Angry parent punches teacher

KAMPAR : A TEACHER has lodged a police report alleging that he was punched by a parent after news of the collapsed suspension bridge spread around Kampar.

He made the report at the Kuala Dipang police station.

Hundreds of parents converged on Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Dipang after the suspension bridge at the 1Malaysia Co-curriculum Centre collapsed around 10.40pm.

Initial reports had it that 22 pupils had drowned in the Kampar River.

Kampar police chief Supt Abdul Aziz Salleh said the male teacher was one of the teachers supervising pupils taking part in the activities organised at the centre by the Kinta Selatan District Education Department.

Abdul Aziz said apart from Fire and Rescue Department, police and Rela, Royal Malaysian Navy divers were brought in to assist in the search and rescue operations.

He said rescuers were concentrating their efforts up to several kilometres downriver, especially around the Tronoh Mines area where debris traps are located.

The body of the first victim, Dina Deve Nathan,11, was found by rescuers at 8.40pm about 2km from the collapsed bridge (mm)
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Khalid says Umno can have Badrul, Khir Toyo says will accept

SHAH ALAM,— Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim today said Umno was welcome to have Badrul Hisham Abdullah if it really wanted a state lawmaker who could not serve his constituents.

The Selangor mentri besar also indicated that he did not care if the Port Klang assemblyman became an independent lawmaker or joined Umno or even MCA.

However, he pointed out that Badrul had made a commitment to serve the public when he was elected and, if he was really responsible, should resign to give others the opportunity to do the job.

He said measures would be taken if Badrul refuses to resign but declined to elaborate.

Khalid was speaking to reporters today in response to an earlier statement by his political secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad who said Badrul should quit his seat for non-performance and the recommendation would be made to the PKR supreme council.

He added the state government could not tolerate incompetent and irresponsible leaders.

In an immediate reaction, opposition leader Datuk Seri Khir Toyo said Umno would welcome Badrul into the party.

The former Selangor mentri besar said Umno was open to Malays and Bumiputeras.

Khir added that Khalid should have given Badrul more time to improve.

“If he comes to Barisan Nasional (BN) we will give him the opportunity to serve,” said Khir.

He pointed out that if Badrul was really not good, "why did PKR let him stand for elections in the first place?"

Meanwhile, Badrul remained incommunicado today and reporters who went to his home in Kampung Raja Uda, Port Klang saw his car in his porch but no one was in.

The call for the embattled politician to resign raises prospects of a by-election in Selangor.

Controversy has plagued the lawmaker due to complaints by his constituents that he was frequently absent and could not be contacted. (TMI)

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One Pupil Drowns, 21 Missing After Suspension Bridge Collapses Into Kampar River

KAMPAR (Bernama) -- One pupil drowned and 21 others are feared missing after a newly built suspension bridge collapsed into the Kampar River as pupils participating in a 1Malaysia camp were walking across at Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Dipang near here Monday night.

About 20 other pupils managed to hold on to the ropes of the collapsed bridge and saved themselves while several others were pulled out of the swift-flowing river by a teacher and a guard of the school in the incident at about 10.30pm.

Perak Deputy Chief Police Officer Datuk Zakaria Yusof said on Tuesday the body of the pupil, an Indian girl, was found by rescuers at 8.30am and had been sent to the Kampar Hospital.

He told reporters at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Dipang that rescuers were unsure of the actual number of pupils feared missing and that the police had asked the education department to furnish the names of the pupils participating in the camp.

It had been reported earlier that 22 pupils had gone missing in the accident.
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PKR to present missing key witness in Lingam’s New Zealand trip

KUALA LUMPUR — PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah promised today to present the missing key witness in Datuk V.K. Lingam’s infamous New Zealand trip with the former Chief Justice Tun Eusoff Chin in Parliament soon.

Lingam was implicated in a scandal involving senior government judges and found by a royal commission to be the person recorded “fixing” the appointment of judges.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) found strong evidence against Lingam and in its report suggested that action be taken against him and others implicated in the infamous “correct, correct, correct” recording.

