The Star online. News. Nation. Thursday May 31, 2007
A 19-YEAR-OLD mother and her 10-month-old baby are believed to be missing after the woman’s husband threatened that he was going to sell their son, Harian Metro reported.
Siti Umairah Kamisan and Mohd Airel Aiman Mohd Azmil have been missing for a week from her mother’s house in Taman Pulai Jaya in Johor Baru.
Siti Umairah’s mother, Latifah Abdul Rahman, 42, said that her daughter’s marriage was not a happy one.
“When Siti Umairah was pregnant with Mohd Airel, her husband had told her that once she gave birth, he will sell the baby,” she said.
Latifah said that on May 21, after returning from the pasar malam with her elder daughter, she found both Siti Umairah and her grandson missing.
She lodged a police report at the Kangkar Pulai police station on May 23, but to date, there has been no news about them.
Those with information can contact the police station at 07-5271255.
Thursday 31 May 2007
2007 05: Painter charged with rape
The Star online. News. Courts. Thursday May 31, 2007
MIRI: A 60-year-old man has been charged in a Sessions Court here with three counts of raping the 13-year-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend.
The painter allegedly raped the girl in his house in the outskirts of the city on three different occasions in September, November and on Dec 17 last year.
Each of the charges under Section 376 of the Penal Code carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and at least six strokes of the rotan.
The accused claimed trial to all charges.
Judge Azahari Kamal Ramli fixed Aug 21 for hearing.
The court set the bail at RM10,000 in two sureties for each charge.
MIRI: A 60-year-old man has been charged in a Sessions Court here with three counts of raping the 13-year-old daughter of his live-in girlfriend.
The painter allegedly raped the girl in his house in the outskirts of the city on three different occasions in September, November and on Dec 17 last year.
Each of the charges under Section 376 of the Penal Code carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and at least six strokes of the rotan.
The accused claimed trial to all charges.
Judge Azahari Kamal Ramli fixed Aug 21 for hearing.
The court set the bail at RM10,000 in two sureties for each charge.
Wednesday 30 May 2007
2007 05: Boys allege abuse by caretaker
NST online. Local News. 30/05/07
By : Lee Shi-Ian
PETALING JAYA: The boys had been sent to a boarding school to learn how to be independent while getting an education.
Unfortunately, their stint at the boarding school ended in horror.
Since November last year, the boys, aged 11 and 12, claimed they had been sodomised several times by the caretaker of the hostel.
On Sunday, the 11-year-old boy’s sister took him out on a treat as she had not seen him for a while. However, when it was time to take him back, he refused to enter the premises.
After much persuasion, the boy told his sister what had happened to him and his 12-year-old friend.
The outraged and horrified sister immediately took her brother to the Damansara police station to lodge a report.
The caretaker was picked up by police to facilitate investigations while the two boys were sent to the University Malaya Medical Centre for a check-up.
Selangor police chief Datuk Ismail Omar confirmed the incident and arrest but declined to elaborate saying investigations were ongoing.
In an unrelated case, a Rela chief district officer was remanded for four days beginning Monday following rape allegations.
The 47-year-old officer from Beranang was picked up by police about 1.20am at the Rela office in Batu 10 in Cheras after an Indonesian woman lodged a report against him on May 26.
The victim, in her 20s, alleged she had been raped by the suspect on May 25 at an undisclosed location in Semenyih. The case is being investigated by the Kajang police.
Meanwhile, in Shah Alam, a 20-year-old lorry driver pleaded guilty to sodomising his niece.
He was sentenced to 15 years’ jail and five strokes of the rotan yesterday.
The seemingly responsible uncle went to fetch his 11-year-old niece from school.
He duped the girl into believing that her mother wanted her to follow him back to his house.
The bachelor took her to his room, closed the door and told her to undress. He then stripped and sodomised her. When the girl screamed in pain, he taped her mouth. After he was done, he threatened her not to tell anyone but the girl told her mother.
The offence took place in Section U2, Taman TTDI Jaya, at 1.30pm on Aug 23, 2005.
Before passing sentence, Judge Azimah Omar said: "How could you do such a thing to her? She was only 11 years old. You were supposed to take care of her, instead, you have ruined her future.
"I hope you will learn your lesson after serving your sentence." The accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying it was his first offence.
By : Lee Shi-Ian
PETALING JAYA: The boys had been sent to a boarding school to learn how to be independent while getting an education.
Unfortunately, their stint at the boarding school ended in horror.
Since November last year, the boys, aged 11 and 12, claimed they had been sodomised several times by the caretaker of the hostel.
On Sunday, the 11-year-old boy’s sister took him out on a treat as she had not seen him for a while. However, when it was time to take him back, he refused to enter the premises.
After much persuasion, the boy told his sister what had happened to him and his 12-year-old friend.
The outraged and horrified sister immediately took her brother to the Damansara police station to lodge a report.
The caretaker was picked up by police to facilitate investigations while the two boys were sent to the University Malaya Medical Centre for a check-up.
Selangor police chief Datuk Ismail Omar confirmed the incident and arrest but declined to elaborate saying investigations were ongoing.
In an unrelated case, a Rela chief district officer was remanded for four days beginning Monday following rape allegations.
The 47-year-old officer from Beranang was picked up by police about 1.20am at the Rela office in Batu 10 in Cheras after an Indonesian woman lodged a report against him on May 26.
The victim, in her 20s, alleged she had been raped by the suspect on May 25 at an undisclosed location in Semenyih. The case is being investigated by the Kajang police.
Meanwhile, in Shah Alam, a 20-year-old lorry driver pleaded guilty to sodomising his niece.
He was sentenced to 15 years’ jail and five strokes of the rotan yesterday.
The seemingly responsible uncle went to fetch his 11-year-old niece from school.
He duped the girl into believing that her mother wanted her to follow him back to his house.
The bachelor took her to his room, closed the door and told her to undress. He then stripped and sodomised her. When the girl screamed in pain, he taped her mouth. After he was done, he threatened her not to tell anyone but the girl told her mother.
The offence took place in Section U2, Taman TTDI Jaya, at 1.30pm on Aug 23, 2005.
Before passing sentence, Judge Azimah Omar said: "How could you do such a thing to her? She was only 11 years old. You were supposed to take care of her, instead, you have ruined her future.
"I hope you will learn your lesson after serving your sentence." The accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying it was his first offence.
2007 05: Religious teacher held over sodomy
The Star online. News. Courts. Tuesday May 29, 2007
PETALING JAYA: Police have detained a religious teacher for allegedly sodomising two students since last year.
The suspect is alleged to have sodomised the students, both aged 12, more than 10 times.
Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mazlan Mansor said police picked up the suspect in his early 20’s from a hostel in Damansara at midnight on Sunday after a family member of one of the students lodged a report.
“The victim could not stand the man’s indecent acts anymore and informed his family,” he said.
ACP Mazlan said initial investigations showed that the man had sodomised his victims at the hostel and had warned them against telling anyone.
He said the man had been remanded for seven days.
PETALING JAYA: Police have detained a religious teacher for allegedly sodomising two students since last year.
The suspect is alleged to have sodomised the students, both aged 12, more than 10 times.
Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mazlan Mansor said police picked up the suspect in his early 20’s from a hostel in Damansara at midnight on Sunday after a family member of one of the students lodged a report.
“The victim could not stand the man’s indecent acts anymore and informed his family,” he said.
ACP Mazlan said initial investigations showed that the man had sodomised his victims at the hostel and had warned them against telling anyone.
He said the man had been remanded for seven days.
Tuesday 29 May 2007
2007 05: Teacher in trouble again
NST online. Local News. 28/05/07
ALOR STAR: A kindergarten teacher accused of beating a pupil six years ago is said to have done it again this week.
For failing to correctly write the letter "J", a six-year-old boy was slapped by the teacher last Monday. The slap was allegedly so hard that the boy’s ear and cheek turned red and he had fever for two days.
ALOR STAR: A kindergarten teacher accused of beating a pupil six years ago is said to have done it again this week.
For failing to correctly write the letter "J", a six-year-old boy was slapped by the teacher last Monday. The slap was allegedly so hard that the boy’s ear and cheek turned red and he had fever for two days.
2007 05: Move whips up interest
The Star online. News. Opinion. Monday May 28, 2007
The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill is seen as a progressive bill. Should the Government stop at this or go on to remove corporal punishment from all existing legislation?
COMMENT BY SHAILA KOSHY
THE last week of the Dewan Rakyat meeting flagged Malaysia internationally for two very different reasons.
Courtesy of the Internet, reports of the sexist remarks made in the House and subsequent reaction were picked up by several Internet news digests and for those who prefer a visual and aural account of their news, the incident is on YouTube.
That aside, the House did well in passing the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill 2007 that covers illegal conduct committed inside or outside Malaysia as long we are the receiving country or transit point.
The new bill got second billing in the May issue of we! an e-newsletter by Isis International-Manila (www.isiswomen.org).
“The new law is a major change for the better. It is tough on offenders and very comprehensive in its reach,” it quotes Tenaganita executive director Dr Irene Fernandez, who is among several groups that have lobbied the Government for laws to protect trafficked women and children.
Police statistics show 371 trafficked women were rescued here between 2004 and 2006.
When the bill finally comes into force, trafficked victims will not have to fear prosecution for illegal entry or entering Malaysia with false travel documents provided by the traffickers, and informers will be protected.
They will be placed in shelters for between three months to two years, while the authorities gather evidence against the traffickers.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told Parliament that by enacting this law the Government could ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (TIP Protocol) that supplements the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, which Malaysia acceded to in September 2004.
He also disclosed the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in the United States Department of State had placed Malaysia in the Tier 2 Watch List in its 2006 report.
(The Tier 2 Watch List is defined as countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards of the US' Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act but are making significant efforts to comply.)
At a meeting in New York last year, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women had also urged the Malaysian Government to ratify the TIP Protocol.
The irony is the Government will receive bouquets for the new bill at the next reporting in 2008 but it will also draw brickbats from the UN committee for the incidents of sexism in Parliament.
The Executive must be credited for originating this bill but the amazing fact about the bill is that the Attorney General's draftsman did not include whipping because the TIP Protocol does not recognise whipping as a form of punishment.
In lieu, Malaysia has provided for hefty jail terms (three to 20 years) and fines (RM50,000 to RM500,000).
So, has the Government embraced international human rights norms or was it constrained to do so?
If the former, it must remove whipping from the Penal Code, Kidnapping Act, Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act, Dangerous Drugs Act and the Immigration Act, among others.
“If it is because it is contrary to the concept of human rights then it is an indication that we are accepting the culture of human rights,” says Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman.
“The Government should not stop at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill but should review all existing legislation that provides for whipping and remove that provision. We will support them in such a move.”
“This is a progressive bill and one hopes it would be a precursor to other efforts to review present legislation which provides for whipping,” says International Movement for a Just World president Dr Chandra Muzaffar.
“Also, as a mode of punishment, whipping - which is cruel and dehumanising - has been proven to be ineffective in tackling the root causes of the crime.”
Does the new bill sans whipping mean civil society in Malaysia is becoming more “civilised?”
“I don’t know whether it is a reflection of a change of heart or an attempt to respond to international pressure,” says Dr Chandra who was appointed to the Chair in Global Studies under the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia in April.
“One swallow doesn’t make a summer but one hopes that this will lead to other changes.”
Noting the Malaysian Bar had a passed a resolution against corporal punishment at its annual general meeting in March, its president Ambiga Sreenevasan, welcomes the Government's recognition of international norms regarding corporal punishment.
“The UN considers whipping an inhuman and degrading form of punishment; logically, the Government should remove whipping from all the statute books.”
So, if the bill is not to score points internationally or get off the US Watch List, the Government must see to it that all existing laws are whipping-free.
The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill is seen as a progressive bill. Should the Government stop at this or go on to remove corporal punishment from all existing legislation?
COMMENT BY SHAILA KOSHY
THE last week of the Dewan Rakyat meeting flagged Malaysia internationally for two very different reasons.
Courtesy of the Internet, reports of the sexist remarks made in the House and subsequent reaction were picked up by several Internet news digests and for those who prefer a visual and aural account of their news, the incident is on YouTube.
That aside, the House did well in passing the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill 2007 that covers illegal conduct committed inside or outside Malaysia as long we are the receiving country or transit point.
The new bill got second billing in the May issue of we! an e-newsletter by Isis International-Manila (www.isiswomen.org).
“The new law is a major change for the better. It is tough on offenders and very comprehensive in its reach,” it quotes Tenaganita executive director Dr Irene Fernandez, who is among several groups that have lobbied the Government for laws to protect trafficked women and children.
Police statistics show 371 trafficked women were rescued here between 2004 and 2006.
When the bill finally comes into force, trafficked victims will not have to fear prosecution for illegal entry or entering Malaysia with false travel documents provided by the traffickers, and informers will be protected.
They will be placed in shelters for between three months to two years, while the authorities gather evidence against the traffickers.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told Parliament that by enacting this law the Government could ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (TIP Protocol) that supplements the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, which Malaysia acceded to in September 2004.
He also disclosed the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons in the United States Department of State had placed Malaysia in the Tier 2 Watch List in its 2006 report.
(The Tier 2 Watch List is defined as countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards of the US' Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorisation Act but are making significant efforts to comply.)
At a meeting in New York last year, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women had also urged the Malaysian Government to ratify the TIP Protocol.
The irony is the Government will receive bouquets for the new bill at the next reporting in 2008 but it will also draw brickbats from the UN committee for the incidents of sexism in Parliament.
The Executive must be credited for originating this bill but the amazing fact about the bill is that the Attorney General's draftsman did not include whipping because the TIP Protocol does not recognise whipping as a form of punishment.
In lieu, Malaysia has provided for hefty jail terms (three to 20 years) and fines (RM50,000 to RM500,000).
So, has the Government embraced international human rights norms or was it constrained to do so?
If the former, it must remove whipping from the Penal Code, Kidnapping Act, Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act, Dangerous Drugs Act and the Immigration Act, among others.
“If it is because it is contrary to the concept of human rights then it is an indication that we are accepting the culture of human rights,” says Suhakam chairman Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman.
“The Government should not stop at the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Bill but should review all existing legislation that provides for whipping and remove that provision. We will support them in such a move.”
“This is a progressive bill and one hopes it would be a precursor to other efforts to review present legislation which provides for whipping,” says International Movement for a Just World president Dr Chandra Muzaffar.
“Also, as a mode of punishment, whipping - which is cruel and dehumanising - has been proven to be ineffective in tackling the root causes of the crime.”
Does the new bill sans whipping mean civil society in Malaysia is becoming more “civilised?”
“I don’t know whether it is a reflection of a change of heart or an attempt to respond to international pressure,” says Dr Chandra who was appointed to the Chair in Global Studies under the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia in April.
“One swallow doesn’t make a summer but one hopes that this will lead to other changes.”
Noting the Malaysian Bar had a passed a resolution against corporal punishment at its annual general meeting in March, its president Ambiga Sreenevasan, welcomes the Government's recognition of international norms regarding corporal punishment.
“The UN considers whipping an inhuman and degrading form of punishment; logically, the Government should remove whipping from all the statute books.”
So, if the bill is not to score points internationally or get off the US Watch List, the Government must see to it that all existing laws are whipping-free.
2007 05: Dad sees son falling from apartment
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday May 28, 2007
SEREMBAN: A father watched in horror as his three-year-old son fell from the kitchen balcony of their fourth floor apartment in Taman Tasek Jaya.
P. Paniselvam, 32, rushed to the bottom of the block where he found P. Nagen still breathing.
The child, however, died on the way to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital soon after the 6.30pm incident yesterday.
The boy’s uncle, P. Ravichandran, said Nagen had asked for a drink but minutes later Paniselvam found his son missing.
He saw the kitchen door open.
“He (Paniselvam) was shocked to see Nagen falling down,” said Ravichandran, adding that the family only moved to the apartment three months ago.
SEREMBAN: A father watched in horror as his three-year-old son fell from the kitchen balcony of their fourth floor apartment in Taman Tasek Jaya.
P. Paniselvam, 32, rushed to the bottom of the block where he found P. Nagen still breathing.
The child, however, died on the way to the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital soon after the 6.30pm incident yesterday.
The boy’s uncle, P. Ravichandran, said Nagen had asked for a drink but minutes later Paniselvam found his son missing.
He saw the kitchen door open.
“He (Paniselvam) was shocked to see Nagen falling down,” said Ravichandran, adding that the family only moved to the apartment three months ago.
2007 05: Legal clerk claims trial to sodomy charges
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday May 28, 2007
IPOH: A legal clerk, due to be married on Friday, claimed trial in a Sessions court here to three counts of sodomising a 10-year-old boy earlier this year.
In the first charge, the 32-year-old man denied committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on the boy in a car behind Bank Rakyat in Taman Kledang Raya, Silibin.
The offence allegedly took place on a certain day in February between 6pm and 7.30pm.
The accused also denied sodomising the same boy in the toilet of a mosque in Taman Silibin here during the same time in March.
To the third charge, he claimed trial to sodomising the boy three times in the same car at a compound of another mosque in Taman Kledang Ipoh between March and May this year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling asked the court to deny bail as this was a serious offence under Section 377C of the Penal Code.
Sessions judge Tan Hooi Leng set bail at RM8,000 for each charge and warned the accused not to trifle with the witnesses.
She fixed trial for Oct 8 and 9.
................................................
Clerk due to be married denies sodomising kid
The Star online. News. Courts. Tuesday May 29, 2007
IPOH: A legal clerk, due to be married on Friday, claimed trial in a Sessions court here to three counts of sodomising a 10-year-old boy earlier this year.
In the first charge, Jolkarni Yusof, 32, denied committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on the boy in a car behind Bank Rakyat in Taman Kledang Raya, Silibin.
The offence allegedly took place in February.
He also denied committing sodomy on the same boy in the toilet of a mosque in Taman Silibin here in March.
To the third charge, Jolkarni claimed trial to sodomising the boy three times in the same car at a compound of another mosque in Taman Kledang Ipoh between March and May this year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling asked the court to deny bail as this was a serious offence.
“If granted bail, he (Jolkarni) might interfere with the witnesses as he and the boy’s mother are ex-colleagues,” she said.
Defence lawyer Ranjit Singh Sandhu said Jolkarni could not be legally denied bail, adding that there was no danger of Jolkarni absconding from trial.
