts among the countries of origin, transit and destination," the statement added.

Thai and Indonesian foreign ministry officials did not immediately comment on what they expected to get out of the meeting.

An estimated 25,000 Bangladeshis and Rohingya boarded smugglers' boats in the first three months of this year, twice as many as in the same period of 2014, the United Nations' refugee agency has said.

A clampdown by Thailand's military junta has made a well-trodden overland trafficking route into Malaysia – one of Southeast Asia's wealthiest economies – too risky for criminals who prey on Rohingya fleeing oppression in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and on Bangladeshis looking for better livelihoods abroad.

Deadly migration

Malaysia, which says it has already taken in 120,000 illegal migrants from Myanmar, has made it clear that it wants no more and would push back migrant boats.

However, as current chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) bloc, the country is leading diplomatic efforts on the regional crisis.

"If necessary, we will call for an emergency (Asean) meeting," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said a meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart on Sunday.

"As Asean chairman, Malaysia will discuss the issue in depth, and hope Myanmar can sit together to find a solution before it is brought to the international level," he added.

The United Nations said last week that the deadly pattern of migration across the Bay of Bengal would continue unless Myanmar ended discrimination.

Thailand said last week that it would also host talks in Bangkok on May 29 for 15 countries to discuss the emergency. The recent Thai crackdown came after the United States last year downgraded Thailand and Malaysia to its list of the worst centres of human trafficking.

Thai prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Monday that the UN should talk to the "source country" about solving the problem, without naming Myanmar.

"I hope the meeting on May 29 will offer practical solutions and action that can be applied to the source, transit and destination," Prayuth said.

Most of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims are stateless and live in apartheid-like conditions. Almost 140,000 were displaced in clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012. – Reuters, May 18, 2015.

Asean members should now collectively denounce and remove Myanmar from being an Asean member as the ruling junta is irresponsible and arrogant in not admitting that this problem is theirs and because they did not contain the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims by the Buddhists there, and because of their official stance that the Rohingya Muslims are citizens thereby not entitled to citizens' rights and privileges, have caused suffering and harm to them

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-neighbours-to-meet-amid-migrant-boat-crisis#sthash.8qDTTzI7.dpuf

Nurul Izzah's and Malaysians' plea to world leaders

Help us stop the oppression, Nurul Izzah says in plea to world leaders

PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar claims the string of allegedly politically-motivated investigations, arrests and imprisonment was the result of BN’s near-loss in the 2013 elections. ― File picKUALA LUMPUR, May 13 ― Nurul Izzah Anwar has sounded an appeal to leaders across the globe to condemn what she described as the criminalisation of Malaysia's opposition, citing as example the jailing of her father Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the arrest of scores of other government critics.

The PKR vice-president, writing in an Op-Ed in the New York Times, claimed the tempo of repression here quickened significantly when the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal opposition pact, of which her party is a part of, nearly secured its place in Putrajaya in the 2013 national polls.

Since then, she lamented, local enforcers have been using preventive laws that give them sweeping powers to harass and prosecute dissenters in the name of maintaining public order.

“We are running out of family members for officials to arrest on bogus charges,” she wrote.

Nurul Izzah said apart from her father, who is now serving a five-year jail term for his second sodomy conviction, the authorities have also continually applied pressure on her mother, PKR president and newly-elected Permatang Pauh MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The police, she claimed, have also hinted of plans to interrogate her younger sister Nurul Nuha, who is leading the March 2 Freedom coalition calling for Anwar's release.

Nurul Izzah herself was recently arrested and locked up overnight for an allegedly seditious speech that she had delivered in Parliament on behalf of her father.

“I am out on bail now, but my arrest is intended to silence me and to warn other would-be government critics,” she said.

The string of allegedly politically-motivated investigations, arrests and imprisonment was the result of Barisan Nasional's (BN) near-loss in the 2013 elections, Nurul Izzah claimed.

She pointed out that BN had only clung on to power then by way of gerrymandering and the creation of unequal electoral districts, which had led to the ruling pact winning the overall election but losing the popular vote.

Since then, she said BN lynchpin party Umno has been working hard at keeping PR constantly on the defensive, oftentimes playing up sensitive racial and religious matters.

But Nurul Izzah said the government needs to train its focus elsewhere, particularly on ending systemic corruption and introducing sound policies to improve living standards and help the economy grow.

“It’s encouraging that Mahathir Mohamad, the country’s former long-time prime minister, has recently become Prime Minister Najib’s fiercest critic, attacking him as corrupt and incompetent,” she wrote.

