District police chief Superintendent Shamsudin Mat when contacted said the victims were identified as Abdul Said Salleh, 35, and Ratna Alibbermanun, 35, who died on the spot due to serious head injuries.

It was learnt that the couple was heading towards Felda Sahabat from Lahad Datu while the lorry was coming from the opposite direction.

“Initial police investigation found that the motorcycle was trying to overtake a lorry when it collided into an oncoming vehicle before it skidded and plunged into the opposite direction after which they were hit by an oncoming lorry.

“Both were killed on the spot due to the impact of the crash,” he said, adding that their bodies have been sent to the district hospital for a post mortem.

Shamsudin said investigation was still ongoing and urged eyewitnesses to come forward to assist in police investigation.

He added that the case was investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act.

Judge Ravinthran N. Paramaguru fixed the date to deliver his decision on the suit filed by Marcel Jude A/L M S Joseph, 51, naming Sabah State Legislative Assembly as the sole defendant on April 20, 2012.

He is seeking a declaration that the de-gazzetting and abolition by the defendant of the day following Good Friday, Easter Monday and Christmas Day as public holidays are unlawful and ultra vires Article 11 of the Federal Constitution and the Holidays Ordinance of Sabah.

Joseph also wants any other relief deemed fit by the court and costs.

In his statement of claim, Joseph said that in the State of Sabah, before 1978, the Christian community enjoyed three public holidays for Easter and two public holidays for Christmas.

Then, in 1978, that was abolished to only one public holiday for Easter (that is, Good Friday) and one public holiday for Christmas.

After 1978, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as well as Boxing Day were no longer public holidays and this was because of amendments made to the Holidays Ordinance of Sabah by the defendant as constituted in 1978 or thereabouts.

He said before 1978, it was stipulated under the Holidays Ordinance that for Easter and Christmas, these were inter alia the gazetted public holidays; Good Friday, and the following day; Easter Monday and Christmas Day, and the following day.

Senior State Counsel Nor Aisah Mohd Yusof represented State Attorney-General of Chambers.

family-1

KOTA KINABALU: The State Welfare Department is pushing for the prosecution to proceed with its case against a 40-year-old married man, Riduan Masmud, who allegedly raped his under 13-year-old girl friend.

Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad, in revealing this yesterday, said the department would also seek a court order to have the girl, who was only 12 and-a-half years old when she was allegedly raped, taken from her guardians and placed under its care.

She said the department would also file an injunction at the Syariah Court to scrutinize and nullify the marriage status of the girl with the man, should it find that any ‘syarat’ or requirements not met or had been breached.

“This has become a public interest case and I am of the opinion that it is the duty of the community as a whole and the ministry in particular to protect the girl,” she said to reporters when asked to comment on the issue after closing ‘Image Moulding for Harmonious Family Seminar’ organized by her minister here.

“I have confirmed with the Syariah Court that there was an application from the father to marry his under aged daughter with the accused but we will look into challenging the marriage status. If it is true that the accused had raped the girl before he married her, the law must be upheld.

“I am writing to the court to find out what exactly has transpired, the Sabah Women Action Organization (SAWO) has also requested to meet me on the issue and we will discuss the next course of action,” she added.

Jainab stressed that the ministry took the case seriously as it involved not just the interest of the victim but all other young girls at risk of falling victims to rape.

She added it was important for everyone to make sure the court is careful not to set a bad example in dealing with the case by allowing a grown-up to get away with raping an under-aged girl without being punished just by legally marrying her later.

She said the ministry was very disturbed and greatly concerned that the girl may be subjected to further traumatic experience if she was forced to marry the man who had raped her.

“As a mother, I don’t understand why the father allowed the marriage and withdrew the police report lodged against the accused. After all, the report was lodged by victim’s aunt and not him. This is a very suspicious circumstance.

“The girl must already be traumatized by the rape. Will marrying her off to the man who had raped her solve the problem? No. It will only subject the girl to further mental torture.

“I must stress this is not woman versus man; this is about the welfare and safety of a young girl. We don’t want to set a bad example as if we don’t care. We don’t want him anywhere near her,” she said.

The Session Court on Monday said it would re-examine the rape case against the restaurant manager.

Deputy public prosecutor Chow Siang Kong told the court that the prosecution would study whether to proceed with the case, sparking concern the accused may walk free.

It was learnt that the accused befriended the girl through Facebook before allegedly engaging in a sexual act with her in a car parked by the roadside near Kionsom Waterfall in Inanam, on Feb 18.

