Malaysia Update

LONDON Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was charged with improper conduct by the Football Association on Friday over allegations that he spat at a member of Hull's coaching staff following an FA Cup match.

The 21-year-old Fabregas was not playing in his team's 2-1 win on March 17 but faces two charges, one for walking onto the field of play and the other for spitting at or toward assistant manager Brian Horton.

Hull manager Phil Brown was also charged for comments he made to the media after the match concerning referee Mike Riley.

Fabregas, who could be banned or fined, has denied he spat at anybody.

He was handed Arsenal's captaincy this season after William Gallas was stripped of the armband for comments made about teammates.

The pair have until May 12 to respond to the charges

Sergeant Abdullah Ibrahim with a marine police patrol boat used for operations in Sandakan.

He had been the scourge in the waters off the east coast of Sabah, the Philippines and Indonesia until he had a run-in with Sergeant Abdullah Ibrahim, writes FADHAL A. GHANI.

MOLOY Hijang was as ruthless as they come and this pirate had successfully evaded the marine police of Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia for more than a decade.

Ironically, it was small pickings on that day in Oct 7, 1996, that ended his reign of terror.

Fishermen Ibrahim Albani, 31, and Aripuddin Bachok, 38, were checking their fish traps at Pulau Tobanka, off Sandakan, about 8.30pm when Moloy, also known as Moloy Uwah, and three other pirates came in two speedboats.

The fishermen did not have any valuables on them but Moloy was not to be denied. The pirates unhitched the fishermen's outboard engine and made off with it.
A police report was lodged in Sandakan and the marine police informed of the pirates' last location.

The marine police patrol boat, with corporal Abdullah Ahmad in command and Abdullah Ibrahim, then a corporal, and four constables set out early the next morning.

It was not long before Moloy and his men were spotted in the waters off Segama at 7am.

The marine police boat came up close and Abdullah Ibrahim, using a megaphone, ordered the pirates to surrender.

However, the pirates opened fire. Luckily, none of the marine police officers were injured.

"The bullets whizzed past me. It was a close shave," said Abdullah Ibrahim who joined the force on Aug 15, 1981.

Meanwhile, the pirates headed towards the Philippines at full throttle with the marine police patrol boat giving chase.

"Before this, I had been involved in two sea battles with pirates and I put all this experience to use to apprehend Moloy and his men," said Abdullah Ibrahim.

"I was not only in charge of the patrol boat but I also doubled up as the engineer and I had to back up my men with a machine gun."

The four marine police officers were armed with M-16s.

The sea was rough, the waves were heavy and visibility was poor during the high-speed chase.

"We had to circle their boats to prevent them from escaping. In the one kilometre or so, we managed to circle them several times.

"Each time we circled them, a gun battle erupted and in the end, we shot dead Moloy and another pirate."

The other boat managed to escape into Philippines waters.

Marine police recovered an assortment of explosive devices, an M-16 rifle equipped with a grenade launcher, a Browning pistol, ski masks, binoculars and the outboard engine they had stolen.

For bringing down the fearful pirate, the Batu Pahat-born Abdullah Ibrahim was awarded the police Bravery Medal on May 1, 1998.

Abdullah Ibrahim, who has been with Sandakan marine police since Jan 1, 1983, is married with five children between the ages of 4 and 17.

Today, the 47-year-old Abdullah Ibrahim heads the Engineering Maintenance Department at the Sandakan base.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Umno su preme council has decided to leave the decision on whether to contest the Penanti by-election to its political bureau.

Party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who heads the bureau, however, declined to say when it would decide on the matter.

“We know when we are meeting. Do I have to tell you?” he told reporters after chairing his first supreme council meeting since the party elections on March 26.

The Penanti by-election has to be held following the resignation of its assemblyman Mohd Fairus Khairud din on April 16.

Barisan leaders have expressed support for Najib’s previous statement that the coalition might not field a candidate as it would “a sheer waste” of funds.

Najib said an elected representative should not resign for frivolous reasons after a year of being elected.