“He is easy to locate and he has a steady job in a legal firm. Moreover, he is due to be married on June 1 and his brother is willing to stand as his bailor,” he said.
Sessions judge Tan Hooi Leng set bail at RM8,000 for each charge and warned Jolkarni not to trifle with the witnesses.
“If we find that you have interfered with them in any way, the court will revoke bail,” she said.
Tan fixed trial for Oct 8 and 9. If convicted, Jolkarni faces a maximum 20 years’ jail and
whipping for each charge.
IPOH: A legal clerk, due to be married on Friday, claimed trial in a Sessions court here to three counts of sodomising a 10-year-old boy earlier this year.
In the first charge, the 32-year-old man denied committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on the boy in a car behind Bank Rakyat in Taman Kledang Raya, Silibin.
The offence allegedly took place on a certain day in February between 6pm and 7.30pm.
The accused also denied sodomising the same boy in the toilet of a mosque in Taman Silibin here during the same time in March.
To the third charge, he claimed trial to sodomising the boy three times in the same car at a compound of another mosque in Taman Kledang Ipoh between March and May this year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling asked the court to deny bail as this was a serious offence under Section 377C of the Penal Code.
Sessions judge Tan Hooi Leng set bail at RM8,000 for each charge and warned the accused not to trifle with the witnesses.
She fixed trial for Oct 8 and 9.
................................................
Clerk due to be married denies sodomising kid
The Star online. News. Courts. Tuesday May 29, 2007
IPOH: A legal clerk, due to be married on Friday, claimed trial in a Sessions court here to three counts of sodomising a 10-year-old boy earlier this year.
In the first charge, Jolkarni Yusof, 32, denied committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature on the boy in a car behind Bank Rakyat in Taman Kledang Raya, Silibin.
The offence allegedly took place in February.
He also denied committing sodomy on the same boy in the toilet of a mosque in Taman Silibin here in March.
To the third charge, Jolkarni claimed trial to sodomising the boy three times in the same car at a compound of another mosque in Taman Kledang Ipoh between March and May this year.
Deputy Public Prosecutor How May Ling asked the court to deny bail as this was a serious offence.
“If granted bail, he (Jolkarni) might interfere with the witnesses as he and the boy’s mother are ex-colleagues,” she said.
Defence lawyer Ranjit Singh Sandhu said Jolkarni could not be legally denied bail, adding that there was no danger of Jolkarni absconding from trial.
“He is easy to locate and he has a steady job in a legal firm. Moreover, he is due to be married on June 1 and his brother is willing to stand as his bailor,” he said.
Sessions judge Tan Hooi Leng set bail at RM8,000 for each charge and warned Jolkarni not to trifle with the witnesses.
“If we find that you have interfered with them in any way, the court will revoke bail,” she said.
Tan fixed trial for Oct 8 and 9. If convicted, Jolkarni faces a maximum 20 years’ jail and
whipping for each charge.
2007 05: One in five Malaysian smokers below 15
NST online. Local News. 27/05/07
Yong Tiam Kui
KUALA LUMPUR: Despite repeated warnings about the dangers of smoking, children as young as 14 are lighting up.
A Health Ministry survey found that the average age of new smokers has been dropping steadily over the years.
"In 1986, the average age at which Malaysians started smoking was 19. Ten years later, the average age was 18. Last year, it was 14," said Federal Territory Health Department deputy health director Dr Sallehudin Abu Bakar.
At least 20 per cent of the country’s smokers are believed to be below the age of 15.
Three million male smokers and 200,000 female smokers aged 15 and above make up the other 80 per cent.
"Surveys by the ministry found that the majority of young smokers, about 40 per cent, started smoking because of peer pressure.
"Only 10 per cent said they were influenced by advertisements," said Dr Sallehudin, who was speaking in his capacity as a facilitator of the ministry’s "Quit Smoking" programme.
He said a ban on smoking would not serve any purpose if neighbouring countries did not follow suit.
"Drugs are banned but you still get drugs in the country. Tobacco will just go underground and when that happens, it will be very difficult to control.
"There will be a lot of smuggling and some people will get very rich.
"He said it made more sense for the government to use regulatory measures to discourage smoking.
In fact, he added, the government is mulling over the possibility of introducing a special licence for cigarette vendors.
Associate professor Dr Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamad, who heads the Pharmacy Practice Department of the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Kuantan, agreed that this was the right approach to take.
He said the government should regulate tobacco as a poison under the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Dr Haniki also suggested that the price of cigarettes be increased by imposing a 60 per cent tax.
Cigarette packets, he said, should carry graphic health warnings about the dangers of smoking.
"Eliminate kiddie-packs. Only 20-stick packs should be allowed. And smoking in all public places should be banned," he stressed.
Dr Haniki said while the ban on cigarette advertising had been helpful, there were legal loopholes which allowed indirect advertising by cigarette companies.
Dr Sallehudin urged smokers to seek help at "Quit Smoking" clinics run by the Health Ministry which had helped about 1,000 smokers kick the habit.
The ministry began setting up "Quit Smoking" clinics in 1998. There are now some 250 "Quit Smoking" clinics in the country.
Most of them are based at government polyclinics and managed by family medicine specialists. There are also clinics at outpatient departments of government hospitals.
"Eighty per cent of smokers who show up for treatment at the "Quit Smoking" clinics are male. About 60 per cent of them don’t complete the programme."
The figure is even higher for female smokers," Dr Sallehudin said, adding that the definition of quitting successfully was total abstinence for six months.
Yong Tiam Kui
KUALA LUMPUR: Despite repeated warnings about the dangers of smoking, children as young as 14 are lighting up.
A Health Ministry survey found that the average age of new smokers has been dropping steadily over the years.
"In 1986, the average age at which Malaysians started smoking was 19. Ten years later, the average age was 18. Last year, it was 14," said Federal Territory Health Department deputy health director Dr Sallehudin Abu Bakar.
At least 20 per cent of the country’s smokers are believed to be below the age of 15.
Three million male smokers and 200,000 female smokers aged 15 and above make up the other 80 per cent.
"Surveys by the ministry found that the majority of young smokers, about 40 per cent, started smoking because of peer pressure.
"Only 10 per cent said they were influenced by advertisements," said Dr Sallehudin, who was speaking in his capacity as a facilitator of the ministry’s "Quit Smoking" programme.
He said a ban on smoking would not serve any purpose if neighbouring countries did not follow suit.
"Drugs are banned but you still get drugs in the country. Tobacco will just go underground and when that happens, it will be very difficult to control.
"There will be a lot of smuggling and some people will get very rich.
"He said it made more sense for the government to use regulatory measures to discourage smoking.
In fact, he added, the government is mulling over the possibility of introducing a special licence for cigarette vendors.
Associate professor Dr Mohamad Haniki Nik Mohamad, who heads the Pharmacy Practice Department of the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Kuantan, agreed that this was the right approach to take.
He said the government should regulate tobacco as a poison under the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Dr Haniki also suggested that the price of cigarettes be increased by imposing a 60 per cent tax.
Cigarette packets, he said, should carry graphic health warnings about the dangers of smoking.
"Eliminate kiddie-packs. Only 20-stick packs should be allowed. And smoking in all public places should be banned," he stressed.
Dr Haniki said while the ban on cigarette advertising had been helpful, there were legal loopholes which allowed indirect advertising by cigarette companies.
Dr Sallehudin urged smokers to seek help at "Quit Smoking" clinics run by the Health Ministry which had helped about 1,000 smokers kick the habit.
The ministry began setting up "Quit Smoking" clinics in 1998. There are now some 250 "Quit Smoking" clinics in the country.
Most of them are based at government polyclinics and managed by family medicine specialists. There are also clinics at outpatient departments of government hospitals.
"Eighty per cent of smokers who show up for treatment at the "Quit Smoking" clinics are male. About 60 per cent of them don’t complete the programme."
The figure is even higher for female smokers," Dr Sallehudin said, adding that the definition of quitting successfully was total abstinence for six months.
2007 05: 5-year-old taken on terror ride
NST online. Local news. 27/05/07
Lau Meisan
JOHOR BARU: It was an hour of hell for a five-year-old boy in Taman Puteriwangsa here on Wednesday night.
First, he watched in horror as three men assaulted his father, then the men got into his father’s car and drove off with the boy in the back seat.
The boy’s father, Tay Chee Boon, 40, tried to run after the car but the robbers sped off with his son.For about 10 minutes, the robbers drove around town in Tay’s Nissan Sentra before finally dropping the boy off at an industrial area near Taman Desa Jaya.
The boy walked around the dark factory-lined streets and went into a coffee shop that was about to close.
The shop owner tried to help the distressed boy but could not get a word out of him as he was crying.
He then checked the boy’s bag and found the name of his tuition centre in Taman Gaya. The man drove the boy there, and from the tuition centre, the victim showed the shop owner the way to his home.
Tay, who was searching the city for his son, received a call from his mother-in-law at 11pm, telling him that the boy had been dropped off at home.
"I was so relieved that my son was sent home by a kind man and immediately rushed home with my wife," Tay said. He lodged a report at the Johor Jaya police station.
He said his ordeal began soon after he picked up his son from the tuition centre.
He was driving along Jalan Puteriwangsa when his car was hit from behind by a Proton Satria.
When Tay got down to inspect the damage, he was immediately assaulted by the three occupants of the car who then drove off in his car along with his son. "I was terrified and called out for help. I even tried to hail down passing cars but none stopped to assist me," he said.
Tay contacted his wife to pick him up before calling friends and relatives to look for his son.
"I went around the town to look for my car and prayed hard that the robbers did not harm my son," he said.
Johor police chief Datuk Hussin Ismail confirmed the incident, adding that police were investigating if this robbery was committed by the same group responsible for a similar incident 48 hours later.
Those with information on the case are urged to contact 07-5561222 or 07-2218999.
Lau Meisan
JOHOR BARU: It was an hour of hell for a five-year-old boy in Taman Puteriwangsa here on Wednesday night.
First, he watched in horror as three men assaulted his father, then the men got into his father’s car and drove off with the boy in the back seat.
The boy’s father, Tay Chee Boon, 40, tried to run after the car but the robbers sped off with his son.For about 10 minutes, the robbers drove around town in Tay’s Nissan Sentra before finally dropping the boy off at an industrial area near Taman Desa Jaya.
The boy walked around the dark factory-lined streets and went into a coffee shop that was about to close.
The shop owner tried to help the distressed boy but could not get a word out of him as he was crying.
He then checked the boy’s bag and found the name of his tuition centre in Taman Gaya. The man drove the boy there, and from the tuition centre, the victim showed the shop owner the way to his home.
Tay, who was searching the city for his son, received a call from his mother-in-law at 11pm, telling him that the boy had been dropped off at home.
"I was so relieved that my son was sent home by a kind man and immediately rushed home with my wife," Tay said. He lodged a report at the Johor Jaya police station.
He said his ordeal began soon after he picked up his son from the tuition centre.
He was driving along Jalan Puteriwangsa when his car was hit from behind by a Proton Satria.
When Tay got down to inspect the damage, he was immediately assaulted by the three occupants of the car who then drove off in his car along with his son. "I was terrified and called out for help. I even tried to hail down passing cars but none stopped to assist me," he said.
Tay contacted his wife to pick him up before calling friends and relatives to look for his son.
"I went around the town to look for my car and prayed hard that the robbers did not harm my son," he said.
Johor police chief Datuk Hussin Ismail confirmed the incident, adding that police were investigating if this robbery was committed by the same group responsible for a similar incident 48 hours later.
Those with information on the case are urged to contact 07-5561222 or 07-2218999.
2007 05: Budak maut jatuh tingkat sebelas
Berita Harian. Nasional. 26/05/07
Oleh Tuan Nazuri Tuan Ismail
Mangsa cari ibu berdiri atas kotak pembesar suara
SHAH ALAM: Seorang kanak-kanak berusia lima tahun 10 bulan yang mahu mengikut ibunya ke kedai runcit meninggal dunia selepas terjatuh dari tingkat 11 rumah pangsa Projek Perumahan rakyat (PPR) Hicom Seksyen 26, di sini, semalam.
Dalam kejadian jam 12.30 tengah hari itu, Wahizatul Iman Norhashim, dikatakan berdiri di atas kotak pembesar suara lama diletakkan di tepi koridor untuk mencari ibunya, Mislina Samigan, 32, yang disangka pergi ke kedai runcit terletak di tingkat paling bawah rumah pangsa 16 tingkat itu.
Ibu saudara mangsa, Rafella Ishak, 26, yang tinggal bersama keluarga mangsa, berkata sebelum kejadian, mangsa baru pulang bersama ibunya dari kedai selepas membeli barang basah di sebuah lagi kedai di belakang rumah pangsa itu.
Katanya, selepas menghantar semua barang itu di rumah, ibu mangsa turun ke tingkat 10 dan meninggalkan mangsa bersamanya, tetapi mangsa menyelinap keluar dari rumah tanpa disedari dan memanjat kotak pembesar suara lama diletakkan di tepi koridor yang dipercayai dijadikan bangku oleh penduduk di situ untuk berehat.
Wahizatul dipercayai berdiri di atas kotak pembesar suara yang berada kira-kira 20 meter dari rumahnya untuk mencari ibunya sebelum jatuh di atas simen dan meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian.
Seorang saksi yang berada berhampiran tempat kanak-kanak malang itu jatuh berkata, beliau terdengar dentuman kuat dan menyangka kanak-kanak nakal membuang barang dari tingkat atas.
“Saya terkejut dan menjerit meminta tolong apabila melihat seorang kanak-kanak terlentang atas simen berlumuran darah. Beberapa orang yang berada di kedai runcit datang untuk membantu, tetapi tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa kerana kanak-kanak itu cedera parah terutama di kepala,” katanya.
Seorang lagi saksi berkata, ibu mangsa, Mislina beberapa kali meraung sambil menyebut beliau menyesal kerana tidak membawa Wahizatul bersamanya walaupun anaknya itu merengek untuk mengikutnya.
Mislina juga pengsan beberapa kali kerana terlalu sedih dan terpaksa menggunakan kerusi roda untuk turun sebelum dipapah masuk ke surau oleh jiran dan ahli keluarga bagi melihat wajah mangsa untuk kali terakhir sebelum jenazah dikebumikan.
Wahizatul dipanggil Iman oleh ahli keluarganya dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Hicom malam tadi.
Bapa mangsa, Norhashim Ali, 32, yang berada di tempat kerja ketika kejadian berkata, beliau sekeluarga merancang untuk pulang bercuti ke kampungnya di Kuala Krai, Kelantan sempena cuti sekolah.
“Saya sudah pun mengambil cuti untuk membawa keluarga termasuk Wahizatul pulang ke Kuala Krai. Saya reda dengan kejadian ini dan menerimanya sebagai takdir,” katanya.
Oleh Tuan Nazuri Tuan Ismail
Mangsa cari ibu berdiri atas kotak pembesar suara
SHAH ALAM: Seorang kanak-kanak berusia lima tahun 10 bulan yang mahu mengikut ibunya ke kedai runcit meninggal dunia selepas terjatuh dari tingkat 11 rumah pangsa Projek Perumahan rakyat (PPR) Hicom Seksyen 26, di sini, semalam.
Dalam kejadian jam 12.30 tengah hari itu, Wahizatul Iman Norhashim, dikatakan berdiri di atas kotak pembesar suara lama diletakkan di tepi koridor untuk mencari ibunya, Mislina Samigan, 32, yang disangka pergi ke kedai runcit terletak di tingkat paling bawah rumah pangsa 16 tingkat itu.
Ibu saudara mangsa, Rafella Ishak, 26, yang tinggal bersama keluarga mangsa, berkata sebelum kejadian, mangsa baru pulang bersama ibunya dari kedai selepas membeli barang basah di sebuah lagi kedai di belakang rumah pangsa itu.
Katanya, selepas menghantar semua barang itu di rumah, ibu mangsa turun ke tingkat 10 dan meninggalkan mangsa bersamanya, tetapi mangsa menyelinap keluar dari rumah tanpa disedari dan memanjat kotak pembesar suara lama diletakkan di tepi koridor yang dipercayai dijadikan bangku oleh penduduk di situ untuk berehat.
Wahizatul dipercayai berdiri di atas kotak pembesar suara yang berada kira-kira 20 meter dari rumahnya untuk mencari ibunya sebelum jatuh di atas simen dan meninggal dunia di tempat kejadian.
Seorang saksi yang berada berhampiran tempat kanak-kanak malang itu jatuh berkata, beliau terdengar dentuman kuat dan menyangka kanak-kanak nakal membuang barang dari tingkat atas.
“Saya terkejut dan menjerit meminta tolong apabila melihat seorang kanak-kanak terlentang atas simen berlumuran darah. Beberapa orang yang berada di kedai runcit datang untuk membantu, tetapi tidak mampu berbuat apa-apa kerana kanak-kanak itu cedera parah terutama di kepala,” katanya.
Seorang lagi saksi berkata, ibu mangsa, Mislina beberapa kali meraung sambil menyebut beliau menyesal kerana tidak membawa Wahizatul bersamanya walaupun anaknya itu merengek untuk mengikutnya.
Mislina juga pengsan beberapa kali kerana terlalu sedih dan terpaksa menggunakan kerusi roda untuk turun sebelum dipapah masuk ke surau oleh jiran dan ahli keluarga bagi melihat wajah mangsa untuk kali terakhir sebelum jenazah dikebumikan.
Wahizatul dipanggil Iman oleh ahli keluarganya dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Hicom malam tadi.
Bapa mangsa, Norhashim Ali, 32, yang berada di tempat kerja ketika kejadian berkata, beliau sekeluarga merancang untuk pulang bercuti ke kampungnya di Kuala Krai, Kelantan sempena cuti sekolah.
“Saya sudah pun mengambil cuti untuk membawa keluarga termasuk Wahizatul pulang ke Kuala Krai. Saya reda dengan kejadian ini dan menerimanya sebagai takdir,” katanya.
2007 05: 60 years' jail and rotan for sodomy
The Star online. News. Courts. Saturday May 26, 2007
SHAH ALAM: A contractor was sentenced to 60 years in jail and 22 strokes of the rotan by two High Courts here after he pleaded guilty to sodomising a schoolboy a total of 22 times.
