2015 The Year In Review by Borneo Post

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The following is a Top 10 list of stories between Jan 1 and Nov 30, 2015 that received the highest pageviews on The Borneo Post’s online portal, BP Online www.theborneopost.com.

Hotel receptionist raped on her birthday

February 17, 2015 A receptionist is raped by a friend inside a car near Kampung Tabuan Dayak in Kuching in the wee hours of Feb 16 following her birthday celebration. The victim from Miri and working at a budget hotel in Mile 3 Central Park here, who turned 23 the day before, claimed that she was raped by a man known as James around 4.30am near the village. She said she was sitting at the back seat of the car when the man parked the vehicle by the roadside. Claiming that the car had stalled, the man then told her to start the engine.As she leaned forward to start the car, she said the man grabbed her and forced her to have sexual intercourse.

Editors Phyllis Wong Francis Chan Margaret Apau Eikman Teo Ronnie Teo

Graphic Designers Hassan Abang Tofek Izzudin Ajibah Leonard Michael Merni Gregory Aaron Tan Norhazwan Afiq Noriezam Drahman Mohd Faisal Ahmad Desmond Puji Mohd Sabri

Europe and Australia. Mirians can now enjoy the incredible sight at Tusan Beach, just a short half hour drive from Miri City. The glowing waters are caused by certain algae called ‘Dinoflagellates’, which produce a glowing light when the water they are living in is disturbed by motion, like waves. It became the latest hotspot among the locals after a photographer, Albert Song, captured the breath-taking scene and shared it on the social network. Wong expressed his concern over the publicity, urging visitors to Tusan beach to keep the pristine beach immaculate.

Do not post your airline boarding pass online

November 4, 2015 TECHNOLOGY security expert Brian Krebs warns travellers against posting a picture of their boarding pass online in a bid to deter travellers from sharing private information. According to Krebs, information contained in the boarding pass such as full name, origin, destination, frequent flyer number and barcode could be exploited by cyber thieves with access to private details. “Two-dimensional barcodes and QR codes hold a great deal of information, and the codes printed on airline boarding passes may allow someone to discover more about you, your future travel plans and your frequent flyer account,” Krebs wrote on his blog, adding that an attacker can also use such details to change travel itineraries. He warns against simply throwing away a boarding pass, suggesting that travellers shred them after use.

Friday, January 1, 2016

March 4, 2015 AN encounter between a recently-divorced couple at the Syariah court here in Kuching on March 2 turns ugly following a punch-up between a man and his ex-wife’s two male friends. The incident took place in the lobby of the court at Jalan Haji Taha when the ex-husband, in his 40s, came across his former wife and asked her about the two younger men who had accompanied her to the complex. Despite her telling him that they were her co-workers, the exhusband continued to harangue her about their presence which then led to a shoving joust between him and the two men who are in the their 20s. The situation then degenerated into a brawl between the three males with both parties also exchanging harsh words and the opposing parties ended up lodging separate police reports.

Plantation workers freaked out by sight of strange creature

January 31, 2015 A team of Indonesian workers encounter a strange-looking animal at an oil palm plantation along Bintangor-Sibu Road on their way to work. According to one of them, the creature charged at them at one point. “We were shocked. None of us has ever seen such thing. One of us then hit the animal until it appeared to have passed out,” a worker said, adding that the animal had sharp claws. “It could be a rare species of bear. When it regained consciousness, we forced it to go back into the jungle,” he said. According to the worker, they did not inform the authorities about the incident. Sarawak Forestry Corporation later confirms that the ‘strange’ animal is actually a sun bear. suffering from skin disease.

Divorced couple encounter turns ugly

Man pays RM15,000 for 27kg empurau

March 7, 2015 A man in Song pays RM15,000 for the prized local freshwater fish known as empurau. After much bargaining at Song Bazaar, Chua Fun Tien became the proud owner of the massive 27kg fish caught by a lucky fisherman from Sungai Katibas. He apparently got a bargain as the current market price for rivercaught empurau is actually RM1,000 per kg, so he paid just slightly over half that at around RM555 per kg. Chua said he would keep the fish to enjoy with his family members. However, he added he was willing to share part of the rare catch if the price was right.

Monday declared day of mourning for Sabah out of respect for victims and families

Azalina, Nurul Izzah heat up sitting with war of words

March 12, 2015 THE situation at the Dewan Rakyat heats up with war of words on the Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy issue. It all starts when Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (BNPengerang) pokes fun at Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR-Lembah Pantai) for trying to defend her father when debating the motion of thanks on the royal address during the sitting. “I pity Yang Berhormat Lembah Pantai (Nurul Izzah). Of course, no child would want to admit that his or her father has committed a crime,” she said when debating the same motion. Azalina also urges Nurul Izzah and her family to accept and respect the Federal Court’s decision to reject Anwar’s final appeal against his conviction and five-year jail sentence for sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008.

June 6, 2015 SABAH Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman declares Monday, June 8, a day of mourning as a sign of respect for the victims and their families of the Ranau earthquake. He added that the National Kaamatan Open House to be held June 7 would also be cancelled. He stressed that the government’s priority was to locate the missing victims. Musa also thanked the search and rescue team for their efforts in continuing to locate the missing individuals. Meanwhile, Director/CEO of Sabah Parks Board of Trustees Dr Jamili Nais said the mountain park would be closed for three weeks following the Friday earthquake. He also said that those who had made prior reservations to climb the mountain would be refunded accordingly.

MH370 secretly landed in Kazakhstan, says American author

February 26, 2015 Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, lost for nearly a year, might have secretly landed in Kazakhstan, says an American science writer. Jeff Wise, who is also CNN’s aviation analyst, said there may have been ‘deliberate tampering’ in the search data to make the Boeing 777 appear to have gone in another direction. Wise earlier wrote an article for the New York Magazine suggesting that its navigational data had been meddled with, to leave trails of inaccurate information which convinced officials that the plane flew south. He also said the plane was possibly hijacked by perpetrators, who could have accessed the flight controls and flew the plane to Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased from Kazakhstan by Russia. Wise said his theory was established upon satellite transmissions and ‘pings’ that the plane fed off seven hours after it was missing. Those transmissions were recorded by British company Inmarsat, whose raw data was then released by Malaysian officials in late May 2014.

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Tusan Beach a stunning open secret in Miri

September 21, 2015 BLUE TEARS is a stunning sight of glowing ocean waters with luminous special effects said to be also found in places like Matsu Islands of Taiwan, Vaadhoo Beach on the island of Maldives as well as sites like the coastal beaches in USA, the Caribbean,

6.0 trembler rattles Sabah west coast

June 5, 2015 AN earthquake with magnitude 6.0 at a depth of 10km occurs near Kota Kinabalu, Sabah at 7.15am on June 5. US Geological Survey reports that the epicentre of the earthquake was 19km North West of Ranau. The tremor lasted for 30 seconds. According to Ranau police, damage caused by the tremors to buildings nearby appear minimal, with several business premises in Ranau town reporting shattered windows.

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So I am just being realistic here. We don’t want our graduates to be unemployable. Our civil service also needs to converse in English. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, Chief Minister

Sarawak recognises English as second oﬃcial language Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem continues to make waves across Sarawak when he announces that correspondence and communications between public and government agencies in the state can now be conducted in English, apart from Bahasa Malaysia. Adenan believed that introducing this policy would improve English proficiency among civil servants while promoting the learning and command of the language among students and

CHIEF MINISTER Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem announces on Nov 18 that the state will not proceed with the building of the Baram hydroelectric dam until further notice and that the government will focus on building the Baleh dam instead. He pointed out that the state had decided to halt the project to respect the views of the local community who opposed the construction. Over the years, the Baram dam project had received much flak as anti-dam protesters erected blockades and held numerous media campaigns. “There have been many protests and blockades by the people who voiced their disagreement to the

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Construction on Baram dam halted building of the Baram dam. If you don’t want the dam, fine. We will respect your decision. I hope you understand the impact for refusing it, as you will be missing out on related projects which are beneficial, such as roads and other necessities. In June, anti-dam group led by Sarawak SAVE Rivers Network chairman Peter Kallang met with Adenan to discuss the matter, where

the latter agreed on a moratorium pending a final decision. Adenan had put on hold plans to build the 1,000MW hydroelectric dam to give the state some time to go through studies by international dam and environment experts. The Baram dam had evoked strong opposition from local communities who had erected barricades to stop surveyors and

university graduates. He added that the use of English was also welcome for correspondences between government agencies. Citing a newspaper report which mentioned that more than 1,000 doctors in Malaysia who had completed their studies gave up their medical careers because of poor command of English, Adenan found the situation as saddening. Equally sad, he added, was the unemployment of thousands of graduates in Malaysia who could not find proper jobs due to their inability to speak and write decent

English. “So I am just being realistic here. We don’t want our graduates to be unemployable. Our civil service also needs to converse in English.” In September, the state government also made the decision to recognise the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) as a qualification for entrance into the state’s civil service as well as the state’s public university Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas). This was revealed by Senator Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian who disclosed that Adenan had given the green light to

recognise UEC, the Chinese standardised examination of the country’s Chinese secondary schools which is equivalent to Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM). Unimas however stated that it could not accept UEC holders in the meantime as it was bound by regulations of the Ministry of Higher Education in November. As it was a public university under MOHE, it was obliged to follow directives from the ministry regarding the national education policy towards UEC and also the current admission requirements to public universities set by the ministry.

road builders accessing the site. The chief minister had initially approved plans by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) to proceed with the construction of the Baram dam and 1,200MW Baleh dam, scheduled to begin as soon as December. In 2013, some 300 indigenous people protested outside the International Hydropower Association World Congress at the BCCK in regards to the building of dams in the state. Apart from the Murum hydroelectric dam that was completed last year, the state also has the Bakun dam and the Batang Ai dam that was built 30 years ago.

Water ﬂowing down the Murum Dam. — File

Sarawak sees worst haze since 1997

Sarawak constituencies increased to 82 The Dewan Rakyat approves the motion to raise by 11 to 82 the number of state constituencies in Sarawak on Dec 2. The motion on the redelineation of parliamentary and state constituencies in Sarawak was carried through block voting, with 130 MPs supporting and 72 opposing. The new constituencies are N13 Batu Kitang, N17 Stakan, N18 Serembu, N23 Bukit Semuja, N26 Gedong, N40 Kabong, N57 Tellian, N63 Bukit Goram, N66 Murum, N70 Samalaju and N78 Mulu. Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said the motion was approved as the supporting votes exceeded half of the total 222 members of the house. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak earlier yesterday tabled the motion on the Report on the Redelineation of Sarawak Electoral Boundaries that sought to provide for 11 more state constituencies to bring the total number to 82. While the number of federal or parliamentary constituencies remains at 31 but some had their boundaries altered for the creation of the 11 state constituencies. The Sarawak legislative assembly approved the relevant legislation on the increased number of state constituencies from 71 to 82 effective Dec 5 last year. On Oct 12, the Federal Court dismissed Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How and Ulu Baram voter Pauls Baya’s application for leave (permission) to appeal against the Election Commission’s (EC) re-delineation

of Sarawak’s electoral boundaries, with no order as to costs. A three-member panel chaired by Court of Appeal president Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif, in upholding the Court of Appeal’s ruling that the Election Commission’s notice of its re-delineation was valid, dismissed See and Pauls’ leave application on three grounds. The grounds given were that the matter was now academic, the 15 questions of law submitted by the applicants did not meet the threshold and there was little prospect for the appeal to succeed even if leave was granted. The other Federal Court judges who sat with Md Raus were Tan Sri Abu Samah Nordin and Tan Sri Hasan Lah. “The applicants failed to pass threshold requirement under Section 96 (a) and Section 96 (b) of the Courts of Judicature Act 1964 even though they raised constitutional issues.” The EC is seeking to create 11 new constituencies in Sarawak, increasing it from the existing 71 constituencies to 82. Senior federal counsel Amarjeet Singh in his submission that the matter had become academic as the report on the proposed recommendations was submitted to the prime minister on Aug 21 this year, to be tabled in Parliament. On Aug 7, the Court of Appeal overturned the Kuching High Court’s ruling nullifying EC’s notice of recommendations on May 15, stating that the notice was in accordance with the Thirteenth Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

MORE than 1,700 passengers are stranded at Kuching International Airport (KIA) on Sept 28 when thick haze and poor visibility forces the airport to cease all flight operations for about two hours. The runway was closed from 7am to 9.10 am after visibility fell to 300 metres (m). Twenty-five flights had to be cancelled, affecting 2,931 passengers. This was the first time in the last five years that airport authorities had to close KIA’s runway due to poor visibility. KIA senior manager Mohd Nadzim Hashim said 22 AirAsia and three MASwings flights, involving 14 departures and 11 arrivals, were affected. The number of passengers scheduled to land was 1,208, while those supposed to depart KIA totalled 1,723. At 11 am, three Malaysia Airlines Bhd flights managed to depart KIA for Sibu, Kuala Lumpur and Miri after visibility improved to 2,000m. AirAsia, however, managed to reinstate its 11.55am flight to Kuala Lumpur, which was retimed to 4.15pm. The flight carried 184 passengers. “Due to thick haze, our runway was closed from 0700 hours and reopened for flight operations at 0910 hours. The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and airport authority are authorised to close the runway if visibility falls below 500 metres,” said Mohd Nadzim, when contacted. As at 6pm, Mohd Nadzim said 15 flights were delayed (seven arrivals, eight departures), affecting 1,039 passengers (254 passenger arrivals, 785 departures). School closures Schools in the Kuching, Serian and Samarahan divisions were

Haze had forced schools in aﬀected areas to close.

repeatedly ordered to close when Air Pollutant Index (API) rates exceeded 200. The state Education Department closed all schooling sessions on Sept 18, which affected a total of 398 primary schools and 65 secondary schools in the districts of Kuching, Padawan, Bau, Lundu, Kota Samarahan, Serian and Simunjan, affecting 185,000 students. About the Haze Information obtained also revealed that the ‘2015 Southeast Asian haze’ affected several countries in Southeast Asia, including Brunei, Indonesia

(especially its islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan), Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines between June 28 until the end of October. The haze had affected Indonesia since at least late June, eventually turning into an international problem for other countries from September. It was the latest occurrence of the Southeast Asian haze, a longterm issue that occurs in varying intensity during every dry season in the region caused by forest fires resulting from illegal slash-andburn practices, principally on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, which can then spread quickly in the dry season.

On Sept 4, the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management stated that six Indonesian provinces had declared a state of emergency due to the haze; Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan. On Sept 14, a state of emergency was again declared in Riau, this time by the Indonesian government. Thousands of residents of Pekanbaru, Riau’s capital, fled to the nearby cities of Medan and Padang. In late September, the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) of Indonesia hit a record high of 2,300, recorded in the province of Central Kalimantan. More than 28 million people in Indonesia alone were affected by the crisis, and more than 140,000 reported respiratory illness. School closures due to the haze had been implemented in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Jakarta Globe reported Indonesian police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti as saying that the number of palm oil and logging companies charged with setting forest fires that had generated toxic haze spreading as far as Singapore and Malaysia had risen to seven. Indonesian police had received 148 reports of fires being set deliberately in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and currently investigating 27 companies. Investigators had charged seven of the companies for slash-and-burn clearing of peat forests – three in South Sumatra province, one in Riau province and three in Central Kalimantan – under the 2014 Plantations Law and the 2009 Environmental Protection and Management Law.

The API rating is measured as Good for reading between 0-50,Moderate (51-100), Unhealthy (101-200), Very Unhealthy (201- 300) and Hazardous if it is above 300.

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Ancient cave found in Mulu A NEW cave, estimated to be around six million years old, has been discovered within the Mulu limestone system. Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who announced the discovery on Nov 6, expects this discovery to boost the state’s tourism industry. SFC chief executive officer Wong Ting Chung said the new discovery, which was confirmed about three weeks prior, had already been named ‘Conviction Cave’ He said ‘Conviction Cave’ was discovered by explorer Andy Eavis from the United Kingdom. According to Wong, Eavis has been carrying out expeditions in the Mulu region since 1977. He added that the new cave was practically untouched and the layers said a lot about its age. On the significance of the new cave, Wong said: “No human has set foot on it before. It is very rugged and makes it difficult to get there.” He added that the layers of limestone of the cave remained untouched for centuries, which made it very significant. On the state’s national parks (NPs), Adenan said he had come up with the latest policy that they be open to everyone. He added it would make no sense for the state to conserve NPs and not let the general public see any of them.

Images of the newly discovered cave in Mulu.

A beautiful shot of the newly discovered cave in Mulu. It was shown after Adenan made the announcement on Nov 6 at Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s (SFC) 12th anniversary dinner. — Photo by Chimon Upon

He lauded SFC for its efforts in eradicating illegal logging throughout the state. “When I read the newspapers, coming across headlines like ‘Illegal timber seized’, I

Sarawak independence day gathers Sarawakians from all walks of life OVER 5,000 people attend the ‘722 Sarawak Freedom and Independence Day Walk’ at Song Kheng Hai rugby field on July 22, calling for better treatment and equal rights to be accorded to the state by the federal government. Among others, the rally also called for July 22 to be gazetted as a public holiday, recognition of Sarawak independence in the school history curriculum, reinstatement of English as the medium of instruction in schools, greater infrastructure development in rural areas and for the government to grant the state fair equity in oil and gas. The event, to commemorate Sarawak independence day from British Colonial rule on July 22, 1963 was organised by Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) and Sarawak for Sarawakians (S4S) movement. The highly-charged rally, peaceful, was held in order and went without a hitch. “I want the public to understand history and the right dates of our historical past. Sarawak obtained its independence on July 22, 1963 prior to the formation of Malaysia. This rally is not about calling to Sarawak to secede from Malaysia, but for the people to understand our history and to know our rights,” the rally’s organising chairman Peter John Jaban told reporters during the event. Thousands of participants gathered as early as 7am at the nearby Jubilee Ground to march towards the venue in Padungan while some gathered and walked from Padang Merdeka. The two-hour rally also saw the people lining up in an ‘S4S’ formation for a photocall and participating in a flag-raising ceremony. Various banners and placards in support of Sarawak’s rights and equality were displayed as the crowd chanted slogans such as ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’, ‘Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban’ and ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ during the rally. Participants came from all over the state with some as far as Lawas and even Belaga. Most were clad in black T-shirts with ‘Sarawak for Sarawakians’ emblazoned on them and waving post-Sarawak Kingdom independence flags. The people also sang the old state national anthem ‘Fairland Sarawak’ as well as ‘Ibu Pertiwiku’ in a show of solidarity and allegiance to Sarawak.

