The Asian Star-18th April 2015

www.theasianstar.com Vol 14 Issue 12 Saturday, April 18, 2015

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Narendra Modi Visit

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he uranium contract with Cameco Corp.

(TSX:CCO) is one of a number of agreements signed Wednesday. They include pledges to co-operate in the areas of civil aviation, railway transportation and education and skills development, as well as space, social security and maternal, newborn and child health. “Canada is ready to deepen co-operation with India in science, education, defence and space technology,� Harper said as the two leaders stood side by side in the Centre Block.

Modi praised Harper for improving relations between the two countries, saying they had drifted for a while, but are now back on track. “I am conscious of the significance of this visit in the history of our relations,� Modi said. “I have come at a time when the importance of this relationship for our two countries has never been stronger. “Canada has the potential to be a key partner in every area of India’s national development strategy: energy and infrastructure, manufacturing and skills, smart cities and agro-industry and research and education.�

on hand to greet Modi when his plane arrived Tuesday in Ottawa. Modi’s trip is the first bilateral visit to Canada by an Indian prime minister since Indira Gandhi was hosted in 1973 by then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau. The visit gives Canadians their first glimpse of Modi, who swept to power last May. Handfuls of supporters lined the lawn in front of the Parliament buildings, chanting his name as he arrived. “He’s a rock star,� said Ravi Desai, an international student and IT worker from India who lives in Ottawa. “He’s putting aside a lot of traditional things that other governments used to do and he’s focusing on technology, and that’s what (the youth of India) need,� he said.

Louise Comeau, executive director of Climate Action Network Canada, would like to see Modi and Harper prod each other to make strong commitments to reduce greenhouse gases ahead of the UN climate conference in Paris in December. “Neither country is performing to its best potential,� she said. “We have a very large population in Canada with connections in India — we have opportunities for trading in clean energy.�

Uranium deal kicks off Indian PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada

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Modi began the day by meeting Gov. Gen. David Johnston at Rideau Hall before a full honour guard and the din of howitzer fire greeted him in the shadow of the Centre Block, where Harper ushered him in for a face-to-face meeting. Modi now moves on to Toronto for events with the Indo-Cana-

dian community there. Visit to continue in Vancouver Harper will also accompany the charismatic Modi to Vancouver, with no fewer than 16 fellow Conservatives scheduled to appear with them at various events.

A number of key Conservative MPs, including Defence Minister Jason Kenney, were

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housands chanted “Modi, Modi, Modi� as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the stage to speak on Wednesday night in Toronto. Modi was welcomed to the Ricoh Coliseum stage by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife, Laureen.

Modi and the crowd sang along with India’s anthem, and many kept singing during the Canadian anthem as well. Before beginning his speech, Modi received a lengthy standing ovation. “There’s a new joy in India� Modi said, winning more cheers from the crowd.

Modi arrived in Toronto around 3 p.m., after taking a special Air India flight from Ottawa along with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. (Aaron Vincent Elkaim/Canadian Press) Toronto supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrate at Ricoh Coliseum ahead of his speech there on Wednesday evening. (Mark Blinch/Reuters) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 15, 2015, part of his three-day state visit to Canada. (Blair Gable/Reuters) Modi arrives at Ottawa International Airport on Tuesday, kicking off his first trip to Canada since sweeping to power last May. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press) With stops in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, Modi’s trip is the first bilateral visit to Canada by an Indian prime minister since Indira Gandhi was hosted in 1973 by then prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

(Chris Wattie/Reuters) Defence Minister Jason Kenney walks with Modi as the Indian prime minister arrives at the Ottawa airport. More than a dozen Conservatives will appear with Harper and Modi at various events during the three-day visit. (Justin Tang/ Canadian Press) Modi, greeted by onlookers at the Ottawa airport, is set to receive a rock-star welcome in Canada, home to 1.2 million Indo-Canadians.

www.theasianstar.com com Vol 14

Issue 12 Saturday, April 18, 2015

All the news you need and more...

“I have served as an associate, a senior associate and became a partner in 2005. It’s been an extremely fruitful journey,”

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Modi gets rock star welcome in Vancouver and Surrey

Indian PM Narendra Modi (middle) and Prime Minister Stephen Harper (left) at the Ross Street Gurdwara in Vancouver on Thursday.

See more Modi pictures on page 29

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ccompanied by his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today visited a gurdwara and a temple here and said Hinduism is not a religion but a

Prime Minister Stephen Harper (right) and PM Narendra Modi praying at the Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey on Thursday.

way of life. Modi and Harper, who arrived from Toronto, went straight to the Ross Street Gurdwara. They participated in the prayer meeting and were presented ‘saropas’. Addressing the gathering there, Modi

Modi met with heads of Canadian with pension funds, banks during his visit

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ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the heads of pension funds, banks and other financial leaders in Toronto this past week in an effort to boost investments in his country’s infrastructure sector. Modi arrived last Tuesday for a three- day tour and spoke to Indo-Canadians at Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum and attended a state dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Vancouver Thursday night. The visit was an important opportunity for Harper’s Conservative government, which is keen to build economic

and political ties to India and appeal to the country’s large and well-organized diaspora ahead of a Canadian election later this year.

Modi, who was elected as India’s leader last May, has promised reforms to promote economic growth and make India more friendly to foreign investors.

He is travelling with a large delegation of business leaders and political officials, and will meet with representatives of small and medium enterprises, banks and other institutional investors.

Continued on page 6

See story on page 9

A lonely protester among few who were not happy with Modi’s visit.

said the Sikhs in Canada had won respect for India through their work here.

He talked about the teachings of Guru Nanak and the role of Sikhs in India’s Independence struggle, including that Continued on page 6

Canadian NRI killed in Punjab in clash over land dispute

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Canada-based NRI was killed in a clash over land dispute in Moga on Tuesday evening. The dispute relates to 27 acres of land belonging to two Canada-based NRI sisters, the victim’s cousins. The victim was killed on Tuesday, the day the NRI wing issued orders to register a criminal against three persons of Moga for preparing a “fake” will.

According to the FIR, Baljinder Kaur of Kaliye Wala village in Moga was in dispute with her two Canada-based sisters-in-law (husband’s sisters) for the last many years over 27 acres of land. Both NRI sisters See story on page 7

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4 L Saturday, April 18, 2015

EDITORIAL

Supreme Court justices need to live in Surrey to experience cruel and unusual punishment

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upreme Court forgets it role as it gets into a political battle with Prime Minister Stephen Harper It is obvious that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Beverley McLachlin and her fellow eight cohorts on the Supreme Court, do not live in Surrey-Delta area. Nor do they know anyone who is a resident in this “wild west” region of Canada.If they had the faintest inkling of what’s going on here, the nine justices would never have (in a 6-3 vote) struck down a law requiring mandatory minimum sentences for crimes involving prohibited guns. In the ruling, written for the majority side by Chief Justice McLachlin, the Supreme Court said the statute was unconstitutional as it upheld a 2013 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that labeled the law cruel and unusual.

Cruel and unusual?? Honorable justices, you don’t even know what cruel and unusual punishment is until you have spent a night in Surrey-Delta – ducking down as bullets whiz overhead in drive by shootings by gangs of

young South Asian thugs fighting a turf war over who sells drugs where. It is the tax paying residents of this region who are undergoing cruel and unusual punishment for having to live in the middle of drug war. And where are the guns involved in the shooting coming from? From gun smugglers!!

And these are the people that the Supreme Court justices feel will have a hard time under the new law. It is these gun smugglers who will benefit form the Supreme Court ruling – while Surrey and Delta residents suffer a cruel and unusual punishment. Why did six of the nine Supreme Court justices feel that this law is unfit and unconstitutional?? Well, the answer is more political than you would like to think.

I have written before how Supreme Court Justices appears to be the “supreme rulers” of Canada and are acting as such. Parliament is beneath them, they feel.

Any laws enacted by the conservative-controlled parliament is quickly rejected and

turned down by the Supreme Court.

The government won a recent Supreme Court case to force the Quebec government to destroy its long-gun registry records, and the court declined to hear a challenge by farmers related to the closure of the Canadian Wheat Board, but those were lonely victories amid a series of failures at various courts in Canada.

Two other recent losses feature cases that started under previous governments: one which struck down certain powers of FINTRAC, (the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada); and another which gave RCMP members the right to collective bargaining.

Other federal government initiatives struck down by the Courts include: February 2015: Assisted death for those who choose it; February 2015: Niqabs at citizenship ceremonies; December 2014: Appeal on pot-growing injunction; July 2014: Refugee health-care rights upheld; June 2014: Supreme Court upholds privacy rights; April 2014: Ottawa can’t go it alone on Senate reform; April 2014: Judges have discretion on sentencing; March 2014: Early parole abolition repealed; March 2014: Marc Nadon rejected by Supreme Court; December 2013: Court strikes down prostitution laws; September 2011: Supervised injection clinic remains open.

So you get the idea. The federal and Supreme Courts of Canada are not happy with the conservative government and its laws. But these judges need their wings clipped. They are here to enforce the law – not to dictate the law. Laws are made by Parliament and judges just have to interpret these laws. These judges can’t overrule Parliament and say a law is too hard and cruel and unusual punishment!

Any judge who feels that mandatory sentences for gun smuggling are “cruel and unusual” punishment should be sentenced to spend a week on the streets of Surrey and Delta.

