BIRD FLU explodes in Indonesia, M’SIAN Police, Customs Entry Points Alert; WHAT ABOUT OUR AIR SPACE. Can infected Birds FLY IN and drop their BOMBS?

Vaccination was preferred but now Indonesia begins slaughtering poultry

WHO’s worry: “The virus is in animals almost everywhere and the lack of effective attention that's being addressed to the problem. In Indonesia the process has been haphazard and funding and policy decisions are often at the whim of inexperienced officials, mayors and village heads”
Indonesia has logged at least 36 human deaths in the past year - 25 since January - and is expected to soon eclipse Vietnam's 42 fatalities. The two countries make up the bulk of the world's 127 total deaths since the virus began spreading in Asian poultry stocks in late 2003.
Scientists believe human-to-human transmission has occurred in a few other smaller family clusters, all involving blood relatives. Expert’s fear the virus will mutate into a highly contagious form that passes easily among people, possible sparking a pandemic. (Epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population).

Our Malaysia authorities response is “the police and Customs Department to ensure no Indonesian birds and eggs are brought into the country via ports and other entry points”. Then what about our OPEN AIR SPACE? Are there any birds migrating over here from Indonesia? The infected bird's droppings would be lethal. And this is why ONLY free ranging chickens have caught the HN51 virus. The recent scarce in Setapak, KL (near the Zoo Negara) is a possibility as the Zoo attarcted a number of migratory birds. Have we heard of any poultry farms being hit? These chickens are reared in well protected coops shielded from "air attack" of the droppings

Would it be a great idea if the RMAF (Royal Malaysia Air Force) be mobilized to “shoo” away all the birds flying in from the south.

This huge task is beyond the scoop of the RMAF as they are still busy training their pilots and searching for lost planes in the South China Sea.

And Check out more details from the Sun Test the system before bird flu strikes
and channelnewsasia 54 people in Indonesian bird flu quarantined: WHO

or Articles on bird flu

for those who wants better protection get this e-book

How to Beat the Bird Flu

MURDER SUSPECTS (of 7 years old BOY) CHARGED with KIDNAPPING & MURDER – Death is greatly misunderstood, A DEATH IS JUST A NIGHT TO YOUR SOUL

The murder suspects being led into the Magistrate court

Kee Lian Kok 28 who runs a hawker business in Taman Sentosa in Nebong Tebal, Pulau Pinang and Su Qiamei 35 (believed to be a GRO) from Fujian province in China alleged to have abducted Ho Ping 7 for RM500,000 ransom in the boy’s house in Subang Jaya at about 7.30 pm on May 18 2006.(see previous post).

Kee is the brother-in-law of the boy's father and is married to the boy's sister for three years. The charge under section 3 of the kidnapping act 1961 together with the penal code carries a death penalty or life imprisonment upon conviction.. And if they are not not sentenced to death they can be acquitted..

Kee and Soh are also jointly charged with murdering Ho Ping at the Changat Meranti plantation in Kg Baru, Manjoi., Perak between 2.00 - 3.00 am the next day. The charge under section 302 of the penal code carries a mandatory death penalty upon conviction.
No plea could be recorded in the magistrate's court as such cases are tried in the High Court.

The Boy’s family at his wake

Prayers session at his wake

Death is greatly misunderstood as being the end of it all, of coming too soon, sporadically at the right time, not being justified, and all of it never, never having been created by the soul, let alone being respected as such.

Death always seems to be something just out of your understanding, responsibility, control and power. This is completely inaccurate.

Death, however, does not exist in those terms. In the dawn of physical existence, men knew that death was merely a change of form. A death is just a night to your soul.

Existence is larger than life or death. Life and death are both states of existence. An identity exists whether it is in the state of life or in the state of death.

No man or woman consciously knows for sure which day will be the last for him or her in this particular life, that each calls the present one. Mortality with its birth and death is the framework in which the soul, for now, is expressed in flesh.