Top state leaders also observed an official ‘Day of Remembrance’ at the new State Legislative Assembly Building (DUN) to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Sarawak’s independence from the British. The celebration featured a play about Sarawak’s struggles to gain independence from British colonisation 52 years ago. Staged at DUN’s Dataran Perbarisan, the play was presented jointly by performers from Social Development Ministry, state Cultural and Heritage Department, Dayak Cultural Foundation, Labu Sakti Studio Group, the Royal Malaysia Police Force, as well as various non-governmental organisations and associations. Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud signed a plaque featuring a black and white photo of past leaders to mark the 52nd anniversary of Sarawak’s Independence. The celebration was attended by Toh Puan Dato’ Sri Ragad Kurdi Taib, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem and wife Datin Patinggi Dato Jamilah Anu, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang and wife Dato Sri Empiang Jabu. Senior ministers including Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan (Resource Planning and Environment II), Tan Sri William Mawan (Social Development), Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg (Tourism and Housing), Tan Sri James Jemut Masing (Land Development), Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh (Finance II and Local Goverment and Community Development), state secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Morshidi Abdul Ghani, state DUN speaker Datuk Amar Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar, heads of departments, community leaders and other dignitaries were among those present. For a short time, Sarawak was granted self-government on July 22, 1963, on the condition that it would join to form the Federation of Malaysia on Sept 16 the same year. Sir Alexander Waddell was the last Governor of the Colony as he left the Astana and boarded a white sampan to cross the Sarawak River. He then handed the administration of Sarawak to the Sarawakian citizens with the Colonial flag lowered and the Sarawak flag raised.

‘722 Sarawak Independence walk’ organising chairman Peter John Jaban (centre) waving a post-Sarawak Kingdom independence ﬂag.

am happy. It is very pleasant news to me.” More than 30 sawmills had been shut down since the state government committed itself to the on-going campaign, adding that

the ‘Big Six’ timber corporations had also been warned against being involved in illegal activities, lest their licences be revoked. “Generally, I am happy now with the way

SFC is doing the job. To summarise, you have done a good job, and I hope you will continue to do the same and continue to do better.”

Sarawak striving to have 9 local teachers out of 10 in three year’s time through Initiative 90:10 SARAWAK Education Department will work to reach a posting ratio of nine local teachers to one from outside the state under Initiative 90:10 by 2018. As of September this year, the ratio in primary schools of locals to teachers from outside the state is 78:20 (20,369 locals, 5,211 from Peninsular Malaysia and 517 from Sabah and Labuan). For secondary schools, the ratio of local teachers to those from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Labuan is 73:25:2 (10,628 locals, 3,687 West Malaysians and 229 from Sabah and Labuan). These figures were disclosed by Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Minister of Welfare, Women and Family, who has been entrusted to hold a watching brief on education in the state. “On average, we would say that the present ratio is 70:30. But the figures apply only to day schools and not special schools. “Every year, there is a request for at least 3,000 teachers. Just for 2016, the applications to be transferred back to Peninsular Malaysia for secondary school is 1,890 and for primary schools, 2,301 but we can’t approve their applications because the state doesn’t have enough local new teachers to replace them,” she said. She added Sarawak was collecting data

On average, we would say that the present ratio is 70:30. But the ﬁgures apply only to day schools and not special schools. Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Minister of Welfare, Women and Family

on the number of teachers applying to go back to Peninsular Malaysia and the number of new local teachers produced each year. “We have to know the rate we can replace peninsula teachers with local ones and the progressive projection of the ratio of local teachers to peninsula ones year by year, until 2018 when the ratio must reach 90:10,” Fatimah told The Borneo Post yesterday. To achieve the target, the state Education Department has already put up an advertisement on its website to recruit graduates majoring in education, both from public and private higher learning institutions (IPTA and IPTS). “We also welcome those who are overseas graduates whose universities are recognised by Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).” Fatimah added that the projection plan now must be based on realistic figures and there were details that needed to be looked into to ensure the smooth running of every school.

“First of all, primary schools and secondary schools are two different things. Then, we must be very precise with some details such as the subject option a teacher can handle. “For example, if a Peninsular Malaysian teacher teaching Bahasa Malaysia is leaving, we can’t replace her with a teacher teaching English. The local teacher taking over must also be majoring in Bahasa Malaysia,” Fatimah explained. In the case where the department needs to recruit graduates not majoring in education, the state government may liaise with the federal government to revive inservice training course (KPLI) which offers Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching during holidays in the four local teachers’ training institutes. “In achieving the Initiative 90:10 we will not comprise on the quality. We will not do it at the expense of compromising the quality of our teachers as well as our education standard,” Fatimah stressed.

Teacher accused of converting student without parental consent THE Miri Christian community sees red over a Form One student from SMK Lutong allegedly being coerced into converting to Islam. In a formal letter of complaint on March 24 to the principal of SMK Lutong signed by her parents and grandparents, two teachers were accused in the case of alleged forced conversion, citing that they had not only given her money to buy prayer garments but had also been given a Muslim name and would be provided with a new nametag with said name. Further investigations, however, revealed that the situation was made up of half-truths and misunderstandings. While Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah verified that the conversion had not been made official, the student had informed her that it was she who had expressed her intention to convert to a Muslim teacher who later referred her to the religious teacher. Fatimah dismissed that the girl had been duped into conversion but expressed her disappointment during a press conference at SMK Lutong that the teachers involved had acted against the law. “Whatever the circumstances, for a child aged below 18 years old they are still under the responsibility of their parents or relatives as legal guardian. “Thus, the act of giving ‘telekung’ (Muslim prayer cloth) is highly deemed as sensitive. They must refer to the parents’ first, instead of making the decision on their own,” she said. In fact, she added, for teachers who want to offer religious classes, they must refer to the school’s principal. According to Fatimah, the student told her that she personally met the teacher before the school holidays, voicing her intention to convert, confirming it when asked again the following day by the ustazah whether she was serious. “Even the grandfather whom she was staying with agreed but the only mistake was the parents’ consent was not sought as she was a minor,” she said after flying

in to Miri to tackle the hot issue. The minister had earlier on brought all the interested parties together at the school conference room and personally asked the girl on the actual scenario apart from the hearing of church representatives, religious teachers involved and her parents. Asked on the girl’s religious status, Fatimah said: “The conversion did not materialise as it did not reach the Islamic Affairs Department.” The two school teachers and some men allegedly carried out a conversion ceremony at a house in Kuala Baram, giving her a Muslim name and RM 250 for prayer clothing. She was told that she would be taken to the Islamic Affairs Department on March 16 to formalise the conversion. She lodged a police report at Lutong Police Station, saying that she did not want to be harassed by the teachers as it was affecting her concentration in school. Fatimah said the incident at SMK Lutong was a lesson for religious conversions to be tackled properly with tact and sensitivity where the prevailing peace and harmony in the state must be safeguarded. The minister said this was of paramount importance as spelled out by the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem who is adamant in keeping extremist and religious bigots at bay. She conceded that any conversion of a minor must have the consent of parents as spelt out by the Children’s Protection Act. “We must avoid misunderstandings and not allow it to spread. If there is a misunderstanding, then, let’s sit down together and clear it,” she added. On the police report lodged by the girl, she said it was up to the authorities to conduct the investigation and act accordingly but in her opinion, it was a misunderstanding. Also present were the school principal Marcus Hugo and two teachers involved in the conversion exercise.

Hairless sun bear passes away at Matang Wildlife Centre THE hairless sun bear which captured the attention and imaginations of readers around the world passes away at Matang Wildlife Centre in the late evening of May 18. The sun bear which had appeared to be recovering at Matang Wildlife Centre had been very sick for more than a week. An autopsy concluded that the animal died of late-stage cancer. “The animal had not been eating well and vomiting. Worrying for its health, emergency medical intervention was performed under sedation. It was also fed with fluids through IV and food through a stomach tube,” SFC said in a press statement. “Unfortunately, it succumbed to late-stage cancer with metastatis in the lymph nodes and adjacent organs as well as obstruction in the stomach due to primary tumour with origin in the stomach or pancreas.” SFC added, “A detailed examination of the bear also revealed that it was in fact a very old bear and not just a full adult as previously thought. “Cancer aside, the bear had probably reached the end of its natural life span.” The sun bear was captured at an oil palm plantation in Bintangor on April 2 and was sent to the Matang Wildlife Centre for rehabilitation. It was found by plantation workers around 7am within the same area where it was first spotted on Jan 30. The video of the sun bear moving through the forest had gone viral due to its hairless appearance.

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Country mourns passing of Abu Sayyaf kidnap victim SANDAKAN: Electrical engineer Bernard Then is kidnapped by a group of armed men at a seafood restaurant in Sandakan, Sabah on May 14, together with restaurant manager, Thein Nyuk Fun, 50. Four armed men wearing camouflaged army uniform climbed up the staircase of the Ocean King restaurant located in Pasir Putih along Jalan Bokara at about 8pm. Then and Thien were bundled off by the gunmen in the raid lasting less than a minute. The abductors were identified as the same abductors of the Sipadan Island hostage-taking incident in 2000, who are on FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Terrorists’ list. In a report by an online news portal, The Rakyat Post, the two assailants, Isnilon Totoni Hapilon and Radullan Shahiron or Commander One Arm, both leaders of the Abu Sayyaf criminal group, were the last two remaining kidnappers among ten armed men who took ten Europeans and South Africans, and 11 Malaysians captive, on April 23, 2000. After months of negotiations and coordinated effort among relevant authorities at many levels to

secure their release, the Abu Sayyaf militant group released Thien late Sunday night (Nov 8). News that Then, 39, was beheaded at an isolated location in Jolo island emerged on Nov 11. Based on DNA tests, Philippine authorities later confirmed that the severed head found in the southern island of Jolo to belonged to Then. On Dec 15, Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said a Philippine security team had found a headless body, believed to be that of Then confirmed by DNA tests by Philippine authorities. “I want Malaysian officials to liaise with the authorities in the Philippines and bring home the remains as soon as possible to help provide closure to his family,” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said on his Facebook and Twitter accounts on Dec 20. Najib conveyed his condolences to the family of the late Then, from Sarawak.

Miri MP assaulted outside clinic MIRI: Miri MP and PKR chief Dr Michael Teo was assaulted by an unknown assailant outside his clinic at about 8.15am on May 15. The suspect assaulted Dr Teo from behind with a baseball bat before fleeing the scene in a car without a number plate. Eye witnesses saw an old Proton Saga parked nearby before the attack happened. Dr Teo was treated as an outpatient at Miri Hospital, with a suspected broken collar bone. His family and personal assistant Bill Kayong is with him. Miri police chief ACP Gan Tian Kee said during the incident the victim was walking to his clinic when the

suspect, who was wearing a black full face helmet, attacked him. “The victim was beaten with a baseball bat twice on both shoulders and he tried to fight off the suspect, who then fled in an Proton Saga aeroback vehicle,” he told Bernama. He said based on the victim’s description, the male assailant was about 163 cm and fat while investigations revealed that plate number used was fake as it was registered for a Perodua Viva vehicle. “The victim is treated as an outpatient in the Miri hospital,” he said, adding that the motive of the incident was being investigated.

Heart-rending sight for Ferrari owner KUCHING: The driver of a luxury car escaped unscathed after his Ferrari 458 skidded and rammed into the guardrail along Jalan Tabuan Court on June 25. In the incident that occurred around 10am, the driver, who is a son of a prominent local businessman, was said to have been avoiding an oncoming car when he lost control and swerved to the roadside before hitting the guardrail. The incident had also caused a slow crawl along that stretch of road as the passing cars wanted to take a glimpse of the vehicle. It took about an hour for the car to be lifted and towed from the scene. It is believed that the vehicle which received heavy damage in the bonnet will be flown overseas for repairs.

Woman arrested for dumping dead man on roadside KUCHING: A woman was arrested Aug 27 following the discovery of her neighbour’s body, which was dumped at a parking bay behind a row of shophouses in Taman BDC. The 35-year-old from Stutong Baru was picked up at her house around 4pm after police managed to identify the vehicle used in the commission of the crime from a closed-circuit television (CCTV) recording obtained from a coffee shop. The body of 48-year-old Patrick Jinggi – clad in a collared shirt and jeans – was found barefoot and lying face-up on the ground by members of the public around 3pm. Police personnel, including a forensics team, rushed to the scene upon being notified and found no sign of physical injuries on the deceased, who worked as a labourer. The team, led by district CID chief DSP Lim Bak Phai, was then told that a CCTV installed at the rear of a coffee shop had recorded the incident and proceeded to view its footage. Sources disclosed that footage from the motionactivated CCTV showed a black Toyota Hilux circling the parking bay area at 1.14pm before driving off due to the unavailability of a parking spot. The vehicle, however, re-appeared a minute later and the driver appeared to wait at the side of a building

until a parked car vacated a spot at 1.19pm. The footage then showed the twin-cab pickup heading to the empty spot and reverse-parking into it but due to the CCTV being motion-activated, did not show the body of the man being dumped. Police, however, were certain that the Hilux was the vehicle used in the crime, as a pair of legs clad in jeans were seen in the pickup’s trunk during its initial arrival at the parking bay. Following the woman’s arrest, police learned that both she and the deceased were neighbours living only a house away from each other, and that they were married with families of their own. The wife of the deceased, meanwhile, told police her husband suffered from asthma and other medicalrelated conditions. District police chief ACP Roslan Bek Ahmad, who confirmed the incident, said initial questioning of the suspect revealed she got to know Patrick about a year ago. “The woman said she fetched the man from the shophouse at Taman BDC and brought him back to her house around 10.30am. “Around 1pm, she said he began complaining of feeling unwell and she sent him back to the shophouse to fetch his motorcycle, with him seated in the trunk of her pickup truck,” he said.

Motorcycle rider killed after collision with Porsche SIBU: A motorcycle rider is killed when his motorcycle collided with a black sports car in front of the St John’s Anglican Church at Tun Abang Haji Openg Road on Nov 23. The police said the 6.20 pm accident happened when both the sports car driven by a grandson of a corporate figure and motorcyclist were heading towards the town. They said the driver lost control of the car, knocking the motorcyclist, sending both vehicles into the wall of St. John Anglican Church and bringing down the concrete fence. The rider, identified by police as Ting Yew Kui, 50, and his motorcycle were both thrown into the church’s compound through an opening in the collapsed wall caused by

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the impact. A cemetery is located in the church’s front yard where Ting landed. He was heading to Sing Kwong Supermarket next to the church when the accident occurred. Police sent the urine sample of the driver of a sports car for testing. Sibu Deputy police chief Supt Martin Koo on Nov 26 told the press that while waiting for the results the police were also recording statements from eyewitnesses. Koo added that the police could not confirm claims that there were two persons in the black Porsche 911 car when the accident happened as they were in the midst of their probe. Media reports linked the driver of the sports car to the accident, with no mention of another passenger.

Shopping mall assault: Three men claim trial KUCHING: Three men claimed trial at a Magistrates’ Court Dec 4 for allegedly voluntarily causing hurt to two youths at a shopping mall on Nov 29. The accused Johny Liew Sze Ming from Sibu, Lai Muk Hui from Kenyalang Park here and Ng Chap Khiang from RPR Mile 12, appeared before Magistrate Zulhairil Sulaiman who released them on RM2,000 cash bail each with two sureties who must be locals pending the disposal of the case. The pre trial case management was set for Jan 5 while the trial will be on Jan 25 and 25 next year. Originally, five persons were detained in connection with the assault of the two youths at CityOne Mall including an 18-year-old girl and her 50-year-old mother. The girl and her mother were released unconditionally. It was reported that prior to the incident, the complainants – the two youths – were said to have ‘disturbed’ the girl. Lai, who is a friend of her mother was said to have called up his friend in the city to ‘give the youth

lessons’ after being informed of the incident. Two video clips of the case had gone viral on social media showing two youths being assaulted and forced to kneel in front of the group. The girl, her mother and Liew were detained in Sibu on Monday (Nov 30) and had been remanded for four days since Monday to facilitate investigation. Meanwhile Lai, 46, and Ng, 43, were detained by the police here. The suspects from Sibu were brought here on Dec 4 so that they could appear in court together with two other suspects — Lai and Ng — for the release from their remand order.