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 7028, 120th Street, Surrey, BC V3W 3M8 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Shruti Prakash Joshi Marketing and Sales: Ravinder S. Cheema..604-715-3847 Shamir Doshi..............604-649-7827 Harminder Kaur..........778-708-0481 Amritpal S. Grewal.....778-251-0306 Dal Sanghera.............604-591-5423 Parminder Dhillon.......604-591-5423 Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed Contributing writers: Akash Sablok Kamila Singh Jay Bains Photographer: Chandra Bodalia

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 5

LOCAL

6 L Saturday, April 18, 2015 Story from Page 1...

Story from Page 1...

Modi gets rock star welcome in Vancouver and Surrey

Modi met with heads of Canadian with pension funds, banks during his visit Vishnu Prakash, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, said Modi is interested in encouraging Canadian investors – including the heads of major pension plans – to look closely at India’s burgeoning infrastructure sector. As India’s economy expands and more people move to cities, Prakash said, infrastructure will need to be improved. And India’s relative stability and strong growth rates make it a good choice for mediumto long-term investments, he said. “If they are going to make an investment in any country, they would have certain expectations. So it’s a two-way street,�

Prakash said. “And therefore we would very much like to have a dialogue where they can fully appreciate what is on offer in India and the Prime Minister can hear from business leaders themselves about their expectations.�

Ron Mock, CEO of the Ontario

Teachers’ Pension Plan, participated in a roundtable meeting with Modi, a spokesperson for the pension plan said. In a sign of the importance the Conservative government places on the trip, Harper participated in events in all three of the cities Modi will visit.

Modi met with Harper in Ottawa on Wednesday morning before travelling to Toronto to deliver an evening speech to nearly 10,000 people at Ricoh Coliseum.

On Thursday, Modi held a roundtable meeting with business leaders and investors in Toronto before visiting a memorial in Etobicoke to the victims of the 1985 Air

where he visited the Khalsa Diwan Society’s Ross Street gurdwara and the Laxmi Narayan mandir, a Hindu temple in Surrey.

He attended a state dinner with Harper in Vancouver on Thursday evening.

of Bhagat Singh. He emphasised the need for working for humanity as he highlighted

es. Subsequently, Modi and Harper went to the Lakshmi Narayan Temple where again he praised the Indians living in Canada. He talked about the need for working for humanity through Hinduism. “The Supreme Court in India has given a

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“This can show a way out of small problems of life,� he said. The Prime Minister also referred to the UN declaring June 21 as International Yoga day with a record co-sponsorship last year, 125 days after he made a suggestion in this regard in the world body. He asked Indian diaspora to spread

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( humanity. He highlighted the role of Indian-origin Canadians in developing bilateral relations at both the religious places.

South Asian son-in-law charged with

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he son-in-law of a 66-year-old woman who died in a fire in Richmond on Monday has been charged with murder in connection with her death.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Friday that after five days into the investigation of the fire death of Elaine Leznoff, 37-year-old Surjit Dosanjh has been charged with second degree murder.

IHIT says Dosanjh has been in custody since the fire and has been to court on other matters.

Investigators say the other fire victim, 13-year old Kalvin Dosanjh-Leznoff, remains in hospital and is not expected to live.

Dosanjh has been estranged from his family since earlier this month and was not residing in the home at the time of the fire.

Mounties and firefighters were called to the home in the 10,000-block of Corner-

brook Crescent at 2 a.m. When they arrived, the found the home engulfed in flames.

After firefighters contained the fire and entered the house, they found Leznoff dead inside.

IHIT was called to the scene to determine the cause of the blaze, and the circumstances that led to the woman’s death and teen’s injuries.

Dosanjh is scheduled to appear in a Richmond court on April 17.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page was set up Tuesday by Jordana Marie to help the Leznoff family. “We ask at this time that if you or anyone you know has any money to spare to help Liane Leznoff out with food, medical, clothing, and misc. expenses,� the plea on the page states.

The fundraising page, gofundme.com/ rwpttk, had raised $12,709 from 190 donors, many anonymous, by Friday morning.

LOCAL

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 7

Canadian NRI killed in Punjab in clash over land dispute Story from Page 1... had got the land as their share in the ancestral parental property. Baljinder allegedly prepared a fake will to get the land transferred in her name, claiming it was bequeathed to her by her father-in-law. The Canada-based sisters

will was a fabricated document.

Following an investigation, the NRI wing issued orders to register an FIR against Baljinder Kaur and two others, Rud Singh and Rajinder Singh, for preparing a fake document. The same evening the NRI sisters and their Canada-based cousin Harinder Singh tried to get possession of the land that led to a clash with Baljinder Kaur and her supporters.

Harinder was killed in the clash.

The Moga police have booked 11 persons, including Baljinder and her two brothers. One

of them, Bhola Singh is police inspector. Rud Singh and Surinder Singh have been arrested. “The police are conducting raids to arrest the remaining accused,� said SSP Jatinder Singh ) #

* + )

with her two Canada-based sisters-in-law over 27 acres of land Both NRI sisters had reportedly got the land as their share in the ancestral property Baljinder allegedly prepared a fake will of her father-in-law to get the land transferred in her name The NRI wing probed the matter and got an FIR registered against Baljinder and two others The same evening, the NRI sisters and their NRI cousin Harinder Singh tried to get possession of the land A clash ensued in which Harinder was killed Eleven persons, including Baljinder and her two brothers, have been booked

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8 L Saturday, April 18, 2015

LOCAL

Conservative gov’t has worked hard for average families - Uppal

By Umendra Singh

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ederal Minister of State for multiculturalism, Tim Uppal, says that the Conservative government ahs reduced taxes and made life in Canada easier for the average family.

“We have significantly reduced taxes for families, specially for families with kids and given these families tax credits and tax breaks,” he said.

“Our plan has always been to have a stable economy with lower taxes for the vast majority of Canadians. And we have achieved that,” Uppal, the MP for Edmonton—Sherwood Park, since 2008.

He said that the government has increased the amount of Universal Child Care benefit for those kids under 6 and also expanded the program to include kids from six years to 17 years. The UCCB is designed to help Canadian families, as they try to balance work and

family life, by supporting their child care choices through direct financial support.

“The UCCB is being enhanced by providing up to $1,920 per year for each child under the age of 6, and introducing a new benefit of up to $720 per year for children aged 6 through 17,” he said.

“The government has also introduced tax breaks and many programs to benefit the seniors,” he said. Uppal also defended the income splitting policy of the federal government, insisting it will also benefit the average Canadian families.

Talking about Bill C-51, the so called security bill, Uppal said that Canadians want to feel safe in their homes, in their

towns and in their country.

“This bill is also about security for Canadians. It is about keeping our families secure and safe,” he said.

Critics of the Bill C51 have not come up with an alternative plan. “In today’s circumstances, how are we going to protect Canadians,” he asked. Uppal answered that Bill C-51 is the answer.

Uppal said the Conservative government had worked hard to improve Canada’s immigration system, increasing the level of new immigrants coming to Canada to a historic high of 285,000 new immigrants per year.

While streamlining and fixing the immigration system, the Conservative government has also been closing loopholes to

prevent immigration fraud.

Giving an example, he said the federal government had stamped down on “fraud marriages” to protect both the person being sponsored and the person who was the sponsor. “We heard a lot of stories of brides or grooms disappearing a couple of days after landing in Canada,” Uppal said.

New rules brought in by the conservatives now ensure that newly married couple are living together for at least two years before a newly married immigrants, who was sponsored by his or her spouse, will get permanent residency status.

Uppal said most Canadian agree with the steps taken buy the Conservative government on finance and economy. immigration, tax cuts and security issues.

Toronto 18 ringleader Fahim Ahmad too dangerous to be released from prison, Parole Board rules

T

he leader of a terrorist group that plotted attacks in southern Ontario in 2006 remains too great a public safety threat to be released from prison, the Parole Board of Canada ruled on Thursday.

Toronto 18 ringleader Fahim Ahmad was scheduled for statutory release on August 26, when he would have served two-thirds of his sentence, but the Parole Board ordered him to be detained beyond that date.

The Board did not give reasons for its decision, saying they would be provided later, but officials had recommended against his release on the grounds he was likely commit an offense causing serious harm.

The decision will be reviewed next year. If he serves out his full sentence, he will be released in January, 2018. Another member of Ahmad’s faction, Ali Mohamed Dirie, fled to Syria and was killed following his release from prison. Before making their decision, Board members Pauline Hodgkis and Brian Mullen questioned Ahmad about his crimes and what he had done to disabuse himself of the violent jihadist beliefs he held. FilesAhmad said he had been “foolish, overzealous” and “misguided” when he organized a training camp north of Toronto to indoctrinate recruits and prepare them for al Qaida-style attacks on Canadians. He said he was influenced by the Internet and media accounts of events in Afghanistan and Iraq that led him to believe it was his religious obligation “to do something” about Muslim grievances. “It’s inexcusable.

