DAP out to prove FT minister wrong

Cops accused of beating and robbing man released

Beaten and robbed by cops over expired road tax

Malaysiakini video:

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/151643 (By S Pathmawathy, 24/12/2010)
For being frank with the police, 34-year-old Chia Buang Hing was detained for five days and beaten up until he vomited blood. The businessman, who is frame-maker, narrated the "horrific" incident today, saying that the police bashed him up, threatened and robbed him of RM13,000 in cash he was carrying - all for the expired road tax of his wife's car that he was driving.
Chia's nightmare began about 11pm on Dec 18, as he was driving from his house in Tropicana to Kota Damansara, where traffic police had set up roadblocks. Having spotted the expired road tax, one of the police officers asked for his driver's licence and identification card. It was then, he said, that the officer spotted stacks of RM50 notes, totalling RM7,000, sticking out of his pocket and demanded that he hand them over. Chia said he refused and insisted he be issued with a summons but as the officer kept asking for the money, Chia warned that he would lodge a report. Then the assaults began. "I tried to take his picture with my mobile phone, but I was repeatedly punched by him and two other officers. "One of them then handcuffed me and I screamed for help (but) I was shoved inside a police car and beaten again," he said, adding that there were several witnesses to this, including a security guard and a friend of his who was in another car. Chia said he was carrying a total of RM18,000 that he had collected from his three frame-making shops that night, with RM10,000 in his pockets and RM8,000 in the car.
'My money was thrown into the toilet'
The father of two said he was then taken to the police station in Kota Damansara and again assaulted. "I was outside a toilet at the station and seven officers kicked and stepped on me until I vomited blood and sustained injuries on my face. "Then, one police officer took the RM7,000 from my front pocket and RM3,000 from my back pocket and they threw it on the floor." "He (the officer) became angry when I demanded the money be returned and he threw the remainder he was holding into the toilet and hit me again." Chia said the police then ordered him to write a report that his sustained the injuries in a traffic accident and when he refused, they threatened to plant a blood-stained machete and drugs in his car and get him locked up for a long time.
At about 3am the following morning, he said, he was threatened by an officer that drugs would be injected into his bloodstream. He was later assaulted again, by as many as five officers, at the police station and at another place he could not identify. One thing he managed to do, Chia said, was to leave his bloodied fingerprints in many parts of the police station that he had been dragged to. "Only when they saw that I was barely surviving - as I had vomited blood and white foams were trickling out of my mouth - they took me to the hospital. By the time we got there, it was already 7 in the morning.
Magistrate ignored his complaints
Chia was taken to the Sungai Buloh Hospital and after that to the Petaling Jaya magistrate's court, about 10am, for a remand order against him. He said he informed the magistrate of his ordeal but he was ignored. The magistrate ordered Chia to be remanded by police until Dec 22 on suspicion of possession of drugs and weapons. During that period, he said, he was taken to a officer at narcotics department in the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters. "He told me there was no case against me and called up the men who had abused me. He advised me to lodge a report and allowed me to contact my family," Chia added. He said that he was then released on police bail and RM5,000 was returned to him.
Segambut DAP MP Lim Lip Eng assisted Chia in lodging his report at the Mutiara Damansara police station yesterday. Lim said the investigating officer accompanied them to the Kota Damansara police station where most of the Chia's bloodstains been removed, but there were some under a table, behind a mirror and under a cupboard, which were photographed by police.
'Nobody is above the law'
Malaysiakini was later informed that the Selangor police contingent headquarters has officially taken over the matter. A task force has been set up to investigate the complaint in detail. There will be no cover-up in the investigation, police said in a text message. "Nobody is above the law. If there is evidence, the persons responsible will be charged in court," added the contingent's officer in-charge of criminal investigations, Mohd Adnan Abdullah.

Related news: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/man-claims-robbed-beaten-after-traffic-stop/

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/14658-ahli-perniagaan-dibelasah-polis-mahu-tuntut-keadilan

Wet market will serve folk better

Lim Lip Eng says taps and pipes at the abandoned food court have been stolen.

