Voice of Malaysian &#187; Society

9 vehicles torched in Molotov attack

Political Guru — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:37:37 +0000

PETALING JAYA: Two men in a Toyota Hilux went on an arson spree in four neighbourhoods here early yesterday, setting at least nine vehicles on fire with Molotov cocktails.

The vehicles involved were a Honda Civic, two Proton Saga, Proton Gen-2, Toyota Harrier, Proton Saga, Toyota Vios, Audi, Naza Ria and a school bus. The Civic, Gen-2 and school bus were badly damaged while the other vehicles were lightly damaged.

In the three-hour spree beginning at 3.30am, the two men are believed to have flung Molotov cocktails at the vehicles which were parked by the roadside in SS3, SS4D, SS5D and SS8.

Land surveyor Zainal Abidin, 50, who lives in SS5D, said he woke up at 6am to perform morning prayers when he noticed two men in a Toyota Hilux behaving suspiciously.

“To my horror, one of the men threw a bottle at my Harrier which burst into flames. The Harrier was parked outside the house.

“I immediately rushed downstairs and managed to extinguish the flames. I spotted the two men, who were seated in their vehicle parked across the road, grinning at me.”

Zainal got into another vehicle and pursued the two men. However. the pursuit was short-lived as the men managed to elude him in SS3.

Zainal said he had gone to bed late as his son was tardy in returning home. He had spotted the Toyota Hilux rounding the neighbourhood several times but thought nothing of it.

Bank officer Vasu Karuppiah, 50, who lives in SS4D, is regretting not repairing the automatic gate as he had parked his year-old Honda Civic outside the house.

“I heard an explosion quite early in the morning and the next minute, my neighbour told me that my car had gone up in smoke,” he said.

Student Tahira Ayesha, 19, woke up at 5.30am to discover that her sister’s Proton Gen-2 was no longer usable after the bonnet was set on fire and the engine destroyed.

Bus driver Sri Jeyananda Perumal, 45, was informed by his brother at 6.45am that his school bus had been badly damaged by fire. He immediately rushed to Kelana Jaya from Shah Alam.

“I normally park the school bus at my brother’s house because the kindergarten kids whom I ferry live in the area.

“I have had that bus for four years and it was my livelihood.

“I had to use my own vehicle to transport the children yesterday morning and my brother also helped out because the monthly fees had been paid by the parents.”

District police chief Assistant Commissioner Arjunaidi Mohamed said police had classified the case as causing mischief with fire or explosive substances.

Although he declined to speculate on the motive for the attacks, sources said it could be that the residents associations in the respective areas had been reluctant to hire security guards to patrol the area. The sources said the attacks could be a means to “persuade” the residents to hire guards.

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Bid to scare cow costs him three fingers

Political Guru — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:12:20 +0000

Mohd Muin Yaakub recuperating at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian.

KOTA BARU: A 15-year-old boy, who is supposed to sit his Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) exam on Monday, lost three fingers when a firecracker exploded in his right hand yesterday.

Mohd Muin Yaakub, a student at private religious school SM (Arab) Insaniah, was using the firecrackers to chase off a stray cow from his father’s vegetable farm in Kampung Wakaf Bunut in Pasir Putih, when the incident occurred at 2.30pm yesterday.

He was brought to Pasir Putih Hospital but later transferred to Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital in Kubang Kerian.

Muin said: “I saw a stray cow going into the farm and I thought it would be easier to scare it off using the firecracker instead of running after it.

“I had ball firecrackers with me at the time. I lit one up and was about to throw it at the cow when it exploded.

“I felt a sharp pain on my right hand and a lot of blood started to come out from my fingers.

“Later, I realised that only my thumb and my small finger were not injured.”

He said he has now learned his lesson and would never play with firecrackers again.

“I am worried as I am a right-handed person. How will I take the exam if I can’t write?”

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Former boyfriend helps victim

Political Guru — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:06:12 +0000

BUTTERWORTH: A supper date with her boyfriend turned into a nightmare for a 16-year-old salesgirl.

The girl was taken to a budget hotel in Taman Bagan here and raped by her companion.

The victim did not relate the incident, which happened about 12.30am on Oct 4, to her parents. Instead it was her former boyfriend, whom she had confided in, who told her parents what had happened.

A police report was lodged on Oct 6. Seberang Prai Utara district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Alias said a suspect had been picked up to assist in investigations.

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Victim lodges report against fireman for ‘stealing’

Political Guru — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:25:02 +0000

MUAR: A fire victim has lodged a police report against a fireman for allegedly taking away something while trying to put out a fire at her house in Parit Jawa.

Helen Tan, 21, said she spotted the fireman picking something from the floor of her house and pocketing it at about 7.40am after her house caught fire at about 4.30am Wednesday.

However, in her report the victim said she did not know what was taken but decided to lodge a report after the fireman did not cooperate when she wanted to check his pocket.

Muar Fire Services and Rescue Department chief Shukor Abdullah, when contacted, said the fireman had also lodged a police report after being accused of stealing things from the burnt house.

“I have checked the matter with the officer in charge of the operation this morning and was told that no fireman had stolen things from the burnt house.

“I was also told that the victim could have mistaken the fireman’s jobs of clearing things which were strewn on the floor and regarded it as picking up things,” he said Wednesday.

However, Shukor said the department would carry out its own investigation into the matter as he did not want any of his firemen to steal things while on duty.

On the fire, he said it broke out from the back of the house and spread very fast as the building was made from wood.

The firemen had to work fast to prevent the fire from spreading to the other houses, he added.