Thank God it didn’t come to fruition,” he said. “I feel not just embarrassed but disgusted. When I do think about potentially what could have happened, it’s hard to put into words.” The Toronto 18 plotted to storm Parliament and behead hostages on television. The group was also building truck bombs that were to be detonated in Toronto and at a southern Ontario military base, but police arrested them before any harm was done. Ahmad pleaded guilty to three terrorism offences in 2010 and was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment. Justice Fletcher Dawson called him the “driving force behind recruiting and indoctrination” for the group. At a parole hearing last year, the Board said that despite Ahmad’s “renunciation of violent jihad,” he wasn’t ready for release and remained “a high risk/high needs offender, with a high risk for violence to the general public if released

LOCAL

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 9

Ministers Kenney and Uppal congratulate the First Canadian Sikh Cadet Corps on their historic charter signing

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ason Kenney, Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism, and Tim Uppal, Minister of State for Multiculturalism attended the historic Charter signing ceremony of the first Canadian Sikh Army Cadet Corps.

The 3300 British Columbia Regiment Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, based in Surrey, has been re-named the 3300 British Columbia Regiment (Bhai Kanhaiya) Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps in honour of the incredible contribution and participation of Canadians of the Sikh faith in our Canadian Forces and Cadets.

On behalf of the Government of Canada, Ministers Kenney and Uppal congratulate the Canadian Sikh Army Cadet Corps and their sponsor, the Friends of the Sikh Cadet Corps Society. The Government wishes them continued success as they continue their mis-

sion to empower young Sikh Canadians and promote Canadian pluralism by building dialogue, deepening understanding, promoting civic and political participation, and upholding social justice and religious freedom for all Canadians. · The re-named Canadian Army Cadet Corps is open to all youth in the Surrey area, and is not restricted to the Sikh community. · The mission of the Cadet Program is to contribute to the development and preparation of youth for the transition to adulthood, enabling them to meet the challenges of modern society through a dynamic, community-based program. ·The 3300 British Columbia Regiment RCACC based in Surrey BC draws primarily from the strong local Sikh Community approximately 90% of Cadets being of Sikh faith.

A few prostesters follow Harper and Modi

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rime Minister Stephen Harper and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced a double-barrelled reception when they arrived in B.C. Thursday. Their first greeting came in Vancouver from scores of protesters calling for the two leaders to tackle issues of human rights before the economy. But once inside the heavily policed and blocked-off grounds at South Vancouver’s Gurdwara Khalsa Diwan, they were received by a friendlier invitation-only audience of members of Metro’s Sikh community and politicians.

“I feel proud to be a Canadian and to have a prime minister of India to come over to the temple,” Harbhajan Singh Gill, the president of the Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation, said shortly before the two arrived. Parveen Goel, the vice-president of Overseas Friends of the Bhartiya Janta Party, Modi’s political party, said he was sad that it took so long for an Indian prime minister to visit Canada, but hoped that it marked a new beginning. Goel is a big fan of Modi, lauding his delivery on promises and his focus on economics and bringing people together.

But with the voices of protesters carrying into temple grounds, it was clear not all would agree. “Shame on Harper,” shouted some. Others held signs that read “Human rights before trade deals,” and “Modi $$ can’t wash blood off hands.” When asked about it, Goel said “anybody can protest.

They have a right to protest, but I think they’re misguided.” By comparison, the reception the two leaders received at Surrey’s Laxmi Narayan Temple was a love-in. A crowd of people numbering in the thousands danced, sung and chanted as they eagerly awaited Harper and Modi, who is revered by many of his supporters. “We love, we love Modi. We love, we love Harper,” was the greeting they received from members of that city’s Hindu community.

Muskan Verma said she waited seven or eight hours for a chance to see the two prime ministers in person.

Verma, 16, is one of the millions of people who follow Modi on Twitter. The politician ran a social media-heavy campaign and in 2015 was named one of Time magazine’s “most influential people on the Internet.” Modi comes to Canada with

considerable political baggage. He has long been saddled with accusations that he didn’t do enough to prevent Hindu mobs from murdering Muslims, including women and children, during 2002 riots in his home state of Gujarat.

His role in that tragedy was a major subject for the protesters in Toronto and Vancouver, according to Gurpatwant S. Pannum of Sikhs For Justice.

westernunioncanada.ca/india

10 L Saturday, April 18, 2015

Vaisakhi in Vancouver

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ormer prime minister Kim Campbell told a University of Alberta audience Wednesday the equality of women is a Canadian value that has found little purchase in a “society of immigration.”

Some individuals in Canadian society, she said, come from cultures that don’t believe in gender equality. “I’m always very concerned about cultural practices which suggest that women bear responsibility for the sexual behaviour of men,” she said, referring to coverup garments like the burka.

“A naked woman standing on the corner may get arrested for public nudity, but she is not fair game for physical assault.”

She also commented on the use of the niqab, a veil that covers women’s hair and faces, at citizenship ceremonies. “In an open society, people are seen,” Campbell said. She said one of Canada’s challenges is to guide the integration of cultures that don’t share this value. Better education of Canadian residents is the key, she said, adding if Canadians don’t understand their own history and values, people new to the country will find them difficult to learn. Canada needs to address its changing values in the run-up to the country’s 150th anniversary, the audience was told as part of a panel discussion that included former Liberal foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy and that was held by the Peter Lougheed Leadership College. Panellists talked about determining what Canadian values are and how to transform them for a globalized world. Axworthy lauded Canada’s 150th anniversary as a chance to create a “new narrative” in Canada. He said Canadian values have to change because of the creation of the “security state” after 9/11, the expansion of the digital world, and shifting demographics.

Person of the Week

Saturday, April 18 2015 L 11

Lawyer Mandeep Randhawa’s fantastic skill set gives him an edge over others Shruti Prakash- Joshi

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ne would imagine that a person who has studied sciences, has an in-depth knowledge of the human anatomy would naturally choose a profession that aligns with this stream of study. But Mandeep Randhawa, Partner in the Vancouver based boutique personal injury law firm Hammerberg Lawyers chose to be a lawyer instead and a highly successful one at that.

“How else would I be able to successfully cross examine the various experts that the opposing party often brings to prove a point,” said Randhawa in an interview with The Asian Star recently.

Randhwa was born in New Delhi and because his father worked for Air India, Randhawa lived in many places all over the world before finally settling down once again in Delhi. He did his science degree from Delhi University but finally decided to move to Canada in 1994 after his brother inspired him to do so.

pain case we managed to get our clients almost $275,000, a case for which ICBC was settling for a mere $71,000.

But what excites Randhawa about this particular stream of law?

“The satisfaction one derives from helping people is unparalleled. Dealing with insurance companies especially when you are down with physical and emotional pain is not easy and neither is it easy to navigate your way through the system. Insurance companies will try to deny your claim or try to minimize it and therefore the satisfaction that you get, helping people get access to justice is what excites me about this stream of law,” said Randhawa.

And what makes Randhawa different from so many lawyers who are practicing similar kind of law. “It’s largely your particular skill set and competency level that you have acquired over the years that gives you that edge, but also being associated with a firm that specializes in one particular kind of law . Our personal injury claims depart-

his skill set so he remained put and over the years has become highly competent by continuously educating himself and keeping abreast of all the changes happening in both the medical field as well as law. Randhawa is a busy man but despite paucity of time, he does manage to do some pro bono work.

He frequently lectures for the trial lawyers association of BC about trial strategies, has done presentations for the People’s Law School and often publishes articles as well as trying to keep on top of things.

But as much as he enjoys his work and intends to contribute more to his community, spending time with his family comes first. “Between family and professional commitments the opportunity to do more pro bono work becomes extremely hard, I do try though,” said Randhawa.

And when Randhawa is not giving his opposing lawyer a hard

Hammerberg Lawyers LLP are located at Suite 1220 Airport Square 1200 West 73rd Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6P 6G5 Tel: 604-269-8500 Fax: 604-269-8511 Toll Free: 1-888-LAW-5544

Mandeep Randhawa in his office.

Randhawa passed his LSAT exams and enrolled into the law program at UBC graduating with flying colours.

It’s rarely been seen that lawyers remain with the same firm that they article with after graduating, but to Randhawa’s credit he has been with the same firm since 1999, although Hammerberg Lawyers were previously based in Richmond and were known differently then.

“I have served as an associate, a senior associate and became a partner in 2005.

It’s been an extremely fruitful journey,” said Randhawa.

Randhawa specializes in all kinds of insurance law and therefore whether it’s a plane crash, a car crash or any kind of an injury claim Randhawa is the person to consult with.

Over the last many years, Randhawa has won some extremely complicated cases, managing to get his clients awards up to a few million dollars.

“Very early on in my career I remember we presided over a brain injury case. ICBC had offered approximately $500,000 but we went to trial and the jury’s verdict was around three million dollars,” recalled Randhawa.

Randhawa also remembers a plane crash case in which the occupant had died and he managed to get his client a massive settlement for it.

“Similarly just last week in a chronic

ment has 12 lawyers with a 25-30 support staff. If a file requires having 2 or 3 lawyers, we have the resources to provide that,” explained Randhawa.

Speaking about himself, Randhawa said that the trial and the litigation experience that he has acquired over the years by handling judge alone trials and jury trials and also the fact that he has an exceptional understanding of the human anatomy, is why he is able to successfully handle the quality of medical evidence that is required to get a successful claim.

“This is especially true when a case goes to trial because then you are able to better cross examine experts,” said Randhawa further adding that because he understands muscles, and ligaments so well, he is able to send his clients to specific specialists for assessment in order for them to get appropriate compensation.

Randhawa keeps himself abreast with all the research that goes on in this field of medical sciences so that he can effectively use this to represent his clients in a more informed manner.

“To challenge the medical experts in court you’ve got to be better than them” said Randhawa.

