Friday, 31 December 2010
Happy New Year & Sayonara
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
MTUC kicks PKR out!
"MTUC should continue to pursue the issues that were being initiated by the present council and bring them to fruition.
He felt that the new council should engage more with the government and work towards the good of the workers and the nation
“We realise that in the past we had been perceived to be anti-government because some of our leaders were in the opposition party,” he said.
“It is vital that the incoming council should eradicate this perception and sincerely work with the government to achieve substantial benefits for their membership,” he added.
NUBE secretary-general, J. Solomon fully agreed with this and said that if he were to be elected, he would work hard to engage not only the government but also the private sector to appreciate the contribution of the workers towards the nation’s development.
“We want workers to be treated with dignity and as important partners in development,” he emphaised.
Presidential aspirant Khalid said if he were to win, he would endeavour to restore the “image of MTUC as an independent and apolitical workers organization”. “I will ensure that MTUC is united and truly becomes a workers protector and champion,” - G.Rajasegaran - Bernama
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Quarter Million Demo Man
Monday, 27 December 2010
The Return of MAVI MARMARA
ISTANBUL, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mavi Marmara, the flagship of the ill-fated Gaza-bound flotilla attacked by Israel in May, returned to Istanbul on Sunday.
More than 10,000 people gathered at Istanbul's Sarayburnu port to express their anger at Israel, waving flags of Turkey and the Palestinian territories.
A welcoming ceremony was held by the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH) for Mavi Marmara ship at the port.
People across Turkey, peace activists from 50 countries and representatives from nongovernmental organizations attended the ceremony.
Mavi Marmara set sail from Turkey with humanitarian aid to Gaza on May 22, 2010.
On May 31, Israeli soldiers attacked the flotilla in international waters. Nine activists were killed and 54 others were injured by the attacks. - Xinhua News
The "Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief" -- known by the acronym "IHH" -- held a welcoming ceremony for the vessel at the port. The Turkish terror-linked organization was behind the armed, trained mercenary-style "activists" who occupied the vessel during the May 31 incident that has been the focus of tension between the two nations for months.
Davutoglu held firm to the Ankara government's position that Israel is to blame for the rift between the two countries, but he insisted to journalists at a news conference in Istanbul on Saturday, “We have the intention of making peace with Israel.”
The Turkish-sponsored vessel, part of a six-ship flotilla intent on breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza, had ignored Israeli naval commands to change course. Eight of the nine who died in the ensuing clash were Turkish nationals, and all were members of the IHH organization. The ninth terror activist was a Turkish citizen of American origin. - ARUTZ SHEVA
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
JUDGES CONVINCED before Wikileaks Leaked!
To summarise our judgment, even though reading the appeal record, we find evidence to confirm that the appellants were involved in homosexual activities and we are more inclined to believe that the alleged incident at Tivoli Villa did happen, sometime, this court, as a court of law, may only convict the appellants if the prosecution has successfully proved the alleged offences as stated in the charges, beyond reasonable doubt, on admissible evidence and in accordance with established principles of law. We may be convinced in our minds of the guilt or innocence of the appellants but our decision must only be based on the evidence adduced and nothing else. – Sept 2, 2004.
(DATO’ ABDUL HAMID BIN HAJI MOHAMAD)
Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan (FEDERAL COURT)
Malaysia.
TENGKU BAHARUDIN SHAH TENGKU MAHMUD J.C.A.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
WIKILEAKS the Kiasu Singaporeans.
1st REPORT
Top Singapore officials trash the neighbours
Philip Dorling and Nick McKenzie
December 12, 2010
MALAYSIA'S ''dangerous'' decline is fuelled by incompetent politicians, Thailand is dogged by corruption and a ''very erratic'' crown prince, Japan is a ''big fat loser'' and India is ''stupid''.
So say some of Singapore's highest-ranking officials, according to leaked US State Department cables that are likely to spark intense political controversy in the region.
The cables, leaked exclusively to The Sunday Age by WikiLeaks, detail the content of separate meetings between senior US officials and Singapore's foreign affairs chiefs Peter Ho, Bilahari Kausikan and Tommy Koh.
The trio, who at the time of the 2008 and 2009 cables occupied some of the most senior positions in Singapore's Foreign Affairs Ministry, all give US officials damning assessments of Malaysia.
According to one cable detailing a meeting in September 2008, Mr Kausikan told US Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney that ''the situation in neighbouring Malaysia is confused and dangerous'', fuelled by a ''distinct possibility of racial conflict'' that could see ethnic Chinese ''flee'' Malaysia and ''overwhelm'' Singapore.
