Aminurasyid Amzah case: Witness who was in car reveals all

This is the latest information revealed by Azamuddin Omar, friend of the late Aminulrasyid Amzah who was also in the car driven by the deceased and now become primary witness to the tragic incident. He revealed in a press conference that Aminulrasyid did not try to ram the police as claimed.

In the meantime, Karpal Singh has been appointed by the family of the late Aminulrasyid Amzah as their legal counsel pertaining to this case.

Both news report by Malaysiakini as below.

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Witness: Aminulrasyid didn't ram car into police

May 3, 10 3:31pm

The passenger who was with 14-year-old Aminulrasyid Amzah when he was shot dead by police last week, has cast doubts over a police allegation that the latter had had tried to ram the car into police personnel.

"When he was shot, his body fell on my lap, but his foot was still on the accelerator. So the car continued moving and the police kept on firing shots," he told a press conference at Aminulrasyid's family home in Shah Alam this afternoon.

Recounting the incident, Azamuddin Omar (centre in pix), 15, said the Proton Iswara eventually crashed into a wall, after which the police continued shooting.

This was his first public statement on the incident.

Azamuddin, who sustained injuries on his arm and back, said more than five police officers assaulted him after he got out of the car to surrender.

The Form Three student, who appeared still shaken, is undergoing treatment for trauma.

Asked why Aminul had not stopped the car, Azamuddin said: "He was scared and said he wanted to go home.

"He said that we were in his sister's car and that he wanted to return it to his house."

The car crashed about 200m away from Aminulrasyid's home in Shah Alam in the early hours of April 26.

'Stop speculating'

Kamaruddin Hassan, who is Aminulrasyid's uncle, reiterated that the family does not want an inquest into the teenager's death, as proposed by the Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan.

"What we want is a royal commission of inquiry because that is the only way we can get a transparent and fair investigation," he said.

The family's lawyer N Surendren (right) also said there is no need for an inquest because there is no dispute about how the boy died.

Kamaruddin hit out at police chief Musa Hassan for saying that he would pull his men off the streets if the people do not want them to enforce the law.

"We respect the police, but there might be some rotten fruits in the bunch," he said.

The family also appealed to everyone to stop speculating and making statements which could hurt the feelings of Aminulrasyid's mother.

Among the hurtful statements, he said, was the accusation that the two boys are criminals, and that the family should be blamed for Aminulrasyid being out late at night.

"There is talk that his sister may be charged because her car was used. This would be a case of shooting the brother and summoning the sister," he said of police action.

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Karpal to act for Aminulrasyid's mum

Christine Chan
May 3, 10
3:29pm

DAP chairperson and senior lawyer Karpal Singh will accompany the family of Aminulrasyid Amzah tomorrow to the spot where the teenager was killed in a police shooting on April 26.

"The first thing would be to look at the crime scene," he told a press conference today to announce his appointment as the lawyer for the family.

Karpal said he was engaged yesterday by Norsiah Mohamad (right in photo), the mother of the 14-year-old, and showed reporters a signed document to back his assertion.

"I have been engaged to act on behalf of Aminulrasyid's mother in all matters arising out of the death of her son, including initiation of legal proceedings - both civil and criminal - against the police and the government," he said.

Karpal echoed the family's view that there is no need to conduct an inquest into the teenager's death, since the incident “has been classified as murder”.

He called for the immediate disbanding of the panel headed by the Deputy Home Minister Abu Seman Yusof, to identify what transpired during the fatal shooting.

While agreeing that the police personnel concerned are entitled to a fair investigation, Karpal (right) noted the possibility of conflict of interest arising if the investigators are colleagues of those allegedly involved.

The investigation must be open, impartial and transparent, said the lawyer, as he suggested that police officers from Sabah or Sarawak be brought in to handle the investigations.

He urged the media not to criticise Aminulrasyid's family or to brand the Form Tree student as a criminal.

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Source and credits: Malaysiakini

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Is GST inevitable in Malaysia?