Interestingly at one time Randhawa did think about specializing in intellectual property law but as he was being rotated through many fields of law while articling he realized that personal injury claims best suited

time in court, he usually spends time with his family, travelling or simply catching that popular Hindi Bollywood flick.

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n extravagant mayor’s gala held on the unfinished job site of Surrey’s “palatial� city hall — a project that appears to be running up to $50-million over budget — cost taxpayers at least $450,000 according to a new lawsuit against the city. The project’s general contractor, PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., is the latest in a list of construction companies to sue Surrey for allegedly failing to pay for project work. The controversial project — originally pitched to taxpayers as a $97-million investment — was scheduled to be completed by September 2013. But contractors including PCL allege Surrey is to blame for changing plans which caused final construction costs to balloon. The growing number of claims filed by PCL and its subcontractors against Surrey suggest the project’s final bill could approach $150-million, not including tens of millions in long-term financing costs. Ron Fettback of Western Pacific Enterprises (WPE) — a subcontractor suing Surrey and PCL for $6-million in allegedly unpaid work — points to the October 2013 charity gala put on by former Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts as a prime example of wasteful spending on the project. Fettback claims his company was asked to complete $90,000 worth of gala prep work on the unfinished site that “would have not been performed at all if there was no mayor’s gala.�

As well, PCL completed $361,700 in unpaid gala prep work according to its court filings, which would bring the alleged cost of the mayor’s gala to at least $450,000. “Surrey asked PCL to perform extra work for an event known as the Mayor’s Gala,� PCL’s lawsuit states. “PCL performed that work ... and with consequent interruptions of and delays to the project schedule. Surrey, in breach

of contract, has refused to compensate PCL.�

PCL’s claim says that in 2011 it originally planned to sign a $70-million contract with Surrey to complete the new city hall. But the plan was changed. PCL instead entered a $37.7 million contract to complete a parkade and a clean-energy “geo-exchange� facility for the project. According to the suit, Surrey decided to have PCL complete actual city hall construction through “change orders� — which appear to be a series of small and flexible contracts. According to PCL, this hybrid contracting raised the cost of construction to $86.5-million, for a total contract value of $123-million.

PCL says it was eventually paid $126-million by Surrey, but is still owed over $9-million. PCL also claims Surrey is liable for millions in claims being made against PCL by subcontractors.

However Surrey has hit back with a response and counter-claim against PCL filed April 8 in B.C. Supreme Court.

Surrey says PCL did negligent work and failed to meet “milestone events� in the contract schedule.

Surrey does not owe PCL or its subcontractors any additional money, and “any loss or damage the subcontractors have suffered is due solely to their failures or the failures of PCL,� the city’s response states.

Furthermore, PCL owes the city damages including an estimated $1.6 million for constructing a “deficient and incomplete� geo-exchange energy system, the city claims. Surrey’s response to the PCL lawsuit says the city does not owe PCL any money for “extra work� on the gala, and “PCL deprived the city of it ability to mitigate costs associated with the Mayor’s Gala work by representing to the City on several occasions in the fall of 2013 that the (gala) need not be rescheduled or relocated.�

LOCAL

By Umendra Singh

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ederal Liberal critic for Citizenship and Immigration, Multiculturalism, Seniors, John McCallum, says the federal Conservative government has mismanaged economy as well as the immigration system.

McCallum, in an interview with The Asian Star, said if elected, a Justin Trudeau government would do away with temporary foreign worker program, on which the current system relies so much, will be done away with. “We Liberals believe that we should allow people to come here and settle as permanent immigrants of Canada - not as guest workers,� he said.

So this will mean an absolute change to the current policy of depending heaving on “temporary foreign workers.� A new Liberal government would work hard to reunite families at a faster clip. “We don’t want children and parents of Canadians separated form them for so long,� McCallum, a former Minister of Defence and Minister of National Revenue in the Paul Martin Liberal government of 2004 to 2006, said. He said Liberals will keep the number of new immigrants at the same

Saturday, April 18 2015 L 13

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$ level as now increase it. “Currently the conservatives have increased the number of new immigrants to 285,000 per year - which is not too bad,� he said. McCallum said that Liberals would continue to support rights of minorities, such as a Pakistani-Canadian woman insisting on covering her face with a Niqab during a citizenship ceremony. “She was willing to uncover her face in front of a single female security or citizenship officer but did not want to take off her Niqab in front of 400 strangers. I don’t John McCallum and Liberal candidate for Newton see any problems with that and Sukh Dhaliwal at The Asian Star office last week. a judge in Ontario has agrees as well. I don’t know why the Conservatives few wealthy families - but at a great expense to the taxpayers overall. WE just cant afford want to keep on opposing it,� he said.

McCallum, who was Royal Bank’s chief the income-splitting plan of the Conservaeconomist for six years, blasted the conser- tives� he said. A Liberal government would vative government’s economic and finance look at reversing or eliminating this policy.

He said the current Conservative was folpolicies, specially its support of income splitting. “Income splitting is going to help only a lowing the wrong financial plans. “The Con-

servatives had all along made their plans based on a $100 per barrel price of oil and now that the price of oil has been halved to less than $50 a barrel, all Conservative plans are in disarray,� he said. That is why Finance Minister Joe Oliver has delayed his budget until April 24. “Th egovernemnt should have done what Alberta did - present an earlier budget - not one that is so late,� he said.

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CBC failed to provide its staff a workplace “free from disrespectful and abusive behaviour,� says the report of an independent investigator hired to examine the corporation’s handling of the behaviour of former radio and television host Jian Ghomeshi. Janice Rubin, a Toronto employment lawyer with expertise in the field of workplace harassment, says in the report that Ghomeshi’s behaviour violated CBC standards, and that his behaviour was “considered to create an intimidating, humiliating, hostile or of-

fensive work environment.�

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Canadian diplomat’s teenage son accused of involvement in a drug-related shootout that killed his older brother in Florida has been charged with murder and will be tried as an adult.

A Miami-Dade County grand jury indicted 15-year-old Marc Wabafiyebazu (pictured) on first-degree felony murder charges Wednesday. Wabafiyebazu was arrested March 30 after the shooting deaths of his 17-year-old brother, Jean, and 17-year-old Joshua Wright.

The grand jury also indicted two other young men involved in the alleged drug deal on felony murder charges.

Media reports say Wabafiyebazu, who is

being held in juvenile detention, will now be moved to an adult jail to await trial. Wabafiyebazu’s lawyer has said his client — whose mother is Roxanne Dube, a longtime Canadian diplomat who recently became general consul in Miami — plans to plead not guilty to any charges in the case.

Under Florida law, all suspects involved in committing a crime can be charged with murder if it leads to a killing. Police say the Wabafiyebazu brothers were involved in an alleged marijuana drug deal gone wrong. Investigators allege the brothers had gone to a home with the intention of stealing marijuana from a dealer.

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he provincial government drastically undersold more than a dozen parcels of Crown land in Coquitlam’s Burke Mountain area to a Liberal-friendly donor, the Opposition charged Tuesday in the legislature. The NDP said the buyer, Wesbild Holdings Ltd., paid an estimated $44 million below the appraised values offered in a government-commissioned report. The allegations are based on documents highlighted by the NDP in the legislature detailing the values and sale prices of land sold by the government to Wesbild Holdings Ltd. over a twoyear period.

The sales were part of efforts first announced in 2012 to balance the budget by selling off “surplus� assets.

The documents, which were provided to The Province, included the 137-page report prepared for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations by Equity Valuation and Consulting Services Ltd. in 2013. Also included was a chart listing the actual sales price of the individual properties and their assessed value. The report offered a detailed appraisal of 14 parcels of land, concluding that they were collectively worth $128, 070,000. The total price paid to the government for the lands was $85 million.

Several of the parcels were drastically undersold, including one that was appraised at $5.6 million but sold for $100,000. “Another parcel was given a market appraisal of $17.5 million and was sold for $6.9 million,� NDP critic Selina Robinson said in the legislature. “Another parcel was given a market appraisal of $20.6 million and sold for $13.9 million. Why did the government ignore its own real estate expert and sell these lands for far below their actual market value?�

Wesbild Holdings Ltd. was founded by Hassan Khosrowshahi, an Iranian-born business man who moved to Vancouver in 1981. Corporate records show he is one of three company directors. According to financial records, Khosrowshahi and his companies have donated more than $500,000 to the B.C. Liberals dating back to 2005, the date online records begin.

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he Supreme Court of Canada has ruled the municipal council in the Quebec town of Saguenay cannot open its meetings with a prayer.

In a unanimous decision today, the country’s top court said reciting a Catholic prayer at council meetings infringes on freedom of conscience and religion.

The ruling puts an end to an eight-year legal battle that began with a complaint filed by atheist Alain Simoneau and a secular-rights organization against Saguenay Mayor Jean Tremblay. The court ordered the City of Saguenay and the mayor to stop the prayers.

It also ordered the city and Tremblay to pay

Simoneau a total of $33,200 in compensatory damages, punitive damages and costs.

The Supreme Court did not rule out the presence of religious symbols, because it decided to limit the scope of its investigation to prayer only. In 2011, Quebec’s human rights tribunal ordered an end to prayers, demanded that a crucifix in the city council chamber be removed and awarded damages to Simoneau. But the outspoken mayor fought back, raising money from supporters through the city’s website. Tremblay said it was a battle for Quebec’s Roman Catholic heritage. The Quebec Court of Appeal overturned the tribunal’s decision in 2013.