Other figures implicated include Eusoff, Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim and tycoon Vincent Tan, a close friend of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Photos also emerged of Eusoff and Lingam together on a holiday in New Zealand in the late 1990s.

Even though Eusoff claimed the meeting with Lingam in New Zealand was a coincidence, testimony by Lingam’ former secretary L.G. Jayanthi contradicted his claim.

Jayanthi claimed that she was instructed by her boss to make travel arrangements for him and his family together with Eusoff’s family to New Zealand.

MACC has said that they are unable to proceed with the investigation into the New Zealand trip because they could not locate a key witness.

“This we find totally unacceptable, we personally are in contact with the key witness and we are shocked that MACC and all of its resources is still unable to locate a witness whom they know about and unable to prosecute this blatant act of corruption where this lawyer paid for the trip to New Zealand for the then number one judge in this country,” Sivarasa told reporters at Parliament lobby.

He added that the inability of MACC to “act in the face of clear evidence” raises questions on the commission's integrity.

“Since the MACC says that they can't contact the key witness to take the investigation on the New Zealand trip any further, we just want to show that there is a problem with the attitude and inaction of the MACC,” he said.

Sivarasa refused to divulge who the key witness is and said that her identity will be revealed soon.

Sivarasa also called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to sack the Attorney-General for failing to perform his duties after the government recently announced that the Lingam case is closed.

“We think it is a scandal of the highest order to close such a high-profile case that rocked the county for the last several years. The Najib administration has given the reason that no evidence was found to prove abuse of power in judicial appointments but the royal commission in its report has clearly stated otherwise,” he explained. (TMI)

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Thai expert says Teoh’s death ‘80pc’ homicide

UPDATE 1

By Debra Chong

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand told the coroner’s court this morning that there was an 80 per cent probability that Teoh Beng Hock’s death was homicide and not suicide, and suggested that some of his injuries were sustained before his fatal fall.

Under questioning from Selangor state lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, Dr Pornthip testified that the political aide was indeed alive when he hit the ground but added that he was was unconscious, judging from the lack of injuries to his wrists and ankles.

She explained that if he were still conscious when he fell, there would have been “reaction wounds” to show he had instinctively tried to stop from hitting the ground.

She said that Teoh’s injuries showed he could have been strangled and that he sustained anal penetration before he fell to his death on July 16.

Dr Pornthip added that Teoh could have passed out as a result of the strangulation or from the pain from injuries to his anal region.

She told the court that the likelihood that Teoh had committed suicide — the theory previously put forward by the two pathologists who examined Teoh’s body after death — was only 20 per cent.

The stunning testimony made by the forensic expert, who gained international prominence from her work in identifying the 2004 Asian tsunami victims and more recently in the death of Hollywood star David Carradine, appeared to suggest Teoh was assaulted before his death.

Using a graphics presentation, the 54-year-old who has carried out over 10,000 autopsies over the last 27 years, told the court that not all the injuries sustained by Teoh were consistent with those caused by a fall.

The anal tear, which she described as a “penetrating injury”, appeared to have happened before he fell.

Dr Pornthip noted that the tear measured 6cm-wide by 2cm-long. She suggested that they were caused by an object inserted into Teoh’s anus from a bottom-up direction, which she indicated with a blue arrow on a picture slide projected on a white screen in the darkened court this morning.

Dr Pornthip testified that Teoh’s various injuries point to a high likelihood of homicide. — Picture by Jack Ooi

“This kind of injury, I’ve not seen in cases of fall from height,” the director-general of Thailand’s Central Institute of Forensic Science (CIFS) said.

However, she could not say what the object was.

She also said that the depth of the tear was noted in the autopsy report jointly prepared by Dr Khairul Aznam Ibrahim from the Hospital Tengku Rahimah Ampuan in Klang and Dr Prashant Naresh Samberkar from the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

Several stripes on Teoh’s upper thighs, just below the buttocks were also pointed out as inconsistent with injuries caused by a fall.

Dr Pornthip suggested the horizontal lines were the result of a beating with a stick.

