'Culture clash' in Swedish case

'Culture clash' in Swedish case

'Culture clash' in Swedish case

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:02 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: A FAMILY member of a Malaysian couple who were arrested by the Swedish police for allegedly disciplining their child who refused to pray, is hoping the authorities there will be more sensitive when handling the case.

He said the case was a classic one, involving a clash of cultures, with the Swedish authorities and social service failing to look into the religious and cultural aspects of the children, who have since been placed in foster care.

"They (the children) should have been placed in the care of a Muslim family," he told the New Straits Times yesterday.

He said the authorities should have consulted the Malaysian embassy there and looked for a Malaysian family to care for the children while the parents were in detention.

According to sources, the couple were detained by Swedish authorities in Stockholm last December, after a report was made by one of their children to a teacher, who consequently reported them to the Swedish police.

In Sweden, the law states that "a child may not be subjected to physical punishment or other injurious or humiliating treatment".

However, in Malaysia, there is a clearer understanding between spanking as a corrective tool for children and physical abuse.

It is learnt the couple appeared in court on Thursday and their remand period has been extended for another two weeks.

The husband is an employee of Tourism Malaysia while the wife is a secondary school teacher, who is on unpaid leave.

The Tourism and Culture Ministry is believed to have sent a representative to assist the couple.

The couple's children are in the care of the Swedish social welfare authorities and were reported to be unhappy living in the home of a non-Muslim foster family.

The eldest of the four, who only wished to be known as Aisyah, 14, said she and her three brothers, aged 12, 11 and 7, had been staying with the foster family, as arranged by Swedish social services after their parents were detained on Dec 18.

Aisyah said they were not happy staying at the foster home, as the family kept a dog.

"They also eat food that is not halal. Although they do not feed us non-halal food, we share the crockery and kitchen utensils."

Aisyah said they were not allowed to meet relatives from Malaysia, nor were they allowed to meet with their parents.

She said a week after their parents' arrest, their relatives from Malaysia visited Sweden to meet her and her brothers, but were not allowed to do so by Swedish authorities.

The couple's second child, Ammar, said they wanted to return to Malaysia as they could not stand living with strangers.

"I miss mummy and daddy.

"We want to go back to Malaysia, but they won't let us.

"We are sad each time we come back from school, as our parents are not around.

"Before this, mummy and daddy would send and fetch us from school.

"Now, we have to go by public transport ourselves.

"Our youngest brother cries every day because he misses mummy and daddy," he said.

A picture of the children — Aisyah, Ammar, Adam and Ariff — with their mother that was uploaded on Facebook by a relative.

RM5.2m diamond ring stolen

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:02 AM PST

18 January 2014| last updated at 11:56PM
By KALBANA PERIMBANAYAGAM | news@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: POLICE have formed a special team to investigate the case of a     yellow diamond ring worth RM5.2 million reported stolen from an exclusive jewellery boutique in Bukit Bintang  here on Thursday.

City Criminal Investigation Department deputy chief Assistant Commissioner Khairi Ahrasa said police were looking for three women, a man and a girl to facilitate in investigations.

They are all believed to be foreigners.

Khairi said based on closed-circuit television camera (CCTV) recordings, the three China national women and the girl had entered the shop together on the pretext of shopping before they made off with the ring.

"We have reviewed the CCTV recordings.

"Police are in the midst of preparing a photofit from the images captured."

Khairi said police had also launched a large-scale search for the suspects, believed to still be in the country.

He said in the 3.40pm incident, the women, including one who was pregnant, had kept the salesgirls busy, while the girl sneaked out the keys to the showcase display and stole the ring.

"Prior to the incident, a China national man had requested to see the ring, but left without buying.

"The salesgirl then put the ring back.

"This was when the suspects must have seen where the keys were before moving in."

Khairi said upon stealing the ring, the girl returned the keys to their original place to avoid suspicion.

He urged those with information on the suspects' whereabouts to contact the nearest police station.

A CCTV image of the suspects believed to have stolen the ring. (Inset) The yellow diamond ring.

5 hours to move male elephant

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:01 AM PST

18 January 2014| last updated at 11:34PM

HULU BESUT: THE Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), aided by the National Elephant Conservation Centres (UKGK) in Kuala Gandah, Pahang, and Sungai Ketiar, Hulu Terengganu, took five hours to tame and  transfer  a wild male elephant caught in the Kampung Keruak forest here last Thursday. 

Two female elephants from UKGK Kuala Gandah were used to help the team, comprising 10 Perhilitan officers and nine UKGK members.

The three-tonne elephant, caught last Thursday, was believed to have rampaged oil palms belonging to local residents. Four or five other elephants escaped into the jungle.

Terengganu Perhilitan director Yusoff Sharif said the operation took a long time because the wild elephant had to be tied up and pulled for about 1km before being transported out in a lorry.

"A passage had to be made in the jungle to facilitate the transfer of the elephant."

He said it was the second such operation this year. However, he said, it was the first involving an elephant in Hulu Terengganu.

