Aniston wears a tie and nothing else on the cover of GQ magazine’s January 2009 issue. — AP pic
NEW YORK, Dec 12 — Jennifer Aniston wears a tie — and nothing else — on the January cover of GQ magazine. The 39-year-old actress strips down and shows off her toned body next to the headline: "Is it just us or is Jennifer Aniston getting hotter?"
Joking about the relentless media coverage of herself, ex-husband Brad Pitt and Pitt's partner Angelina Jolie, Aniston tells the magazine: "The funny thing is that people don't realise we all go away to the Hamptons on the weekends."
Not exactly. Says Aniston: "But can you imagine? That'd be hysterical: I've got Zahara on my hip, and Knox ..."
As for Jolie's past remarks about falling for Pitt on the set of "Mr & Mrs Smith," Aniston says: "No daggers through the heart. I laugh. Am I surprised? ... Considering the source, nothing surprises me." — AP
We all know that the Internet is a cool place to hang with friends and check out new things. But don't forget about the Internet's risks and dangers. If you're going to use the Web, do it safely! Here are some suggestions on what you should and shouldn't be doing online to help protect you against the bad stuff. Click the link below to for details:-
SINGAPORE, Dec 12 — An 11-year-old Singaporean girl went on the Internet, befriended a teenage boy and, soon afterwards, invited him home to have sex. Now 13, she is believed to be one of the youngest girls involved in a case of “underaged carnal connection”, or having sex with a child.
Nicholas Lim Jian Yong was 16 when, some time before April 10 last year, the girl started talking to him over the social networking website Friendster, a district court was told.
They started seeing each other, and she told him she was 12 years old and a Primary 6 pupil.
Then, some time between April 10 and June 30, she asked him to her home in Bukit Batok, and they had sex. It was consensual sex, the court was told.
About two weeks later, the girl broke up with Lim as she felt that they had begun to drift apart.
The Straits Times learnt that she went on to have another boyfriend, a 16-year-old Institute of Technical Education student.
Lim was arrested after the girl told the police that she had had sex with him before having sex with her new boyfriend.
The second boy is also being investigated for having sex with her. The Straits Times understands that the girl went missing this year. It is not known where she is now.
Last month, Lim pleaded guilty to having sex with a girl under 16. A second similar charge, of having sex at a staircase landing in a block of flats, was considered during his sentencing.
Lim, who is doing a hairdressing course, apologised for what he did and asked for a second chance. Community Court judge Roy Neighbour called for a pre-sentence report to find if Lim was eligible for probation.
The younger of two sons from a family who live in a three-room Housing Board flat, Lim said he wanted to be a hairstylist to help his parents.
Yesterday, the judge placed him on 12 months' probation. He will have to observe a curfew and also do 40 hours of community service.
Lim's parents, who were in court, signed a S$5,000 (RM12,000) bond to ensure his good behaviour.
Judge Neighbour warned the youth that he would be brought back to court to be dealt with for the offence should he breach any term or condition of the probation.
The penalty for having sex with a girl under 16 is up to five years' jail and a fine of up to S$10,000. Young, first-time offenders like Lim are usually given a second chance or fined.
Lawyer Vinit Chhabra said that in a situation where the youngsters are seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, or where the age difference is not large, probation or a fine could be considered.
“If it is a big age difference and you know there is a predator taking advantage of a girl under 16, then it's a jail sentence,” he said.
While it would not be fair to jail the boy in this case as the girl apparently initiated the act, Chhabra wondered if an 11-year-old girl was even capable of fully grasping the far-reaching consequences of what she was doing.
Clinical psychologist Carol Balhetchet said she had come across girls as young as 10 experimenting with sex. She had seen one or two cases in each of the last two years. The director for youth services of the Singapore Children's Society, she felt that for children that young, sex cannot be consensual.
“I think there are a lot of mixed feelings about the situation and confusion and when they are like that, they want so much to please the other person, especially if the other person is someone older,” she said.
She said it was sad that by the time parents or other adults discover what is going on, the sex has already happened.