''A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia,'' Mr Kausikan said, citing the need for Najib Razak - now Malaysia's Prime Minister - to ''prevail politically in order to avoid prosecution'' in connection with a 2006 murder investigation linked to one of Mr Razak's aides.
''Najib Razak has his neck on the line in connection with a high-profile murder case,'' Mr Kausikan said.
Mr Ho's March 2008 assessment of Malaysia, given to another US official, is also unflattering, and includes claims that former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has been ''throwing stones'' at his replacement, Abdullah Badawi.
''The political knives will be out for Abdullah's son-in-law, United Malays National Organisation politician Khairy Jamaluddin, whom nobody likes because he got where he is through family ties,'' the cable records Mr Ho saying. ''As for … Najib Razak, he is an opportunist. Although he has not been critical of Singapore, he will not hesitate to go in that direction if it is expedient for him to do so. Najib's political fortunes continue to be haunted by the … murder scandal.''
In his September 2008 meeting with Mr Sedney, Mr Kausikan savages Thailand's political elite, labelling Thaksin Shinawatra as ''corrupt'' along with ''everyone else, including the opposition''.
Mr Kausikan is also critical of Thaksin's relationship with the Thai crown prince, stating that Thaksin ''made a mistake in pursuing a relationship with the crown prince by paying off the crown prince's gambling debts''.
''Kausikan said the crown prince was 'very erratic, and easily subject to influence','' the cable states, while also saying that Mr Kausikan warned of continued instability in Thailand.
In a September 2009 meeting with US officials, senior Singaporean foreign affairs official Tommy Koh savages Japan and India in relation to the impact on both countries of China's increasing regional might.
''Koh described Japan as 'the big fat loser' in the context of improving ties between China and ASEAN. He attributed the relative decline of Japan's stature in the region to Japan's 'stupidity, bad leadership, and lack of vision','' the cable says.
''He was equally merciless towards India, describing his 'stupid Indian friends' as 'half in, half out' of ASEAN.''
Other notable comments about regional affairs made by Mr Kausikan in September 2008 include his reported claims that:
■ Burma's neighbours, including China and India, are ''more concerned with stability than justice'' and they feared the Burmese junta's demise could produce ''an Asian reprise of the breakup of Yugoslavia''.
■ He would be ''more comfortable with a nuclear-capable North Korea, than a nuclear-capable Iran''.
■ Russia's economy is ''Third World'', its health system a shambles and its demographic challenges almost insurmountable.
Mr Koh is recorded praising China's ''investment and intelligent diplomacy in the region''.
''I don't fear China. I don't fear being assimilated by China,'' the cable states that Mr Koh said, while he pointed to China's decision to invest in Africa ''without lecturing them about human rights and democracy as the West does''. - Sydney Morning Herald
Philip Dorling and Nick McKenzie
December 12, 2010.
MALAYSIA'S "dangerous" decline is fuelled by incompetent politicians, Thailand is dogged by corruption and a "very erratic" crown prince, Japan is a "big fat loser" and India is ''stupid''.
So say some of Singapore's highest ranking officials, according to leaked US State Department cables which are likely to spark intense political controversy in the region.
The cables, leaked exclusively to The Sun-Herald by WikiLeaks, detail separate meetings between senior US officials and Singapore's Foreign Affairs chiefs Peter Ho, Bilahari Kausikan and Tommy Koh.
The trio, who at the time of the 2008 and 2009 cables occupied some of the most senior positions in the foreign ministry, all give US officials damning assessments of Malaysia.
According to one cable detailing a meeting in September 2008, Mr Kausikan told US Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney there was a "distinct possibility of racial conflict" which could see ethnic Chinese "flee" Malaysia and "overwhelm" Singapore.
Mr Ho's assessment of Malaysia in March that year, given to another US official, is also unflattering and includes claims that former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad had been "throwing stones" at his replacement, Abdullah Badawi.
In his September meeting with Mr Sedney, Mr Kausikan savaged Thailand's political elite, labelling Thaksin Shinawatra as "corrupt" along with "everyone else, including the opposition".
Mr Kausikan was also critical of Mr Thaksin's relationship with the Thai crown prince, saying he "made a mistake in pursuing a relationship with the crown prince by paying off the crown prince's gambling debts".
In a September 2009 meeting, Mr Koh savaged Japan and India, describing Japan as ''the big fat loser'' in the context of improving ties between China and ASEAN, a cable says, adding: "He was equally merciless towards India, describing his 'stupid Indian friends' as 'half in, half out' of ASEAN." - Sydney Morning Herald.