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rogressive Intercultural Community Services Society marked the National Volunteer Week by felicitating dedicated volunteers who generously donate their time to PICS, helping the Society deliver programs in an even more effective manner.

The event was organized on April 13, 2015 at PICS Head Offices located in Surrey.

PICS invited noted community leader Dr. Raghbir Singh Bains who was recently honored with the Prime Ministers Award for Community Leadership to give away certificates to PICS volunteers. Also present on the occasion were, Jinny Sims, MP Newton-North Delta; Jasbir Sandhu, MP Surrey North; Jim Mihaly, Publisher Surrey North

Delta Leader. MLA Bruce Ralston was represented by Constituency Assistant, Lorinder Birak.

PICS has placed great value to volunteerism since its inception. Each year more than 100 volunteers give their valuable time to PICS working diligently in their Employment and Settlement programs as well as in their Seniors Housing facility. At least 30 volunteers are currently volunteering their time at the tax clinic, set by specially by PICS with the help of CRA to help low income families fill their taxes. Through its PROVE program, PICS helps secondary school students gain valuable experience through volunteer service as they plan to graduate high school.

Dr. Raghbir Singh Bains, Guest of Honor at PICS Volunteer Recognition Day, poses with PICS volunteers and other guests at PICS Volunteer Recognition Day celebrated on April 13, 2015 in Surrey. Photo: Chandra Bodalia

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CMP in Surrey, B.C., have taken the unusual step of releasing the names and photographs of men it alleges are contributing to a gang war that has resulted in at least 17 shootings in the city, and three in Delta since March 9.

At a news conference on Tuesday, Chief Supt. Bill Fordy stood beside a poster board with the likenesses of the men allegedly involved in the violence, with most described as victims. â– Surrey shooting victim evasive, police say â– Surrey gunshots ring out as cars flee and police scramble â– 3 shootings in 8 hours

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Metro Vancouver He said two different groups of South Asian and Somalian descent that are involved in low-level drug trafficking are engaged in a turf war.So far, RCMP have only managed to arrest Delta resident Arman Dhatt, who is charged with 12 firearms and drug trafficking offences.

Police get list of excuses Despite community involvement and overt and covert enforcement tactics, police says one of their biggest problems is the alleged lack of co-operation from the individuals who have been shot.

Fordy provided a list of some of their responses, including. ■�The bullets fell from the sky.�

■�I will take care of it myself.� ■�Don’t you worry about it ... no need for you cops to be here.�

He said one of the victims even admitted to knowing who did the shooting and the motive, but refused to tell police.

Chief Supt. Bill Fordy of Surrey, B.C., RCMP says unco-operative victims are compromising the police’s ability to make arrests in an ongoing gang turf war that has resulted in at least 20 shootings in just over a month. (CBC) Fordy said this lack of co-operation is compromising their ability to make arrests. “We are disappointed with the lack of co-operation from the victims and we know the community is frustrated as well,� he said. “Today, I again appeal to the family, friends and those of you

RCMP’s list of unco-operative victims in gang turf war who know any of the people pictured here. We need information on their whereabouts, their connections and their activities.�

RCMP have released a list of 13 individuals. The first eight are new names not previously released by police. The other five are names police first released on March 12.

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New Brunswick family has some tough questions over the prescribing and use of medical marijuana. They believe it may have played a part in the death of a husband and father. Steve Saunders of Fredericton was prescribed medical marijuana

to help him cope with an old shoulder injury and they claim that under its influence he became manic. He lost control of his life, drove away family and friends, emptied his savings and eventually killed himself.

In March 2014, Saunders was given a one-year prescription for 10 grams a day of medical marijuana, enough for about 16 joints. He started taking the marijuana the following month. According to his family, it was premium pot with high THC content of more than 20 per cent. (THC is tetrahydrocannabinol, the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects.) ‘Manic is what he eventually became.’- Jake Saunders Within four months, Saunders’s family says he had become manic. He slept little, hardly ate and was spending a lot of money. “Manic is what he eventually became,� said his son Jake Saunders. “He went out and he bought a Harley-Davidson. He bought at Porsche. He bought a hotel in Nackawic. “The spending was just non-stop. Eventually, mother had to freeze the accounts because by that time, everybody knew there was something wrong.�

Recreational pot user Saunders, 54, was as entrepreneur and businessman who ran a bed and breakfast with his wife of 33 years, Kathy, in a Victorian-era home on University Avenue.

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NATIONAL

NDP leader Tom Mulcair may have been rigjt all along about ‘Dutch disease’ diagnosis

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anufacturing jobs have declined to a new low, and won’t bounce back easily The latest national job numbers came as a great surprise. Great because they were up — a surprise because analysts were predicting the numbers would be down. The top-line numbers, however, mask the hollowing out of a portion of the Canadian economy. According to the Labour Force Survey, 1,688,300 Canadians were employed in the manufacturing sector in March, a drop of 1.8 per cent from the previous month.

That means there are currently fewer people working in that sector of the economy than at any time in the nearly 40-year history of the modern Labour Force Survey.

In January 1976, the first month of thenew survey, Statistics Canada reported more than 1.8 million people were working in manufacturing. To put those numbers in greater context — the entire labour force for all industries at the time numbered 9.6 million. Today it stands at 17.9 million; an

Supreme Court quashes mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes

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86 per cent increase. Manufacturing keeps shrinking Manufacturing has shrunk over the same time period by more than a quarter.

Last fall, Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said parts of the sector have lost 75 per cent of their output since 2000.

He pointed out this is more than just cancelling the third shift at a plant — that kind of decline represents factory closures and companies restructuring to slim down.The closures and restructuring were made necessary because of declining demand from international clients, whose currency isn’t going as far as it used to compared with the Canadian dollar. The loonie was being driven largely by the power of strong oil prices. “It’s by definition Dutch disease,� opined Tom Mulcair in an interview with the CBC in May 2012.

fter two years of leading the polls, the Liberals now find themselves - narrowly - in second place For the first time since Justin Trudeau took over the party two years ago, the Liberals have lost the lead in national voting intentions.

While that has placed the Conservatives in top spot, it is the New Democrats who have benefited from the Liberals’ slip.

ThreeHundredEight.com’s latest poll averages put the Conservatives narrowly ahead with 32 per cent support. The Liberals trail with 31 per cent, while Thomas Mulcair’s NDP is in third with 22 per cent. The Greens stand at an average of 7 per cent support in the polls, with the Bloc QuÊbÊcois at 5 per cent. Stephen Harper’s Conservatives have

swapped positions with the Liberals almost by default, as the party has been consistently polling at between 32 and 33 per cent since early December and the Liberals have slipped. Trudeau’s party was polling at between 33 and 34 per cent for the first three months of the year, but has been dropping over the last three weeks. This is taking place as the New Democrats put together their most positive string of polls in more than a year. That was the last time the NDP managed at least 23 to 25 per cent support in four consecutive polls, the same streak they are currently riding. With these levels of support, the Conservatives would likely win between 120 and 161 seats. That puts them short of the 170 needed to form a majority government. The Liberals would take between 98 and 136 seats

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he Supreme Court of Canada dealt the Harper government’s tough-on-crime agenda a serious blow Tuesday by striking down a law requiring mandatory minimum sentences for crimes involving prohibited guns. The 6-3 ruling, penned by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, said the statute was unconstitutional as it upheld a 2013 Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that labelled the law cruel and unusual. The ruling said the mandatory minimum sentence could ensnare people with “little or no moral fault� and who pose “little or no danger to the public.� It cited as an example a person who inherits a firearm and does not immediately get a license for the weapon. “As the Court of Appeal concluded, there exists a ‘cavernous disconnect’ between the severity of the licensing-type offence and the mandatory minimum threeyear term of imprisonment,� McLachlin wrote for the majority.

Justice Minister Peter MacKay said in a statement that the government will review the decision to determine “next steps towards protecting Canadians from gun crime and ensuring that our laws remain responsive.� “Our government will continue to be tough on those who commit serious crimes and endanger our communities,� the minister added. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said there is a place for mandatory minimums in certain situations, noting that past Liberal governments have introduced them for “extreme crimes.� “But I think the overuse of them that the Supreme Court has highlighted, by this Conservative government, isn’t necessarily doing a service to Canadians, both by not necessarily keeping us that much safer and also wasting large amount of taxpayers dollars on unnecessary court challenges,� he told reporters in Oakville.

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C L A S S I F I E D S JOBS Dosa Corner Restaurant Ltd in Vancouver Looking to hire an authentic south indian chef .

This is a full time permanent position. $18.50/hr. 40hrs/week.

Must have at least 3-5yrs experience in south indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Dosas.

Duties include Prepare & cook meals.kitchen management. Plan menus & quality. Orders food supplies.

Mail your resume to selvamm164@gmail.com or apply by person at DosaCorner Vancouver. 110-8248 Fraser Street.

Vancouver. B.C.. V5X 3X6 Ph: 604-324-3672.

-----------------------------------Seamstress required Seamstress (Tailor) needed Foam & Décor is looking for Full Time or Part Time Seamstress ( tailor) for drapery in Surrey.

Salary will be provided @ 12 per hour. Please call 604-594-1882 Mayuri Indian foods inc is looking to hire an Ethnic Food Cook in Surrey BC. F/T & Perm.$17/hr.

JOBS Must have at least 2-3 yrs experience in South Indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Indian spicing.

