Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Malaysia. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2025
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
2,000 forgo Sunday rest to run for charity
September 12, 2016, Monday Cindy Lai, reporters@theborneopost.com
Runners begin their routes soon after flag-off.
MIRI: Over 2,000 people took part in the 13th Dynasty Hotel Charity Run here yesterday.
The organiser later gave RM5,000 each to its adopted beneficiaries: Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Kidney Dialysis Centre, Community-based Rehabilitation Centre (PDK) Miri run by Association of Parents of Children with Special Needs (Pibakis), PDK Morsjaya, Sarawak Society for the Blind Centre – Miri, and Miri Home for the Aged.
Dynasty Hotel managing director Tony Pui thanked Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang, Assistant Tourism Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin and Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau for chipping in RM10,000 each, and Piasau assemblyman Datuk Sebastian Ting for contributing RM5,000, for the run.
“Besides being a charity effort, we are also using this annual run to help promote healthy living,” said Tony.
The run was divided into two broad categories: Top Five Collectors (pledge card) and Running.
Eric Khoo, Pui Chaw Zee and Hong Ai Lian were the top three collectors – each receiving return air tickets from Miri to various destinations.
Khoo was given the ticket to Kuala Lumpur, Chaw Zee to Kuching, and Hong to Kota Kinabalu).
The top 10 runners of the 10km Men and Women’s Open, 10km Men and Women’s Veteran, 10km Junior Boys and Girls, 3.
5km Family Boys and Girls categories received medals, certificates and cash prizes ranging from RM500 to RM50.
All participants who completed their run were given finisher’s medals.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
'Not Again': AirAsia Plane Disappears, Months After MH370 Went Missing
12/27/2014 @ 11:51PM
Another Asian airliner has gone missing: AirAsia flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control at 7:24 a.m. local time on Sunday, AirAsia reported about four hours after the plane disappeared en route to Singapore.
(For context for American readers, flight QZ8501 disappeared at 7:24 p.m. EST on Saturday in the United States.)
AirAsia is a private airline based in Malaysia, and the country already has suffered two major aviation catastrophes this year.
In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic control when it was about several hundred miles north of Singapore. Rescuers still have been unable to find any traces of flight MH370, or its 239 passengers and crew, despite an unprecedented search effort.
In April 2014, or one month after MH370 went missing, AirAsia’s CEO was forced to apologize after the company’s in-flight magazine suggested that AirAsia’s own well-trained pilots would never lose a plane.
AirAsia was forced to apologize for this article in its in-flight magazine, after MH370 went missing.
AirAsia said the magazine was printed before MH370 disappeared, and was not intended as a commentary on its rival airline.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airline flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing nearly 300 passengers and crew.
Details on AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Sunday’s missing AirAsia flight was traveling between Surabaya, in Indonesia, and Singapore. There were 155 passengers and seven crew on board the Airbus A320-200, officials have said.
The plane was operated by Indonesia AirAsia, a joint venture with Air Asia proper. (The company has several affiliates, including AirAsia India and AirAsia X.) Indonesia AirAsia has a fleet of 30 Airbus A320s.
An AirAsia official told the media on Sunday that the plane had requested “an unusual route” before air traffic control lost contact with QZ8501 over the Java Sea. However, an Indonesia Transport Ministry spokesperson later clarified that the pilot’s request was permission to change altitude due to bad weather, Steve Herman reported for the Voice of America.
“At the present time we unfortunately have no further information,” according to AirAsia’s statement. “At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service.”
After releasing its statement to reporters, AirAsia immediately changed the appearance of its various social media accounts. On AirAsia’s Facebook account, for instance, the company swapped out its usual bright red logo in favor of a muted gray logo, and changed the background of its Facebook from a festive holiday theme to a shrouded, all-black bar.
Malaysians were “shocked” by the news of a third potential lost airliner this year, the Malaysian Insider reported, and tens of thousand of people around the globe took to social media to express their surprise and sorrow.
“Another plane went missing,” one Malaysian tweeted. “Ya Allah not again.”
“Pray for QZ8501.”
Another Asian airliner has gone missing: AirAsia flight QZ8501 lost contact with air traffic control at 7:24 a.m. local time on Sunday, AirAsia reported about four hours after the plane disappeared en route to Singapore.