Referring to the case of Lim and the girl, she said: “When you take an adult view of the situation, both the perpetrator — who is quite young — and the victim are both victims.” — The Straits Times
PARENT GUIDE TO ONLINE SAFETY
We all know that the Internet can be a fun place and a useful resource for teens. But it is also full of risks and dangers. No one person can ensure teen online safety. However, parents play the biggest role in keeping teens safe online. Parents must be willing to elicit the support and advice of other parents, educators, online safety specialists, and teens themselves to be successful. It takes a village to raise a child. It takes the concerted efforts of all of us, working together, to make sure teens are safe online.Click the link below for details:
PUTRAJAYA, Dec 11 - Will Malaysia achieve its target of becoming a developed country by 2020?
Unlikely, says the architect of that vision.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad blamed the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the current global economic turmoil and policies of the Abdullah administration for his stark assessment.
He made this observation during a question and answer session at a forum on the current market volatility in Putrajaya today.
Dr Mahathir noted that during the last crisis in 1997, the government had twin objectives: to ensure economic growth but at the same time protect social cohesion. That is why the government rejected the remedies suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which would have included liberalizing the economy.
This strategy has not been followed by the present administration which was weak.
"For 50 years political stability was what attracted investors. Now a weak government has tried to regain popularity by pandering to the demands of extremists. The floodgates are open and all kinds of sensitive issues are being debated. The result is the resurgence of racism on the part of all ethnic groups, " he said.
In such a climate of instability, it will be difficult for the government to tackle the economic downturn.
"The fear of political repercussions will prevent the government from seeking decisive or unpopular measures, " said Dr Mahathir, who has slammed the Hindu Rights Action Force for making excessive demands and non-Malay politicians for revisiting the social contract issue.
The country has been in a state of flux since March 8 when the Pakatan Rakyat shocked Barisan Nasional by denying the ruling coalition their customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and taking control of five states. Dr Mahathir has blamed the weak leadership of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for BN's poor performance and campaigned for his resignation.
Dr Mahathir yesterday dismissed the government's RM7 billion stimulus package, saying that spreading a few billion ringgit would not be effective in heading off the economic slowdown.
KUALA LUMPUR: Nick Kelesau of Long Kerong, Sarawak, has every reason to be proud. He was selected by his Penan community to receive the Suaram Human Rights Award on their behalf.
He received the award yesterday from Suaram executive director Yap Swee Seng at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall here,
The award was significant to Nick as his father, Tuai Kampung Kelesau Naan, who died last year at the age of 70, was headman of the Penan community of Ulu Baram, Sarawak.
He rallied the villagers to prevent loggers from entering their forests and stopped bulldozers and chainsaws.
While checking on traps in October last year, the elder disappeared and could not be found despite an extensive search. His broken remains were found two months later.
"This award is testament to all that my father did to help our community retain our rights," said Nick.
He is continuing his father's legacy by holding discussions with logging companies on the community's land rights.
The award was started nine years ago to recognise efforts by local communities in promoting human rights.
For the fourth time, the award was shared by two bodies -- the Penans of Ulu Baram and the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
The winners received RM1,000 each, a trophy and a certificate.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 - The Government has released without publicity more than a dozen Muslim extremists linked to the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terror organisation. They include Malaysian Yazid Sufaat, who is believed to have abetted the Sept 11 attacks in New York.
Yazid emerged as a key figure in JI's regional network because of his link to Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted of conspiracy charges in the Sept 11 attacks in New York.
A senior Malaysian government official told The Straits Times that the Indonesian, Malaysian and Filipino detainees were freed over the past month after a government advisory board at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak decided that they were no longer security threats.
Also released was a Thai national, Kasem Dayama, who was arrested in October 2006 for espionage, the official said. Their release has not been publicised.
Coming on the heels of the executions last month of the three Bali bombers in Indonesia, Malaysia's move has raised eyebrows among the region's intelligence community and security experts.
Security analysts warned of reprisal attacks after Indonesia executed Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra for their role in the 2002 bombings of two Bali nightclubs that left more than 200 people dead.
Many of the detainees just released in Malaysia knew the Bali bombers well and are known to several JI militants who are still at large, including Noordin Mohammad Top and the Singapore detainee who escaped, Mas Selamat Kastari.
Regional intelligence officials fear that the freed men might still be anti-Western and could easily return to their underground networks in places such as the predominantly Muslim regions of southern Thailand and southern Philippines.
"There is clearly a more relaxed approach to the way Kuala Lumpur is dealing with suspected terrorists," one senior Western intelligence official based in South-east Asia said, adding that his government's security agencies would be seeking more information from their Malaysian counterparts.
