theSun | TUESDAY JULY 14 2009
news without borders
Police
probing
Al Islam
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Police said yesterday
they have started investigating a police
report on an article published by Al Islam
magazine which was deemed offensive to
Christians.
The magazine, published by Utusan
Karya Sdn Bhd, had carried a report written
by two journalists who went undercover
for mass at a church here. Although the
cover report did not name the church, it
is believed to be St Anthony’s Church on
Jalan Pudu.
The reporters, one of whom was iden-
tified as Muhd Ridhwan Abdul Jalil, was
apparently investigating a claim that Malay
Muslim youths had committed apostasy
and were attending mass at the church.
The reporter wrote that his findings
showed the so-called “Malay Muslims”
were actually Catholics from Sabah,
Sarawak and the Philippines and not
Malays.
He had admitted to receiving the Holy
Communion, a sacred ritual where Chris-
tians are fed the “body” of Jesus Christ Residents
in the form of a wafer referred to as the
host.
say
The story also carried a photo of a half- ‘sorry’ to
eaten host. Guan Eng
On July 8, two parishioners of the
Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Penang, pg 6
Joachim Francis Xavier and Sudhagaran
Stanley, lodged a report at the Patani police
station in Penang on this matter.
Federal police CID Comm Datuk Seri
Mohd Bakri Zinin said the case was trans-
ferred to Dang Wangi police as the alleged
act had taken place in their jurisdiction.
He said several people have been
inteviewed over the report and the case
has been classified under Section 298 (a)
of the Penal Code which pertains to the ut-
terance of words or actions with deliberate
intent to wound religious feelings.
“We will speak to witnesses and the
complainants first and then we will move
on to summon the journalist for question-
ing,” he said.
It is learnt police have questioned four
witnesses to date.
Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur Tan Sri
Murphy Pakiam said he hopes police will
carry out a thorough investigation and take
action against those involved should it turn
out to be true.
“If it was true, where was the good
sense of the editor of the publication?” he
told theSun.
Sudhagaran, 24, said he received calls
from Dang Wangi and federal police on the
day he lodged the report and they had told
him they will probe the case.
However, he said, to date he and
Joachim have yet to be contacted for an
interview apart from brief statements they
had given to police.
He said such a show of insensitivity
should not happen to any faith, not just
the Catholic Church.
Joachim, 33, said removing the host
and having it photographed is “highly of-
fensive to us”.
“We want to know where the holy host
is now and we demand they return it to
us.”
I will be fair to all, says Najib
JITRA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said yesterday
he would be fair to all races as it was an obligation in this world
and in the hereafter.
“I am the PM for all and we (Barisan Nasional) are fair to all
races; we help all races, we help the Malays who are poor.
“We help Indians who are poor, and the Chinese, we think
of them as rich people but there are also poor people among
them, we help them ... and we help members of the Siamese
community who are poor,” he said at a meet-the-people session
here yesterday.
Najib also refuted claims he would call for a snap election in
the near future.
He said he did not see any need to do so because the current
mandate of the government would not expire anytime soon.
“I read an email sent by an opposition leader, claiming that
I will be calling for the 13th general election in the near future
because the people’s support towards us (BN) is increasing,” he
said. – Bernama
3
H1N1 statistics
(as of 8am, yesterday)
» New cases:
(Malaysians 53, Indonesians 4,
62
Pakistani 1, South African 1, Oman 1,
Saudi 1, Russian 1)
Local transmissions » Imported cases: 28
» Local transmissions: 34
(24 outpatients, 10 admitted)
» Total no. of cases: 772
rise to 34 in single day
by Karen Arukesamy Health Director-General Tan Sri Mohd
(685 87
discharged, being treated,
3 clustered transmissions)
» World total:106,888
(470 deaths from 143 countries)
newsdesk@thesundaily.com Ismail Merican said.
