Rafidah hugs Dr Mahathir? So?

It was a very astonishing lead this one, Rafidah hugs Dr Mahathir.

What is the real issue here?

Hugging in public or re-concialiation of former partners-in-crime?

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The Star Online > Nation- Thursday September 1, 2005
Rafidah hugs Dr Mahathir - BY ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD and KHAW CHIA HUI

UNEXPECTED MOVE: Rafidah talking with Dr Mahathir at the end of the National Day parade in Putrajaya yesterday.

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz made her first public show of reconciliation with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday by hugging him, and giving him what seemed to be a teary explanation about their strained relationship.

The International Trade and Industry Minister had a very public fallout with her former boss over the Approved Permit issue and had steadfastly refused to apologise to Dr Mahathir over their spat.

Yesterday’s public hug took place in front of the VVIP tent at the Boulevard after the 48th National Day parade here.

The King, Queen, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had just left in their cars.

Rafidah first approached Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali as she was walking towards her car and embraced her.

According to witnesses, the two women engaged in a very animated conversation for several minutes before Rafidah rushed up to Dr Mahathir, who was walking in front of them.

One minister who saw the incident said Rafidah first reached for Dr Mahathir’s hand and moved closer to him before suddenly hugging him tightly, to his surprise.

She then burst into tears.

The sideshow: After their public spat over the AP issue, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz finally made an effort to reconcile with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. She hugged him and burst into tears after the 48th National Day parade at the Boulevard in Putrajaya Wednesday.

“She was talking very fast as Dr Mahathir listened attentively. From the expression on her face, it could be about some serious matters but Dr Mahathir was smiling all the time,” said a deputy minister.

The deputy minister, who witnessed the entire incident from his position on the elevated VVIP tent, said Dr Mahathir then patted Rafidah on the shoulder and got into his car, escorted by her.

A VIP said several ministers and deputy ministers nearby who also saw the incident burst into spontaneous applause, as Cultural, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, an avid photographer, captured the moments.

“Rafidah gave everyone a big smile and was again her bouncy self as she waved enthusiastically at the stunned onlookers,” said the deputy minister.

Scores of journalists who saw the tail-end of the incident rushed up to Dr Mahathir, who despite having one leg in the car, patiently waited for them.

However, when asked about the conversation between him and Rafidah, Dr Mahathir flashed his trademark broad smile and simply said: “No ... no ... nothing.”

The pressmen then looked around for Rafidah, but the Wanita Umno chief was nowhere to be seen.

When approached by The Star at her Damansara Heights home, a smiling Rafidah declined to reveal what she had spoken to Dr Mahathir about.

Initially, the guard outside her house refused to let the reporter in but when it started to rain, Rafidah appeared with her husband, Datuk Mohamed Basir Ahmad.

“What are you doing here? It is raining so heavily,” she remarked.

“No, no, no. Please don’t ask me anything. It’s a public holiday and this is my private house,” she said when asked what she had said to Dr Mahathir.

As she was about to drive away, she wound down the window and offered the transport-less reporter a lift back to The Star office in Petaling Jaya.

In the car, she was very cheerful, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

Still, she was not willing to talk about anything related to work.

“I treasure my precious little personal time that I get with my family,” she said.

© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

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Sex-related news and the sexually charged Malaysian!

I am very greatly alarmed by these sex-related news these past few years. On thursday, today, among the headlines in The Star paper are:- Sex joint of cops exposed, Plucky girl hauls alleged molester to mall security, 20 years for raping teenager and Another Malaysian sex-related venture, albeit overseas, Too much sex, so woman drugs fiance!

Yeah, sex-news sells, but do Malaysian really are sexual animals?

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Best thing to do, let's all get back to religion and seek the true meaning of life. Leads good and healthy life. Sex is for procreation purpose ONLY, as what the Creator dictated!

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The Star Online > Nation - Thursday August 18, 2005

Sex joint of cops exposed

BY ANDREW SAGAYAM

KUALA LUMPUR: An apartment used by two policemen as a sex joint was exposed after an Indonesian woman alleged that they raped her and extorted money from her husband.

When police raided the apartment in Pandan Indah on Aug 8, they found the woman and a Russian woman.

Police believed that the Russian woman had brought other women to the apartment to have sex with the policemen.

Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah said a sergeant, in his 50s, and a corporal, in his 30s, from the General Operations Force had been remanded to assist in investigations.

The Anti-Corruption Agency is believed to be looking into the extortion report which was lodged by the Indonesian woman’s husband.