A senior Malaysian government official who declined to be named defended the detainees' release.
He insisted that Kuala Lumpur remained committed to the fight against religious extremism, and stressed that the men who were released had been rehabilitated after an intensive programme.
"Some of them, like Yazid, have been detained for more than six years and the (advisory) board was comfortable that these men have been rehabilitated," he said.
He added that Yazid, who was arrested in December 2001, had shown "huge improvement" in recent years under the rehabilitation programme.
Again, he declined to elaborate. The 43-year-old Yazid is by far the most prominent of the JI suspects released by Malaysia.
A trained biochemist and former army captain, he emerged as a key figure in JI's regional network because of his link to Zacarias Moussaoui, a French citizen of Moroccan descent who was convicted on conspiracy charges in the Sept 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Yazid hosted Moussaoui during his visit to Malaysia in September and October 2000. Eight months earlier, he allowed Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi to use his apartment. They were the two hijackers on board the American Airlines aircraft that crashed into the Pentagon.
Yazid was to have been detained until Jan 31, 2010, according to security officials.
Sources said his release was subject to conditions. A resident of Selangor, he cannot leave the state without the permission of the state police chief.
Similar conditions apply to Sabah resident Sulaiman Suramin, who was arrested in 2003 and is among those just released.
The foreign nationals released by the Malaysian government were mainly lowly functionaries of JI, which has ambitions of establishing a pan-Islamic state linking Indonesia, Malaysia and the Muslim southern islands of the Philippines.
Sources said the freed foreigners included eight Indonesians who were detained for two days at a West Java detention centre before being allowed to return to their families.
The Indonesians include:
Ahmad Zakaria, who was arrested off Sabah in 2004;
Arifin Iwan, who was caught in 2005 en route to the southern Philippines. He had been active in sectarian fighting in Ambon and Poso;
Terhamid Dahlan alias Adi Utomo Sukamto, who was arrested while trying to enter Sabah illegally in 2004;
Zakaria Saman, alias Ahmad Said Maulana, who was arrested in 2003 while returning from south-east Philippines. He fought in Ambon and received his military training in the southern Philippines.
Philippine nationals Shaykinar Guat and Argadi Andoyok were arrested in 2006 off Sabah.
It is not clear whether they have been released since they were handed over to the Philippine authorities.
Thai national Kasem Dayama was also arrested in 2006, but he had no links to JI. Malaysian security officials say he was arrested for spying on southern Thais seeking refuge in Kelantan.
Malaysian government sources said there are another 30 suspected JI operatives, a handful of them foreigners, still in detention at the Kamunting detention centre. - Straits Times Singapore
PETALING JAYA: Many Sarawak-based plantation companies are facing tough sales and operational conditions following the drastic drop in crude palm oil (CPO) prices.
These planters, being late entrants to the oil palm sector, currently have a combined mature area of about 20% or 103,678ha, unlike their counterparts in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah with about 86% and 59% mature areas respectively.
A plantation analyst said that planters in the peninsula and Sabah had enough hectarage of profitable harvesting area to be financially independent but Sarawak planters, given their shortage of mature areas, mostly could not cover their CPO sales and high cost of production.
The remaining 80% of young palm areas in Sarawak also need huge capital injections, resulting in some planters having huge bank borrowings.
With the current CPO price at RM1,500 a tonne, Sarawak planters are finding it difficult to service their loans. They are also saddled with rising fertiliser and chemical prices and CPO taxes imposed by the Federal and state Governments.
The analyst said: “For most Sarawak planters, the minimum CPO price to cover their cost of sales for the first six years of harvesting is about RM1,581 per tonne.”
He believes that many Sarawak planters would be in dire straits with the current CPO price hovering at between RM1,450 and RM1,500 per tonne.
“I estimate that it will take more than 25 years for late entrant planters, particularly in Sarawak, to recoup cumulative losses for a new plantation,” he added.
The cost of production among Sarawak planters is also the highest in the country at about RM1,800 to RM2,000 a tonne compared with about RM1,100 to RM1,200 per tonne for efficient planters in Peninsular Malaysia.
