MY VOICE FOR NATION |
| A death is not just a statistic. Custodial deaths must not become the rule of the day. Posted: 31 May 2015 01:46 AM PDT |
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Chong Chieng Jen's Blog |
| Posted: 27 May 2015 10:10 PM PDT |
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Chong Chieng Jen's Blog |
| 呼吁联邦政府和砂州政府重新检讨砂州参组马来西亚合约条文及联邦宪法 Posted: 26 May 2015 06:29 AM PDT （古晋26日讯）古晋市国会议员兼哥打圣淘沙州议员张健仁呼吁联邦政府和砂州政府重新检讨砂州参组马来西亚合约条文及联邦宪法第九附录有关联邦和州的权限事项，以归还教育、医药、警察事务和税务自主权给砂州。 张健仁是于昨夜在国会下议院参与《第11大马计划》辩论时，做出如是呼吁。 张氏说，近年国家局势的发展，如1马发展公司丑闻、种族关系日逾恶劣、国家领袖诚信问题、教育水平的日益下降，已令许多砂州人民对联邦国阵政府的政策和领导失去信心。 更何况，今日的联邦制度所制定的政策，往往不适合砂州情况。 张健仁也在辩论中提出，行动党建议，为了砂州人民的利益，教育、医药和警察事务应由砂州政府自己接管。 要真正拥有这3领域的自主权，50%所有在砂州收收到的税收及20%石油天然气开采税，应归还给砂州政府，以便可以资付这3个领域的开支，包括教师的薪金、建学校、医务人员的薪金、医院及警务人员的薪金等。 由于辩论时间的限制，张氏针对这4领域的砂州自主权的课题，昨夜只大略的提出一项课题，即，中学教学的课程。  张健仁指出，由联邦教育部所编写的教学课程，完全忽略砂州的历史、经济、人文的发展。 他举例，教会学校对砂州发展的贡献是非常大的。 目前砂州内阁部长，全部都是来时教会学校，但是，历史课里面，完全没有提到教会学校对砂州的贡献。 这种教科书，根本就不适合砂州子弟就读。 "州政府应该有教育自主权来编写砂州中小学的课程。 在砂州教导的历史课程，应该注重砂州的社会、经济历史和人文的发展，以加强新一代，各个不同种族、宗教和文化人民之间的互相尊重精神。" 张氏也说，各族互重的精神，在西马就是极致缺乏，教育课程是导致这种种族紧张关系现象的主要原因之一。 砂州若要避免这种文化渗透砂州，那砂州政府就应该拿回教育自主权，由砂州政府自己编写砂州中小学的历史课程，加强砂州经济、历史、人文发展的元素。 "唯有由我们自己编写中小学课程，这才能真正捍卫砂州各族融洽生活的状况，不会被巫统政策，透过中小学教科书，所影响而变质。" |
| Posted: 26 May 2015 05:38 AM PDT （古晋26日讯）砂国阵应退出联邦国阵，以便能更有效的为砂州人民争取权益。 古晋会议员兼哥打圣淘沙州议员张健仁昨日在国会下议院参与《第11大马计划》辩论时表示，砂州国阵应该退出联邦国阵，不然的话，国阵歧视砂州的政策还是会没完没了的持续下去。 张氏说，《第11大马计划》，和过去的10个大马计划一样，虽然首相提呈时都讲得天花乱坠，但最终，砂州的发展，和西马比较，差距越来越大。 国阵这种歧视或忽视砂州的心态和政策，经过50年，10个《大马计划》，至今都还是没有改。  他指出，目前国阵在国会下议院有134位国会议员，包括25位砂州的国阵国会议员。 如果这25位砂州的国会议员退出国阵，西马国阵和沙巴国阵的国会议员加起来只有109位。 在现今国会议席只有222席的情况下，109位国会议员的国阵只能够做一个少数政府，连要通过《第11大马计划》都成问题，需要砂州议员们的支持。"砂州国阵只需退出联邦国阵就好，也不需要加入民联。 它可以自立为一个独立的阵线，在某些课题上选择支持国阵的政策与否。 这才能真正发挥'造王者'的优势。" 张健仁表示，若砂国阵退出联邦国阵的话，砂州政府就不需要如此每年低声下气的向联邦政府乞求拨款，到时，反而是联邦国阵倒转过来要求砂州政府支持他们所提出的财政预算案。 张氏说，若砂国阵退出国阵，不只每年的财政预算案联邦政府都必须得到砂国会议员们的同意和通过，就连砂州政府要取回教育、医药、警察事务和税务的自主权，都有很大的成功机会。 他也说，抛开各别政党的区别，纯粹以砂州人民的利益为出发点，砂国阵退出联邦国阵对砂州人民百害而无一利。 这样，国阵的大哥巫统才不会继续鄙视或忽视砂州人民的权益。 在反驳哥打三马拉汉国会议员打岔表态支持联邦国阵时，张健仁称，这问题他会直接和砂州首席部长阿德南商讨，这事也由不得在场的砂国阵国会后座议员决定的。 |
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| Unfreeze the Accounts, Go for the Ministers Posted: 20 May 2015 07:15 PM PDT The freezing of the bank accounts of more than 500 companies by the MACC is merely a drama played up by the MACC in its desperate attempt to redeem its dented image. It is merely trying to sensationalise the whole episode of "war against corruption in logging industry". Such tactic of "freezing all accounts first then investigate" is not only against the basic due process of the law but it will not give any added assistance to the MACC in the investigation of any case of corruption. DAP supports all anti-corruption action, but this is not the way to do it. This is merely dramatizing the whole exercise without having any added impact on the true culprits. Worst of all, innocent traders and companies are victimized along the way. Is such tactic deployed at the MACC's own accord or is the MACC receiving instruction from the State Government?  With the accounts of 500 companies frozen, how many investigating officers is required to be deployed to carry out the investigation and how long will the investigation last. Does the MACC have enough investigating officers to do the job within two weeks or one month?To thoroughly investigate a company's account, the MACC needs at least 3 – 5 officers full-time investigating the company for at least 2 – 3 weeks, more complicated cases will need more officers and time. How many investigating officers have the MACC deployed to investigate these 500 companies, bearing in mind that these officers must at least have some basic accounting knowledge. In fact, there is no necessity to freeze the accounts of the companies for the purpose of investigation. All money transactions of the accounts are in the record of the banks. With or without freezing the accounts, the records will remain there for investigation by the MACC. The only valid and acceptable reason for freezing a company's account is when there is already sufficient evidence to prosecute the company in Court for corruption. It