Duties: Prepare & Cook meals; Supervise Kitchen helpers; Plan menus; Ensure quality & determine food proportions; Monitor & order food supplies; Set up & oversee buffets; Manage kitchen operation.

Mail resume or apply by person Mayuri indian cuisine , Unit 102A,12677 80th Ave., Surrey BC V3W 3A6 Fax: 604-572-3281 -------------------------------English Classes for Adults Register for classes September 2-8 For more information,Visit: www. victoryesl.com Call: 604.755.7976 E-mail: victoryesl1@gmail.com Cook Require Curry junction Restaurant in White Rock need cook immediately, This is a full time permanent position for a experienced person,

JOBS Depending on experience salary will be upto $21 per hr. with other benefits. Call:604-729-6741 or 604-385-1558 ---------------------------Transworld Security located at 2nd Floor, 5050, Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4H2 is looking for a Static Guard, Static Guard Supervisor, Mobile Supervisor and Field Manager. These are permanent full-time positions.

Static Guard pay rate is $13.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to patrol industrial and commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows and gates.

Answer alarms and investigate disturbances. Monitor and authorize entrance and departure of employees, visitors and guests.

Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency. Circulate among visitors, patrons and employees to preserve order and protect property.

Static Guard Supervisor pay rate is $14.00 per hour plus vacation pay.

You would be required to oversee and supervise Static Guards. You will need to ensure the duties of the Static Guards you supervise are being completed and the client’s needs are being met.

Field Manager pay rate is $18.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to report to the Director of Operations and you are responsible for supporting, mentoring and supervising

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Business / Finance

Desperate B.C. Liberals want secret subsidy deals for LNG companies, says NDP

wo years after promising openness, fair taxation and benefits for all British Columbians from LNG development, Christy Clark’s Liberal government has turned in desperation to legislation that allows new subsidies for companies and leaves British Columbians with only secrecy in return, New Democrat leader John Horgan said. “Christy Clark is desperate to make her LNG promises come true,” said Horgan, “She’s given companies what they wanted, then more, and now she wants the ability to give them even more tax breaks and long term deals without any public openness.”

Horgan pointed to two pieces of legislation introduced by the government that give sweeping powers to sell valuable public resources in secret, saying that the government

has gone too far in their efforts to make the premier’s promise come true.

“Last fall when the Liberals introduced a tax regime for LNG development we supported the bill because it came with statutory tax limits and benefits,” added Bruce Ralston, New Democrat spokesperson for natural gas development, “We were assured that investments would be quickly made based on that regime. That has not happened, and these pieces of legislation add even more long term tax giveaways that will also be secret.”

“The minister of finance promised open project agreements so that all British Columbians would know they got good value for their resources,” said Carole James, New Democrat finance spokesperson, ”But Chris-

ty Clark overruled him and the project agreements are secret. She just wants people to take her at her word, but that’s tough to do.”

Horgan pointed out that in the last week the Liberals have been exposed as losing $43 million on the fire-sale of public land in deals they tried to keep secret for two years. “Imagine the kind of mess they could get us into in

secret when valuable LNG resources are on the table, and the biggest goal of the government is to get a project, any project approved, at any cost.” “Whenever the premier is faced with the public interest on one side and her personal political benefit on the other, she sides with political benefit every single time,” said Horgan, “She can’t be trusted anymore, and we will vote against this legislation.”

Average Canadian house price climbs 9% to $439,144 in March from year earlier

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he average price of a Canadian home sold in March increased by nine per cent compared with the same month a year earlier, rising to almost $440,000. The average house price was $439,144, and actual home sales activity rose 9.5 per cent above March 2014 levels.While the spring home buying season is off to a hot start, the two big markets of Toronto and Vancouver continue to skew the numbers

higher, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Wednesday. If sales in those two markets are stripped out, the average price for Canadian resale homes drops to $332,711, with an annual increase of just 2.4 per cent.

“Price gains in these two markets are being fuelled by a shortage of single family homes for sale in the face of strong demand,” the realtor group’s chief economist Gregory Klump said.

New majority owner of Canadian Wheat Board includes Saudi investors

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3 Global Grain Group will invest $250 million to become the new majority owner of the CWB, formerly known as the Canadian Wheat Board.

The new Winnipeg-based partnership was selected to take over CWB’s operations after a process set in motion when the Conservative government ended its marketing monopoly. Farmers who sell their grain through the CWB can receive free units in an independently managed trust, which will hold the remaining 49.9 per cent interest in the CWB. G3 is a partnership between: Majority partner Bunge Canada, a subsidiary of Bunge Limited, an agribusiness and food company operating in 40 countries worldwide. SALIC Canada Limited, a subsidiary of Riyadh-based Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, Saudi Arabia’s main agriculture investment vehicle.

“This is a win for Canadian farmers,” Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz told reporters at a news conference Wednesday, saying it was also a win for Winnipeg’s economy that the new company’s headquarters would remain in Manitoba. “Nothing’s been given away.”

CWB head Ian White and the new CEO

for G3, Karl Gerrand, joined Ritz for the announcement. Despite the global pedigree of the companies behind the deal, Gerrand emphasized his roots growing up on a grain farm in Virden, Man. Need for strong competitor The 2011 legislation that ended the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly over marketing Prairie wheat and barley gave the revamped wheat board — purged of farmer-elected directors and now run by a board of federal government appointees — until 2016 to come up with a privatization plan and until 2017 to implement it. Otherwise, it would be dissolved.

CWB spoke openly of wanting to beat that deadline in order to end uncertainty about its future as quickly as possible.

Dayna Spiring, the CWB’s chief strategy officer, said the CWB didn’t want an investor that already had a “Canadian footprint” (and, presumably, may have been tempted to simply roll the CWB’s assets into an existing operation). “One more person in there moving grain is certainly not a bad thing,” Ritz said, contrasting it with the situation farmers faced earlier when they were denied the right to decide where to sell their crops.

Business / Finance

2 changed at 0.75% after economic ‘wobble’ to start 2015

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he economic pain inflicted by plunging oil prices is hurting the country more than expected, but that pain should start to ease in the next few months, the Bank of Canada says in its latest forecast. Unlike what the bank did in January with a surprise cut, the bank opted Wednesday not to change its overnight lending rate, leaving it at 0.75 per cent. The Canadian dollar gained almost a full cent to 80.60 cents US on the news, as currency traders seemingly focused on the lure of stability as opposed to a rate cut which would have made the loonie less attractive as an investment.

Canada’s economic ills are acute right now.

Poloz, famously predicted GDP growth in the first quarter of 2015 would be “atrocious.�

Now the numbers are in and show the economy effectively stalled, with zero economic

growth in the first three months of 2015. The bank had previously estimated growth of 1.5 per cent for the same period. “The Canadian economy is estimated to have stalled in the first quarter of 2015,� is how the bank bluntly put it in its statement. “Our folks are calling it a wobble,� is how Poloz himself characterized the unexpected first-quarter weakness while addressing a news conference following the release of the bank’s policy statement.

What remains to be seen, however, is whether the wobble is indeed as temporary as the central bank hopes, or whether Canada’s output takes longer than expected to find its footing. The central bank says the economic strife caused by oil prices is proving to be more “front-loaded� than predicted, but not larger.

Canadian dollar gains almost 2 cents as oil rises and interest rates stay put

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he Canadian dollar had one of its strongest days in months on Wednesday, gaining about two cents mainly because of a rebound in oil prices.

The loonie was trading hands at 81.39 cents US in the afternoon, well up from the low of 79.58 it hit in the minutes before the Bank of Canada released its latest interest rate decision, which was to keep its benchmark rate steady where it is, at 0.75 per cent.

About a quarter of analysts polled by Bloomberg before the decision had been expecting a rate cut, which would have sent the loonie lower because it would make Canada less attractive for investors.

So when the central bank decided to do nothing, that was perceived as good news

O

from a currency perspective at least.

The main catalyst driving the loonie up, however, was oil. The price of a barrel of the North American oil benchmark known as West Texas Intermediate jumped up more than five per cent to $56.07 US, a high for the year.

Oil was up mainly because of new data out of the U.S. showing that drillers are starting to scale down and stop new drilling because of cratering prices.

The loonie popped despite the underlying bleak tone of the Bank of Canada’s statement, which revised its estimate for first quarter growth to effective zero. It’s also closer to the 86 cents that the central bank is forecasting to be the loonie’s average level this year.

Oil hits 2015 high of $56 after U.S. output slows

il was at its highest level this year, climbing to more than $56 U.S. a barrel in trading in New York Wednesday, after a report showing U.S. production was slowing. West Texas Intermediate crude closed up $2.64 to $55.93 in late afternoon. That’s five per cent above its price at the beginning of the year. Brent crude, the most common international contract, was up $3.03 at $62.84 US a barrel. The oil-sensitive Canadian dollar rose today to 81.27 cents US, following oil’s climb. The impetus for the climb was data released on Tuesday by North Dakota’s Department of Mineral Resources yesterday, that showed state oil production slid for the second month in a row in February. U.S. shale producers are scaling back and closing rigs because of continued low oil prices. New figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed crude oil inventories in the U.S. rose less than expected last week, just 1.3 million barrels, compared to the 4.1 million analysts had expected.

OPEC production up The market seemed to discount news from the International Energy Agency that showed the Organization of Petroleum Exporters has increased its output.