The knowledge is usually hidden for many reasons, but the fact of death, personal death, is never forgotten. It seems obvious, but the full enjoyment of life would be impossible in the framework, now, of earthly reality without the knowledge of death.

Life and death are but two faces of your eternal, ever changing existence, however feel and appreciate the joy of your own being. Many live into their nineties without ever appreciating to that extent the beauty of their being.

You had lived before, and will again, and your new life, in your terms, springs out of the old, and is growing in the old and contained within it as the seed is already contained within the flower

The Boy certainly did not die in vain as his death has evoked so much compassion and feeling and has many reasons; each case is unique. Some of the reasons perhaps include: fear and departure of life fully lived in the body, completion of life and its purpose in the current physical vehicle - which include the desire to experience another mode of operation.

Go here to see SU's face
and read more from NST

RM20 MILLION ANNUAL HOLIDAYS for PARTICIPANTS, LOCALS and SPORTS OFFICIALS in. SUKMA (MALAYSIAN GAMES)

SUKMA stands for SUKan MAlaysia – the Malaysian Games, owned by the National Sports Council. But it is the OCM (Olympic Council of Malaysia), through national sports associations and their state affiliates which provide the participants. Ostensibly
the games provide the eliminating rounds - the training grounds for aspiring Olympic potentials.
But the results show otherwise. – the athletes are NOT of high caliber and for outstanding performance - NIL; except a few surprises. Even the Sports Minister questioned if the money spent is justified as she mentioned that the entry requirements are so low.

The officials would deliberately ensure their teams are in to enjoy this annual holidays being held in different parts of the country. The current venue is in Kedah and how many are really watching these games (“main main sahaja”)
The 20 million does not include spending millions in each new state to provide the venues for the games. Most of the participants are school children and the officials are teachers and that is why the games always coincided with the School Holidays so that they can enjoy a trip to another state.

Many questioned “Why not in KL Bukit Jalil‘s Sports Complex to take advantage of its central locality” And the question also asked “Are the Malaysia Games relevant?” Yes the games are relevant to the dependents, industry suppliers of medals, sports gear and etc. Without the Sukma games how will they survive for the year and where will all the kickbacks come from?


Read more from Are the Malaysia Games relevant?
and Bukit Jalil best suited for Sukma

MALAYSIA “PLAYBOY” MAGAZINE and Others BUSTED – False permit used to publish it

Datuk Fu Ah Kiaw, the Deputy Minister of Internal Security announced the banning of the local Malaysian “PLAYBOY” published in Malaysia and several local magazines magazine like Getaran Jiwa, Warta Seni and Tras Efektif were given a stern warning, (see pics on the magazines). He stated that the Playboy magazine cannot be published. Mingguan Seni was licensed to publish another magazine but instead used it to print “Playboy”. The permit for Dunia Madani was also cancelled. Anyone publishing without permit can be charged under the Printing Presses and Publication Act.

The furor started when Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said the “Playboy” magazine, known for its adult content, corrupts people’s morality and minds. Selling the magazine “is like distributing poison," the Pas spiritual leader said. The title was that of a magazine "closely associated with sex and eroticism”.
Actually in that controversial issue, the 24-page magazine contains no nudity, erotic stories or articles on sexual subjects, but largely explains the controversy surrounding the publication of the Indonesian Playboy last month.

Apparently these magazines (in Bahasa Malaysia) “had the village elders blushing” the senator was complaining.
Well, can we blame these folks who have no access to the internet? The little they can visualize in these magazines can get them excited. But now with the advent of satellite access, the villagers can be more informed within the privacy and safety of their homes. Read the details from 'Playboy' surfaces in Johor

LANDSLIDE at Kg Pasir, nearby ZOO NEGERA, 4 Dead and 40 Homes destroyed by TONS OF EARTH after RETAINING WALL gave way

The Landslide occurred around 3 pm on Wednesday, 31st May after a slight drizzle. But over the last few days the area has been raining heavily.