“Four out of the five samples taken
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia recorded 34 randomly tested positive of the virus.
local transmissions of Influenza A(H1N1) “So far, two of them have been admitted aware of the virus and constantly take
in a single day, exceeding the 28 imported while the other three are under observa- precautionary measures as advised.
cases detected yesterday, bringing the total tion at their homes.” All those who are ill and have flu and
number of confirmed cases to date to 772. Mohd Ismail said the university’s man- cough are urged to wear face masks at all
A statement from the Health Ministry agement and the state health department times, especially at public places.
said 24 of locally-transmitted cases are be- are working on containment measures The ministry’s current measures to
ing treated as outpatients and the rest have for the other students, and decontamina- mitigate and delay the spread of the in-
been admitted. tion activities in the campus and hostel fluenza A(H1N1) include a call for those
Eighty-seven of infected to practise social distancing,
grounds.
cough etiquette, hand sanitisation, and
the total number The two other
refrain from attending public events and
of cases are still INFLUENZA A(H1N1) HOTLINE clustered transmis-
being treated, sion cases reported minimise direct communications with
» 03-88810200/300
including last week involved others and ensure homes have good air
those receiving » 03-88834414/415 six people at the ventilation.
treatment as Malaysian Maritime All institutions, schools and organisa-
outpatients. Academy and 12 in a tions have been asked to conduct thorough
Fifty-three of the private information technology company health monitoring and report anyone with
latest cases are Malaysians, four Indone- in Cyberjaya. symptoms or are on sick leave to the near-
sians and one each from Pakistan, South According to the World Health Or- est health department so it can check for
Africa, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Russia. ganisation, the total number of cases has any link to the A(H1N1) virus in the area
“There is another clustered local escalated to 106, 888 – an increase of 285 or community.
transmission case in Universiti Teknologi – with 470 deaths from 143 countries. The ministry is coming up with aware-
Mara (UiTM) Lendu, Alor Gajah, Ma- Reminding the people that the disease ness campaigns on sanitisation, wearing
lacca involving 60 students who have been is highly contagious, yet preventable, the face masks and the 10 home quarantine
isolated in the campus since Saturday,” Health Ministry urged them to be more guidelines.
ZULKIFLI ERSAL/ THESUN
by Hemananthani Sivanandam highest reading of 91, up from a read- gor (59), Kajang (60), Shah Alam (62), A man wears
newsdesk@thesundaily.com ing of 87 at 11am. Petaling Jaya (59), Putrajaya (56), Kuala a face mask
Air quality is good when the API Lumpur (62) and Cheras (57). in Kuala
PETALING JAYA: Tanjung Malim re- reading is from 0 to 50, moderate According to the Department of En- Lumpur,
corded the highest unhealthy reading 51-100, unhealthy 101-200, very un- vironment (DOE) website, only 44% or which was
of 107 on the Air Pollutant Index (API) healthy 201-300, and hazardous when 22 of the 51 areas monitored recorded affected
at 5pm yesterday. Its reading at 11am it is above 300. healthy readings at 5pm. This was a by haze,
was at a healthy level of 35. Among the areas that recorded drop compared to 11am, when 70% or yesterday
Port Klang reported the second moderate readings are Kuala Selan- 36 areas recorded healthy readings. morning,
Police focusing on street crimes: IGP
KUALA LUMPUR: The police will give prior- would take measures to check crime. have not ruled out the probability that two
ity to stamping out street crimes, in line with Musa said police would increase key members of Malaysia’s largest loan-
the government commitment to reduce manpower and beat base in public places shark network could be familiar names in
crime and corruption. known to be risky due to the many crimes the political fraternity.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa committed there, Bernama reports. Initial police investigations have revealed
Hassan said drastic measures would be Police would also step up cooperate with that the two were among six people who
taken to address the problem to ensure the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission had jointly headed the network which had
public safety and security. (MACC) and related agencies. international connections in drug trafficking
“Street crimes like snatch thefts and He said the anti-corruption campaign and prostitution, among others.
robberies have big impact as people are was proven effective when two policemen The other four heads, including a Datuk, are
afraid to go outdoors, thus limiting their turned down a bribe of RM500,000 recently. in police custody to facilitate investigations.
movements. They were offered the bribe after stopping Mohd Bakri said preliminary investiga-
“Police want to reduce such crimes which a lorry with 978kg of drugs worth RM280 tions on some of the network heads in
have become rampant,” he said when com- million on May 2. custody revealed a possible involvement in
menting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Meanwhile, Bukit Aman CID director politics and in other crimes like drug-traffick-
Abdul Razak’s statement that the government Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said police ing, prostitution and illegal businesses.