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Police nab eight in murder probe

Political Guru — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:23:53 +0000

SUNGAI PETANI: Eight odd job labourers were remanded for a week to help police investigate the recent murder of an odd job labourer in Sungai Petani.

Magistrate Muhammad Noor Firdaus Rosli allowed the remand on Wednesday until Oct 14.

Kuala Muda district deputy OCPD Supt Ong Aik Chang said the men, all from Ladang Rusa, near here, and aged between 18 and 25, surrendered themselves at the district police contingent headquarters here at about 11am on Tuesday.

The suspects were remanded to help in police investigation into the murder of N. Thamotharan, 21, who was found slashed to death by a group of youths during a scuffle at Taman Kelisa Ria here at 9.55pm on Oct 1.

Thamotharan, from the same area, was found sprawled in a pool of blood by the roadside with slash wounds on the head.

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Teacher dies in burning car

Political Guru — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:12:59 +0000

KINABATANGAN, Tue.:

A teacher who was trapped inside his car was burnt to death when his car caught fire following an accident at Km64 Jalan Sandakan-Lahad Datu today.

The charred remains of Jasman Imran, 30, was removed by passers-by.

Kinabatangan police chief DSP Jaini Abdul Kadir said the incident happened at about 1.30pm when the car driven by Jasman crashed head-on with a four-wheel-drive vehicle that came from the opposite direction.

After the impact, Jasman’s Perodua Myvi was engulfed in flames and the unfortunate victim was trapped inside.

According to Jaini, the victim was heading to the town of Kota Kinabatangan while the four-wheel-drive was heading towards Sandakan.

He added that the driver and passengers of the four-wheel drive escaped with minor injuries while the remains of Jasman was sent to the Kinabatangan Hospital for post-mortem.

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Reckless behaviour boggles the mind

Political Guru — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:20:17 +0000

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Tuesday October 7, 2008

Reckless behaviour boggles the mind

IN RESPONSE to an SMS opinion sent by one of your local readers (The Star, Oct 6), I have to agree that it is true that some Malaysian drivers have no concern for their own safety or others.

As an English expatriate who has made Malaysia his new home, there is not a day I could not help but worry about my safety on the road regardless if I am all buckled up in my car.

Do we need those rude, inconsiderate “ugly Malaysians” on the road who think they own the road and are reckless enough to endanger themselves and others?

Recently, when I was on my way home from doing the weekly grocery shopping, I was left aghast to see a father allowing her toddler daughter to sit on his lap while he was behind the wheel.

How could a father be so reckless as to put his child in danger?

Where I come from, we always make child safety a priority in vehicles where we not only provide special safety seats but also always buckle the child up.

In Britain, a parent or a care-giver can be prosecuted for not buckling the child up.

Do people not know that buckling up a child not only instils the habit of road safety for life but also reduce the chances of getting injured or killed in a collision?

I hope the authorities and the Malaysian public will take action to improve driving etiquette, otherwise the country is going to end up a laughing stock.

CHRISTOPHER K. BIRCH,
Kuala Lumpur.

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Spare a thought for Hindus when setting exam period

Political Guru — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:19:32 +0000

MY SON’S primary school recently announced that the year-end examination would start on Oct 30.

The District Education Office had issued the directive for Year 5 students.

Did someone forget that Deepavali is on Oct 27?

As a result of the directive, most schools have set the same date for Year 1 to Year 4 as it would be logical for all classes to conduct examinations at the same time.

Initially, some schools had planned for examinations to start on Oct 21, which would have been ideal. Many Hindus also balik kampung for Deepavali.

Affected families who choose to travel will have no choice but to make the journey back the morning after Deepavali.

Apparently, scheduling examinations closer to the year-end school holidays prevents students from skipping school.

Ideally year-end exams should be about a month before the academic year ends.

This gives teachers time to grade exam papers, prepare report cards and review the students’ performance. A sense of completion is achieved and the new academic year can start afresh.

When I was in school, there were a lot of fun activities and the annual class party to look forward to after examinations.

Attendance was full right up to the last day.

This may not work in present times but perhaps educators could come up with other ideas to keep children in school.

Deepavali is special and significant for Hindus.

I hope the District Education Office is able to look at this issue from our perspective and allow examinations to begin on Oct 21.

Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye’s letter (The Star, Sept 22) clearly conveyed the message that “goodwill breeds unity.”

Dr. I.R.,
Johor Baru.

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Jealous hubby kills wife and self

Political Guru — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:16:53 +0000

KOTA KINABALU: A husband, who suspected that his wife was unfaithful, blew her and himself up with a fish bomb in a house to the horror of their 13 children.

The children were ordered to leave the house at Kampung Cederamata II at about 9am yesterday before the blast and they were not injured, but the woman’s niece who was in the kitchen sustained facial injuries.

Cruel death: The scene inside the house where the couple died in the blast in Kota Kinabalu Monday.

Police said the couple had been quarrelling for the past month and the woman had left their home to live with her sister in nearby Likas about a month ago after threatening to divorce her husband.

The man had gone to persuade his wife to return home and asked all their children aged between three and 20 to leave the house.

In grief: An unidentified son of the couple consoling his sister in Kota Kinabalu Monday.

He was heard shouting at her when suddenly there was a loud explosion.

Kota Kinabalu City deputy police chief Supt Rowell Marong identified the man as Babin Isang, 35, and his wife as Indak Musa, 35, who were both Filipino refugees living in Sabah under the Immigration stay pass IMM13.

He said police were investigating the case as sudden death report.

He said both Babin, who was self employed, and his wife were killed on the spot. They sustained injuries to their abdomen and their bodies have been sent for post mortems.

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