Riduan who was charged under Section 376 (1) of the Penal Code for rape is currently released on RM8,000 bail.

Meanwhile, at the function earlier, Jainab said her ministry would continue to emphasise on programmes aimed at strengthening the family institution.

She said the government understood a strong family foundation was vital in order for the country to effectively transform itself and propel forward.

She said the ministry had adopted “Happy Family Programme” since 2009, under which allocations had been channelled to various NGO and religious bodies for implementing family-building activities.

As of end last year, she said 72 such activities had been implemented in Sabah, with 32 more planned for this year.

In addition, she said the ministry also organized various activities under special out-reach programmes for families in remote rural areas.

This is because the first settlers in a squatter colony are usually locals who do not have a proper place to live in. So they build their houses on idle land.

Then foreigners who were also in the same situation would follow suit and built their houses in areas which are already established, Mohd Fauzi said at the Royal Commission on Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah hearing here yesterday.

He was responding to a question from Conducting Officer Jamil Ariffin who sought his opinion on how the squatter problem in the state could be resolved.

According to Mohd Fauzi, who was the 74th witness called before the RCI panel, more housing programmes for the locals would provide more opportunities for them to own houses and would therefore reduce the need for them to become squatters.

He also suggested that the Government consider establishing cluster settlements for foreigners and that employers also should be more responsible and provide housing for their foreign workers.

There must also be stricter control of entry of foreigners into Sabah, Mohd Fauzi added.

Earlier Mohd Fauzi informed the panel that as of 2011, there were 13 squatter colonies located within the Lahad Datu rating area. There are 2,186 illegally built houses in these colonies with 15,053 inhabitants.

The inhabitants, he said, comprised various races including local natives such as Kadazan Dusun and Bajau.

“There is basic infrastructure such as water and electricity supply to these squatter villages but not all the houses enjoy the facilities,” he said, adding that the negative effects of these squatter colonies are linked to cleanliness and health issues.

Mohd Fauzi also disclosed that Lahad Datu District Council had, since 1997, carried out seven demolition exercises on illegally built structures within its rating area.

Asked whether there are any foreigners doing business in Lahad Datu, Mohd Fauzi said that licences were only issued to Malaysian citizens.

He agreed with Jamil’s suggestion that there are foreigners conducting businesses without the necessary licences but stressed that there are also locals who operate their businesses without any permit from the District Council.

“We will confiscate the wares sold and also compound these illegal peddlers,” Mohd Fauzi said.

Meanwhile assistant enforcement of the Keningau District Council Palik @ Stanley Budas told the panel that there are 13 squatter colonies within the rating area and eight were built on Government land and the remainder on personal land.

Palik said there were 598 houses in the 13 areas with 4,370 inhabitants, and 2,947 of them are non-Malaysian citizens and eight are believed to be illegal immigrants.

These squatters do not get water or electricity supply and rely on wells or gravity water for their daily use, he said, adding that among the negative effects brought about by the presence of these colonies are cleanliness and social ills like drug abuse and petty crime.

He added that there had been demolition operations carried out between 2002 and 2012 where a total of 346 illegally built structures were torn down by the District Council.

Asked if there had been any obstacles in carrying out their duties, Palik said the District Council had received threats, but from anonymous sources.

He also disclosed that there was a plan for a resettlement area at Mile 27, Tenom but so far the District Council has yet to receive any further instructions about its implementation.

When asked to confirm if the most common complaint from residents in Keningau was the huge number of foreigners doing business illegally, Palik said it was true.

“We will confiscate the goods sold by illegal peddlers and if they are illegal immigrants, it is up to the relevant authority to arrest them because the District Council is not empowered to do so,” he said when asked by Jamil for the action taken on the illegal peddlers in Keningau.

He, however, denied Jamil’s claim that a majority of those doing business at the night market in the town area are foreigners and stressed that the traders are natives.

The panel was also told by witness number 72, Hilary Severinus that there are four areas in Tambunan where people are squatting.

The Tambunan District Council assistant enforcement officer said the squatters built their houses on private land.

“We have identified 10 houses with 210 occupants comprising 119 Suluks, two Pakistanis and one Bugis Jawa. All have valid identification documents including MyKad, MyPR, MyKids and IMMI13,” Hilary said.

The newly elected representative accused Abidin, who has just been given another term at City Hall, to have failed to deliver his job to a satisfactory level in the Sepanggar constituency.

According to him, many allocations given by the Prime Minister’s Department and other federal agencies for implementing various projects in Sepanggar had yet to be utilized due to a lack of cooperation from the Mayor’s office.