Empty: The Medan Selera Sri Sinar was built four years ago.

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles (By Halim Said, 22/12/2010)
Residents of Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut, want City Hall to turn the neighbourhood white elephant into something useful -- a wet market. The four-year-old Taman Sri Sinar food court in Jalan 38A has been vacant since it ceased operations last year.
Yeoh Boon Day, 49, a fruit seller, said the food court's poor location and lack of visibility made it unpopular with the residents."It is situated behind a business area. Moreover, the residents here are spoilt for choice as there are many food outlets here," he said. Yeoh said the food court could be turned into a wet market as residents had to travel 5km to the nearest wet market in Kepong Baru. "Only a night market operates here once a week," said Yeoh , who was representing the residents to convey the suggestion to Segambut member of parliament Lim Lip Eng.

Lim, who visited the food court on Tuesday, said City Hall must be proactive in keeping the food court in business. "The place looks clean and neat but closer inspection shows that taps and urinals have been stolen in the toilets. The stainless steel wording on the food court sign post has also been vandalised. "As the food court is vacant, it is becoming a hangout for undesirable characters," said Lim. He said all 10 stalls in the food court stopped operation a month after the food court opened in 2007. The food court had failed to attract customers. "It was re-launched in 2009 with only a single stall operating there. It, too, did not last more than a month before shutting down, which leaves the food court unutilised until now," he said.
City Hall's recently announced budget had an allocation of RM95,000 for the maintenance of the food court next year, said Lim. "I've been told that City Hall is outsourcing the management of the food court, for those who are able to run it. Application can be made at City Hall's petty trader management department," he said.
Although vacant, the food court has a security guard and a cleaner hired by City Hall.

Food court in Segambut needs new management

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 24/12/2010)
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is planning to out- source the management of the Medan Selera Sri Sinar footcourt in Segambut. The RM1mil food court, owned and maintained by the DBKL, was built four years ago, however, it was never occupied. It has 10 stalls and 144 seats. Initially, rental for each stall was RM250, but since it received no response, it was reduced to RM155.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said DBKL tried to get tenants for the food court but no one was interested. “I was told that DBKL tried to launch the place twice in 2007 and 2009, but the feedback was bad. However, the City Hall is still maintaining the food court. “Although it’s been four years, the food court is clean,” he told reporters on Tuesday. He added that the DBKL 2011 budget allocated RM95,000 for the food court’s maintenance. “After trying to manage the food court for the past years, DBKL will outsource to a third party. They can take over, renovate and market the place.

“I am calling those interested to consider this proposal because the food court is good condition and will go to waste if not used,” he said.

Word of the Year 2010: OVERRUN

I choose the word ‘overrun’ because it may refer to:

1. To go beyond the normal or desired limit: Cost overrun is common in Malaysian government mega projects.

2. To seize the positions of and defeat conclusively: The position of Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak was overrun by BN undemocratically.

3. To spread swiftly throughout: Corruption overran the country.

4. To spread destructively: Cronyism overran the government projects.

5. To run or extend beyond a limit: Taib Mahmud has overrun his term as Sarawak CM.

KL mayor tabled the 2011 Budget

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By LIM CHIA YING, 20/12/2010)
KL mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail, who tabled the 2011 Budget, said the focus on the Budget for next year would be on ‘Cleaner, Greener and More Comfortable Kuala Lumpur’.

“In line with our theme, City Hall will focus on five main priorities; strengthening our delivery of services, improving the city’s cleanliness, better maintenance of roads, drainage and public facilities, increase greening programmes and maintenance of public parks, and also looking into the maintenance and development of public housing,” he said during the press briefing at the DBKL headquarters after unveiling the Budget 2011 to the Kuala Lumpur MPs.