Ta Ann Holdings Bhd group managing director Datuk Wong Kuo Hea told StarBiz that the decline in the CPO price was affecting many small and medium-sized oil palm planters in Sarawak. Sibu-based Ta Ann, traditionally a timber group, has been investing heavily in oil palm plantations in Sarawak.
Wong said fertiliser prices had gone up three to four times while the CPO price was currently at the 2007 level.
He pointed out that Sarawak planters had appealed to the Federal and state Governments to look into their plight.
“We made an appeal two months ago, but until now, we have yet to receive any action or feedback,” he said, adding that Sarawak planters would continue to appeal.
In October, seven Sarawak-based oil palm plantation companies, which account for over 50% of the total planted oil palm acreage in Sarawak, appealed to the Federal and Sarawak governments to revise the structure of oil palm related taxes for planters.
The seven companies were Ta Ann, Sarawak Plantations Bhd, Rimbunan Sawit Bhd, Sarawak Oil Palm Bhd, WTK Holdings Bhd, Solid Timber Sdn Bhd and Woodman Sdn Bhd.
Other proposals include a waiver on outstanding amount of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) cess, plantation workers’ levy for Sarawak, review of the RM40 per tonne discount on CPO price for east Malaysia, discount on MPOB oil cess and subsidy for fertilisers.
The group wants the state government to give working permits to “illegal” foreign workers in plantations and a reduction in the special sales tax on CPO and palm kernel.
Its spokesman Paul Wong said in October, when CPO was trading at RM1,700 per tonne, that many Sarawak planters were bleeding. “Just imagine now with CPO at RM1,500, the impact will be even worse.”
Wong, who is Sarawak Oil Palm Bhd chief executive officer, said recently that local oil palm planters on average had to fork out up to 46% of their total earnings to pay taxes in the form of MPOB cess, windfall tax to subsidise oil palm refiners as well as other corporate income and Sarawak sales tax.
KUALA LUMPUR: He has been digging at the site of his wrecked home in Bukit Antarabangsa for two consecutive days, searching for hours for the wedding bands he and his late wife, Ng Yee Ping, wore.
Jason Ng said the wedding bands meant the world to him, especially now that his wife was no longer with him.
Yee Ping, an accountant and his childhood sweetheart, died in Saturday's landslide.
The couple had known each other since kindergarten and were together throughout their primary and secondary education at Chong Hwa primary and secondary schools in Setapak.
They tied the knot in 2005 at the age of 20. Yee Ping gave birth to a boy only two months ago.
Ng, who runs a printing firm in the city, has been digging furiously at the ruins of his house.
"Every night, we would take off our wedding bands and leave them at our bedside with our handphones.
"Yesterday, one of her colleagues told me that her phone was ringing despite it being buried under tonnes of earth," he said, adding that the news had spurred him to follow the ringing.
"I heard the ringing tone yesterday but could not pinpoint the location of the phone," he said. "I came back today but it wasn't ringing any more."
Ng is convinced that the wedding bands are near the handphones as they were left in the same place.
He and his family are said to have obtained special permission to carry out the search.
At 6.30pm yesterday, he cut a lone figure, walking away from the scene.
Yee Ping was one of four people killed in Saturday's landslide. Her body was recovered hours after the incident.
DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES ARE JUST MERELY FOR MY READING PURPOSES, NOT MY INTENTION TO DISTRIBUTE OR GOSSIP ANYBODY WHOEVER NAMES MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLES....
It is Alfred Jabu’s habit to condemn Dayaks who do not “kow-tow” to him. Since he became YB and minister in 1974, he had been criticising his own people and his choice of words is always similar:anti-establishment, anti-development, instigators, ungrateful, what have you done to help the community, you know how to criticise, etc. When the defunct Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) was in the opposition, its leaders - Leo Moggie, Daniel Tajem, Edmund Langgu, Jawi Masing, James Masing, and the late Joseph Samuel, – had also been condemned by Jabu. He had also criticised leaders of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) such as the late Stephen Kalong Ningkan, Dunstan Endawie, Edwin Dundang, Justine Jinggut, Stanley Jugol, etc.
All Dayaks’ non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU), Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA), Sarawak Dayak Graduate Association (SDGA), Dayak Cultural Foundation (DCF) and Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) – have been at the receiving end of his ‘loquacious’ mouth (baka mulut indu).