Abd Rahim Abd Rahaman, 35, was accused of committing the offences against the Form Three student at a Kuala Lumpur City Hall flat in Jalan Mutiara Gombak between April 18 and May 9 this year.
The bachelor from Kangar, Perlis, was sentenced by Judge Azimah Omar to 32 years in jail and given 12 strokes of the rotan for 12 counts of the charges.
Abd Rahim broke down and cried when asked by Azimah to make his appeal before sentencing.
“He was the one who asked for it, he did it together (with me), willingly. I don’t know what else to say,” said a weeping Abd Rahim.
He added that the victim, who was his acquaintance, came and stayed with him and refused to go home.
He also said the victim cuddled and seduced him.
“Although he had invited you, as an adult, you should have been firm and said no. As an adult, you should know the consequences because the law does not allow such an act,” Azimah said.
Earlier, Abd Rahim, who was unrepresented, was sentenced to 28 years in jail and 10 strokes of the rotan in another High Court for another 10 counts of the charges.
Judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof ordered the sentence to start from the day Abd Rahim was arrested on May 16.
Abd Rahim appealed for a lighter sentenced, claiming it was the victim who started fondling him first.
“It wasn’t my fault alone,” he added.
He said he had to support two younger step-siblings who were still schooling.
During the proceedings at both courts, Abd Rahim was repeatedly asked by both judges if he still wanted to plead guilty after knowing the consequences.
He replied, “What I am to do? I admit.”
He also admitted that he had sodomised the boy at his house.
The victim lodged a police report at the Setapak police station following the incidents.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hana Hadinah S Mohd Ghazali said Abd Rahim had a previous conviction in a drug related case in Sungai Petani, for which he was sentenced to six months in jail.
Pressing for a deterrent punishment, she said, as an adult he was supposed to protect the victim, who is still a young boy.
SHAH ALAM: A contractor was sentenced to 60 years in jail and 22 strokes of the rotan by two High Courts here after he pleaded guilty to sodomising a schoolboy a total of 22 times.
Abd Rahim Abd Rahaman, 35, was accused of committing the offences against the Form Three student at a Kuala Lumpur City Hall flat in Jalan Mutiara Gombak between April 18 and May 9 this year.
The bachelor from Kangar, Perlis, was sentenced by Judge Azimah Omar to 32 years in jail and given 12 strokes of the rotan for 12 counts of the charges.
Abd Rahim broke down and cried when asked by Azimah to make his appeal before sentencing.
“He was the one who asked for it, he did it together (with me), willingly. I don’t know what else to say,” said a weeping Abd Rahim.
He added that the victim, who was his acquaintance, came and stayed with him and refused to go home.
He also said the victim cuddled and seduced him.
“Although he had invited you, as an adult, you should have been firm and said no. As an adult, you should know the consequences because the law does not allow such an act,” Azimah said.
Earlier, Abd Rahim, who was unrepresented, was sentenced to 28 years in jail and 10 strokes of the rotan in another High Court for another 10 counts of the charges.
Judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof ordered the sentence to start from the day Abd Rahim was arrested on May 16.
Abd Rahim appealed for a lighter sentenced, claiming it was the victim who started fondling him first.
“It wasn’t my fault alone,” he added.
He said he had to support two younger step-siblings who were still schooling.
During the proceedings at both courts, Abd Rahim was repeatedly asked by both judges if he still wanted to plead guilty after knowing the consequences.
He replied, “What I am to do? I admit.”
He also admitted that he had sodomised the boy at his house.
The victim lodged a police report at the Setapak police station following the incidents.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Hana Hadinah S Mohd Ghazali said Abd Rahim had a previous conviction in a drug related case in Sungai Petani, for which he was sentenced to six months in jail.
Pressing for a deterrent punishment, she said, as an adult he was supposed to protect the victim, who is still a young boy.
2007 05: Boy, five, falls to his death
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 26, 2007
SHAH ALAM: A five-year-old boy fell to his death from the 10th floor of the Public Housing Project in Section 11 here after he sneaked out of his family's flat.
Police said Wahizatul Iman Norhashim had earlier gone shopping with his mother and returned to their flat on the 11th floor.
The child is believed to have been left under the charge of his aunt while his mother went out again after dropping her shopping items at home.
Wahizatul, however, ventured out into the corridor and climbed on a box placed close to railing.
He probably lost his balance and fell.
Wahizatul is believed to have succumbed to head injuries sustained from his fall onto the concrete floor below at 2.30pm yesterday.
He was buried at the Hicom Muslim Cemetery here late yesterday.
SHAH ALAM: A five-year-old boy fell to his death from the 10th floor of the Public Housing Project in Section 11 here after he sneaked out of his family's flat.
Police said Wahizatul Iman Norhashim had earlier gone shopping with his mother and returned to their flat on the 11th floor.
The child is believed to have been left under the charge of his aunt while his mother went out again after dropping her shopping items at home.
Wahizatul, however, ventured out into the corridor and climbed on a box placed close to railing.
He probably lost his balance and fell.
Wahizatul is believed to have succumbed to head injuries sustained from his fall onto the concrete floor below at 2.30pm yesterday.
He was buried at the Hicom Muslim Cemetery here late yesterday.
2007 05: NGOs against move to charge parents with negligence
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 26, 2007
PETALING JAYA: Several non-governmental organisations have objected to the proposal that police charge parents with negligence for failing to supervise their children.
Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Sivasubramaniam said giving the police arbitrary powers to punish, fine or imprison parents was premature and not in line with human rights.
“We recognise that parents have a role to play in the upbringing of their children but we can't simply solve matters by punishing parents,” he said.
He was commenting on numerous calls by Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum for the authorities to take action against parents whose children had gone missing because of their negligence.
Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng said such a measure would not be fair to parents.
“It is a ridiculous proposal. This is not the way to the address the problem.
“Supervision is only one part. Why are children involved in social problems? Is it because of the environment, poverty and so on? Is the Government providing sufficient programmes, infrastructure and support for youths? If not, the Government can also be charged with negligence. That is why this is not the way to go. It is against the principles of law.”
He said the best way to handle the issue was through public education.
Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism vice-president Harcharan Singh said: “No parents will allow or encourage their children to get involved in social ills. You can't simply go after the parents.”
He said the best way of handling the problem was through education and better discipline in schools.
Women's Development Collective executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said she would rather the Government considered providing better childcare support, not just for babies but also youths.
She expressed concern about the discriminatory consequences of the policy to working parents, particularly women, who would normally have to give up their jobs.
“Such a policy will surely affect the lower income group because those from the higher income bracket have maids to take care of their children.”
.........................................
Police to consider suggestion on charging negligent parents
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday May 28, 2007
PUTRAJAYA: The police will look into the suggestion for negligent parents to be charged if they fail to supervise their children.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said he would also discuss the matter with Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
"We will have to discuss it with her as this is under her portfolio. But we will look into the proposal," he told reporters after attending the Internal Security Ministry's monthly gathering here Monday.
Musa was commenting on a proposal by Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum last week for tough action against negligent parents, as there were a high number of missing children.
At present, there are 1,914 children still reported missing.
Johari had also said the parents could be charged under Section 33 of the Child Act 2001.
Earlier, at the gathering, Johari said police should take action against negligent parents on a case-by-case basis.
"If investigations show that they are really being very neglectful of their children's welfare and fail to keep an eye on them, then they should be charged," he said.
.................................................................
Inculcate good values in kids
The Star online. News. Opinion. Monday May 28, 2007
SOCIETY often blames parents for any wrongdoing or bad behaviour of their children.
While it is true that parents are responsible for their children, the argument does not always hold true when it comes to teenagers.
This is because teenagers are often exposed to all kinds of negative elements coming from their peers at schools, colleges, books and magazines, music, DVDs and more importantly exposure to the Internet which can be abused.
Many movies shown on TV are unsuitable for children to watch. It is easy to classify the movies/films and expect parents to exercise control over their children.
But one should be in the shoes of parents with a few teenage children to really understand the problem they face at home every day.
Working parents would not know everything their children are up to when they are not around to supervise them.
Of course children should have the liberty to watch movies that they like.
It is just not practical for parents to sit with their children every time they watch television or go to the cinema.
Nowadays teenagers want freedom in almost every aspect of their lives.
Undoubtedly, the majority of mothers and to a lesser extent fathers do make efforts to ensure their children are kept away from potential danger and bad influence.
But at the end of the day, it all boils down to the values that we hold dear and how successful we are in inculcating them in our children.
Parents are the real role models for their children and they should not do things that they don't like their children to emulate.
It is therefore a great challenge for parents to raise their children.
In this regard, schools too have a significant role to play and teachers must set good examples for their students to follow.
Children need to be given good advice, guidance and counselling as often as possible while encouraging them to stay focused on their studies.
Extra curricular activities are of course important, but inculcating good moral values must take precedence in view of the present-day challenges faced by children while being away from home.
PETALING JAYA: Several non-governmental organisations have objected to the proposal that police charge parents with negligence for failing to supervise their children.
Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Sivasubramaniam said giving the police arbitrary powers to punish, fine or imprison parents was premature and not in line with human rights.
“We recognise that parents have a role to play in the upbringing of their children but we can't simply solve matters by punishing parents,” he said.
He was commenting on numerous calls by Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum for the authorities to take action against parents whose children had gone missing because of their negligence.
Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng said such a measure would not be fair to parents.
“It is a ridiculous proposal. This is not the way to the address the problem.
“Supervision is only one part. Why are children involved in social problems? Is it because of the environment, poverty and so on? Is the Government providing sufficient programmes, infrastructure and support for youths? If not, the Government can also be charged with negligence. That is why this is not the way to go. It is against the principles of law.”
He said the best way to handle the issue was through public education.
Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism vice-president Harcharan Singh said: “No parents will allow or encourage their children to get involved in social ills. You can't simply go after the parents.”
He said the best way of handling the problem was through education and better discipline in schools.
Women's Development Collective executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said she would rather the Government considered providing better childcare support, not just for babies but also youths.
She expressed concern about the discriminatory consequences of the policy to working parents, particularly women, who would normally have to give up their jobs.
“Such a policy will surely affect the lower income group because those from the higher income bracket have maids to take care of their children.”
.........................................
Police to consider suggestion on charging negligent parents
The Star online. News. Nation. Monday May 28, 2007
PUTRAJAYA: The police will look into the suggestion for negligent parents to be charged if they fail to supervise their children.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said he would also discuss the matter with Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
"We will have to discuss it with her as this is under her portfolio. But we will look into the proposal," he told reporters after attending the Internal Security Ministry's monthly gathering here Monday.
Musa was commenting on a proposal by Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Johari Baharum last week for tough action against negligent parents, as there were a high number of missing children.
At present, there are 1,914 children still reported missing.
Johari had also said the parents could be charged under Section 33 of the Child Act 2001.
Earlier, at the gathering, Johari said police should take action against negligent parents on a case-by-case basis.
"If investigations show that they are really being very neglectful of their children's welfare and fail to keep an eye on them, then they should be charged," he said.
.................................................................
Inculcate good values in kids
The Star online. News. Opinion. Monday May 28, 2007
SOCIETY often blames parents for any wrongdoing or bad behaviour of their children.
While it is true that parents are responsible for their children, the argument does not always hold true when it comes to teenagers.
This is because teenagers are often exposed to all kinds of negative elements coming from their peers at schools, colleges, books and magazines, music, DVDs and more importantly exposure to the Internet which can be abused.
Many movies shown on TV are unsuitable for children to watch. It is easy to classify the movies/films and expect parents to exercise control over their children.
But one should be in the shoes of parents with a few teenage children to really understand the problem they face at home every day.
Working parents would not know everything their children are up to when they are not around to supervise them.
Of course children should have the liberty to watch movies that they like.
It is just not practical for parents to sit with their children every time they watch television or go to the cinema.
Nowadays teenagers want freedom in almost every aspect of their lives.
Undoubtedly, the majority of mothers and to a lesser extent fathers do make efforts to ensure their children are kept away from potential danger and bad influence.
But at the end of the day, it all boils down to the values that we hold dear and how successful we are in inculcating them in our children.
Parents are the real role models for their children and they should not do things that they don't like their children to emulate.
It is therefore a great challenge for parents to raise their children.
In this regard, schools too have a significant role to play and teachers must set good examples for their students to follow.
Children need to be given good advice, guidance and counselling as often as possible while encouraging them to stay focused on their studies.
Extra curricular activities are of course important, but inculcating good moral values must take precedence in view of the present-day challenges faced by children while being away from home.
2007 05: Editorial: Under the carpet
NST online. Columns. 25/05/07
THE number of students who have been expelled, suspended or caned has declined.
So has the number of school bullies. This good dose of hard data should lend credence to the assertion by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar that "indiscipline is not a serious problem in schools". But whether it be the number of children with cavities or ceilings with cracks, ours is a nation where some estimates, especially of the undesirable kind, have been less than accurate and useful due to under-reporting. Pressured by various quarters, some officials have been tempted to massage their findings. This appears to be the case in the matter of the six secondary school principals who are being investigated because of their attempts to sweep under the carpet incidents of bad behaviour among their students.
This is not in itself a revelation. In the past, there have been allegations that school heads had deliberately played down problems in their schools to protect their reputations and prospects for promotion. What is new, however, is that the Ministry of Education seems no longer prepared to close one eye to attempts to blank out damaging information about student indiscipline. The steps taken by the ministry to hold school administrators accountable for deliberately withholding information is most reassuring. It is only appropriate that disciplinary action should be taken against those school heads who try to hide the truth. Those who fudge and prevaricate should not be allowed to prosper in their careers.
Ignorance is not bliss. Covering up the bad behaviour of a section of the student population to preserve the good image of a school is at best foolish. But when a wall of silence is erected to make school heads look good and enhance their own personal ambitions, such self-serving behaviour amounts to cheating and is nothing less than disgraceful. It is also potentially dangerous and can do great harm to the efforts to tackle bad behaviour in schools. In February, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein pointed to the "many bullying and disciplinary cases of late". One such incident had led to the death of a student in Sarawak early in the year. This paints a less than comforting contrast to the statistical drop in the number of disciplinary cases. It suggests that there has not been a decline at every school. While it is true that most schools are fairly safe, there is every reason to guard against complacency.
THE number of students who have been expelled, suspended or caned has declined.
So has the number of school bullies. This good dose of hard data should lend credence to the assertion by Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar that "indiscipline is not a serious problem in schools". But whether it be the number of children with cavities or ceilings with cracks, ours is a nation where some estimates, especially of the undesirable kind, have been less than accurate and useful due to under-reporting. Pressured by various quarters, some officials have been tempted to massage their findings. This appears to be the case in the matter of the six secondary school principals who are being investigated because of their attempts to sweep under the carpet incidents of bad behaviour among their students.
This is not in itself a revelation. In the past, there have been allegations that school heads had deliberately played down problems in their schools to protect their reputations and prospects for promotion. What is new, however, is that the Ministry of Education seems no longer prepared to close one eye to attempts to blank out damaging information about student indiscipline. The steps taken by the ministry to hold school administrators accountable for deliberately withholding information is most reassuring. It is only appropriate that disciplinary action should be taken against those school heads who try to hide the truth. Those who fudge and prevaricate should not be allowed to prosper in their careers.
Ignorance is not bliss. Covering up the bad behaviour of a section of the student population to preserve the good image of a school is at best foolish. But when a wall of silence is erected to make school heads look good and enhance their own personal ambitions, such self-serving behaviour amounts to cheating and is nothing less than disgraceful. It is also potentially dangerous and can do great harm to the efforts to tackle bad behaviour in schools. In February, Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein pointed to the "many bullying and disciplinary cases of late". One such incident had led to the death of a student in Sarawak early in the year. This paints a less than comforting contrast to the statistical drop in the number of disciplinary cases. It suggests that there has not been a decline at every school. While it is true that most schools are fairly safe, there is every reason to guard against complacency.
2007 05: College student alleges gang-rape by four Middle Eastern students
NST online. NewsBreak. 25/05/07
BERNAMA
PETALING JAYA, FRI.:
Police have arrested four Middle-East students of a private college in Subang Jaya for allegedly gang-raping a fellow student at a house in Sungai Way last week.
Petaling Jaya OCPD ACP Mazlan Mansur said today that a police team was despatched to the house after the 20-year-old woman lodged a report last Monday.
The suspects, in their 20s, were remanded for a week to facilitate investigations.
The woman claimed that she was lured to the house rented by the foreigners where they took turns to rape her between last Sunday and Monday. She lodged a report at a nearby police station after escaping from the house.
“We are waiting for the medical report to ascertain whether the victim had been sexually abused.
“Our initial investigations revealed that the victim had known the suspects for the past one year,” Mazlan said.
BERNAMA
PETALING JAYA, FRI.:
Police have arrested four Middle-East students of a private college in Subang Jaya for allegedly gang-raping a fellow student at a house in Sungai Way last week.
Petaling Jaya OCPD ACP Mazlan Mansur said today that a police team was despatched to the house after the 20-year-old woman lodged a report last Monday.
The suspects, in their 20s, were remanded for a week to facilitate investigations.
The woman claimed that she was lured to the house rented by the foreigners where they took turns to rape her between last Sunday and Monday. She lodged a report at a nearby police station after escaping from the house.
“We are waiting for the medical report to ascertain whether the victim had been sexually abused.
“Our initial investigations revealed that the victim had known the suspects for the past one year,” Mazlan said.
Monday 28 May 2007
2007 05: Ignorant male students falling into ‘rape’ trap
The Star online. News. Nation. Friday May 25, 2007
KUALA TERENGGANU: Many students are falling into the “rape” trap. They believe they have willing sex partners – until the girl lodges a report.
Many do not understand the consequences of their behaviour, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar.
“When I interviewed some of the students who are facing rape charges, they posed me one common question, what is rape. They say they did not force their partners to have sex,” he said.
“Therefore, why should they be charged with rape although both suka sama suka (had consented) before engaging in sexual intercourse?” he said at a Colloquium On Crime Prevention here on Wednesday.
Noh said these students failed to understand that even if there was mutual consent, it was a crime to have sex with underage girls.
He said the matter had reached an alarming stage and school authorities at all levels should be aware of it.
He said the ministry was using the holistic approach to address the issue by getting several government agencies and non-governmental organisations to help.
“Prevention is better than cure so the ministry is advocating that every school set up crime prevention clubs,” he said.