“From RM2.007bil, approximately RM1.27bil (63%) will be allocated for operations while the remaining RM734mil (37%) will be used for development.” Based on DBKL’s December financial account, Ahmad Fuad noted an increase of RM979mil which he attributed to the sales and disposal of DBKL’s assets, development charges to developers which he said was newly-introduced and contributed as the second highest revenue earner, as well as the collection of debts where 90% have been paid up. “We are also reducing 50% in license rates for some 67,000 petty traders in KL and also reducing the assessment tax rates by 2% for service apartments and apartments in commercial premises,” he said.

On Alam Flora, RM124mil has been set aside to pay their contract, but Ahmad Fuad said a work schedule and key performance index on their service level was being created so if their performance was not up to par, the contract would be terminated.

On why some constituencies saw such a drastic decrease in their allocation, he said this was because some projects had already been completed in certain areas and the monies had to be fairly distributed according to the constituency’s needs and not just focused on one place.

Several of the MPs also asked for specifics of the developments to be built in the different constituencies as they said the information was not provided during the meeting.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said he was quite happy with the higher allocation for his constituency, from RM29.6mil to RM63.7mil for next year. He hoped the allocation would be duly used to ease the Jalan Segambut infamous congestion, where plans were afoot to widen the Jalan Segambut to Mont Kiara road under the Eighth Malaysian Plan but has been delayed.

He also complained as to why DBKL was giving RM27mil to maintain and operate the Integrated Transportation and Information System (Itis) when a lot of complaints have been received about the system being a flop. Lim said the mayor replied that the DBKL was bound by a contract with Itis.

Ahmad Fuad, when asked later, said Itis is a Federal Government project and passed on to City Hall after it was completed. “There are two million vehicles moving in KL and traffic will be a bigger nightmare without Itis. “Of course, there are weaknesses in the gantry because the cables were stolen but we’ll look into that,” he said.

DAP fines Lip Eng RM500

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/10ine/Article (2010/12/18)

KUALA LUMPUR: Federal Territory DAP secretary Lim Lip Eng has been fined RM500 by the party's disciplinary committee for his unruly conduct at the Nov 28 Selangor DAP convention.

Committee chairman Tan Kok Wai said the "light" sentence was meted out after the committee had taken into consideration Lim's public apology. Additionally, Lim had immediately replied to the show-cause letter issued by the committee on Nov 29. "He will have 14 days to appeal against the decision to the central working committee," said Tan.

Lim said he accepted the decision and would not appeal.
At the Selangor DAP convention, Lim, who is also Segambut member of parliament, caused a ruckus when he shouted "Teresa (Kok) won!" while the ballots were being counted. The chairman ordered Lim to be removed, but Lim returned during the announcement of the results, where he shouted "yes!" numerous times, prompting him to be ejected again.
Lim supported Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, who was elected Selangor DAP chief.

Pothole-riddled roads in Taman Seri Bintang

Waiting for action: The pothole in front of the SMK Sinar Bintang filled with water.

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By JASTIN AHMAD TARMIZI, 17/12/2010)
THE pothole problem in Taman Seri Bintang, Kuala Lumpur is frustrating residents because no action has been taken even after complaints were made to the local authorities. Taman Seri Bintang Rukun Tetangga chairman Angus Ng said the potholes in Jalan 34/38a near the SMK Sinar Bintang was filled with water. “It has been six months and the authority has not done anything to repair the potholes. We have made many complaints to the authorities but to no avail,” he said. “The water splashes all over every time a car passes by. Even the paint on the road is coming off. “If the authorities decide to patch up the porthole, this is the best time because of the school holidays,” said Ng.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said under the Government guidelines public roads should have a warranty of 10 years. “The road condition here is terrible. The road surface is uneven and there are so many potholes. The potholes reappear even after patch work is done as the quality of work is not good enough. “Just after a few weeks, we can already see cracks appearing on the surface,” said Lim. He added that this was not a problem confined to one area as pothole issues were prevalent everywhere. “Potholes can be found all over Kuala Lumpur and not only does it damage cars but it can be dangerous for motorcyclists travelling at night,” Lim said.