The Indonesian woman told police that the two suspects stopped her during a check on Aug 5 and found that her passport and work permit had expired.

They took her to the apartment where they allegedly raped her.

On Aug 8, the woman managed to alert a neighbour who found a note that she threw out of the apartment. He called the police.

Ampang police who raided the apartment found the corporal and the two women there.

The sergeant was picked up several hours later when he came in to be questioned.

It is learnt that the sergeant had gone to see the Indonesian woman’s husband on Aug 7 to demand RM7,000 for her release.

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Plucky girl hauls alleged molester to mall security

KUANTAN: A young man who wanted a cheap thrill got more than he bargained for when his victim and another girl turned on him.

The 19-year-old student, who was in a lift at Berjaya Megamall with another girl and four men, felt someone cupping her breast.

When she accused the youth who was behind her, he denied he was responsible.

As the lift reached the ground floor, the youth tried to make

a hasty exit but the gutsy girl and her friend grabbed him by the

collar and called the security guards.

Pahang CID chief Asst Comm T. Narenasagaran, who confirmed the Monday incident, said the 19-year-old suspect, a factory worker at Balok, near here, was later handed over to the police.

meantime, three underage girls reported that they had been raped.

Police nabbed two suspects while another suspect is still at large.

On Tuesday, police detained a 19-year-old painter after a 15-year-old girl alleged he had raped her at a hotel in Jerantut on Aug 8.

ACP Narenasagaran said the schoolgirl and some friends had joined several young men at the hotel and all of them, it was learned, became drunk.

On the same day, police detained a 36-year-old Felda settler following a rape report by the parents of a 13-year-old school dropout.

She had alleged that a neighbour had raped her.

In the third case, a 15-year-old school dropout alleged that she was raped at a quarry after a man grabbed her while she was waiting at a bus stop.

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20 years for raping teenager

BY K. KASTURI DEWI

PENANG: While having an alleged affair with a married woman, a taxi driver also cast his lustful eyes on her 13-year-old daughter and raped her twice last year before being caught.

Tan Khoon Huat, 50, was yesterday jailed a total of 20 years by Sessions Court judge Hadhariah Syed Ismail for the rapes but was spared the cane because of his age.

Tan looked calm when Hadhariah read out the sentence.

JAILED: Tan being led to the courtroom by two policemen for his sentencing at a Sessions Court in Penang yesterday.

He was found guilty of raping the girl, now 14, at his flat in Jelutong in January last year and in her house at Tanjung Bungah last April.

In mitigation, his lawyer V. Parthiban said Tan was a first offender and suffered from chronic diabetes.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Azhar Mokhtar urged the court to impose a maximum sentence to pass a message to society that the courts will not tolerate rape.

“The victim herself was so traumatised that she did not want to see the accused when asked to identify the accused,” he said.

The judge said Tan’s defence was one of bare denial.

“The court cannot accept the defence that he was framed by the victim’s father,” she said.

She held that the defence had failed to raise any doubt in the prosecution’s case.

Tan in his defence had said that the victim’s father had accused him of raping the girl because Tan was allegedly having an affair with the girl’s mother.

The court also allowed Tan stay of execution pending appeal to the High Court.

However, his earlier bail of RM10,000 was increased to RM18,000. He posted bail.

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Too much sex, so woman drugs fiance

AUCKLAND: A Malaysian woman who said she was subjected to sex up to 35 times a week spiked her New Zealander fiance's drinks to “slow him down,” a court here was told yesterday.

But Ng Mee Kwan, 41, walked free when the court ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove a charge of administering a poison with intent to cause inconvenience to 53-year-old Martin Walker.

According to police, former air stewardess Ng crushed antihistamines and anti-inflammatory medicines which she put into her fiance's vodka cocktail and his wine.

She later added crushed pet repellent to the other medicines which she put in a meal of fried rice.

When interviewed by police, Ng admitted drugging Walker's food and drink to “slow him down”.

Walker, now Ng's former partner, denied he demanded sex with “extraordinary frequency” but admitted his sexual demands had caused problems in their relationship.

He accepted Ng was not trying to cause him significant harm but was “probably trying to dampen my romantic and sexual ardour”.

Ng's lawyer Michael Corry said outside the court that Ng “just got to the end of her tether and she was trying to introduce medication which would make him drowsy, which would in turn reduce the level of demand for sexual relations.”

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© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

More Malaysian killed by truckers!

Teacher learns of hubby’s death on way to school

My heart goes to the family of the late Allahyarham (May Allah provides him with bounties of rahmat) Mat Radzi. May they be strong in light of this trying times.