She added that if she had carried out the autopsy on Teoh, she would have cut open the thighs just under the skin to check for internal bleeding in order to confirm her theory.

She also pointed out several “round” bruises on Teoh’s neck, which could mean “manual strangulation” by fingers.

Her lengthy explanation on Teoh’s neck injuries was peppered with graphic references to her own case studies of strangulation victims.

The skull fracture on Teoh’s head, she said, was not typical of an injury from a fall, but more compatible with the result of blunt force applied directly to the skull.

“I found contusion on fracture line, so the fracture could be caused by blunt force injury directly on skull,” she said, explaining why she disagreed with Dr Khairul’s and Dr Prashant’s theory.

The two doctors who performed Teoh’s autopsy had previously put forward the idea that the head injury may have been caused by the momentum of the landing.

“For transfer of force, (you) only find ring fracture at base of the skull along (the) spinal column, not a linear fracture and not a cervical spine fracture,” she added.

She said that her assessment was based on Teoh’s autopsy report, the photographs of his injuries and from snapshots taken at the site where his body was found.

The sole of one of Teoh’s shoe, which had come off his foot, also bore marks that indicated he may have been dragged, she said, basing it on reports of the death scene.

Her theory contradicts Dr Prashant’s idea that it was caused by the impact on the ground.

Magistrate Azmil Muntapha Abas who is acting as coroner in the inquest, allowed Dr Pornthip to carry out a physical check on Teoh’s shoes, which had been tendered to the court as evidence.

She told the court she would like to carry out her own autopsy on Teoh, but the coroner indicated that it may be too late to do so at this stage.

Dr Pornthip had also previously sent two assistants to join the court to survey where Teoh’s body was found on a 5th-floor landing outside the offices of the Selangor branch of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Plaza Masalam here.

Teoh, who was the political secretary to a DAP state executive councillor, had been questioned overnight on July 15 to help an ongoing investigation into claims his boss had misused state funds.

Dr Pornthip was engaged as an expert witness by the Selangor state government.

Earlier, she told the court that she had conducted over 10,000 autopsies in her career, of which more than 100 dealt with fatal falls from high places.

She estimated Teoh to have died between 6am and 8am on July 16. (TMI)

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Teoh was not allowed to leave, MACC man admits

SHAH ALAM, Oct 14 — Selangor MACC deputy director Hishamuddin Hashim told the coroner’s court here today that witnesses called for questioning, including Teoh Beng Hock, are not allowed to leave any interview without the investigating officer’s consent.

He said that while witnesses are not under arrest, they are also not free to leave the interviews.

Hishamuddin, who had been implicated in a “mystery letter” alleging political collusion in investigating the Pakatan Rakyat state government, also denied he met Teoh even though he was in the office during the time he was questioned.

Teoh, the 30-year-old political secretary to state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was mysteriously found dead on a 5th-floor landing outside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s

Selangor office at Plaza Masalam here on July 16, after being questioned overnight into claims his boss abused state money.

His family and employer claim foul play was involved.

Hishamuddin told the court today that he had worked until 2am the night Teoh was being questioned, and had decided to stay on until 5.45am when he finally left the office.

He denied testimony provided by another MACC officer earlier that he had been seen in the office on the morning of July 16, around the time Teoh is said to have died.

Senior assistant enforcer Raymond Nion John Timban, said to be the last man to see Teoh alive, had testified that he had seen Hishamuddin and two other MACC officers on the morning of July 16. (tmi)

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More adult Malaysians turn to the Net for sex info

PETALING JAYA: More adults are relying on the Internet to get information on sex, according to a Durex Sexual Wellbeing Survey.

As much as 75% of Malaysians gave credit to the Internet for teaching them the bedroom “how-tos”.

Men (75%) outnumber women (71%) in using the Internet to surf about sex.

Seventy-three per cent of the respondents also learn about sex through magazines.

Other sources include books (65%), friends and peers (56%) and partners (43%).

All these surpass sex education at school, which makes up only 36% of them.

The number of respondents was at 1,026 with an equal number of women and men aged 18 years and above.