(For context for American readers, flight QZ8501 disappeared at 7:24 p.m. EST on Saturday in the United States.)
AirAsia is a private airline based in Malaysia, and the country already has suffered two major aviation catastrophes this year.
In March 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic control when it was about several hundred miles north of Singapore. Rescuers still have been unable to find any traces of flight MH370, or its 239 passengers and crew, despite an unprecedented search effort.
In April 2014, or one month after MH370 went missing, AirAsia’s CEO was forced to apologize after the company’s in-flight magazine suggested that AirAsia’s own well-trained pilots would never lose a plane.
AirAsia was forced to apologize for this article in its in-flight magazine, after MH370 went missing.
AirAsia said the magazine was printed before MH370 disappeared, and was not intended as a commentary on its rival airline.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airline flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing nearly 300 passengers and crew.
Details on AirAsia Flight QZ8501
Sunday’s missing AirAsia flight was traveling between Surabaya, in Indonesia, and Singapore. There were 155 passengers and seven crew on board the Airbus A320-200, officials have said.
The plane was operated by Indonesia AirAsia, a joint venture with Air Asia proper. (The company has several affiliates, including AirAsia India and AirAsia X.) Indonesia AirAsia has a fleet of 30 Airbus A320s.
An AirAsia official told the media on Sunday that the plane had requested “an unusual route” before air traffic control lost contact with QZ8501 over the Java Sea. However, an Indonesia Transport Ministry spokesperson later clarified that the pilot’s request was permission to change altitude due to bad weather, Steve Herman reported for the Voice of America.
“At the present time we unfortunately have no further information,” according to AirAsia’s statement. “At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service.”
After releasing its statement to reporters, AirAsia immediately changed the appearance of its various social media accounts. On AirAsia’s Facebook account, for instance, the company swapped out its usual bright red logo in favor of a muted gray logo, and changed the background of its Facebook from a festive holiday theme to a shrouded, all-black bar.
Malaysians were “shocked” by the news of a third potential lost airliner this year, the Malaysian Insider reported, and tens of thousand of people around the globe took to social media to express their surprise and sorrow.
“Another plane went missing,” one Malaysian tweeted. “Ya Allah not again.”
“Pray for QZ8501.”
.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
There Were Multiple Warnings About The Dangers Of Flying In Ukrainian Airspace Prior To Malaysian Plane Crash
BRIEFING
HUNTER WALKER, PAMELA ENGEL, ELENA HOLODNY
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that crashed in eastern Ukraine Thursday may have been on a course for airspace that was closed to civilian aircraft by American and Ukrainian officials due to the ongoing violence in the region.
Earlier this month, Russian news agency ITAR TASS reported the Ukrainian aviation authority closed the airspace in the eastern part of the country to civilian aircraft in light of military operations in the area. The region, which sits along Ukraine’s border with Russia, has been the center of fighting between Ukranian forces and pro-Russian separtists in the wake of Yanukovych’s ouster. Several Ukranian jets have been shot down during the fighting including at least two on Wednesday.
In April, the Federal Aviation Administration banned American planes from flying over the Ukrainian region of Crimea and its surrounding waters. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a territorial dispute over Crimea, which is in the south of the country, in the aftermath of the ouster of pro-Kremlin Ukranian President President Viktor Yanukovych following widespread protests in February.
An FAA “special notice” on Ukraine issued in April warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” in Ukrainian airspace, “particularly over Crimea.” The FAA has not responded to requests for comment from Business Insider about what notices are currently in effect regarding flights over Ukrainian airspace.
The FAA isn’t the only government agency that has attempted to deter civilian aircraft from flying over portions of Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines confirmed it “lost contact” with MH17, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in a Twitter post Thursday. According to FlightAware, MH17 was last tracked just over the Ukrainian border in the northwestern part of the country.
FlightAware also indicated MH17 should have been on a path that would have taken it over Western Ukraine, not the volatile eastern part of the country. That flight path would have taken the plane near Crimea. However, the air traffic site Flightradar24 showed the plane’s final signal came from the east of the country. The security intelligence firm Stratfor also noted the plane reportedly went down near Shakhtyorsk, Ukraine in the east near the Russian border.