Deﬁnition of rape to be reviewed beyond penile penetration KUCHING: A 60-year-old man is discharged and acquitted of four rape convictions of a 14year-old minor in 2011 who later gave birth in 2012 by the Court of Appeal on May 7. Despite confirmation from DNA tests that Bunya is the father of the child, Bunya was acquitted by the Appeals Court due to the narrow definition of ‘rape’ which is defined as ‘penile penetration’. The Attorney-General’s Chambers announced that it would be reviewing the definition of rape under Section 375 of the Penal Code to expand it beyond penile penetration. Announcing the review in a press statement on June 17, de-facto Law Minister Nancy Shukri said the case where the Court of Appeal acquitted a 60year-old man of charges of raping a 15-year-old girl because the panel of judges accepted that his claim that he impregnated her using his finger smeared with his sperm was infuriating. Nancy admitted that the country’s existing laws

were not perfect and needed to be amended. “Under status quo, forceful penetration by fingers does not constitute rape under Section 375 of the Penal Code. This is intolerable. “As the minister in charge of law, I will personally take it to task to ensure that all these laws will continuously be amended to suit the current needs of our society,” stressed Nancy. She said she had personally written to the Attorney General’s Chambers to request for a judicial review and for the existing law to be amended.

Decision on pemakai menoa, pulau galau reserved for future date KUCHING: Hundreds of people start gathering in front of the Kuching High Court on the morning of Sept 9. There was a minimal police presence as a miring ceremony was carried out in front of the court house before the hearing expected to start at 11am. The miring ceremony conducted by a manang with human skulls is called ‘sandau ari’, typically performed to seek God’s protection before going into battle. The Federal Court was to decide whether to recognise pemakai menoa’ (territorial domain) and ‘pulau galau’ (forest reserves) as part of NCR land in Tuai Rumah Sandah’s case. In 2009, Ulu Machan residents filed a case related to encroachment of their temuda (farmed land), pemakai menoa and pulau galau land by a plantation company in 2008. The owners of the land which include Tuai Rumah Sandah Tabau, Tuai Rumah Lajang and seven other claimants from Ulu Machan, Kanowit had won the case in both High Court and the Court of Appeal which recognised temuda, pulau galau and pemakai menoa which span a total of

5,630 hectares of land. In March, the Federal Court here granted leave to the government and a plantation company to appeal the case. The government contended that they only had rights over 2,802 hectares which they or their ancestors had acquired from clearing virgin jungle for farming as shown in aerial photos taken in 1951, but no rights to the land in the adjoining primary forests of 2,712 hectares which the claimants alleged was their ‘pulau’ where they hunted and foraged for food and medicine. The state government was appealing to the Federal Court after the Court of Appeal and High Court recognised them as part of NCR. The decision on the Sept 9 hearing on ‘pemakai menoa’ and ‘pulau galau’ was reserved for a date yet to be fixed. The point of law to be decided is whether customs have the force of law.

Death sentence stayed for Sarawakian facing gallows KUCHING: The Sarawakian due to face the gallows on Nov 6 was granted a stay of execution after his lawyer filed in an 11th-hour motion. Jabing Kho, 31, due to hang for a brutal murder seven years ago, had found himself a last chance when his newly appointed lawyer convinced the Court of Appeal to give more time to prepare the case. Chandra Mohan K Nair was reported by The Straits Times to be briefed by Kho’s family only on Tuesday night. The lawyer had on the next day filed a motion asking for a stay of execution.

Prior to K Nair, a non-practising lawyer M Ravi had filed on Kho’s behalf to stave off the hanging after Kho’s clemency application was turned down. According to the report, M Ravi, who did it as a ‘concerned citizen’ and ‘anti-death penalty activist’, declined to give up the case despite Kho now having legal representation. In 2008, Kho and Galing Kujat attacked Chinese nationals Wu Jun, 44 and Cao Ruyin, 40, along Geylang Drive. Wu survived while Chao, who was hit on the head with a tree branch, died of head injuries six days later. Both Kho and Galing were sentenced to death in 2010. On appeal, Galing escaped the gallows in 2011 while Kho’s appeal was denied. Kho, however, was given a reprieve with a life sentence in 2013. However, the prosecution appealed against it, arguing that his savage actions warranted a death penalty.

Accused in murder of British students found guilty KUCHING: Zulkifli Abdullah, 24, from Kampung Gersik in Petra Jaya is convicted of two charges under Section 302 of the Penal Code for causing the deaths of Aidan Brunger and Neil Gareth Dalton. The section provides the mandatory death penalty. He committed the offence between 4.10am and 4.15am in front of a bus stop along Abell Road on Aug 6, last year. The judge ruled that he had failed to raise reasonable doubt during the defence call. Appearing for the prosecution were DPP Muhamad Iskandar Ahmad and DPP Poh Yih Tinn while defence lawyer Anthony Tai represented Zulkifli in the trial that began Sept 19 last year.

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AirAsia begins operations at KKIA Terminal 1 AIRASIA’S operations in Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) operates out of Terminal 1 from Dec 1, 2015. AirAsia currently operates 504 weekly flights to and from KKIA and all existing flight schedules for both domestic and international flights would remain unchanged. AirAsia’s guests departing or landing into

Oﬃcers from NRD Sabah detained over issuance of MyKad documents FIVE senior officers from the National Registration Department (NRD) Sabah are detained in October by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Sabah, for alleged involvement in issuing MyKad documents. MACC Sabah director Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim, disclosed that the five senior officers were among nine suspects – three women and six men – being arrested in its ongoing statewide operation code-named ‘Ops Easy Card’ involving a syndicate to get MyKad. He said the five were a deputy director, three branch heads and a former employee of the department, while the rest of the suspects were foreign nationals from India, Pakistan and Indonesia, who were ‘middlemen’, and one applicant for the MyKad document. The MACC also had recorded statements from 32 witnesses consisting of NRD officers, Immigration officers and civilians during the operation carried out across the State recently. “The modus operandi of the syndicate is using agents and employees of the National Registration Department of Malaysia Sabah (JPNNS) as middlemen to enable MyKad identity card to be issued to applicants who are not eligible,” said Hishamuddin. The MACC was investigating the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act 2009. Meanwhile, it was learned that the NRD senior officers linked to the syndicate were involved in issuing recommendation letters in support of the applicants who were not eligible for a Malaysian Restricted Passport to Brunei from the Immigration Department. They also assisted in processing and issuing a late birth of registration certificate to MyKad’s applications whereby the NRD was aware that the data for such applications were fake. Following the launch of the “Ops Easy Card” operations, the MACC will step up its investigations to trace witnesses, material evidence and more suspects allegedly involved in the syndicate.

Kota Kinabalu were informed of the move from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, which is 4 km away from each other, it said in a statement here. “The airline will continue to provide assistance to guests travelling to and from its Kota Kinabalu hub in light of this move,” it said. — Bernama

Another Sulu ‘crown prince’ vows to drop Sabah claim ANOTHER ‘crown prince’ of the Sulu sultanate, believed to be a cousin of the late Sultan Esmail Kiram II, promises the people of Sabah that there would be no more intrusions and his sultanate would no longer be issuing claims over the State. “We already have a lot on our hands fighting for the independence of Sulu from the Philippines. To add the claim on Sabah to our mission will be unnecessary additional problem when we should instead be working towards our independence,” said Datu Mohd Kudhar SJ Kiram II in September. Datu Kudhar, 69, who disclosed that he was the son of one of Jamalul Kiram’s children, Sultan Julaspi Kiram II, also vowed that the Sulu will gain its independence from the Philippines next year. He also said that upon gaining their independence, they will invite the Suluks in Sabah, to return to their country. According to Kudhar, there were over one million Suluks in Sabah and close to 300,000 in Peninsular Malaysia. Kudhar claimed that the late Jamalul Kiram III and Esmail Kiram II had nothing to do with the Kirams. “No Kiram will ever do what they did,” said Kudhar, referring to the intrusion by Sulu militants in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, in 2012. Kudhar also said that although he could, he would not meddle with the issue involving two Malaysians who were kidnapped from Sandakan by Filipino gunmen on May 14, despite allegedly having the influence to do so. “That is a matter of them (abductors) making a living. You know how it is when you interfere with such things,” he replied when asked. Kudhar, whose ‘confirmation’ as the crown prince of the Sulu Sultanate was by verifying it from his father, also apologised to Sabahans for the confusion and chaos caused by the many individuals who claimed to be the Sultan of Sulu, defiling his grandfather’s name, one of which had led to a security crisis in the State. Kudhar said he had already ordered his people, the Suluks, residing in Malaysia,

Kudhar (centre) ﬂanked by his advisor, Datu Eddy Sulaiman (right), showing the photo of Kudhar’s late father, Julaspi, and a family tree explaining his relations with the Kiram lineage.

We already have a lot on our hands ﬁghting for the independence of Sulu from the Philippines. To add the claim on Sabah to our mission will be unnecessary additional problem when we should instead be working towards our independence. Datu Mohd Kudhar SJ Kiram II

to continue supporting the Barisan Nasional, particularly the Prime Minister and Chief Minister of Sabah, and to not bite the hands that feed them, as well as to stay out of trouble. Kudhar disclosed that his father was the one who was in contact with the late Tun Mustapha and was even one of the signatories of Malaysia’s formation. “My father didn’t want North Borneo to fall into the hands of the Christians, hence, rejecting the Philippines government. My

father was the one in contact with Tun Mustapha. That’s why we were invited to Jesselton in 1963, on invitation by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman himself,” said Kudhar. “My father signed for Sabah joining the Federation of Malaysia. We (the Sulu Sultanate) are the backbone of Sabah to this day. My father agreed to Sabah joining Malaysia because Malaysia is an Islamic country,” said Kudhar, who also claimed to be the chief of Muslims in all of the Philippines.

Haze forces schools in Tawau to close and disrupts ﬂights THE unhealthy air caused by the worsening haze forces the Education Ministry to close schools in Tawau on Oct 19 and disrupts flights at Tawau Airport the day before. As of 6pm on Oct 18, two more areas, Tanjung Malim and Cheras recorded unhealthy quality, bringing the number of areas with air quality at this level to 16. The smog had worsened since Oct 18 with 16 areas recording unhealthy air, instead of just five areas at 11am. At 7pm, the Air Pollutant Index (API) showed Tawau (133), Seremban (123), Port Dickson (114), Nilai (123), Malacca City (124), Bukit Rambai (118), Banting (127), Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur (123), Putrajaya (119), Port Klang (118), Petaling Jaya (112) and Shah Alam (113) as some of the areas with the unhealthiest readings. Schools in smog-choked areas had been ordered to close several times last month and earlier this month, following forest fires and the burning of plantation land in Indonesia. Earlier October, some 7,000 schools were closed on October 5 and 6 after the API showed hazardous air in Shah Alam and unhealthy air in other parts of the country. Two departure and arrival flights at the Tawau Airport were cancelled because of limited visibility due to the haze. The flights involved the Kota Kinabalu-TawauKota Kinabalu sector by MASWings and Malaysia Airlines. Three flights for the Kota KinabaluTawau-Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Lumpur-Tawau-Kuala Lumpur sectors by MASWings and AirAsia were also delayed because of that. The airport was closed at 8am due to the haze and reopened at 10 am. As at 2pm, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading at Tawau showed unhealthy air at 123. Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu Airport manager Sunif Naiman said a MASWings Flight MH2121 to Tawau, which was diverted back to Kota Kinabalu, had to be diverted to Brunei because of the rain.

Sabah, Sarawak granted more autonomy in administration PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak grants Sabah and Sarawak more autonomy in their administration, including in deciding the priority of development projects in the states. Najib said a joint committee comprising the state and federal governments would be set up to look into the issue of administrative empowerment. He said this would ensure the devolution of power was smooth in terms of implementation and feasible in matters dealing with negotiations and preventing overlapping of functions between state and federal government agencies. The

committee would first be set up in Sarawak after which it would be done in Sabah. Najib said a major policy decision made with regards to the decentralisation of powers was ensuring that in three years’ time, 90 per cent of teachers in Sabah and Sarawak were locals from these two states. He explained this was to ensure stability in the teaching force in the two states, adding although locals may have lower academic qualifications they could make up for it through additional training. “The government has set a target to ensure that within three years 90 per cent

of teachers in Sabah and Sarawak will be locals. At the moment 32,168 out of 41,935 teachers in Sarawak, are from Sarawak. In three years’ time, the number of local teachers in Sarawak is expected to increase by 5,914 to 38,082 people. “The same target will be implemented for Sabah,” he said, adding that details on the other educational matters would be discussed in the joint committee. Najib said the federal government agreed that administrative empowerment to Sabah and Sarawak would be implemented in stages, and at all federal

government agencies and departments so as to allow decision making at state-level by federal officers. The state government, according to him, would be given a bigger role in deciding projects, especially on their priority and location. He also said evaluation of federal projects could be done at the state level through a committee that includes the state secretary and representatives from the federal government. In addition, interviews to fill posts in the civil service such as in the teaching profession and police among others in Sarawak would not only be done

in specific towns but also in locations accessible to folk in the rural areas. “The state counsel is also delegated with powers by the public prosecutor under the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) to prosecute offences under the State Ordinance. The federal government also agreed that to improve immigration enforcement in Sarawak, there will be vacancies for 100 officers,” he elaborated. He also declared that Sabah and Sarawak governments would have a say in the approval and issuance of deep sea fishing permits.

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Sabah devastated by

Search and rescue team bringing down the dead found among fallen debris. — Photo courtesy of Search and Rescue team

Ranau quake

THE 5.9 magnitude earthquake centred in Ranau, Sabah on June 5 at 7.15am sets the record for being the strongest earthquake to have hit Malaysia in 39 years, causing 18 deaths over the following days and severe damage in the form of rockfalls, mudslides, cracked buildings and damaged roads, among others. Mount Kinabalu became the centre of search and rescue operations, with 137 climbers who survived the earthquake reaching the base camp at Kinabalu Park to be transported. Among those killed in the disaster were four mountain guides — Sabahans Ricky Masirin, 28, Valerian Joannes, 27, Robbi Sapinggi, 31, and Singaporean Muhammad Daanish Amran, 32. The 14 other casualties were three Malaysians — Muhamad Loqman Abd Karim, 22, Lim Choon Seng, 45, and Joseph Selungin, 32, nine Singaporeans — Peony Wee Ying Ping, 12, Emilie Giovanna Ramu, 12, Sonia Jhala, 12, Rachel Ho Yann Shiuan, 12, Ameer Ryyan Mohd Adeed Sanjay, 12, Loo Jian Liang Terrence Sebastian, 29, Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar, 13, Mohammad Ghazi Mohamed, 35, and Matahom Karyl Mitzi Higuit, 12, China’s Luqi, 35, and Ozaki Masahiro, 29 from Japan. It was learnt that 10 of the bodies found were that of students and teachers of the Singapore Tanjong Katong primary school who were on a holiday school trip to the mountain. The mountain guides, porters, villagers, emergency response team and all other agencies showed the highest commitment in the search and rescue operation without any concern for their own safety. Such was their valor that mountain guides Ricky Masirin and Valerian Joannes were among those who received Commendation Medals from Singapore posthumously for ‘Devotion to duty and exemplary conduct during the Sabah

A mountain guide carrying an injured climber down. Netizens praised the mountain guides and porters for their eﬀorts in the search and rescue operation.

Search and rescue team personnel and mountain guides working together to bring down the remains.

Members of Sabah Fire and Rescue Department at Timpohon Operations Centre in Ranau studying the routes outlined on the Mount Kinabalu map. — Bernama photo

Mountain guides bringing down a victim from Mount Kinabalu. — Bernama photo

It was their disrespectful act towards the sacred mountain, going against the traditional beliefs of the Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM). Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister

earthquake’ as part of Singapore’s National Day Awards two months later. The Sabah state government disclosed that the estimated cost of damages caused by the deadly earthquake was approximately RM95 million. The biggest damage was caused to public infrastructures, such as schools, public buildings, mosques, churches and temples. At least 38 schools as far as Nabawan and Kota Marudu. The moderate earthquake broke the strongest earthquake record set in 1976, when an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck Lahad Datu, causing heavy damage to property and cracks in buildings. Slight tremors could be felt as far as Lawas, Limbang, and Miri following the 7.15 am quake. The Federal government

promised to set up a seismic centre in Sabah to monitor for earthquakes in the state on a permanent basis to continue to monitor for any future earthquakes that might recur. The federal government promised it would also provide all the necessary finance assistance for Sabah and the victims affected by the earthquake as an immediate response to the disaster. It was announced that RM5,000 to all the Malaysians who were killed and another RM5,000 matching cash grant from the state government. For those injured, the federal government would also give RM2,000 per person and a match of RM2,000 from the state government. Those who were traumatised by the incident while at the mountaintop would also receive RM1,000 cash each. As for the mountain guides, the

A building with its ceiling seriously damaged after the quake. — Bernama photo

federal government would give reasonable compensation for their heroic and selfless acts by promising financial assistance especially for those who have been helping in the search and rescue operation. Two Canadian siblings were barred from leaving the country after they were identified as among the 10 who stripped naked at the 8km point

of Mount Kinabalu last May 30. According to Canada’s daily Toronto Star, the two are Lindsey Petersen, 23, and sister Danielle, 22. Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan had blamed the group for causing the earthquake. “It was their disrespectful act towards the sacred mountain, going against the traditional beliefs of the

Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM),” Pairin said. As the Huguan Siou, he believed what they did had resulted in the disaster. A ceremony to appease the spirits dwelling on Mount Kinabalu was held later. By October, one of the two new trekking routes to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu from Laban Rata was ready for use. Alternative routes would replace the old single trail leading to the peak, enabling Sabah Parks to fully reopen the mountain to climbers by Dec 1. “To meet our plan to reopen the mountain by December, we will use one of the two trails first, which is the Ranau Trail. I am very happy with the works that have been done on the trails, which were carried out professionally The construction of the trails was carried out by the mountain guides, porters and local villagers themselves with the assistance from the American, Canadian and Japanese consultants. Fifty-five foreign tourists were among 135 climbers on Dec 1 to be the first group to scale Mountain Kinabalu using the new route.