Ng also said illegal parking in Jalan Seri Bintang 1 and Jalan Seri Bintang 2 was making it difficult for motorists to manoeuvre their vehicles in the area. “We cannot blame the people for parking illegally as there are not enough parking bays in the area. “However, when vehicles are coming from both directions the road is too narrow for them to pass. We proposed to the Kuala Lumpur City Council to turn it into a one-way road five years ago. “But so far nothing has been done,” he said.

Cabbie hit by stray bullet wants compensation

Source: http://malaysiakini.com/news/150461 ( By Regina Lee, 10/12/2010)
A cab driver who was hit in his leg by a stray bullet fired by a policeman is seeking compensation for the hardship he has suffered during his two-month recuperation period. Taxi driver Yeow Leong Kang, 41, said the incident occurred on Sept 23, while he was resting inside his vehicle on Jalan Pudu. Just seconds after dozing off, he was awakened by a loud 'pop' sound, just like a firecracker. Yeow felt cold and numb immediately after, and only realised that he had been shot when his legs oozed blood. The slug had pierced through the door of the driver's side, went through his right leg and grazed his left foot.
In his police report, Yeow said a policeman approached him immediately after, telling him not to move and that an ambulance was on the way. At the hospital later, another policeman approached Yeow and confessed that he was the shooter and apologised profusely. The policeman then explained to Yeow that they were in pursuit of another vehicle and that it was a stray bullet that had hit him. Yeow was discharged two days later but remained bedridden at his flat in Cheras. Over the next two weeks, the policeman who shot him delivered lunch to his flat.
“But I couldn't work for two months. I could hardly walk. It took me 10 minutes just to walk from the bedroom to the toilet in my flat,” Yeow told reporters after lodging his police report today. 'They have to compensate me'
Accompanied by three Pakatan Rakyat MPs, Yeow said he could only lodge the police report this morning - more than two months after the incident - because he could only start walking properly last Friday, when he resumed working. “I also want some kind of compensation. I could not work for two months and yet I still had to pay the rent for my taxi,” he said. Both Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun and Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng also urged for the government to compensate Yeow for his loss of earnings, as well as award some exemplary damages. “This is to teach the police that they cannot be trigger happy. The Standard Operating Procedure and the Inspector-General's Standing Order (IGSO) on police shooting have to be declassified,” said Lim.
Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar also reiterated her call for the establishment of an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC). “It's not that we want to belittle the police. We just want to help the force improve,” she said.

MP: Good thing he's alive
Lim added: “It's a good thing that Yeow is still alive. If not, the police would have accused him of being a rapist or a robber.”
The police have been under intense scrutiny of late over alleged trigger-happy tendencies, such as in the cases of Aminulrasyid Amzah and noodle seller Ho Chei Hang. Star had reported in September that Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman had claimed that Yeow was shot by "an unknown motorcyclist".

When contacted today, Zulkarnain declined comment on the latest development, saying he had not received any report on the matter.

Police to probe shooting of cab driver

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story (13/12/2010)

KUALA LUMPUR: An accidental shooting of a cab driver by a policeman here will be investigated to determine if the Standard Operating Procedure was adhered to, including how the shot was fired. Kuala Lumpur Police chief Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, who dismissed claims that the police were callous, said the police met the victim after the incident and would see him again. Speaking to reporters after attending a dialogue with Seri Perak Public Housing Scheme’s residents here today, Zulkifli said action would be taken against the policeman if there was negligence on his part.

Taxi driver Yeow Leong Kang, 42, who was hit in his legs by a stray bullet in Jalan Pudu, said the incident occurred on Sept 23 while he was resting in his vehicle. Last Friday, Yeow lodged a police report at the Cheras district headquarters here, claiming that his case was not given the due attention by the police. According to Yeow, he was awakened from his sleep by a shot which pierced through the door on the driver’s side, hit his right calf and grazed his left foot, causing him to be bedridden for two months. He is seeking compensation as he could not work for two months and had yet to pay the rent for his taxi. — Bernama

More news: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/bm/newsgeneral.php?id=549447

Unisem-WA trade revocation: Culprit is still at large!