Two adult persons (70 years and 30 years old) and two children (3 and 4-1/2 years old) were amongst those dead. Up till 10 pm 1 body was recovered but beyond recognition as the collapsed squatter houses caught fire possibly due to electrical short circuit. The casualty was low as most of the Indonesian occupants were away working.

The tragedy occurred after a retaining wall up the hill slope 600 m away collapsed and tons of earth slide down onto the houses. The villages mentioned about 40 houses were buried by the landslide and it was impossible for them to salvage anything as the landslide was over within 5 minutes.
The search effort for the missing bodies were done by the Smart Team, KL City Hall, Fire Services & Rescue Department,, Red Crescent and the Civil Defiance. A total of 35 personnel were involved.
Meanwhile the Works Minister, Samy Velu has directed his state engineering department to assist Ampang Jaya Municipal Council to identify the cause of the landslide.
Search efforts continue throughout the night in the hope of recovering the bodies.


See the news from the Two women killed, two feared buried
and from Landslide tragedy
in Hulu Klang
Day the earth came down

LIFE IS LIKE A CUP OF WATER; DON'T GET FIXATED WITH AN EXCESSIVE OBSESSION WITH POSSESSION

I wonder how many have come across this meaningful analogy about life and our fixation with material wealth.

A group of working adults got together to visit their former University lecturer. The Lecturer was happy to see them. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves. When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the lecturer spoke: "If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups."

Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the tangible things, wealth, money, property, investments, and all the material acquisitions are the cups.

They are just tools to enable, maintain, and furnish Life, but they by themselves are not the quality and richness of Life, per se. Thus, if you just concentrate on the cup alone, you even switch off the basic natural instinct and orientation inside you to taste, flavour, savour, and enjoy the water in it. Thus, you miss out what Life is all about, and get miserably fixated with an excessive obsession with possessions.

The riches you have do not automatically help you to have a more wholesome life of aesthetic and fulfilling richness. - unless you intentionally drive yourself to have a rich life from the riches you have; unless you desire the water and other contents inside the cup and not be covetous for just the cup alone.

COMPLAINTS received – A few MALAYSIAN JUDGES CORRUPTED – CJ Tun Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim proposes MORE THAN ONE JUDGE TO HEAR A TRIAL

CJ Tun Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim speaking to newsmen
Is three Judges better than one? This question is begging for an answer.

The Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz speaking to reporters after launching a “2-day Seminar on Combating Corruption in the Criminal Justice System” conducted by ACA” said the move will help reduced the chances of bribery as against one judge handling a trial and making a decision.
He cited the example of Indonesia where the high court has three judges hearing a case.
He stated “It will be good….it takes three heads to get together to do corruption and it will be a very expensive thing to bribe all the three judges.”
He acknowledged he had received a few complaints (via letters only) against some judges and hope that the ACA (Anti Corruption Agency) will get very reliable evidence on those judges.


If we look at the 2005 Transparency International - (CPI) Corruption Perceptions Index, the annual survey by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International, Iceland is perceived to be the world's least corrupt country, and Bangladesh and Chad are perceived to be the most corrupt.
The index defines corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain, and measures the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among a country's public officials and politicians. It is a composite index, drawing on 16 surveys from 10 independent institutions, which gathered the opinions of businesspeople and country analysts.

Malaysia is currently place on the 39 spot and Indonesia way down at 140 with a CPI of 2.2. Of all the countries we have to look to Indonesia. So what would be the possible conclusion with more than one judge sitting in a trial - it would be MORE EXPENSIVE to get away with murder, rape etc. and MORE EXPENSIVE in seeing justice is done.
In the first place if the right caliber of judges is elevated, ONE JUDGE is MORE THAN ENOUGH and it would save so much in terms of cost.

See today's NST report below
From NST 31 May 2006

Justice for sale: Are some judges corrupt?
Koh Lay Chin and Azira Shaharuddin
-----------------------------------------------------
KUALA LUMPUR: He has heard the whispers, has read the poison-pen letters, and is even willing to let the Anti-Corruption Agency to come up with some dirt.