Malaysia Airlines has not responded to multiple requests from Business Insider about the crash and whether the plane was flying over Eastern Ukraine.
HUNTER WALKER, PAMELA ENGEL, ELENA HOLODNY
JUL 18, 2014, 7:29 AM
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that crashed in eastern Ukraine Thursday may have been on a course for airspace that was closed to civilian aircraft by American and Ukrainian officials due to the ongoing violence in the region.
Earlier this month, Russian news agency ITAR TASS reported the Ukrainian aviation authority closed the airspace in the eastern part of the country to civilian aircraft in light of military operations in the area. The region, which sits along Ukraine’s border with Russia, has been the center of fighting between Ukranian forces and pro-Russian separtists in the wake of Yanukovych’s ouster. Several Ukranian jets have been shot down during the fighting including at least two on Wednesday.
In April, the Federal Aviation Administration banned American planes from flying over the Ukrainian region of Crimea and its surrounding waters. Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in a territorial dispute over Crimea, which is in the south of the country, in the aftermath of the ouster of pro-Kremlin Ukranian President President Viktor Yanukovych following widespread protests in February.
An FAA “special notice” on Ukraine issued in April warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” in Ukrainian airspace, “particularly over Crimea.” The FAA has not responded to requests for comment from Business Insider about what notices are currently in effect regarding flights over Ukrainian airspace.
The FAA isn’t the only government agency that has attempted to deter civilian aircraft from flying over portions of Ukraine.
Malaysia Airlines confirmed it “lost contact” with MH17, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in a Twitter post Thursday. According to FlightAware, MH17 was last tracked just over the Ukrainian border in the northwestern part of the country.
FlightAware also indicated MH17 should have been on a path that would have taken it over Western Ukraine, not the volatile eastern part of the country. That flight path would have taken the plane near Crimea. However, the air traffic site Flightradar24 showed the plane’s final signal came from the east of the country. The security intelligence firm Stratfor also noted the plane reportedly went down near Shakhtyorsk, Ukraine in the east near the Russian border.
Malaysia Airlines has not responded to multiple requests from Business Insider about the crash and whether the plane was flying over Eastern Ukraine.
.
Malaysia airliner crash
Malaysia Airlines Crash
The latest on Flight MH17, which was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed in Ukraine, near the Russian border.
MH17 crash: What we know
'Everybody denying involvement'
Crash game-changer in Ukraine crisis?
.
Monday, April 21, 2014
What President Obama Should Do in Malaysia
by Joshua Kurlantzick
April 21, 2014
U.S. president Barack Obama makes a statement to the media in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington on April 17, 2014 (Larry Downing/Courtesy: Reuters).
On April 27, President Obama will become the first sitting American president to visit Malaysia in five decades. This trip, which already had been postponed from the fall, has been complicated by the Malaysian government’s recent crackdown on opposition politicians, and by Kuala Lumpur’s inept handling of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 tragedy. However, Obama still plans to highlight the growing strategic and economic relationship between Malaysia and the United States, the relationship between himself and Prime Minister Najib tun Razak, and Malaysia’s supposed credentials as a moderate, Muslim-majority state and emerging democracy. But on his trip, the president should try to maintain a balanced focus, hitting the following points:
1. Give Malaysia its due. Malaysia has clearly been one of the success stories of human development in the post-World War II era. Perhaps it has been overshadowed by other tigers in Asia like neighboring Singapore, but Malaysia has certainly accomplished a great deal in just fifty-plus years of independence. Its economy is more diversified than many experts give it credit for, it has boosted GDP per capita to over $10,000 (and GDP per capita is much higher in urban areas like Kuala Lumpur), and it has built an efficient and modern physical infrastructure on peninsular Malaysia. The country suffers from challenges with graft, particularly in state-controlled companies, but no more so than neighbors like Thailand and Malaysia. President Obama should rightly celebrate this impressive development.
2. But look into Malaysia’s future. Malaysia’s future is not assured, however. The country has struggled to move into higher value-added industries, and its education system remains much weaker than those in Singapore and other, wealthier Asian countries. Prime Minister Najib, after a strong start, has mostly given up on many proposed economic reforms. Investors still like Malaysia for certain types of manufacturing, and the government offers many incentives for foreign investment, but in the long-term many foreign investors wonder what Malaysia’s competitive advantage will be. President Obama is not going to, by himself, convince Najib to pick up the mantle of reform again, but making the argument for reform would be welcome among American businesses investing in Southeast Asia.