“Some of the allocations were from July last year. This shows that he is an inefficient government officer because he takes too long. He is really unproductive,” Jumat charged when officiating at the Touch Point Assistance Presentation for Inanam Farmers Association members in Menggatal, yesterday.

Jumat also claimed that Abidin’s ineffectiveness as mayor has a negative impact on the residents of Kota Kinabalu, especially those in the Sepanggar suburban area.

He added the extension of Abidin’s contract to helm City Hall for another two year was regrettable, describing the latter as an “agent of the opposition”.

“Whatever it is, his contract has been renewed and his services as mayor have been continued. But I want to challenge him, if he does not want to work under the BN government, he should resign.

“It is a shame when a Bumiputera is not sensitive to help other Bumiputera. Sepanggar is mainly a Bumiputera area. I am frustrated because our effort to develop the area is halted,” he said, adding that there were still between RM4 to RM5 million allocations from the federal that had yet to be used.

“This is what happens if a government officer is not with us. That is why I always said we need to replace any officers who could not work with BN.

“Government officers must give us their fullest cooperation or we should come after them. As the government we must fight for the people, for we are responsible and answerable to them,” he said.

Razi Hussein, 50, who is attached to the Commercial Crime Investigation Department of the Sabah Police Headquarters, pleaded not guilty before judge Caroline Bee Majanil to both charges.

The first charge accuses him of asking for a RM1,600 bribe from one Raymond Chong Kiam Fui as an inducement not to take any action against a premises in Papar for allegedly selling pirated Digital Video Discs (DVD).

The charge under Section 16 (a) (B) of the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009, carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of bribe received or RM10,000, or whichever is higher, upon conviction.

He allegedly committed the offence at a restaurant at Taipan Inanam New Township in Inanam at about 11pm on Oct 3, 2012.

The second charge accuses Razi, who is defended by counsel Zahir Shah, of corruptly agreeing to receive RM1,600 from the same man for the same purpose at a restaurant in Jalan Gaya here between 3.30pm and 4pm on Oct 24, 2012.

The charge under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009 carries a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of bribe received or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.

The court set June 28 this year to re-mention the case and released the accused on bail of RM5,000 for both charges in two local sureties.

Deputy public prosecutor Joyce Blasius told the court that the prosecution would produce 20 witnesses to testify against the accused.

State Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Omar Mamah said the woman was found by a security guard from a resort and was sent to the Semporna Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

He said there are no signs of struggles or injuries and believed the cause of the her death could be drowning.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the victim is from Kuala Lumpur and was on vacation at a resort there.

It was said she was found behind a chalet she rented and her body had been sent to Tawau Hospital for a post-mortem.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili speaking at the press conference. He is flanked by deputy minister Dato’ Seri Mahdzir Khalid (left) and secretary general of the ministry, Dato Loo Took Gee.

PUTRAJAYA: The new Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, would like to reduce the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) or electricity interruption, in Sabah by half in the next two years.

Dr Ongkili disclosed this after attending a closed-door briefing with ministry staff yesterday.

The ministry had set the SAIDI target for Sabah at 600 minutes/customer for last year.

The SAIDI target for Sabah in 2011 was 700 minutes/customer but it achieved 494.64 minutes/consumer which surpassed the target.

Last year, the federal government allocated RM276.04 million to improve electricity supply in Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan.

Dr Ongkili, meanwhile, called on the Federal and Selangor governments to find a ‘common ground’ in solving the water problem.

In expressing his wish to meet Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim soon, Dr Ongkili also said the ministry hoped that the proposal to restructure the water industry in Selangor would come to an amicable conclusion.

“Political differences should be set aside (and) scoring points over each other will be the last on the list.

“I hope to sit down with (Khalid) as soon as possible, as soon as we have explored areas that we can work together, taking into account decisions and agreements made previously.

“I am full of confidence that we can talk sense,” he said.

“There are 12 opposition members, seven from PKR, four from DAP and one from STAR. With experienced veterans like Datuk Lajim Ukin, Datuk Wilfred Bumburing and Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan in their ranks, I think we can expect some lively and interesting debates in the Assembly sittings from now on,” said Datuk Johnny Mositun, who was sworn in for the second consecutive term as Deputy Speaker yesterday by TYT Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.

Also sworn in as Deputy Speaker was Dr. Johnson Tee of PBRS replacing Datuk Frankie Chong. Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd. Salleh Tun Said is Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly.