is only then that the MACC has valid grounds to freeze the account of the company in question. What the MACC is doing now is just casting a big net and hope to get something out of it. This is clearly an abuse of its power under the law and this will cause unnecessary hardship not only to the companies, but all the employees, contractors and suppliers of these companies and their family members. Ultimately, it will put Sarawak's economy in jeopardy. Just because the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Adenan is now declaring was on illegal logging and corruption in logging industry, therefore the MACC carry out the blanket order to freeze the accounts of almost all those involved in the industry. This is "persecution", not "fighting corruption". If tomorrow Adenan were to declare war on corruption in the property development industry, will the MACC then freeze the accounts of all the developers? Who will be next? Legal firms, accounting firms, hardware stores, common traders? It smacks of tyranny where rule by man prevails over the rule by law. As such, I call upon the MACC to unfreeze all the accounts of the companies which at present the MACC has no sufficient evidence to prosecute in Court. This drama should be stopped. The due process of the law must be put in practice. I further call upon the MACC that if it is serious about fighting corruption, the targets should be on: 1. the Ministers and Assistant Ministers who have assets or money in bank accounts beyond their means. They are the ones who are not supposed to have other sources of income apart from there ministerial allowances; 2. the immediate family members of the Ministers and Assistant Ministers and their companies, whereby government contracts were awarded without open tender and land alienated at far below the market values; 3. high-ranking government officers who has the power to approve contracts and alienation of state land and whose assets and bank accounts are beyond the means of their salaries. Chong Chieng Jen MP for Bandar Kuching ADUN for Kota Sentosa |
| Posted: 20 May 2015 07:03 PM PDT  （古晋21日讯）民主行动党古晋市国会议员兼哥打圣淘沙州议员张健仁非议反贪污委员会的"先冻结，后调查"的撒鱼网行动。 张健仁今日文告中指出，反贪污委员会今次如此的大动作，根本就是在"演戏"。 如此大阵仗一次过冻结500多间公司的户口，只是在戏剧化打贪行动，对调查贪污案件没有多大的实际帮助。 更甚的是，它已违反了正常的法律程序，使许多无辜的公司也因此殃及池鱼。 张健仁质问，反贪污委员会如此的一次过冻结500多家公司的户口，到底是反贪污委员会本身的决定，还是受到州政府的指示。 他也质问，如今500多家公司的户口被冻结，反贪污委员会有多少位查案官对这500多间公司进行调查？ 整个调查行动要进行多久？ "若要真正详细调查一间普通公司的银行账目来往，最少都要3 -5位调查官，调查2 – 3个星期，而且这些查案官必须拥有查阅公司账簿的基本知识。 如今，有500多家公司的银行户口被冻结，反贪污委员会到底调动了多少查案官？" 张健仁说，如果反贪污委员会要认真调查一间公司的银行户口来往账，它根本就不需要冻结其户口。 这些账目的记录全部都有在银行的电脑档案里，按几个键就能得到全部的记录，之后针对那些有疑问的来往项目再深入调查。 这才是真正的调查贪污。 又何必如此大动作的冻结500多家公司的户口。 张健仁指出，如今冻结了500多家公司的户口，反贪污委员会根本就没有足够的调查官能够在2星期或1个月之内完成全部调查。 最后的结果不是使到这些公司因周转不灵而倒闭，就是反贪污委员会敷衍了事。 张氏敦促反贪污委员会认真调查贪污，不要只是为了哗众取宠，或取悦阿德南而演戏，使许多无辜的公司受冤枉。 "过去反贪污委员会一直强调说，抓贪污要低调调查，才能抓到真正的贪污者。 那为何如今却如此高调，甚至不分青红皂白的'先冻结，后调查'？" 因此，张健仁呼吁反贪污委员会立刻解冻这500多家公司的户口，除非是那些反贪污委员会已经掌握足够证据提控上庭的。 张氏严厉警告，反贪污委员会的这种行动，不只是对那些被冤枉的公司经理董事股东不公平，遭受无妄之灾的人士也包括这些公司的职员、他们家属、这些公司的承包商和供应商。 影响范围的广泛，最终也将打击砂州的整体经济。 张氏也指出，今天阿德南说要打击非法伐木和涉及伐木业的贪污，反贪污委员会就如此不分青红皂白的冻结大部分涉及伐木的公司。 那如果明天阿德南要打击发展业的贪污，反贪污委员会是否也将冻结全部发展商的银行户口？ 接下来又是谁？ 银行业（因为大部分钱都是经过银行转账）？ 律师馆？ 会计师公司？ 五金业？ 甚至普通商家？ "这种作风不是打击贪污，而是'迫害'民众。 马来西亚是一个法治的国家，不是人治的国家。 不是因为一个领袖的喜怒和决定，整个执法机构就会不分青红皂白的乱抓人。 应该是有足够的证据了才抓人。" 张氏表示，如果反贪污委员会真的有决心打击贪污，反贪污委员会应该是针对以下3组人展开调查： 1. 那些财产和银行户口的存款，远远超越他们薪金的部长和助理部长，因为他们除了部长和助理部长的收入，不应该有其他的收入了。 2. 那些在没有公开招标的程序下得到政府工程和政府地的部长和助理部长的直系亲属。 3. 那些财产和银行户口的存款，远远超越他们薪金的政府部门高官。 |
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MY VOICE FOR NATION |
| Posted: 19 May 2015 07:04 PM PDT |
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MY VOICE FOR NATION |
| Finance Ministry’s clarification on RM 2.89 billion for Indians rather shocking and disappointing Posted: 19 May 2015 06:26 AM PDT |
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Charles Santiago |
| Posted: 21 Jan 2013 08:49 PM PST
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| Posted: 21 Jan 2013 08:43 PM PST