3. Clearly recognize that Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country with many non-Muslims. Since last year’s parliamentary elections, in which the ruling coalition barely squeaked home (or, according to some analyses, stole the election), Prime Minister Najib has increasingly catered to hard-line and more conservative ethnic Malay voices in his coalition. The dismal showing of the coalition’s ethnic Chinese party further reduced the voice of non-Muslims and non-Malays in government. The past year has seen increasingly vitriolic rhetoric from government leaders and supporters against ethnic Chinese and non-Muslims in general, and many ethnic Chinese and Indians continue to take their capital out of Malaysia, or send their children abroad for school and, ultimately, to live. Prime Minister Najib’s plans to further boost economic preferences for Malays adds to this Chinese and Indian fear, and also distorts the economy. President Obama should clearly recognize that Malaysia is a multi-ethnic society, and should meet leaders of the Chinese and Indian communities, including those from opposition parties.
4. Avoid the “big man” problem. American administrations, whether Democratic or Republican, too often tend to associate reform with one supposedly groundbreaking leader in a developing nation, a supposedly democratic “big man.” In rare cases, such a leader exists, but more often than not a supposedly reform-minded “big man” requires many factors to go in his direction to successfully push his or her country toward democracy. In the worst cases, “big man” leaders who initially look like reformers turn out, in power, to be as corrupt or autocratic as the men and women they replaced.
Prime Minister Najib, to many American officials, is the “big man” who has shifted bilateral relations and supposedly is leading reforms. But the reality is more nuanced, to be sure. Prime Minister Najib has skillfully wooed the Obama administration and Washington in general, both through his own diplomacy and through a series of effective ambassadors in the United States. Yet Najib himself is not Malaysia. If the American president focuses only on Najib, he risks alienating an entire generation of young Malaysians, who mostly support the opposition and voted for the opposition last year.
To avoid the “big man” trap, President Obama should meet not only with Najib but also with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was recently sentenced to five years in jail on highly dubious sodomy charges in a highly dubious (at best) trial. The president also could meet with leaders from Malaysia’s tough but embattled civil society.
What’s more, publicly highlighting some of the serious flaws in Malaysia’s system does not mean that the United States and Malaysia cannot continue to build a strategic relationship, as some analysts seem to believe. The United States has achieved such a balance with many other countries in the region, and many Malaysian elites already expect the American president to take a position on human rights.
5. Avoid discussion of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. After a bad start to the search for the plane, Kuala Lumpur has become more cooperative and seems to have given all its resources for the hunt. Enough people (including me) have dumped enough on Malaysia’s government for its inept handling of Flight 370 during the first week of the search. It is a tragedy, and President Obama should stick to other issues during his visit.
Source
.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Hishammuddin: Importance being given to that corridor as it’s a vast open sea
Published: Thursday March 20, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Thursday March 20, 2014 MYT 8:42:02 AM
. . .
SEPANG: Maldive officials have refuted claims that the missing flight MH370 was seen flying low over a nearby atoll but the multinational teams searching for the plane are continuing to give emphasis to the more challenging southern corridor.
There are still many reports that the aircraft could have flown to the area which stretches from Indonesia to the southern edge of the Indian Ocean.
“As regards to the southern corridor, it is a vast open sea, so some degree of importance is being given to that area,” Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told the daily press conference at Sama Sama Hotel.
While the southern corridor was not more “interesting” compared to the northern corridor which comprises overland territory from north Thailand to Kazakhstan, it was more challenging due to the logistics required, the acting Transport Minister said.
A number of foreign newspapers and international wires have reported that MH370 was likely to have flown to the southern corridor.
Reuters, quoting an unnamed source, said the Boeing 777-200 most likely flew into the southern Indian Ocean. This, it said, was due to a lack of evidence from countries along the northern corridor that the plane had crossed their airspace.
Hishammuddin said that he had spoken to the commander of the United States Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III to identify the equipment needed to locate the aircraft and its data recorder which will provide information on what happened to the missing MH370.
The minister said he had also spoken to experts involved in the search and recovery of Air France Flight 447 – which plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris – to determine the kind of equipment needed if indeed MH370 had crashed into the sea.