Mositun, who is also PBS Information chief, said, he felt honored to be appointed as Deputy Speaker for a second term.

“I am thankful to TYT Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Haji Aman and PBS president, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, for this honour and privilege to serve as Deputy Speaker for a second term. I will do my utmost to uphold their trust and confidence in me,” Mositun said.

Mositun said, he had served as deputy to Tun Juhar, who was the Speaker before being appointed as Yang Dipertua Negeri, and the present Speaker, Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd. Salleh Tun Said.

“Both of them have guided and taught me much. I am grateful to them and will always be indebted to Tun Juhar and Datuk Seri Mohd. Salleh Said,” Mositun said.

When asked by reporters if he has any apprehensions about the large opposition presence in the coming Assembly sittings, Mositun said he had none.

“Why should there be? All members follow the same rules and procedures. Of course, I expect the debates to be more lively, more questions will be asked, but that is good for the state and rakyat because the opposition members will act as a check and balance by keeping the government members on their toes,” Mositun said.

Mositun said, he hoped to see a higher quality of debate in the State Assembly now that a number of veteran politicians would be sitting in the opposition benches.

Mositun said, the recent general election showed that the public had become more discerning and is expecting more from their elected representatives. This would require them to study Bills and proposed legislation in detail so that these could be debated intelligently and effectively.

“That means the public expect debates to be of high quality, not mere political grandstanding and partisan rhetorics. Every piece of legislation affects the rakyat. They have a right to expect their elected representatives to act in a responsible manner,” Mositun said.

When asked to elaborate, Mositun said, it is common to see some assemblymen throwing tantrums and disrupting debates for political mileage.

“I recall one such instance when I invited the opposition to speak, but nobody stood up. I then proceeded to the next matter when suddenly a lady member from the opposition stood up to protest. When I ruled against her protest on the grounds that nobody had stood up to speak when invited, she walked out with her colleagues. It was sheer grandstanding,” he said.

Mositun said, it was often stressful maintaining order in the Assembly and called on members to spare a thought for the Speaker and his deputies during Assembly sittings.

“In a recently published interview, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Hj. Mulia, who was Dewan Rakyat Speaker, described in vivid detail the stresses and pressures of the job, both mentally and physically. I hope our honourable members will keep that in mind because the Speaker and Deputy Speakers also endure similar stresses and pressures in the State Legislative Assembly,” Mositun said.

The swearing-in of the newly elected state representatives would be held on June 13 while the opening would be graced by Tun Juhar on June 17 followed by the debates from June 18 to 20.

In a statement issued here yesterday, he said the development brought racism into a darker and more sinister level in Malaysia , and if left uncontrolled will lead Malaysia into turmoil and anarchy.

“The call is also a reflection of utter disregard to social harmony and is only the tip of the iceberg in emerging social conflicts in the nation,” Jeffrey said.

“This is all due to gross mismanagement and neglect on the part of the federal leaders.”

He said it was shocking how the Prime Minister was keeping quiet about such a dangerous development despite his call for social harmony and unity under the concept of 1Malaysia.

“The socio-political situation now is being made worse by the Home Minister who is so arrogant that he is asking more than half of Malaysia’s voters who voted against the BN to leave the country.

“Is Malaysia being purposefully led to descend into total chaos by its own leaders? Has this minister forgotten that he is the Home Minister for all Malaysians and not just the Umno/BN members and Malays?” Jeffrey asked.

He contended that the behaviour of the Malay-Muslim groups and the Home Minister is so unbelievable that one can only wonder if they have any leadership wisdom left in them.

“They make us reel back in utter disbelief at their lack of reason, good manners or diplomacy,” he said.

Jeffrey reckoned that don’t the Malay-Muslim groups know that boycotting the Chinese businesses is impossible and even if it can be done it will spell disaster for the Malaysian economy.

“Are they so ignorant of the fact that by boycotting Chinese businesses they won’t even be able to survive? How would they live without simple things like salt, sugar, coffee, tea, and noodles since these are supplied through Chinese importers and distributors? So don’t even talk about electrical goods, building materials and cars.

“How do you deny the hard fact that the Chinese run the majority of the businesses in Malaysia and without them the country will collapse overnight?

“To quote Wikipedia, ‘Malaysian Chinese constitute one group of Overseas Chinese and constitute the third largest Chinese community in the world, after those in Thailand and Indonesia. Within Malaysia, they … represent the second largest ethnic group… Malaysian Chinese are dominant in both the business and commerce sectors, controlling an estimated 70% of the Malaysian economy. They are also one of the biggest taxpayers, contributing almost 90% of the national income tax and 60% of Malaysia’s national income,” he said.