A couple of days ago, he chided SDNU and SADIA for not praising him and SALCRA for helping the Dayak community. And today, 8 Dec 2008 (according to The Borneo Post), he accused bloggers of discrediting him and SALCRA, instigating the people to go against the government and hampering its efforts by abusing and misusing the internet.
He said: “They blog every day and night but have done nothing for the people. They only talk”.
It is true we have done nothing in term of physical development. But our job is to help change the mindset of the people and help them to know their rights especially their customary rights over land that had been created by their forefathers centuries ago.
As a minister Jabu is in a better position to help the people as he has the federal and state funds at his finger tips. But yet he has failed miserably as many of his projects (kononnya) to help the Dayaks have become white elephants. Perhaps only SALCRA appears to be doing much better than many of his projects. But then he is not the originator of the project.
No doubt some SALCRA participants have received some substantial amount of money from its dividends and bonuses, but the bulk of such money goes to some rich Dayaks and non-Dayaks, while some of the poor Dayak participants receive as little as RM2.70 as dividends. One non-Dayak in Saratok, for example, has received over RM500,000 in dividends last year because some scheme participants have sold their land and shares to the ‘Chinaman’. Did Jabu speak about him as a successful SALCRA participant?
On development, it is undeniable that Jabu has brought some development projects to Betong which is under his constituency. But that is Betong only. What about other Dayak areas? In fact some money meant for projects in other divisions have been diverted to Betong.
His political enemies have accused Jabu of only having interests in the development of politics and business for his family and cronies. For example, who is this Gerald Rentap who owns Utahol Sdn Bhd that has been given 6,900 hectares of land, Ulu Medamit, Limbang for the planting of oil palm? And who is this Robert Lawson Chuat who owns Durafarm which was given land totalling 1501.825 hectares at Tanjong Bijat and Skrang Land districts and 3665.1 hectares of land in Betong? And what about Henry Jantum’s Ever Herald Sdn Bhd that was given 2,127 hectares of land of Batang Layar/Batang Lupar land district and another 2,873 hectares of Sablor and Sebelak land districts in Betong?
The way I see it, the more Jabu criticises and condemns people from his community the more he will be isolated and the more people hate him. Now after criticising the Dayak bloggers, who will be his next targets? - The Broken Shield
KUCHING: Some 85% of Sarawak’s rural areas are expected to have electricity supply by 2010, said Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
He said that RM150mil had been allocated for rural electrification under an installation contract running from 2008 to October 2009.
“It is being implemented by six companies in the southern, central and northern regions of Sarawak and is expected to be completed in October next year,” he said, adding that it would see 68% of rural areas receiving electricity supply through the main grid by then.
For 2009 to 2010, he said the Federal Government had allocated an additional RM374mil for rural electrification.
“With this allocation, we will be able to widen the area of coverage to 85%,” he said after launching a rural electrification project at Kampung Mantung Marau in Serian near here early this week.
Awang Tengah also said that Sarawak’s terrain of mountains and rivers made it difficult to provide connections to remote spots.
As such, he said the state was looking into providing electricity through alternative means such as solar, wind and diesel in areas not be connected to the main grid.
Botswana Minister of Education Jacob Nkate will travel to Malaysia this week to investigate suicide among Botswana students.
Four students have also died this year due to car accidents. Two fell from the balconies of their apartments after drinking alcohol. This has created an atmosphere of panic among Botswanans in Malaysia and here at home.
The students interviewed in the local media have cited the environment as being hostile hence they resorted to alcohol abuse, ending up in fatal accidents.
Speaking at a media briefing last Thursday, Nkate said the ministry is concerned about the number of deaths occurring in Malaysia. The minister said that a delegation, including counsellors, was dispatched to Malaysia last week to try and talk to the students.
"We will also move the education attache from Beijing in China to Malaysia to be near the students," he said.
The Education Minister said Malaysia is a liberal country where anyone is free to do anything that their heart desires as long as they are on the right side of the law. He said it is the first-year students who are most vulnerable to accidents because they are challenged by being thrust into a very big city in a very different culture.
"Being taken from a rural area like Tsau to a big city like that can shock a rural boy," he said.
There are currently 850 students in Limkokwing University in Malaysia doing courses in design, communications and IT.
KUALA LUMPUR: It was about 4am when singer Datuk Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin was awakened from her sleep by a call from her cousin.
Her relative was living at house No.10, Jalan Bukit Antarabangsa where the landslide had occurred.