As we are celebrating International Worker's Day today, some of us took part in peaceful demonstration to protest against implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) today at Dataran Merdeka. While the protest is going on, the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) is mulling over how best to go about it.


Read the full story as reported by Malaysiakini below



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NEAC proposes measures to cushion GST blow

Aidila Razak
May 1, 10
1:01pm

While protestors gather in Kuala Lumpur to oppose to the goods and service tax (GST) today, the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) is mulling over how best to go about it.

According to council member and London School of Economics (LSE) professor Danny Quah, the council is proposing a reduction in corporate and income tax to soften the blow of the GST.

"We are proposing to drop one percent of corporate and income tax every year for the next three to five years, while at the same time implementing a broad-based tax like the GST," he said.

In addition to that move, he said, the needs of roughly 80 percent of Malaysian workers who do not earn enough to pay income tax will be catered for through rebates.

Speaking to reporters after addressing the LSE alumni in Kuala Lumpur last night, Quah said that this is among the tax reform measures considered for the final version of the New Economic Model (NEM) due in June.

A broad overview of the NEM, was unveiled on March 30, with the council currently collecting multi-stakeholder feedback to inform the final version, which will be announced with the 10th Malaysia Plan.

Quah (right) added that as a country with a narrow tax revenue base, Malaysia has no choice but to implement the GST as a long term solution, with a view to gradually raising the rate.

As a long-term venture, he said, it is acceptable if the initial implementation at four percent only serves to neutralize the sales and service tax and does not generate extra income.

"There has been political opposition to the GST but this is something we desperately need because the traditional steady sources of revenue are literally drying up," he said.

He added that lower personal and corporate income tax can encourage savings and investments, while GST provides a reliable stream of income.

That way, Malaysia can use the revenue from natural resources to invest in human capital and capacity building, he said.

'We may be the next Greece'

Taking a question from the floor about political will, Quah said that he is positive that the government will undertake economic reforms even in the face of short term pain.

"Everybody expects no political will on the most dramatic reforms, so I am impressed that that the political leadership does not want to take the easy way out which has been prepared by the pessimism and negative reports," he said.

In his presentation, Quah said that among the more urgent matters which need to be addressed is the government debt-to-GDP ratio.

He said that with the fiscal stimulus, Malaysia's ratio is heading towards 70 percent in 2015 and is on an upward trajectory.

If the reforms are not in place and the economy is not weaned off the fiscal stimulus, the Malaysian economy may face issues similar what Greece is facing.

"Greece is in trouble, among other reasons, because their debt to GDP ratio is 130 percent.

"With (the sort of trajectory), it would not be long before we head into the region of the PIGS countries," he said.

PIGS is an acronym referring to Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain, and more recently the Ireland and the UK, which are all facing issues of high government debt and deficit, relative to GDP.

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Source and credits: Malaysiakini

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HP to buy struggling smartphone maker Palm Inc.

HP announced that it is acquiring Palm Inc, once a leading smartphone maker with aims to resuscitate the company and compete with Apple's iPhone and RIM's BlackBerry. The deal was reported to amount US$1.2 billion (RM3.84 billion)

Source and credits: Reuters via Malaysian Insider

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HP to buy Palm in bet on smartphone arena

Hewlett-Packard Co announced a deal to buy Palm Inc. - Reuters pic

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29 — Hewlett-Packard Co announced a US$1.2 billion (RM3.84 billion) deal to buy Palm Inc, betting it can resuscitate the struggling smartphone maker to compete with the likes of Apple Inc and RIM.

Analysts say 2010’s third-largest US tech acquisition grants Palm’s devices global production and distribution reach while launching the world’s top PC maker into a tech arena experiencing blistering growth.

The news yesterday surprised many on Wall Street, since much of the long-running takeover speculation surrounding Palm had shifted in recent weeks to focus on potential Asian bidders, such as China’s Lenovo.

An early pioneer in handheld devices, Palm once dominated the market but has since been surpassed by Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry. Palm put out a new mobile operating system, the well-reviewed webOS, last year but even that has been overshadowed by Google Inc’s Android software.