But so far there is no evidence to back innuendoes and talk that any of his fellow judges are corrupt, said Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim yesterday.
His comments will certainly spark a fresh debate on an issue that has dogged the legal fraternity for years.
Speaking to reporters after opening a seminar on combating corruption in the criminal justice system, Ahmad Fairuz said he had not received any official complaint on corrupt judges but received several poison-pen letters on the issue.
"We have sent letters to the ACA and we did conduct our own investigations, but there was no credible evidence. The problem with corruption is that the corrupt cover their misdeeds very well," he said.
"Those judges who did it, they will feel it."
When asked how many complaints he had received, Ahmad Fairuz said he
had only a few.
"I have received only a few complaints against judges. Normally, a few can malign the whole judiciary, so I’m hoping the ACA will get very reliable evidence on these judges," he said, adding that he has been receiving complaints since his appointment as chief justice in March 2003.
He said even if only a few judges were corrupt, the entire system would be affected.
"If the judiciary is corrupt, the prosecutors will be frustrated, the defence will be frustrated and everyone will be frustrated. There will be no one to turn to. Only the judiciary can take care of the people.
"We cannot afford to have members of the judiciary who are corrupt and I think the ACA is looking into it."
Earlier in his speech, he said not much could be done on complaints made by letter writers who hide behind pseudonyms.
To accept such letters as representing the truth would really make a mockery of justice, he said.
"The careers of the subjects of those letters would suffer unjustly and unfairly. The only word I can use to describe such writers is ‘cowards’."
Ahmad Fairuz also proposed that more than one judge should preside
over trials to prevent corruption among judges.
"I’m not saying that the more judges (there are) on the bench there is no possibility of corruption.
"If they all conspire to be corrupt, then it will be very sad for the
judiciary."
He said it would help to reduce the chances of bribery, as against one judge handling a trial and making a decision.
"If corruption has to take place, it takes three heads to get together for corruption. It is very expensive to bribe all three judges."

LG PRODUCT REVIEW by KENNYSIA & SCREENSHOTS – A COINCIDENCE?; How much upfront for this ADVERTBLOG?

For those following and observant of the Malaysian Blogsphere, you would have noticed Kenny blog about this LG Chocolate Phone today and out of the blue Screenshots also did a very UNUSUAL Product Review on the same chocolate on May 28 2006 (see above).

We wonder how much upfront was given to entice them to do it. It looks more like they were rewarded in kind as Kenny was seen holding it in his palm. Surely it could not be FOC for these plugs?
Were they chosen on the strength of their large page views and high volume of visitors? Then why the so called many pro-bloggers and the limelight hoggers were not given the product to review? Maybe it is coming.
Or Perhaps LG uses more sophisticated software to analyze the blog universe for genuine visitors.
THERE'S NO ESCAPING THE BLOG; Freewheeling bloggers can boost your product--or destroy it. Either way, they've become a force business can't afford to ignore.

A bad example was:-

“Mazda, hoping to reach its Gen Y buyers, crafted a blog supposedly run by someone named Kid Halloween, a 22-year-old hipster who posted things like: "Tonight I am going to see Ministry and My Life With the Thrill Kill Cult.... This will be a retro industrial flashback." He also posted a link to three videos he said a friend recorded off public-access TV. One showed a Mazda3 attempting to break dance, and another had it driving off a ramp like a skateboard, leading in both cases to frightening crashes. Other bloggers sensed a phony in their midst--the expensively produced videos were tip-offs--and began talking about it. Suddenly Mazda wasn't being hailed; it was being reviled on widely read blogs.”

