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land allocated for temple rebuilding says samy

November 2nd, 2007
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i thought the demolition happened on tuesday morning! the ways it was done as if purposed want to destroy the deities and just make a mess. the walls were still there, the building structure was still there.  to me, looked like purposely want to provoke the anger of the people.

given two days to remove deities? what deities? haven't they been smashed up during the day?

Land allocated to rebuild temple

source

KUALA LUMPUR: The Selangor government has allocated a 10,000 sq ft piece of land in Shah Alam for the rebuilding of the temple it ordered demolished in Kampung Karuppiah.

MIC president Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu yesterday said the state government will also assist in its construction.

He said the demolition of the temple in Kampung Karuppiah, Padang Jawa, which started on Tuesday night, had been put on hold under orders from the prime minister.

This followed a meeting between Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.

It was agreed that the temple would be given two days to remove statues of deities and other religious artifacts.

Meanwhile, the Bar Council is asking why four lawyers representing the temple congregation on the demolition issue had been arrested.

A statement said lawyers P. Uthayakumar, M. Manoharan, P. Waythamoorthy and Ganapati Rao were arrested in the course of carrying out their legal professional duties.

The lawyers had turned up at the Section 11, Shah Alam police station to represent their clients who were earlier arrested for hindering the demolition work and were reported to have been denied access to their clients.

Upon complaining to the police, they were arrested.

Bar Council vice president Ragunath Kesavan said: "The recently amended section 28A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) allows a detained person the right to communicate with a legal practitioner of his choice upon arrest.

"We are concerned that these arrested persons, including the four lawyers, were denied this right, which is a flagrant breach of the CPC."

The lawyers have since been released on bail.

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mid valley enters deepavali mood

November 1st, 2007
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Mid Valley Megamall sets the mood for ushering in the Festival of Lights

By VIVIENNE PAL
Vivienne@thestar.com.my
Photos by CHAN TAK KONG

source

DOME-SHAPED arches and ketupat have made way for the quintessential oil lamp and multi-coloured kolam – a sure sign that Hari Raya is over and Deepavali is around the corner.  

Walk into Mid Valley Megamall now and you will see that it has undergone a quick makeover in time for the festival of lights.  

The centre court showpiece, for starters, is a magnificent structure in red sandstone hues bearing an impressive resemblance to a bygone palace courtyard.  

Inspired by ancient Indian architecture and design, the structure features opulent peacock arches with intricate geometric and floral motifs all encrusted with tiny mirror squares.  

Adding further allure to the structure are decor pieces, coloured glasses, sheer saris in vibrant hues and two elaborate kolam in a courtyard which has been planted with natural grass.  

“The artistic team started sandblasting and carving about a month ago,” said advertising public relations manager Catherine Lim, “and all the mirrors were stuck by hand.” 

Classical Indian music has been thoughtfully piped in to enhance the atmosphere.  

Shoppers can also make their way to the bazaar kiosks which have been lined up just around the centre court, most of which are offering discounts on their merchandise. 

Magnificent: The structure with peacock arches, intricate geometric and floral motifs all encrusted with tiny mirror squares, at the centre court.

For a quick look-through for fashion and home accessories and apparel, pay a visit to Khazanah and Le Mombai.  

Pick up knick-knacks from Khazanah that include Indian lampshades, pretty earrings, beaded cushion covers, and ladies' kurtas.  

Le Mombai has a lovely selection of clothes and skirts with handmade detailing, as well as pashmina shawls.  

For bags galore, head to Coco.nut which sells a variety of handmade bags – clutches, totes, slings – made of various material and embellished with beads and embroidery. 

The bags come from Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand.  

For some goodies, there is Top Cookies which offers a variety of sweet delights.  

Although famous for its pineapple tarts, Top Cookies is offering some new varieties of biscuits, namely the strawberry chocolate almond, cashew nut special cookies and white chocolate almonds.  

For a very Malaysian tidbit, pay a visit to the Ipoh Kacang Putih kiosk which sells more than 10 varieties of kacang putih, as well as murukku.  

Shoppers can redeem a free pack of murukku from the kiosk if they spend a minimum of RM100 at any specialty store (maximum of two accumulated receipts).  

Meanwhile, to add to the ambience, there will be nightly cultural performances beginning until Nov 11. Performances on weekdays begin at 8pm while weekend performances take place at 3pm and 8pm.

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PM says react with moderation over religious issues

November 1st, 2007
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this really takes the cake. coming from the very person who did not entertain top leader of indian community, pembela rakyat india di malaysia who went to meet him at shah alam.

Abdullah also pointed out non-Muslims also had their religious sensitivities. (yah..like smashing up deities).

“So it is important that we all take great care in what we say and ensure what we say is always right and moderate. We don’t have to be harsh in our words or go overboard even though we feel angry and hurt,” he said, adding that his message was also meant for the non-Muslims. 

“Even though many things are not right, what is important is that we discuss things among each other. Muslims must work to make others understand them (wow…what does that imply in the case of selangor MB and the MBSA?). Religious tolerance is when everyone understands what is happening and takes the correct action,” he said.

well…as vaigai puyal says.."ennai vechi komedi kimidi pannelele…"

thanks for the joke, pak lah.

React with moderation over religious issues, says PM

source

KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims should react with care and moderation even though they are rightfully hurt and angered by insensitivities to their religion.  

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said religion was a sensitive matter to everyone and Malaysians should be thankful that they are able to honour religious sensitivities so as not to create a situation that benefited no one. 