“The principle is that we must adhere to our aku janji (pledge) to the voters who elected us.

“We cannot use our position to resign when we have stood for election with the pledge to serve the people for a term,” he said.

Najib also announced the setting-up of a special committee to handle proposed amendments to the party constitution for tabling at a special assembly in October.

The proposed amendments were aimed at making the party’s election process more open, transparent and democratic, he said.

During the meeting, Najib ex plained the reasons for the abolition of the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry and the liberalisation of the 27 services sub-sectors.

On the liberalisation of the sub-sectors, Najib said it was done after two years of thorough study by the International Trade and Industry Ministry then headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

“We found that it was good and acceptable to all parties, including the bumiputras involved in the sub-sectors.

“It is also in line with changes undertaken by Asean member countries. We were the last one to open up the services sector,” he added.

KUALA LUMPUR: If you spot a man stopping traffic with “Stop! Tapir is crossing the road” in Bukit Bintang or KLCC, do not be alarmed.

Rest assured, no tapir will be crossing the road; the man is a volunteer who will be at the nearest zebra crossing distributing flyers with information on the endangered species during a four-day campaign organised by Zoo Negara and KL Hop On Hop Off.

The volunteers will also be at Menara Hap Seng, Central Market, Chinatown and KL Sentral.

The campaign, which started yesterday, is in conjunction with World Tapir Day celebrated worldwide on April 27.


Environmental cause: Activists promoting public awareness on tapirs in Kuala Lumpur yesterday ahead of World Tapir Day next Monday.
According to Malaysian Zoological Society director Dr Mohamad Ngah, there are four species of tapir left on the planet, including local species tapirus indicus or its common name Malayan Tapir.

“The tapir is often overlooked because of its more ‘high-profile’ peers like the orang utan or the tiger, yet all these animals are equally important,” he said at the launch of the campaign at Zoo Negara yesterday.

Other “attractions” by volunteers include tapir mascots and a man sporting a sandwich board with relevant information on the species.

One flyer will entitle an individual to a RM2 discount for a Zoo Negara entrance ticket if the ticket is bought on KL Hop On Hop Off buses on Sunday.

The ticket enables the person to take the bus at the Bintang Walk bus stop next to the Lot 10 Shopping Complex at 11am on the same day. The buses will then ferry the passengers to the zoo for a World Tapir Day celebration.

Dr Mohamad said tapir-related activities have been lined up for visitors on the day including art exhibitions, a puppet show and “Tapir & You” 3D photography.

KL Hop On Hop Off managing director Syed Azhar Syed Nazir said that beginning April 18 until May 18, a ringgit off each bus ticket sold would be donated to the Zoo Negara Tapir Fund.

GEORGE TOWN: A 13-year old girl who was allegedly turned into a sex slave by her father and molested by her brothers for the past five years finally plucked up the courage to lodge a report on Wednesday.

The Form One pupil confided in her teachers the trauma she had been subjected to at her home since she was 9 years old.

Following the report, police arrested her 47-year-old father and her older brothers aged 15 and 17.

The father, an odd job labourer allegedly raped her on several occasions, while her brothers took turns to molest her.

The girl told police that the first time her father raped her was when she was 9 years old.
She said she had gone with her father to collect banana leaves when he raped her.

After that incident, she was paid between RM1 and RM2 by her father each time he sexually abused her.

The girl did not disclose this to her mother, who is a housewife, as she was afraid.

But on Wednesday, she decided to reveal all to her teacher, as she was afraid that her younger sisters, aged 7 and 9, would suffer the same fate. The victim has seven siblings.

Her teacher then took her to the Bukit Mertajam police station where a report was lodged.

State Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC II Wan Abdullah Tuanku Said said the girl was also raped in her house and in a secondary forest in Berapit.

He said all three suspects were picked up from their homes on Wednesday, adding that the case was classified as rape and molest.

In an unrelated development, Wan Abdullah said said police have also arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly raping his 22-year-old girlfriend.

He said the suspect took advantage of the victim after taking her to a hotel room in George Town last March.