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| RCI to investigate allegations of citizenship for votes in the Peninsula? Posted: 20 Jan 2013 07:09 PM PST Carl Wendell, a black poet, said – "it is easier to build monuments than to make a better world". And Malaysia's former prime ministerDr Mahathir Mohamad proved him right. The country has one of the tallest buildings in Asia and yes we can use various other adjectives to boast about our monuments. But as the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) has proven, Mahathir is the chief engineer of the mess that Sabah faces now. The inquiry commission, mooted to look into Sabah's population explosion, has exposed how undocumented immigrants were used as vote bank for the ruling coalition to stay in power. It heard that over 80,000 of them from the Philippines were issued Malaysian identity cards and another 36,000 are on the waiting list. And some 200,000 citizenships were given to Sabah immigrants during Mahathir's premiership in the 1990s in return for votes. And this figure could very well be a conservative estimate. Sabah's population grew from under one million in 1980 to more than three million today. Foreigners make up 28% of that number, a larger proportion than the biggest indigenous group in the state on Borneo Island. The revelations at the RCI are shocking. But it also raises questions about the electoral roll for the entire country and not just Sabah. Since the 2008 polls, the opposition-held Selangor's electoral roll has shot up by 22% compared to a national average of 16.3%. Some 31,294 voters in the country have been transferred out of their last parliamentary and state constituencies without their consent. There are 1000 voters aged more than 100 and in many instances more than 100 people share the same address. In the Klang parliamentary constituency about 2000 names have been transferred out of the constituency and another 3000 names have gone missing from the electoral roll. And about 500 voters residing in a particular Taman have been moved to a neighboring constituency. These facts and figures concretely show that the electoral roll that would be used by the Election Commission at the next general election is riddled with irregularities. And the polls are around the corner. Whether or not Najib is ready, Parliament will automatically dissolve on April 27 and the prime minister will be forced to face the voters within two months from that date. And it's an open secret that the next general election would be the most closely fought in the country's history, if not the dirtiest. And therefore every vote counts. Therefore the nation cannot go to the polls following evidence of phantom voters and a tainted electoral roll. As such I support the call by Bersih chairperson AmbigaSreenevasan to moot another RCI to look into the allegations of citizenship for votes in the Peninsula as well. And I am going to take a step further and invite Mahathir to support the call for a RCI for the country. We all know he is hugely irritated and feeling the heat as the prime mover behind the citizenship for vote strategy. But hopefully his angst will settle and he could behave like a statesman for once. It's also about time he stops his nonsensical ramblings about the pre-independence migrants who were given citizenships. I am aware of Mahathir's mischief and his moronic ways of slamming the Chinese and Indian immigrants who play a big role in the development of the nation. And we are also too familiar with his devious tactics of further dividing the nation along racial lines. Maybe this time around he is also upset that another blow to his image would act as an obstacle to push his son, Mukhriz Mahathir, further up the political ladder, inching him towards the premiership one day. Whatever it is, as a last chance to make amends and clear up the mess he created, Mahathir should let go of stupid demands and lobby for a RCI for the Peninsula. Or he should stop spewing venom and retire quietly.
Charles Santiago Member of Parliament, Klang   |
| Water cuts: Act without favour, SPAN told Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:37 PM PST Source : FZ.com Santiago says SPAN is slow in enforcing the law and this raises the question of its pro-Syabas bias.