Despite the figures, less than half of Malaysians — 45% of men and 39% of women — think there is enough advice and information available on the issue.

The survey stated that 73% of Malaysians who had formal sex education are satisfied with their sexual wellbeing while the global average of sexual satisfaction stands at 59%.

However, the survey also found that 51% of those who received sex education at school did not learn about conception while 71% were not taught about sexually transmitted diseases.

Less than half of Malaysians (48%) had wished their sex education had included love, respect and on giving pleasure to one’s partner.

It found that about 44% of those aged between 16 and 24 liked to have received more information on the subject in comparison to 62% among those aged between 35 and 44.

The survey is the fourth in a series of reports by Durex, with this one emphasising on knowledge and education.

Previous results of the three surveys titled “Satisfaction”, “In the Bedroom” and “The Big O” can be found on www.durex.com. (TS)

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Lessons from Bagan Pinang by election

OCT 12 – Mohd Isa Samad was always going to romp home a winner in the Bagan Pinang by-election. And not because the constituents were swayed by the 1 Malaysia slogan. Or because Port Dickson was declared an army town.

Outside PD and, arguably, much of Negri Sembilan, he is a flawed character, a politician found guilty of buying political success.

But within the radius of the seaside resort, Isa is remembered as the long-serving Mentri Besar who used to play sepak takraw with youth in the area, who built new roads and who did not quite fit the template of the arrogant Umno warlord.

The debate on what contributed to his thumping victory and the consequences will continue for a while but here are some early lessons that can be drawn from the by-election – Barisan Nasional’s first triumph in West Malaysia since Election 2008.

•Power of the local machinery

Analyses by Umno shows that between 11 and 15 seats may have been “lost’’ in Election 2008 due to internal squabbling at division level and sabotage over the choice of the election candidate.

This disease has coursed through the veins of Umno for many years and was also seen during the Permatang Pasir by-election where disagreement over the choice of Rohaizat Othman as the candidate led to local Umno officials staying home during the campaign period.

No such problems cropped up in Bagan Pinang because Isa was a popular choice. The divisional officials wanted him as the candidate, as did the rank and file. The result: a formidable local election machine backed by the usual firepower from the federal government.

In contrast, Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) did not have a strong local structure in Bagan Pinang. There are only four branches in the constituency and seven altogether in the Telok Kemang parliamentary constituency.

This shortcoming was fatal for the Opposition which was over reliant on help from outside the state to galvanise the election machinery. Even till the last few hours before polling closed, PAS officials were unable to predict the outcome of the election.

Lessons learnt: When Umno members embrace the candidate wholeheartedly and work together, the party remains a formidable opponent. PAS is very strong in the Malay belt but it has some way to go in states beyond Selangor.

•National issues have little traction when the local candidate is strong.

Cow-head demonstration. Teoh Beng Hock’s death. Endemic corruption in Umno. Power abuse at the highest level of government. Racism. Chauvinism. Pakatan Rakyat leaders who campaigned in Bagan Pinang used the same tried and tested formula which worked well in Bukit Selambau, Kuala Terengganu, Permatang Pasir, Bukit Gantang.

But national issues did not stir voters here. Umno/BN framed the bye-election as a contest between Isa and the novice, between someone who served the constituency well and someone who was airlifted in by his political party.

But what about Isa’s tarnished image? In middle-class Malaysia, his penchant for greasing palms may have been a liability but in his backyard, it was viewed as a minor transgression, committed against his party several years ago.

Lessson learnt: When a candidate is a local boy who has not forgotten his roots and has a good record of service to his constituents, people tend to be forgiving of his mistakes and indiscretions, however grave they are. Think of Chua Soi Lek, the sex clip and the fact that he still managed to obtain enough votes to become MCA’s deputy president.

Isa’s victory is going to strengthen claims by Umno officials that the party should field warlords in Malay-majority seats to ensure victory at the next general elections.

•Hubris can be costly. Even the most-blinkered Pakatan Rakyat support will have to admit that success in Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu, Manek Urai, Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang, Permatang Pasir, Penanti, has bred complacency in the Opposition coalition.

