The Obama administration stands ready to offer “any type of assistance” to Libyans seeking to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, adding a warning to other African nations not to let mercenaries go to the aid of the longtime dictator.
Opposition forces are showing resolve to challenge the absolute rule of dynasties in Saudi Arabia and now Oman, which shares with Iran control of the strategic oil tanker route through the Strait of Hormouz and is a mediator between Iran and the West.
In the Omani town of Sohar, security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters demanding a greater voice in the country’s affairs. At least one person was killed, police officials said, but other reports cited Omani media sources saying at least two died.
Oman’s state-run news agency said protesters set cars and houses on fire, burned down a police station and set the governor’s residence ablaze in the seaside town, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Muscat.
It marked the first serious confrontation against protesters seeking to open up the ruling system of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, whose nation straddles the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula and is co-guardian of the Strait of Hormuz. About 40 percent of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes through the waterway at the mouth of the Gulf.
The sultan has already take bold steps to try to quell the unrest. On Saturday, he replaced six Cabinet members and last week boosted the minimum wage by more than 40 percent.
“We want new faces in the government and we have a long list of social reforms,” said Habiba al-Hanay, a 45-year-old civil servant.
Omanis are not seeking to oust the country’s ruler, al-Hanay said. “We just hope he will hear us and make changes,” she added, noting that unemployment is high and education is poor in the country, which only has one university.
Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian(pic) said today he was prepared to present evidence of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land grabs by the state government during a public debate.Bian said he thanked the Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud for his willingness to accept the debate challenge and asked for it to be held as early as next week.“As for the Chief Minister’s request for proof and evidence, we would like to inform him that our evidence is ready. The evidence cannot be revealed now or else there would not be a need for a debate,” said Bian in a statement.“However, we are happy to draw his attention to the overwhelming mountain of evidence already submitted in court for over 200 NCR cases still pending to date which the Attorney-General is fully aware of.“We will also be bringing additional supplementary evidence on top of the evidence already submitted in court to the debate to further support our case about natives’ loss of NCR lands and that this is not an old issue,” he added.Bian had originally issued the challenge last Saturday for a debate with the government on NCR land seizure allegations.Taib who has been in power for 30 years, however, said yesterday that he was only willing to debate if Bian could offer evidence of the land grabs.His willingness to debate on NCR land comes just five months before government’s mandate expires.“We hope the Chief Minister is not pretending to be ignorant of the evidence as an excuse to avoid or evade the debate,” said Bian.He also repeated the party’s stand for the state government to withdraw all its cases against the natives over the NCR land grab.“Our response is loud and clear; withdraw all government appeals against NCR cases won by the natives immediately,” said Bian.“The courts have decided in favour of NCR landowners but the government still insists on appealing against these cases,” he added.A lawyer by profession, Bian has been representing Sarawak natives in their attempt to stop the state government from acquiring their NCR land.In September last year, the Kuching High Court ruled in favour of residents in seven longhouses in rural Sarawak who were about to be evicted from their land to accommodate the government’s plans to declare some 27,500 hectares of land in Ulu Sebuyau as a national park.Early this month, the Court of Appeal ruled against a timber company, the Forestry Department and the Sarawak government for encroaching into land classified as the Penans’ NCR.The NCR was enshrined in the Sarawak Land Code 1958, which recognises the natives’ collective ownership of land around their settlements for agriculture and hunting purposes.The Obama administration stands ready to offer “any type of assistance” to Libyans seeking to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, adding a warning to other African nations not to let mercenaries go to the aid of the longtime dictator.Pakatan Rakyat leaders questioned if the prosecution of former Transport minister Chan Kong Choy was another of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s “wayang kulit” aimed at giving the impression that his government was getting tough with corruption especially ahead of snap general elections widely expected to be called soon.“Is this a pre-arranged sandiwara for the public? Why is he charged now when the Kerdau and Merlimau by-election campaigns are on-going? Is this to hoodwink the public that the government is serious in stamping out corruption to woo the voters in these by-elections and also as a preparation for the coming general election?” DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng told Malaysia Chronicle.Chan, a former MCA deputy president, was charged at the Sessions Court with three counts of cheating the then prime minister Abdullah Badawi over renovation works at the PKFZ site between 2004 and 2006. He faces up to 5 years’ jail on each count if found guilty.DAP adviser Lim kit Siang was even more curt in his reaction to the news, “is that all? Why did it take so long?”.Will they be acquitted after the GEInitially projected to cost RM1.8 billion, external auditors have warned the costs could balloon to more than RM12.5 billion if debt undertaken by the BN government was not revamped soon.Chan is the second MCA ‘big shot’ to be charged over PKFZ. Former MCA president Ling Liong Sik was arrested in July 2010 for cheating the Cabinet into approving land purchases at valuations that were grossly inflated. Like Chan, he has denied the charges and has claimed trial.