CYBERJAYA (Jan 18): The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) should take action now on the parties that are responsible for the disruption of water supply in Selangor, a watchdog group says. The commission should also act independently, said the Coalition Against Water Privatisation (CAWP). It noted that SPAN, as the regulator of the water industry, had been silent over the issue of the maintenance of water pumps that had caused the disruption in supply in Wangsa Maju, Selangor. It was also slow in enforcing the law, the coalition said. “This raises the fundamental question of SPAN not being neutral,” Charles Santiago, a representative of the coalition, said. “Only when you enforce the law are you seen as being independent. Given the political linkages of government leaders and Puncak (Niaga) and Syabas, people just believe that you are working together with Syabas.” Syabas is the sole distributor for treated water in Selangor, while Puncak Niaga Holdings has a 70% equity stake in Syabas. Santiago and four other delegates of CAWP met Marzuki Mohammad, the Executive Director of the Regulatory Department for Water, and Mohd Ridhuan, the Executive Director of the Regulatory Department for Sewerage, today to voice their concerns over the maintenance of the water supply infrastructure. The coalition representatives asked SPAN officials whether it will take action against Syabas or Puncak Niaga if these companies were found responsible for the disruptions, Santiago, who is the MP for Klang and a DAP leader, said. The officers responded that since the commission and the water service industry are still new, SPAN will give the companies more time, said Santiago. However, the coalition gave a two-week ultimatum to the commission to act on the problem in the Wangsa Maju area and to come out with a plan to prevent the situation from occuring again in Selangor. If there is no positive action from the Commission, CAWP will seek a meeting with the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water, Datuk Peter Chin, Santiago told the press after the meeting here today. The delegation was told that SPAN had audited the Wangsa Maju water pump station but it refused to comment on the outcome of the audit. “I would like to think that they’ve done the audit and they also noted the problem but they do nothing about it. If they’ve done the audit they would have spotted the problem: out of the five pumps, one of the pumps failed and this was one year ago,” Santiago said. As a result, he said, the other four pumps were overloaded and collapsed. It was reported earlier that the water disruptions, which occurred in the Wangsa Maju area for about three weeks, had affected 100,000 families. During the meeting, the delegation was also informed by the SPAN that a committee will be set up to find soulutions to the problems in Wangsa Maju in two to three months. However, Santiago opined that this was too long. The committee will consist of representatives from the Public Works Department, Selangor Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) and other agencies. CAWP made a counter proposal to SPAN to form an urgent team to check all water infrastructure in Selangor and make sure the pumps are in working condition. Other representatives of the coalition who were present were veteran unionist Senator Syed Shahrir, CAWP member Sarajun Hoda and Malaysian Trades Union Congress Vice President Roszeli Majid.   |
| Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:36 AM PST
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| SPAN tidak tegas ambil tindakan ke atas SYABAS, Puncak Niaga, kata CAWP Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:12 AM PST Source : Malaysian Insider CYBERJAYA, 18 Jan — Gabungan Menentang Penswastaan Air (CAWP) mengkritik Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN) kerana tidak tegas mengambil tindakan ke atas dua syarikat konsesi air, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) dan Puncak Niaga, di atas masalah bekalan air di negeri tersebut.
"Mereka sudah mengaudit pusat pemprosesan air SYABAS, dan apabila kita tanya apa keputusannya, mereka enggan untuk komen," kata Santiago dalam sidang media selepas pertemuannya dengan pegawai-pegawai SPAN di sini. "Sebagai regulator bekalan air, SPAN mesti bertindak cepat." Turut hadir dalam pertemuan dengan pegawai SPAN ialah Senator Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, dan Exco NGO Aliran Sarajun Hoda. Sementara itu, Syed Shahir berkata, masalah bekalan air di Selangor dapat diselesaikan dengan cepat sekiranya SPAN melakukan kerjanya pengawal selia syarikat pembekalan air. "Soal yang berlaku sekarang boleh diatasi sekiranya SPAN lakukan tugasnya, iaitu mengambil tindakan ke atas syarikat konsesi yang gagal membekalkan air dengan baik. "Kita bukan mahu SPAN lakukan tugas lebih dari bidang kuasanya, kita hanya mahu SPAN laksanakan tugasnya sebagai regulator syarikat air, itu sahaja," kata Syed Shahir lagi, dan menambah kerajaan negeri Selangor sudah bersungguh-sungguh untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini. "Kita bukan mahu pinpoint salah siapa-siapa, kita cuma mahu semua pihak kerja sama-sama bagi menyelesaikan masalah ini," kata Syed Shahir lagi. Exco Aliran yang merupakan ahli CAWP, Sarajun Hoda, pula bimbang kawasan-kawasan lain akan turut terjejas sekiranya SPAN tidak tegas mengambil tindakan ke atas SYABAS dan Puncak Niaga. "Bila breakdown di Wangsa Maju, ini menunjukkan SPAN tak buat kerja. Sebab mereka dah pantau benda ini, kerosakan pam tu setahun lepas. "Dan conflicting statement (maklumat bercanggah) dalam media, ini tidak baik kepada rakyat," kata Sarajun lagi. Semalam, Jawatan Kuasa Pemantauan Bekalan Air Negeri Selangor dimaklumkan SYABAS bahawa kawasan gangguan bekalan air yang disebabkan oleh kerosakan rumah pam Wangsa Maju telah pulih sepenuhnya. Semua kawasan telah mula mendapat bekalan air termasuk kawasan tinggi seperti di Bandar Sri Permaisuri. Mengenai kejadian henti tugas loji Sungai Semenyih pada 14 Januari, didapati bahawa pengeluaran air terawat oleh Loji Sungai Semenyih telah pulih sepenuhnya. SYABAS telah melaporkan bahawa 349,000 akaun pengguna terjejas dengan gangguan ini. Setelah loji ini dipulihkan, bekalan air telah disalurkan semula pada jam 8.00 malam pada hari yang sama semasa kejadian tersebut. Hasilnya kawasan-kawasan yang menerima bekalan air dari Loji Sungai Semenyih telah beransur-ansur mendapat bekalan air terawat semula.   |
| Activist disappearance strikes fear into Laos civil society Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:46 PM PST Published: 16 Jan 2013 at 23.45
One month after a prominent activist mysteriously vanished, Laos’ nascent civil society is living in fear despite the communist regime’s vow it had nothing to do with his disappearance.
This handout picture received on January 15, 2013, provided by the Somphone family and taken in 2005, shows Sombath Somphone of Laos at an unknown location in the Philippines.