In a sign of Palm’s struggles, the money-losing company headed by Jon Rubinstein — an ex-Apple executive famous for developing the iPod — slashed revenue expectations for the current quarter. It said slow product sales have led to low order volumes from carriers.

“If you saw the guidance Palm just put out, it was clear they had to sell,” said Phil Cusick, analyst at Macquarie Research. “Given how quickly Palm’s business was falling off and how fast their cash was going out the door, they’re lucky to get what they got.”

Shares of Palm, 30 per cent owned by Elevation Partners, jumped 27 per cent to US$5.88, above HP’s US$5.70 cash offer. Some investors could be betting on a higher bid, while others could be covering short positions on the heavily shorted stock, analysts said.

HP said the deal for Palm, which both boards have approved, valued the company at US$1.2 billion including debt. Based on Palm’s latest filing, the deal values Palm’s 167.892 million shares outstanding at US$957 million.

Analysts said HP has deep pockets to invest in Palm, can expand its carrier relationships and negotiate better component pricing from existing suppliers.

“PC companies don’t need cellphone-type margins to make the model work; they can be much more price-aggressive in capturing share and will certainly drive margins down for everyone else,” said Avi Cohen at Avian Securities.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch advised HP, while Goldman Sachs advised Palm.

HP’s foray into the fiercely contested smartphone arena, while it may not immediately threaten Apple, and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, may increase pressure on Nokia, Motorola and other device manufacturers now battling to expand their market share.

“Nokia will be one of the most affected players,” said IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo. Because of a “wrong portfolio and lack of carrier support, Nokia never moved from its eighth position...in the smartphone segment. This deal puts also pressure on Motorola and HTC.”

Others, however, were more skeptical about HP’s ability to turn around Palm, whose Pre and Pixi phones have withered in the face of fierce competition.

“If HP wants to have a global role in the mobile space, spending US$1.2 billion in Palm is not the way. Palm has no brand outside the US, and it has no distribution outside the US” said John Strand, chief executive of Strand Consult.

“To pay US$1.2 billion for a US-centric mobile player that’s not successful is a first-class way to destroy shareholder value. Palm has tried to move from the PDA world into the mobile world for eight years without success,” Strand said.

According to Gartner, Palm held 1.2 per cent of the global smartphone market in 2009, compared with Nokia’s 41.1 per cent, RIM’s 19.9 per cent and Apple’s 14.4 per cent.

Despite Palm’s shortcomings, persistent takeover rumors have attracted many investors to the heavily shorted stock. For example, Philip Falcone’s hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners LLC bought Palm shares on April 12, when they were trading between US$5.43 and US$6.29, and had a 9.48 per cent stake.

The deal may mark the culmination of a long-running effort by private equity firm Elevation Partners, the private equity firm that boasts U2 frontman Bono among its partners.

Elevation — which bought a quarter of Palm for US$325 million in 2007 — had brought in numerous ex-Apple executives over the years in hopes of turning the company around, including Rubinstein.

It was unclear how much Elevation, which has invested about US$460 million in Palm, made or lost.

Some investment banking sources had thought that Lenovo was the leading candidate to buy Palm after the US company was rebuffed by other potential Asian buyers including HTC Corp and Huawei.

Palm now expects fiscal fourth quarter revenue in the range of US$90 million to US$100 million, compared with its mid-March forecast that revenue would be less than US$150 million.

Todd Bradley, executive vice president of HP’s computer division, said the company plans to “invest heavily” in Palm, increasing spending on sales and marketing and research and development in the hope of spurring the developer community into writing more applications for the platform.

Palm’s app universe now has more than 2,000 applications, dwarfed by Apple’s App store with closer to 200,000 apps.

Bradley also said Palm’s platform is attractive for an entire ecosystem of mobile devices, from smartphones to slate devices to netbooks.

HP Executives expected a few cents” dilution for from the deal in the second half of fiscal 2010 and “mild” impact in 2011 — for a company that in the fiscal first quarter reported non-GAAP earnings of US$1.07 per share.