According to him, a wise Malaysian would know that the country cannot do without the Chinese.

“If we want Malaysia to maintain or improve its economy, we need to make the Chinese our friends instead of bullying and antagonizing them. It is also a fact that the non-Chinese are benefiting tremendously from development and social programmes funded by revenues collected from the Chinese business sector.

“”We need to learn from the hard lessons from our neighbouring countries where the Chinese were prosecuted and officially discriminated against, and this had caused the glaring economic decline and social poverty that have caused international embarrassment to these countries,” he said.

Jeffrey also reminded the anti-Chinese groups of the horrendous trend of brain drain in Malaysia.

Quoting Wikipedia, he said these people left Malaysia for good because of “corruption, social inequality, and educational opportunities, and the government’s Bumiputera affirmative action policies.

As of 2011, Bernama has reported that there are a million talented Malaysians working overseas. Recently the brain drain has increased in pace: 305,000 Malaysians migrated overseas between March 2008 and August 2009 compared to 140,000 in 2007.

Jeffrey pointed out that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had started a programme through Talent Corp to attract these talented ex-Malaysians to return and contribute to the country’s development.

“So why are the Malay-Muslim groups demanding that 51 per cent of the Malaysian voters also leave Malaysia? Let’s note that this figure includes hundreds of thousands of Malays who supported the opposition. Can we even imagine what will happen to Malaysia if these people actually pack up and leave tomorrow?

“Najib’s continued silence in the face of this increased racism, anti-Chinese activism, and heightening of the Malay supremacy is shocking, and he dearly needs to speak up against it to show the world that Malaysia is a mature democracy that is model of progress, wisdom and social harmony,” he said.

MASSIVE TORNADO: The funnel of a tornadic thunderstorm almost touches the ground near South Haven. — Reuters photo

TOTAL DESTRUCTION: Yellow caution tape marks off the area surrounding the heavily damaged Moore Medical Centre after a powerful tornado ripped through the area in Moore, Oklahoma. — AFP photo

At least 91 people dead, including 20 children when powerful twister sweeps through, tearing down houses

WASHINGTON: A powerful tornado swept through an Oklahoma City suburb on Monday, tearing down blocks of homes, two schools and leaving at least 91 people dead, including 20 children, local officials said.

The state medical examiner’s office released the latest death toll but the number was climbing rapidly, as emergency crews combed through smashed homes and the collapsed remains of an elementary school in Moore, Oklahoma.

Stunned weather forecasters reported a three-kilometre wide swath of vicious winds, and television news helicopters tracked a dark funnel plowing through densely-packed suburbs.

“We’ve had a massive tornado, a huge one that has passed through this community,” Oklahoma’s Governor Mary Fallin told a news conference.

“We know there are a lot of injuries. We know we’ve lost a tremendous amount of structures throughout this community and throughout the state,” she said, as the Moore police chief urged people to leave the area.

“There are a lot of safety issues, gas lines, power lines, things of that nature, that we have to take into consideration and there’s just not much else that can be done there at this time,” police chief Jerry Sillings said.

The dead included at least 20 children, most of them under the age of 12, Amy Elliott, of the state medical examiner’s office, told AFP. She later told CNN in a televised interview that the total death toll had risen to 91.

CNN reported that at least 145 people had been hospitalised.

Reporters for local broadcaster KFOR-TV saw children as young as nine being pulled out of the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, a residential community of 55,000 just south of Oklahoma’s state capital.

Anxious parents were being kept at a distance while search-and-rescue workers scrambled to free the students.

A second elementary school, Briarwood, was also hit but did not appear to have sustained casualties.

From its news helicopter, KFOR’s cameras captured scenes of widespread destruction, with street after street of single-story homes in Moore stripped of their roofs and cars piled atop each other like toys.

Utility lines were down and gas lines exposed, triggering localised fires.

The Moore Medical Centre was evacuated after it sustained damage, and state authorities called out the National Guard to help rescue efforts.

US President Barack Obama meanwhile declared a “major disaster” in Oklahoma and ordered federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts.

On Twitter, the National Weather Service gave the tornado a preliminary rating of EF-4, indicating that it packed winds of 166 to 267-322 km/h — more severe than a category five hurricane.

In downtown Oklahoma City, tornado sirens went off at least three times and the Interstate 35 highway — a busy north-south artery through the American heartland — was closed to all but emergency vehicles.