He noted that disciplinary problems in schools dropped last year compared to 2005.
Cases of students given temporary suspension dropped from 0.9% to 0.4%, those expelled from 0.4% to 0.2%, those caned from 3.8% to 1.4% and bullying cases from 0.03% in 2005 to 0.02% last year.
On another matter, Noh said six school principals have been issued with show-cause letters for sweeping disciplinary problems under the carpet this year.
“We have our way of getting details on delinquency cases even if the principals attempt to conceal information,” he said.
KUALA TERENGGANU: Many students are falling into the “rape” trap. They believe they have willing sex partners – until the girl lodges a report.
Many do not understand the consequences of their behaviour, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Noh Omar.
“When I interviewed some of the students who are facing rape charges, they posed me one common question, what is rape. They say they did not force their partners to have sex,” he said.
“Therefore, why should they be charged with rape although both suka sama suka (had consented) before engaging in sexual intercourse?” he said at a Colloquium On Crime Prevention here on Wednesday.
Noh said these students failed to understand that even if there was mutual consent, it was a crime to have sex with underage girls.
He said the matter had reached an alarming stage and school authorities at all levels should be aware of it.
He said the ministry was using the holistic approach to address the issue by getting several government agencies and non-governmental organisations to help.
“Prevention is better than cure so the ministry is advocating that every school set up crime prevention clubs,” he said.
He noted that disciplinary problems in schools dropped last year compared to 2005.
Cases of students given temporary suspension dropped from 0.9% to 0.4%, those expelled from 0.4% to 0.2%, those caned from 3.8% to 1.4% and bullying cases from 0.03% in 2005 to 0.02% last year.
On another matter, Noh said six school principals have been issued with show-cause letters for sweeping disciplinary problems under the carpet this year.
“We have our way of getting details on delinquency cases even if the principals attempt to conceal information,” he said.
2007 05: Form Four student killed for kick
The Star online. News. Nation. Friday May 25, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: A student was stabbed to death and two others were injured in a mob attack near the boy's home near here over a kick which was allegedly done in jest.
Hamdan Pedda, a Form Four student at SMK Inanam, was earlier with his two friends at a road in Kampung Warisan here when another boy passed them.
Hamdan, 16, allegedly gave a mischievous kick on the boy's buttocks as he walked by.
The boy returned later with a man and a group of six boys, all armed with sticks and a sharp object believed to be a knife.
In the ensuing melee, Hamdan was stabbed in the chest.
Following the 7pm incident on Thursday, the police picked up six students, aged 14 to 17, and a 22-year-old man for questioning.
Kota Kinabalu city police chief Asst Comm Ku Chin Wah said the case has been classified as murder.
He said police were recording statements from the suspects and the two injured students.
..............................................
Student killed in mob attack
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 26, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: A student was stabbed to death and two others were injured in a mob attack near the dead boy's home near here over a kick which was allegedly done in jest.
Hamdan Pedda, a Form Four student at SMK Inanam, had earlier been with his two friends at a road in Kampung Warisan here when another boy passed them.
Hamdan, 16, allegedly planted a mischievous kick on the boy's buttocks as he walked by.
The boy returned later with a man and a group of six boys, all armed with sticks and a sharp object believed to be a knife.
In the ensuing melee, Hamdan was stabbed in the chest.
Following the 7pm incident on Thursday, police picked up six students, aged 14 to 17, and a 22-year-old man for questioning.
Kota Kinabalu city police chief Asst Comm Ku Chin Wah said police were recording statements from the suspects and the two injured students.
KOTA KINABALU: A student was stabbed to death and two others were injured in a mob attack near the boy's home near here over a kick which was allegedly done in jest.
Hamdan Pedda, a Form Four student at SMK Inanam, was earlier with his two friends at a road in Kampung Warisan here when another boy passed them.
Hamdan, 16, allegedly gave a mischievous kick on the boy's buttocks as he walked by.
The boy returned later with a man and a group of six boys, all armed with sticks and a sharp object believed to be a knife.
In the ensuing melee, Hamdan was stabbed in the chest.
Following the 7pm incident on Thursday, the police picked up six students, aged 14 to 17, and a 22-year-old man for questioning.
Kota Kinabalu city police chief Asst Comm Ku Chin Wah said the case has been classified as murder.
He said police were recording statements from the suspects and the two injured students.
..............................................
Student killed in mob attack
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 26, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: A student was stabbed to death and two others were injured in a mob attack near the dead boy's home near here over a kick which was allegedly done in jest.
Hamdan Pedda, a Form Four student at SMK Inanam, had earlier been with his two friends at a road in Kampung Warisan here when another boy passed them.
Hamdan, 16, allegedly planted a mischievous kick on the boy's buttocks as he walked by.
The boy returned later with a man and a group of six boys, all armed with sticks and a sharp object believed to be a knife.
In the ensuing melee, Hamdan was stabbed in the chest.
Following the 7pm incident on Thursday, police picked up six students, aged 14 to 17, and a 22-year-old man for questioning.
Kota Kinabalu city police chief Asst Comm Ku Chin Wah said police were recording statements from the suspects and the two injured students.
Wednesday 23 May 2007
2007 05: Two Penang reps make an issue of women’s dressing
The Star online. News. Nation. Wednesday May 23, 2007
PENANG: After the recent “bocor” (leak) controversy in the Dewan Rakyat, one would have thought that backbenchers would know enough to stay clear of sexist remarks.
Not in the Penang state assembly.
Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya and Sungai Dua assemblyman Datuk Jasmin Mohamed blamed women's provocative dressing for sexual crimes, raising the hackles of Tan Cheng Liang (BN – Jawi).
“The women’s dressing menggoda (lures) and mencabar (challenges) men,” said Shabudin, who interjected during Tan’s speech when debating the motion of thanks on the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abas’s opening address.
This prompted Tan to tick him off for his narrow thinking.
“Even women who are covered from the head to the toe and two-year-old children have become rape victims. This shows that it has nothing to do with women’s dressing,” she said.
Shabudin, who is state Islamic Religious Council president, then asked Tan for her views on a dress code for women and Jasmin rose to support it.
Tan said she disagreed with a dress code, as women knew what to wear.
Shabudin then interjected that men were sure to look when sexily attired women pass in front of them.
“This is because there is a daya tarikan (attraction),” he said.
Jasmin said that women who dressed provocatively also forgot their family responsibilities.
Tan said the issue was not about the women’s dressing but the mindset of men.
In his speech, Mansor Musa (BN – Batu Maung) rapped the two assemblymen for their sexist remarks, saying they were not showing a good example in the House.
Tan also alleged that a Seberang Prai Municipal Council official had been signing the overtime claims of his workers when they did not do any extra work.
Phee Boon Poh (DAP – Sungai Puyu) asked Tan to substantiate her allegations.
However, Speaker Datuk Yahaya Abdul Hami disallowed the question, saying the reply should come from the concerned state executive councillor.
........................................
Penang State Assembly: Lawmakers ‘dress up’ a hot issue
NST online. Local News. 23/05/07
By : Sharanjit Singh
SEVERAL backbenchers got into a debate in the house yesterday over whether or not local women are getting more daring in their dressing.
Shahabudin Yahaya (BN- Permatang Berangan) got the ball rolling when he interrupted fellow backbencher Tan Cheng Liang (BN-Jawi) as she was speaking about the need for politicians to show respect to women.
She was saying they should not make sexist remarks when Shahabudin asked if there was a need to introduce a dress code for women.
"I am asking because women are getting more daring in their dressing and it is challenging for men, even me." Tan said: "I am shocked by this kind of narrow-minded thinking. "We’ve had cases of tudung-clad women and even two-year-olds being raped."
Are you trying to say that they were raped because of the way they dressed?" Sensing that the issue could get out of hand, Jasmin Mohamad (BN-Sungai Dua) said Shahabudin was just asking if the way a woman dressed could lead to bad things happening.
Tan said she did not agree, and cited that one could see many scantily-clad women on European beaches but this did not cause any problems there."
God has given us a mind so we can think and control ourselves. "If you don’t have dirty thoughts, then you won’t think negatively," she said.
Later, state Women and Community Development Committee chairman Datuk Jahara Hamid said there were regulations on how one should dress when visiting government departments.
She said action could be taken against those who dressed scantily in public.
.............................................................
No justifying rape
The Star online. News. Opinion. Friday May 25, 2007
RAPE is a crime and that’s that. There is no justifying who is right and wrong.
Does it mean that men have the right to rape women who dress sexily? Criminals nowadays do not only target sexy women but also old women and schoolchildren.
Since a dress code is suggested to avoid luring male sexual instinct, why not suggest that males wear chastity belts to prevent rape?
ANGRY WOMAN,
Sg. Buloh, Selangor.
....................................................
Quit focusing on who’s to blame
The Star online. News. Opinion. Friday May 25, 2007
I REFER to the report “Another sexist remark: Two Penang reps make an issue of women’s dressing” (The Star, May 23).
Though the previous comments made in Parliament were what I consider unfortunate, and a display of gender insensitivity, the current issue is slightly different.
Nevertheless, the remark and the subsequent protest just extend the debate over who’s to blame for sexual crimes.
The typical egocentric-male-chauvinist group argues that rapists are tempted by women’s provocative dressing style.
At the other extreme, your typical woman-rights-activists corner rebuts such claims by pointing out that rape victims are not exclusive to the scantily dressed, and blames men’s mentality and perspective towards the opposite gender.
I have no intention of taking sides in such a debate. I am more concerned about addressing the issue, identifying root causes, improving our social fabric and increasing access to education, instead of focusing on the blame game.
Despite taking a three-credit-hour Intro to Psychology during my university days, and being a father to three beautiful daughters, I am not an authority on this issue. Anyhow, this is my two sen worth on the matter as a concerned father and a citizen of Malaysia.
·Gender debate and the blaming game will not solve the issue, it will simply keep us occupied on the debate instead of combating sex crimes.
·Sex crimes are seldom about gender or sex. It’s about the socially challenged and sick characters seeking ways to feel superior and to feel validated as an autonomic individual.
·Rape and other sexual violations committed on the weak, and children, are motivated mostly by the freak instinct to overpower others through physical and psychological violence, not to seek sexual gratification.
·Overly lewd, indecent, or impolite dressing choices at inappropriate times and places may trigger a psychologically impaired person. It may not be the root cost, but it can trigger a person who already has issues, to act on an unhealthy impulse.
It may not be immediately acted upon, but the aggressor would probably then act on the impulse at the soonest opportunity available. A sick-minded serial rapist or paedophile may be triggered by something he saw in a crowded shopping mall, but act days later at a deserted car park or neighbourhood.
One example is a smoker who is trying to quit by going cold turkey. You can tell everyone not to smoke in front of him, but the mere mention of smoking, or any visual or audio material that reminds him of smoking will trigger that instinct to light up, if not immediately, when no one is looking.
But the trigger is not the cause of this action; it’s the addiction and the nicotine.
·“Improper dressing” is a subjective issue that can be debated forever without resolutions.
·Dress code is at best the less significant of factors in this matter (if not the least), as there are always triggers available in many forms to provide excuses for some people to act upon unnatural motivations, from the real to the imagined. We can force everyone to wear a jilbab but a serial rapist would always be able to fantasise.
·A good place to start with in combating sex crimes is by looking at family institutions, social composites and disparities, education (structured academic and social skills), and psychological health of the general population. Safety and security concerns should not be taken lightly.
·What is certain is that instead of focusing on who is to be blamed – sexy women or unfulfilled low self-esteem men – we should stress more on mutual respect between genders and within our family institutions.
A man who loves his mother, sisters, daughters and wife, and is able to apply the golden rule of do unto others as you would others do unto you is less likely to consider hurting another person.
NASRUL,
Seremban. Negri Sembilan.
...............................................
Women's Dressing: Drastic change of mindset needed
NST online. Letters. 28/05/07
By : PREMA E. DEVARAJ, Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
TWO Penang state assemblymen, Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Permatang Berangan) and Datuk Jasmin Mohamed (BN-Sungai Dua), reportedly blamed women’s provocative dressing for sexual crimes. Apparently women who dress provocatively menggoda (lure) and mencabar (challenge) men.
The Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC) is dismayed that the stereotype of a woman as a seductress inciting, by her provocative dressing, the poor innocent male to commit a heinous sexual crime is so deeply entrenched in the minds of some state assemblymen. The quality of reasoning exhibited by these two elected representatives leaves much to be desired. Men and boys are also victims of sexual crimes. Does this mean that male victims of sexual crimes are to be blamed for wearing provocative trousers? A person’s remarks and behaviour reflect his thinking. If a person chooses to think of a woman as a sexual object, then he will refer to her and treat her as one. Unless and until he chooses to think differently, he will continue to disrespect women in his thoughts, words and actions.
Similarly, the motivation for a sexual crime is rooted in the mind of the perpetrator.
Hence, the blame for the sexual crime is, and should be, with the perpetrator and not the victim. But as long as society continues to blame victims, the perpetrators of sexual crimes will get away with the crime and the victims will not be able to get the help and support they truly need.
It is a fallacy that "provocative" dressing leads to sexual crimes. And yet this fallacy persists, not just in the minds of some men, but also in the minds of some women.
There are many examples of modestly-clad women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. The cold, hard reality is that a woman can be a victim of a sexual assault at any time and at any place, irrespective of her age, dressing, social or cultural background. The sexist remarks are a sad reflection of the mindset among some of our elected representatives. This is unacceptable and must change. We cannot have elected leaders who perpetuate myths and stereotypes which have serious consequences for women and victims of sexual crimes in this country.
PENANG: After the recent “bocor” (leak) controversy in the Dewan Rakyat, one would have thought that backbenchers would know enough to stay clear of sexist remarks.
Not in the Penang state assembly.
Permatang Berangan assemblyman Shabudin Yahaya and Sungai Dua assemblyman Datuk Jasmin Mohamed blamed women's provocative dressing for sexual crimes, raising the hackles of Tan Cheng Liang (BN – Jawi).
“The women’s dressing menggoda (lures) and mencabar (challenges) men,” said Shabudin, who interjected during Tan’s speech when debating the motion of thanks on the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abas’s opening address.
This prompted Tan to tick him off for his narrow thinking.
“Even women who are covered from the head to the toe and two-year-old children have become rape victims. This shows that it has nothing to do with women’s dressing,” she said.
Shabudin, who is state Islamic Religious Council president, then asked Tan for her views on a dress code for women and Jasmin rose to support it.
Tan said she disagreed with a dress code, as women knew what to wear.
Shabudin then interjected that men were sure to look when sexily attired women pass in front of them.
“This is because there is a daya tarikan (attraction),” he said.
Jasmin said that women who dressed provocatively also forgot their family responsibilities.
Tan said the issue was not about the women’s dressing but the mindset of men.
In his speech, Mansor Musa (BN – Batu Maung) rapped the two assemblymen for their sexist remarks, saying they were not showing a good example in the House.
Tan also alleged that a Seberang Prai Municipal Council official had been signing the overtime claims of his workers when they did not do any extra work.
Phee Boon Poh (DAP – Sungai Puyu) asked Tan to substantiate her allegations.
However, Speaker Datuk Yahaya Abdul Hami disallowed the question, saying the reply should come from the concerned state executive councillor.
........................................
Penang State Assembly: Lawmakers ‘dress up’ a hot issue
NST online. Local News. 23/05/07
By : Sharanjit Singh
SEVERAL backbenchers got into a debate in the house yesterday over whether or not local women are getting more daring in their dressing.
Shahabudin Yahaya (BN- Permatang Berangan) got the ball rolling when he interrupted fellow backbencher Tan Cheng Liang (BN-Jawi) as she was speaking about the need for politicians to show respect to women.
She was saying they should not make sexist remarks when Shahabudin asked if there was a need to introduce a dress code for women.
"I am asking because women are getting more daring in their dressing and it is challenging for men, even me." Tan said: "I am shocked by this kind of narrow-minded thinking. "We’ve had cases of tudung-clad women and even two-year-olds being raped."
Are you trying to say that they were raped because of the way they dressed?" Sensing that the issue could get out of hand, Jasmin Mohamad (BN-Sungai Dua) said Shahabudin was just asking if the way a woman dressed could lead to bad things happening.
Tan said she did not agree, and cited that one could see many scantily-clad women on European beaches but this did not cause any problems there."
God has given us a mind so we can think and control ourselves. "If you don’t have dirty thoughts, then you won’t think negatively," she said.
Later, state Women and Community Development Committee chairman Datuk Jahara Hamid said there were regulations on how one should dress when visiting government departments.
She said action could be taken against those who dressed scantily in public.
.............................................................
No justifying rape
The Star online. News. Opinion. Friday May 25, 2007
RAPE is a crime and that’s that. There is no justifying who is right and wrong.
Does it mean that men have the right to rape women who dress sexily? Criminals nowadays do not only target sexy women but also old women and schoolchildren.
Since a dress code is suggested to avoid luring male sexual instinct, why not suggest that males wear chastity belts to prevent rape?
ANGRY WOMAN,
Sg. Buloh, Selangor.
....................................................
Quit focusing on who’s to blame
The Star online. News. Opinion. Friday May 25, 2007
I REFER to the report “Another sexist remark: Two Penang reps make an issue of women’s dressing” (The Star, May 23).
Though the previous comments made in Parliament were what I consider unfortunate, and a display of gender insensitivity, the current issue is slightly different.
Nevertheless, the remark and the subsequent protest just extend the debate over who’s to blame for sexual crimes.
The typical egocentric-male-chauvinist group argues that rapists are tempted by women’s provocative dressing style.
At the other extreme, your typical woman-rights-activists corner rebuts such claims by pointing out that rape victims are not exclusive to the scantily dressed, and blames men’s mentality and perspective towards the opposite gender.
I have no intention of taking sides in such a debate. I am more concerned about addressing the issue, identifying root causes, improving our social fabric and increasing access to education, instead of focusing on the blame game.
Despite taking a three-credit-hour Intro to Psychology during my university days, and being a father to three beautiful daughters, I am not an authority on this issue. Anyhow, this is my two sen worth on the matter as a concerned father and a citizen of Malaysia.
·Gender debate and the blaming game will not solve the issue, it will simply keep us occupied on the debate instead of combating sex crimes.