“Why is Najib charging them one by one? The public is losing out as PKFZ has become a white elephant and the rakyat cannot see concrete punishment to the culprits,” said Lip Eng.Indeed, apart from opposition politicians, civil society leaders have also expressed concern. According to them, the charges pressed on the two MCA men were “light-weight” compared to huge amounts of taxpayers’ money lost in the PKFZ deal.There is worry that Ling and Chan will eventually be let off the hook like Perwaja Steel’s Eric Chia, who had been widely regarded as former premier Mahathir Mohad’s front man. Former ministers such Kasitah Gaddam too were prosecuted in a blaze of publicity but eventually escaped punishment.“These top guns are dragged to court and charged but in the end they are aquitted. People are not so gullible these days. They can see that it is a sandiwara for the coming general election,” said Lip Eng.DAP MP for Cheras Tan Kok Wai also doubted the prosecution of both Chan and Ling were sincere.“I just have one question. Will they be acquitted after the general election?” Kok Wai told Malaysia Chronicle.Clinton made no mention of any U.S. military assistance in her remarks to reporters before flying to Geneva for talks with diplomats from Russia, the European Union and other powers eager to present a united anti-Gaddafi front.Shortly before she left, two senators urged the administration to help arm a provisional government in Libya, where Gaddafi is in the midst of the desperate and increasingly violent bid to retain power.Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, also called for the United States and its allies to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent the military from again firing on civilian protesters from the air.The White House had no immediate comment on their recommendations.Clinton spoke to reporters one day after President Barack Obama branded Gaddafi an illegitimate ruler who must leave power immediately. “We want him to leave and we want him to end his regime and call off the mercenaries and those troops that remain loyal to him,” she said. “How he manages that is obviously up to him and to his family.”The U.N. Security Council voted last Saturday to impose new penalties against the Gaddafi government, in power since 1969 in the oil-rich nation along Africa’s Mediterranean Coast.“We are just at the beginning of what will follow Gaddafi. … But we’ve been reaching out to many different Libyans who are attempting to organize in the east and as the revolution moves westward there as well,” Clinton said. “I think it’s way too soon to tell how this is going to play out, but we’re going to be ready and prepared to offer any kind of assistance that anyone wishes to have from the United States.” readmoreSarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian showing resolve to challenge the absolute rule of dynasties in Malaysia
The Obama administration stands ready to offer “any type of assistance” to Libyans seeking to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, adding a warning to other African nations not to let mercenaries go to the aid of the longtime dictator.
Opposition forces are showing resolve to challenge the absolute rule of dynasties in Saudi Arabia and now Oman, which shares with Iran control of the strategic oil tanker route through the Strait of Hormouz and is a mediator between Iran and the West.
In the Omani town of Sohar, security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters demanding a greater voice in the country’s affairs. At least one person was killed, police officials said, but other reports cited Omani media sources saying at least two died.
Oman’s state-run news agency said protesters set cars and houses on fire, burned down a police station and set the governor’s residence ablaze in the seaside town, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of the capital of Muscat.
It marked the first serious confrontation against protesters seeking to open up the ruling system of Sultan Qaboos bin Said, whose nation straddles the southeast corner of the Arabian peninsula and is co-guardian of the Strait of Hormuz. About 40 percent of the world’s oil tanker traffic passes through the waterway at the mouth of the Gulf.
The sultan has already take bold steps to try to quell the unrest. On Saturday, he replaced six Cabinet members and last week boosted the minimum wage by more than 40 percent.
“We want new faces in the government and we have a long list of social reforms,” said Habiba al-Hanay, a 45-year-old civil servant.
Omanis are not seeking to oust the country’s ruler, al-Hanay said. “We just hope he will hear us and make changes,” she added, noting that unemployment is high and education is poor in the country, which only has one university.
Sarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian(pic) said today he was prepared to present evidence of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land grabs by the state government during a public debate.
Bian said he thanked the Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud for his willingness to accept the debate challenge and asked for it to be held as early as next week.
“As for the Chief Minister’s request for proof and evidence, we would like to inform him that our evidence is ready. The evidence cannot be revealed now or else there would not be a need for a debate,” said Bian in a statement.
“However, we are happy to draw his attention to the overwhelming mountain of evidence already submitted in court for over 200 NCR cases still pending to date which the Attorney-General is fully aware of.
“We will also be bringing additional supplementary evidence on top of the evidence already submitted in court to the debate to further support our case about natives’ loss of NCR lands and that this is not an old issue,” he added.
Bian had originally issued the challenge last Saturday for a debate with the government on NCR land seizure allegations.
Taib who has been in power for 30 years, however, said yesterday that he was only willing to debate if Bian could offer evidence of the land grabs.
His willingness to debate on NCR land comes just five months before government’s mandate expires.
“We hope the Chief Minister is not pretending to be ignorant of the evidence as an excuse to avoid or evade the debate,” said Bian.
