Wikileaks boost for Lee Kuan Yew

Often described as an apathetic lot, Singapore youths are getting a first-hand lesson on big power diplomacy from criminally leaked documents.

....


 

...

An old friend of mine who has been critical of Lee's policies in Singapore told me that he was impressed by the ageing leader's lucidity when articulating Asia's problem.

"What it tells me is that he should have left local politics to his successors and concentrated on the world stage long ago."

Reserved currency standard is getting not reliable

 

Thousands turn up for march in support of water issue memo

Monday December 6, 2010
Thousands turn up for march in support of water issue memo
By STEVEN CHIEW, WANI MUTHIAH, P. ARUNA and RAHIMY RAHIM
news@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of protesters turned up in front of the National Mosque to support the handing over of a memorandum on the Selangor state water issue to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at Istana Negara.

All roads leading to the palace and the mosque were guarded and blocked by police causing a massive traffic jam in various parts of the city.

Before the protest, Parti Sosialis Malaysia chairman Dr Nasir Hashim, party secretary-general S. Arutchelvam and Shah Alam Councillor A. Sivarajan were arres­ted on their way to the mosque but were immediately released.
Keeping it calm: Police keeping the gathering of protesters over the water issue under control at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur Sunday.

Most of the demonstrators, who were wearing red T-shirts, held flowers as a sign of peace but were chanting loudly, creating chaos at the vicinity of the mosque.

The protesters who gathered from noon waited for the arrival of Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim who gave a speech at the mosque before proceeding to the palace and handing over the memorandum bearing 150,000 signatures to a palace official at 2.10pm.

Among the contents of the memorandum was to request the King to order the rights over water resources, now handled by Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas), to be returned to the Selangor state government and for the King to review the objectives of the Water Services Industry Act 2006.

Water has become a controversial issue in the Pakatan Rakyat-led state and currently there is a stand-off between the state government and the Barisan Nasional-led Federal Government over the earlier proposed Pahang-Selangor raw water transfer project.

基爾 三蘇丁被控 不認罪 75萬保釋

December 6, 2010 13:51

基爾 三蘇丁被控
不認罪 75萬保釋
（吉隆坡6日訊）前雪州大臣基爾及一名公司總裁三蘇丁哈約尼今日被反貪會提控貪污罪名時，皆不認罪，各以75萬令吉保釋。

反貪委員會今早以賄賂罪名，逮捕了前雪州大臣基爾及一名商人

反貪委員會今早以賄賂罪名，逮捕了前雪州大臣基爾及一名商人，助查基爾豪宅土地不法買賣案。傳他們稍後會被控。左上圖為前雪州大臣基爾。右上圖為基爾曾于2009年被揭發坐擁這棟價值2400萬令吉的豪宅，惟他受詢時說，本身僅以350萬令吉買下這棟豪宅。

Khir Toyo and Shamsuddin plead not guilty over mansion land deal

Published: Monday December 6, 2010 MYT 10:51:00 AM
Updated: Monday December 6, 2010 MYT 12:54:54 PM
Khir Toyo and Shamsuddin plead not guilty over mansion land deal
By ONG HAN SEAN

SHAH ALAM: Former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has been charged with accepting two land lots for RM3.5mil when the said lots were bought by Ditamas Sdn Bhd director Shamsuddin Haryoni for RM6.5mil.

Dr Khir is alleged to have accepted the two lots from Shamsuddin in May 29, 2007. The lots were bought by Shamsuddin in 2004.

Shamsuddin is charged with abetting Dr Khir in the deal.
Dr Khir

Both pleaded not guilty before Sessions judge Azhaniz Teh Azman Teh.

According to the charge sheet, Dr Khir, 45, is alleged to have obtained for himself and his wife Datin Seri Zahrah Kechik the two plots of land and a house at No 8 & 10, Jalan Suasa 7/1 L, Shah Alam, from Ditamas through Ditamas director Shamsuddin at the price of RM3.5mil when in fact the lots were bought by Ditamas on Dec 23, 2004 at the price of RM6.5mil.

He is charged with committing the offence at the Selangor Mentri Besar's official residence on May 29, 2007.

The charge under Section 165 of the Penal Code carries a two-year jail term, fine or both.

Dr Khir, who is Sungai Panjang assemblyman and Selangor opposition leader, arrived at the Sessions Court here at about 11.25am accompanied by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers.

Bail has been set at RM750,000 each. The prosecution has applied for the case to be transferred to the High Court.
An aerial view of the mansion which Khir Toyo built

Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail commended the MACC for a thorough investigation into the case and the prosecution would be calling about 16 witnesses.

"The full force of law would be used to protect witnesses and ensure no interference in the case," Gani told a press conference later.

Critics claimed that the mansion which was built on the land costs about RM24mil but Khir has maintained that it was worth RM3.5mil.

Singapore hospitals on alert for killer bug

Published: Thursday December 2, 2010 MYT 3:16:00 PM
Singapore hospitals on alert for killer bug

SINGAPORE: Singapore is preparing for a killer bug that could head this way, as hospitals step up checks on the more susceptible patients especially those on antibiotics and the elderly, China's Xinhua news agency quoted local media as reporting on Thursday.

The Strait Times reported that the immediate symptom is diarrhoea. All patients suffering from diarrhoea and who are on antibiotics are undergoing checks.

Doctors in public hospitals also want to be certain that such patients are not infected with the killer strain of the Clostridium difficile bacterium called the ribotype 027.

The strain wreaked havoc in about 30 hospitals in Quebec province in Canada in 2003 and 2004, infecting more than 1,400 patients. Many needed urgent surgery and about 14 percent died within one month of diagnosis.

Several hospitals in the United States were also affected. The bug has since crossed the Atlantic and has emerged in hospitals in Britain, Ireland and Denmark over the past two years.

Doctors fear that it is only a matter of time before it finds its way to Asia. The bacterium, commonly known as C. difficile, has been around for a long time, and is a common hospital-acquired bug.

It is only the ribotype 027 that has proven deadly, though the normal version can also be fatal sometimes.

People on antibiotics can get the bug because such medication disrupts the good bacteria in their bodies, which would normally keep the dormant Clostridium difficile spores from turning infectious. - Bernama

Paris Hilton's Car Breaks Down

Paris Hilton's Car Breaks Down
In This Photo: Paris Hilton, Brooke Mueller

Paris Hilton gets her car jumped after suffering from a dead battery while out and about filming her new reality show with Brooke Mueller. After her car finally started, Paris could be seen doing a little dance then promptly applying a new layer of lip gloss.

(November 30, 2010 - Photo by PacificCoastNews.com)

Blogger: We thought that the celebrities like Paris Hilton shouldn't encounter car breaking down problem but she also faces the same issue like anybody else. Because this is life.

No bus, so Khairy walks to Parliament House

Wednesday December 1, 2010
No bus, so Khairy walks to Parliament House

KUALA LUMPUR: Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin walked to Parliament House when he was unable to get a bus after getting off the light rail transit (LRT) at Masjid Jamek.

He hopped on the LRT after a dialogue session with the Youth and Sports Ministry’s Youth Development Trans­formation Laboratory in Bukit Jalil near lunch hour.

“Going to see how close we can get to Parliament without car or taxi,” he posted on Twitter yesterday.

Relating his experience further, he said, when he arrived at the Masjid Jamek station, he wanted to see if there was any bus that could take him to Parliament House.

However, no one could tell him the location of the nearest bus stop.

He then started to walk and reached Pasar Seni but failed to find a bus stop.

He then decided to walk all the way to Parliament House.