Hishammuddin said the main technical team organising the search and rescue operation had been organised into three groups: a diplomatic team led by Wisma Putra; an assets deployment and logistics team led by the Malaysian Armed Forces; and a technical group retaining overall operational control, led by the Department of Civil Aviation.
“I can confirm that the Malaysian Chief of the Defence Force has contacted his counterpart in the Maldives, who has confirmed that the reports of the plane’s sighting are not true.”
On reports that additional waypoints had been added to the aircraft’s flight routing computer, Hishammuddin said MH370 flew on a normal routing until the IGARI waypoint located off the coast of Kelantan.
“There is no additional waypoint on MH370’s documented flight plan, which depicts normal routing all the way to Beijing.”
Hishammuddin said investigators have received some radar data from several countries which may help in the search for MH370 but he could not yet reveal details about it.
“This data is sensitive to the nations and I will need their clearance before I can release them,” he said.
Related stories:
Media grasping at straws
Najib holds discussions on search area
Search narrowed after new analysis
Missing MH370: ‘Radar shows no sign of plane’
Missing MH370: Flight simulator’s info erased
Fishermen spot debris in India
It changed course only after ‘all right, good night’
Hisham orders probe into ruckus at hotel
Malaysia Airlines to send out SMS blasts to families
Daughter of missing chief steward receives touching tweet from Liverpool FC
Verses of hope and consolation for those on MH370
Smooth sailing through checkpoints despite tighter security
M’sian govt awaiting feedback on two Ukranians
Nufam: Govt should form MH370 task force with us
High-level team to update next-of-kin in Beijing
Zunar under fire for mocking Najib in the Washington Post
Hectic days as journalists converge at Sama-Sama Hotel
Tighter security at all entry points
Tough for Malaysia if foreign govts slow to react or not forthcoming with info
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Mystery of the Missing Plane - #NewWorldNextWeek
corbettreport
Published on Mar 13, 2014
Welcome to http://NewWorldNextWeek.com -- the video series from Corbett
Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important
developments in open source intelligence news. This week:
Story #1: The Mystery of Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
http://ur1.ca/gugb6
@GJSalisbury: Guide to the Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane Conspiracy
Theories
http://ur1.ca/gugb7
Flashback: Malaysia's Longest-Serving Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad,
Hosts 9/11 Truth Conference
http://ur1.ca/gugb9
Special Conditions: Boeing Model 777-200, -300, and -300ER Series
Airplanes; Aircraft Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized
Internal Access
http://ur1.ca/gugbb
August 2001: Large Passenger Jet Flown and Landed by Remote Control
http://ur1.ca/gugbe
Dov Zakheim and the 9/11 Conspiracy
http://ur1.ca/gugbi
Interview w/ Aidan Monaghan on United 175
http://ur1.ca/gugbk
East Harlem Apartment Explosion Kills at Least Six
http://ur1.ca/gugbm
CIA Feud With Senate Panel Puts Lack of Post-9/11 Accountability In
Spotlight
http://ur1.ca/gugbo
Story #2: Staking $1 Billion That Herbalife Will Fail, Then Lobbying to
Bring It Down
http://ur1.ca/gugbq
Background: William A. "Bill" Ackman
http://ur1.ca/gugbs
Story #3: 'Between Two Ferns' Boosts Traffic to Obamacare Website
http://ur1.ca/gugbu
Joe McGinniss, Author of "The Selling of the President," Dies at 71
http://ur1.ca/gugbv
espite Expensive Ads, 'Cover Oregon' Worst At Enrolling Young
http://ur1.ca/gugbw
#NewWorldNextWeek: @lightviperr The NSA Wants To Spy on Itself
@http://ur1.ca/gugby
OpheliaPG 'Slain' Mexico Cartel Leader Dies at Second Time
http://ur1.ca/gugc1
Visit http://NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various
formats to download, burn and share. And as always, stay up-to-date by
subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report http://ur1.ca/39obd and Media
Monarchy http://ur1.ca/kuec Thank you.
Previous Episode: The Resignation Seen 'Round the World
http://ur1.ca/gugc4
.
