Easier now to get passport
KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department is likely to introduce paperless application and renewal of international passport by year end, according to the Director-General Datuk Wahid Md Don.
He said applicants would only need to bring their identity cards as the department would be able to access the basic information of the applicants from the microchip in the card.
“We are now converting data from the National Registration Department Svstem into our database,” he said. The move is part of the department’s continuous efforts to enhance the Government’s delivery system, he said.
“Paperless applications will cut costs,” he said when touching on a wide range of issues on immigration at a media roundtable discussion chaired by Westports Malaysia executive chairman Tan Sri G Gnanalingam last night. Wahid said the introduction of the smart card chips in passports had helped to considerably reduce the incidence of Malaysian passports getting stolen given the chip’s numerous security features.
He cited how besides thumbprints, there were 17 security features contained in the smart card such as retina identification through the use of biometrics.
Wahid said the department was also introducing measures to expedite visa applications by expatriates in line with recommendations made by Pemudah, the special task force to facilitate business.
Special counters have also been set up to issue visas on the spot, he said.
Turning to the thousands of Bangladeshi workers stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) recently, he said this was a problem caused by the agents in Bangladesh and the employers in Malaysia
Sometimes, the agents don’t inform when the workers are arriving, so they are stranded at the airport, he said.
The situation was made worse by some irresponsible employers only turning up on the third day to pick up their workers as immigration rules allow the workers to wait for three days for their employers.
“We have sent a clear signal to the agents in Dhaka and employers here that if the workers are not picked up by three days, the department will send them back,” he said
“The employers pay the levy for the workers but I don’t know why some don’t turn up,” said Wahid.
He said some 46,000 Bangladeshi workers came to Malaysia since September.
He also said that about 40 agents had been banned over the last two years for flouting immigration rules. Wahid said the department’s enforcement had been stepped up through online information checks via SMS to ensure workers who come are the same persons whose details are on the visa. The thumbprint system for foreign workers is operating well as this is a better way to filer the workers as the thumbprints must match, according to him.
“We are hoping to introduce radio frequency identification in visa applications by year-end, a move which can eliminate forgery,” said Wahid.
“With the chip info sticker, we can issue the visa overseas,” he said.
Monday, October 1, 2007
SUN-30/09/2007-Woman suspect in Nurin Murder case apparently to "rakan cop"
KUALA LUMPUR: The woman who was detained by police on Friday night over the murder of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin had made telephone calls to the “Rakan Cop” community police corps to know the progress of police work in tracing the then missing eight -year-old girl. A police source said preliminary investigation indicated that the 23- year-old woman had made use of at least five SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards and two handphones to make the calls and send SMS (Short Messaging Service) to Rakan Cop.
She is also believed to have called NurinJazlin’s father in the early days of Nurin Jazlin’s disappearance and told him that his daughter was under her care, the source said.
When arresting the woman, believed to be a foreign national, police had seized two handphones and four SIM cards, the source said.
However, unseen by the ipolice, the woman had placed one SIM card, the fifth, under her tongue, it added. The source said the woman attempted to swallow the SIM card,believed to contain information pertaining to the call had made to Nurin Jazlin’s father, when she was brought this afternoon to the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court where an order was obtained to remand her for seven days. It was then that she apparently choked on the card and almost fainted, the source said.
Police also brought the woman to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at about 3.30 pm yesterday to have blood samples taken for a DNA test.
The relationship between the woman and the four men suspects detained on Friday has yet to be established.
The woman was picked up at midnight last night at a Ramadan Bazaar in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, where she worked as a sales assistant at a stall selling clothes.
She is said to have been responsible for feeding Nurin Jazlin during the period the girl was apparently held captive between the time she disappeared on Aug 20 near her home in Wangsa Maju here and her body was found stuffed in a sports bag in Petaling Jaya on Sept 17.
She is also believed to have called NurinJazlin’s father in the early days of Nurin Jazlin’s disappearance and told him that his daughter was under her care, the source said.