“No losses from Unisem-WA trade revocation”

Source: http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/20101208190840/Article/

No party incurred losses when Bursa Malaysia revoked share transactions of UNISEM-WA on August 30, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told the Dewan Rakyat today. To date, Bursa Malaysia has not received any claim of damage in writing, said Najib, who is also Finance Minister.
Explaining the rationale for cancellation of UNISEM-WA share trading, Najib said transactions in the afternoon session were rescinded when the matched price was quoted higher than the RM0.50 sen after-limit price for that day due to a mistake in the entry of the ceiling price when the second trading session started. "To protect the integrity and to uphold a fair and orderly market, Bursa Malaysia decided to cancel all share transactions during the wrong entry period.

"No party suffered losses as a result of the cancellation and till to date, no damage claim in writing has been received," he said in his written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) during question time. - Bernama
Read more: http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=548579

National Service complaints e-mail possibly hacked, says MP

Source: http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=54828 (By Tan Yi Liang, 8/12/2010)

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 7, 2010): It might come as no surprise that online complaints by concerned Malaysians about the Ministry of Defence's National Service (NS) programme have fallen on deaf ears. What might come as a surprise is to find your mailbox flooded with spam instead.

This is because the e-mail provided to the public to complain -- korporat@khidmatnegara.gov.my -- appears to have been hijacked by a third party, as Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng pointed out today. Lim said that upon hearing complaints from concerned parents, he tested out the e-mail provided on the NS website www.khidmatnegara.gov.my and received a reply from "Bank Barclays International London UK". "I sent an e-mail at 2.40pm yesterday (Monday) and I got an immediate response," he told a press conference at his service centre here. "Although the reply thanked me and told me I would hear feedback from them in 14 days and a status report in two months, it was as if the reply was not sent by the NS administrators but by a hacker or a spam syndicate named Bank Barclays International London UK. I believe the servers of the NS Department have been hijacked by a hacker syndicate. This means that NS is not receiving any complaints.

"The intent of the hackers, as far as I can see, is that they are looking for valid e-mails so they can send spam. Additionally, valid e-mails can be sold to companies to be used to promote their products. "The e-mail I sent to the inquiry email ccentre@khidmatnegara.gov.my bounced."

A test by theSun produced the same results -- a reply with the sender listed as "Bank Barclays International London UK" from korporat@khidmatnegara.gov.my and a delivery failure from ccentre@khidmatnegara.gov.my.

Lim said he had received about 10 complaints about the National Service programme from parents since January, including one on the NS general line. "The leaflets given to parents from the NS office listed the number 03 4027 400 as the general line. They said no one picked up the phone. Yesterday, I called the number and there was no reply, only a recording from a machine."

Lim, who said he called the number six times, will try and highlight the problems in the NS Department when he meets the minister or deputy minister in Parliament. -- theSun

Calls to National Service Dept line go unaswered

Souurce: http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/12/8 (By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ, 8/12/2010)
PEOPLE are fed up of trying to reach the National Service Department’s call centre at the numbers given at its website. They are frustrated because they could not reach anyone at the given phone numbers.

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who has received at least 10 such complaints since January, said he had tried to call the number six times at different hours on Dec 6, but to no avail. “Everytime I call, it keeps ringing but no one answers. Sometimes, it goes into voice messaging and gets cut off,” he told reporters yesterday. “How are people going to contact the department for any enquiries?” he asked. Lim also tried e-mailing to the e-mail address on the website.

The address that is meant to receive complaints, immediately bounced off when a message was sent, despite several times of trying.