By DAVID KIRKPATRICK

Audio PROOF against Samy Vellu saying “Nehi” (=”NO” in Hindi or “Did Not Give” in Tamil)

Malaysiakini had another exclusive expose on the controversy over whether Samy Vellu had criticized the former premier Tun Dr Mahathir for letting the Indians down. It had obtained a 150 secs audio clip of his speech in which he said, 'I would give this and that' (for the Indian Malaysian community).
"But in the end, 'nehi'... in pure Hindi, it is to say no...in Tamil...did
not give".

It looks like Samy has painted himself into a tight corner and cannot get out just like his childish remark “I will not go back to KL if BN loses Lunas” election not long ago.

Other independent witness at the Johore meeting confirmed his words. And it looks like the dailies Malaysia Nanban and Makkal Osai were justified in their reports. They have since received legal notices for retraction and an apology.

Now how will Samy extricate himself from such a tight spot?


Read the full account from Malaysiakini by subscription

QUAKE: APPEALS for DONATIONS; NEARLY 5000 Killed; More FOOD AID and Pics of Disaster.

The misery of the quake on a black Monday morning in Yogyakarta and the surrounding areas is the heavy rain. Grieving survivors scavenged for food in the debris of their houses and buildings and rescuers are being hampered by rain, power outages and the closure of a local airport for the landing of planes for much needed supplies of food and medicines.
Closer to 5000 are reported dead in the quake. An estimated 20,000 people are now injured and more than 200,000 are made homeless went without shelter for a second night Sunday, living in makeshift tent cities or camping outside hospitals as they wait for help.

The Malaysian government “is doing all it can” to help Indonesia in their hour of need. And the local MCRS (Malaysia Red Crescent Society) and Mercy Malaysia are appealing for donations. You may be pinched by the hike in fuel and electricity, but there is always some extra to give to those in direr needs. Remember "the more you give, the more you will get back eventually".


















MCRS: Contact: 60-3-4257-8122 / 60-3-4257-8236,. Email: mcrs@po.jaring.my
MERCY MALAYSIA Contact: 60-3-4256-9999 Cheques to:
45B 1st Floor, Jln Memanda 9, Ampang Point, 68000 Ampang, Selangor
made out to “Mercy humanitarian Fund”
Email: hew@mercy.org.my

More pictures of the Earthquake disaster












Survivors seeking shelter in make shift tents

Dwellings and houses totally destroyed by the Quake











The injured seeking treatments outside the full hospitals











The damaged roads and Prambanan temple complex just east of Yogyakarta has sustained substantial damage






The most horrific damage occurred in the district of Bantul, south of the city, where the tremor pulverized hundreds of houses, burying sleeping families beneath the rubble. Those lucky enough to escape dug for survivors with their bare hands. Electricity and phone lines throughout much of the city were disrupted, and Yogyakarta's airport was closed due to damage, diverting much-needed relief flights. Makeshift ambulances picked their way along cratered roads to hospitals and clinics choked with the injured. Nurses laid the wounded in folding beds outside the buildings, for fear of aftershocks. Even more crowded were the morgues, which filled with the dead until corpses spilled over into the hallways.

Mount Merapi was disturbed by the quake, and heavy clouds of ash and debris erupted in the hours that followed. But even if Merapi remains silent, the country still sits on one of the most geologically unstable patches of the earth, part of an
earthquake-prone area called the Ring of Fire. For Indonesia, natural catastrophe has come to seem all too natural.