Sombath Somphone, 62, the founder of a non-governmental organisation campaigning for sustainable development, went missing in Vientiane while driving home on December 15. Images from CCTV cameras, obtained by Sombath’s family and published online, show him being taken away from a police post by two unidentified individuals. He has not been seen since. The secretive communist regime, which has ruled Laos with an iron fist since 1975, has for the last few years appeared to be gradually opening up, allowing local civil society groups to flourish. But Sombath’s disappearance has sent jitters through the activist network. It came just a few weeks after Laos expelled Anne-Sophie Gindroz, the outspoken country director of Swiss charity Helvetas, for criticising the communist government that is led by President Choummaly Sayasone. “Other civil society leaders are extremely worried, some have — I hope temporarily — left the country. It could well be a big step back,” said one development professional who has known Sombath for 20 years and requested anonymity. Sombath, whose work for the Participatory Development Training Centre (PADETC) targeted the country’s marginalised and impoverished rural population, had played a key part in the apparent emergence of Laos’ long-muzzled civil society movement. Hopes had been raised “of a process that was going to result in the Lao government recognising that NGOs have a role in a modern society”, said Phil Robertson of New York-based Human Rights Watch. But those hopes had “probably been set back now in a significant way by Sombath’s disappearance,” he said, adding there was a “growing fear within civil society groups in Laos”. Laos-based activists contacted by AFP spoke only on condition of anonymity, reflecting concern for their safety. But the regime promises Sombath is not in their hands. “The concerned authority is accelerating the investigations, collecting evidence in order to reach a conclusion,” Yong Chanthalangsy, Laos’ Ambassador at the United Nations in Geneva said. “It may be possible Mr Sombath has been kidnapped perhaps because of a personal conflict or a conflict in business or some other reasons,” he added in a letter published in the Vientiane Times on January 4. But local NGOs and the international community are unconvinced by the explanation. “The story doesn’t add up,” said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian member of parliament who this week led a delegation of parliamentarians from Southeast Asia to Vientiane to pressure the authorities into action. “The government simply cannot say after one month that they still can’t trace him. This stone-walling is not acceptable,” he said, noting that Sombath vanished “in a police environment” and there has been no demand for ransom. At a press conference in Bangkok following the visit to Laos, Santiago said Wednesday that “the government has no political will to resolve the problem.” However, many observers are struggling to understand why the regime, which has sought over the last few years to shed its image as one of the world’s most reclusive countries, would have decided to detain Sombath in secret. The move could have been triggered by the participation of many local activists, including Sombath, in the Asia Europe People’s Forum (AEPF) last October, says Santiago who is the Forum’s Asian coordinator. “AEPF must have triggered some anxiety within the politburo, because some of the people who came talked about land grabs and so on and so forth, so they want to send a message that this is not acceptable,” Santiago said, noting that the meeting was held just before a major Asia-Europe (Asem) summit. In a country where major infrastructure projects are displacing tens of thousands of people, “it is also possible companies involved in land grabs are using members of the various groups within the party to send a message” he said. Other analysts point to the diverging currents at the heart of the regime. “It may be that behind this is a conflict between the old guard and those who are pushing to move closer to the international community,” one foreign observer said, noting that Laos was set to join the World Trade Organisation in February. Meanwhile, Sombath’s family is struggling to keep a low profile. “I have at no point refuted the government’s statement,” said Ng Shui Meng, in an open letter published online, calling on the government to find her husband. “Sombath has a medical condition that needs daily medication and once returned to me, I would take Sombath to seek medical attention abroad until his full recuperation,” she said.
Phil Robertson Deputy Director, Asia Division Thai mobile: +66-85-060-8406 US mobile: +1-917-378-4097 Email: RobertP@hrw.org Skype: philrobertsonjr Twitter: @Reaproy
Human Rights Watch (HRW) 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor New York, NY 10118-3299
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| Laos under pressure to step up probe Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:43 PM PST Financial Times (London), 16 January 2013 The Lao government is coming under increased international pressure to step up its promised investigation into the disappearance of a prominent local civic leader, as concerns increase about state involvement in the case. MPs from other Asean member countries said on Wednesday that Laos's ruling communist party "clearly had no desire and no political will" to resolve the mystery and urged the government to extend its investigation to the top levels of Laos's military. This follows public expressions of concern from the US and other western governments and UN agencies over the case. The MPs spoke ahead of an expected statement by US secretary of state Hillary Clinton urging Laos to take more action on the case. The three MPs, from the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, visited Vientiane, the Lao capital, where Sombath Somphone went missing on December 15 while driving home one evening from his office. Mr Sombath was following his Singaporean wife in a separate car but never arrived home. The government has denied he was taken into custody, claiming the police stop was merely a "routine" check. But grainy CCTV footage shown to his wife at the police