“The e-mail address for complaints came up with a standard reply, promising action within 14 days. “However, the strange part is the e-mail address that comes in the reply box is that of a Bank Barclays International London. It looks like someone is hacking into the system. Why is it that the reply does not come from korporat@khidmatnegara.gov.my? he asked. “I am asking the Government to look into the matter and upgrade the system’s firewall,” he said.

He added that the department should also look into the problems at the call centre.

It’s confirmed. College students don’t get discount for using trains.

120,000 have used electric train service since launch
Source: http://www.bernama.com/bernama & http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles

KUALA LUMPUR: The Electric Train Service (ETS) ferried 120,648 passengers between Aug 12, when it was launched, and Nov 11, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said 97,244 passengers travelled on the Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur route and 6,829 passengers went on the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban route up to October.
The government spent RM240 million to buy five sets of six-coach electric trains for use on the two routes, he said in a written reply to Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut).

Kong said the ETS offered discounts of between 20 and 50 per cent to various categories of passengers, including students, the disabled, government pensioners and senior citizens.

-- BERNAMA

Some ideas not included in draft KL Local Plan

Source: http://thestar.com.my/metro (By PRIYA MENON, 3/12/2010)
STAKEHOLDERS and residents of several housing areas in Kuala Lumpur have mixed reactions after reviewing the amended draft of the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan 2020 during a two-day briefing held on Nov 30 and Dec 1 at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters.

They are unhappy that the plan did not include some of the ideas that were suggested when the draft plan was first introduced…

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said he had received mixed reviews from his constituency on the lack of LRT in the area. “Residents of the more affluent places like Taman Tun Dr Ismail and Bukit Damansara were unhappy when they first found out about the proposed LRT line. Now with the amended plan, no such development has been marked so they are happy. On the other hand, places like Sungai Penchala, Kampung Segambut Dalam and Desa Park City are made up of middle-income and lower-income people and they have been waiting for the LRT line to come so this is a disappointment to them,” added Lim.

He also said KL mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Fuad Ismail had left several areas untouched to accommodate the Greater KL plan by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Lim said the Greater KL’s biggest project was to provide an MRT line in the Klang Valley and the current draft plan was conflicting it. “I laud the DBKL’s efforts in coming up with the draft plan. They are doing a great thing but both the draft plan and the Greater KL plan are conflicting each other,” he said.

I was just overjoyed, maintains Lip Eng

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news (1/12/2010)

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng has denied allegations that he was drunk during the Selangor DAP convention on Sunday, saying that he was merely “overjoyed” with Seputeh MP Teresa Kok’s victory.

He said he had also apologised for his behaviour that night and had replied to a show-cause letter by the party’s national disciplinary committee on the incident. “I have replied to the show-cause letter and am prepared to face any action from the disciplinary committee,” he said yesterday. He said he had received the letter via email on Monday evening and replied immediately. He said he also sent a letter to the party headquarters.

Lim was issued the letter on Monday after he had allegedly caused a commotion at the convention when he grabbed a microphone and shouted: “Teresa Kok won!” before being told to leave the hall. The MP, who was aligned to Kok’s team in the state DAP polls, was also reported to have told her rival, Selangor state assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim, to resign and tweeted that he must quit to form his “new Oscar party”. Although Kok finished 11th in the voting, she was elected state chairman while Teng, who garnered the fourth highest number of votes, was made vice-chairman. Lim said that although he was not sure of the kind of disciplinary action that might be taken against him, he felt it might include a reprimand, suspension or even sacking. “I regret my mistake and I deserve any action against me. I hope it will be a lesson to party members not to repeat the mistake,” he said, adding that he would continue to serve the party.

DAP’s disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai confirmed that he had received Lim’s reply and that it would meet later in the month to look into his explanation. Besides Lim, two other DAP members who received show-cause letters were Singapore Street DAP branch chairman Anthony Teo and Karamunting branch chairman Simon Chok. Both men, who are from Sandakan, Sabah, were alleged to have made accusations against the party and run down its leaders. They were issued the letters on Nov 25.