PAS insiders noted that the party election machinery was not firing all cylinders in Manek Urai and Permatang Pasir and yet on both occasions PAS candidates achieved victory. These victories induced a false sense of strength, allowing some PAS/Pakatan Rakyat officials to believe that as long as they showed up for a contest and planted their flag in the centre of the constituency, the by-election was theirs for the taking.

In Bagan Pinang, the election machinery only hit second gear, and that too, 48 hours before voters went to the polls. A bit like taking the field with eight players, going behind by a clutch of goals and then still having the temerity to field two more players in the last 10 minutes.

Lesson learnt: Umno/BN have governed Malaysia for 52 years. They are not going to make way for Pakatan Rakyat without a fight. PAS and its allies must have the hunger and drive – which were the hallmarks of their effort in Bukit Gantang and Kuala Terengganu – if they are to return to winning ways.

•Bagan Pinang is not Malaysia.

Naturally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would like to claim that this by-election victory was an endorsement of 1 Malaysia but it was not. It was a by-election in Negeri Sembilan where BN won because it had a superior candidate and superior machinery.

The Indian women who were given saris did not support Isa because of 1 Malaysia. They had never heard of the concept, and still do not have a clue of what it stands for. If Isa or a similar candidate with questionable ethics was fielded in Subang Jaya or in the Malay belt up north, he would have been defeated.

Don’t think so? Just recall the number of BN politicians who were shown the door in Election 2008 by an electorate tired of their corrupt ways and arrogance.

A survey by Merdeka Center showed that some 76 per cent of those polled were against political parties fielding tainted candidates.

Lesson learnt: Bagan Pinang may be an aberration, and not a trend. (TMI)

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Tok Guru Nik Aziz speech in N31 Bagan Pinang attracted large crowd

By Adib Zalkapli

PORT DICKSON, Oct 9 — The listless PAS campaign for the Bagan Pinang by-election shifted into higher gear last night with the arrival of Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat to attract support, after days of playing catch-up with rival Barisan Nasional.

The PAS spiritual adviser addressed two DAP-organised rallies in the state constituency — both of which were well attended — as party supporters from neighbouring states began flocking this coastal town to campaign with fence-sitters.

The Umno bastion is proving hard to crack even for PAS as its vaunted grassroots network is not that established in Negri Sembilan, despite growing popularity among ex-servicemen who have settled in the town that houses a major army camp. Most analysts agree the lack of a strong PAS network here could lead to Pakatan Rakyat's first loss after a 100 per cent win record in seven by-elections in the peninsula since Election 2008.

At a dinner with the Chinese community near here, Nik Aziz shared the stage with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng where he spoke against what he called Umno's divisive politics.

“I came here today not as a Malay, but as a Muslim bringing the message of peace,” said the soft spoken Nik Aziz to the multi-racial crowd.

“We may look different but we all came from the same man,” said the religious scholar.

Nik Aziz speaks at one of the rallies last night. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Just before midnight, he arrived at the DAP's main operation centre where he made passionate appeal to thousands of people who attended the rally to vote for PAS.

The Kelantan mentri besar ended his speech with a long prayer in Arabic asking for God's help to ensure PAS's victory this weekend.

Earlier yesterday, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) campaign also received another boost when dozens of the coalition's elected representatives joined the party machinery making their rounds at all PAS's operation centres across the constituency.

The arrival of Nik Aziz in Bagan Pinang was part of PAS's strategy to begin their show of strength ahead of polling this Sunday.

At every by-election it is customary for Nik Aziz to make a special written appeal to voters to back the party.

But the Barisan Nasional (BN) machinery was also fully prepared this time to welcome the highly-respected PAS leader.

Billboards showing the picture of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak visiting Nik Aziz in hospital began making its appearance yesterday to replace billboards put up earlier in the campaign accusing PAS of rejecting development.

This latest billboard advertisement also carries the message by Prophet Mohamad which promotes brotherhood in Islam. (TMI)

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