Truckers need to be more commuter-friendly, and motorcyclist needs to be more cautious and courtiest while driving.

What's best is to have mechanical elements to be introduced on trucks in order to avoid objects from getting into and under their massive wheels. If only this contraption were to be in place, nothing could get entangled under them again in future, no more death by running-over! You heard of this idea here first, mate!

Another mechanism to avoid future accidents of this nature is the introduction of efficient and affordable public transportation system. Ther numbers of private vehicles on the road could be reduced, alas, less probability of these sorts of road accidents! Fuel costs can be reduced as well!

The Star Online > Nation

Thursday August 18, 2005

Teacher learns of hubby’s death on way to school

BY RASLAN BAHAROM

TAIPING: Teacher Azaniah Hashim was on her way to school when she got stuck in a traffic jam yesterday.

As she drove closer to the accident scene, she saw a motorcycle and a 16-wheel trailer. Her heart bled.

Pinned under the huge tyres of the lorry was her husband, Tenaga Nasional Bhd supervisor Mat Radzi Awang.

She immediately stopped the car and rushed out. Relatives and neighbours who were already at the scene held her back and told her the dreaded news – her husband had died.

Recalling the heart-wrenching moments, Azaniah, 43, said there was congestion at the Jalan Kuala Kangsar-Simpang junction due to a road accident.

Mat Radzi: Was pinned under the huge tyres of a trailer

As she drove closer to the scene, she saw the mangled wreckage of her husband’s motorcycle and her worst fears turned out to be true when she saw Mat Radzi, in his TNB uniform, underneath the lorry.

She said her husband, also 43, had left home early on the bike to buy some kueh for the household.

He was due to depart later for Ipoh, where he had been posted three days earlier.

Azaniah’s brother, Mokhtar, 40, said: “She parked her car beside the road and some neighbours and relatives who were there confirmed the sad news to her.”

He said the accident occurred at about 6.30am and Mat Radzi’s remains were removed by about 7.40am after the police arrived at the scene.

Azaniah’s 13-year-old son, Rafiq Nazirul, who was still in his school uniform, broke down when he saw the motionless body of his father.

Her two other children, Md Alif Nasri, nine, and Anis Nazira, 15, later joined them and the whole family wept openly at the roadside as they waited for rescuers to extricate the body.

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© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

tsuMawi? Kasihan peminat-peminatnya....

See how good being an artist makes you? This rousing homecoming for Mawi is a prove that some people are suckers for entertainment and idolising of icons.

How much money has gone down the drain when these folks start SMS-ing Astro to ensure his win?

I know who actually benefits from this euphoria, yeah, those telecommunication companies as well as Astro!

There's a nice post on this.

Inilah yang dinamakan minat tak bertempat!


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The Star Online > Nation

Tuesday August 16, 2005

Rousing homecoming for Mawi

BY TEH ENG HOCK

JOHOR BARU: A rousing welcome awaited Asmawi Ani, better known as Mawi, as he made his first homecoming trip to Kulai since winning the Akademi Fantasia 3 contest.

The rain and his late arrival failed to dampen the enthusiasm of some 2,000 supporters who waited until he arrived at Felda Taib Andak at 7pm.

Standing through the sunroof of a multi-purpose vehicle, Mawi waved to the cheering fans who waited at the town's football field.

“Thank you, saya anak jati Felda, saya anak jati Johor (I am a true son of Felda, I am a true son of Johor,” he told the crowd who came from all walks of life.

Mawi addressing more than 2,000 fans at Felda Taib Andak in Johor Monday. The fans were undeterred by rain that fell shortly before his arrival.

About 30 policemen and Rela members had a hard time controlling the people who pushed forward to get near Mawi.

He handed out bunga telor as he walked back to his car.

He then prayed at the mosque before going to his parents' house.

Felda settler Hamdan Noor said the homecoming was planned at the last minute as Mawi could only confirm his plans in the afternoon.

While many of the fans came from Kulai, some made the trip from Mersing, a two-and-a-half hours' drive away.

“I’ve followed his every performance and I’m very excited to see him in person,” said Nurhanisah Mat Shah, 14, from Mersing.

Earlier, Mawi paid a called on Tunku Muna Najiah Sultan Iskandar, the daughter of the Sultan of Johor, and members of the royalty.

Tunku Muna Najiah was one of Mawi's staunchest supporters during the contest.