In Moore, live images from KFOR showed people wandering among the debris and even a couple of untethered horses from a local stable that somehow managed to survive the punishing storm.

“I had no idea it was coming,” said a stable worker, who told how he survived the “unbearably loud” twister by taking cover in one of the stalls.

Monday’s tornado followed roughly the same track as a May 1999 twister that killed 44 people, injured hundreds more and destroyed thousands of homes.

Tornadoes frequently touch down on Oklahoma’s wide open plains, but Monday’s twister struck a populated urban area and raised fears of a high casualty toll.

Because of the hard ground, few homes are built with basements or storm shelters in which residents can take cover.

Oklahoma City lies inside the so-called “Tornado Alley” stretching from South Dakota to central Texas, an area particularly vulnerable to tornadoes.

On Sunday, a powerful storm system churning through the US Midwest spawned tornadoes in Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma, destroying homes and killing at least two people, US media reported.

Fallin had already declared a state of emergency for 16 Oklahoma counties due to the tornado threat on Sunday, and added five more on Monday after the storms hit her capital.

In Washington, a White House official said Obama was getting regular updates and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stood ready to provide assistance. — AFP

Demand for ivory as an ornamental item is soaring in Asia and especially in China, driven by the rising purchasing power of the region’s newly affluent classes as well as growing Chinese investment in Africa and demand for its resources.

That has led to an increase in the illegal slaughter of African elephants for their ivory, with some wildlife groups estimating that over 90 per cent of the ivory on sale in China is illegally sourced.

But Yan Xun, chief engineer of the wildlife conservation department under the State Forestry Administration, said it was unfair to blame China for the rise in poaching.

“Has China’s legal ivory trade caused the poaching of wild elephants? I don’t think there’s necessarily a connection,” he told a news briefing.

“The reasons for poaching wild elephants around the world are very complex, including competition for resources between people and elephants, livelihood issues for local people, war and … the mistaken belief ivory generates huge profit margins.”

China only permits 37 companies to work with ivory and 145 to sell the finished product.

They use no more than a total of 5,000 kg of legal ivory every year, he said. “I’d like to say that the Chinese ivory trade is mainly to hand down the art of exquisite carvings using ivory. This is not any ordinary trade,” Yan added.

“The Chinese government has been paying great attention to the protection of elephants and we legally source ivory through international auctions,” he said, adding China has to date sourced some 60 tonnes of ivory this way.

Convicted ivory smugglers can be jailed for life, Yan said. — Reuters

As his guest became the first leader of his country in almost 50 years to visit the White House, Obama praised Myanmar’s journey away from brutal junta rule and promised Washington would offer more political and economic support.

Obama said that once tortured US-Myanmar relations had eased because of “the leadership that President Sein has shown in moving Myanmar down a path of both political and economic reform.” Obama repeatedly used the word “Myanmar” rather than Burma. The former is the name introduced during military rule, and which is slowly being used more frequently by US officials as a courtesy to the reforming government.

The US president said that Thein Sein had made “genuine efforts” to solve the intricate ethnic wars that have long torn at Myanmar’s unity, but expressed “deep concern” on the plight of Rohingya Muslim minority.

“The displacement of people, the violence directed towards them, needs to stop,” Obama said.

The visit went ahead despite accusations by human rights groups that Myanmar authorities turned a blind eye or worse to a wave of deadly attacks against the Rohingya, who are not even considered citizens.

Thein Sein told Obama that he was committed to reforms and, in a speech shortly afterward, said he wanted to build a “more inclusive national identity.”— AFP

“All the fishermen with the boat are safe on their way back,” China’s Xinhua news agency said, citing a Chinese embassy official in Pyongyang it said had heard the news from the shipowner.

Xinhua said the fishermen had been detained ‘by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea side’, using the North’s official name, without giving further details.

The vessel’s owner Yu Xuejun told AFP that armed North Koreans seized the boat in waters between the two countries on May 6 and demanded 600,000 yuan (US$98,000) for the men’s release, adding they were probably from Pyongyang’s military.

The incident is the latest strain in the relationship between the neighbours.

Beijing is Pyongyang’s sole major ally and its key provider of aid and trade, but China said it ‘firmly opposed’ the nuclear-armed North’s atomic test in February.

North Korea has for years done most of its banking through China, but with the imposition of stronger UN sanctions after the nuclear test, Beijing has come under greater pressure to tighten its control on Pyongyang’s financial flows.

The state-owned Bank of China in early May shut the account of a North Korean bank accused by the United States of supporting the atomic programme.