OPEC raised output by 890,000 barrels a day to 31.02 million barrels a day in March, the IEA estimated. The increase in production came mainly from the Saudis, which raised output by raised output 390,000 barrels a day and Iran, which raised output by 1.2 million barrels. There was also increased output from Iraq and Libya.

Analyst says the rise doesn’t make sense Dirk Lever, an energy analyst with AltaCorp, isn’t sure what to make of the sudden jump. He says he hopes that we’re seeing a turnaround in prices, but he’s not convinced. “I’m at a bit of a loss, to be honest. Even if U.S. production is falling, production from the Mideast is increasing. I think we need more than one month of data.�

Lever says he’s also concerned that producers will overreact to the price increase and start to ramp up production again, which would undo any progress made so far. A glut in production, and OPEC’s refusal last November to pull back in its output, lead to oil prices declining by 50 per cent in the past year. Many critics blame Saudi Arabia for the glut, saying the country is attempting to drive U.S. producers out of the market so it can remain as the world’s dominant producer of oil.

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 25

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PM Modi heads home after three-nation tour Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday wrapped up his three-nation tour of France, Germany and Canada during which a number of important agreements were signed, including for the supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets

by France and uranium from Canada. “I leave Canada with immense satisfaction.

This visit will further enhance India-Canada ties. A big thanks to the people of Canada,�

Prime Minister Modi tweeted before his departure. “A special thanks to @pmharper -a fine host, a wonderful human being and a very dear friend,� Modi said in another tweet

before heading home. The Prime Minister’s aircraft will make a brief stopover in Frankfurt for refuelling before heading for Delhi. The thrust of Modi’s trip was on attracting investments and technology for development of India through the “Make in India� programme.

During his Germany visit, Modi inaugurated the Hannover Fair of which India was a

partner country with a theme of ‘Make in India’. France was the first destination of his nine-day tour. During his stay in Paris, Modi held talks with President Francois Hollande and met business leaders. An agreement was signed under which India will buy 36 Rafale fighter jets in flyaway condition from France and a decision was made to move ahead with the stalled Ja-

itapur nuclear project in Maharashtra. He then headed to Germany where he held talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and announced that a mechanism will be established to facilitate investment and business from Germany

Jaitley pitches s modern tax system with low taxes, taxpayers as romising a ‘modern tax system’ with low same multinational group. and globally competitive rates, Finance ‘partners not hostages’ Asserting that the government is committed to

P

Minister Arun Jaitley has assured foreign investors against any retrospective action and said taxpayers will be seen as “partners and not as potential hostages or victims�. For domestic taxpayers also, the rates need to be low as taxes are seen as money being forcibly transferred from citizens to the state, but the tax net should

be wide enough so that everyone feels being part of the government, he said. Jaitley said he is “acutely aware� that there are concerns about retrospective taxation, tax harassment and arbitrariness in tax administration, especially those relating to cases of transfer pricing -- a term mainly used for deals between entities belonging to the

a transparent and predictable tax regime, Jaitley said: “These are not expressions of intent and we have translated them into action.� He also said that several steps have been taken to reduce litigation and the tax authorities have been asked not to “file frivolous appeals in a routine manner�, while the government did not contest high court orders that went in favour of Vodafone and Shell.

Kashmiri separatist leader Masarat Alam arrested

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nder pressure from alliance partner BJP, the PDP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday arrested separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat in connection with the raising of Pakistani flags during a rally here on Wednesday. “Bhat has been arrested in the case registered in police station Budgam in connection with the provocative actions during the rally on Wednesday,� a senior police officer said. The 45-year-old hardline separatist leader, who was placed under house arrest late last night, was arrested from his home in Habbakadal area of the city early this morning and taken to police station Shaheed Gunj, the officer said.

Police unit charged with murdering sandalwood smuggler

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reliminary murder and kidnapping charges have been filed against police in India’s Andhra Pradesh state after the killing of at least 20 suspected red sandalwood smugglers last week. A case has been lodged against members of the Anti-Smuggling Task Force. Police say the shooting happened when they were attacked by loggers near the holy town of Tirupati. But they are accused of using excessive force against the suspects, who were from neighbouring Tamil Nadu state. It is not clear how many police officers are being charged with carrying out the attack.

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Prime Ministers Modi and Harper saath saath

Harper and Modi arriving at the Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey on Thursday.

Harper and Modi feeling the love from huge crowds wherever they went in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Surrey.

Harper and Modi feeling the love from huge crowds wherever they went in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Surrey.

Harper and Modi at the Gurdwara Khalsa Diwan Society in Vancouver.

Harper and Modi at the Gurdwara Khalsa Diwan Society in Vancouver.

Harper and Modi at a business round table in Toronto.

30 L Saturday, April 18, 2015

FIJI

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 31

Five years in exile for native marijuana growers

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hiefs of Cakaudrove stand by their decision to exile for five years those found guilty in the court of law for cultivating or dealing marijuana. This contradicts the decision made last week at the Cakaudrove Provincial Council meeting to look at other options instead of exiling villagers. Cakaudrove paramount chief and Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu confirmed this but with a slight change. He said the exile law would apply to those who did not originate from Cakaudrove while those from the province would be counselled.

Ratu Naiqama said he could not comment directly on the decision of the Cakaudrove Provincial council meeting. But he said the vanua of Cakaudrove had notified the judicial department, Police and the roko tui Cakaudrove’s office of their decision. He said the chief ’s decision would be upheld

Proposed law to force parents to send kids to school

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arents should be taken to task for not sending their children to school and a suggestion has been made for the enactment of legislation to force them to comply with compulsory education laws.

The call for stricter measures in the education sector was made at a sub-regional meeting on child labour and trafficking — after several presenters spoke of high absenteeism in schools despite the “free” education initiative. The low value placed on education by parents was cited as one of the reasons school age children worked to subsidise the family income.

and respected within the province.

Ratu Naiqama said perpetrators who were not originally from the province and chose to defy orders would be banished.

He said it was better for those perpetrators to stay in a place where they could do as they wished. For their own people who are involved in the cultivation and selling of marijuana, Ratu Naiqama said they would be reproved and counselled by village leaders and elders. He said it was the duty of those leaders to ensure that their people did not break the law. Traditional leaders and village headmen were also reminded to play their role.

He said if those leaders failed to play their roles as counsellors, perpetrators would continue to break the law. Ratu Naiqama said it would be a sorry state if perpetrators who were normally youths were chased

Anti- corruption unit investigates health ministry

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he Fiji Independent Commission against Corruption is investigating the Health Ministry.Commission spokesperson Nandani Vandhana yesterday confirmed the investigations had started late last year.“We had started our investigations in the Ministry of Health late last year. We have not named anybody or the department that is under investigation,” Ms Vandhana said.She said when investigations would be completed, and people produced in court, then people would know who had been charged. “We are investigating the Ministry of Health — we are not naming anybody, we have to protect the integrity of the people who work at the ministry,” she said.

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Spate of attacks shake Pakistan’s dwindling Sikh community

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ilgrims descended from all over the world on a small town in Pakistan that is home to one of Sikhism’s holiest sites this week, dipping into holy spring water and solemnly offering prayers.

They have come from India, Britain and the Middle East to the Panja Sahib Gurdwara in Hasan Abdal, 55 kilometres (35 miles) from Islamabad, where Guru Nanak, the founder of the religion, is said to have imprinted his hand. But for Pakistani Sikhs, who mainly live in the country’s restive northwest, this year’s celebrations are also a time of healing after six murders during August and September that have left their community in fear.

The 500-year-old religion was founded in what is now part of Pakistan, a Muslim-majority country of nearly 200 million people.

Most Sikhs left Pakistan for India after both countries gained independence from Britain in 1947. Around 20,000 Sikhs remain in Pakistan today, most in the country’s restive northwest, which has been rocked by an Islamist insurgency for more than a decade, forcing many to leave their homes in the tribal areas on the Afghan border for the city of Peshawar. There, they have set up businesses and often work as traders, their men instant-

Unseasonal rain washes away farmers’ hopes

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ly recognisable by the distinctive untrimmed beards and high turbans that distinguish them from their Muslim counterparts.

They have earned a reputation for uprightness and have many loyal customers who praise their honesty. But their peace was broken in the second half of last year with a spate of killings targeting Sikh traders and many are now considering leaving. From his spice and groceries shop in Peshawar, Harcharan Singh, 22, witnessed one of the killings last September that of his friend Harjeet. “It happened in front of me. The man came, shot him and left quickly (on a motorbike) before anyone knew what was going on,” he said.

“Nobody knows who it was. Nobody knows who did it. Forget that we have had around six attacks on us. Still nobody knows who did what.”

oderate to heavy rains lashed many parts of the state in the past 24 hours to Friday, dashing the hopes of farmers as they were gearing up to reap their harvest in a few days.

Untimely rains have virtually played havoc with wheat and other vegetable crops.

Statistics available with the Punjab Agriculture Department revealed that Punjab received average rainfall of 22.6 mm between April 1 and 16. The overall rainfall recorded by the department was 8.1 mm today as compared to 6.5 mm on April 7. Jalandhar received maximum 28 mm of rainfall and Kapurthala received 21.5 mm, while minimum rainfall was recorded in Mansa district of Punjab at just 1 mm. The districts of Faridkot, Bathinda (except Rampura Phul and surrounding areas), Ferozepur, Fazilka and Muktsar hardly received any rainfall today.