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© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)
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Who actually owns this company running the 'monopolistic'Touch ’n Go cards

Reading about the need for 'Security upgrade launched for Touch ’n Go cards', my mind starts to wonder again.

Who actually owns this company, and how did they managed to get a monopoly on the road toll payment using card, as opposed to the use of two or more cards on a competitive system? In a competitive environment, hose who appeals to the consumers wins more clients. It could also help lower cost to the consumers.

Personally, I liked the way the card can be used by using the Smart Tags transponder as well as own its own by swipping. What I hate is the monopoly of the card as well as the transponder!

Monopoly sucks!

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The Star Online > Nation

Wednesday August 17, 2005

Security upgrade launched for Touch ’n Go cards

PETALING JAYA: All Touch 'n Go card users will have to register and upgrade their cards for better security features beginning tomorrow until Dec 8.

Rangkaian Segar Sdn Bhd, which operates the electronic stored value card, said cards which were not upgraded would not function after the deadline.

Users should bring their cards to any Touch 'n Go counter, including “add value” lanes at toll plazas, for the upgrading process, RSSB chief operating officer Swinder Grewal said in a statement yesterday.

Swinder: ‘As new technology is available, it is time to update the card to maintain a fraud-free status’

All Touch 'n Go cards, including Touch 'n Go Zing Auto Reload Card, Touch 'n Go Hybrid Auto Reload Card, MyKad with activated Touch 'n Go features, and co-branded cards such as the Singapore Cash Card and Touch 'n Go Ferrari Card, would need to be upgraded.

There are around 2.8 million cards in circulation and one million MyKad holders with Touch 'n Go facilities.

“Touch 'n Go security features have not been compromised in the past but as new technology is available, it is time to update the card to maintain a fraud-free status,” she said.

On the registration process, Swinder said users who did not previously register should go to a Touch 'n Go counter and give their details by filling in a registration form.

They could also call the Touch 'n Go Careline Centre at 03-76285115, she said.

Forms can be downloaded from Touch 'n Go's website www.touchngo.com.my and either faxed to 03-76285100, e-mailed to touchngo_careline@rsegar.com or posted to RSSB's headquarters.

“With this exercise, details of card owners will enable RSSB to refund the money left in the card in the case of stolen or lost cards,” Swinder said, adding that the information would remain confidential.

Registration would also allow RSSB to give out free itemised on-line Touch 'n Go transaction statements or e-statements, she said.

Swinder said all users who upgrade, register or purchase new cards would automatically qualify for “The Winning Touch” lucky draw contest and stand to win a 42-inch plasma television every week or a Volvo S40 at the end of the period.

For more information, please call the Touch 'n Go Careline or check RSSB's website.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers' Associations (Fomca) advisor Datuk Hamdan Adnan said any security feature upgrading without any cost to the consumer was most welcome.

“This move will encourage greater use of the card. People will be more confident putting money in their card as they can get refunds if the cards are lost,” he said.

As RSSB would earn more revenue, Hamdan said it should reduce the cost of the SmartTag.

He also questioned the durability of the MyKad, especially when it was used frequently for its Touch ’n Go facilities.

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© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

MALAYSIA BOLEH! - Foolproof credit cards cloned

Who said that Malaysia is not a developed country now? With excellent technological knowledge as well as acute entepreneur skill, how could this opportunity be missed? Foolproof credit cards cloned is one of the prove one needs to show to the world that Malaysia is indeed full of techno-savvy and business-minded people.

What shamed me is that these guys are crooks!

See what capitalistic gains yeilds? People hungry for more money at all cost. Ethics and good conduct shoved down the drain.

Personally, I suspect these goons practiced no religious faith what-so-ever because no pious, God-fearing individuals turn to crime for a living!

You know where is this post leading? Yeah, the failure of the education system of the country to instill good MORALS to Malaysian. Well, this might be true to the rest of the world. Human emphasis on material gains makes them forget about rights and wrongs!
The Star Online > Nation

Wednesday August 17, 2005

Foolproof credit cards cloned

EXCLUSIVE
BY LOURDES CHARLES AND MARC LOURDES

KUALA LUMPUR: What was supposed to be foolproof – a microchip for credit cards introduced by Bank Negara to combat card fraud – has now been cloned.

Federal police officers, together with their Penang counterparts, recently busted a syndicate and seized computers and machines used in the production of these chip-based cards.

Commercial Crimes principal assistant director Senior Asst Comm II Ismail Abdullah said police managed to prevent the syndicate from distributing the cards.

It is learnt that the police came to know about the cloned chip-based cards when they arrested a man who tried to buy petrol using a fake credit card in Penang.

