www.theasianstar.com Vol 19 - Issue 48
Saturday, December 28, 2019
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh condemns India’s CAA New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh strongly condemned the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) which has triggered widespread protests in India.In a tweet, Singh said the CAA “purposely discriminates Muslims and other minority communities.” Terming it “wrong”, he said governments should work to unite people and not divide them.The Citizenship Amendment Act, which got the President’s nod on December 13, had led to widespread protests across India. Democratic presidential contender Pete Buttigieg had also expressed concern on Tuesday over the political detentions and communication blackout in India. In a tweet, he said that these steps taken by the government could threaten India’s longstanding democratic traditions.
South Asian employee of Ontario govt suspended after arrest in Hells Angels gambling bust Richard Pereira, 35, of Oshawa, was charged with criminal breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer in the police operation, which police said was linked to York Region mobsters as well as outlaw bikers. A provincial civil servant has been suspended after he was among 28 people — including three Ontario Hells Angels — who were charged last week in what police call a multi-million-dollar illegal offshore gambling enterprise. Richard Pereira, 35, of Oshawa, was charged with criminal breach of trust and unauthorized use of a computer in the police operation, which police said was linked to York Region
Continued on page 6
Tel:604-591-5423
Surrey Councillor questions Mayor’s claim of overwhelming support for his policing policies Surrey Councillor Brenda Locke says newly released results fly in face of Mayor Doug Mcallum’s claim of ‘overwhelming’ support for his policing policy. While Locke says she’s “very happy” that the Surrey police transition citizen consultation survey results have been released, she’s questioning the mayor’s claim of “overwhelming” support. “The whole police transition consultation process was an absolute sham of process,” Locke said Tuesday. “I think the City of Surrey should be embarrassed that we would do a process that was so wrought with holes and had such open-ended questions. “It was not a good process and so there’s all kinds of questions about the process, period.” Locke said the hundreds of pages of comments in Continued on page 7
86% of money launderers get their charges dropped in Canada
The statistics — which were prepared for the Star by data analysts at Statistics Canada — reflect Mathers’ experience in court, where money laundering charges were often dropped in exchange for a guilty plea on other, mostly drug-related charges, he said. “There are men and women in law enforcement who are very dedicated in trying to catch these guys and put them in jail. But the Crown (attorneys) just end up using (the money laundering charge) as a bargaining chip and withdrawing it,” he said. Christine Duhaime, a Vancouver lawyer who specializes in anti-moneylaundering law, said these numbers paint a very attractive picture for organized criminals looking for a place to spend their ill-gotten profits.
White-collar criminals have little to fear from the Canadian judicial system, in which nearly all money laundering charges get thrown out before trial, according to statistics obtained by the Star. Eighty-six per cent of charges for laundering the proceeds of crime laid between 2012 and 2017 were withdrawn or stayed, according to data from Statistics Canada’s Integrated Criminal Court Survey. A mere nine per cent of money laundering charges during that period resulted in a guilty plea or a conviction. “A conviction rate like that is pretty abysmal,” said Chris Mathers, a former RCMP officer who specialized in undercover money laundering investigations. For context, 64 per cent of all criminal cases in Canada during the same period resulted in a guilty finding, according to Statistics Canada.
Unusual spell of cold wave grips North India An unusual and powerful spell of “Western Disturbances”, originating in the Mediterranean sea, has made the Hindi heartland shiver for the past fortnight. Unfortunately, the spell, striking once in four to five decades, will continue to freeze people on New Year’s Eve too. “It is a long spell, very unique in nature, and would affect entire northwest India,” says Dr Rajendra Jenamani, senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The thick cover of smog on the IndoGangetic plains and the uneven warming of the Indian Ocean has a role to play in this robust spell of Western Disturbances, the extratropical storms originating in the Mediterranean region causing sudden winter rain to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, which have brought the day temperatures in some Indian cities below 12 degrees Celsius.
Exercising? Dieting? But no results? Just can’t seem to get rid of those stubborn areas of fat?
Continued on page 36
ACHIEVE A SLIMMER, NATURAL LOOK WITHOUT SURGERY OR DOWNTIME WITH
SCULPSURE.
• Customizable Treatment Plans • Over 90% Patient Satisfaction Rate • FDA Cleared
SLIM, Natural Look & No Surgery
Live Well Medical Centre
CALL TODAY TO RECEIVE A LIMITED SPECIAL OFFER.
BEFORE
AFTER
604.498.1900
Dr. Mandeep Sidhu M.D., C.C.F.P. Family Physician
9839 138 Street Surrey BC livewellsculpsure@gmail.com
BEFORE
AFTER
Start today, call for permanent fat loss consultation with a certified professional a t
25 Minutes Non Surg ical Permanent Fat Reduc tion No Scars. No Incisions . No Pain. No Downtime .