He noted that there were cases such as the caricature of Prophet Muhammad which had rightfully angered Muslims around the world, and they reacted strongly with outrage. 

“Those of other religions did not understand the strong reaction by Muslims and asked why it was such a big deal. We do not regard it as small matter but as a serious one. 

“The Muslims’ reaction reflected their frustration over the episode not because they were being emotional but because they took it as an insult to Islam and reacted spontaneously,” he said when closing the National Umno Religious Bureau Chairmen Conference here yesterday, where he also launched the Umno religious bureau website and bulletin. 

Abdullah also pointed out non-Muslims also had their religious sensitivities. 

“So it is important that we all take great care in what we say and ensure what we say is always right and moderate. We don’t have to be harsh in our words or go overboard even though we feel angry and hurt,” he said, adding that his message was also meant for the non-Muslims. 

“Even though many things are not right, what is important is that we discuss things among each other. Muslims must work to make others understand them. Religious tolerance is when everyone understands what is happening and takes the correct action,” he said.

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poll shows high concern over security

November 1st, 2007
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malaysians concerned over personal information and credit card fraud???? and this is followed by health epidemic and terrorism. i wonder who are the 890 people polled for this survey. i thought pick pockets, mat rempit, robbery, etc , which all point to personal security would have been the main concern. well, maybe we are indeed a progressed country after all.

Poll: High concerns over security

source

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia ranks third highest among 14 countries on overall level of security concerns, after Brazil and Hong Kong, the first Global Unisys Security Index revealed. 

The index showed that Malaysia recorded an overall index result of 174 out of 300. Brazil topped the list with an index of 188 while France was lowest at 83. 

The global average was 137. 

The results were revealed in a statement yesterday. 

According to Unisys Asia South marketing communications manager Gerald Gasper, a higher index meant that there were more people who were concerned.  

He said the index covered four areas of security concerns – financial security, national security, personal security and Internet security. 

Besides Malaysia, Brazil and France, the other countries surveyed for the index were Australia, Belgium, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Britain and the United States. 

He said 890 Malaysians in peninsular Malaysia aged between 18 and 64 were interviewed. 

Gasper said the main concerns of Malaysians were over the misuse of personal information and credit card fraud.  

The other concerns were over health epidemic and terrorism. 

“Across Asia, all countries recorded high concerns due to proximity to terrorist attacks, bird flu and financial fraud,” Gasper said.

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Suhakam slams authorities over temple row

October 31st, 2007
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bila kecil baling batu kat anjing
bila besar baling batu kat orang.

inilah budaya sifat sopan santun dan lemah lembut. ataupun pekerja – pekerja itu pun merupakan imigren.

let me translate for benefit of international readers:

when small throw stones at dogs,
when big throw stones at people.

this is the culture that prides itself with being soft-spoken, humble, and pleasant. or are the workers immigrants?

what qualifications these enforcement officers have? SPM dropouts?

source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/74205

Temple row: Suhakam slams authorities
Andrew Ong
Oct 31, 07 5:02pm
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has condemned the manner employed by the authorities to demolish a Hindu temple in Shah Alam yesterday.

) said the incident showed that the authorities did not have respect for religious and cultural sensitivities.

“The authorities may have state or legal right to carry out the demolition, but the manner in which it was conducted requires far greater consideration,” he told a press conference at the Suhakam headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

“Suhakam has been repeating this so many times. But the authorities seem to be deaf. They cannot display simple human decency in responding to a crisis.

“Why make it a crisis when it can be settled amicably?” he said, adding that the demolition was untimely since the Hindu festival of Deepavali was only a week away.

Yesterday, scores of Hindu devotees were injured when they resisted attempts by the Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) enforcement officials to demolish a temple in Rimba Jaya.

Some eye witnesses described the situation as a “near riot” as the two sides clashed. MBSA were backed by the riot police and other enforcement authorities.

The authorities claimed that the demolition was carried out based on a court order. Devotees, on the other hand, claimed that they were never notified of the demolition.

Grace period

Based on information received from eye witnesses and press reports, Denison said Suhakam’s preliminary findings is that the devotees had asked for a two-day grace period in order to carry out necessary preparations to relocate.

Denison said the way the temple and the sacred items within the structure were destroyed by the authorities would be taken as great offence by the Hindu community.

He said that rightfully, the authorities should have respected the rights of the Hindu devotees to carry out the necessary rituals to safely remove the items.

“These processes take time. What is (the enforcement authorities’) hurry? Can’t they wait two days, three days or one more week?

“If they can cool down emotions, that achieves far more than bulldozing the issue,” he added.

Another Suhakam commissioner N Siva Subramaniam condemned the use of violence by the authorities to subdue the devotees.

“Based on press reporters, the enforcement authorities pelted the devotees with stones. Their actions must be condemned. As enforcers, they should not subject the people to cruelty,” he said.

Public inquiry

Siva added that the authorities had displayed blatant abuse of power during the incident.

Numerous press reports today highlighted pictures of head and body injuries sustained by several devotees.

Both commissioners would try to convince Suhakam to hold a public inquiry on the matter. A decision on whether to hold a public inquiry would be made on Nov 12.

Siva added that the problem seemingly stems from the Selangor government’s policy as such occurrences are rare outside the state.

Denison said Suhakam had previously issued guidelines for the authorities on the demolition of places of worship and expressed regret that they had been ignored.

He stressed that the authorities needed to consult political parties and other stakeholders before taking action on places of worship because of the sensitivities involved.

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