·Sex crimes are seldom about gender or sex. It’s about the socially challenged and sick characters seeking ways to feel superior and to feel validated as an autonomic individual.
·Rape and other sexual violations committed on the weak, and children, are motivated mostly by the freak instinct to overpower others through physical and psychological violence, not to seek sexual gratification.
·Overly lewd, indecent, or impolite dressing choices at inappropriate times and places may trigger a psychologically impaired person. It may not be the root cost, but it can trigger a person who already has issues, to act on an unhealthy impulse.
It may not be immediately acted upon, but the aggressor would probably then act on the impulse at the soonest opportunity available. A sick-minded serial rapist or paedophile may be triggered by something he saw in a crowded shopping mall, but act days later at a deserted car park or neighbourhood.
One example is a smoker who is trying to quit by going cold turkey. You can tell everyone not to smoke in front of him, but the mere mention of smoking, or any visual or audio material that reminds him of smoking will trigger that instinct to light up, if not immediately, when no one is looking.
But the trigger is not the cause of this action; it’s the addiction and the nicotine.
·“Improper dressing” is a subjective issue that can be debated forever without resolutions.
·Dress code is at best the less significant of factors in this matter (if not the least), as there are always triggers available in many forms to provide excuses for some people to act upon unnatural motivations, from the real to the imagined. We can force everyone to wear a jilbab but a serial rapist would always be able to fantasise.
·A good place to start with in combating sex crimes is by looking at family institutions, social composites and disparities, education (structured academic and social skills), and psychological health of the general population. Safety and security concerns should not be taken lightly.
·What is certain is that instead of focusing on who is to be blamed – sexy women or unfulfilled low self-esteem men – we should stress more on mutual respect between genders and within our family institutions.
A man who loves his mother, sisters, daughters and wife, and is able to apply the golden rule of do unto others as you would others do unto you is less likely to consider hurting another person.
NASRUL,
Seremban. Negri Sembilan.
...............................................
Women's Dressing: Drastic change of mindset needed
NST online. Letters. 28/05/07
By : PREMA E. DEVARAJ, Women’s Centre for Change, Penang
TWO Penang state assemblymen, Shabudin Yahaya (BN-Permatang Berangan) and Datuk Jasmin Mohamed (BN-Sungai Dua), reportedly blamed women’s provocative dressing for sexual crimes. Apparently women who dress provocatively menggoda (lure) and mencabar (challenge) men.
The Women’s Centre for Change, Penang (WCC) is dismayed that the stereotype of a woman as a seductress inciting, by her provocative dressing, the poor innocent male to commit a heinous sexual crime is so deeply entrenched in the minds of some state assemblymen. The quality of reasoning exhibited by these two elected representatives leaves much to be desired. Men and boys are also victims of sexual crimes. Does this mean that male victims of sexual crimes are to be blamed for wearing provocative trousers? A person’s remarks and behaviour reflect his thinking. If a person chooses to think of a woman as a sexual object, then he will refer to her and treat her as one. Unless and until he chooses to think differently, he will continue to disrespect women in his thoughts, words and actions.
Similarly, the motivation for a sexual crime is rooted in the mind of the perpetrator.
Hence, the blame for the sexual crime is, and should be, with the perpetrator and not the victim. But as long as society continues to blame victims, the perpetrators of sexual crimes will get away with the crime and the victims will not be able to get the help and support they truly need.
It is a fallacy that "provocative" dressing leads to sexual crimes. And yet this fallacy persists, not just in the minds of some men, but also in the minds of some women.
There are many examples of modestly-clad women who have been raped or sexually assaulted. The cold, hard reality is that a woman can be a victim of a sexual assault at any time and at any place, irrespective of her age, dressing, social or cultural background. The sexist remarks are a sad reflection of the mindset among some of our elected representatives. This is unacceptable and must change. We cannot have elected leaders who perpetuate myths and stereotypes which have serious consequences for women and victims of sexual crimes in this country.
2007 05: Toddler found dead with head in pail
The Star online. News. Nation. Tuesday May 22, 2007
ALOR STAR: A toddler was found dead with her head submerged in a pail at the bathroom of her family home in Jalan Tanjung Bendahara here.
The body of 20-month-old Siti Nurwahdah Bee Rusdi was found at 4pm yesterday.
Both her parents were home at the time of the incident.
Her father, Rusdi Said, 36, tried to resuscitate his only daughter but failed.
“She was playing with her four-year-old brother Ahmad. We did not realise they went into the bathroom. Both my wife and I dozed off for a while. When we woke up, Siti Nurwahdah was nowhere to be seen.
“After a frantic search, we found her in the bathroom,” said Rusdi, a hawker.
ALOR STAR: A toddler was found dead with her head submerged in a pail at the bathroom of her family home in Jalan Tanjung Bendahara here.
The body of 20-month-old Siti Nurwahdah Bee Rusdi was found at 4pm yesterday.
Both her parents were home at the time of the incident.
Her father, Rusdi Said, 36, tried to resuscitate his only daughter but failed.
“She was playing with her four-year-old brother Ahmad. We did not realise they went into the bathroom. Both my wife and I dozed off for a while. When we woke up, Siti Nurwahdah was nowhere to be seen.
“After a frantic search, we found her in the bathroom,” said Rusdi, a hawker.
2007 05: Schoolboy held over molest of six-year-old
The Star online. News. Nation. Tuesday May 22, 2007
PENANG: A schoolboy, 14, was arrested for allegedly molesting a six-year-old girl, whom his mother was babysitting, at a house in Sungai Dua here.
The Form Two schoolboy allegedly molested the kindergartener on several occasions when alone at home with her.
The victim’s parents found out when their daughter complained of pain in her private parts.
A report was lodged by the victim’s mother at the Sungai Nibong police station on Sunday. The girl was later sent to the Penang Hospital for a check-up.
The boy was then picked up from his house a few hours later. He was released to his parents on police bail after a statement was taken.
A source from the Sungai Nibong police station confirmed that a schoolboy had been arrested.
.........................................
Put a stop to crimes against kids
The Star online. News. Opinion. Wednesday May 23, 2007
I REFER to “Schoolboy held over molest of six-year-old” (The Star, May 22). My heart goes out to the six-year-old who has gone through the trauma of being violated by a child of someone whom her parents trust.
I also ask myself this question, why would a 14-year-old be capable of commiting such an atrocity against a child who is younger, weaker and more helpless than himself?
I am sure that he is neither the first nor will he be the last teenager below the age of 18 to commit such a horrific act against a child.
In addition, I believe that he is not just a danger to the six-year-old victim but also a danger to other children within his surroundings and society.
A person like him should be locked away for a long time followed by rehabilitation and intensive psychological and psychiatric therapy. What he did against a child was not only unacceptable but considered abnormal and dangerous.
It is time we stop pointing fingers at each other for creating monsters like him. Isn’t it about time that we worked together as a community to combat the growing number of sexual crimes against children in Malaysia by such criminals like this 14-year-old offender and other adult paedophiles?
We need to understand the fact that minor sex offenders and paedophiles are not the stereotypical indecent person in a trenchcoat like many people would think. These kinds of sex offenders usually come from all walks of life regardless of their socio-economic status and family background.
S. YIN,
Auckland, New Zealand.
PENANG: A schoolboy, 14, was arrested for allegedly molesting a six-year-old girl, whom his mother was babysitting, at a house in Sungai Dua here.
The Form Two schoolboy allegedly molested the kindergartener on several occasions when alone at home with her.
The victim’s parents found out when their daughter complained of pain in her private parts.
A report was lodged by the victim’s mother at the Sungai Nibong police station on Sunday. The girl was later sent to the Penang Hospital for a check-up.
The boy was then picked up from his house a few hours later. He was released to his parents on police bail after a statement was taken.
A source from the Sungai Nibong police station confirmed that a schoolboy had been arrested.
.........................................
Put a stop to crimes against kids
The Star online. News. Opinion. Wednesday May 23, 2007
I REFER to “Schoolboy held over molest of six-year-old” (The Star, May 22). My heart goes out to the six-year-old who has gone through the trauma of being violated by a child of someone whom her parents trust.
I also ask myself this question, why would a 14-year-old be capable of commiting such an atrocity against a child who is younger, weaker and more helpless than himself?
I am sure that he is neither the first nor will he be the last teenager below the age of 18 to commit such a horrific act against a child.
In addition, I believe that he is not just a danger to the six-year-old victim but also a danger to other children within his surroundings and society.
A person like him should be locked away for a long time followed by rehabilitation and intensive psychological and psychiatric therapy. What he did against a child was not only unacceptable but considered abnormal and dangerous.
It is time we stop pointing fingers at each other for creating monsters like him. Isn’t it about time that we worked together as a community to combat the growing number of sexual crimes against children in Malaysia by such criminals like this 14-year-old offender and other adult paedophiles?
We need to understand the fact that minor sex offenders and paedophiles are not the stereotypical indecent person in a trenchcoat like many people would think. These kinds of sex offenders usually come from all walks of life regardless of their socio-economic status and family background.
S. YIN,
Auckland, New Zealand.
Tuesday 22 May 2007
2007 05: ‘Rape victim’ stays silent for love
NSt online. Local News. 22/05/07
By : Rita Jong
SHAH ALAM: An alleged "rape victim" raised eyebrows at the Sessions Court here yesterday when she refused to testify against the accused.
The 17-year-old school dropout claimed she was not raped and that her father had forced her to lodge a police report against Indonesian national Munawar Haris.
The report was lodged after the family found out that the girl was two months pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy, who lives with her at the family home in Kampung Kalumpang.
During cross examination by deputy public prosecutor Azmeer Mohd Sardi, she claimed the accused and her were lovers."It was my father who forced me (to lodge the police report). He made me do this. The report was lodged at the Kalumpang police station. "We (Munawar and her) are lovers," she said.
Initially, she testified how she met Munawar and how the relationship grew.
They were introduced by a cousin in January 2005. The accused, then 29 years old, was a farmer and she was in Form Three.
She testified that her parents and four siblings did not object to their relationship although her father, a policeman, had reservations.
"My father was angry when he learnt that I was two months pregnant in September 2005," she told the court. Her testimony, however, ended abruptly when the DPP asked her about the identity of her baby’s father.
Witness: I do not want to testify.
Azmeer: But in your police report dated Sept 4, 2005, you said you were raped by Munawar. Witness: No, I was forced by my father to lodge that report. He (Munawar) didn’t rape me.
Azmeer: If he did not rape you, what did he do to you?
Witness: I do not want to answer this.
Azmeer: If you claimed he did not do anything to you, why did you say in your report that you were raped?
Witness: I do not want to testify.
Her refusal to testify prompted judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof to ask: "If you do not want to testify, why are you in court?"
The witness said she did not want to lodge the police report in the first place. Dressed in a black and red floral baju kurung, the girl did not show any sign of fear during proceedings. She spoke confidently.
Zabariah then adjourned proceedings for a lunch break and when trial resumed in the afternoon, it was held in camera.
Earlier, the girl’s policeman father was in court and was identified by his daughter. He is expected to be called as a prosecution witness.
The accused, Munawar, who is said to be a permanent resident, was charged with three counts of raping the then 15-year-old girl at two houses in Kalumpang between May and July 2005.
The accused, who is not represented, is facing a maximum 60 years in jail with caning if convicted on all three counts. Trial continues today.
......................................
Father: I didn’t force my daughter to lodge rape report
NST online. Local News. 23/05/07
SHAH ALAM: The father of a 17-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by an Indonesian farmer, claimed he never forced his daughter to lodge a police report.
Contrary to evidence given by his daughter on Monday, the 47-year-old policeman claimed she had willingly done so.
During the last hearing, the girl told the Sessions Court that she was in love with the accused, Munawar Haris, 31.
She refused to testify against him and alleged that it was her father who objected to the relationship.
She claimed her father forced her to lodge a report against Munawar at the Kalumpang police station in September 2005, when he learnt that she was two months pregnant.
She gave birth to a baby boy last year. The baby lives with her at the family home in Kalumpang, Hulu Selangor.
Yesterday, however, when her father was questioned by the accused, who conducted his own case, the witness told a different story.
"I did not force her. It was my responsibility as a father to take her to lodge the report as she is a minor," he said.
"She followed me willingly to the police station to do so." When Munawar asked him why he disapproved of his relationship with his daughter, the witness said: "Because you are a foreigner."
Munawar is charged with three counts of raping the then 15-year-old girl at two houses in Kalumpang between May and July 2005.
Earlier, during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Azmeer Mohd Sardi, the father said that he asked his daughter who the baby’s father was, but she did not tell him.
He said he knew Munawar who often came to his restaurant in Kuala Kubu Baru. Trial continues before judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof. It will go on for three days beginning July 4.
Azmeer told the court that he would produce a DNA report to determine the identity of the baby’s father.
By : Rita Jong
SHAH ALAM: An alleged "rape victim" raised eyebrows at the Sessions Court here yesterday when she refused to testify against the accused.
The 17-year-old school dropout claimed she was not raped and that her father had forced her to lodge a police report against Indonesian national Munawar Haris.
The report was lodged after the family found out that the girl was two months pregnant. She gave birth to a baby boy, who lives with her at the family home in Kampung Kalumpang.
During cross examination by deputy public prosecutor Azmeer Mohd Sardi, she claimed the accused and her were lovers."It was my father who forced me (to lodge the police report). He made me do this. The report was lodged at the Kalumpang police station. "We (Munawar and her) are lovers," she said.
Initially, she testified how she met Munawar and how the relationship grew.
They were introduced by a cousin in January 2005. The accused, then 29 years old, was a farmer and she was in Form Three.
She testified that her parents and four siblings did not object to their relationship although her father, a policeman, had reservations.
"My father was angry when he learnt that I was two months pregnant in September 2005," she told the court. Her testimony, however, ended abruptly when the DPP asked her about the identity of her baby’s father.
Witness: I do not want to testify.
Azmeer: But in your police report dated Sept 4, 2005, you said you were raped by Munawar. Witness: No, I was forced by my father to lodge that report. He (Munawar) didn’t rape me.
Azmeer: If he did not rape you, what did he do to you?
Witness: I do not want to answer this.
Azmeer: If you claimed he did not do anything to you, why did you say in your report that you were raped?
Witness: I do not want to testify.
Her refusal to testify prompted judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof to ask: "If you do not want to testify, why are you in court?"
The witness said she did not want to lodge the police report in the first place. Dressed in a black and red floral baju kurung, the girl did not show any sign of fear during proceedings. She spoke confidently.
Zabariah then adjourned proceedings for a lunch break and when trial resumed in the afternoon, it was held in camera.
Earlier, the girl’s policeman father was in court and was identified by his daughter. He is expected to be called as a prosecution witness.
The accused, Munawar, who is said to be a permanent resident, was charged with three counts of raping the then 15-year-old girl at two houses in Kalumpang between May and July 2005.
The accused, who is not represented, is facing a maximum 60 years in jail with caning if convicted on all three counts. Trial continues today.
......................................
Father: I didn’t force my daughter to lodge rape report
NST online. Local News. 23/05/07
SHAH ALAM: The father of a 17-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by an Indonesian farmer, claimed he never forced his daughter to lodge a police report.
Contrary to evidence given by his daughter on Monday, the 47-year-old policeman claimed she had willingly done so.
During the last hearing, the girl told the Sessions Court that she was in love with the accused, Munawar Haris, 31.
She refused to testify against him and alleged that it was her father who objected to the relationship.
She claimed her father forced her to lodge a report against Munawar at the Kalumpang police station in September 2005, when he learnt that she was two months pregnant.
She gave birth to a baby boy last year. The baby lives with her at the family home in Kalumpang, Hulu Selangor.
Yesterday, however, when her father was questioned by the accused, who conducted his own case, the witness told a different story.
"I did not force her. It was my responsibility as a father to take her to lodge the report as she is a minor," he said.
"She followed me willingly to the police station to do so." When Munawar asked him why he disapproved of his relationship with his daughter, the witness said: "Because you are a foreigner."
Munawar is charged with three counts of raping the then 15-year-old girl at two houses in Kalumpang between May and July 2005.
Earlier, during the examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Azmeer Mohd Sardi, the father said that he asked his daughter who the baby’s father was, but she did not tell him.
He said he knew Munawar who often came to his restaurant in Kuala Kubu Baru. Trial continues before judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof. It will go on for three days beginning July 4.
Azmeer told the court that he would produce a DNA report to determine the identity of the baby’s father.
2007 05: Youth rapes girl, records act on phone
NST online. Local News. 22/05/07
GEMAS: A youth has been arrested for allegedly raping a schoolgirl and recording the act on his mobile phone.
It is learnt that the youth threatened to post the video on the Internet if the 16-year-old girl did not do his bidding. The youth raped her at least five times, the last in a car parked behind a factory in Jalan Gemas-Tampin in early January. He had befriended her a few months earlier.
The girl also alleged that she was raped by another youth whom she met in the middle of last year. Tampin police chief Superintendent Zull Aznam Haron said the youths, both 19, were arrested at their homes on Sunday following a report by the girl’s father. He said the man lodged the report when he learnt about his daughter’s ordeal.
GEMAS: A youth has been arrested for allegedly raping a schoolgirl and recording the act on his mobile phone.
It is learnt that the youth threatened to post the video on the Internet if the 16-year-old girl did not do his bidding. The youth raped her at least five times, the last in a car parked behind a factory in Jalan Gemas-Tampin in early January. He had befriended her a few months earlier.
The girl also alleged that she was raped by another youth whom she met in the middle of last year. Tampin police chief Superintendent Zull Aznam Haron said the youths, both 19, were arrested at their homes on Sunday following a report by the girl’s father. He said the man lodged the report when he learnt about his daughter’s ordeal.
2007 05: Gambler’s family flees loan sharks
NST online. Local News. 22/05/07
KUALA LUMPUR: A woman is on the run from loan sharks, leaving her husband and four children to face the music.
The 33-year-old housewife allegedly owes six loan sharks about RM60,000 and has been on the run for the past two weeks after failing to settle her debts.
This is the third time in seven months that the woman, a compulsive gambler, had got in trouble with the Ah Long. Previously, her husband had bailed her out to the tune of RM110,000.
With no one to turn to for help, her husband, Goh Toke Yew, yesterday sought the help of the MCA Public Service and Complaints Department head, Michael Chong.
This is the second time they have sought the help of Chong. In February, Chong spoke to several loan sharks and bought the family time to settle a RM40,000 debt.