“Syndicate members had first tried to use the cards for purchases but failed in their attempt as the machines could not read the data on the chips.

“They then persuaded merchants whose machines couldn’t read the chips to swipe the cards instead,” SAC Ismail told The Star.

SAC Ismail said most of the transactions were made at odd hours in petrol stations and shops in remote areas to avoid detection and suspicion.

He said several merchants had suspicions the cards were fake, but went ahead with the transactions because they wanted to make the sale.

Credit card fraud is believed to have cost banks an estimated RM40mil in losses since last year.

Following the introduction of chip-based cards this year, police managed to reduce credit card fraud by almost 90%.

For the period of January to July this year, only 40 fraud cases were reported, with to-tal losses amounting to RM164,000.

Bank Negara mooted the idea of microchip-based credit cards as early as 2002 to stem fraud and banks were given until Dec 31 last year to comply.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Held over phoney claims - Could adherance to religious teaching stopped this!

I don't know which is more sad. The story about people being held over phoney claims or the way how this phoney thing could be successfully performed in the first place.

All in all, if only people are more honest and true to themselves. No amount of policing is sufficient to check all the bad traits of human being. Only religion can save the world!


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The Star Online > Nation

Wednesday August 10, 2005

Held over phoney claims

BY FREDERICK FERNANDEZ

PETALING JAYA: Two senior executives of Telekom Malaysia Bhd are being investigated for allegedly submitting false claims worth several millions of ringgit for the supply and repair of non-existent equipment.

Selangor Anti-Corruption Agency officers picked up the two, aged 48 and 45, at their office here a few days ago following a tip-off.

Investigations also centred on claims that some of the vendors were not genuine but were “created” to facilitate the transactions.

Initial investigations showed that the two worked with at least two vendors to submit more than 100 false local orders for telecommunication equipment worth RM250,000 this year.

Sources said the scam could involve several million ringgit as the suspects had also supplied false claims to other vendors since 2001.

Telekom made the payments but in fact there were no such purchase or repair of the telecommunication equipment as stated in the local orders.

On Friday, the ACA obtained a six-day remand order from the Shah Alam magistrate court to detain the two executives for further questioning.

It is learnt that the ACA will also pick up several vendors to facilitate investigations.


© 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Lawyer conned? I tot they are the con!

Who is the bigger fool here? Even the so-called 'learned' Lawyer (has been) conned by a Spanish (lottery) scam.

Nothing comes easy in this world. Everything have to be earned and lottery is never one way to do it!

That's the reason why Islam prohibit gambling and the likes!

ps: No offense to the REAL Lawyers, not all lawyers are conman! Only a hand-full of them are.

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The Star Online > Nation

Thursday August 4, 2005

Lawyer conned by a Spanish scam

BY MARC LOURDES

PETALING JAYA: She was overjoyed to know she had won more than RM3mil in the El Gordo Spanish lottery, but her elation changed to despair when she discovered that she was the victim of an elaborate scam.

Her troubles began in 2004.

Legal practitioner A. Pathmeswary received a letter purportedly from a sweepstakes lottery named Loteria Primitiva informing her that she had won US$815,960 (RM3.06mil).

She was told to liaise with the foreign operations manager of a company named Shamrock Agency SA Don Michael Santos to collect her reward.

Instead of giving her the money, the company asked her to pay insurance and taxes to the “government of Spain.”

The money had to be banked into the account of one John Freezeman.

Pathmeswary, who is in her 30s, borrowed from loan sharks after being told that she had to pay close to RM100,000.

“I paid RM91,000, of which RM80,000 was borrowed.

“My family members had to pawn their jewellery to give me a loan but it still wasn’t enough and I had to borrow from friends as well,” she said.

She borrowed another RM20,000 from loan sharks to cover the full amount.

Now, she is being hounded daily by the loan sharks for the money which, due to accumulated interest, has increased to more than RM40,000.

To add insult to injury, another letter was sent to her home, addressed to her nephew.

Almost identical to hers, it claimed that her nephew had won ?615,810 (RM2.8mil).

The Star called the agency in Spain but its officials were reluctant to give details.

One official, when asked about “winners” who could not claim their prize within the period given, said: “That is not a problem because I can use my influence to push it through.”

However, he said US$1,920 (RM7,200) must be paid for the transfer of the prize money.

He refused to give his particulars as he said it was against company policy.

“We have been in business for 12 years. We are not here to take your money. We get paid well enough by our company,” he said.


� 1995-2005 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)