Mud ﬂoods hit Sabah

Mysterious bubbles emerged in Mesilau river, causing near panic among villagers.

MUD FLOODS in June overcomes two rivers, Sungai Masilau Kundasang and Sungai Liwagu in Ranau, displacing 930 riverine residents comprising 166 families. A house was dislodged and fell into the water while another was reported to be on the brink of falling; five others were also reported to be in precarious position. District officer Faimin Kimin, who is also district disaster committee chairman, said residents from 11 villages had been staying at relief centres since June 15 as a safety measure, and for facilitation of aid particularly food. The affected villages were Masilau in Kundasang, Kimolohing, Lingkudao, Puru-Puru, Marakau, Sinarut, Sinarut Lama, Silou, Matan, Kituntul Lama and Kituntul Baru. Two bridges across the Masilau river were also damaged by the mud floods which washed up pieces of timber as they slide. He said 245 victims from 224 families were temporarily sheltered at Dewan Mini Kundasang, while 522 from 101 families, at Dewan

Kampung Mesilou hit by mud ﬂood.

Masyarakat Ranau and 163 from 41 families, at Dewan Serbaguna Marakau. Faimin said the timber-clogged Liwagu river had crippled the Kimolohing water treatment plant causing disruption of water supply to Ranau. “A tanker truck is being used to deliver water from Tuaran district to the affected areas with priority accorded to the relief centres, district hospital and school hostels.” It would take time for the water treatment

plant to function properly as there were 3km of timber pieces in Sungai Liwagu that needed to be cleared. The water treatment plant at Kibbas was still functioning but cleaning works due to the mud flood was expected to take three days. Meanwhile in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Mohd Affendi K Ramin said through Whatsapp that the number of victims in Kota Belud remained unchanged at 28 comprising 10 families. — Bernama

The aﬀected villages were Masilau in Kundasang, Kimolohing, Lingkudao, Puru-Puru, Marakau, Sinarut, Sinarut Lama, Silou, Matan, Kituntul Lama and Kituntul Baru.

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By Adrian Lim and Ronnie Teo bizhive@theborneopost.com

2015 has been an interesting year for Malaysian companies in a challenging environment as sectors across the board took a hit from subdued markets and less-than-attractive environments. Sectors overall for the nation slumped, as evidenced by a slowdown in consumer spending, dip in property purchases, banks seeing tight liquidity arising from a higher loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) and compressed net interest margins. However, it is interesting to note that Sabah and Sarawak’s sectors appeared to thrive amidst the nation’s economic pleatau — growth was seen in major sectors here such as construction (Pan Borneo Highway), property (Borneo Island City), banking (three new branches of banks and financial institutions) are only a handful of examples. On this note, The Borneo Post’s Business Desk has compiled all the most significant moments of this year that we have reported. Let us take a look back at 15 highlights that made its mark in Corporate Malaysia 2015: 1. Mega-bank scrapped, but MBSB continues M&A pursuit In January, the mega merger between CIMB Group Holdings Bhd-RHB Capital Bhd-Malaysia Building Society Bhd — pegged to become the biggest bank postmerger at a combined RM71 billion — was scrapped. Since then, MBSB was in talks with Bank Muamalat to discuss merger negotiations to form the country’s biggest standalone Islamic Bank. At the moment, MBSB has submitted an application to Bank Negara Malaysia for an extension from Dec 30, 2015 until Feb 2, 2016 to conclude negotiations with Khazanah Nasional Bhd and DRB-Hicom Bhd. 2. SC Releases Equity Crowdfunding guidelines Many are aware of crowdfunding — the new trend of pooling money for a project in which consumers like and wish to fund towards success in return of a benefit — but how many are aware that Malaysia is taking this trend one step further? The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) in February released guidelines to introduce new requirements for the registration of equity crowdfunding (ECF) platforms and provide governance arrangement for the operator of such platforms. Equity crowdfunding is a new form of fundraising that allows startup or other smaller enterprises to obtain capital through small equity investments from relatively large numbers of investors, using online portals to publicise and facilitate such offers to crowd investors. The Guidelines require the operator’s board of directors to be fit and proper and have the ability to operate an orderly, fair and transparent market. As the operator plays a critical role in ensuring confidence in the ECF platform, the Guidelines entrust the operator with obligations to ensure issuers’ compliance with platform rules. Under this framework, an eligible issuer can raise up to RM3 million within a 12-month period. Issuers will be able to tap on investments from retail, sophisticated as well as angel investors, subject to the investment limits as provided in the Guidelines. 3. MAS NewCo ramps up Malaysia Airlines MAS NewCo (NewCo), the company taking over Malaysia Airlines as part of the restructuring of the national carrier, will see rationalisation in aggregate capacity by more than 10 per cent this year, with the focus on more profitable domestic and regional routes. Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which owns 70 per cent of MAS said this in the second MAS Recovery Plan (MRP) quarterly progress update in Marrch . It said implementation of the 12point MRP continues and showed steady and sustained progress in all key areas since its announcement on August 29 last year.

Kim Teck Cheong Consolidated Bhd’s (KTC) group managing director Datuk Lau Koh Sing (fourth left), executive director Dexter Lau (third right) as well as company chairman Datuk Kamal Quadra (ﬁfth right), KTC’s independent non-executive director Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (fourth right) and other board of directors at Bursa Malaysia’s listing hall prior to the company’s listing on Nov 25 last year.

For changes to be made to the ﬁnal text, it will need new discussions with all related countries. Right now, our focus is to make sure our engagement and outreach programmes on the TPPA go out to as many Malaysians as possible before I present it to Parliament at the end of January 2016. Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI)

Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh (fourth right), Permodalan ASSAR Sdn Bhd’s executive chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Bujang Noor (ﬁfth right) together with stakeholders looking at a replica of Borneo Island City, a development in Muara Tebas, Kuching which could become a new landmark for Sarawak in the future.

Specifically, NewCo plans to grow the domestic and Asean routes capacity by 6 to 8 per cent per annum and the Asia-Pacific by 5 per cent to build its Kuala Lumpur hub connectivity. MAS will also review its European and Middle Eastern routes to focus on network contribution and profitability. 4. GST comes into play On April 1, 2015, the implementation of the new taxation system, Goods and Services Tax (GST) took effect. The Royal Customs Department revealed on December 14 that it has collected over RM30 billion in GST since implementation, which exceeded its original targetted amount. To date, more than 400,000 companies are registered under the GST in Malaysia. 5. First phase of Pan Borneo Highway launched The Pan Borneo Highway will be toll-free as it is the main artery connecting Sarawak and Sabah, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. In making this pledge when launching the first phase of the highway on April 1, he said the situation was unlike that in Peninsular Malaysia where the North-South Expressway was the main link and there were many alternative routes. Subsequent phases of the Pan Borneo Highway would be built also this year, with the next launch expected to take place in September. The whole Pan Borneo Highway, to be built at a cost of RM27 billion, involves the construction and upgrading of 1,663 kilometres of road in Sarawak and Sabah, with 936km in Sarawak and 727km in Sabah. The current project in Sarawak involves the construction of 919 kilometres of a single carriageway from Tanjung Datu to Sematan and a dual carriageway from Sematan to Merapok. 6. Borneo Island City a new landmark for the state Borneo Island City is set to be a new landmark for Sarawak as a vibrant resort-city which will spur

with KKB venth left) g director se , g in d n ta Satem (s p managin Sri Adenan Might Sdn Bhd’s grou ight’s staﬀ during the n Ta i g g in at cum Ocean and OceanM ter Datuk P Chief Minis Bhd’s (KKB) chairman left) as well as KKB in April last year. th g h b n g ing, ei uara Te as Engineeri Beng (stand s fabrication yard at M ak K o h K o ht’ Dat f OceanMig oﬃciating o

the modernisation of Kuching. The project, launched on April 15, is spearheaded by ASSAR Industri Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Permodalan Assar Sdn Bhd (ASSAR), and Le Parker International (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. As a green city with a beautiful environment, the project will be an integrated development that promotes affordable lifestyle spread over an area of 1,400 acres. It will be an iconic township combining modern amenities amidst the natural setting of mangrove forest with man-made environmental friendly lakeside living. 7. Tony Fernandes makes Time 100 most influential list AirAsia Bhd chief executive officer and co-founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes has been named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. The annual list in its 12th year takes into account activism, innovation and achievements of the world’s most influential individuals. Fernandes co-founded the budget airline in 2001 with partner Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and purchased the then loss-making AirAsia from its Malaysian owner for RM1 along with its RM40 million debt. AirAsia is currently the largest low-cost carrier in Asia, servicing over 90 destinations. In the last 13 years, the budget airliner has carried over 280 million passengers and now boasts of over 190 aircraft from just two. 8. Unveiling the 11th Malaysia Plan On May 21, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak unveiled the Eleventh Malaysia Plan (11MP) in Parliament, which is the second five-year plan presented by Najib, the first being in 2010. Unlike his previous five-year Malaysia plan, 11MP was presented under gloomier economic outlook due to the weak ringgit and collapse in the global oil price, which have

hurt the country’s revenue. The 11MP forecasted real GDP growth at 5-6 per cent, with inflation targeted to remain below 3 per cent, and private investment growth forecasted at 9.4 per cent, estimated at RM291 billion annually. Gross exports growth were forecast at 4.6 per cent, with a trade balance surplus of RM57.3 billion, and with the recent implementation of the GST, GST collection was forecasted at RM157 billion. Debt wise, it is estimated to drop below 45 per cent with dependence on oil-related revenue to drop to 15 per cent and more than 35 per cent of those employed will comprise skilled workers by 2020. 9. Budget 2016 The month of October was all about numbers as the Budget was tabled in Parliament. On October 23, the 2016 budget allocated a total of RM267.2 billion, an increase from a revised allocation of 260.7 billion from 2015. 10. Making strides with Asean Summit November proved to be a busy month for Malaysia’s diplomatic front as we played host to the 27th Asean and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur from November 18 to 22 of November. The summit was attended by prominent leaders from all over the world, including US President Barack Obama. Highlights of the summit include US President Barack Obama attending a town hall session with ASEAN Youth as part of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative at Taylor’s University lakeside campus and announcing plans to host the leaders of 10 ASEAN nations in 2016. Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang who made their official visit to Malaysia this month, also sealed eight government-to-government memorandums of understanding and agreements in various fields

including trade, culture and administration during the duration of their visit. 11. Banks, financial institutions branching out into Sarawak In a show of interest for the state, many banks and financial service institutions opened up branches here within the final quarter of 2015. In November, KPMG Tax Services Sdn Bhd launched a new office in Miri while Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) expanded its wealth management business with the opening of a private wealth centre in Kuching. With the launch, Maybank’s global network of private wealth centres now stands at five with other centres located in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Hong Kong and London. Maybank’s total private wealth business recorded some RM20 billion in Total Financial Asset (TFA) as at September 2015. Combined with its premier wealth segment, Maybank’s total wealth management business tips the scale at RM150 billion. Also, in the middle of December, OCBC Al-Amin Bank Bhd (OCBC Al-Amin) also opened its first East Malaysian Islamic banking branch in Sibu. The branch, only the third OCBC entity in Sarawak — after the OCBC Bank branches in Kuching and Miri — also features the bank’s first Islamic premier banking centre in East Malaysia. With this, OCBC Al-Amin now has twelve branches nationwide. According to OCBC Al-Amin Chief Executive Officer Syed Abdull Aziz Syed Kechik, the bank had set its sights on expanding into East Malaysia since its establishment in 2008 and was pleased to see the plans coming to fruition. With the opening of the OCBC Al-Amin Sibu branch, OCBC Bank has four branches in East Malaysia, including the three OCBC Bank branches in Kuching, Miri and Kota Kinabalu. Overall, OCBC has 44 branches — 12 Islamic and 32 conventional.

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12. Sabah-based KTC lists, marks best listing in 2015 Sabah-based Kim Teck Cheong Consolidated Bhd debuted on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia with a 130 per cent premium over its initial public offering (IPO) price. Analysts said KTC was the best listing achieved among all the companies listed on Bursa Malaysia this year. The company’s share price jumped as high as 130 per cent to 34.5 sen over its initial public offering (IPO) price of 15 sen, an increase of 19.5 sen soon after its shares were openly traded in the secondary market. KTC’s share price performance on the first day of listing has beaten 10 other companies which made their debut this year. They were Bioalpha Holdings Bhd, Malakoff Corporation Bhd, Dolphin International Bhd, Sedania Innovator Bhd, Xin Hwa Holdings Bhd, Ikhmas Jaya Group Bhd, Sunway Construction Group Bhd, Aemulus Holdings Bhd, Al-Salam REIT and Red Sena Bhd which opened between single and doubledigits percentage growth. Meanwhile, KTC’s IPO also garnered the highest oversubscription rate for this year’s new public issue of shares. The company noted a total of 13,867 applications for 1.59 billion new shares with a value of RM237.97 million were received from the public for a total of 34 million new shares reserved for public subscription, which represented an oversubscription rate of 45.66 times. 13. Malaysia’s first F&B SPAC debuts on Main Market The country saw its first food and beverage (F&B) F&B special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Red Sena Bhd (Red Sena) which made its debut on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia on December 10 at 10.5 sen discount to its offer price of RM0.50. The company has successfully raised a total of RM400 million in proceeds through the public issue of 800 million shares together with warrants on the basis of one warrant to every one public issue share at an issue price of RM0.50 per share. The Bumiputera and Public portion have been oversubscribed by 4.38 times and 4.60 times respectively. Red Sena will place 92 per cent of the proceeds raised from the Initial Public Offering (IPO) in a Cash Trust Account (CTA) to be administered by Maybank Trustees Bhd, and of which at least 80 per cent will be utilised to complete the acquisition of the Company’s QA. 14. Syariah-compliant airline takes off Malaysia’s first syariah-compliant airline, Rayani Air, began operations with its inaugural Langkawi-KLIA2 flight in the middle of December. It will start with five domestic routes in Langkawi, KLIA2, Kota Bharu, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. In accordance with syariah law, female Rayani Air crew members who identify as Muslim must wear a traditional hijab while non-Muslim crew are required to be ‘decently dressed’. All food and beverages served in flight will be halal-certified and a strict no-alcohol policy will be enforced also, while prayers will be recited before the departure of each flight. 15. TPPA talks ongoing, no changes will be made to final text The final Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) document, together with two other cost-and-benefit analyses, prepared by the Malaysian Institute of Strategic and International Studies and PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia and had been made public in early December. No changes will be made to the final text of the TPPA and Malaysia’s participation will be solely decided by Parliament, highlighted Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. “For changes to be made to the final text, it will need new discussions with all related countries. Right now, our focus is to make sure our engagement and outreach programmes on the TPPA go out to as many Malaysians as possible before I present it to Parliament at the end of January 2016,” he told reporters at ‘TPP Programme with Student Representative Council’ involving 300 students from public and private universities here on December 23. The TPPA negotiations, which were first launched in 2005, involved 12 countries — Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, US and Vietnam.

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FBM KLCI looks attractive going into 2016 KUCHING: Analysts predict the local bourse will pick up in the beginning of 2016 as it has been a dignificant laggard on a regional comparison in the past. To note, the benchmark index was a significant laggard in the region back in 2014 as it contracted by 5.7 per cent when Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand’s key indices surged 22.8 per cent, 22.3 per cent and 15.3 per cent respectively. However, the bourse was on a steady upswing since the beginning of the year. It rose steadily from last year’s close of 1,761 to a high of 1,867 in April mainly due to positive external news flows. “The slightly more than 100point increase was driven by a larger-than expected bond buying stimulus plan announced by the European Central Bank (ECB), a recovery in crude oil prices, strong rally in the US equity market due to the Fed’s dovish stance on monetary policy, and an ambitious plan by China to pursue a modern Silk Road. “The rise was stunted by resumption of worries about Greece’s position within the Eurozone, China’s weaker economic growth prospects and its restrictions on margin

The rise was stunted by resumption of worries about Greece’s position within the Eurozone, China’s weaker economic growth prospects and its restrictions on margin trading, weaker growth outlook for US post a harsh winter and net foreign selling that peaked in May. Ta Research.

trading, weaker growth outlook for US post a harsh winter and net foreign selling that peaked in May,” explained Ta Research. TA Research added that the high net foreign selling that has almost equaled last year’s total net outflow in the equity market was made worse by worries about a potential downgrade in sovereign rating by Fitch Ratings. The allegations and continuous mudslinging on issues related 1MDB continued to downplay

market sentiment in June as the index closed lower at 1,706.64. The Fitch Ratings surprise upgrade of Malaysia’s outlook to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ led to a minor rebound in the index as July started but external volatility and domestic concerns kept it at a tight trading range of 53.6 points during the month. China’s unexpected currency devaluation move on August 12 triggered a currency war scare that rippled across emerging

markets. The FBM KLCI plunged to the year’s low of 1,503.68 on August 25 but witnessed a strong rebound to 1,660.22, thanks to the unscheduled cuts in China’s interest rate. Affin Hwang Capital Research noted that on an overall, Malaysia has navigated strong macro headwinds in an ‘orderly and resilient’ manner and despite adjustments to the new reality was ongoing, the research house

believes that Malaysia is looking attractive heading into 2016. “The V-shape recovery was met with strong profit taking as the index dived almost 100 points within the next four trading days,” TA Research said. “It received a shot in the arm a few days later when the government announced the reactivation of Valuecap with RM20 billion fund allocation.” Consensus is now expecting 2015’s earnings to contract by a more significant five per cent compared to one per cent previously. A low base surely makes yearon-year comparison easier with consensus expecting earnings growth of eight per cent in 2016. “We are raising our end-2016’s fair value for the FBM KLCI from 1,750 to 1,800 implying a potential upside of eight per cent from the current level of 1,665.