The following is the latest dispatch from CNN available from
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/05/29/indonesia.quake/index.html
dateline: Monday, May 29, 2006; Posted: 4:55 a.m. EDT (08:55 GMT)
INDONESIA PRESIDENT: SPEED IT UP
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia's president has acknowledged a "lack of coordination" as the first aid trickled into the quake-stricken zone on Java island.Visiting refugees on Monday, The Associated Press quoted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as calling for government officials to be "more agile."The quake, which struck early Saturday morning close to the former Javanese royal capital of Yogyakarta, has so far killed 5,136 people, wounded nearly 6,504 and left 100,000 homeless.Heavy rain added to the misery Monday as grieving survivors scavenged for food in the debris of their houses. Rescuers are being hampered by rain, power outages and the closure of a local airport."I saw in many areas that there are many things that need to be speeded up," the president said, after declaring a state of emergency to quicken relief efforts.Slammed by some critics as being too slow to act in past disasters, Yudhoyono spent the first night after the quake sleeping in a tent along with survivors and moved his office to Yogyakarta to keep an eye on relief efforts, AP reported.Meanwhile, activity at the nearby Mount Merapi volcano has tripled since Saturday's quake, experts told AP, and a large eruption is still possible. Emergency aid only began arriving in two hard-hit districts of central Java on Monday, two days after the large quake flattened communities in this heavily populated Indonesian region.The U.N. aid flight carried in water, hygiene kits and tents, according to The Associated Press, as rescuers sifted through the debris of homes searching for survivors.Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the injured --- 2,192 of the 4,000 hurt are seriously wounded --- and medical workers fear tens of thousands of injured may not be receiving adequate treatment."Patients are still in the streets," said Malcolm Johnston, a representative of the International Federation of the Red Cross in Bantul. "Anywhere you can hang a drip, they're hanging a drip."Many people have been reluctant to enter hospitals because they fear structural damage from aftershocks. Since the quake struck before dawn on Saturday, there have been 450 aftershocks."We need more paramedics and field hospitals to take care of those who are injured," Andy Mallarangeng, spokesman for Yudhoyono, told CNN on Sunday. Hundreds of thousands went without shelter for a second night Sunday, living in makeshift tent cities or camping outside hospitals as they wait for help. "There are many, many, many people in misery right now," said Brook Weisman-Ross, a spokesman for the international children's charity, Plan International.
Most of the dead are being found in Bantul, a district near the Java coast just south of the historic tourist destination of Yogyakarta, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Jakarta.)Military troops have been deployed from Jakarta to help dig people out of the rubble and to evacuate victims.The Indonesian government has allocated 75 billion rupiah ($8 million) for its initial emergency response, and on Sunday, Australia offered A$3 million ($2.27 million) for emergency food, shelter and medical supplies.About 100 U.S. troops are bound for Yogyakarta to deliver supplies and equipment and help treat the thousands of injured people. The U.S. Marines, Air Force and Navy are involved in the effort. The U.N. World Food Program announced Sunday three trucks carrying enough high-energy biscuits to feed 20,000 people for a week had arrived in the districts of Bantul and Klaten.)"The challenge is to make sure there is no mismatch between what is needed and what is being offered," said Dr. Marty Natalegawa, the Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom.Earlier, WFP spokesman Trevor Rowe told CNN they were planning to bring in 80 tonnes of food, several teams of doctors and 2,300 kilograms (5,000 pounds) of medicine.Countries across the globe pledged monetary aid adding up to millions of dollars.)The 6.3-magnitude quake struck just before dawn Saturday about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south-southwest of Yogyakarta, near the volcano Mount Merapi.