“Coupled with our scale, global reach and investments in the ecosystem, we expect we will see solid growth,” he said.

HP already has a smartphone, the iPaq, which runs on Microsoft’s Windows mobile platform. But the device has gained little traction in a crowded market.

Rubinstein is expected to remain with the company, HP said in a statement, adding that the acquisition would likely close during its third fiscal quarter ending July 31.

Shares of HP fell 1 percent to US$52.75 in extended trading from their New York Stock Exchange close of US$53.28.

HP “would be one of the few companies that I think could successfully turn Palm around. The company has great brand, great international distribution,” said C.L. King Associates’ analyst Lawrence Harris. “That will open a lot of doors.” — Reuters

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Source and credits: Reuters via Malaysian Insider
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Malaysia scorpene deal probe underway

Legal team from France represented by Joseph Breham is due to arrive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia today to seek further information about the alleged scandal involving the purchase of Scorpene submarines by Royal Malaysian Navy in 2002.

The first of the two submarines arrived in Malaysia in January this year and quickly become the subject of embarrassment to Royal Malaysian Navy when it is reported to be having technical problem and unable to dive. A submarine that could not dive! What a shame.

Source and credits: Malaysiakini and Asia Sentinel

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French legal team in KL to probe Scorpene deal

John Berthelsen
Apr 28, 10
9:16am

Joseph Breham, a member of a French legal team that filed complaints in a Paris court in connection with a potentially explosive scandal over the billion-dollar purchase of French submarines by Malaysia is due to land in Kuala Lumpur today, to seek further information on the case and to speak with their clients, human rights organisation Suaram.

The deal was engineered by then-defense minister Najib Razak, now prime minister, in 2002 and resulted in a massive RM3.7 billion commission for one of Najib's closest associates, Abdul Razak Baginda.

The purchase price included two Scorpene-class diesel submarines built by Armaris, a subsidiary of the French defense giant DCN (formerly Direction des Constructions Navales) and the lease of a third retired submarine manufactured by a joint venture between DCN and Spanish company Agosta.

Breham, one of the three lawyers who filed the case with Parisian prosecutors on behalf of Suaram, told Asia Sentinel the French court has opened a preliminary investigation into the matter and that he would be advising his clients on the next steps.

Breham, Renaud Semerdjian and William Bourdon, the lead lawyer, filed the request to investigate bribery and kickback allegations against DCN first in December and filed additional documents in February.

The case has been making headlines in Malaysia since the gruesome October 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian translator and spurned lover of Razak Baginda who had accompanied him to France on some of the transactions over the submarines.

Altantuya was shot in the head and her body was blown up with military explosives in a patch of jungle outside of Kuala Lumpur. Two of Najib's bodyguards, who were directed to intercede with her by Musa Safri, Najib's chief of staff, have been convicted of the killing. Neither Najib nor Musa has ever been questioned by law enforcement officials about the case.

Although records showed Najib was in France at the same time as Altantuya and Razak Baginda, he has repeatedly sworn to Allah that he had never known Mongolian. One report filed by a private detective hired by Razak Baginda said she had been Najib's lover first. After she was killed, authorities discovered a letter she had written saying she was blackmailing Razak Altantuya for US$500,000, although she did not say why.

In addition to the cost of the submarines and the whopping "commission" fee, it has now emerged that under the terms of the original contract, the vessels were basically bare of armaments and detection devices. The Malaysian military must pay an additional €130 million (RM550 million) to equip them.

"You mean we bought bare metal?" wrote one incredulous and anonymous military official in an email to Asia Sentinel.

Other countries investigated

The charges go well beyond the Malaysian purchase. Judges in the Paris Prosecution Office have been probing a wide range of corruption charges involving similar submarine sales and the possibility of bribery and kickbacks to top officials in France, Pakistan and other countries. The Malaysian piece of the puzzle was added in two filings, on Dec. 4, 2009 and Feb 23 this year.