When arresting the woman, believed to be a foreign national, police had seized two handphones and four SIM cards, the source said.
However, unseen by the ipolice, the woman had placed one SIM card, the fifth, under her tongue, it added. The source said the woman attempted to swallow the SIM card,believed to contain information pertaining to the call had made to Nurin Jazlin’s father, when she was brought this afternoon to the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court where an order was obtained to remand her for seven days. It was then that she apparently choked on the card and almost fainted, the source said.
Police also brought the woman to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital at about 3.30 pm yesterday to have blood samples taken for a DNA test.
The relationship between the woman and the four men suspects detained on Friday has yet to be established.
The woman was picked up at midnight last night at a Ramadan Bazaar in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, where she worked as a sales assistant at a stall selling clothes.
She is said to have been responsible for feeding Nurin Jazlin during the period the girl was apparently held captive between the time she disappeared on Aug 20 near her home in Wangsa Maju here and her body was found stuffed in a sports bag in Petaling Jaya on Sept 17.
SUN-30/09/2007-RAPE AND MURDER:WHY THEY DO IT?
Following the recent rape and murder of eight-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin that shocked the country, the question why that happened would inevitably crop up. Sabah Syariah Court Chief Judge, a counsellor and others interviewed share the view that the causes of such heinous act should be determined and dealt with.
TO determine the causes of a crime, including rape and murder, there is a need to get to the root of the problem. Why did they do it?
Do pornographic images on the Internet, lax censorship of movies on television and VCDs, and drug abuse cause contribute to such heinous acts?
The negative influences affect them mentally and when one is unable to maintain self control, it could result in one putting what they see into practice,” said a counsellor with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
“When a person feels disturbed mentally due to pressures, one may look for alternatives to ease one’s mind.
“Yes, obscene visuals on Internet, less censored movies on television and VCDs may affect someone mentally, It may put the persons in a state of curiosity that could lead to acts such as rape and murder,” Shirley Bte Berso.
“The persons affected may commit rape and murder because they like to see someone in pain... as they ‘think’ what they are doing will satisfy them,” she said.
According to Shirley, the effects of what a person sees could have control over his actions.
In other words, the person’s infatuation with the images and acts they have seen could overpower his self control and become his master, whispering to him what to do instead of using his own head.
“Anyone could be affected by such influences, both educated and non-educated, married or singles. This, coupled with pressures from being unemployed, too much work and unsatisfactory sexual relationship in a marriage, may lead to the persons seeking outlets to vent frustration and resentment.”
Shirley said if the person is only a kid watching an obscene picture or half-naked woman or sexual act on television or VCDs, he may be curious enough to be influenced into trying the act with his sister.
“Once he does it and gets away with it, he would grow up with it and become even more likely to commit sexual offences,” she said.
Shirley, who has been counselling patients a the hospital for five years, said drugs could also destroy a person’s self control.
If a person turns to drugs to ease his frustration and anxiety over joblessness as well as pressures from his family, for example, the effect of the drugs could over time cause him to lose control, resulting in him committing violent acts such as rape and murder, she said. Meanwhile. Datuk Aidi Bin Mokhtar, Chief Judge of the State Syariah Court, said obscene images are very bad influences that could make people with access to them lose touch with reality.
“ I do not understand why the obscene pictures are allowed on television and other electronic media because as a Muslim country, Malaysia should not condone that kind of negative influences or should instead ban them totally.”
“I believe other societies too, non-Muslims and the free thinkers, do not like their children to see all these negative images. Even though some foreign cultures may allow freedom to see such shows on television, we must know what effects the freedom would have in their own country,” said Aidi.
“We cannot just copy what other countries are doing without considering the effects,” he said.
“Good parenting has a very important role here and it starts from a child’s early age. As parents, we have a responsibility to ensure our family’s safety. In the case of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, the child should not have been left unattended while going to the market, especially at night. Even though she was familiar with the place, she was only a small kid, eight years old, and we never know when and how a child like that could be a victim of a stranger who is just waiting for a chance,” he said.