He also repeated the party’s stand for the state government to withdraw all its cases against the natives over the NCR land grab.
“Our response is loud and clear; withdraw all government appeals against NCR cases won by the natives immediately,” said Bian.
“The courts have decided in favour of NCR landowners but the government still insists on appealing against these cases,” he added.
A lawyer by profession, Bian has been representing Sarawak natives in their attempt to stop the state government from acquiring their NCR land.
In September last year, the Kuching High Court ruled in favour of residents in seven longhouses in rural Sarawak who were about to be evicted from their land to accommodate the government’s plans to declare some 27,500 hectares of land in Ulu Sebuyau as a national park.
Early this month, the Court of Appeal ruled against a timber company, the Forestry Department and the Sarawak government for encroaching into land classified as the Penans’ NCR.
The NCR was enshrined in the Sarawak Land Code 1958, which recognises the natives’ collective ownership of land around their settlements for agriculture and hunting purposes.
The Obama administration stands ready to offer “any type of assistance” to Libyans seeking to oust Muammar Gaddafi, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday, adding a warning to other African nations not to let mercenaries go to the aid of the longtime dictator.
Pakatan Rakyat leaders questioned if the prosecution of former Transport minister Chan Kong Choy was another of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s “wayang kulit” aimed at giving the impression that his government was getting tough with corruption especially ahead of snap general elections widely expected to be called soon.
“Is this a pre-arranged sandiwara for the public? Why is he charged now when the Kerdau and Merlimau by-election campaigns are on-going? Is this to hoodwink the public that the government is serious in stamping out corruption to woo the voters in these by-elections and also as a preparation for the coming general election?” DAP MP for Segambut Lim Lip Eng told Malaysia Chronicle.
Chan, a former MCA deputy president, was charged at the Sessions Court with three counts of cheating the then prime minister Abdullah Badawi over renovation works at the PKFZ site between 2004 and 2006. He faces up to 5 years’ jail on each count if found guilty.
DAP adviser Lim kit Siang was even more curt in his reaction to the news, “is that all? Why did it take so long?”.
Will they be acquitted after the GE
Initially projected to cost RM1.8 billion, external auditors have warned the costs could balloon to more than RM12.5 billion if debt undertaken by the BN government was not revamped soon.
Chan is the second MCA ‘big shot’ to be charged over PKFZ. Former MCA president Ling Liong Sik was arrested in July 2010 for cheating the Cabinet into approving land purchases at valuations that were grossly inflated. Like Chan, he has denied the charges and has claimed trial.
“Why is Najib charging them one by one? The public is losing out as PKFZ has become a white elephant and the rakyat cannot see concrete punishment to the culprits,” said Lip Eng.
Indeed, apart from opposition politicians, civil society leaders have also expressed concern. According to them, the charges pressed on the two MCA men were “light-weight” compared to huge amounts of taxpayers’ money lost in the PKFZ deal.
There is worry that Ling and Chan will eventually be let off the hook like Perwaja Steel’s Eric Chia, who had been widely regarded as former premier Mahathir Mohad’s front man. Former ministers such Kasitah Gaddam too were prosecuted in a blaze of publicity but eventually escaped punishment.
“These top guns are dragged to court and charged but in the end they are aquitted. People are not so gullible these days. They can see that it is a sandiwara for the coming general election,” said Lip Eng.
DAP MP for Cheras Tan Kok Wai also doubted the prosecution of both Chan and Ling were sincere.
“I just have one question. Will they be acquitted after the general election?” Kok Wai told Malaysia Chronicle.
Clinton made no mention of any U.S. military assistance in her remarks to reporters before flying to Geneva for talks with diplomats from Russia, the European Union and other powers eager to present a united anti-Gaddafi front.
Shortly before she left, two senators urged the administration to help arm a provisional government in Libya, where Gaddafi is in the midst of the desperate and increasingly violent bid to retain power.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, also called for the United States and its allies to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent the military from again firing on civilian protesters from the air.
The White House had no immediate comment on their recommendations.
Clinton spoke to reporters one day after President Barack Obama branded Gaddafi an illegitimate ruler who must leave power immediately. “We want him to leave and we want him to end his regime and call off the mercenaries and those troops that remain loyal to him,” she said. “How he manages that is obviously up to him and to his family.”
The U.N. Security Council voted last Saturday to impose new penalties against the Gaddafi government, in power since 1969 in the oil-rich nation along Africa’s Mediterranean Coast.
“We are just at the beginning of what will follow Gaddafi. … But we’ve been reaching out to many different Libyans who are attempting to organize in the east and as the revolution moves westward there as well,” Clinton said. “I think it’s way too soon to tell how this is going to play out, but we’re going to be ready and prepared to offer any kind of assistance that anyone wishes to have from the United States.” readmoreSarawak PKR chairman Baru Bian showing resolve to challenge the absolute rule of dynasties in Malaysia
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