“The prolonged negative earnings revision cycle is still a concern considering the downbeat guidance on sales and margins from corporates. “Nonetheless, we are unmoved. “The market may trade higher in 2016 because of a likely decline in perceived risk premium. “We believe that risk appetite may return ahead of a positive inflexion in the earnings cycle,” said AmResearch Sdn Bhd (AmResearch). The economy appears to be more resilient than feared with analysts forecasting GDP growth of 4.6 per cent for 2016. “We expect domestic demand growth to be supported by the private sector spending. “Private sector investment is expected to lead the momentum of investment growth going forward,” it enthused.

10 market milestones of 2015 LONDON: From the Swiss franc’s record rise in January to the near certainty of a historic US interest rate hike in December, 2015 was a far more volatile year for financial markets than most predicted 12 months ago. Bond yields across Europe plunged well below zero, the Dow Jones fell 1,000 points in one day in August and turmoil in Chinese stocks turned a downturn across emerging markets into a rout.

No fewer than 43 central banks eased policy. While the direction of these moves may have surprised few observers, the scale, speed and depth caught most off guard. This suggests a high degree of complacency permeated markets throughout the year, although a lack of liquidity was often blamed. Below are 10 key market milestones that defined the year globally.

1. Swiss franc roll On Jan 15, the Swiss National Bank stunned markets by scrapping its three-year old cap on the franc at 1.20 per euro. The franc soared as much as 40 per cent, with the euro hitting a record low of 0.8500 francs. 2. Bund tantrum German bonds collapsed in May and June, a violent reversal from the previous year-long rally that had driven the 10-year yield to a record low 0.05 per cent on April 17. The break below zero never happened, and less than two months later it was almost back at 1 per cent. 3. Sub-zero euro yields It was dubbed the ‘Japanification’ of the euro zone — a spiral of falling inflation, ECB bond buying and falling bond yields. Some of the numbers are startling. Around 2 trillion euros worth of euro zone sovereign bonds, a third of all outstanding, now trade with a negative yield. German 2-year yield at -0.45 per cent and yields on all German bonds out to 7 years maturity below zero. In Switzerland, 10-year yields fell to -0.41 per cent. 4. The big easy 2015 was the year of central bank largesse, despite the Fed moving towards a rate hike. A total of 43 monetary authorities eased policy, including “serial easers” like China and Russia. The year was book ended by the ECB, announcing its 1 trillion euro programme in January and extension in December. The drive to loosen policy revived talk of a global ‘currency war’. 5. China crisis Worries over China’s economy peaked in the summer, resulting in a 45% plunge in Chinese stocks, accelerated capital flight and a record fall in FX reserves. Selling was fueled by the perception that Beijing was increasingly powerless to halt the tide despite taking a wide range of measures. Beijing devalued the yuan on Aug 11. 6. Submerging markets The combination of China’s travails, persistently weak commodity prices and the prospect of higher US interest rates was a ‘triple whammy’ for emerging markets. Virtually no asset or country was spared, with net capital flows to EM set to be negative for the first year since 1988. Some fared worse than others: The currencies of Brazil, South Africa and Turkey fell to their lowest levels on record, and Brazil GDP had its biggest fall ever. 7. Grexit drama Greece came closer than ever to crashing out of the euro, defaulting on an International Monetary Fund loan. A referendum on a third international bailout was called in late June after the Syriza government called off talks with creditors. Deep political turmoil ensued, finance minister Yanis Varoufakis resigned and capital controls were introduced. A bailout was eventually agreed weeks later, but not before 2-year Greek yields soared to 60 per cent and volatility spread through world markets. 8. Dow’s summertime blues On Aug 24, the Dow Jones Industrials Average had its biggest fall in four years, plunging more than 1,000 points at the open to eventually settle down 588 points on the day. It was the index’s eighth largest points fall ever. The trigger was the mounting concern over China — Shanghai stocks tumbled nearly 9 per cent that day. In the space of a week, the Dow fell more than 10 per cent. 9. Toxic trio triumph? A year ago, there weren’t too many investors piling into the bonds of Argentina, Venezuela and Ukraine. They weren’t called the ‘toxic trio’ for nothing. But those who were brave enough have come up smelling of roses. Ukrainian bonds are the world’s best performers this year, returning almost 50 per cent, and Venezuela and Argentina are number two and three. 10. Fed up ... finally After a few false starts - most notably the ‘Taper Tantrum’ in May 2013 and September this year — the Fed has paved the way for the first rise in US interest rates since June 2006. Domestic and overseas markets have moved in advance. The dollar hit a 13-year high and the US yield curve flattened, while Wall Street has struggled and emerging markets have slumped. — Reuters

KUCHING: The two key themes which are expected by analysts to ‘hog’ the spotlight in the banking sector next year are asset quality and liquidity. RHB Research Institute Sdn Bhd (RHB Research) said in its ‘Banks’ sector update that it expected asset quality to be among the forefront of investors’ concerns ahead. According to RHB Research, banks are heading into softer macroeconomic conditions, amid above-average credit growth in recent years as households continue to leverage up. The research house noted that as for the business segment, weaker consumer spending and macroeconomic conditions, coupled with low commodity prices, are potential factors that may impact asset quality ahead. It further noted that even more disconcerting, sector loan loss coverage (LLC) has dropped to 83 per cent in the third quarter of 2015 (3Q15). “This raises concerns that banks may not have built up sufficient loss coverage as we enter the soft patch ahead,” it said. On another note, RHB Research pointed out that potentially, early signs of stress may have surfaced. The research house said that 3Q15 sector impaired loans rose seven per cent quarter on quarter (q-o-q) while loan impairment allowance surged 57 per cent q-o-q. “Even banks that are domesticbased saw a sizeable rise in impaired loans,” it added. On system deposit growth, it has softened significantly (September: up 5.4 per cent year on year (y-oy)) due to, among others, capital outflows and weaker underlying economic activities, in RHB Research’s view. “Thus, system loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) had risen to 91 per cent at end-3Q15 (2014: 87 per cent), a level unseen since the Asian

Asset quality, liquidity key themes for banking sector in 2016 Financial Crisis (AFC)

days,” it said. Baring a sharp reversal in capital flows, the research house expected system deposit growth to moderate further due to weaker macroeconomic conditions. Meanwhile, RHB Research expected the above factors to constrain asset growth, keep net interest margins (NIMs) under pressure and see credit cost rise ahead, all of which the research house has modelled in its numbers. “That said, banks’ earnings are more sensitive to credit cost and NIMs, and we think downside risks to earnings would likely stem from these two factors,” it said. RHB Research projected underlying sector net profit to rise five per cent y-o-y in 2016 (2015F: flat y-o-y) on the back of operating income growth of five per cent y-o-y. The research house noted that 2016F net interest income is expected to rise by a modest four per cent y-o-y, with loan growth of seven per cent partly offset by seven basis points (bps) NIM compression. “Non-interest income growth is expected to remain relatively stable at six per cent y-o-y,” it said. RHB Research expected 2016F operating expense growth to ease

to three per cent y-o-y, as the cost restructuring exercises in 2015 kick in. The research house noted that this ought to result in the cost-toincome ratio trending down to 47.5 per cent in 2016F from 48.3 per cent in 2015F. These, however, would be partly offset by higher loan impairment allowances (up 21 per cent y-o-y), as the research house projected sector credit cost to rise to 37bps from 33bps in 2015F. On a side note, RHB Research said that 2016F sector earnings per share (EPS), however, is projected to rise by a mere modest two per cent. “This is due to dilution from 2015’s capital-raising exercises and ongoing capital preservation initiatives,” it said. The research house further noted that similarly, 2016 sector return on equity (ROE) is expected to be diluted further to 10.9 per cent from 2015’s 11.3 per cent, as sector leverage continues to trend lower due to the Basel III capital requirements. Despite the challenging banking environment ahead, RHB Research is keeping its ‘neutral’ sector call. The research house underlined that the sector currently trades at 2016F price-earnings (P/E) and price-to-book value (P/BV) of

11.3-fold and 1.2-fold, below their respective -1 standard deviation (SD) levels of 12.4-fold and 1.6-fold respectively. While valuations may appear undemanding (sector P/BV is close to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) low of 1.17-fold), RHB Research believed that this is fair. “This is as our 2016F-2017F ROEs of 10.8 to 10.9 per cent are lower than the 12 per cent ROE posted back during the GFC period,” it said. Given the challenging macroeconomic environment, RHB Research liked banks that offer strong and predictable book value growth to continue creating shareholders value. The research house noted that this would entail a combination of superior returns, sound earnings predictability (for example, less reliant on markets-related income) and/or solid asset quality. “Also, banks with relatively lower market risk should aid in insulating book value against adverse bond yield and foreign exchange rate movements,” it said. Public Bank Bhd meets the criteria above and is RHB Reserach’s preferred pick, although the research house thought upside potential may be capped by valuations that appear to have priced in much of the positives. RHB Research’s least preferred pick is CIMB Group Holdings Bhd. Although the full impact of the cost savings from the restructuring of its investment bank (IB) and mutual separation scheme (MSS) exercise should be felt in 2016, the research house expected loan provisioning to remain elevated, dampening bottomline growth. “We also believe the risk of another capital call has risen significantly, as returns in recent quarters have been impacted by restructuring costs and loan impairment allowances,” it said.

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500,000 take part in Bersih 4 rally AS many as 500,000 people participate in the two-day Bersih 4 rally that took place from Aug 29-30 in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah calls Bersih 4 a ‘historic’ achievement that proved a mass protest did not necessarily have to end in violence.

According to Malay Mail Online, on the first day, thousands of protesters marched along the streets of the Kuala Lumpur towards Dataran Merdeka for the Bersih 4 rally. There were reports of roadblocks on various roads leading to the city, according to organisers Bersih 2.0 on its Facebook page. Crowds dressed in yellow started

gathering at various meeting points like Sogo, Pasar Seni and Dataran Maybank, as they headed towards Dataran Merdeka that had been sealed off by police. Protesters marching towards Dataran Merdeka could also be heard shouting ‘Bersih’, blowing horns and waving Malaysian flags. Four police trucks were spotted

at Dataran Merdeka, with more heading towards the historic square. Polls reform group Bersih 2.0 said demonstrators would gather around the historic square that is being used for rehearsals for Merdeka Day celebrations on Monday, Aug 31. The police had prohibited the Bersih 4 rally, which called for institutional reforms and for Prime

Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy. Despite Bersih 2.0’s assertions, deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said police estimated the crowd to have reached some 50,000 and not half a million people as Chin claimed.

1MDB controversy roils PM administration MALAYSIANS are transfixed by months of allegations that billions of ringgit have disappeared from deals involving heavily indebted state investment company 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched in 2009 with himself as the chairman of the fund’s advisory board. A special task force was formed on March 6 made up of the Royal Malaysian Police (RMP), the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the AttorneyGeneral’s Chambers to look into allegations of funds mismanagement in 1MDB. On July 2, the Wall Street Journal reported that nearly $700 million (RM2.6 bln) was deposited into Najib’s personal bank accounts beginning in early 2013. Najib initially rejected the Journal report, and both he and 1MDB vehemently denied any wrongdoing. But members of his cabinet and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) acknowledged the transfers, calling them ‘political donations’ from unidentified Middle Eastern sources, saying there was nothing improper but giving no further details. The accounts had since been closed and the whereabouts of the money is unknown. The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily, known for reporting extensively on allegations levelled at 1MDB had their publishing permits suspended for three months beginning July 27 by the Home Ministry. The suspension came days after the authorities blocked access to UK-based online news portal, Sarawak Report. Najib sparked free-speech concerns by saying his government would step up Internet regulation. A special task force comprising the AGC, MACC, RMP and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) raided three companies linked to the alleged funds to Najib’s accounts: SRC International Sdn Bhd, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd. They obtained several documents linked to the alleged distribution of funds to the prime miinister’s account, said then-AttorneyGeneral Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail. Abdul Gani stepped down from his post as A-G later on July 27 for health reasons and was replaced by former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali the next day. The ringgit plunged to a 17-year low

in August following deteriorating investor sentiment over controversy linked to 1MDB. The Ringgit becomes Asia’s worst-performing currency this year after it loses around 11 per cent against the US dollar. On Sept 2, Swiss authorities had frozen funds in Swiss banks amid a probe on 1MDB on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had fiercely attacked Najib over the scandal and called for his resignation. On Oct 12, he and some United Malays National Organisation (Umno) leaders, including Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, jointly demanded resolution of the 1MDB state fund scandal at a news conference in Putrajaya. Malaysia’s nine state sultans, in a rare joint statement early October, said that the scandal

had created a ‘crisis of confidence’ and called for a full investigation. Najib appeared briefly in parliament on Oct 19, which met for the first time since the revelation in July of the deposits into his accounts but made no comment on the corruption allegations. A number of questions forwarded by Opposition members for Najib and the 1MDB to answer on the floor of the legislature were rejected. PKR President Dr Wan Azizah filed a noconfidence vote against Najib on behalf of the three-party opposition coalition, seeking to call Najib to account over the controversy. Najib stressed that the donation deposited into his account was neither from a public fund nor 1MDB during an interview with TV3 on Dec 7.

“The Donors have been verified and found by the MACC and the commission has also obtained their statements.” On why the fund was deposited into his account, Najib explained that it was the donor’s wish and the donations was made in a personal capacity, saying that the Bank Negara was notified when the account was created. The MACC confirmed sending its officials to the Middle East to meet with the RM2.6 billion donor. At the time of writing, MACC will be submitting the findings of its investigations on SRC International and on the RM2.6 billion donation to the prime minister next week. Under the MACC Act 2009, however, the name of the donor will not be revealed. — Agencies

The mysterious case of DPP Kevin Morais

The 34-hour long Bersih 4 rally saw tens of thousands gather at the fringes of Dataran Merdeka throughout the weekend while hundreds remained to sleep on the streets on Saturday night. The rally ended peacefully despite previous threats by Putrajaya of a crackdown after declaring the rally and its paraphernalia illegal.

Muhyiddin gets put in the hot seat THE video recording of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s speech at a gathering, ‘Bersama Timbalan Presiden UMNO’ at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Baru Dec 17, would be scrutinised by a special UMNO committee. UMNO secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the committee would investigate whether a violation of the party’s constitution had been committed. He said the outcome of the investigation would be referred to UMNO’s Disciplinary Board and Supreme Council. “I heard that he made a speech yesterday. I also identified those who had attended. I have given the video recording to the special committee to scrutinise and then we will bring it to the attention of the party’s disciplinary board and supreme council for a decision,” he told Bernama. He said Muhyiddin should have used the appropriate platform to express his sentiments on issues relating to the party’s internal affairs, instead of drawing public attention to them. “He had agreed to accept any decision made by the supreme council, so that’s what he should do,” said Tengku Adnan. Muhyiddin made the speech following a decision by UMNO that the deputy president would not launch the party’s delegates’ meeting for its three wings, Wanita, Pemuda and Puteri during the UMNO General Assembly 2015. Also present at the gathering were former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and UMNO vice president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal as well as veteran party member Tan Sri Aziz Yassin. — Bernama

Muhyiddin is dropped in cabinet reshuﬄe PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak drops Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as his deputy prime minister on July 29, appointing Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The cabinet reshuffle saw three other ministers and one deputy minister being dropped: Datuk Seri G Palanivel, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, Datuk Seri Hasan Malek and Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin. The new full ministers include Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, Datuk Hamzah Zainudin, Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, Datuk Seri Azalina Datuk Othman Said, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan and Senator Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Mohd Salleh Tun Said Keruak. The new deputy ministers include Datuk Wira Mohd Johari Baharum, Datuk Mas Ermiyeati Samsudin, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, Senator Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Datuk Dusuki, Senator Chong Sin Woon, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, Masir Kujat and Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani. Prior to the Cabinet reshuffle, Muhyiddin had been openly critical on his views regarding Najib’s involvement with the controversial 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

SIX men are charged with the murder of Deputy Public Prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais while two others, including a military doctor, were accused of abetting the offence. Kevin’s remains were found in a cemented drum at Persiaran Subang Mewah, Subang Jaya on Sept 16. He was reported missing on Sept 4 and last seen leaving his apartment at Menara Duta to Putrajaya in a Proton Perdana with registration number WA6262Q. Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali reiterated on November 26 that Kevin was not involved in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case. He was responding to Kevin’s brother, Charles Suresh’s allegations that Kevin’s murder was linked to a charge sheet being prepared in the Attorney-General’s Chambers against a senior government official associated with 1MDB. Charles was also reported to have certain information stored in a pendrive sent to him by Kevin, and was in the United States with a person who had been instructed to disclose its contents to the public in the event of an untoward incident. Police said they would record a statement from him. Suspects charged with the murder of DPP Kevin Morais (picture inset).

Swiss national Justo arrested in Thailand on blackmail charges Xavier Andre Justo is arrested on June 22 and investigated by Thai police for allegedly blackmailing his ex-employer PetroSaudi. On Aug 17, Justo is sentenced to three years’ jail by the South Bangkok Criminal Court for stealing 90 gigabytes of data that included emails, documents and other materials from PetroSaudi International and attempting to blackmail his former employer.