Emergency food aid has begin arriving in two hard-hit districts of central Java, two days after a large earthquake flattened communities in the heavily populated Indonesian region. The country's Social Affairs Ministry said 4,983 people were killed in Saturday's quake in southern Indonesia and nearly 4,000 were injured. Visiting refugees on Monday, The Associated Press quoted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as calling for government officials to be "more agile."The quake, which struck early Saturday morning close to the former Javanese royal capital of Yogyakarta, has so far killed 5,136 people, wounded nearly 6,504 and left 100,000 homeless.Heavy rain added to the misery Monday as grieving survivors scavenged for food in the debris of their houses. Rescuers are being hampered by rain, power outages and the closure of a local airport."I saw in many areas that there are many things that need to be speeded up," the president said, after declaring a state of emergency to quicken relief efforts.Slammed by some critics as being too slow to act in past disasters, Yudhoyono spent the first night after the quake sleeping in a tent along with survivors and moved his office to Yogyakarta to keep an eye on relief efforts, AP reported.Meanwhile, activity at the nearby Mount Merapi volcano has tripled since Saturday's quake, experts told AP, and a large eruption is still possible. Emergency aid only began arriving in two hard-hit districts of central Java on Monday, two days after the large quake flattened communities in this heavily populated Indonesian region.The U.N. aid flight carried in water, hygiene kits and tents, according to The Associated Press, as rescuers sifted through the debris of homes searching for survivors.Hospitals have been overwhelmed by the injured --- 2,192 of the 4,000 hurt are seriously wounded --- and medical workers fear tens of thousands of injured may not be receiving adequate treatment."Patients are still in the streets," said Malcolm Johnston, a representative of the International Federation of the Red Cross in Bantul. "Anywhere you can hang a drip, they're hanging a drip."Many people have been reluctant to enter hospitals because they fear structural damage from aftershocks. Since the quake struck before dawn on Saturday, there have been 450 aftershocks.
"We need more paramedics and field hospitals to take care of those who are injured," Andy Mallarangeng, spokesman for Yudhoyono, told CNN on SundayHundreds of thousands went without shelter for a second night Sunday, living in makeshift tent cities or camping outside hospitals as they wait for help. ("There are many, many, many people in misery right now," said Brook Weisman-Ross, a spokesman for the international children's charity, Plan International.Most of the dead are being found in Bantul, a district near the Java coast just south of the historic tourist destination of Yogyakarta, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Jakarta.)Military troops have been deployed from Jakarta to help dig people out of the rubble and to evacuate victims.The Indonesian government has allocated 75 billion rupiah ($8 million) for its initial emergency response, and on Sunday, Australia offered A$3 million ($2.27 million) for emergency food, shelter and medical supplies.About 100 U.S. troops are bound for Yogyakarta to deliver supplies and equipment and help treat the thousands of injured people. The U.S. Marines, Air Force and Navy are involved in the effort. The U.N. World Food Program announced Sunday three trucks carrying enough high-energy biscuits to feed 20,000 people for a week had arrived in the districts of Bantul and Klaten. "The challenge is to make sure there is no mismatch between what is needed and what is being offered," said Dr. Marty Natalegawa, the Indonesian ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Earlier, WFP spokesman Trevor Rowe told CNN they were planning to bring in 80 tonnes of food, several teams of doctors and 2,300 kilograms (5,000 pounds) of medicine.Countries across the globe pledged monetary aid adding up to millions of dollarsThe 6.3-magnitude quake struck just before dawn Saturday about 15 miles (25 kilometers) south-southwest of Yogyakarta, near the volcano Mount Merapi.