“You see, as I said, good parenting is iportant and it involves foresight as incidents do not have any warning signs. We must ensure our children’s safety and keep tabs on where they go and what time and with whom. If the children do not come back as expected, say within an hour, it is important to look for them. If not found, parents should call the police immediately before it is too late.”
“In the olden days, very seldom we heard of such cases because people or the societies practised their traditional values and religious beliefs,” said Aidi. “Other than the country’s official religion, Islam, which warns “do not kill”, other religions also teaches people not to kill and instead, do good things to mankind.
Such teachings were followed religiously then, but today, we see many influences affecting certain many individuals negatively, which attack their moral values, he said.
Death sentence is not the answer in the prevention of rape and murder, for even though the law exists, the country still faces many such cases, he said.
The factors contributing to such acts must be found and dealt with, such as the abuse of drugs, alcohol and negligence parenting besides pornographic movies and movies with excessive violent acts, he stressed. Anthony Kiob, Associate Director of the Institute of Development Studies Sabah (IDS), said he agrees with the call from various quarters to impose the death penalty of rapists.
“The law we have today for such offenders is not stern enough, that is why we still face another brutal killing,” he said.
“You see, when an offender who committed rape is put in jail for a few years, he may commit the act again when he comes out. So the law today is not enough to deter him from doing it again.”
Anthony said the factors that contributed to serious criminal acts like rape and murder should be identified and tackled.
“People who are not well educated, for example, may not understand what they read from the newspapers, especially about the existing punishments for major offences such as rape and murder. So the factors or the causes of the offences must be dealt with seriously.
“I would not deny that lax censored movies on television or obscene pictures on Internet may have negative influences. I will always ensure that my kids watch the right movies because like many parents, it is very hard to control everything, and it takes a lot of attention.
“When I lived in USA, I learned that the offenders who committed rape and other offences were asked to do community services besides being in the iron houses (prisons), said Anthony, who lived in Kentucky for several years earning both Bachelor and Masters in Business Administration from Kent State University.
“Even though USA values its freedom, each state has its own law and many universities in each state have already installed a firewall in their computer centres to restrict access to Internet. This firewall would not allow unwanted articles and obscene networks to be accessed from their computers.”
An officer with a government agency, who preferred to be anonymous, said, “Because I studied law and earned a degree from the University of Keele, England, I discovered that a normal person who finally Commits a crime of rape and murder brutally is considered not normal anymore or a psycho, or considered orang gila (mad person)!
“The reason being that he is unstable mentally and likes to see someone suffering in pain for his own desire. We as humans in the normal state could not bear to see that and we get angry and feel disgusted,” he said.
“However, when these abnormal persons are questioned in various cases, it would shown that such abnormal acts are due to bad influences, from what they see on obscene movies.
“When they are questioned what they did before committing the offences, most would say whenever they get pressured, they decided to find entertainment, watch obscene movies on the Internet and television. Some would reveal what they read from novels written by ex-murderers, showing to normal people how to commit a crime and get away with it.
“Take for example a case in Thailand where two good fishermen suddenly became violent and raped a student from England. When they were brought to Court, they admitted that before committing the crime, they had watched an obscene movie from a VCD, inspiring them physically and which poisoned their minds.”
TO determine the causes of a crime, including rape and murder, there is a need to get to the root of the problem. Why did they do it?
Do pornographic images on the Internet, lax censorship of movies on television and VCDs, and drug abuse cause contribute to such heinous acts?
The negative influences affect them mentally and when one is unable to maintain self control, it could result in one putting what they see into practice,” said a counsellor with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.
“When a person feels disturbed mentally due to pressures, one may look for alternatives to ease one’s mind.
“Yes, obscene visuals on Internet, less censored movies on television and VCDs may affect someone mentally, It may put the persons in a state of curiosity that could lead to acts such as rape and murder,” Shirley Bte Berso.