Reports said the boat’s captors had asked Yu to pay the ransom into a bank account in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong, a major hub for trade between China and the North.

The detention caused outrage online in China, with Internet users calling on Beijing to take a tough stance against Pyongyang, and accusing authorities of not making sufficient efforts to secure the men’s release.

China has stayed in ‘close communication’ with North Korea over the incident, foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular news briefing on Monday.

In an editorial Tuesday before the release was announced, the state-run Global Times, which often reflects nationalist opinion in China, said that Beijing should ‘should let the North Korean side know we are angry’.

“If North Korea continues to go rogue, China should take actions to push it toward a more measured response,” it said, adding: “If we don’t set rules for North Korea, our whole government’s image may be seen as being too weak.” The incident came a year after the return of 29 Chinese fishermen also kidnapped by unidentified North Koreans who had demanded a 1.2 million yuan ransom.

Those sailors were returned without ransom after the foreign ministry said it had contacted North Korea in an effort to resolve the case, Xinhua reported at the time.

“There is no clear demarcation of the sea border between China and North Korea,” the Global Times quoted Lu Chao, a Chinese maritime researcher, as saying.

“Whenever North Korean coastal troops lack money, they cross the line and detain Chinese vessels to extort money. And most ship owners choose to pay the ransom if the amount is not too high,” he said. — AFP

SIGN OF HOPE: A male White Rhinoceros calf at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Sydney. — AFP photo

SYDNEY: An Australian zoo said yesterday the birth of a southern white rhinoceros was a ‘sign of hope’ for the species given the escalation of poaching in Africa.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo said the yet-to-be-named male calf was born to first-time mother Mopani in the safari-style animal park in Dubbo, 400 kilometres west of Sydney, on May 14.

“It seems the first rain we had in Dubbo in a number of months helped bring on the birth of this calf, which was spotted by a staff member on Tuesday morning,” senior keeper Pascale Benoit said.

Taronga said every birth was important given unprecedented poaching in Africa, with close to 2,000 rhinos estimated to have been slaughtered since 2006, resulting in population growth slumping to some of the lowest levels in decades.

“He is a sign of hope to all of us to help stop the worst rhino poaching crisis in half a century,” Taronga chief executive Cameron Kerr said.

The zoo hopes the delivery heralds a new start for its breeding programme after it last year suffered the devastating loss of four white rhinos from a mysterious illness which caused neurological abnormalities.

The cause of the disease has never been determined.

Mopani contracted the illness while pregnant but survived to give birth to the healthy 45-50 kilogramme calf.

Zoo general manager Matt Fuller said nine white rhinos had been born at the facility since 2003 but the latest was ‘incredibly special’ given the recent escalation in poaching, driven by demand from Asia for rhino horn. — AFP

DISAPPOINTED: Rick Todd (right) and his wife Mary walk out during lunch break from the Subordinate courts in Singapore. — AFP photo

Shane Todd

SINGAPORE: The family of a US scientist found hanged in Singapore last year walked out of a coroner’s inquiry into their son’s death yesterday, saying they had ‘lost faith’ in the proceedings.

The move came after their star witness, a US pathologist who never examined the body, came under intense questioning for saying Shane Todd may have been killed by assassins after quitting a high-tech project for two Asian firms.

Singapore authorities believe he committed suicide.

“The prosecution brings forth witnesses at the last minute and we have no chance to question it. Basically we actually have lost faith in the process,” the late researcher’s father Rick Todd told reporters outside a courthouse.

“We were told from the beginning that this will be honest and open. We were just chastised this morning for bringing forth evidence,” he said, referring to an email the family’s lawyers had introduced.

The family stood up and left the court after learning that a Frenchman who knew Todd, Luis Alejandro Andro Montes, was going to testify that the American was still alive the day before his body was found on June 24, 2012.

Earlier yesterday, Edward Adelstein, 75, a deputy medical examiner in Missouri engaged by the family, had testified that Todd was murdered in his Singapore apartment and his death made to look like a suicide as part of a conspiracy.

Adelstein, testifying by live video link from the United States, admitted his conclusions were based only on pictures of the body and second-hand information.

Todd’s parents say their son was killed because of his work for a Singapore electronics research institute with alleged links to a Chinese firm accused of involvement in espionage.

Singapore’s state-linked Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and China’s Huawei Technologies have denied working on a project involving Todd, but confirmed they held preliminary talks on a potential research venture.

Adelstein said Shane Todd was “a very dangerous person” to the two Asian companies, and asserted without offering any evidence that “they had him killed” and well-trained assassins may have been involved.