“He was crying and was really scared. His house wasn’t badly affected but his neighbours were,” she said when met outside her home in Bukit Antarabangsa yesterday.
Siti Nurhaliza’s husband Datuk Seri Khalid Mohd Jiwa went over and what he saw shocked him.
“House No.13 was pushed all the way to where house No.11 was, two lots away,” he said.
Siti Nurhaliza added that her cousin was not hurt and would be staying with her for the time being.
When asked if she would continue to stay in the area, she said her home was relatively safe because there was no slope behind it.
Marketing manager Nor Elmie Abd Hamid, 39, was still awake when a loud noise startled her at about 3am.
“When the electricity went out along with the loud noise, I knew something was wrong,” she said.
When she went out to check, Nor Elmie who lives in the Impian Selatan Condo located across the affected bungalows, saw that the landslide had practically reached her doorstep.
“I was really worried for my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Zulaiqa Myra,” she said.
She added that she saw two survivors crawling out from under the rubble – an old lady and a little girl.
“My husband and I tried to console some of the survivors. After that we packed up. We are going to stay at my mother-in-law’s place in Kampung Baru for the next few days until things clear up,” she said.
Nor Elmie said at one point she thought it was the end of the world.
Student Joe Lim, 18, said he was awakened at about 3am by loud noises but went back to sleep.
“I woke up again after 7am and saw that my neighbours had tried calling me 20 times on my mobile phone,” he said.
Lim said he was shocked to see the road in front of his house, Jalan Wangsa 9, half gone.
The Sunway University College student then immediately packed up some clothes and other basic necessities. He said he’ll be staying in his rented room in Sunway for the time being.
Many families were seen carrying bags and luggage as they left the area, seeking sanctuary somewhere safer.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — Four people, including a mother who gave birth just two months ago, have been confirmed dead in a massive landslide early today that has trapped hundreds of residents in Bukit Antarabangsa.
Police also said seven others are missing and 15 injured in the 4am landslide that swept and buried 14 houses in Jalan Bukit Mewah and Jalan Mewah Utama.
In an immediate reaction after visting the disaster site, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government will not issue any more permits for hillside developments.
Selangor police chief Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said police will evacuate nearly 5,000 residents from the vicinity of the landslide which has also cut off access from the main road to housing estates in Bukit Antarabangsa.
Rescue officials said 93 residents have been saved from the tonnes of earth, mud and rubble in the landslide believed to be triggered by heavy rains in the Klang Valley in the past few weeks.
The injured and the remains of the dead have been rushed to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
Retired businessman Datuk Shaharuddin Adnan found his son's body in the rubble of his collapsed house by following the ringing of the boy's mobile phone. The 20-year-old Saiful Khas was still holding the mobile phone when his body was discovered.
The 63-year-old man's wife and relative who were in the house survived the disaster. Rescue workers could not save his son, he added.
Some 160 personnel from the police, army, Ampang Jaya Municipal Council and medical personnel are involved in the ongoing search and rescue operation.
The landslide happened near the Highland Towers tragedy just five days shy of 15 years ago that killed 48 people when Tower One collapsed.
Meanwhile, Bernama reports that the injured were given first aid at the Addinniah surau before being sent to hospital. At least 12 ambulances were spotted at the scene.
One of the affected bungalows is owned by Datuk Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab, the principal private secretary to the prime minister. Thajudeen and his family are safe as they were not at home at the time.
Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Azmin Ali said at the scene that earth movements continued to take place and that electricity supply to several housing estates in Bukit Antarabangsa was disrupted.
Eyewitness Hassan Saad said he was watching television in his sitting room at 4am when he heard what sounded like strong wind but when he looked out, the air was still and the trees were not swaying.
He returned to watching the TV but suddenly he heard an explosion like that of a bomb. He ran out of the house and saw the earth sliding down the hillslope and hitting his neighbour's house in front.
The 48-year-old businessman said he shouted to wake up his family and alert his neighbours to run for their lives. His family of 10, including his mother-in-law and two cousins, managed to run to safety.
Hassan, who has been living there for 15 years, said it was the first time that such a thing had happened in the area.
"Last month, eight trees fell on the hillslope about 20m behind my house and I informed the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council about it.
"They came and chopped the trees. I thought that everything was okay then," he told reporters at the scene.