Wan Abdullah said the victim lodged a report on Wednesday and the police detained the suspect shortly after.

PEKAN: A 16-year-old schoolgirl was groped when she encountered an amorous bus conductor on a two-hour ride from Bandar Muadzam Shah to Lepar on Monday morning.

The girl, a Form Four student of SM Muadzam Shah, was travelling to a secondary school in Lepar when the 40-year-old conductor sat next to her and struck up a conversation.

When the man's attention turned, after innocently brushing her arms, to pawing and groping her breasts, the girl became frightened and got down with other passenger in Paloh Inai here.

A passenger, who had noticed her distress and teary face, helped call her family in Bandar Tun Razak.

They took her to a police station to lodge a report.
Pahang deputy criminal investigation chief Superintendent Nordin Mustapha said the bus conductor, who is married and from Kuantan, was detained at his workplace for allegedly outraging the girl's modesty.

"The girl was lucky because there were passengers on the bus. We hope others who suffer a similar experience will speak out or seek help from other passengers instead of suffering in silence."

In another incident, he said a motorcyclist molested a 21-year-old female motorcyclist on the road in Sungai Jerik, Felda Jengka, Maran, on Monday afternoon.

Nordin said the victim was riding alone along the lonely road when the man approached from behind.

When they were riding alongside each other, the man reached over to grope her breast.

"The woman slowed down. Luckily for her, an approaching car scared off the molester. She sped off to Bandar Jengka police station to lodge a report."

Police are looking for the man, believed to be in his 20s.

Some of the suspects who were ordered to be remanded by the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on Wednesday. (Inset) Paremsvaran Ramu @ Veera who is sought by the police.

KUALA LUMPUR: A 7-year-old kidnap victim was released after his family paid a ransom of RM1 million last week.



(Inset) Paremsvaran Ramu @ Veera who is sought by the police.
However, within days of the boy's release, police arrested 14 suspects and recovered part of the ransom.

Investigations revealed that the kidnap was carried by a large gang which was broken up into four groups. Each group had specific roles to play and they were scattered across three states.

The boy was kidnapped early on April 10 when his mother was about to drop him off at school near his house in Bandar Utama.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said a Proton Satria with four dark-skinned men stopped next to the mother's car.
The mother was pushed to the ground and the kidnappers, armed with sharp weapons, grabbed the boy before driving away with him.

Bakri said the mother tried to fight back but was injured. The kidnappers drove past the security post and were believed to have pointed the weapons at the guards who tried to stop the car.

The boy was believed to have been held in a condominium in Kepong for four days while the kidnappers negotiated with his businessman father over the ransom.

On April 14, the boy was released near the security post leading to his home in Bandar Utama some 30 minutes after the ransom of RM1 million was dropped off in front of a bank in Kepong Baru.

Acting on a tip-off, police began their first wave of arrests on April 21 where nine men and four women, between the ages of 19 and 70, were arrested at several undisclosed locations in Selangor.

Bakri said RM319,700 of the ransom was also recovered from this group. In follow-up operations, police picked up three other suspects in Bukit Fraser, Pahang, Juasseh, Negri Sembilan and Serdang, Selangor. Bakri said 14 of the suspects have been remanded while two others were released. Three of the suspects also have criminal records.

Initial investigations revealed that most of the suspects were car repossessors and security guards while the women in the gang were housewives.

Police believe that the oldest member of the gang, said to be a 70-year-old man, masterminded the kidnapping.

It was also learnt that police are probing the possibility that the suspects were linked to the security guards in the housing estate or were employees of the victim's father.

Bakri said they were looking for several other suspects. He said the boy was still traumatised but was safe with his parents.

Meanwhile, police are looking for Paremsvaran Ramu @ Veera (IC 830625-05-5259) to assist in the investigations.

Paremsvaran's last known address was at 587/18A, Jalan Waterfall, Taman Hijau, Rawang, Selangor. Those with information on his whereabouts can contact Assistant Superintendent Mohd Hasreeq Yunus at 03-79662222 or the nearest police station.