"We are in trouble again," Goh said."This time, my entire family is being threatened. We have gone into hiding. We are no longer staying at our house in Puchong."
Goh said he realised his wife had gone missing after a family friend told him two weeks ago that his wife had borrowed RM5,000 from him.
"I tried to contact my wife but her mobile phone was switched off. That was when I realised that she was in trouble with the loan sharks again." Several days later, the family started getting visits from loan sharks in the mornings and at night.
"In the morning, they would hurl abuse at us. At night, they would splash red paint in front of our house. This has been going on for several days now," he said.
"They have even visited me at my work place in Cheras." Goh works as a soft drink supplier.
The family, including Goh’s elderly parents, have gone into hiding.
Goh has lodged two reports at the Puchong police station.
Chong said that it was time that the authorities started taking action against the borrowers.
KUALA LUMPUR: A woman is on the run from loan sharks, leaving her husband and four children to face the music.
The 33-year-old housewife allegedly owes six loan sharks about RM60,000 and has been on the run for the past two weeks after failing to settle her debts.
This is the third time in seven months that the woman, a compulsive gambler, had got in trouble with the Ah Long. Previously, her husband had bailed her out to the tune of RM110,000.
With no one to turn to for help, her husband, Goh Toke Yew, yesterday sought the help of the MCA Public Service and Complaints Department head, Michael Chong.
This is the second time they have sought the help of Chong. In February, Chong spoke to several loan sharks and bought the family time to settle a RM40,000 debt.
"We are in trouble again," Goh said."This time, my entire family is being threatened. We have gone into hiding. We are no longer staying at our house in Puchong."
Goh said he realised his wife had gone missing after a family friend told him two weeks ago that his wife had borrowed RM5,000 from him.
"I tried to contact my wife but her mobile phone was switched off. That was when I realised that she was in trouble with the loan sharks again." Several days later, the family started getting visits from loan sharks in the mornings and at night.
"In the morning, they would hurl abuse at us. At night, they would splash red paint in front of our house. This has been going on for several days now," he said.
"They have even visited me at my work place in Cheras." Goh works as a soft drink supplier.
The family, including Goh’s elderly parents, have gone into hiding.
Goh has lodged two reports at the Puchong police station.
Chong said that it was time that the authorities started taking action against the borrowers.
2007 05: 16-month-old dies after scalding
The Star online. News. Nation. Sunday May 20, 2007
By SIRA HABIBU
ALOR STAR: A toddler is dead, all because his rubber-tapper parents could not bring themselves to wake up the staff members of a nearby rural clinic outside working hours.
Muhammad Irwan Zulhakim Normushamshuri, aged 16 months, died in an ambulance on his way to Alor Star Hospital about 18 hours after he was scalded with hot water in his home in Naka.
He was scalded on the thigh and chest when he accidentally toppled a jug of hot water on Wednesday night.
His mother Zuraidah Jaafar, 25, said the incident occurred at about 8.30pm when she was preparing tea.
“I placed the jug filled with hot water on a low table when my son toppled it,” she said.
Zuraidah could have knocked on the door of the Naka rural clinic personnel quarters but could not bring herself to do it.
“I feel bad knocking on people’s doors at night asking for help. I understand that people need to rest,” she said. The clinic closes at 5pm.
She said that after the incident, Muhammad Irwan Zulhakim was quiet after the initial wailing.
“We assumed that his condition was not that bad,” she said, adding that he developed a fever the following morning. His condition became worse after 11am.
However, she had to wait until 2.15pm when the clinic re-opened after lunch before she could get any medical attention for her son.
The child was then immediately put in an ambulance to be sent to Alor Star Hospital.
“By the time we arrived at the hospital at about 3pm, the doctor pronounced him dead,” she said, adding that her son was buried at 10am on Friday.
Muhammad Irwan Zulhakim’s father Normushamshuri Musa, 27, said he would have rushed his son to the hospital on the night of the incident if he had a car.
By SIRA HABIBU
ALOR STAR: A toddler is dead, all because his rubber-tapper parents could not bring themselves to wake up the staff members of a nearby rural clinic outside working hours.
Muhammad Irwan Zulhakim Normushamshuri, aged 16 months, died in an ambulance on his way to Alor Star Hospital about 18 hours after he was scalded with hot water in his home in Naka.
He was scalded on the thigh and chest when he accidentally toppled a jug of hot water on Wednesday night.
His mother Zuraidah Jaafar, 25, said the incident occurred at about 8.30pm when she was preparing tea.
“I placed the jug filled with hot water on a low table when my son toppled it,” she said.
Zuraidah could have knocked on the door of the Naka rural clinic personnel quarters but could not bring herself to do it.
“I feel bad knocking on people’s doors at night asking for help. I understand that people need to rest,” she said. The clinic closes at 5pm.
She said that after the incident, Muhammad Irwan Zulhakim was quiet after the initial wailing.
“We assumed that his condition was not that bad,” she said, adding that he developed a fever the following morning. His condition became worse after 11am.
However, she had to wait until 2.15pm when the clinic re-opened after lunch before she could get any medical attention for her son.
The child was then immediately put in an ambulance to be sent to Alor Star Hospital.
“By the time we arrived at the hospital at about 3pm, the doctor pronounced him dead,” she said, adding that her son was buried at 10am on Friday.
Muhammad Irwan Zulhakim’s father Normushamshuri Musa, 27, said he would have rushed his son to the hospital on the night of the incident if he had a car.
2007 05: Bomoh wins molest appeal
NST online. Local News. 19/05/07
IPOH: A 69-year-old bomoh walked out of the High Court a free man yesterday after winning his appeal against conviction, on a charge of molesting a young girl in 1997.
Judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim quashed Abu Bedor Jamin’s conviction and set aside his 14-month jail sentence meted out by a magistrate’s court five years ago. The appellant was represented by Charan Singh.
The Parit magistrate’s court in May 2002 had found Abu Bedor guilty of molesting a young girl at his house in Kampung Bekong, Lambor Kiri in Bota on July 6, 1997.
The victim was then 18 years old. At the High Court yesterday, Ridwan said the charge of outraging the modesty of the girl brought against the appellant was doubtful.
"The prosecution’s case had various gaps such as failure to produce two material witnesses during the hearing. The chain of evidence was broken, which weakened the case against the appellant," he said, referring to the prosecution’s decision not to call the victim’s boyfriend and the investigating officer to take the stand.
Ridwan said the victim’s claims were also not corroborated by other witnesses and the girl had contradicted herself in her testimony.
IPOH: A 69-year-old bomoh walked out of the High Court a free man yesterday after winning his appeal against conviction, on a charge of molesting a young girl in 1997.
Judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim quashed Abu Bedor Jamin’s conviction and set aside his 14-month jail sentence meted out by a magistrate’s court five years ago. The appellant was represented by Charan Singh.
The Parit magistrate’s court in May 2002 had found Abu Bedor guilty of molesting a young girl at his house in Kampung Bekong, Lambor Kiri in Bota on July 6, 1997.
The victim was then 18 years old. At the High Court yesterday, Ridwan said the charge of outraging the modesty of the girl brought against the appellant was doubtful.
"The prosecution’s case had various gaps such as failure to produce two material witnesses during the hearing. The chain of evidence was broken, which weakened the case against the appellant," he said, referring to the prosecution’s decision not to call the victim’s boyfriend and the investigating officer to take the stand.
Ridwan said the victim’s claims were also not corroborated by other witnesses and the girl had contradicted herself in her testimony.
2007 05: Rep: Don’t leave children alone at home
The Star online. News. North. Saturday May 19, 2007
PARENTS have been advised not to leave their children unattended to avoid any untoward incident.
Bagan Jermal assemblyman Ooi Chuan Aik said there were instances where parents left their children home alone or in the car with the engine running to attend to errands.
“In the event of any casualties, the children become victims of circumstances,” he said after visiting Ang Zheng Qi at a private hospital in Butterworth recently.
Zheng Qi, five, sustained injuries after falling from the fourth floor of a flat at Jalan Raja Uda on Tuesday.
She was searching for her mother after waking up from sleep and scaled the railings near the kitchen before falling down.
She landed on the awning located on the ground floor before bouncing onto the ground. She was home alone as the mother had gone out to fetch her sibling from school.
Ooi handed over a goody bag comprising food, drinks and toys to the girl to cheer her up.
PARENTS have been advised not to leave their children unattended to avoid any untoward incident.
Bagan Jermal assemblyman Ooi Chuan Aik said there were instances where parents left their children home alone or in the car with the engine running to attend to errands.
“In the event of any casualties, the children become victims of circumstances,” he said after visiting Ang Zheng Qi at a private hospital in Butterworth recently.
Zheng Qi, five, sustained injuries after falling from the fourth floor of a flat at Jalan Raja Uda on Tuesday.
She was searching for her mother after waking up from sleep and scaled the railings near the kitchen before falling down.
She landed on the awning located on the ground floor before bouncing onto the ground. She was home alone as the mother had gone out to fetch her sibling from school.
Ooi handed over a goody bag comprising food, drinks and toys to the girl to cheer her up.
2007 05: Why children run away
The Star online. News. Opinion. Saturday May 19, 2007
SOCIETY has to be more receptive to this problem of runaway children as the number of teen runaways has of late increased markedly and, notably, more girls than boys are involved.
Runaway children are not lost or abducted but are children who go missing voluntarily. They leave their home on their own accord thinking that they can lead a better life but little do they realise that they will end up worse of.
Many end up living in squalid conditions with some surviving through begging, stealing, drug dealing and prostitution.
Evidently, the country has yet to come to a stage where we see thousands disappearing from home as it happens in some poor and even rich countries. This, nonetheless, should not be considered a trivial matter.
Parents should be taken to task when dejected children leave their homes. Studies have shown that many teens flee their homes because of the home environment itself.
They suffer from pressure and stress at home and have a tendency to leave their homes impulsively. They may have been exposed to family conflict, poverty, physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Broken families – involving divorce, separation, new marriages –have also driven many teenagers to run away.
DR M.A. NAIR,
Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang.
SOCIETY has to be more receptive to this problem of runaway children as the number of teen runaways has of late increased markedly and, notably, more girls than boys are involved.
Runaway children are not lost or abducted but are children who go missing voluntarily. They leave their home on their own accord thinking that they can lead a better life but little do they realise that they will end up worse of.
Many end up living in squalid conditions with some surviving through begging, stealing, drug dealing and prostitution.
Evidently, the country has yet to come to a stage where we see thousands disappearing from home as it happens in some poor and even rich countries. This, nonetheless, should not be considered a trivial matter.
Parents should be taken to task when dejected children leave their homes. Studies have shown that many teens flee their homes because of the home environment itself.
They suffer from pressure and stress at home and have a tendency to leave their homes impulsively. They may have been exposed to family conflict, poverty, physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Broken families – involving divorce, separation, new marriages –have also driven many teenagers to run away.
DR M.A. NAIR,
Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang.
2007 05: Used-car dealer jailed 56 months for son’s death
The Star online. News. Courts. Saturday May 19, 2007
SHAH ALAM: A used-car dealer had a smile on his face when the High Court here sentenced him to 56 months in jail for causing the death of his one-year-old son.
Ng Sooi Chai, 41, clad in a dark blue shirt and dark coloured trousers, appeared calm after the sentence was passed.
He had pleaded guilty to an amended charge last week for culpable homicide not amounting to murder of Teo Yeo, the younger of his two children.
The offence carries the maximum sentence of 10 years' jail and a fine.
In delivering his judgment, Judicial Commissioner Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim said it was a tragic case and hoped Ng would repent.
Ng was first charged on May 13, 2005 in a magistrate’s court in Petaling Jaya with killing his son under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence.
In the statement of facts, Ng had slapped his son and pulled both his ears for urinating in the house.
He caned the boy two days later for similar reason.
Later, on May 1, 2005, Ng’s wife Chew Chean Wah saw him giving CPR to their son, who was lying unconscious on a bed, at 2.30pm.
They took their son to the University Malaya Medical Centre later where bruises on Teo Yeo's body and bleeding on his brain were discovered, and he was admitted to the paediatric ward.
Chew lodged a police report following the incident.
Teo Yeo died two days later. The post-mortem result showed the baby had a serious head injury due to impact with a blunt object or surface.
Ng admitted he had hit his son with his hand and a cane because his son always urinated and defecated in the house.
SHAH ALAM: A used-car dealer had a smile on his face when the High Court here sentenced him to 56 months in jail for causing the death of his one-year-old son.
Ng Sooi Chai, 41, clad in a dark blue shirt and dark coloured trousers, appeared calm after the sentence was passed.
He had pleaded guilty to an amended charge last week for culpable homicide not amounting to murder of Teo Yeo, the younger of his two children.
The offence carries the maximum sentence of 10 years' jail and a fine.
In delivering his judgment, Judicial Commissioner Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim said it was a tragic case and hoped Ng would repent.
Ng was first charged on May 13, 2005 in a magistrate’s court in Petaling Jaya with killing his son under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death sentence.
In the statement of facts, Ng had slapped his son and pulled both his ears for urinating in the house.
He caned the boy two days later for similar reason.
Later, on May 1, 2005, Ng’s wife Chew Chean Wah saw him giving CPR to their son, who was lying unconscious on a bed, at 2.30pm.
They took their son to the University Malaya Medical Centre later where bruises on Teo Yeo's body and bleeding on his brain were discovered, and he was admitted to the paediatric ward.
Chew lodged a police report following the incident.
Teo Yeo died two days later. The post-mortem result showed the baby had a serious head injury due to impact with a blunt object or surface.
Ng admitted he had hit his son with his hand and a cane because his son always urinated and defecated in the house.
2007 05: Driver who raped stepdaughters gets deterrent sentence
The Star online. News. Courts. Saturday May 19, 2007
By M. MAGESWARI
mages@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: Ninety years’ jail and 18 strokes of the rotan!
That was what a Sessions Court here meted out on a lorry driver who raped and forced his two underage stepdaughters to perform oral sex on him.
The man, however, will only serve 30 years because most of the jail terms for the multiple charges are to run concurrently from the date of arrest on April 30.
The girls, aged 14 and 15, had lodged police reports on that day when their mother discovered that the elder one was seven months’ pregnant following a hospital check-up.
On each of the four counts of committing incest, judge Anita Harun imposed a 15-year jail sentence on the 40-year-old man and three strokes of the rotan.
On each of the three counts of forcing the young girls to perform oral sex, the judge ordered the driver to serve 10 years and caned twice.
The man did not show any emotion when he heard the verdict yesterday.
He had committed the offences in his bedroom and the girls’ room at their home in Cheras sometime in the middle of 2005 to April this year.
The court was told that he had married the girls’ mother in 1997. He raped them when his wife, a security guard, went to work.
The man first raped the younger girl sometime in mid-2005, after pulling her into his bedroom and forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
He also threatened to beat her if she told her mother about it. He repeated the crimes on her in December last year.
In January last year, while the elder girl was reading a book, he rubbed her cheeks and then pulled her to his bed and raped her. Three months later, he forced her to perform oral sex on him.
On another occasion, while the girl was washing dishes in the kitchen, he asked her to have sex with him and sometime in April this year, he raped her again.
He warned “nanti siaplah engkau (I will finish you)” if she told anyone about the incident and the girl, fearing that he would also assault his wife as he had often done, did not relate the ordeal to her mother.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tetralina Ahmed Fawzi pressed for a deterrent sentence, saying that it was in the public interest and that the offences were serious.
She described the man’s actions as “heinous, sinful and disgraceful”.
Tetralina also asked the court to consider police statistics which showed a big increase in rape cases from 2000 (when 1,200 rape cases were reported) to 2005 (1,887 cases).
.............................................
Man gets 30 years, rotan for raping stepdaughters
NST online. Local News. 19/05/07
By : A. Hafiz Yatim
KUALA LUMPUR: For almost three years a lorry driver raped his two stepdaughters, aged 14 and 12, when his wife was at work.
He threatened them not to tell their mother and they obeyed for fear of being beaten. They were also afraid he would beat their mother.
He "disturbed" the children when they were reading or doing their homework and forced them to have sex with him.
His misdeed was only uncovered when the elder daughter complained of stomach pain. Her mother, a security guard, took her to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital last month and it was confirmed the girl was pregnant.
Both girls admitted that their stepfather had raped them.
Yesterday, the 40-year-old man admitted at the Sessions Court to four counts of incest, and three of forcing the girls to perform oral sex.
He was sentenced to 30 years’ jail and 18 strokes of the rotan.The man, from a low-cost flat in Jalan Peel, Cheras, was charged with:
• raping the 12-year-old victim about 10pm at their house in the middle of 2005;
• raping the same girl between 9pm and 9.30pm at the same place some time in December last year;
• forcing the same victim to perform oral sex on him some time in the middle of 2005;
• forcing the same girl to perform oral sex on him some time in December last year;
• raping the 14-year-old girl about 8.30pm some time in January last year;
• raping her when she was 15 about 3.30pm in April this year; and,
• forcing her to perform oral sex on him some time in January last year.
In mitigation, he appealed for the sentences to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on April 30.
Deputy public prosecutor Tetralina Ahmed Fauzi said his mitigation showed that he was not remorseful.
"He did not do this on one occasion but on many occasions and he threatened them," she said.
"His animal-like actions are not justifiable as it left his daughters traumatised and psychologically and emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives. They along with the unborn child will have a bleak future." Tetralina submitted that rape cases had been on the rise as in 2000 there were a total of 1,210 cases reported to the police and this had increased annually. In 2005 it spiralled to 1,887 cases.
"Incest is a heinous crime in any society and the punishment meted out should reflect this," she said, adding that the punishment should be given consecutively as they spanned a three-year period.
Judge Datin Anita Haron sentenced the man to 15 years’ jail and three strokes of the rotan for each rape charge and 10 years’ jail and two strokes for each of the oral sex charges. She ordered that the sentences pertaining to each victim be served concurrently. However, the sentences for offences against the two girls are consecutive.
"It would be very unfair to give you a concurrent sentence (for all the offences) as it involves two victims," she said.
By M. MAGESWARI
mages@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: Ninety years’ jail and 18 strokes of the rotan!
That was what a Sessions Court here meted out on a lorry driver who raped and forced his two underage stepdaughters to perform oral sex on him.