station two days later shows a man resembling Mr Sombath being driven away by uniformed Lao officials and other men driving away Mr Sombath's car. In a follow-up visit, Mr Sombath's wife Ng Shui Meng was denied access to the video footage. However, friends had copied the footage on mobile phone cameras on their earlier visit, and posted it on a site created to collect information about the case. The Lao Government has insisted it has no knowledge of Mr Sombath's abduction or his whereabouts and is "investigating the matter". Western diplomats in Vientiane expressed anger at the Lao government's recent claim in a letter to the UN that his disappearance was due to a "business dispute" or "personal conflict". Mr Sombath's family has strongly rejected suggestions he was in a dispute with any party. In the first contact from Lao police investigators this week, Ms Ng was called into the police station and asked basic details of how she met her husband and the circumstances of their marriage. The Asean MPs described the encounter as "unacceptable." In their Vientiane visit, the MPs met Lao officials including the permanent secretary of the foreign ministry and members of the National Assembly. "The answers we got suggest a script was given to them by someone else . . . our mission raised more questions than answers," said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian MP and human rights campaigner. The civilian component of the Lao government "had no idea what transpired" in Mr Sombath's disappearance, and only top circles of the military or communist party had the answers, he added. Delegation members Walden Bello, a Philippine MP and Lily Wahid, an Indonesian MP, said the group would collect signatures of MPs in every Asean country to try to pressure the Lao government to step up its probe, and submit a report to the bloc's recently established Asean Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights. In an editorial comment on Wednesday, The Nation newspaper in Thailand said Mr Sombath's disappearance "looks more and more like a blatant display of political arrogance and central control inside Laos. Increasingly in the new regional landscape, such an authoritarian system is no longer acceptable." — 4th flr. CUSRI Wisit Prachuabmoh Bldg office tel: 66 2 218 7329 mobile: +66 85 217 7937   |
| ASEAN Representatives Criticize Investigation of Missing Activist Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:42 PM PST Gabrielle Paluch January 16, 2013 BANGKOK — Representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have criticized an investigation by Laos into the recent disappearance of a prominent activist. A delegation representing ASEAN expressed its concerns Wednesday during a fact-finding visit to Laos. Sombath Somphone, founder of a non-governmental organization campaigning for sustainable development in Laos, went missing in the city of Vientiane while driving home in December. Images from closed-circuit cameras, obtained by Sombath’s family and published online, show him being taken away from a police post by two unidentified individuals. He has not been seen since. Officials in Laos say they have been investigating Sombath’s disappearance, but have come up with few leads. In a letter published in various news media in early January, the Lao ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Yong Chanthalangsy, suggested his disappearance may have been the result of a personal or business conflict. Sombath’s work for the Participatory Development Training Centertargeted Laos’ marginalized and impoverished rural population. Rights activists have expressed concern that the Lao government is not doing enough to solve the mystery. Some members of the Southeast Asian regional economic bloc ASEAN agree. Speaking Wednesday at a news conference in Bangkok after a fact-finding mission to Laos, Philippines parliamentarian and ASEAN delegation member Walden Bello said the government failed to provide answers to basic questions of the investigation and tried to deny police involvement. “We were told that after a month of investigation, the only thing that has been established is that the police had nothing to do with the disappearance. We told them that this was not credible and if we accepted this at face value as to the progress of the case, we ourselves would lose credibility,” Bello said. Charles Santiago, an ASEAN delegate from Malaysia, said that considering available evidence, an investigation should take only a matter of days. He pointed out inconsistencies in different government officials’ explanations and the fact that only the lowest-ranking police officers had been assigned to the case. Regional analysts say Sombath’s disappearance is a test case for the new ASEAN human rights mechanism, to which the fact-finding committee will be making recommendations in Jakarta. — Ms. Wahyuningrum (Yuyun) I E-mail: wahyuningrum@gmail.com I Contact Numbers: (62) 815 1054 3290 Or (62) 857 1750 1947 I Skype: wahyuningrum/ Facebook & Twitter: Yuyun Wahyuningrum    |
| ASEAN lawmakers seek rights body’s help in Lao activist disappearance Posted: 17 Jan 2013 06:31 PM PST By: George Amurao, Special to InterAksyon.com
BANGKOK – A delegation of lawmakers from ASEAN countries on Wednesday said they will file a petition before the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) soon to pressure the Lao People's Democratic Republic to investigate decisively and quickly the disappearance of Lao social activist Sombath Somphone. Somphone, who founded the Participatory Development Training Center in 1996 and received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 2005, has not been heard from since December 15, 2012 when CCTV video footage showed he was stopped by the police and was driven in a pick-up truck with unidentified men in Vientiane. The delegation, composed of Rep. Walden Bello of the Philippines, Member of Parliament Lily Wahid of Indonesia, and MP Charles Santiago of Malaysia, undertook a fact-finding mission of Sombath's disappearance in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on January 13-15, based on a request by the Asia-Europe People's Forum, and met with high-ranking government officials, including Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sakayane