According to Thai police, Justo admitted meeting some people in Singapore prior to his arrest to negotiate on the handing over of PetroSaudi documents in his possession. “He negotiated about the price to give them all the copies of the documents in electronic files,” Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Prawuth Thavornsiri said. Thai police knew the identity of the people that Justo had met

based on his own admission as well as evidence collected and details from sources such as Justo’s cellphone and personal computer. Justo was reported in the Malaysian media as having met with members of a Malaysian opposition group and a media owner in Singapore prior to his arrest in Thailand on June 22. However, Prawuth said Justo denied tampering with or changing the original documents.

“He (Justo) didn’t change. He gave them the original documents in electronic files,” Prawuth said when asked if Justo admitted to tampering with the documents. He said Justo would not be extradited as the offence was committed in Thailand. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed that police had completed taking statements from Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo on the 1Malay-

sia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue in Bangkok on Dec 16. According to him, Justo had given full cooperation to facilitate police investigations into issues related to 1MDB. “My officers will return today… they will present the outcome of their interview with Justo,” he told reporters. Khalid however, declined to disclose matters raised in the interview with the former

PetroSaudi International employee. He added that the police investigation on the 1MDB issue was expected to be completed after they received relevant documents from its Thai counterpart. On Dec 15, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) team led by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (Investigation/Legal) deputy director Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh was tasked to interview Justo. — Bernama

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Sirul remains in Australia

Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin

Math whiz sentenced for possessing childporn MAJLIS AMANAH RAKYAT (Mara) loan student Nur Fitri Azmeer Nordin, 23, is sentenced to 18 months in prison on 13 offences of possessing more than 30,000 pornographic images and videos of children on April 30. According to British newspapers, the mathematics student attending Imperial College London was arrested during a raid at his home in Queensborough Terrace nearby Hyde Park on Nov 20 last year. He was found in possession of 600 category ‘A’ videos and images — defined by the British authorities as ‘extreme form of child sexual abuse’. Police found his laptop open next to a child-sized mannequin. Mara, which was reported to have sent Nur Fitri to London to further his studies last year, terminated the study loan upon his conviction. On June 19, Mara chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa confirmed that the British authority had granted Mara extradition request for Nur Fitri. Mara’s extradition request, consideration to appeal for a lighter sentence as well as offering him a second chance to complete his studies locally sparked outrage from the Malaysian public as they took to social media to voice their discontent. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, however, was reported on May 8 saying that he did not agree with comments and proposals by certain parties that the government would appeal Nur Fitri’s case for a lesser sentence, what more, using taxpayers money for the purpose. “Nur Fitri was on trial in Britain under the laws of the country and given a chance to defend himself and he pleaded guilty. We must respect the law of the country and anyone found guilty must be punished,” he said in his najibrazak. com blog. According to media reports in early December, Nur Fitri was said to have returned to Malaysia under a cloak of secrecy.

File photo of Rohingya migrants being checked after their arrival in Malaysia. Until now 45,000 Rohingya have been registed in Malaysia and 20,000 of them have still not been registered. — Bernama photo

Victims of human trafficking uncovered TRANSIT camps uncovered by Malaysian authorities in the Wang Kelian area in Perlis are believed to have been used to hold human trafficking victims who had been ‘bought’ by the main agent called ‘Yassin’. This was revealed by Kedah Rohingya Society in Malaysia (RSM) deputy chairman, Yusof Ali to Bernama on May 28, adding that Yassin was a Rohingya who was known to be one of the main agents of the human trafficking syndicate. He said although he was from Myanmar, Yassin, who is in his 30s, lived in southern Thailand, and the operations of the human trafficking syndicate he headed reached up to Malaysia. “Based on information received, he is the agent responsible for buying Rohingyas and Bangladeshis from a syndicate in southern Thailand at a fixed price and keeping them temporarily in transit camps in Wang Kelian before selling them to other parties. “Yassin is a big agent of the human trafficking syndicate and his name is known among many Rohingyas who are in Malaysia and were his victims,” said Yusof, who has been living in Malaysia for 20 years. Yusof, who is from Maungdaw, a town close to the MyanmarBangladesh border, also disclosed that the transit camps in Wang

Kelian had been operating for two to three years. His disclosure was supported by his friend, Mohammad Hussain Abu Hassan, who is also an active member of Kedah RSM which provides assistance to Rohingyas who are new arrivals from Myanmar. Three days prior, InspectorGeneral of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar announced the discovery of 139 graves and 28 transit camps which had been abandoned by the human trafficking syndicate in Wang Kelian, near the Malaysia-Thailand border.

Nurul Izzah draws furor over meet with Jacel H Kiram POLICE record a statement from Tian Chua in connection with the controversial meeting between Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Jacel H on Dec 4. Jacel is the daughter of a former Sulu terrorist chief who invaded Lahad Datu, Sabah in 2013. Nurul Izzah in a statement previously admitted she met Jacel on Nov 9 while in the Philippines with Batu member of parliament, Tian Chua as part of the PKR delegation’s meeting with that country’s stakeholders. The Batu MP turned up at the Federal Police Headquarters in Bukit Aman about 11.30am, accompanied by his lawyer, R. Sivarasa, as well as several supporters. Speaking to reporters later, Tian Chua said he had given full cooperation to facilitate police investigations and the issue should be settled amicably. Meanwhile, Criminal Investigation Department (Investigation/Legal) deputy director, Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh confirmed the police had recorded Tian Chua’s statement. He said the case was investigated under Section 124L of the Penal

Nurul Izzah (left) and Jacel holding banners demanding Anwar’s immediate release.

Code for attempted sabotage. The Nurul Izzah-Jacel meeting had angered the people of Sabah and family members of those who were killed in the Lahad Datu incident, to the extent the Sabah State Assembly on Nov 26, passed a motion to bar Tian Chua and Nurul Izzah from entering the state. On Nov 9, Jacel had uploaded four photographs of her meeting with Nurul Izzah in her Facebook account, which drew the ire of various quarters in the country. On Dec 3, Parliament approved the motion to refer Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar to the Rights and Privileges Committee over meeting Jacel. In a bloc voting called by the

opposition, the house passed the motion 105 for and 77 against. The motion was earlier tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. In her winding up speech, Azalina said the committee was the best platform for Nurul Izzah to give her clarification and the real picture on what had actually transpired. “The committee comprises members of Parliament from the Barisan Nasional and the opposition. Rather than giving excuses, Lembah Pantai (Nurul Izzah) should enforce the right to be heard directly at the committee.” She was also barred from entering Sarawak on Dec 7.

The police forensics team had discovered three decomposed bodies from the graves in the transit camps. Yusof said what happened in human trafficking activities was that the big agents like Yassin would buy the Rohingyas or Bangladeshis who had just arrived in southern Thailand. “Because he lives and operates in southern Thailand, Yassin has close ties with other syndicate leaders who are either Thai citizens or Myanmar nationals from the Rakhine community. Yusof said Yassin would then hold the people he had just bought in a specific location such as a transit camp in the jungle of Wang

Kelian before distributing them to smaller agents for a fixed fee which would earn him multiple-fold profits. “The smaller agents or their people would transport these new arrivals to various parts of Malaysia,” he said. He added that Wang Kelian’s location surrounded by thick jungle, steep limestone hills close to the Thai border made it a favourite route of the human trafficking syndicates. Wang Kelian’s border post is located opposite that of Wan Prakob, Satun and for the past few years, visitors could walk freely between the Malaysia-Thai border on weekends through the border posts without a passport. However, this freedom has now been stopped for security reason. Asked about the latest news on Yassin, Yusof said he was believed to have escaped by slipping back into Myanmar after his activities in southern Thailand were exposed by the authorities there. “I have been informed by my sources that Yassin escaped to Myanmar, not long after the Thai authorities exposed his involvement in the syndicate,” he said. He added that Yassin now probably felt safer in Myanmar, his country of origin, than in Thailand where he was being hunted.

How an RM800 handphone sparked the Low Yat brawl FIGHTING breaks out on July 12 at Low Yat Plaza in Kuala Lumpur after Shahrul Anuar Abdul Aziz, an unemployed man, is allegedly caught stealing an RM800 handphone from Techasia Boutique on July 11. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Abu Bakar denied allegations on social media that the fighting arose out of racial issues and that it only involved two parties. He stated that there was no fighting or riots at the Low Yat Plaza in the city and the situation was under control. Checks by Bernama found hundreds of people had gathered in front of the plaza at about 8 pm on July 12, believed to be friends of Shahrul Anuar who was detained by police after he had been involved in a fight there on July 11. The 7.38 pm incident started after Shahrul Anuar was detained by Plaza Low Yat security guards when he was accused of stealing a handphone. The owner of the shop, See Ming Ho, 28, had claimed the suspect pretended to want to buy a Lenovo S860 telephone before running off with it. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Police

CONVICTED murderer Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar is arrested by immigration authorities on Jan 20 after Interpol issues a red notice for his arrest and is detained at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney. The IGP said the police would discuss with the Attorney-General’s Chambers to have Sirul Azhar extradited to Malaysia to serve his sentence for the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006. Sirul Azhar and Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri were charged in the High Court with the murder of the 28-year-old Altantuya in 2006 and convicted in 2009. On Aug 23, 2013, the Court of Appeal allowed an appeal by Sirul Azhar, 43, and Azilah, 38, and acquitted them. However on Jan 13 this year, the Federal Court overturned the decision of the Court of Appeal and upheld the High Court decision convicting both men to death. Sirul Azhar was not present in court when the Federal Court delivered its judgement. Khalid said that based on the information he had received from Australian authorities, Sirul Azhar was arrested on Tuesday in Queensland and was being held at an immigration detention centre. “We will have discussions with the Attorney-General’s Chambers first,” he told BERNAMA, in Kuala Lumpur. The court then issued a warrant of arrest for him. On July 8, an allegation had gone viral on WhatsApp, that Sirul was planning to make disclosures regarding the person who ordered him to kill Altantuya. His lawyer, Hasnal Rezua Merican said that Sirul Azhar would not do so and that he would not want to return to Malaysia following the death sentence passed on him.

Azilah escorted out of the Shah Alam High Court by police personnel. — Bernama photo

Shahrul Anuar (left) being escorted to court. — Bernama photo

Chief Datuk Tajudin Md Isa when met by reporters said police detained three more individuals at the plaza. Those detained were between 22 to 25 years old. At the Magistrate’s Court Shahrul Anuar pleaded not guilty on July 14 to stealing the RM800 mobile phone He had earlier pleaded guilty after the charge was read out to him twice. “Yes, I did it but there is no evidence,” he said. Magistrate Nur Aminahtul Mardiah asked Shahrul Anuar’s lawyer Shahrudin Ali whether he had advised his client on the charge. Shahrudin said: “His guilty plea is a surprise to me as I had advised him not to plead guilty,” he said. Shahrul Anuar changed his plea to not guilty after the charge was read out to him the third time. The charge, under section 380 of the Penal Code, provides for a maximum jail term of 10 years

and a fine upon conviction. Deputy Public Prosecutor Suhaimi Ibrahim proposed bail to be set at RM5,000 with one surety. Shahrudin asked for a lower bail amount. “Yes, I did it but there is no evidence,” he said. The three workers at the telecommunication outlet at Low Yat Plaza were fined RM1,800 in default two months’ jail each, by the Magistrate’s Court here on Aug 9 for causing hurt to Shahrul Anuar. Low Leong Seng, 29, Eric Chan Weng, 23, and Soo Weng Hing, 26, admitted before magistrate Muhamad Faizal Ismail to injuring Shahrul Anuar Abdul Aziz, 22, at 4.57 pm on June 11. According to the facts of the case, one Mohamad Khairul Azmi Mazlan, 22, had entered a shop at the building with the victim to look for his missing phone but failed to find it.

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Kuwaiti security forces gather outside the Shiite Al-Imam al-Sadeq mosque after it was targeted by a suicide bombing during Friday prayers in Kuwait City. — AFP photo

IS drops simultaneous attacks across France and Tunisia

20 killed, 125 injured

Policemen inspect the cordoned-oﬀ site of a bomb blast at the popular Erawan shrine in the heart of Bangkok’s tourist and commercial centre. — AFP photo

in Bangkok blast BANGKOK: A bomb explodes near a religious shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection on Monday (Aug 17) killing 20 people, including five Malaysians, and injuring 125 others. The blast that hit the Erawan shrine was Thailand’s worst single masscasualty attack, killing 20 people — most of them ethnic Chinese tourists from across Asia. According to witnesses, body parts were scattered across the street after the explosion outside the Erawan Shrine in the downtown Chidlom district. Charred and shattered motorcycles littered the scene, along with broken glass. Of the five Malaysian casualties, four were all from one family, travelling on holiday in Bangkok in a group of seven. They were Lim Su Gaik, 49, Lee Chee Siang, 35, Lee Jing Sian, 4, and Neoh Kah Chun, 20. The fifth Malaysian was Lim Su See, 52. The Bangkok Post also reported that police had defused a second bomb in the area. Adem Karadag, whose full name is Bilal Mohammed, is one of two foreigners arrested in connection with the Aug 17 attack. Thai Police were convinced that Karadag was the same man seen in closed-circuit television footage wearing a yellow T-shirt and placing a backpack at the Erawan Shrine moments before the explosion. Police say he was found in possession of bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake

A man wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a backpack is seen walking near the Erawan shrine, where a bomb blast killed 22 people on Monday, in Bangkok, Thailand in this handout still image taken from closedcircuit television (CCTV) footage, released by the Thai Police on August 18, 2015. — Reuters photo

A relative of one of the victims cries after the incident. — AFP photo

Mieraili had confessed to delivering the backpack bomb to another man who left it at the Erawan Shrine minutes before the explosion. Thai police

Turkish passports. A second man, Yusufu Mieraili, was detained two days later on the border with Cambodia. He was allegedly found in possession of a Chinese passport which police believed was genuine. “Mieraili had confessed to delivering the backpack bomb to another man who left it at the Erawan Shrine minutes before the explosion,” said Police. The Royal Malaysian Police

(PDRM) were hunting down three more individuals linked to the bombing in Bangkok on Aug 17. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said PDRM was informed by Thai authorities that the suspects were believed to be in Malaysia. However, Malaysia needed biometric information and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test result of the trio to facilitate identification and detention.

Home Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid said there was a possibility that the three individuals had direct or indirect links to the bombing. Eight suspects were arrested for investigation before being extradited to Thailand. In other details of the attack, Schoochart said Karadag relayed how he followed orders from another man, Abdulah Abdullahman, and was unpaid. Speculation on the motive of the attack has centred on a link to militants or supporters of the Uighurs, an ethnic group who say they face severe persecution in China, after Thailand forcibly repatriated 109 of the minority in July. On Sept 25, police believed Karadag was the main culprit. A total of 17 arrest warrants had been issued for suspects carrying Chinese, Turkish, Thai and Pakistani passports.Outgoing Thai Police Chief Somyot insists the motive for the Bangkok bombing is anger among people-smugglers, not retaliation by militants for deporting Uighurs.

Worst mass shooting strikes America SAN BERNARDINO, United States: A heavily armed man and woman in their 20s die in a shootout with police after killing 14 people at a Christmas party in California in America’s worst mass shooting in three years, authorities said. Police identify the pair as Syed Farook, a 28-year-old US citizen who worked for the local county, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, a Pakistani woman he married in 2014 in Saudi Arabia. The shooters targeted a yearend party taking place at a social

services center in San Bernardino, about an hour’s drive east of Los Angeles, killing 14 people and wounding 17 more. According to Burguan, Farook was an environmental inspector who had worked for the county health department for five years. He and Malik were dressed in military-style gear and carried assault weapons as they burst into the auditorium where the bloodbath took place. The hall was let out for the holiday party by the Inland Regional Center for the disabled.