“The persons affected may commit rape and murder because they like to see someone in pain... as they ‘think’ what they are doing will satisfy them,” she said.
According to Shirley, the effects of what a person sees could have control over his actions.
In other words, the person’s infatuation with the images and acts they have seen could overpower his self control and become his master, whispering to him what to do instead of using his own head.
“Anyone could be affected by such influences, both educated and non-educated, married or singles. This, coupled with pressures from being unemployed, too much work and unsatisfactory sexual relationship in a marriage, may lead to the persons seeking outlets to vent frustration and resentment.”
Shirley said if the person is only a kid watching an obscene picture or half-naked woman or sexual act on television or VCDs, he may be curious enough to be influenced into trying the act with his sister.
“Once he does it and gets away with it, he would grow up with it and become even more likely to commit sexual offences,” she said.
Shirley, who has been counselling patients a the hospital for five years, said drugs could also destroy a person’s self control.
If a person turns to drugs to ease his frustration and anxiety over joblessness as well as pressures from his family, for example, the effect of the drugs could over time cause him to lose control, resulting in him committing violent acts such as rape and murder, she said. Meanwhile. Datuk Aidi Bin Mokhtar, Chief Judge of the State Syariah Court, said obscene images are very bad influences that could make people with access to them lose touch with reality.
“ I do not understand why the obscene pictures are allowed on television and other electronic media because as a Muslim country, Malaysia should not condone that kind of negative influences or should instead ban them totally.”
“I believe other societies too, non-Muslims and the free thinkers, do not like their children to see all these negative images. Even though some foreign cultures may allow freedom to see such shows on television, we must know what effects the freedom would have in their own country,” said Aidi.
“We cannot just copy what other countries are doing without considering the effects,” he said.
“Good parenting has a very important role here and it starts from a child’s early age. As parents, we have a responsibility to ensure our family’s safety. In the case of Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, the child should not have been left unattended while going to the market, especially at night. Even though she was familiar with the place, she was only a small kid, eight years old, and we never know when and how a child like that could be a victim of a stranger who is just waiting for a chance,” he said.
“You see, as I said, good parenting is iportant and it involves foresight as incidents do not have any warning signs. We must ensure our children’s safety and keep tabs on where they go and what time and with whom. If the children do not come back as expected, say within an hour, it is important to look for them. If not found, parents should call the police immediately before it is too late.”
“In the olden days, very seldom we heard of such cases because people or the societies practised their traditional values and religious beliefs,” said Aidi. “Other than the country’s official religion, Islam, which warns “do not kill”, other religions also teaches people not to kill and instead, do good things to mankind.
Such teachings were followed religiously then, but today, we see many influences affecting certain many individuals negatively, which attack their moral values, he said.
Death sentence is not the answer in the prevention of rape and murder, for even though the law exists, the country still faces many such cases, he said.
The factors contributing to such acts must be found and dealt with, such as the abuse of drugs, alcohol and negligence parenting besides pornographic movies and movies with excessive violent acts, he stressed. Anthony Kiob, Associate Director of the Institute of Development Studies Sabah (IDS), said he agrees with the call from various quarters to impose the death penalty of rapists.
“The law we have today for such offenders is not stern enough, that is why we still face another brutal killing,” he said.
“You see, when an offender who committed rape is put in jail for a few years, he may commit the act again when he comes out. So the law today is not enough to deter him from doing it again.”
Anthony said the factors that contributed to serious criminal acts like rape and murder should be identified and tackled.
“People who are not well educated, for example, may not understand what they read from the newspapers, especially about the existing punishments for major offences such as rape and murder. So the factors or the causes of the offences must be dealt with seriously.
“I would not deny that lax censored movies on television or obscene pictures on Internet may have negative influences. I will always ensure that my kids watch the right movies because like many parents, it is very hard to control everything, and it takes a lot of attention.
“When I lived in USA, I learned that the offenders who committed rape and other offences were asked to do community services besides being in the iron houses (prisons), said Anthony, who lived in Kentucky for several years earning both Bachelor and Masters in Business Administration from Kent State University.