Another resident, Lian Wan Jian of Taman Bukit Mewah, said he heard two loud noises and thought that it was an earthquake.
He said he was still awake at that time but his wife and two children were jolted from their sleep by the noises.
When he opened the door to run out, he and his family saw the force of the earth movement lifting the cars and felt his house being pushed towards the neighbour's house. He and his family, however, managed to run to safety.
"Maybe we were able to save ourselves because our house is at the end (of the row)," he said at the centre for the victims at the Addinniah surau in Taman Bukit Mewah.
Earlier, a man who wanted to be known only as Chong, said his daughter and two-month-old grandchild were buried alive in the landslide while his son was still missing as at 9am.
He said he visited them last night and had gone home at 11pm but was told by a neighbour's son that his son's house had been buried in the landslide.
The place was in chaos and hundreds of residents were unable to get out of the area because the only road leading out was jam-packed with bulldozers, fire engines, ambulances and lorries, and the security forces involved in the search and rescue operation.
Residents trying to flee the area also contributed to the traffic congestion.
Meanwhile, the Drainage and Irrigation Department's Infobanjir website has thus far not listed Bukit Antarabangsa as facing a risk of landslides from either a single rainstorm event or successive days of moderate rain.
The highest rainfall charted by DID for Bukit Antarabangsa was 17mm and 22mm last Wednesday and Thursday respectively. There was relatively no rainfall recorded for Bukit Antarabangsa area since midnight on Friday.
A check with the Meteorological Department shows that rainfall in areas in Selangor remains normal despite the daily evening rainstorms.
Shah Rukh Khan says he will be coming back to shoot a movie here. — AP pic
MELAKA, Dec 6 - Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, resplendent in a black baju Melayu, samping and songkok, today received the state award conferring the "Datuk" title on him from the Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob at Dewan Seri Negeri in Ayer Keroh here.
The 43-year-old actor held the estimated 1,000 guests at the investiture spellbound as he received the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka (DMSM), conferred on him and 76 others in conjunction with the 70th birthday of Mohd Khalil on Oct 11.
Shah Rukh Khan was tied down by a busy work schedule and could not fly in from Mumbai to receive the award in October or on the later date, Nov 29.
Today, he arrived at the Dewan Seri Negeri at 10.55am and kept smiling and waving to his fans as he was escorted into the hall.
The actor was the focus of attention of the local and foreign photographers as well as guests who clicked away on their camera phones from their seats in the hall.
The baju Melayu he wore was sponsored by Sovereign Wear Sdn Bhd and the Melaka state official samping made of songket was sponsored by the Institut Seni Malaysia Melaka.
Mohd Khalil's wife, Toh Puan Zurina Kassim, and Melaka Chief Minister Datuk
Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and his wife, Datin Seri Asmah Abdul Rahman, were also present at the investiture.
At the end of the investiture, the guests especially state VIPs took the opportunity to have photographs taken with Shah Rukh Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan, who is the first foreign actor to be bestowed the DMSM, had received more than 40 awards in the entertainment and film industry at the international level, among them the Screen Award, Zee Cine Award, NDTV Award and International Indian Film Award.
He had acted in the Hindi film, One 2 Ka 4, which carried scenes shot in Malaysia, including at the A Famosa Resort in Alor Gajah, near here.
Meanwhile, at a joint news conference with Mohd Ali, Shah Rukh Khan repeatedly thanked Mohd Khalil and the Melaka state government for the award bestowed on him.
"Thank you to the Melaka government for this prestigious award. I was so honoured to receive this award that was given by a country that does not even understand my language," he said.
He said Melaka has many beautiful places and he will come back to shoot a movie here.
"Melaka has beautiful scenery and I will promote this country to the world for hosting a shooting here," he said.
Shah Rukh Khan said he was excited and flattered wearing a baju Melayu and samping when he received the award.
He sounded disappointed that he could not stay longer here this time and said he might bring his family on a holiday - BERNAMA
It is a bitter lesson for the people of two longhouses – Rumah Ranggong and Rumah Belili,Sungai Sah, Bintulu Division – to learn for supporting Barisan Nasional candidates in the last parliamentary and state elections. Why a bitter lesson?
It is bitter because, despite their strong support for the Barisan Nasional government, their land of 1,803 hectares are taken away and are given by the BN government under a provisional lease to BLD Resources Sdn Bhd for the planting of oil palm.