LAST DEMO AGAINST FUEL HIKE TURNED ULGY – EXCESSIVE VIOLENCE USED TO DISPERSE CROWD, MANY ARRESTED

The Headlines from MALAYSIAKINI & MERDERKA.COM

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The bloodied man, Amran Zulkifli , was hospitalized for treatment.

The Anti Fuel Price Hike Alliance (PROTES) organized the last of the protest and it coincided with the 3-month fuel hike anniversary at KLCC on Sunday 28 2006. PROTES is a loose alliance comprising opposition parties and NGOs.
“The hike of the electricity tariff is very much related to the petrol hike,” said Dr Hatta Ramli, spokesperson for the organiser ‘Protes’
“The increase in electricity tariff was attributed to the fuel hike and it has since been the main reason for Tenaga Nasional Berhad to justify the power tariff hike direct or indirectly,” argued Hatta who is also PAS treasurer.
The protest started off peacefully at about 10.30am, with a crowd estimated to be around 300-strong crowd near the entrance of KLCC with noisy chants and speeches.

The electricity tariffs hike by 12 percent was also raised. The riot police were ready for action with the backing of the water cannons (that can shoot chemicaly lazed water) and helicopters were hovering above.
As if on cue, when the DAP representative Ronnie Liu, mentioned the DAP’s gratitude for overwhelming support in the Sarawak state elections, the police ordered the crowd to disperse and when protesters refused to budge, the water cannon were directed at them and the police charged in and the melee followed with many arrests. Eyewitness reports tell of excessive violence being used by the FRU on several protestors.
The following is a report available from:

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060528/afp/060528060736int.html

Malaysian police beat, arrest anti-government protestors
Sunday May 28, 2:12 PM
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - Malaysian police used batons and water cannons to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters in the capital, arresting around a dozen activists and beating several.
Some 200 people, including opposition parties, non-government organizations and student groups gathered in front of Kuala Lumpur's iconic Petronas Twin Towers in the latest of a series of rallies against steep fuel price rises.
Chanting "Protest!" and carrying banners saying "Cronies get rich while workers are oppressed", they also slammed a decision last week to raise electricity tariffs, the first hike in nearly a decade.
Some 100 riot police wielding batons and rifles stood guard in front of the towers, alongside several water cannon trucks, as helicopters flew overhead.
"Everybody is suffering from the fuel hike. Now electricity prices are also up. These two hikes will hit us hard, whether our pay is large or small," Hatta Ramli from the opposition Pan-Malaysia Islamic (PAS) party told the crowd.
"This price increase must be dropped, otherwise we will suffer even more," said democratic Action Party (DAP) leader Ronnie Liu.
Police warned the crowds to disperse but ugly scenes erupted when the demonstrators were slow to act.
They used a water cannon on the demonstrators, and proceeded to push and beat up stragglers as shocked shoppers and tourists looked on. Several protestors were seen being kicked by police before being arrested.
Liu, PAS youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, and 16 other activists were arrested,said the opposition newspaper Harakah. Police were not immediately available to confirm the figures.
The government has said that fuel subsidies will eventually be scrapped to channel funds towards building schools and rural infrastructure.
Fuel prices in Malaysia are cheap compared to neighbouring nations, but due to the lack of public transportation, people remain dependent on their vehicles.

Read also an update (in Chinese) from

http://www.merdekareview.com/

http://www.merdekareview.com/member.php?redirect=news.php?n=1812
For MORE PICTURES of the demo & violence, go to Jeff Ooi’s Screenshots

More photos by DEMA from http://www.malaysiakini.com/pages/albums/bloody-sunday/

and following update from Brute force': Police get a beating

May 29, 06 7:42pm [extract]

The police are given an earful for resorting to force when breaking up a
peaceful demonstration yesterday.

* AI Malaysia executive director Josef Roy Benedict

Amnesty International condemns the alleged excessive use of force by the
police when dispersing a peaceful demonstration held at the Kuala Lumpur
City Centre yesterday...

The right to freedom of assembly and peaceful protest is an intrinsic part
of the right to freedom of expression. This right is guaranteed in Article
19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Article 10 of
the Federal Constitution.

This action clearly illustrates the concerns... that torture and ill
treatment continues unabated in Malaysia, particularly by the police.

It also shows the lack of political will by the government to ensure that
operational methods and practices by the police are in line with
international standards as recommended by Suhakam and the Royal Commission
of Inquiry.

Amnesty International calls for a proper and full investigation into the
incident.
[...]

6 KILLED in ACCIDENT at KM194.1 EAST COAST EXPRESSWAY; CAR RAMS INTO LORRY & CAUGHT FIRE

TRAGIC ACCIDENT IN EAST COAST EXPRESSWAY


Kuantan, Malaysia, May 27 2006: Six people including TWO CHILDREN were killed when the car they were traveling ramed into a slow moving lorry laden with goods at KM194.1 near Gambang, Kuantan.

The accident occurred about 2.45pm with the car traveling to KL. On impact to the lorry, the car vehicle caught fire, exploded and the victims were trapped and burned to death. The state Fire & Rescue Department took almost an hour to put out the fire and extricate the bodies. See pics below.


The car fully burned after impact with lorry


The charred interior of the vehicle after the fire

Fire and Rescue workers trying hard to extricate the bodies