Malaysia's human rights abuses highlighted at UN

A team of civil society activists from Suaram, Bersih, Empower and Aliran wrapped up a week-long visit to the 20th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today.

Their aim was to highlight human rights violations in Malaysia, in particular the clampdown on freedom of assembly, association and expression and police brutality at the Bersih 3.0 rally in April.

During the week the team took the opportunity to brief various UN Special Rapporteurs, country specific permanent missions and human rights organisations on deteriorating conditions in Malaysia.

Consumer, Investor confidence down

By Joe Fernandez
KOTA KINABALU : We were earlier at CentrePoint Sabah after church.

One IT shopowner came running towards us. He opened a 2nd outlet at the complex in Jan. He opened an outlet in Megalong last year. It's still losing every month.

He complained that business at CPS, including his, was down 40 per cent in May compared with Jan. He won't make even RM 4, 000 this month to cover the rental at the 2nd CPS outlet. His workers here are down to two from three previously.

The number of workers at his first CPS outlet is down by two to three. For the first time, he's not sure the outlet can break even this month.

Want to Live to 100? Sleep

By Glenn Ruffenach of SmartMoney

Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think – especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet.

New research from UnitedHealthcare looks at centenarians and baby boomers, asking the former about the “secrets of aging success” and evaluating whether the latter are taking the necessary steps to celebrate a 100th birthday.

Lack of sleep can increase stroke risk

WASHINGTON: Habitually sleeping less than six hours a night significantly increases the risk of stroke symptoms among middle-age to older adults, according to a research presented at the SLEEP 2012 conference.

 

The study, which followed about 5,600 people for about three years, concluded that poor sleep can undermine all the other things we do, China's Xinhua news agency said.

 

Skeletons in Sabah’s closet

Already reeling from a spate of scandals, the
revelation that foreign authorities have been
scrutinising the bank accounts of some
well-connected Malaysians adds a new twist
to the power struggle in the country.

(FMT) - The spotlight on large sums of unaccountable money linked to Chief Minister Musa Aman going in and out of bank accounts overseas is threatening to crack open the Barisan Nasional’s “fixed deposit” state of Sabah.

Allegations and investigations of shady timber deals and money laundering may be the proverbial ‘last straw’ to shatter the ruling coalition’s hopes of hanging on to power.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has announced that investigations into the alleged money laundering by Sabah timber tycoon Michael Chia has been completed and handed to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has conducted investigations into the Michael Chia case which is linked to the Sabah chief minister.

Long-serving PBS branch chairman quits to join Star

(From left) Sidil Tangkangau (with cap), James Bagah,
Suwah Buleh, Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Rubin Guribah.

KOTA BELUD : Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) lost its long-serving pioneer branch chairman from Tempasuk when he quit the party to join opposition State Reform Party (Star).

Sidil Tangkangau, 54, PBS branch chairman for Ulu Kukut, Tempasuk, handed over his membership application form to Star Sabah chairman, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan during a Star function at Kampung Ulu Kukut in Tempasuk near here today.

When your sins can be cleansed

Raja Petra Kamarudin

On 24th June 2006, Malaysia Today organised a dialogue session with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Kelab Century Paradise. Many of the PAS and DAP leaders attended this dialogue, which was the platform that Dr Mahathir used to launch his attack on Umno and Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Basically, it was Dr Mahathir’s version of the ABU or ‘anything but Umno’ campaign.

Only a few of the PKR leaders attended, though, and later that year, during the PKR convention in Penang, Azmin Ali attacked me while Anwar Ibrahim looked on with a smirk on his face. Azmin called me a collaborator and in not so many words told me to go to hell. They were pissed big-time because I was now ‘working’ for Dr Mahathir. Well, I continued to ‘work’ for Dr Mahathir right up to November 2007 when we launched the now historical Bersih rally, which, incidentally, was also supported by Umno people, in particular those aligned to Dr Mahathir. They donated loads of T-shirts and caps as well.

Foreign traders in Sabah flouting law

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: The Consumer Affairs and Protection Association of Sabah (CAPS) wants the Sabah state government to explain how a burgeoning number of newly-arrived Pakistanis have been allowed to literally set up shop around the state.

CAPS’ deputy treasurer, Donny Yapp, said it was now quite easy to find Pakistani shopkeepers all around the city and its immediate outskirts.

He said CAPS had since last year been receiving reports and complaints both from consumers and local retailers that more and more foreigners, especially Pakistanis, had been given a free-hand to run groceries in many places that local retailers would normally have problem setting up business.

MoCS proposes new Borneo Airways for Sabah, Sarawak

KUALA LUMPUR: The Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) has supported the proposal by an Umno MP to the government to award another low-cost carrier licence.

It also suggested that the new licence be given to the Sarawak and Sabah governments to jointly establish an airline to serve the interests of East Malaysians.

“Since Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is beyond salvation and AirAsia has become a ‘bully airline’, East Malaysia should start thinking seriously of the increasing demands of their travelling citizens,” MoCS leader Francis Paul Siah said today.  

‘Money talk’ from Sabah muddles SWP picture

By Joe Fernandez

The latest talk along the political grapevine in Kota Kinabalu and the local media is that the Sabah People’s Front Party (SPF) might be more than willing to “accommodate” the so-called Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) on one condition: that the SWP fields and finances SPF candidates in Sabah under its (SWP’s) banner.

The alternative is that SPF, led by Deputy President Osman Enting, would apparently “go all out to destroy SWP”.

The prime-movers behind SWP aren’t taking the bait so far and are unlikely to do so since that would be tantamount to their admission of being complicit in an alleged illegality. It would have been quite a different matter if the story had not gone public. In that case, the prime-movers would have been more than willing to throw money at the problems to make them all go away.