Sisouvong, National Assembly members, the diplomatic community, and civil society. Rep. Bello said the Lao government should act on and resolve the case immediately because Sombath is not just a Lao citizen or a civil society leader in Lao PDR but also a member of the ASEAN community as well. "We told the officials we met that the disappearance of Sombath is an ASEAN concern because Sombath is an ASEAN figure whose work has touched the lives of many people in Lao and other countries in ASEAN. His disappearance reflects badly not only on Laos but on the whole ASEAN community as well," Bello said. Speaking at a news conference held at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand in Bangkok on Wednesday, the three lawmakers outlined the initial steps that they will take in pressuring the Lao government to act decisively on the Sombath case. Wahid said they will ask their respective colleagues in parliament for a signature campaign and use these in a petition to be filed before the AICHR. Santiago said they also recommended to Lao government officials that the family of Sombath be regularly updated of the investigation, and that the National Assembly show its independence by further pressuring the executive branch and the military and police to fast-track the investigation. Bello said that despite the apparently sincere efforts of Vientiane to be open to the delegation, their trip brought up more questions than answers. "The answers we received were far from satisfying," Bello said. He added that they posed questions to the authorities covering all possible angles on the disappearance of Sombath, including motives for the abduction. AEPF link MP Santiago said that based on information they had gathered, Sombath's case might be possibly linked to the Asia-Europe People's Forum (AEPF), which was held in Vientiane in October last year. It might also be connected to the expulsion of Anne-Sophie Grindroz, the country director of the Swiss agency Helvetas, a few months earlier. He said Sombath, like Grindroz, were members of the national organizing committee of the AEPF. As part of his tasks, Sombath reportedly consulted 16 civil society groups in Lao covering a diverse range of social issues like land-grabbing, poverty, ethnic minorities, and others. Santiago said Sombath might have stepped on the toes of powerful figures. He also quoted Permanent Secretary on Foreign Affairs Sisouvong as saying, "Sombath might be crossing a line." The delegates also noted inconsistencies in the investigation. Just as most of the government officials they have met denied that Sombath was transferred to a pick-up truck as seen on the CCTV footage, Santiago quoted Sisouvong as saying that Sombath voluntarily boarded the said vehicle. Santiago also recounted how the police treated Sombath's wife, Ng Shui Meng, saying that she was only summoned by the police early this week to question her about the disappearance. However, only the lowest ranking police officer met her, and he asked questions that were not directly related to the case (like when and where did they first meet each other, how many children do they have, etc.). One month after, has the police already identified the men who abducted Sombath? Santiago quoted authorities as saying they have not yet done so because "[our] level of technology is poor," even if Santiago said the images in the CCTV footage were clear. Bello said that members of the Lao National Assembly promised they would do their best to pressure the government to resolve the case, noting that this is crucial considering that Lao laws allow its investigators to solve a case up to two months, and are allowed up to three extensions. "Translated, that is equivalent of two more years," Bello said. AICHR and ASEAN Charter Bello said that the move to file the petition before AICHR would be a crucial test for the ASEAN human rights body. "We expect this [Sombath case] to be a tough one. We expect AICHR to take this seriously because this is a test case. If AICHR responds positively, this body might have a bright future, if not, AICHR along with the ASEAN Charter will be in jeopardy." Sombath’s disappearance also comes at a time that Lao PDR is joining the World Trade Organization and playing host to the Asia-Europe Leaders Meeting (ASEM), along with Vientiane's recent signing of the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. Bello said in a statement that Lao officials he had met acknowledged that Sombath's case "could not have come at a worse time."   |
| சார்ல்ஸ் சந்தியாகோ: மாற்றம் தேவை என மக்கள் எழுச்சியடைய தொடங்கி விட்டனர் Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:10 PM PST
நூறாயிரக்கணக்கான மக்கள் தங்களின் பயத்தை தகர்த்து, அவர்களின் கோரிக்கையை முன்வைத்து மெர்டேகா அரங்கத்திற்கு ஊர்வலம் சென்ற அந்தக் காட்சி ஒரு புதிய விடியலை கோரும் மக்கள் அலை என்பதனை உணர்த்தியதுள்ளதாக கூறுகிறார் கிள்ளான் நாடாளுமன்ற உறுப்பினர் சார்ல்ஸ் சந்தியாகோ. பாஸ் கட்சியின் தலைவர் அப்துல் ஹடி அவாங்-கும் எதிர்கட்சித் தலைவர் அன்வார் இப்ராஹிம் சுட்டிக் காட்டியதுப் போல், இது மலேசிய மக்களுக்கு கிடைத்த இரண்டாவது சுதந்திரமாகத்தான் அன்றைய வரலாற்று நாள் காட்சியளித்தது. 12.01.2013அன்று அந்த வரலாற்று இடத்திற்கு ஊர்வலமாய் சென்ற மலேசிய மக்கள், மலேசிய குடிமகனின் அமைதியாக ஒன்று கூடும், பேசும் மற்றும் கோரிக்கையிடும் உரிமையை காப்பாற்றிக் கொண்டனர். நாட்டில் அமைதி பேரணிக்கும் போராட்டத்திற்கும் உண்மையான அர்த்தங்களை மாற்றி ஆட்சிப் புரிந்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது நஜிப் தலைமையிலான மத்திய அரசாங்கம். இந்த மக்கள் எழுச்சி பேரணி நடைபெறுவதற்கு முன் மறைமுகமான எதிர்ப்புகளும் அச்சுறுத்தல்கள் பல இருந்த போதிலும், ஒத்துழைப்பு கொடுத்து சில போலிஸ் அதிகாரிகள் புன்முகத்துடன் பணியாற்றியது பாராட்டத்தக்கது என சார்ல்ஸ் கூறினார். எனினும், போலிஸ் துறையின் ஆக்கரமான மாற்றத்தோடு இப்பேரணி முடிந்து விடவில்லை. அலை அலையாய் ஒன்று திரண்ட மக்கள், பத்து கோரிக்கைகளை மிக தெள்ளத் தெளிவாகக் கோரியிருக்கின்றனர். இப்போது அரசாங்கம் செயல்பட வேண்டும். ஆனால் அது சாத்தியமா என வினவிய சார்ல்ஸ் உண்மையிலே ஒரு மகா பேரணி பொதுதேர்தலுக்கு முன் காத்துக் கொண்டிருப்பதாகவும் அது ஒரு வரலாற்றுச் சரித்தரத்தை உருவாக்கும் அளவிற்கு உள்ளதாகவும் கூறினார். மக்களுக்கு முன் உரிமை என வெட்டு முழக்கம் போடும் பிரதமர் நஜிப் பல பிரச்னைகளால் நிலை தடுமாறி இருப்பது அவர் பொதுத் தேர்தலின் நாளை ஒத்தி வைத்துக் கொண்டே இருப்பதிலிருந்து தெரிகின்றது. இனியும் ஏன் தாமதம். மலேசிய மக்கள் தங்களது உரிமைகளை விட்டுக் கொடுக்க தயாராக இல்லை என்பதும் அதனை தட்டிப் பறித்தால் என்ன நேரிடும் என்பதனையும் இந்த மக்கள் எழுச்சி பேரணி தெளிவாக விளக்கி விட்டது. மக்களுக்கு வேண்டியது "மாற்றம்" ஒன்றே. நமது தலையெழுத்து மாறவும், உரிமைகள் காக்கப் படவும் மாற்றத்தை ஏற்படுத்துவோம் என்றார் சார்ல்ஸ் சந்தியாகோ.   |