“Even though USA values its freedom, each state has its own law and many universities in each state have already installed a firewall in their computer centres to restrict access to Internet. This firewall would not allow unwanted articles and obscene networks to be accessed from their computers.”
An officer with a government agency, who preferred to be anonymous, said, “Because I studied law and earned a degree from the University of Keele, England, I discovered that a normal person who finally Commits a crime of rape and murder brutally is considered not normal anymore or a psycho, or considered orang gila (mad person)!
“The reason being that he is unstable mentally and likes to see someone suffering in pain for his own desire. We as humans in the normal state could not bear to see that and we get angry and feel disgusted,” he said.
“However, when these abnormal persons are questioned in various cases, it would shown that such abnormal acts are due to bad influences, from what they see on obscene movies.
“When they are questioned what they did before committing the offences, most would say whenever they get pressured, they decided to find entertainment, watch obscene movies on the Internet and television. Some would reveal what they read from novels written by ex-murderers, showing to normal people how to commit a crime and get away with it.
“Take for example a case in Thailand where two good fishermen suddenly became violent and raped a student from England. When they were brought to Court, they admitted that before committing the crime, they had watched an obscene movie from a VCD, inspiring them physically and which poisoned their minds.”
SUNDAY-30/09/2007-Navy vows no let-up in coastal patrols
Navy vows no let-up
in coastal patrols
Less intrusions by foreign fishermen; no piracy cases: Commander
SANDAKAN: The Royal Malaysian Navy will continue to maintain a strong presence in Sabah’s east coast waters to deter attempts by illegal immigrants and criminal elements from entering the country throughout Ramadan and the upcoming Aidil Fitri holidays.
This assurance was given by RMN Region II commander Laksamana Muda Datuk Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin at the KD Sri Sandakan navy base on Saturday after witnessing the handing over of duty between outgoing Commanding Officer of RMN ship KD Baung Lt Commander Azman Yusoff to his successor Lt Shahrul Abu Samah.
“RMN personnel will be assigned for duty and there will be no let-up in RMN patrols and operations in Sabah waters particularly in the east coast despite the fasting month and the Aidil Fitri holidays,” he said.
Touching on encroachment by foreign fishermen and piracies in Sabah waters, Ahmad Kamarulzaman said the number of cases involving intrusions by foreign fishermen particularly in the South China Sea have declined this year compared to last year due to the heightened presence of the RMN and other maritime enforcement agencies.
‘There are no piracy cases reported except for incidence of robberies at sea like the theft of outboard engines, he added.
Ahmad Kamarulzaman stressed on the vital role of local islanders as the eyes and ears in helping the authorities to safeguard the security of our waters.
“By reporting the presence of suspicious persons and intrusions to the authorities will enable the RMN to cut down on the response time and deal with the situation promptly and effectively,” Ahmad Kamarulzaman also thanked the State Government and those who have contributed Hari Raya goodies and cakes to RMN personnel.
Present at the press conference were senior officers including acting KD Sri Sandakan commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Abdul Hadi Tan Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Lt Commander Azman Yusoff will be assuming new duty as the KD Sri Sandakan Administration Chief Staff Officer. His successor Lt Shahrul was formerly the Nautical Science (Communications) trainer at KD Sultan Indris I.
in coastal patrols
Less intrusions by foreign fishermen; no piracy cases: Commander
SANDAKAN: The Royal Malaysian Navy will continue to maintain a strong presence in Sabah’s east coast waters to deter attempts by illegal immigrants and criminal elements from entering the country throughout Ramadan and the upcoming Aidil Fitri holidays.
This assurance was given by RMN Region II commander Laksamana Muda Datuk Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin at the KD Sri Sandakan navy base on Saturday after witnessing the handing over of duty between outgoing Commanding Officer of RMN ship KD Baung Lt Commander Azman Yusoff to his successor Lt Shahrul Abu Samah.