“But we need louder voices to condemn what’s happening here. World leaders need to tell Mr. Najib and his cronies that trade and economic considerations, including the much talked about Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, will not be placed above civil and political rights.

“It’s time for Malaysia’s friends around the world to stop giving our leaders a pass on sharply declining human rights and the rule of law,” the Lembah Pantai MP said.

Nurul Izzah was referring to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's recent attacks against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over the latter's alleged failure to address the many controversies plaguing his leadership.

According to Dr Mahathir, who is said to still wield considerable influence among Umno circles, Najib must step down before the next federal polls due by 2018 or BN could see its over five-decade rule in Malaysia come to an abrupt halt.

But Najib has since resisted Dr Mahathir's attacks and all calls for his dismissal.

PR, still struggling to overcome its own internal troubles, has yet been able to utilise BN's vulnerability to its benefit.

According to veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, the opposition pact could very well miss its chance to replace BN if it fails to stay united before the next general election.

Correct for Nurul to say, so as Malaysia is fast becoming a police state with the IGP being pro-Umno. The police force should stay professional and neutral, so also should all govt. agencies such as MACC, Military, etc.
The world leaders should send a LOUD, Harsh WARNING to the Umno/BN govt. NOW! before the country go bankrupt and anarchy, violence and bloodshed follow as they are plundering this country blind - that now we have GST to pay for the monetary funds that were looted! The poor are going to revolt as they are suffering the MOST and certain people will blame the Chinese for the country's ills and provoke the Malays, just what happened in Indonesia during the Asian financial crisis.

Najib has to go, Dr M insists, so do all Malaysians

Najib has to go, Dr M insists

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stood his ground today in calling for Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation, insisting that he has no choice but to continue pushing for the latter’s removal because of the 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.

Dr Mahathir said he was aware that his refusal to support Najib would be manipulated by the opposition, but added that even if the latter stays on as prime minister, Barisan Nasional (BN) would still be doomed.

“Billions of ringgit have been lost and will not likely be returned. Whether directly or indirectly, Najib is responsible for this massive loss,” the veteran statesman said in a lengthy blog post tonight.

“And because of his irresponsible actions, Najib is no longer fit to be the prime minister of Malaysia,” Dr Mahathir declared.

The former prime minister’s blog post, which repeats his many reasons for wanting Najib’s removal, comes a day after the latter declared in public that he will not succumb to calls for his resignation.

Speaking at a function last night in Sabah, the prime minister also urged for support from Dr Mahathir and told his harshest critic not to make “too much noise”, even reminding the latter that he had supported him during his tenure in government.

Dr Mahathir, the country’s longest serving former prime minister, has been at the forefront of the on-going attacks against Najib’s leadership, even going public with his demand that the prime minister resigns before BN loses the next general election.

“I am aware that if I don’t support Najib, the opposition will use this as an opportunity for them. On the other hand, if Najib leads BN to the 14th general election, BN will lose,” Dr Mahathir insisted again tonight.

“If the leadership of Umno and BN were to be changed, it has to be done before there is too little time for the party to rebuild itself before the 14th federal polls,” he added.

Dr Mahathir also went on to claim that although in the past, many people had approached him to speak out against some of Najib’s policies, that it was the 1MDB issue that forced him to publicly demand for the latter’s resignation.

“When I started hearing about 1MDB, I felt the situation has become too serious,” he said.

He explained that before going public with his criticisms, he first penned a letter to Najib, telling him that he no longer supports his leadership.

Dr Mahathir claimed that Najib ordered his men to urge him to retract the letter, to which he said he refused.

“And because he (Najib) never revealed that I had withdrawn my support for him, I had to do it myself,” he said.

Earlier tonight, Najib announced after meeting with Umno’s top leaders that the party’s entire supreme council has thrown its support behind him and his deputy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Najib has to go, Dr M insists, so do all we Malaysians, and also TAKE Umno/BN with him as well

The END of N. Korea dynastic communist RULE

Pyongyang, North Korea (CNN)North Korea has carried out a successful underwater test of a ballistic missile, the North Korean state news agency reported.

Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test himself, KCNA reported on Saturday (Friday evening, ET).

A submarine launched the missile at a location far from the North Korean mainland, according to the news agency.

Kim praised the test as a "miraculous achievement" and said his country is capable of producing this type of missile. This missile was a "time bomb which will go off on the backs of our hostile enemies at any time," he added, the KCNA report said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised the test as a "miraculous achievement," according to KCNA.