The man, however, will only serve 30 years because most of the jail terms for the multiple charges are to run concurrently from the date of arrest on April 30.
The girls, aged 14 and 15, had lodged police reports on that day when their mother discovered that the elder one was seven months’ pregnant following a hospital check-up.
On each of the four counts of committing incest, judge Anita Harun imposed a 15-year jail sentence on the 40-year-old man and three strokes of the rotan.
On each of the three counts of forcing the young girls to perform oral sex, the judge ordered the driver to serve 10 years and caned twice.
The man did not show any emotion when he heard the verdict yesterday.
He had committed the offences in his bedroom and the girls’ room at their home in Cheras sometime in the middle of 2005 to April this year.
The court was told that he had married the girls’ mother in 1997. He raped them when his wife, a security guard, went to work.
The man first raped the younger girl sometime in mid-2005, after pulling her into his bedroom and forcing her to perform oral sex on him.
He also threatened to beat her if she told her mother about it. He repeated the crimes on her in December last year.
In January last year, while the elder girl was reading a book, he rubbed her cheeks and then pulled her to his bed and raped her. Three months later, he forced her to perform oral sex on him.
On another occasion, while the girl was washing dishes in the kitchen, he asked her to have sex with him and sometime in April this year, he raped her again.
He warned “nanti siaplah engkau (I will finish you)” if she told anyone about the incident and the girl, fearing that he would also assault his wife as he had often done, did not relate the ordeal to her mother.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tetralina Ahmed Fawzi pressed for a deterrent sentence, saying that it was in the public interest and that the offences were serious.
She described the man’s actions as “heinous, sinful and disgraceful”.
Tetralina also asked the court to consider police statistics which showed a big increase in rape cases from 2000 (when 1,200 rape cases were reported) to 2005 (1,887 cases).
.............................................
Man gets 30 years, rotan for raping stepdaughters
NST online. Local News. 19/05/07
By : A. Hafiz Yatim
KUALA LUMPUR: For almost three years a lorry driver raped his two stepdaughters, aged 14 and 12, when his wife was at work.
He threatened them not to tell their mother and they obeyed for fear of being beaten. They were also afraid he would beat their mother.
He "disturbed" the children when they were reading or doing their homework and forced them to have sex with him.
His misdeed was only uncovered when the elder daughter complained of stomach pain. Her mother, a security guard, took her to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital last month and it was confirmed the girl was pregnant.
Both girls admitted that their stepfather had raped them.
Yesterday, the 40-year-old man admitted at the Sessions Court to four counts of incest, and three of forcing the girls to perform oral sex.
He was sentenced to 30 years’ jail and 18 strokes of the rotan.The man, from a low-cost flat in Jalan Peel, Cheras, was charged with:
• raping the 12-year-old victim about 10pm at their house in the middle of 2005;
• raping the same girl between 9pm and 9.30pm at the same place some time in December last year;
• forcing the same victim to perform oral sex on him some time in the middle of 2005;
• forcing the same girl to perform oral sex on him some time in December last year;
• raping the 14-year-old girl about 8.30pm some time in January last year;
• raping her when she was 15 about 3.30pm in April this year; and,
• forcing her to perform oral sex on him some time in January last year.
In mitigation, he appealed for the sentences to run concurrently from the date of his arrest on April 30.
Deputy public prosecutor Tetralina Ahmed Fauzi said his mitigation showed that he was not remorseful.
"He did not do this on one occasion but on many occasions and he threatened them," she said.
"His animal-like actions are not justifiable as it left his daughters traumatised and psychologically and emotionally scarred for the rest of their lives. They along with the unborn child will have a bleak future." Tetralina submitted that rape cases had been on the rise as in 2000 there were a total of 1,210 cases reported to the police and this had increased annually. In 2005 it spiralled to 1,887 cases.
"Incest is a heinous crime in any society and the punishment meted out should reflect this," she said, adding that the punishment should be given consecutively as they spanned a three-year period.
Judge Datin Anita Haron sentenced the man to 15 years’ jail and three strokes of the rotan for each rape charge and 10 years’ jail and two strokes for each of the oral sex charges. She ordered that the sentences pertaining to each victim be served concurrently. However, the sentences for offences against the two girls are consecutive.
"It would be very unfair to give you a concurrent sentence (for all the offences) as it involves two victims," she said.
2007 05: Seven youths held over murder of mechanic
The Star online. News. Nation. Saturday May 19, 2007
KOTA BARU: Police have detained seven youths in connection with the murder of mechanic Mohd Romzi Ibrahim who had earlier tried to protect his younger brother from a group of school bullies.
At least 30 bullies had “stormed” the family’s hawker stall near their home in Jalan Kebun Sultan on Thursday evening, armed with hockey sticks, parang and iron rods, looking for Mohd Ramsafain, 16, a Form Four student of a school here.
They began hitting Romzi, 24, his father Ibrahim Harun and threatened his mother Rohana Seman.
“They hit Romzi repeatedly without mercy,” Rohana told reporters at HUSM where she had gone claim her son’s body.
Ramsafain said Romzi had gone to his school after a group of students tried to extort RM20 from him.
“I called my brother on my handphone and he came and chased them away with a stick,” he said.
He thought nothing of the incident and was having tea with the family at their stall when the group of bullies sprang on them.
Ramsafain said his father and brother were beaten unconscious by the group “who overpowered us”.
He claimed that bullying was rampant in the school.
State CID chief Asst Comm Mazlan Lazim urged victims to use the Rakan COP channel to overcome bullying incidents instead of handling them themselves.
He urged those with information on Romzi’s murder to call the police at 09-7455622 or SMS Rakan COP at 32728.
KOTA BARU: Police have detained seven youths in connection with the murder of mechanic Mohd Romzi Ibrahim who had earlier tried to protect his younger brother from a group of school bullies.
At least 30 bullies had “stormed” the family’s hawker stall near their home in Jalan Kebun Sultan on Thursday evening, armed with hockey sticks, parang and iron rods, looking for Mohd Ramsafain, 16, a Form Four student of a school here.
They began hitting Romzi, 24, his father Ibrahim Harun and threatened his mother Rohana Seman.
“They hit Romzi repeatedly without mercy,” Rohana told reporters at HUSM where she had gone claim her son’s body.
Ramsafain said Romzi had gone to his school after a group of students tried to extort RM20 from him.
“I called my brother on my handphone and he came and chased them away with a stick,” he said.
He thought nothing of the incident and was having tea with the family at their stall when the group of bullies sprang on them.
Ramsafain said his father and brother were beaten unconscious by the group “who overpowered us”.
He claimed that bullying was rampant in the school.
State CID chief Asst Comm Mazlan Lazim urged victims to use the Rakan COP channel to overcome bullying incidents instead of handling them themselves.
He urged those with information on Romzi’s murder to call the police at 09-7455622 or SMS Rakan COP at 32728.
Friday 18 May 2007
2007 05: ‘Teacher assaulted me for talking in class’
NST online. Local News. 18/05/07
PENDANG: A Form Three student claims he was assaulted by a teacher yesterday.
The 15-year-old said the teacher punched him in the face and kicked him in the buttocks in the incident about 9.30am. He said the teacher locked him in an office for several hours until 12.30pm.
"About 30 students witnessed the assault in the classroom," he said outside the Alor Star Hospital, where he received outpatient treatment for bruises and a sore left eye.
The boy said the teacher lost his temper when he caught him talking to a classmate."I know he is very strict and serious in class, but I didn’t expect him to beat me up for talking to a girl." He said after the teacher punched him, he was taken to an unoccupied office and given some ice cubes to reduce the swelling in his left eye.
"He also locked the room so that nobody could see what I was doing inside," he said.
The boy’s mother, from Kampung Wat in Padang Pusing, said the teacher overreacted.
"He may have committed an offence by talking to another student during class, but the punishment was unjustified. "How can a teacher assault a student for such a minor offence?"
The 45-year-old housewife has lodged a police report.
PENDANG: A Form Three student claims he was assaulted by a teacher yesterday.
The 15-year-old said the teacher punched him in the face and kicked him in the buttocks in the incident about 9.30am. He said the teacher locked him in an office for several hours until 12.30pm.
"About 30 students witnessed the assault in the classroom," he said outside the Alor Star Hospital, where he received outpatient treatment for bruises and a sore left eye.
The boy said the teacher lost his temper when he caught him talking to a classmate."I know he is very strict and serious in class, but I didn’t expect him to beat me up for talking to a girl." He said after the teacher punched him, he was taken to an unoccupied office and given some ice cubes to reduce the swelling in his left eye.
"He also locked the room so that nobody could see what I was doing inside," he said.
The boy’s mother, from Kampung Wat in Padang Pusing, said the teacher overreacted.
"He may have committed an offence by talking to another student during class, but the punishment was unjustified. "How can a teacher assault a student for such a minor offence?"
The 45-year-old housewife has lodged a police report.
2007 05: Attempted suicide girl freed on probation
NST online. Local News. 18/05/07
JOHOR BARU: The High Court gave a 16-year-old girl, initially charged jointly with her father with murdering her three step-siblings, a new lease on life by releasing her on probation yesterday.
Judge Datuk Jeffrey Tan sentenced the girl to three years’ probation and to be placed in the care of her maternal uncle in Klang, Selangor, under the Child Act after she pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted suicide.
Deputy public prosecutor Shahrizal Shaari had earlier successfully applied to the court to amend the charge against the girl.
The girl was originally charged with her security guard father with murdering the three children aged 6, 5 and 3, at their home in Kulai between 10.30am and 3.30pm on Nov 20, 2004.
The girl who had spent nine months at the Kajang women’s prison after being arrested on Nov 20, 2004, and before her release on RM5,000 bail on Aug 1, 2005, appeared sad throughout the sentencing. In passing sentence, Tan told her: "Considering the fact that you were in remand while you were not even 14 years of age, you would have undergone a terrible experience.
"However, in general, the law says there is criminal liability after the age of 10 years as at that age one should naturally know what is right or wrong, at least about simple things in life.
"The court, therefore, is committed to sentence you to a three-year probation and to reside at your uncle’s house.
"Tan told the girl’s uncle to look after her with care as she needed emotional support.
The facts of the case stated that the girl was in a room at a house at Taman Muhibbah in Kulai with her father and three step-siblings at the time of the incident.
The girl had attempted suicide using a dhoti tied to the ceiling which she had tied around her neck while standing on a chair. She was rescued by a neighbour.
Shahrizal said he could not adduce further facts as it might be prejudicial to the girl’s father whose trial was still ongoing. In mitigation, the girl’s counsel, S. Gunapati, pleaded for a lenient sentence as his client was a young child living in an unhappy home situation and was depressed at the time of the incident.
"Her mother had died when she was seven and her father remarried. She had been living under the care of her stepmother and her four children.
"The family had just moved to Johor Baru a month before the incident and the stepmother was not at home due to some reason at the time of the incident."
Counsel K.S. Segaran and Bernard George are handling the father’s case which was postponed to June 19.
JOHOR BARU: The High Court gave a 16-year-old girl, initially charged jointly with her father with murdering her three step-siblings, a new lease on life by releasing her on probation yesterday.
Judge Datuk Jeffrey Tan sentenced the girl to three years’ probation and to be placed in the care of her maternal uncle in Klang, Selangor, under the Child Act after she pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted suicide.
Deputy public prosecutor Shahrizal Shaari had earlier successfully applied to the court to amend the charge against the girl.
The girl was originally charged with her security guard father with murdering the three children aged 6, 5 and 3, at their home in Kulai between 10.30am and 3.30pm on Nov 20, 2004.
The girl who had spent nine months at the Kajang women’s prison after being arrested on Nov 20, 2004, and before her release on RM5,000 bail on Aug 1, 2005, appeared sad throughout the sentencing. In passing sentence, Tan told her: "Considering the fact that you were in remand while you were not even 14 years of age, you would have undergone a terrible experience.
"However, in general, the law says there is criminal liability after the age of 10 years as at that age one should naturally know what is right or wrong, at least about simple things in life.
"The court, therefore, is committed to sentence you to a three-year probation and to reside at your uncle’s house.
"Tan told the girl’s uncle to look after her with care as she needed emotional support.
The facts of the case stated that the girl was in a room at a house at Taman Muhibbah in Kulai with her father and three step-siblings at the time of the incident.
The girl had attempted suicide using a dhoti tied to the ceiling which she had tied around her neck while standing on a chair. She was rescued by a neighbour.
Shahrizal said he could not adduce further facts as it might be prejudicial to the girl’s father whose trial was still ongoing. In mitigation, the girl’s counsel, S. Gunapati, pleaded for a lenient sentence as his client was a young child living in an unhappy home situation and was depressed at the time of the incident.
"Her mother had died when she was seven and her father remarried. She had been living under the care of her stepmother and her four children.
"The family had just moved to Johor Baru a month before the incident and the stepmother was not at home due to some reason at the time of the incident."
Counsel K.S. Segaran and Bernard George are handling the father’s case which was postponed to June 19.
2007 05: Man accused of indecent act
The Star online. News. Courts. Friday May 18, 2007
ALOR STAR: A site supervisor was charged in the Sessions Court here with committing an act of gross indecency on his stepdaughter over a period of six months since November last year.
The man, 51, pleaded not guilty to committing the alleged offence at the family home in Jitra last November. The girl was 11 years old then.
He also allegedly took photographs of the girl in her bedroom and caressed her.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Murtazadi Amran said the prosecution was not offering any bail because the victim was living with him.
The accused, when appealing for bail, said he had another house where he could stay.
Judge Norsyaridah Awang denied bail on the ground that the man faced five charges involving the same victim. She fixed June 25 for hearing.
ALOR STAR: A site supervisor was charged in the Sessions Court here with committing an act of gross indecency on his stepdaughter over a period of six months since November last year.
The man, 51, pleaded not guilty to committing the alleged offence at the family home in Jitra last November. The girl was 11 years old then.
He also allegedly took photographs of the girl in her bedroom and caressed her.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Murtazadi Amran said the prosecution was not offering any bail because the victim was living with him.
The accused, when appealing for bail, said he had another house where he could stay.
Judge Norsyaridah Awang denied bail on the ground that the man faced five charges involving the same victim. She fixed June 25 for hearing.
2007 05: Hawker denies raping teen sis-in-law
The Star online. News. Courts. Friday May 18, 2007
MUAR: A food stall operator was charged in the Sessions Court here with raping his underage sister-in-law at his stall in Kampung Bukit Treh near here.
The 37-year-old man yesterday pleaded not guilty to raping the girl on April 8 and 19.
He was accused of committing the first rape on the girl, then aged 14 years and 11 months, between 2.30am and 3am on April 8. The second offence, which also took place at the stall, was committed at about 8pm on April 19.
Judge Mohamad Haldar Abdul Aziz fixed June 21 for the case to be mentioned and set bail at RM16,000.
MUAR: A food stall operator was charged in the Sessions Court here with raping his underage sister-in-law at his stall in Kampung Bukit Treh near here.
The 37-year-old man yesterday pleaded not guilty to raping the girl on April 8 and 19.
He was accused of committing the first rape on the girl, then aged 14 years and 11 months, between 2.30am and 3am on April 8. The second offence, which also took place at the stall, was committed at about 8pm on April 19.
Judge Mohamad Haldar Abdul Aziz fixed June 21 for the case to be mentioned and set bail at RM16,000.
2007 05: Auxiliary cop guilty of rape 10 years’ jail and rotan for him
The Star online. News. Courts. Friday May 18, 2007
KUALA LUMPUR: As an auxiliary policeman, he had sworn to serve and protect.
Instead, he took advantage of a schoolgirl and raped her.
Mohd Kamar Mohamed Saidin, a 27-year-old from Perak, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape yesterday.
He committed the offences on July 15 last year some time between 11am and 1pm, and around 3pm, and the next day at around 7am at a hotel room in Petaling Street here.
His victim, a 16-year-old girl from Klang whom he had befriended over the telephone just a week before the crime, was so traumatised by the incident that she did not want to go to school anymore.
Judge Datin Anita Harun sentenced Mohd Kamar to 10 years' jail and two strokes of the rotan for each of the three rape charges.
She ordered the sentences to run concurrently from his date of arrest on July 18 last year, which means he will spend another nine years in jail and given six strokes of the cane.
The Sessions Court was told how Mohd Kamar had arranged to meet with the girl at a police beat base in Klang on July 15 last year after getting her phone number from a friend.
After taking a bus to Kuala Lumpur, the accused checked into a hotel room together with the then 15-year-old girl at about 11am.
Once inside the room, Mohd Kamar forced the girl to remove her tudung and pants but she refused.
He then forcibly removed her clothes and raped her.
He raped her again later around 3pm.
At about 7am the next day, he raped her for a third time before asking her to take a bus home to Klang.
Upon arriving home, the girl related her ordeal to her mother.
A police report was also lodged.
In mitigation, Mohd Kamar asked for a lenient sentence, saying that he regretted his actions and promised that he would never repeat them again.
He also told the court that as the eldest son in his family he also had a responsibility to care for his ageing parents.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tetralina Ahmed Fauzi told the court the case in question was statutory rape.
DPP Tetralina also pointed out that Mohd Kamar had taken advantage of the victim's naivety and immaturity.
“The victim refused to go to school after the incident,” she said.
KUALA LUMPUR: As an auxiliary policeman, he had sworn to serve and protect.
Instead, he took advantage of a schoolgirl and raped her.
Mohd Kamar Mohamed Saidin, a 27-year-old from Perak, pleaded guilty to three counts of rape yesterday.
He committed the offences on July 15 last year some time between 11am and 1pm, and around 3pm, and the next day at around 7am at a hotel room in Petaling Street here.
His victim, a 16-year-old girl from Klang whom he had befriended over the telephone just a week before the crime, was so traumatised by the incident that she did not want to go to school anymore.
Judge Datin Anita Harun sentenced Mohd Kamar to 10 years' jail and two strokes of the rotan for each of the three rape charges.
She ordered the sentences to run concurrently from his date of arrest on July 18 last year, which means he will spend another nine years in jail and given six strokes of the cane.
The Sessions Court was told how Mohd Kamar had arranged to meet with the girl at a police beat base in Klang on July 15 last year after getting her phone number from a friend.
After taking a bus to Kuala Lumpur, the accused checked into a hotel room together with the then 15-year-old girl at about 11am.