“RMN personnel will be assigned for duty and there will be no let-up in RMN patrols and operations in Sabah waters particularly in the east coast despite the fasting month and the Aidil Fitri holidays,” he said.
Touching on encroachment by foreign fishermen and piracies in Sabah waters, Ahmad Kamarulzaman said the number of cases involving intrusions by foreign fishermen particularly in the South China Sea have declined this year compared to last year due to the heightened presence of the RMN and other maritime enforcement agencies.
‘There are no piracy cases reported except for incidence of robberies at sea like the theft of outboard engines, he added.
Ahmad Kamarulzaman stressed on the vital role of local islanders as the eyes and ears in helping the authorities to safeguard the security of our waters.
“By reporting the presence of suspicious persons and intrusions to the authorities will enable the RMN to cut down on the response time and deal with the situation promptly and effectively,” Ahmad Kamarulzaman also thanked the State Government and those who have contributed Hari Raya goodies and cakes to RMN personnel.
Present at the press conference were senior officers including acting KD Sri Sandakan commanding officer Lieutenant Commander Abdul Hadi Tan Abdullah.
Meanwhile, Lt Commander Azman Yusoff will be assuming new duty as the KD Sri Sandakan Administration Chief Staff Officer. His successor Lt Shahrul was formerly the Nautical Science (Communications) trainer at KD Sultan Indris I.
SUNDAY-30/09/2007-SOLDIERS BASHED EVERYONE THEY FOUND ON THE STREETS
BANGKOK: Beaten, chased and terrified - ordinary people in Myanmar told Saturday how they were caught up in the indiscriminate onslaught of a military crackdown on anti-government rallies.
“They bashed everyone they saw on the streets. Many innocent people were beaten and arrested,” said one resident of Yangon who had ventured out to buy food Friday when he was caught up in the chaos.
Others described how people were dragged out of tea shops and cars before being pounded by police and soldiers, who also searched houses and apartments near the protests.
“It is so tragic for the people. I also had to run for my life at that time,” the 40-year-old resident told AFP by telephone. “I dare not go outside again in the afternoon.”
Up to 10.000 protesters played a dangerous game with police and soldiers Friday, advancing towards the security lines before being scatted and then repeatedly regrouping
Residents who have ushered fleeing demonstrator into their homes were warned not to take anyone in, the Yangon man said, describing how security forces had scoured the streets to track down the scattered demonstrators.
“They were targeting young men. They even told them to get out of their cars when they saw them driving past the protests,” he said. “What can we do? Staying at home is better.”
In suburban Tamawe, another resident said in a phone interview from Bangkok that he heard many gunshots ring out in the late afternoon as a separate protest erupted there
“The situation is so bad. I am to nervous to talk about it in detail on the phone, he said after three days of a crackdown that has left at least 13 dead, with fears the toll could be much higher.
“They bashed everyone they saw on the streets. Many innocent people were beaten and arrested,” said one resident of Yangon who had ventured out to buy food Friday when he was caught up in the chaos.
Others described how people were dragged out of tea shops and cars before being pounded by police and soldiers, who also searched houses and apartments near the protests.
“It is so tragic for the people. I also had to run for my life at that time,” the 40-year-old resident told AFP by telephone. “I dare not go outside again in the afternoon.”
Up to 10.000 protesters played a dangerous game with police and soldiers Friday, advancing towards the security lines before being scatted and then repeatedly regrouping
Residents who have ushered fleeing demonstrator into their homes were warned not to take anyone in, the Yangon man said, describing how security forces had scoured the streets to track down the scattered demonstrators.
“They were targeting young men. They even told them to get out of their cars when they saw them driving past the protests,” he said. “What can we do? Staying at home is better.”
In suburban Tamawe, another resident said in a phone interview from Bangkok that he heard many gunshots ring out in the late afternoon as a separate protest erupted there
“The situation is so bad. I am to nervous to talk about it in detail on the phone, he said after three days of a crackdown that has left at least 13 dead, with fears the toll could be much higher.
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