At 10.00 a.m. on Thursday morning (4 December) Changgai anak Dali, 84-year old, a third generation resident of the area, was summoned by BLD Resources to appear at the Kuching High Court for “trespassing” into his own land/garden that has been taken over by the company. He claimed he had customary rights over the land which he and his forefathers had farmed for almost a century. The company wanted the Court to stop him from entering the said land.
Changgai was accompanied by 75 others who represented each of the 76 doors of Rumah Ranggong. Their land was also involved. The case was adjourned to 13 January 2009 to allow the company to file an application to include the State government as a party. Harrison Ngau who represented Changgai said several more suits would be filed against the company for trespassing on their NCR land.
Before the start of the case, a miring (ritual) ceremony was held in front of the court. As they could not get help from their elected representatives (MP and State Assemblyman), Changgai and those accompanying him had to seek the assistance of the spirits to help them fight forces bent on taking away their land.
The people of Rumah Ranggong and Rumah Belili were not the only ones who had brought their cases to court, but also people in other parts of Sarawak – from Lawas to Limbang, Bintulu, Miri, Sibu, Sarikei, Kanowit, Simanggang, Simunjan, Serian and Lundu - had also resorted to court to claim back their land.
Whose fault is it? It is your fault, my fault and the fault of the community. We Dayaks can never learn a lesson as election after election we continue to vote BN candidates who have no guts to speak on our behalf.
There is power that is greater than the power of the spirits and power of the court. It is YOUR POWER, the power that can CHANGE the government.
When asked by Cyber Jungle Network News (CJNN) about these claims, Chief Minister Taib Mahmud aka Mahalanun shouted, "I am the Government! These Ibans are trespassers on my land. They can sue me if they want. I don't care. There has been no new NCR in the state since 1958. Let them die without the land! I am the Government! I am the Government!"
He then started overturning tables, throwing chairs and kicking flowerpots and anyone within range, including Afraid Jabu and Awang Tanah. Jam Masin narrowly escaped a flying teapot, while Will Morewant panicked and fell head over heels by himself. Abang Jauh Pak Awi was the first to run off and was nowhere to be seen. Awang Asfiaxated was uncharacteristically shocked speechless and was found hiding behind his wife. Taib had to be forcefully ejected from the press conference for running out of control. Since Sarawak Police Chief Mat Slave and his boys also ran off, the job was left to a lowly off-duty Sarawak Ranger, Private Kiri Anak Kanan, who managed to subdue Taib with a kick to the groin.
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 5 — While the Pakatan Rakyat states welcome the Deputy Prime Minister’s call to work together to pull Malaysia through the recession, they are also working among themselves to face the effects of the big crunch which is expected to hit the country next year.
Today, Kelantan invited its more developed PR partners to open tourism facility branches in the rural state.
‘If the five PR states can come up with solutions, we can be more competitive than the BN states,’ Kelantan executive council member Datuk Husam Musa said.
At the same international conference launching Penang’s investment plans, the Selangor Menteri Besar announced that all the PR heads of state will meet next month to further develop their ongoing cooperation with each other.
‘This is the time for action, not for policy researching,’ Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said.
He explained that the idea for inter-state cooperation among the PR partners had begun shortly after their victory in the March general election.
Perak has been in talks with Penang and Selangor over supplying water to the state and with Kelantan over laying gas pipelines.
Khalid called on the federal government to include the PR-ruled states in its action plan as the five states, particular Selangor, Penang and Perak, together contributed close to 50 per cent of the economic pie of Malaysia.
However, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said they had hesitated from working solely among themselves earlier because they did not want to be “isolated” from the rest of the country.
But the situation was growing more serious by the day with the high possibility of a 500,000 returning Malaysian workers after losing their jobs in neighbouring Singapore next year and this needed to be tackled as fast as possible.
‘The recession is coming. It’s time to wake up. We must get people prepared and we must encourage more spending by the government,’ Lim stressed.
KETURUNAN/BANGSA/RACE: LAIN-LAIN (THAT'S WHAT DAYAK ARE BEING CATEGORIZED)
LAIN-LAIN STAND FOR 'ALIEN'
DAYAK MADE UP OF MORE THAN 60% OF SARAWAK POPULATION
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