French politicians seem to have a knack for backhanders. On Oct 26, in a trial that centered on illegal arms sales to Angola, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, the son of the late president Francois Mitterand, was given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay a €375,000 (RM1.6 million) fine for receiving embezzled funds.

The court ruled that he had accepted millions of euros in "consultant fees" on the arms deals between 1993 and 1998. In the dock with him were 42 people accused of selling weapons to Angola in defiance of a UN arms embargo, or of taking payments from the arms dealers and using their influence to facilitate the sales.

The trial, it was said, shined a light into a murky world of secret payments made in cash and discreet deals linking Parisian high society with one of Africa's longest-running wars. But it hasn't shined a light on what happened elsewhere with contracts concluded by the representatives of France, and particularly by DCN.

For instance, 11 French engineers employed by DCN, which peddled subs to Pakistan, were blown up in a bus bombing in 2002 which was first thought to have been perpetrated by Islamic militants. The 11 were in Karachi to work on three Agosta 90 B submarines that the Pakistani military had bought in 1994, with payment to be spread over a decade.

According to Reuters, commissions were promised to middlemen including Pakistani and Saudi Arabian nationals. Agosta is a subsidiary of DCN. It is believed that Pakistani military officials blew up the bus in retaliation for the cancellation of the payments.

In the Taiwan case, the French company Thales, formerly Thompson-CSF sold six DCN-built La Fayette-class 'stealth' frigates to Taiwan in 1992 for US$2.8 billion (RM9 billion).

At least six people connected with the case have died under suspicious circumstances including a Taiwanese naval captain named Yin Ching-feng, who was believed to have been killed because he planned to go to the authorities about fraud connected with the case. His nephew, who was also pursuing the case, a Thomson employee in Taiwan and a French intelligence agent were also among the dead.

It gradually emerged that some $600 million (RM1.9 billion) in commissions had been paid into various Swiss accounts set up by Andrew Wang Chuan-pu, the Taiwan agent for Thomson-CSF. In October 2008 a French judge finally ruled that no one could be prosecuted because of lack of evidence.

Half a billion ringgit in commissions

The Malaysian allegations revolve around the €114 million (RM482 million) payment to a Malaysia-based company called Perimekar for support services surrounding the sale of the submarines. Perimekar was wholly owned by another company, KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn was controlled by Najib's best friend, Razak Baginda, whose wife Mazalinda, a lawyer and former magistrate, was the principal shareholder, according to the French lawyers.

In the complaints filed in Paris, the issue revolves around what, if anything, Razak Baginda's Perimekar company did to deserve RM482 million. Zainal Abidin, the deputy defense minister at the time of the sale, told Parliament that Perimekar had received the amount - 11 percent of the sale price of the submarines - for "coordination and support services". The Paris filing alleges that there were neither support nor services.

Perimekar was registered in 2001, a few months before the signing of the contracts for the sale, the Paris complaint states. The company, it said flatly, "did not have the financial resources to complete the contract." A review of the accounts in 2001 and 2002, the complaint said, "makes it an obvious fact that this corporation had absolutely no capacity, or legal means or financial ability and/or expertise to support such a contract."

"None of the directors and shareholders of Perimekar have the slightest experience in the construction, maintenance or submarine logistics," the complaint adds.

"Under the terms of the contract, €114 million were related to the different stages of construction of the submarines." The apparent consideration, supposedly on the part of Perimekar, "would be per diem and Malaysian crews and accommodation costs during their training. There is therefore no link between billing steps and stages of completion of the consideration."

- Asia Sentinel

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Source and credits: Malaysiakini and Asia Sentinel
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Shooting of Aminulrasyid Amzah: Justice to be served during cabinet meeting?

The shooting of teenager Allahyarham Aminulrasyid Amzah (15 years old) will be discussed during weekly Cabinet Meeting tomorrow, Wednesday 28 April 2010

Source and credits: Malaysiakini

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Teen shooting case to be brought to cabinet

Jimadie Shah Othman
Apr 27, 10
2:43pm

The case of teenager Aminulrasyid Amzah who was shot dead by police yesterday in Shah Alam will be brought up in the cabinet's weekly meeting tomorrow.

Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Noh Omar (far right) said he would raise the matter for deliberation.

Noh, who is also Selangor Umno deputy chief, said the party would offer legal assistance to the family as they have a right to sue the police force and the government over the incident.

"They can also bring up this case to Suhakam (Human Rights Commission)," Noh told reporters at the teenager's home this afternoon.

The 15-year-old was shot in the head in the early hours of Monday, after Aminulrasyid allegedly acted suspiciously and tried to ram a car into members of a police patrol unit in Section 11, Shah Alam.

Noh said the party sympathises with the family over the incident and expressed hope that the matter would be investigated transparently in the interests of justice and the truth.

“I hope this case will not be sensationalised or politicised,” said the minister.

Noh said this after meeting with Aminulrasyid's family members, who had held a press conference at their home in Section 11.

Aminulrasyid's mother dismissed media reports published today portraying her son as a criminal.

"I know my son. He is not as they report in the newspapers. I know who my son was," insisted Norsiah Mohamad, 60.

The anguished mother of eight - Aminulrasyid was the youngest - said her son had never been involved in criminal activities as alleged in media reports.

The media, therefore, should not report "yang bukan-bukan" (nonsense), because "as a mother, I cannot stand to read such things," said Norsiah as she wiped away tears.

Asked whether the family would take legal action against the police force, Norsiah (right) - a single mother - said the matter would be discussed with the rest of the family.

Also present at the press conference were Norsiah's daughter Norazurah and her son-in-law Kamarudin Hassan.

According to the police report lodged by a witness involved in the incident, he and Aminulrasyid were returning home in the latter's Proton Iswara from a restaurant in Section 7.

After overtaking a police MPV, they were chased, then shot at by the police until the car was forced to the side of the road.

"I went out of the car to surrender. One of the police personnel kicked me from behind, while others punched and kicked me.

"I struggled and was able to escape from the police, then went straight home," said the witness in his police report.

Suspect tried to ram police

A different version of the episode, however, was reported by the print media today.

Speaking to the press yesterday, Selangor police chief Khalid Abu Bakar (right) was reported as having said the police chased Aminulrasyid after chancing upon him and the other suspect "in suspicious circumstances".

Rather than slowing down after being told to stop their car, the teenager sped up. The police then shot at a tyre of the Iswara, said Khalid.

After the car stopped, he added, one of the suspects exited the vehicle and escaped on foot.

The driver of the vehicle suddenly reversed the car and tried to ram into the police personnel - who had by then been joined by officers from another patrol unit.

"Surprised by the action of the suspect and (trying) to defend himself, the police officer shot in the direction of the suspect in the car," said Khalid.

The suspect died on the way to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang due to the injury sustained, added the police chief.

A long machete was found in the Iswara by police personnel, Khalid said.

All four police personnel involved in the incident have been transferred to desk jobs while investigations are carried out under Section 302 of the Penal Code, he said.

He posed no threat

This afternoon, Norsiah lodged a report at the Shah Alam district police station.

"I ask that an independent probe be carried out by police (officers) from the federal police headquarters of PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police Force) on every police officer involved, including superior officers who had allowed this incident to occur."

She was accompanied by PKR information chief Latheefa Koya, Selangor exco Yaakob Sapari, Seri Setia state assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and Kapar parliamentarian S Manikavasagam.

"I want justice for my son," Norsiah told reporters, reiterating Aminulrasyid's innocence.

She also questioned why the police could not merely stop the car her son was driving, as "there was no proper reason why the police had to shoot".

She dismissed the suggestion that Aminulrasyid (left) had posed a threat to the police officers involved.

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Source and credits: Malaysiakini

Not to point fingers to anybody, but this is a very sad tragedy .

Hopefully justice will be uncovered, I fully support for a Royal Commission of Inquiry be set up to determine the what, who, why, where, when and how was the events that lead to the shooting of late Aminulrasyid Amzah.

Al-Fatihah

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