Yusoff said the elephants that escaped had been spotted in Manik Urai forest, Kelantan. Bernama

Officers from Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks and the National Elephant Conservation Centres moving a wild elephant in Kampung Keruak last Thursday. Bernama pic

MACC urged to probe into Penang parking fiasco

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

18 January 2014| last updated at 11:40PM
By MELISSA DARLYNE CHOW AND PREDEEP NAMBIAR | news@nst.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: THE indefinite suspension of the two-week-old coupon parking system introduced here by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) has raised questions on how the  exercise was handled by the state authorities.

These include how the tender board awarded the contract to the agent, Perkhidmatan Alam Indah Sdn Bhd, and whether it had the means to undertake the project.

Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak yesterday challenged MPPP and the state government to reveal details of how the contract was awarded, how many companies took part and the criteria involved.

"It is quite embarrassing that the state government has had to suspend such a simple system after only two weeks.

"The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has to come in and investigate."

Rahmad questioned the implementation of the "outdated system", noting that the system had been proposed before during a council meeting in 2009, but had been rejected.

He said the state government should go back to the previous parking attendant and metered parking system.

State Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow reportedly said that the indefinite suspension was inevitable, due to the acute shortage of coupons, blaming the main parking agent for the shortfall.

Chow reportedly said that until the state government was satisfied with the actions taken by MPPP and Perkhidmatan Alam Indah, the public would have free usage of all 11,103 parking lots on the island.

He said the council must not hesitate to take action against the company, including terminating its contract, if it was unable to make the system work.

It was reported that the run-up to the implementation of the new system had not been a smooth one, with parking attendants crying foul over the new system, which left them jobless.

An MPPP official told the New Straits Times that the company was selected via open tender in 2011.

"Many parties responded to our Request for Proposal and the Aquisition Board unanimously selected the company (Alam Indah), as they met all the requirements set," she said when contacted.

It was reported that the council had received 20 bids before the tender deadline on Nov 8, 2010.

Meanwhile, members of the public said the system was not suitable.

A motorist, who wished to be known as Ganesan, said the coupon system brought more difficulties to the public.

"We do not know how long we are going to stay in a certain place. We cannot simply 'pause' at a meeting just so we can go to our cars to scratch a coupon and put it on our dashboard."

Ganesan said parking attendants and the receipt system was much more efficient.

Sivakumar, 34, said the council should plan carefully before implementing a new system.

"They were unprepared. They should have known how many coupons should be produced at a time to accommodate users.

"Plus, though we can see boards advertising the system, there are no signs stating where we can buy parking booklets.

"This poses a problem, especially to tourists. We cannot blame them for not knowing where to buy the coupons." Additional reporting by Muhamad Syakir Abdul Wahab

Penang Island Municipal Council assistant senior accountant Asiah Md Ali with the new parking coupon in George Town, recently.

'Keep Selayang Giatmara open'

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

18 January 2014| last updated at 11:40PM

Its minister, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, said GiatMara centres, including the one in Selayang, should not be closed, as they were intended for youths to seek vocational training.

Although aware that the GiatMara Centre in Selayang occupied land belonging to the Selangor government, he said the cost of building the centre as well as the salaries and allowances of the staff and trainees there were all borne by the Federal Government.

"We hope the Selangor government will not close the GiatMara Centre in Selayang to accommodate the needs of youths," he said after presenting school aid from the Mara Education Foundation to 1,500 students here yesterday.

He was speaking in response to the Selangor government's move to reconsider its decision to close down the Selayang Baru GiatMara if the management agreed to improve its existing facilities and operations.

Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the decision was in line with the state government's drive to ensure the centre could offer skills training of high quality to residents in Selayang.

The Gombak Land and District Office had reportedly written to the Selayang Giatmara Centre on Dec 2 last year stating the Selangor State Executive Council wanted the centre to vacate the land by Dec 10 this year.

It had said the centre had not obtained the approval of the state government to occupy the land over the past 20 years. Bernama

Outlets in shopping malls hardest hit

Posted: 17 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

18 January 2014| last updated at 12:25AM

Supermarkets and fast food outlets were the hardest hit.

At the Karamunsing Shopping Complex here, shoppers at the Giant Karamunsing Supermarket had to leave their groceries at the counter while waiting for power to be restored.

Outlet manager Chin Yih Yin said there was nothing they could do.

"Our peak shopping hours start at 4pm. But now, all we can do is to wait for power to be restored."

The mall's KFC outlet was preparing to welcome customers when power went off barely 30 minutes after it opened.

It was forced to close as its operations depended on electricity.

Shopper Ronald Eddie, 45, said: "It's uncomfortable to shop in the dark.

"Workers are also following you to make sure you don't steal anything."

Shoe store manager Benny Lee said the blackout had led to a drop in sales.

"I have to do transactions manually. There were not many customers today."

Businesses in shopping malls had to operate without electricity yesterday. Some were forced to close their outlets. Pic by Malai Rosmah Tuah