Though Director, Agriculture Department, Mangal Singh Sandhu claimed that there was no report of any major loss to wheat and other crops from anywhere in the state, farm experts and farmers said

inclement weather had not only delayed the harvesting of wheat in certain pockets of Punjab, but it had also led to damage to summer vegetable crops such as brinjal, bitter gourd, lady finger and other cucurbits.

“Bad weather, especially rain, has affected the crop luster. The crop has shriveled and discolouration has taken place at a number of places. Vegetable planting process has also been delayed by rains and consequent low temperature,” said Jalandhar-based farm expert Dr Naresh Gulati.

“Fresh spell of rain is enough to reduce the per acre yield by about 40 kg,” said a farm expert. The inclement weather has forced the state government to postpone the official procurement process by about 10 days.

Baldev Singh, a farmer from Verka, apprehended that the rain would cause losses up to 30 per cent to his standing wheat crop.

He said rainfall had led to waterlogging in his fields as he had already watered his crop.

Another farmer Sukhwinder Singh feared up to 50 per cent crop loss while pointing towards stagnant water in his fields.

Pregnant woman shot dead in honour killing

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imarjeet Kaur (32), who married Gurpyar Singh of Fattah Maloka village, was allegedly shot in the neck and forehead using a .12 bore country-made weapon.

The couple got married in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 29, 2014. The marriage was solemnised against the wishes of her parents, who reside in Bhamme Kalan village of Sardulgarh

subdivision. Simarjeet was going towards Sardulgarh town with her husband on a bike when a car hit their vehicle from the rear. The accused then shot Simarjeet dead at the main road near Fattah Maloka village. Simarjeet was employed as a teacher in a government school in Sardulgarh town, whereas her husband is a teacher in a private school near their village. After their marriage, the court had provided security to the couple.

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B.C. auto industry is driving a plan for future

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he B.C. automotive sector is gearing up to ensure it has human resource strategies and tools to create sustainability in the sector and help well-trained individuals get the skills they need to find their fit in this growing sector. Government announced today it has invested just over $100,000 in a labour market partnerships program (LMPP) agreement with the Automobile Retailers Association (ARA) and its automotive industry partners. This partnership program builds on two earlier LMPPs. The first phase, completed in March 2013, provided a comprehensive evaluation of current and future labour market issues in the B.C. automotive sector. Phase 2, completed at the end of March 2014, focused on developing a human-resource strategy and a career-awareness and marketing strategy for the B.C. automotive sector. Phase 3, being announced today, will put the earlier work to task. This includes creating a plan for industry to maintain and refresh the work of previous LMPPs. New deliverables include developing a high-school outreach program, putting together a human-resource toolkit, creating succession-planning resources, improving human resource management practice materials, preparing B.C. auto careers marketing materials and adding information to the new website. The lead organization, Automotive Retailers Association (ARA) is a not-for- profit organization that has represented the B.C. automotive sector since 1951.

Partners in the program include the New Car Dealers of BC, Dueck GM, Richport Ford,

Reflections Truck Autobody, Benchmark Automotive, Richmond Motorworks, Elite Auto Body, Foreman Auto Service and Precision Auto Service. The automotive sector employs about 45,000 people throughout the province, with 2,800 active apprentices currently registered in automotive sector-related trades (7% of all apprentices in B.C.'s trades training system). The automotive sector accounts for 1.9% of provincial GDP, and is characterized by increasing complexity, including rapid changes in technology, products and the way repairs and servicing are provided. Quotes: Greg Kyllo, Parliamentary Secretary for the BC Jobs Plan - "The automotive sector plays a major role in keeping our economy diverse, strong, and growing, accounting for almost two per cent of provincial GDP and in 2.3 per cent of jobs in B.C. Since 2011, we have provided funding for 80 Labour Market Partnership projects to develop human resources strategies that will identify the upcoming need for workers and specific training to address skills shortages like the ones identified in the automotive sector."

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 33

Toyota moving Corolla production to Mexico from Canada

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oyota will spend $1 billion on an assembly plant in Guanajuato, Mexico, and move production of its popular Corolla sedan there from another plant in Cambridge, Ont. The Mexican factory will have the capacity to crank out 200,000 cars a year, bringing an end to the production of the Corolla in Canada. It is one of the bestselling cars in the country and had been built here since the plant opened in the 1980s. Toyota has made more than three million Corollas in Ontario since opening its first plant, but after production ends there, all Corollas sold in North America will be built either in the Mexican plant or an existing one in Mississippi. New role for Cambridge plant Toyota said Wednesday’s news doesn’t mean the end for the Cambridge plant, however. It will “switch from producing Corollas to mid-sized, higher-value vehicles,” although a release Wednesday doesn’t specify which ones. The two plants currently produce Lexus models, the RAV4 sport-utility vehicle and the Matrix hatchback, in addition to the Corolla. “We are thrilled to invest further in North America so we can better meet the needs of our customers for decades to come,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive officer of Toyota’s North American unit. “Transforming our Canadian vehicle assembly plants is an equally important part of our strategic plan to position the North America region for sustainable long-term growth.”

Toyota recently invested $100 million into the Cambridge-area facilities, which the company says added about 400 new jobs while introducing hybrid production and increasing capacity at the plants. The Toyota plant is not unionized, but Jerry Dias, pres-

ident of autoworkers union Unifor, said the company’s decision is a “huge loss” for Canada. “You can’t take the No. 1 selling vehicle that Toyota has in North America out of an assembly plant and somehow think that it’s going to be fine, because it’s not going to be.

You can’t replace that kind of production,” he said in an interview with CBC’s The Exchange with Amanda Lang. Dias said Canada has gone from a surplus in auto trade to a deficit, and it will only get worse unless government steps up on the issue.

“On the whole issue of the auto industry in Canada, we’d better make some decisions and we’d better do it fast. We have lost two assembly plants in the last five years, Mexico have picked up seven,” he said. The government of Ontario put a positive spin on the news, noting that Toyota has a long history in the province and there’s no indication that Wednesday’s news changes that. “Toyota has been a great partner and contributor to Ontario’s economy since first opening here almost 30 years ago, and since that time, they have invested almost $7 billion, creating thousands of jobs,” Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid said.

“We have been assured that with today’s announcement, Toyota will continue investing in the province, and ensure that Ontario plays a key role in Toyota’s sustainable, longterm growth in North America.”

The first Corollas from the 2020 model year will start rolling off the line in Mexico some time in 2019. Separately, Toyota said Wednesday it will be adding a third production line to its existing plant in Guangzhou, China, at a cost of about $440 million. That line is to be completed by 2017, for a model the company declined to disclose.

SOUTH ASIA

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Bangladesh hangs top Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman

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op Jamaat-e-Islami leader Muhammad Kamaruzzaman was hanged tonight for committing war crimes and mass killing during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan, days after he lost his final bid to overturn his death sentence.

He was hanged at 10.01pm local time, jail officials were quoted by local media reports as saying. Kamaruzzaman, the third most influential leader in the Islamist party, was hanged late in the night after his execution was postponed at the last minute yesterday.

Kamaruzzaman, 63, is the second Jamaat leader after Quader Mollah to be executed for 1971 war crimes. He had decided not to seek presidential clemency after the review

of his conviction was rejected on April 6 by a four-member Supreme Court bench headed

by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in May 2013 sentenced Kamaruzzaman to death for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war.He was found guilty of mass killing, murder, abduction, torture, rape, persecution and abetment of torture in central Mymensingh region. He was convicted for killing 164 people at a village in his home district in northern Sherpur.The Supreme Court on November 3 last year upheld his death penalty. The apex court, however, issued the full text of the judgement on February 18 and sent it to the ICT, which immediately issued a death warrant.

Christian migrants thrown overboard by Muslims on Mediterranean boat

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talian police say they have arrested 15 Muslim migrants after they allegedly threw 12 Christians overboard following a row on a boat heading to Italy. The Christian migrants, said to be from Ghana and Nigeria, are all feared dead. In a separate incident, more than 40 people drowned after another migrant boat sank between Libya and Italy. Almost 10,000 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean have been rescued in recent days. Italy has called for more help from the EU to handle the crisis. More than 500 people from Africa and the Middle East have died making the perilous crossing since the start of the year. Earlier this week, 400 people were believed to have drowned when their boat capsized. The 15 Muslim migrants involved in the row with Christians were arrested in the Sicilian city of Palermo and charged with “multiple aggravated murder motivated by religious hate�. The suspects, who are from the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Mali and Guinea, were among 105 migrants travelling in an inflatable boat that left Libya on Tuesday. Eyewitnesses told police how the altercation resulted in Christians being thrown overboard, and that some of the survivors had formed human chains to avoid a similar fate.

Malaysia revives detention without trial with new law

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UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia has revived detention without trial after its lower house passed an anti-terror law that rights groups say is a giant step backward for human rights.

The government says the measures were needed after it arrested 92 Malaysians so far this year suspected of supporting the Islamic State militant group. This includes 17 people detained Sunday, whom police say were planning to rob banks and attack police stations and army camps to obtain weapons. The Prevention of Terrorism Act bill was passed by lawmakers in the lower house Tuesday, with 79 votes in favor to 60 against. It allows authorities to detain suspects indefinitely without trial and the decision cannot be challenged in court.

Critics say it was a revival of the Internal Security Act that was repealed in 2012.

Saturday, April 18, 2015 L 35

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