Two other US medical examiners acting as independent experts support the suicide findings and were set to testify at the inquest, which was scheduled to end on May 28.

A verdict is expected by late June and will only address the cause of death. — AFP

Li Keqiang, like Chinese leaders before him, will take time out of his busy India visit to meet relatives of Dwarkanath Kotnis, who provided emergency medical aid for four years during the Sino-Japanese war of 1937-1945.

Manorama Kotnis, one of the doctor’s seven siblings and the only one still alive, will meet the Chinese premier at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai, along with four of her younger relatives.

“I’m very proud and happy that such a big (personality) still remembers my brother,” the 92-year-old told AFP on Monday at her home in Mumbai’s Vile Parle suburb, where old pictures of her legendary brother sit proudly on display.

“He was really courageous and he wanted to go out and help people.”

While ties between Beijing and New Delhi have often been strained, with a legacy of distrust from a border war in 1962, Kotnis has remained a widely revered figure in China for his war work, which cost him his life.

Born in western Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, he was one of five medical volunteers dispatched from India in 1938, following a request for help from the fellow Asian giant.

Manorama, who was a teenager when her older brother left, said the team was only supposed to go for a year. — AFP

The largest gaming event in Asia, showcasing the industry’s latest products, services and technologies, is taking place amid a decline in growth rates in the former Portugese colony’s gaming industry as China’s economic boom slows.

The gaming sector has however boomed in Asia over the past decade, led by Macau which now generates six times the gambling revenue of Las Vegas thanks mainly to high-rolling Chinese VIPs.

Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam are also staking their claims to regional market share, with several mega-resorts in the pipeline.

But despite increasing competition from the region and slowing growth rates, industry leaders remain confident in the gaming future of Macau.

“You’ve got tremendous growth here,” said Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, which organised the event.

“As new facilities open, more and more people will want to come to see the new facilities … it adds to the dynamism and the attractiveness of Macau,” he said, pointing to a record growth in gaming revenues in March and new casinos opening in the city.

“It depends on the ability of different operators to see who can produce the best product that’s going to appeal to the 60 per cent of mainland Chinese who come here, and innovation will determine who the winners are,” he said. — AFP

Hong Kong-based Richard Huang, a gaming analyst at CLSA brokerage, believes growth for casinos will be limited in the coming years due to slower gains in the VIP segment which accounts for two thirds of the total revenue for Macau’s gaming industry.

“VIP gaming revenue can no longer generate such type of rapid growth, partly because of all the shutdown on corruption that’s happened in China,” Huang told AFP.

The recent Chinese leadership change is “one of the key reasons why” VIP markets are not growing as much as they were 12 to 18 months ago, he added.

“We’re not seeing a collapse in terms of VIP gaming revenue growth. (But) definitely it’s putting a cap on the magnitude of growth in that segment,” said Huang.

The VIP segment in Macau has grown by more than 10 per cent this year so far.

CLSA brokerage is expecting close to US$40 billion in revenues in Macau this year.

This would represent growth of approximately 14 percent for 2013, the same as 2012, a significant drop from 2011’s growth of 42 percent.

Six firms are licensed to operate casinos in Macau, which has boomed since the city liberalised its gaming industry in 2002 and allowed casino giants such as Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts and MGM to set up shop in the city.

Macau, which was handed back to Beijing in 1999, enjoys freedoms not allowed on the mainland. It is the only place in China where casinos are legal. — AFP

Obama will welcome Xi to the plush Sunnylands estate resort in Palm Springs on June 7-8, as Washington seeks Chinese help to subdue North Korean belligerence and seeks a diplomatic breakthrough to end the slaughter in Syria.

The talks will be the first major move by Obama in the crucial but delicate relationship with Beijing since he won a second White House term, after a campaign in which China and its trade practices were often criticized.

“President Obama and President Xi will hold in depth discussions on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues,” the White House said in a statement. — AFP

Another 19 people were injured in the explosion on Monday at a three-storey workshop owned by Poly Explosives (Jinan), a state-owned company in the eastern province of Shandong, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescuers were still searching for the missing yesterday but clean-up efforts had also started, the report said, citing the rescue headquarters.

Police were using DNA identification to help confirm casualty numbers, said Liu Xinyun, director of the Jinan Municipal Public Security Bureau, according to Xinhua.

The company is a civilian explosives manufacturer and the plant is new, with an annual output of at least 30,000 tonnes of dynamite, it added. — AFP