Rescue crews tend to the injured in the intersection outside the Inland Regional Centre in San Bernardino, California. — Reuters photo

PARIS: A gunman shoots dozens at a Tunisian beach resort, a suicide bomber targets a mosque in Kuwait and in France, a lone killer pins a decapitated head to the gates of a factory, in an international Islamist assault on June 26. The killings were not apparently coordinated, but the Islamic State group claimed the bloody attacks in Tunisia and Kuwait, which come just days before the first anniversary of when it declared its ‘caliphate’ spanning Iraq and Syria. Thirty-eight people — most of them British tourists but also including Germans, Belgians and French — were shot dead at the packed Tunisian Mediterranean resort of Port el Kantaoui after a man pulled out a gun hidden inside a beach umbrella. IS said the gunman, who they identified as Abu Yahya alQayrawani, was a ‘solider of the caliphate’ who had targeted enemies of the jihadist group and ‘dens (of…) fornication, vice and apostasy.’ The jihadists also claimed the suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in a rare attack on Kuwait in which 27 people were killed, and Islamist flags were found at the site of the French attack. The bloodshed came on the second Friday of the holy month of Ramadan in which Muslims observe a fast from dawn to sunset every day. On June 23, Islamic State group spokesman Abu Mohammed alAdnani called for Muslims to engage

in jihad and become martyrs during Ramadan. “The best acts that bring you closer to God are jihad, so hurry to it and make sure to carry out the invasion this holy month and be exposed to martyrdom in it,” Adnani said in an audio message posted online. “These are your weapons and this is Ramadan.” The day of Islamist bloodshed began with a dawn raid on an African Union base in Somalia by al-Qaeda affiliated Shebab militants who often increase attacks during Ramadan. Witnesses said as many as 50 people were killed in Lego village, 100 kilometres northwest of the capital Mogadishu, and some of them beheaded, before Shebab hoisted a black Islamic flag over the base. In France, at least one extremist rammed a car into a factory owned by US firm Air Products near France’s second city of Lyon. The severed head of a businessman, identified as the suspect’s boss by police, was found attached to the gates of the factory. The alleged attacker, named by police as Yassin Salhi, appeared to have been trying to blow up the plant by releasing explosive gases when he was caught. Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the attacker was known to have links to a radical form of Sunni Islam and Islamist flags were displayed around the severed head. — AFP

Palestinian girls put ﬂowers on a sand sculpture depicting Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, a threeyear-old boy who drowned oﬀ Turkey, on Gaza city beach. — AFP photo

Aylan Kurdi, the boy who washed ashore AN image of a drowned toddler washed up on the beach in one of Turkey’s prime tourist resorts swept across social media after at least 12 presumed Syrian refugees died trying to reach the Greek island of Kos. The picture showed a little boy wearing a bright red t-shirt and shorts lying face-down in the surf on a beach near the resort town of Bodrum. In a second image, a grimfaced policeman carries the body away. Turkish media identified the boy as 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose 5-year-old brother died on the same boat. Media reports said he was from the north Syrian town of Kobani near the Turkish border, scene of heavy fighting between Islamic State

insurgents and Kurdish regional forces a few months ago. The hashtag ‘KiyiyaVuranInsanlik’ — ‘humanity washed ashore’ — became the top trending topic on Twitter. In the first few hours after the accident, the image had been retweeted thousands of times. The two boats, carrying a total of 23 people, had set off separately from the Akyarlar area of the Bodrum peninsula, a senior Turkish naval official said. The confirmed dead included five children and one woman. Seven people were rescued and two reached the shore in life jackets. The official said hopes were fading of saving the two people still missing. — AFP

timeline JANUARY  Jan 7-9: Twelve killed in terrorist attack

on weekly magazine in Paris Two men armed with Kalashnikov rifles storm the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a weekly known for satirical caricatures of Islam and other religions. They kill 12 people including eight cartoonists and journalists as well as two police officers before fleeing. A policewoman is killed just outside Paris the following day in a shooting investigators later link to the Charlie Hebdo attack. A gunman takes hostages at a jewish supermarket, four of whom are killed. The Charlie Hebdo attackers and the hostage-taker are killed in separate shootouts with police.

 Jan 3-7: Boko Haram launches bloodiest

assault on Baga Jihadist group Boko Haram takes over Baga, Nigeria. Insurgents seize a key military base

on Jan 3 and attack again on Jan 7. Amnesty International reports that the town was razed and as many as 2,000 were killed but local media report at least 100 fatalities.

FEBRUARY  Feb 3: ISIS militants execute more captives

Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh is burnt alive by ISIS militants. He was captured by ISIS militants after his plane crashed over Syria while on a US-led bombing mission in December. The Jordanian government vows to avenge the pilot’s death and executes two terrorists. Kasasbeh’s death follows the murder of two Japanese hostages, Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.

 Feb 14: Denmark sees worst terrorist attack

in 30 years Two people are killed in two attacks. In the

first attack, a gunman fires into a cafe where Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks is speaking. Vilks, who is on a list of al-Qaeda targets for his Prophet Muhammad caricature, is unharmed in the attack. One man is killed, and three police officers are wounded. The gunman escapes, setting off a manhunt by police.  Feb 27: Russian opposition leader Is

assassinated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s vocal critic, Boris Y Nemtsov, is shot and killed on a bridge near Moscow’s Red Square, not far from the Kremlin.

MARCH  Mar 2: Iraq begins major campaign

against ISIS with help from Iran The Iraqi military, aided by Iranian-backed Shiite militias and Iranian troops and

advisers, begins a major campaign against ISIS in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown, which ISIS captured in June 2014.  Mar 19: Islamic State claims

responsibility for mosque attacks as violence escalates in Yemen Troops loyal to Yemen’s President Hadi and those allied with the Houthis and former president Saleh, Hadi’s rival, battle for control of the international airport in the southern port city of Aden. After pitched battles, Hadi’s forces retake the airport and seize a Special Security Force base, which is controlled by Saleh. Hadi’s presidential compound is hit by warplanes believed to be under the command of either Saleh or the Houthis. The Houthis retreat and call for talks and an end to the ﬁghting.

APRIL  Apr 2: Somalian militants continue to

target non-Muslims Shabab militants attack Garissa University College in northeast Kenya. In a daylong siege, the militants separate Muslims and non-Muslims, sparing Muslims. The non-Muslims are taken hostage and more than 140 are killed. Security oﬃcials free the surviving hostages and kill the four gunmen. In a statement, Shabab says the attack was a planned ‘operation against the inﬁdels’.

 Apr 21: Morsi receives 20 years in prison

Mohammed Morsi and 14 members of the Muslim Brotherhood are found guilty of ordering the torture and illegal detention of protesters in Egypt. They are sentenced to 20 years in prison. The charges stem from violent protests against Morsi in December 2012. They are acquitted of inciting the murder of a a journalist and two opposition ﬁgures.

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Aung San Suu Kyi’s party wins in landslide election victory We have been ready to form a new government for many years. A foreign visitor poses next to a graﬃti depiction of Aung San Suu Kyi outside the headquarters of the National League for Democracy party in Yangon. — AFP photo

YANGON: Aung San Suu Kyi’s party secures a landslide election victory in Myanmar on Nov 13, propelling the prodemocracy movement to power after a 25-year struggle against authoritarian rule. It promises a new dawn for a country asphyxiated by half a century of army rule that battered the economy and repressed its people.

In a reflection of rapid changes that have swept the country, confirmation of the win came five years to the day since Suu Kyi was released from house arrest by the military. She has now led her National League for Democracy party to a massive popular mandate with more than 80 per cent of seats going to the movement. The NLD sailed through the two-thirds

Trudeau makes Canada hip again with upset win OTTAWA: Canada’s Liberal leader Justin Trudeau rides a late campaign surge to a stunning election victory on Oct 19, toppling Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives with a promise of change and returning a touch of glamor, youth and charisma to Ottawa. Canada’s major television networks projected a majority for the Liberals, a turn in political fortunes that smashed the record for the number of seats gained from one election to the next. The Liberals had been a distant third place party in Parliament before this election. The projected win ends the Conservatives’ nine-year run in power and reflected a political shift away from Harper’s brand of fiscal and cultural conservatism. Trudeau, 43, the photogenic son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, pledged to run a C$10 billion annual budget deficit for three years to invest in infrastructure and help stimulate Canada’s anemic economic growth. This rattled financial markets in the runnup to the vote and the Canadian dollar

weakened on news of his victory. Trudeau has said he will repair Canada’s cool relations with the Obama administration, withdraw Canada from the combat mission against Islamic State militants in favor of humanitarian aid and training, and tackle climate change. Trudeau vaulted from third place to lead the polls in the final days of the campaign, overcoming Conservative attacks that he is too inexperienced to govern to return to the Prime Minister’s residence in Ottawa where he grew up as a child. “When the time for change strikes, it’s lethal,” former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney said in a television interview. “I ran and was successful because I wasn’t Pierre Trudeau. Justin is successful because he isn’t Stephen Harper.” The Conservatives were projected to become the official opposition in Parliament, with the left-leaning New Democratic Party in third. — Reuters

majority it needed to rule, claiming 235 in the House of Representatives and 135 in the House of Nationalities. The election has won praise from observers for its smooth, peaceful passing, in a country where violence and repression has normally met democratic milestones. “We have been ready to form a new government for many years,” party

Nyan Win, Aung San Suu Kyi’s party spokesman

spokesman Nyan Win told AFP, greeting the result. Under Myanmar’s complex political system, the NLD will also have to wait until March 2016 for the transfer of power. That gap has left some party loyalists nervous at the potential for political chicanery by an army establishment that wields substantial power, despite its chastening at the polls. But the comfortable majority gives Suu Kyi’s party control of the lower and upper houses, allowing it to elect the president and form the government. Suu Kyi, 70, is barred from the presidency by a junta-scripted constitution, which also guarantees the army a 25 per cent bloc of seats. She has already vowed to govern from ‘above the president’ saying she will circumnavigate the charter ban by backing a proxy to run for the top office. The win represents a huge stride in Suu Kyi’s decades-long journey from political prisoner, held under house arrest for 15 years by the former junta, to the heart of power. Many NLD supporters have waited 25 years for their vote to count. Buoyed by her party’s sweep of the polls, Suu Kyi has called for ‘national reconciliation talks’ with President Thein Sein and army chief Min Aung Hlaing.

Both men have congratulated the NLD on its election performance and have vowed to abide by the result as well as help a peaceful transition of power. The lower house speaker Shwe Mann has also been invited to talks but his political stock appears low after losing his seat and falling out with many senior figures from the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party. The USDP, which is made up of former military cadres, has been mauled at the election. Yet the president, a former general who swapped his uniform for civilian clothes to lead the government in 2011, has won praise for steering the reforms that culminated in Nov 8’s peaceful poll. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon congratulated Suu Kyi for her election win, but also hailed the ‘courage and vision’ of Thein Sein for ‘leadership in the reform process’. Those reforms have seen many political prisoners released, the restoration of basic freedoms and the economy resuscitated after years of madcap junta planning. The international community has welcomed the election, with US President Barack Obama calling both Suu Kyi and the president to offer his congratulations. — AFP

Singapore’s PAP sweeps to victory SINGAPORE: Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) extended 56 years in power on Sept 12 after sweeping to victory in a snap election that dashed hopes of a two-party system emerging in the city-state. Polls on Sept 11 saw the party take 83 of 89 seats and nearly 70 per cent of the ballots cast, stunned opponents and reversed a plunge in the PAP’s share of the popular vote in 2011. It strengthened the mandate of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong amid an economic slowdown, with analysts warning the trade-dependent economy could suffer a technical recession in the third quarter. “It is a good result for the PAP but it is an excellent result for Singapore,” said Lee, 63, who admitted the outcome exceeded the party’s own expectations. The election came six months after the death of Lee’s father, independence leader Lee Kuan Yew, plunged Singapore into mourning and generated a wave of patriotism which analysts said benefitted the party on election day. The PAP led Singapore, a former British colonial outpost, to industrialised status in just one generation but has been criticised for jailing dissidents and using defamation suits to cripple the opposition. There was never any doubt the party would again win

a majority — but the results were a marked improvement over the 2011 vote, when it took 80 of the 87 seats but saw its share of votes plunge to an all-time low of 60 per cent. Low Thia Khiang, leader of the main opposition Workers’ Party (WP), admitted there had been a ‘massive swing’ in favour of the PAP, but vowed his party will rebound. “You win, you lose. So I think that is part and parcel of life,” he told reporters. Immigration, the high cost of living and the plight of elderly and poor Singaporeans were the key issues raised by the opposition during the campaign. The turnout was 93.56 per cent among 2.46 million voters, the Elections Department said. Voting is mandatory in Singapore, with few exemptions allowed. Opposition rallies drew tens of thousands during the nine-day campaign, dwarfing PAP gatherings, but they did not translate into winning votes.

“Our polling all year showed likelihood of PAP bouncing back,” said David Black, managing director of local research firm Blackbox. “The only surprise was the extent of it,” he told AFP.

Lee and wife Ho Ching wave to the media after casting their votes. — Reuters photo

Greeks vote ‘No’ in referendum

Trudeau arrives at a campaign rally in Calgary, Alberta. — Reuters photo

ATHENS: Greek voters overwhelmingly reject international creditors’ tough bailout terms in a historic referendum July 5 that immediately sent the euro plummeting out of fear it could trigger a ‘Grexit’ from the eurozone. With near-complete results showing the ‘No’ vote winning by more than 61 per cent, the outcome represented a political victory for radical left Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who claimed his negotiating position to secure a new debt deal was now greatly bolstered. Thousands of pro-government supporters cheered and hugged each other in central Athens in celebration, although some other Greeks expressed pessimism that Tsipras would be able to deliver on his promises.

Eurozone leaders and officials — some of whom viewed the plebiscite as an in-out vote on Greece’s membership in the euro — scrambled to work out their response. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande hastily called a European summit for July 7 after stating the Greeks’ decision must ‘be respected’. Greece reaches a desperately-needed bailout deal with the Eurozone on July 13 after marathon overnight talks, in a historic agreement to prevent the country crashing out of the European single currency. The country’s leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed to tough reforms after 17 hours of gruelling negotiations in return for a three-year bailout worth up to 86 billion

euros (US$96 billion), Greece’s third rescue programme in five years. EU President Donald Tusk announced the deal for debt-stricken Greece on Twitter, ending a bitter six-month struggle between Tsipras’s anti-austerity government in Athens and the rest of the eurozone. “EuroSummit has unanimously reached agreement,” former Polish premier Tusk said. “All ready to go for ESM programme for Greece with serious reforms and financial support.” Greece applied for a third programme from the eurozone’s bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism, after its previous bailout expired on June 30, leaving it without international financial assistance for the first time in years. — AFP

timeline MAY  May 8: Cameron wins second term with

outright majority David Cameron’s Conservative Party slides to victory over Labour in the general election. The Conservatives win enough seats to secure an outright majority in Parliament, and Cameron earns a second ﬁve-year term as prime minister.

 May 16: Morsi sentenced to death

Mohammed Morsi is sentenced to death by a court in Egypt in a separate case than the one he was tried for in April. This case involves a prison break of scores of members of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2011. The court will make a ﬁnal decision on June 2.

JUNE  June 4: Millions exposed by computer

hacking linked to China

US oﬃcials announce that at least four million federal employees are involved in a data breach by hackers who have been traced to China. The breach is one of the largest ever of federal employee data and involves employees past and present. The Obama administration announces that the breach was ﬁrst discovered in April of this year, but may have started in late 2014.  June 7: Erdogan loses majority

in Turkey’s elections President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) loses its majority in Parliament in Turkey’s election. The party wins 41 per cent of the vote and 258 seats in the 550-seat parliament, down from its current 327 seats. The result puts the brakes on Erdogan’s plan to amend the constitution to further consolidate power and were considered a referendum on his increasingly authoritarian leadership. The pro-Kurdish party, the People’s Democratic Party, takes 13 per cent of the vote, enough to land representation in Parliament for the ﬁrst time. The

party will have 80 seats. Turnout is high, 87 per cent.

JULY  July 1: Cuba and US agree to open embassies

Cuba and the US reach an agreement to open embassies in Washington DC and Havana. The US Embassy in Havana is scheduled to open by the end of July. The reestablishment of embassies is another major step in rebuilding relations between the two countries. July 20: Cuba’s flag is raised outside its mission in Washington DC, officially re-opening it as an embassy and restoring full diplomatic relations between the two countries for the first time since 1961. In Havana, the US mission is also restored to embassy status, but the American flag will not be raised until Secretary of State John Kerry visits next month.

 July 29: Taliban leader’s death announced

Afghanistan’s intelligence agency announces

that it believes that Mullah Muhammad Omar, the founder and reclusive leader of the Taliban, died in 2013 in Pakistan. Rumors of his death have been frequent, and he has not been seen for several years. The Taliban has not conﬁrmed Omar’s death.

AUGUST  Aug: Immigration crisis intensiﬁes

During the summer of 2015, the Balkans route replaces the Mediterranean as the most traveled path by migrants. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees projects that 3,000 people a day will attempt to cross the Balkans to reach Western Europe in the coming months. The German government estimates that 800,000 migrants will seek asylum there by the end of 2015, coming from countries such as Syria and Afghanistan to escape war and conflict. Europeans react to the immigration crisis in different ways. To shut off migrants, a fence is being built in Hungary along the border it shares with

Serbia. More than 200 attacks on migrants have happened in Germany this year, including two ﬁres set to asylum seeker shelters in August. The bodies of 71 migrants are found near Vienna. In Rome, migrants are evacuated by police after a protest against them turned violent. Macedonia declares a temporary state of emergency while dealing with the increasing number of migrants passing through on their way to Western Europe.  Aug 21: Americans and a Briton thwart

train attack in France Three Americans: Alek Skarlatos, a specialist in the National Guard, Airman First Class Spencer Stone, college student Anthony Sadler, and Briton Chris Norman overpower a man armed with an AK-47, a pistol, and a box cutter as he walks down the aisle on a train outside of Paris, France. Norman, Sadler, Skarlatos, and Stone are awarded the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor by President Hollande on Aug 24 for their bravery and thwarting a potentially devastating attack.