Once inside the room, Mohd Kamar forced the girl to remove her tudung and pants but she refused.
He then forcibly removed her clothes and raped her.
He raped her again later around 3pm.
At about 7am the next day, he raped her for a third time before asking her to take a bus home to Klang.
Upon arriving home, the girl related her ordeal to her mother.
A police report was also lodged.
In mitigation, Mohd Kamar asked for a lenient sentence, saying that he regretted his actions and promised that he would never repeat them again.
He also told the court that as the eldest son in his family he also had a responsibility to care for his ageing parents.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Tetralina Ahmed Fauzi told the court the case in question was statutory rape.
DPP Tetralina also pointed out that Mohd Kamar had taken advantage of the victim's naivety and immaturity.
“The victim refused to go to school after the incident,” she said.
Wednesday 16 May 2007
2007 05: Ibu rayu anak pulang
Berita Harian online. Edisi Timur. 15/05/07
TERENGGANU: Seorang pelajar Tingkatan Tiga Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Ahmad, di sini, Ilyasak Arifin, 15, tidak pulang sejak keluar daripada rumah 21 hari lalu.
Ibunya, Zamani Salleh, 54, berkata, Ilyasak keluar dari rumah dengan menunggang basikal kira-kira jam 3 petang dan beliau menyangka anaknya pergi ke rumah rakan.
"Saya hanya membuat laporan polis pada hari kelima dia tidak balik ke rumah kerana menyangka dia kelima daripada enam beradik bermalam di rumah rakan.
"Kami sekeluarga sudah mencari di semua rumah rakan Ilyasak serta rumah saudara dan sehingga kini belum berhasil," katanya ketika ditemui, semalam.
Orang ramai yang mengetahui di mana Ilyasak berada diminta menghubungi Zamani di talian 012-9224050 atau balai polis berhampiran.
TERENGGANU: Seorang pelajar Tingkatan Tiga Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Ahmad, di sini, Ilyasak Arifin, 15, tidak pulang sejak keluar daripada rumah 21 hari lalu.
Ibunya, Zamani Salleh, 54, berkata, Ilyasak keluar dari rumah dengan menunggang basikal kira-kira jam 3 petang dan beliau menyangka anaknya pergi ke rumah rakan.
"Saya hanya membuat laporan polis pada hari kelima dia tidak balik ke rumah kerana menyangka dia kelima daripada enam beradik bermalam di rumah rakan.
"Kami sekeluarga sudah mencari di semua rumah rakan Ilyasak serta rumah saudara dan sehingga kini belum berhasil," katanya ketika ditemui, semalam.
Orang ramai yang mengetahui di mana Ilyasak berada diminta menghubungi Zamani di talian 012-9224050 atau balai polis berhampiran.
2007 05: Antara dera, ego dan doa isteri
Berita Harian online. Citra. 15/05/07
Sesetengah wanita sanggup dipukul suami kerana tak mahu jadi janda, anak tiada bapa jika berlaku penceraian rumah tangga
MENDENGAR kisah ibu tunggal, Suriati, 32 (bukan nama sebenar), meruntuh jiwa sesiapa saja yang mendengarnya. Muda dan cantik, siapa sangka ibu kepada enam anak berusia antara setahun dan 13 tahun itu pernah merelakan dirinya ‘menahan’ daripada dimalukan, disumpah seranah depan orang ramai dan dibelasah dengan apa saja yang tercapai dek tangan bekas suami bertopeng haiwan itu selama 11 tahun!
Kata hatinya, usah melawan, sebaik mungkin tahan sakit badan dan jiwa raga dibelasah asalkan rumah tangga yang dibina tidak musnah di tengah jalan, lantaran perangai suami yang panas baran dan mudah naik tangan
Sudah acap kali, suaminya tanpa usul periksa akan membelasahnya walaupun di depan anak, hatta ketika sarat mengandung.
“Sebagai seorang isteri, perlindungan dan kasih sayang itu paling utama. Saya selalu memujuk diri supaya jangan sampai bercerai berai, sebaliknya biarkan badan berselirat kesan dibelasah, asalkan saya tidak bergelar janda dan anak tidak ada ayah.
“Tetapi lama kelamaan saya terfikir, sampai bilakah anak sentiasa hidup dalam ketakutan dan saya pula membiarkan diri dipukul dengan teruk walaupun di depan mereka? Saya juga punyai maruah dan tidak seharusnya saya diperlakukan sedemikian,” katanya ketika ditemui sempena majlis anjuran Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita, baru-baru ini .
Tindakan beliau melarikan diri daripada suami dilakukan selepas berfikir panjang termasuk mendapatkan nasihat daripada ahli agama. Lebih-lebih lagi selepas memikirkan bukanlah suasana yang sihat apabila anak melihat ibunya didera. Sehubungan itu, katanya, selepas mendapat nasihat daripada ibu mentua dan keluarga, mereka menyerahkan kepada saya untuk mengambil tindakan. “Selepas mendapat perintah mahkamah dan saya akhirnya bercerai, walaupun hakikatnya suami tidak mengetahui status perkahwinan ini. Trauma itu masih berbekas di hati. Walaupun sudah dua tahun berlalu, saya diibaratkan hidup dalam pelarian. Takut sekiranya suami mencari. “Saya tidak sanggup lagi dijadikan bahan pelepas geramnya. Bila dia bergaduh dengan teman wanitanya, saya dan anak menjadi mangsanya. Perkara yang memberatkan saya untuk lari ialah bila mana ketika usia kandungan tujuh bulan, suami memukul saya dengan kayu belati hingga dimasukkan ke hospital.
“Dalam tempoh berkenaan anak dijaga suami dan teman wanitanya tinggal di rumah saya dan bertindak memarahi dan menyuruh anak saya melakukan kerja rumah seperti memasak, membasuh dan ketika tempoh berkenaan mereka langsung tidak dibenarkan bersekolah,” katanya.
Jauh di sudut hatinya peluang yang diberikan supaya suaminya berubah bagaikan menabur air di atas daun keladi. Tiada lagi kasih yang pasti tekadnya hari ini untuk membina kehidupan yang lebih baik bersama cahaya mata yang menjadi teras kepada kekuatannya hidupnya kini.
“Memang sukar bergelar ibu tunggal. Stigma masyarakat bahawa wanita sebegini sanggup merampas suami orang, tidak tahu menjaga suami hingga diceraikan dan tidak keterlaluan sekiranya ada yang mengata, ‘patutlah menjanda sebab perangai begitu dan begini’.
“Sebagai contoh, saya pernah bekerja di sebuah pusat beli-belah dan mungkin silap saya mengatakan diri ibu tunggal, suatu hari ketika sedang membasuh cawan di sinki, seorang lelaki datang dari arah belakang dengan cukup rapat dan saya yang terkejut menyebabkan air yang dipegang lelaki itu jatuh ke lengan saya dan parut melecur itu masih ada hingga ke hari ini,” katanya. Kini Suriati lebih rela menyembunyikan identiti diri dengan mengaku berstatus isteri. Bagi mengaburi mata rakan lain, beliau katakan suami jarang berada di rumah kerana sibuk dengan tugasan harian. Hati senang dan telinga tidak sakit kerana beliau tahu majikannya (seorang wanita) juga lebih senang menerima pekerja berstatus isteri berbanding ibu tunggal.
“Dengan cara ini, hatinya tidak risau saya ‘mengambil suaminya’ kelak dan kalau ada sebarang kecurian, tidaklah dia sewenang-wenang menuduh hanya kerana saya ibu tunggal yang tidak cukup duit menampung belanja sekolah dan susu anak,” katanya yang menyatakan kisah berkenaan adalah titik paling hitam dalam hidupnya. Satu persoalan kepada si kaki pukul, kenapa bertindak sedemikian, kalau sayang kenapa ditangankan dan kalau silap ucapan maaf dan dikurung dalam rumah sepanjang belasan tahun itu tidak berbaloikah?
WAO bantu wanita mangsa dera
PEKERJA Sosial Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita (WAO), Saralah Mahendran (gambar) berkata, penderaan terhadap wanita boleh disifatkan sebagai sebahagian kecil daripada masalah lebih besar kerana bukan semua kes penderaan itu di bawa ketengah. Malah, ada wanita yang sanggup mendiamkan perkara berkenaan demi maruah suami dan sayang kepada anak.
Katanya, pertubuhan yang kini berusia 25 tahun itu bertindak sebagai pertubuhan sosial bagi membantu mangsa penderaan suami atau teman lelaki, tidak kira membabitkan warga tempatan mahupun luar. Tujuan utama pertubuhan itu adalah untuk memberi perlindungan kepada mangsa dera dan bagi membantu mereka mendapatkan kembali keyakinan diri untuk menempuhi kehidupan mendatang.
Selain itu, mangsa dera yang berada di bawah kawalan pertubuhan itu akan diberi tempat perlindungan sementara. Sepanjang berada di tempat perlindungan ini, mangsa akan terbabit dalam sesi kaunseling yang mana akan dikendalikan oleh pekerja pertubuhan berkenaan.
“Kami tidak menyediakan rumah perlindungan tetap, sebaliknya selepas tamat sesi kaunseling di tempat perlindungan itu, mangsa masih boleh menetap di situ sementara mencari tempat tinggal yang lain. Pertubuhan ini adalah antara usaha yang dilakukan untuk membantu mangsa dera menempuhi kehidupan yang berbeza daripada sebelumnya.
“Bagaimanapun, jangan ingat mangsa dera daripada golongan tidak berkemampuan saja, sebaliknya ramai juga dikalangan yang berada turut mendera isteri dan di sinilah mereka menumpang kasih. “Berdasarkan pengalaman saya, walaupun selalunya penderaan ini mendorong kepada perceraian, anda perlu tahu bahawa ramai di kalangan mereka kini yang semakin berjaya dengan kerjaya dan perniagaan selepas bangkit daripada pengalaman hitam itu,” katanya pada Sambutan Hari Ibu anjuran Hotel Renaissance di Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini. Pada majlis berkenaan kira-kira 30 wanita mangsa dera hadir bersama anak mereka.
Beliau berkata, bukan mudah membawa wanita berkenaan pada majlis seperti itu kerana masih ada yang enggan kerana bimbang terserempak dengan suami, malah wartawan berulang kali dinasihatkan tidak digalakkan bertanya pengalaman lepas kerana ia hanya akan menambah luka pada parut yang sudah lama berbekas di hati mereka.
Untuk maklumat lanjut mengenai pertubuhan ini boleh hubungi talian 03-7956 3488 atau faks 03-79586287 atau e-mail saralah@wao.org.my/wao@po.jaring.my.
Sesetengah wanita sanggup dipukul suami kerana tak mahu jadi janda, anak tiada bapa jika berlaku penceraian rumah tangga
MENDENGAR kisah ibu tunggal, Suriati, 32 (bukan nama sebenar), meruntuh jiwa sesiapa saja yang mendengarnya. Muda dan cantik, siapa sangka ibu kepada enam anak berusia antara setahun dan 13 tahun itu pernah merelakan dirinya ‘menahan’ daripada dimalukan, disumpah seranah depan orang ramai dan dibelasah dengan apa saja yang tercapai dek tangan bekas suami bertopeng haiwan itu selama 11 tahun!
Kata hatinya, usah melawan, sebaik mungkin tahan sakit badan dan jiwa raga dibelasah asalkan rumah tangga yang dibina tidak musnah di tengah jalan, lantaran perangai suami yang panas baran dan mudah naik tangan
Sudah acap kali, suaminya tanpa usul periksa akan membelasahnya walaupun di depan anak, hatta ketika sarat mengandung.
“Sebagai seorang isteri, perlindungan dan kasih sayang itu paling utama. Saya selalu memujuk diri supaya jangan sampai bercerai berai, sebaliknya biarkan badan berselirat kesan dibelasah, asalkan saya tidak bergelar janda dan anak tidak ada ayah.
“Tetapi lama kelamaan saya terfikir, sampai bilakah anak sentiasa hidup dalam ketakutan dan saya pula membiarkan diri dipukul dengan teruk walaupun di depan mereka? Saya juga punyai maruah dan tidak seharusnya saya diperlakukan sedemikian,” katanya ketika ditemui sempena majlis anjuran Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita, baru-baru ini .
Tindakan beliau melarikan diri daripada suami dilakukan selepas berfikir panjang termasuk mendapatkan nasihat daripada ahli agama. Lebih-lebih lagi selepas memikirkan bukanlah suasana yang sihat apabila anak melihat ibunya didera. Sehubungan itu, katanya, selepas mendapat nasihat daripada ibu mentua dan keluarga, mereka menyerahkan kepada saya untuk mengambil tindakan. “Selepas mendapat perintah mahkamah dan saya akhirnya bercerai, walaupun hakikatnya suami tidak mengetahui status perkahwinan ini. Trauma itu masih berbekas di hati. Walaupun sudah dua tahun berlalu, saya diibaratkan hidup dalam pelarian. Takut sekiranya suami mencari. “Saya tidak sanggup lagi dijadikan bahan pelepas geramnya. Bila dia bergaduh dengan teman wanitanya, saya dan anak menjadi mangsanya. Perkara yang memberatkan saya untuk lari ialah bila mana ketika usia kandungan tujuh bulan, suami memukul saya dengan kayu belati hingga dimasukkan ke hospital.
“Dalam tempoh berkenaan anak dijaga suami dan teman wanitanya tinggal di rumah saya dan bertindak memarahi dan menyuruh anak saya melakukan kerja rumah seperti memasak, membasuh dan ketika tempoh berkenaan mereka langsung tidak dibenarkan bersekolah,” katanya.
Jauh di sudut hatinya peluang yang diberikan supaya suaminya berubah bagaikan menabur air di atas daun keladi. Tiada lagi kasih yang pasti tekadnya hari ini untuk membina kehidupan yang lebih baik bersama cahaya mata yang menjadi teras kepada kekuatannya hidupnya kini.
“Memang sukar bergelar ibu tunggal. Stigma masyarakat bahawa wanita sebegini sanggup merampas suami orang, tidak tahu menjaga suami hingga diceraikan dan tidak keterlaluan sekiranya ada yang mengata, ‘patutlah menjanda sebab perangai begitu dan begini’.
“Sebagai contoh, saya pernah bekerja di sebuah pusat beli-belah dan mungkin silap saya mengatakan diri ibu tunggal, suatu hari ketika sedang membasuh cawan di sinki, seorang lelaki datang dari arah belakang dengan cukup rapat dan saya yang terkejut menyebabkan air yang dipegang lelaki itu jatuh ke lengan saya dan parut melecur itu masih ada hingga ke hari ini,” katanya. Kini Suriati lebih rela menyembunyikan identiti diri dengan mengaku berstatus isteri. Bagi mengaburi mata rakan lain, beliau katakan suami jarang berada di rumah kerana sibuk dengan tugasan harian. Hati senang dan telinga tidak sakit kerana beliau tahu majikannya (seorang wanita) juga lebih senang menerima pekerja berstatus isteri berbanding ibu tunggal.
“Dengan cara ini, hatinya tidak risau saya ‘mengambil suaminya’ kelak dan kalau ada sebarang kecurian, tidaklah dia sewenang-wenang menuduh hanya kerana saya ibu tunggal yang tidak cukup duit menampung belanja sekolah dan susu anak,” katanya yang menyatakan kisah berkenaan adalah titik paling hitam dalam hidupnya. Satu persoalan kepada si kaki pukul, kenapa bertindak sedemikian, kalau sayang kenapa ditangankan dan kalau silap ucapan maaf dan dikurung dalam rumah sepanjang belasan tahun itu tidak berbaloikah?
WAO bantu wanita mangsa dera
PEKERJA Sosial Pertubuhan Pertolongan Wanita (WAO), Saralah Mahendran (gambar) berkata, penderaan terhadap wanita boleh disifatkan sebagai sebahagian kecil daripada masalah lebih besar kerana bukan semua kes penderaan itu di bawa ketengah. Malah, ada wanita yang sanggup mendiamkan perkara berkenaan demi maruah suami dan sayang kepada anak.
Katanya, pertubuhan yang kini berusia 25 tahun itu bertindak sebagai pertubuhan sosial bagi membantu mangsa penderaan suami atau teman lelaki, tidak kira membabitkan warga tempatan mahupun luar. Tujuan utama pertubuhan itu adalah untuk memberi perlindungan kepada mangsa dera dan bagi membantu mereka mendapatkan kembali keyakinan diri untuk menempuhi kehidupan mendatang.
Selain itu, mangsa dera yang berada di bawah kawalan pertubuhan itu akan diberi tempat perlindungan sementara. Sepanjang berada di tempat perlindungan ini, mangsa akan terbabit dalam sesi kaunseling yang mana akan dikendalikan oleh pekerja pertubuhan berkenaan.
“Kami tidak menyediakan rumah perlindungan tetap, sebaliknya selepas tamat sesi kaunseling di tempat perlindungan itu, mangsa masih boleh menetap di situ sementara mencari tempat tinggal yang lain. Pertubuhan ini adalah antara usaha yang dilakukan untuk membantu mangsa dera menempuhi kehidupan yang berbeza daripada sebelumnya.
“Bagaimanapun, jangan ingat mangsa dera daripada golongan tidak berkemampuan saja, sebaliknya ramai juga dikalangan yang berada turut mendera isteri dan di sinilah mereka menumpang kasih. “Berdasarkan pengalaman saya, walaupun selalunya penderaan ini mendorong kepada perceraian, anda perlu tahu bahawa ramai di kalangan mereka kini yang semakin berjaya dengan kerjaya dan perniagaan selepas bangkit daripada pengalaman hitam itu,” katanya pada Sambutan Hari Ibu anjuran Hotel Renaissance di Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini. Pada majlis berkenaan kira-kira 30 wanita mangsa dera hadir bersama anak mereka.
Beliau berkata, bukan mudah membawa wanita berkenaan pada majlis seperti itu kerana masih ada yang enggan kerana bimbang terserempak dengan suami, malah wartawan berulang kali dinasihatkan tidak digalakkan bertanya pengalaman lepas kerana ia hanya akan menambah luka pada parut yang sudah lama berbekas di hati mereka.
Untuk maklumat lanjut mengenai pertubuhan ini boleh hubungi talian 03-7956 3488 atau faks 03-79586287 atau e-mail saralah@wao.org.my/wao@po.jaring.my.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