| Speech on 13th January in Pandamaran, DAP’s UBAH Truck Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:03 AM PST
1) Issue regarding voters irregularity   |
| பொங்கல் திருநாளில் மாற்றத்தை ஏற்படுத்துவோம் – சார்ல்ஸ் பொங்கல் வாழ்த்து Posted: 13 Jan 2013 09:27 PM PST மூலம் : மக்கள் ஓசை பக்கம் 7 திங்கட்கிழமை 14 ஜனவரி 2013
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| Malaysia’s Tahrir Square – The Rise of Ordinary Folks Posted: 12 Jan 2013 09:49 PM PST
It's Boghi today – a festival widely celebrated by the Indians. It's the time of the year when everyone, from the rich to the poor, throws old things into a bonfire and usher in the new. In Malaysia, we celebrated Boghi a day earlier when one hundred thousand people discarded fear and walked to Stadium Merdeka to voice their demands. It was a new dawn, a historic moment. And as succinctly pointed out by PAS chief Abdul Hadi Awang and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, it was a second Merdeka for the people. It was a day where they marched on to a historic venue to declare their freedom to assemble, express and demand their rights as citizens of Malaysia. The Malaysian government has a deeply distorted view of rallies and protests in the country. While we have heard utter nonsense from the ruling politicians and subtle threats in the run up to the rally, it was commendable that the police force cooperated with the rally goers. This only goes to show that we can have peaceful protests if the police do not engage in bully-boy tactics. Some policemen even smiled at me as I walked with fellow Malaysians. It's clear they have learned from past experience where the police unleashed unnecessary force and created chaos on the streets of Kuala Lumpur. That said, it cannot stop with police behaving professionally at the rally. The people have spoken, loud and clear, in presenting their ten -point demand. Now the government must act on it. But we all know this is not going to be easy. The mammoth protest has come on the eve of the general election, which will be the toughest and dirties in the country's history. Prime minister Najib Razak is already struggling to call for the polls. And the last few weeks were not kind to him. Damning allegations, from a businessman who was until recently close to the ruling party, linking the prime minister and his wife to the murder of a Mongolian interpreter coupled with rumours of a mild stroke over last weekend and an impending resignation have certainly come at a bad time for Najib. His efforts at a moderate government have irked the conservative elements within his own party, UMNO, leading many to speculate that they are behind the moves to sabotage Najib. While we can give some credit to Najib for trying to implement reforms, senior UMNO politicians have often undermined his policies. And while they will be counting on their coalition to win the next general election, these people would also be hoping it's not by a big enough margin to allow Najib to stay in power. Clearly the prime minister is stuck. But the people want a decisive leader who can make structural changes and reforms that are crucial to make Malaysia a true democracy. We are done with lip service and excuses. Najib has indulged in one too many flip-flops on his policies over the last four years. He had chickened out and gone back on his words. His reforms have been merely cosmetic. If we take a critical look at UMNO, it would become apparent that the party has completely lost the support of the people. And Najib's popularity is way higher than that of his party's. But polls suggest that it is also dipping. With more threats coming from the carpet dealer, Deepak Jaikishan, a deeply split UMNO and waning support from the people Najib does not have much room to maneuver. And he certainly does not have the power to make good the demands of the 100,000 people. Charles Santiago Member of Parliament, Klang.
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| Krisis air di Lembah Klang: SPAN, Puncak Niaga, SYABAS harus dipersalah Posted: 11 Jan 2013 10:25 PM PST Sumber : Roketkini.com 12 January 2013
Ahli Parlimen Klang, Charles Santiago berkata, SPAN sepatutnya bertanggungjawab mengawal selia syarikat konsesi air, seperti Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (SYABAS) dan Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd, bukan melepas tangan. "SPAN mengadakan audit tahunan ke atas Puncak Niaga dan sudah tentu mereka tahu mengenai masalah yang dihadapi itu. "Persoalannya, adakah mereka menggesa Puncak Niaga untuk menaiktaraf atau mengganti dengan pam air baru atau meminta menyelenggara dengan baik setiap pam air," katanya dalam sidang media baru-baru ini. Sehubungan itu, Santiago turut mendesak SPAN untuk membentangkan laporan audit terkini mereka bagi memastikan insiden membebankan rakyat itu tidak berulang. Menurut beliau, krisis bekalan air itu adalah tanggungjawab penuh SPAN, Puncak Niaga dan SYABAS, bukannya kerajaan negeri. "SPAN adalah badan yang mengawal selia semua 34 loji rawatan air yang dikendalikan Puncak Niaga dan SYABAS supaya sentiasa dalam keadaan baik dan tidak bermasalah. "Sekiranya SPAN bertangungjawab memastikan Puncak Niaga membaiki kerosakan pam air di Wangsa Maju, sudah tentu masalah 'yang dicipta' itu tidak akan berlaku," katanya. Gangguan bekalan air yang berlaku di beberapa kawasan sekitar Lembah Klang bermula sejak Disember lalu menyebabkan media kawalan BN mempolitikan isu itu dengan memburuk dan menyalahkan Kerajaan Negeri Selangor atau mungkin ia sengaja 'disabotaj' supaya rakyat bangkit membantah dan tidak menyokong Pakatan Rakyat pada pilihan raya umum nanti.-Roketkini.com   |
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Menurut pengerusinya, Charles Santiago (gambar), pihaknya kecewa atas sikap SPAN yang lambat mengambil tindakan dan seharusnya mengetahui masalah ini sebelum ia berlaku.