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Stampede crushes annual pilgrimage MINA, SAUDI ARABIA: A huge stampede kills at least 717 people and injures hundreds more at the haj in Saudi Arabia on September 24, in one of the worst-ever tragedies at the annual Muslim pilgrimage. The stampede, the second deadly accident to hit the pilgrims following a crane collapse in Mecca on September 11, broke out during the symbolic stoning of the devil ritual, the Saudi civil defence service said. Bodies of pilgrims wearing traditional white clothing were left scattered by the crush, surrounded by discarded shoes, flattened water bottles and umbrellas that had been used for protection from the sun. Estimates of the number of dead vary; the Associated Press reported 2,411 dead while Agence FrancePresse reported 2,236 killed. The official death toll from the government of Saudi Arabia remains unchanged

since two days after the event, with 769 reported killed and 934 others injured The stampede began at around 9.00am (0600 GMT), shortly after the civil defence service said on Twitter it was dealing with a ‘crowding’ incident in Mina, about five kilometres from Mecca. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims had converged on Mina Sept 24 to throw pebbles at one of three walls representing Satan, for the last major ritual of the haj which officially ends on Sunday. A hospital official told AFP the incident happened outside the Jamarat Bridge structure, where the stoning takes place. A group of pilgrims leaving the area collided with another group that was either moving in the opposite direction or camped outside, the official said. — AFP

An aerial view shows Muslim worshippers praying at the Grand mosque surrounded by construction cranes, in the holy city of Mecca in this ﬁle photo. — Reuters photo

Plant explosion injures 14

Mecca Crane collapse MECCA: A construction crane collapses on top of Masjid al-Haram, the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during a storm leaving 111 people dead and 394 injured. Abdel Aziz Naqoor, who said he works at the mosque, told AFP he saw the massive construction crane fall after being hit by the storm. “If it weren’t for Al-Tawaf bridge the injuries and deaths would have been worse,” he said, referring to a covered walkway that surrounds the holy Kaaba, which broke the crane’s fall. The Kaaba is a massive cube-shaped structure at the centre of the mosque towards which Muslims worldwide pray. Local journalist Kamal Idris told AFP that Saudis and foreigners lined up on Friday night to give blood in response If it weren’t for to the tragedy. Outside one Al-Tawaf bridge the hospital, more than 100 people waited in the street for their turn injuries and deaths to donate, Idris said. would have been Pictures of the incident on Twitter showed bloodied bodies worse. strewn across a courtyard Abdel Aziz Naqoor where the top part of the crane, which appeared to have bent or snapped, had crashed into the building which is several storeys high. A video on YouTube showed people screaming and rushing around right after a massive crash was heard. The wreckage of the red and white crane was seen lying across the floor of the mosque, where chunks of the floor had been gouged out. Several other cranes towered over the site. On Fridays, the Muslim weekly day of prayer, the Grand Mosque is usually at its most crowded. Many faithful would have been gathered there ahead of evening maghrib prayers, which occurred about an hour after the tragedy. — AFP

Saudi emergency teams stand next to a construction crane after it crashed into the Grand Mosque of Saudi Arabia’s holy Muslim city of Mecca. — AFP photo

BEIJING: Fourteen people are injured in an explosion at a controversial chemical plant in the eastern Chinese city of Zhangzhou on April 6, the second accident at the site in two years. Footage from an amateur video posted by China’s CCTV News showed flames billowing into the air following the explosion at the plant producing paraxylene – a chemical commonly known as PX and used to make fabricin Fujian province. The blast occurred on the evening of April 6 and the 14 injured – including four firefighters – were being treated in hospital, a notice on the provincial government website said, citing provincial authorities. It added that the fire was still not under control as of April 7. It was the second accident in 20 months to occur at the facility, the state-run Xinhua

news agency reported. Some 430 firefighters were battling the blaze, it said, adding that witnesses reported feeling a tremor as far as 50 kilometres (30 miles) away. Proposals for plants producing PX, a flammable, carcinogenic liquid used in the production of polyester films and fabrics, have sparked large protests in several Chinese cities in recent years over perceived health risks. The Zhangzhou PX plant was originally slated to be built in the nearby coastal city of Xiamen, but was moved to its present site after thousands took part in a protest in 2007. In March 2014 thousands of demonstrators also took to the streets of Maoming, in the southern province of Guangdong, for days of demonstrations against another PX plant. — AFP

Negligence in water theme park party claims life of 20-year-old

A general view shows the explosion site of the water park in Pali district, in New Taipei City. — AFP photo

TAIPEI: A 20-year-old partygoer dies June 29 after suffering 90 per cent burns from a fireball that injured nearly 500 people at a Taiwan ‘colour party’, with organisers facing charges after plumes of decorative powder ignited. Victim Lee Pei-yun, 20, was pronounced dead at Taichung’s Chung Shan Hospital in central Taiwan at 0620 GMT Monday. She was the first fatality from the disaster, which saw crowds of young revellers engulfed in flames after being sprayed with clouds of multi-coloured corn starch. The company which produced the starch said users had been warned of a potential fire hazard. Around 1,000 spectators had attended the Color Play Asia event at the Formosa Fun Coast water park, just outside the capital Taipei, on the evening of June 27. More than 200 suffered serious injuries and were being treated across 43 hospitals. “Doctors pronounced Lee dead after her mother agreed to stop the treatment provided to her daughter,” an official at the Taichung city government’s health bureau told AFP. The official confirmed that Lee had sustained 90 per cent burns. — AFP

The plant explosion was the second accident in 20 months to occur at the facility.

Russian charter ﬂight with 224 people from resort crashes in Sinai CAIRO: A Russian plane with 224 people on board crashes in a mountainous part of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on October 31. The plane took off early Oct 31 from the southern Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh bound for Saint Petersburg in Russia but communication was lost 23 minutes after departure, officials said. A senior Egyptian aviation official said the plane was a charter flight operated by Russian airline Kogalymavia carrying 217 passengers and seven crew members. Flight KGL9268 was flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 metres) when it lost

contact with authorities, 23 minutes after takeoff. The wreckage was found in a mountainous area roughly 100km south of the North Sinai town of El-Arish, Egyptian officials said. Experts said the fact that debris and bodies were strewn over a wide area indicated the aircraft disintegrated in midair, meaning the crash was likely caused by either a technical fault or a bomb on board. A US military satellite picked up a heat flash at the time of the crash that could point to a catastrophic event during the flight, US media reported. — AFP

timeline SEPTEMBER  Sept 15: Turnbull replaces Abbott as Australia’s prime minister Former journalist, lawyer, and banker, Malcolm Bligh Turnbull becomes Australia’s 29th prime minister. After consistently poor opinion polling for the Government, Turnbull challenged Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the Liberal Party leadership and won by a vote of 54-44.  Sept 20: Tsipras returns as Prime Minister in Greece Alexis Tsipras once again leads his Syriza party to victory in a snap election. Tsipras wins 35 per cent of the vote, and 145 of 300 parliament seats, just four fewer seats than in previous elections.  Sept 28: Taliban captures major city in Afghanistan The Taliban seizes control over Kunduz, a northern Afghanistan city. It is the ﬁrst major city that the Taliban has captured in over a decade. Afghan oﬃcials respond by saying that a counterattack is coming.

OCTOBER  Oct 3: US airstrike hits hospital in Afghanistan An airstrike hits a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Kunduz, Afghanistan killing 22 people, including 12 hospital staﬀ members and seven patients. The US military releases a statement soon after the incident conﬁrming an airstrike aimed at Taliban militants in Kunduz, but that “there may have been collateral damage to a nearby medical facility.” The United Nations and other international organisations condemn the incident and call for an investigation.  Oct 10: Multiple bombings kill dozens in Turkey’s capital Two separate explosions kill nearly 100 people during a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey’s capital. Hundreds more are wounded in what is the deadliest attack in Turkey in years. The two explosions happen 50 meters from each other and are almost simultaneous, happening just seconds apart near Ankara’s main train station. No one immediately claims responsibility for the bombings.

 Oct 15: Israelis and Palestinians experience worst outbreak of violence in years During the first two weeks of Oct 2015, 32 Palestinians and seven Israelis are killed in what was the biggest spike in violence the area had seen in recent years. The violence breaks out in part over what the Palestinians see as increased encroachment by Israelis on the al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a site important to both Muslims and Jews. However, the violence quickly spreads beyond Jerusalem.  Oct 29: China ends one-child policy after decades China announces it will allow all married couples to have two children in an effort to offset the country’s aging workforce. The announcement ends China’s unpopular one-child policy, which was introduced in 1978 and enacted on Sept 18, 1980. NOVEMBER  Nov 4: China and Taiwan leaders to meet after 66 years The presidents of China and Taiwan will meet for

a summit meeting on Nov 7 in Singapore for the ﬁrst time since 1949, when the Chinese revolution ended.  Nov 13: Three coordinated attacks by ISIS kill dozens in Paris ISIS launches three coordinated attacks in Paris, killing 129 people and wounding hundreds. Eightynine people die in an assault at a concert hall, the Bataclan, where American rock band, ‘Eagles of Death Metal’, is performing at the time. Dozens of others are killed in attacks on restaurants and a soccer stadium where France is playing a match against Germany. Seven of the eight terrorists die during the attacks. French authorities are still looking for the last remaining attacker. The attacks are the worst violence in France since World War II. French president François Hollande calls the attack ‘an act of war’, and retaliates with airstrikes on Raqqa, Syria, ISIS’ self-declared capital.  Nov 20: Mali Hotel attack claims at least 27 lives Islamic extremists storm the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali’s capital where at least 170 people

are taken hostage. The militants are armed with grenades and guns. US and French special operation forces work quickly with Malian troops and take back the hotel floor by floor. At least 27 people are killed, including two of the attackers. An extremist group led by Moktar Belmoktar, a former al-Qaeda commander, claims responsibility for the attack. With Mali being a former French colony, France sees it as another attack on its interests, coming just a week after the incidents in Paris.  Nov 24: Turkey shoots down Russian warplane NATO member Turkey shoots down a Russian warplane in the Turkish-Syrian border area. At least one of the two pilots is killed. Turkish officials say that the plane ignored 10 warnings over the space of five minutes as it crossed over into its airspace from Syria. The presence of aircraft from Russia, the United States, France, Turkey and a clutch of Gulf states in Syrian skies had long raised fears of an incident that could quickly escalate into a major diplomatic and military crisis. — Agencies

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ABBY WAMBACH THE 35-year-old American football striker decided to retire at the end of 2015 after capping her 15-year international career with the women’s World Cup. She also won two Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2012 when she was top scorer in the US national team. Abby is the highest all-time goal scorer, male or female, in the history of international football with a tally of 184 goals. In comparison, Pele (77 goals) and Gerd Mueller (68) combined for a total of 145 goals after 15 and 9 years playing for Brazil and West Germany respectively. Prolific elite strikers in recent times like Germany’s Miroslav Klose (from 2001-2014) and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo have scored 71 and 55 respectively for an even more modest combined total of 126 goals.

SERENA WILLIAMS THE tennis superstar came close to clinching the Grand Slam in 2015. The US Open title was the one that got away but she still incredibly won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. The media coined those three wins (plus the US Open title in 2014) as the ‘Serena Slam’ — a tribute to the veteran. It is also incredible to recall that Serena won her first Grand Slam title in 1999 — 16 years ago — when she was just 18. After numerous sports writers, former and current players

have considered her as the greatest female tennis player of all time for months, Sports Illustrated magazine fittingly ended the year by picking the 34-year-old as the Sportsperson of 2015, beating out all top performers, male and female, in every sport. Fortunately for sports fans but unfortunately for her rivals on court, she is far from finished. She has announced her determination to increase her current tally of 21 Grand Slam titles and will be chasing Steffi Graf’s 22 and Margaret Court’s 24 in 2016.

RONDA ROUSEY SHE is the face of mixed martial arts (MMA). After winning an Olympic judo bronze medal in 2008, she switched to MMA in 2011. And she has since become the single most important reason for the explosion of interest in the relatively new sport. She won her first 12 professional fights in the most sensational style — all 12 via knock-out or submission. Eight of those bouts lasted

less than 60 seconds. In May 2015, Sports Illustrated magazine featured Ronda as “the most dominant active athlete,” male or female, across all sports. The hype caused by her phenomenal success was only equalled when the overwhelming favourite was knocked out from a stunning headkick by ex-boxer and everyone’s underdog Holly Holm on Nov 15, 2015.

LYDIA KO THE golfer from New Zealand continues to amaze. And she is still only 18 years old. In Aug 2012, as an amateur and just before turning 15 she became the youngest person ever to win a professional golf tour event. In Oct 2013, the LPGA Tour waived the age requirement to grant Ko’s request to turn pro with this statement: “It is not often that the LPGA welcomes a rookie who is already a back-to-back LPGA Tour champion.”

MICHELLE PAYNE SHE rode the 100-1 outsider Prince of Penzance to become the first female jockey to win the 154-year-old Melbourne Cup. She will be remembered not only for the historic victory in what she called “such a chauvinistic sport” but also what she said after ‘the race that stops a nation’: “It’s a very male-dominated sport and people think we (women) are not strong enough and all the rest of

it, but you know what, it’s not all about strength. “There is so much involved, getting the horse into a rhythm, getting the horse to try for it, it’s being patient. And I’m so glad to win the Melbourne Cup and hopefully, it will help female jockeys from now on to get more of a go. I believe that we don’t get enough of a go and hopefully this will help.”

KATIE LEDECKY IN the absence of Michael Phelps at the 2015 World Swimming Championships, 18-year old Katie Ledecky stole the limelight. She had arrived in Kazan, Russia as the pre-eminent female distance swimmer in the world. After all, she had already collected the gold medal in the 800m freestyle at 2012 Olympic Games. At the 2013 World Championships she won three individual events (400, 800 and

1,500m) and a relay. In Kazan, she did even better by finishing with five gold medals and breaking the world record three times. Her most unlikely win was in the 200m freestyle when she ventured out into relatively unfamiliar territory but ended up beating the world’s best sprinters in the pool. She is the current world record holder in the 400m (3:58.37), 800m (8:07.39) and 1,500m (15:25.48).

That was actually still an understatement. By April 2014, she had advanced to No. 2 in world pro ranking. In Feb this year, at the age of 17 years 9 months, Ko became the youngest player of either sex to be ranked world No. 1. By Sept 2015, she added the distinction of being the youngest woman ever to win a major at the Evian Championship in France. Her closing round of 63 is the lowest final round in the history of women’s golf majors.

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2015 The Year of Women in Sports By Sports Editor

male bastions such as FIFA, IAAF and FAM (Football Association of Malaysia). Can a man be more like a woman? Indeed, 2015 was a remarkable year for 1976 Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner. The reality show celebrity is now Caitlyn Jenner, the most famous transgender woman in the world. Yet there were others who inspired us through outstanding

reporters@theborneopost.com

“Can a woman be more like a man?”, an exasperated Professor Higgins repeatedly asked in the 1964 movie My Fair Lady. In 2015, the opposite sentiment could well be an appropriate question to ask in a survey of the world of sports. Scandal - corruption, cheating or incompetence - has emerged as the hallmark of all-

achievements in 2015 that ought to be celebrated and remembered. Here’s our pick of 10 sportswomen chosen for one or more of a variety of reasons from singular dominance, enduring greatness to precocious talent. Collectively, they fought against the odds to break down time, age, gender and cultural barriers. All are role models.

• More on Page E15

GRACE WONG LAST year, ‘Amazing’ Grace stunned the track and field fraternity by throwing the hammer to 55.82m to win the event at Sukma. That distance catapulted her to the No. 1 ranking in Southeast Asia. Although she is only 14 years old, she is actually a ‘seasoned veteran’ in Sarawak’s state schools athletics team, having won gold medals every year at the national interstate MSSM meet since she was in Primary Five in 2011. In Jan 2015, she transferred from SMK Sarikei High to Bukit Jalil Sports School. At this year’s MSSM meet, she was declared the Best Girl Athlete for the second consecutive year after winning the shot put, discus and hammer. At the SEA Games held in Singapore, she collected a bronze medal in her favourite event with a throw of 53.68m.

PANDELELA RINONG IT has been a difficult time for Malaysia’s diving queen over the past two years. The 2012 Olympic bronze medalist - the first Malaysian woman to win an Olympic medal - has struggled with injuries, inconsistency and heightened expectations. “Winning the bronze

was obviously a great feeling, but expectations are very high now. Sometimes, there’s just too much pressure to be consistent,” she told the media in May this year. But the 22 year-old University of Malaya undergraduate, who hail from the small town of Bau, Sarawak, has bounced back strongly since. At

the 2015 World Championships, she again created history by winning the bronze in the 10m platform - the nation’s first ever medal in the history of the world event. With that performance she has become the first Malaysian athlete to qualify to compete at the 2016 Olympic Games by merit.

ALICE CHANG ALICE started the year as one of the rising stars in the state agegroup table tennis squad. The 15-year-old ‘chopper’ is now the national singles champion - the first Sarawakian to win the national title and the youngest in the nation’s history. It caught everyone by surprise, including Alice herself and her opponent Ng Sock Khim in the final. Ng, 31, had entered the tournament as the undisputed national No. 1. The veteran national player has appeared in six

SEA Games and was the singles runner-up in 2007 and as recently as the latest edition in Singapore in June 2015. She first represented Malaysia in 1999 when Alice was not even born. In the national singles final held in Pahang last month, Ng raced to a commanding 3-0 lead. She just needed to take one more set to claim the title. But Alice obviously had other ideas. As she said later, “As the underdog, I felt no pressure or fear of my opponent in the final and told

myself to just go out to do my best, enjoy my game in the final. She continued, “Even when I was trailing 3-0, I told myself that the game is not over and there is still a chance to fight back and win it.” The rest is history. After winning a nail-biting 12-10 in the fourth set, Alice was on fire. She won the next three sets 11-5, 11-9 and 11-7. The Kuching youngster summed it all up by calling the match ‘the best game I have played in my life.”

GOH JIN WEI THE 15-year-old Penang-born shuttler has emerged as Malaysia’s best hope for badminton glory with the impending retirement of Lee Chong Wei. She first attracted media attention in 2012 at 12 years old not only by her prodigious talent but when the Singapore Sports School wanted to recruit her. In

June 2014, she shocked national No. 2 Yang Li Lian in a three-setter to take the Sukma singles title. But 2015 is really a breakthrough year for Goh. In Feb, she upset all the senior national players to win the KL Open crown. She did not disappoint when she made her international senior debut by

capturing the bronze at the SEA Games. Goh went on to quickly capture two international titles in Belgium and Vietnam. The crowning achievement came in Nov when she beat opponents who were three years older all the way to becoming the world junior singles champion at the World Championships in Lima, Peru.