EXPAND IMAGE

Such rhetoric, while alarming on its face, is not unlike Kim's pronouncements after missile tests in the past.

North Korea has already allocated a significant portion of its budget to the military, and Saturday's announcement does not necessarily signify a ramping up of military efforts.

Also Saturday, a South Korean defense ministry official said North Korea had fired three ship-to-ship missiles from the sea near North Korea's eastern city of Wonsan.

No other details were available as of yet, the official said. The missiles were fired in an hour-long window Saturday afternoon local time (between 3:25 and 4:23 a.m. ET.)

The ship-to-ship missile fired is known as KN-01 in South Korea.

News of the latest missile firings come one day after North Korea threatened to attack,without warning, any South Korean naval ships that entered disputed waters west of the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea responded by threatening to retaliate if North Korea carries out any acts of aggression.

The END of N. Korea dynastic communist RULE is at hand. The people of N. Korea can be freed of oppression, deprivation, suffering and injustices. 

How can a mere man be invoked with 'godlike status'. Blasphemy - 3 generations of it. The sins of the fathers falling upon the son. Evil and Wickedness abounding with no respite.     

What do we do with rogue cops? - set up IPCMC now!

What do we do with rogue cops?

The Malaysian Bar and the National Human Rights Society (Hakam) are renewing the call for the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), first mooted a whole decade ago.

The IPCMC was first recommended by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police back in 2005, but no action towards its establishment has been taken since. In the decade since, there have been numerous reports of police abuses, most notably the staggering amount of suspects and inmates dying in police custody.

In line with this, the Bar Council Task Force on IPCMC, in collaboration with Hakam, will be holding a public forum entitled ‘Rogue Cops: Workable Solutions—Police Accountability in Malaysia’.

The forum will look into the current statistics of cases involving police shootings and deaths in police custody, measures taken by the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) to address the situation, and the resulting need to set up the IPCMC.

 ‘Rogue Cops: Workable Solutions—Police Accountability in Malaysia’ will be held on May 30 at the Raja Aziz Addruse Auditorium, and will feature Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan (Hakam), R Sri Sanjeevan (MyWatch), Sharmini Darshini (Amnesty International), Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria (Proham), Yap Swee Seng (Suaram), and possibly even Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar (IGP), Tan Sri Zaman Khan Rahim Khan (former Police Commissioner) and Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed (PAC).

Datuk Kuthubul Zaman, Steven Thiru and Prof Gurdial Nijar (Bar Council), as well as Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah (Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police) will address the forum.

Admission is free, but registration is required beforehand due to limited space. Visit the Facebook event page for further details and updates.

We need the IPCMC now as the police is getting more and rogue! The IGP and Home minister must step down as they cannot solve or even manage this problem and yet refuse to implement the IPCMC.

Only 1% poor in Malaysia? Idris Jala - the Putrajaya JESTER

Only 1% poor in Malaysia? Come and see for yourself, Pedas tells Idris Jala

The Sarawak Dayak Association (Pedas) dared Pemandu CEO Datuk Idris Jala to go to the ground and see how the poor live if he really believes that poverty in Malaysia is almost wiped out.

Idris had said that only 1% of the country are still poor, based on figures released by Pemandu in its 2014 Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) report.

“Over the years, we have seen tremendous success in poverty eradication. According to the latest preliminary data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), only one per cent of our population was [sic] in poverty as at 2014, compared with 3.8 per cent in 2009,” the report claims.

But The Borneo Post reported Miri Pedas committee member Bill Kayong as saying that Pemandu should go to the rural villages, urban slums and meet native communities in Sarawak.

“Many poor rural and urban families are invisible to Pemandu, but in actual fact, they exist,” he said.

Kayong added that the government would not give out 1Malaysia Peoples’ Aid (BR1M) to so many households if Idris’s claim had any basis, and that he should not talk about poverty if he refused to see how the poor live for himself.

“It’s really unbelievable that poverty is almost wiped out in Malaysia, it’s not a fact but just a political statement,” Kayong said, also noting that the poor and hardcore poor are especially vulnerable at this point of time, with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“Poverty is everywhere, so how could Idris dare to announce that poverty is almost wiped out in the country; we deem his statement as a mere lie and disgusting to read,” he said.

Idris Jala making such idiotic, moronic statements - the JOKE of the 21st century.
If a tally is taken there must be at 20% hardcore poor in the whole of Malaysia. Now with GST the figure is probably balloon to 30%.