.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Churches to hold joint Christmas service
Posted on December 19, 2012, Wednesday
RELIGIOUS GATHERING: Ambrose (second right) and Ting (right) hold up the banner for the event after the press conference. Also seen are Methodist Kuching West District lay leader Chiew Ching Kwong (far left) and Methodist Kuching West District superintendent Chin Sai Hin.
KUCHING: The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) will hold its annual Joint Christmas Service tomorrow (Dec20) at the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre starting 7.30pm.
The Methodist Church Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference is hosting this year’s service themed ‘Jesus Christ The Saviour of All Nations’.
“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour,” ACS secretary-general Head Elder Ambrose Linang told a press conference yesterday.
“That is what Christmas is all about and that was the greatest gift the world had ever known. We encourage all Christians to come and pack the hall here at the Christian Ecumenical Centre. Together we share the joy of celebrating Christmas.”
Ambrose said among those who will lead the service are Archbishop of the Anglican Province of South East Asia the Most Reverend Datuk Bolly Lapok — who is ACS chairman, and Roman Catholic Church Archbishop the Most Reverend Datuk John Ha, who is deputy chairman.
He added that all Christian elected representatives and ministers, both state and federal, have been invited and many are expected to attend.
Meanwhile, organising chairman William Ting said the service’s programme will reflect the diversity of cultures.
“For instance, the worship dance in the service shall portray the different colours of nationalities. The choir shall present repertoires and carols from different countries. ACS representatives will also recite scriptures in different languages such as English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, Iban and Biatah.
“Methodist Church Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference president Reverend Datuk Su Chii Ann will present a sermon. Other programmes for the service include brass band performance by Boys’ Brigade of Trinity Methodist Church and choir performance by the youths of Chin Daw Methodist Church. One of the highlights for the night is the combined choir with nearly 100 members from all ACS member churches, who will present two songs,” he said.
Ting added that all programmes will be conducted in English and translated into Mandarin.
For further information, contact Ting (019-8164385) or Lawrence (016-8880813).
Other ACS member churches are the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church Sarawak Iban Annual Conference, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Salvation Army, Sarawak Baptist Church and SIB Church.
Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/12/19/churches-to-hold-joint-christmas-service/#ixzz2FXm3i0nc
RELIGIOUS GATHERING: Ambrose (second right) and Ting (right) hold up the banner for the event after the press conference. Also seen are Methodist Kuching West District lay leader Chiew Ching Kwong (far left) and Methodist Kuching West District superintendent Chin Sai Hin.
KUCHING: The Association of Churches in Sarawak (ACS) will hold its annual Joint Christmas Service tomorrow (Dec20) at the Christian Ecumenical Worship Centre starting 7.30pm.
The Methodist Church Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference is hosting this year’s service themed ‘Jesus Christ The Saviour of All Nations’.
“If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer. But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Saviour,” ACS secretary-general Head Elder Ambrose Linang told a press conference yesterday.
“That is what Christmas is all about and that was the greatest gift the world had ever known. We encourage all Christians to come and pack the hall here at the Christian Ecumenical Centre. Together we share the joy of celebrating Christmas.”
Ambrose said among those who will lead the service are Archbishop of the Anglican Province of South East Asia the Most Reverend Datuk Bolly Lapok — who is ACS chairman, and Roman Catholic Church Archbishop the Most Reverend Datuk John Ha, who is deputy chairman.
He added that all Christian elected representatives and ministers, both state and federal, have been invited and many are expected to attend.
Meanwhile, organising chairman William Ting said the service’s programme will reflect the diversity of cultures.
“For instance, the worship dance in the service shall portray the different colours of nationalities. The choir shall present repertoires and carols from different countries. ACS representatives will also recite scriptures in different languages such as English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, Iban and Biatah.
“Methodist Church Sarawak Chinese Annual Conference president Reverend Datuk Su Chii Ann will present a sermon. Other programmes for the service include brass band performance by Boys’ Brigade of Trinity Methodist Church and choir performance by the youths of Chin Daw Methodist Church. One of the highlights for the night is the combined choir with nearly 100 members from all ACS member churches, who will present two songs,” he said.
Ting added that all programmes will be conducted in English and translated into Mandarin.
For further information, contact Ting (019-8164385) or Lawrence (016-8880813).
Other ACS member churches are the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church Sarawak Iban Annual Conference, Seventh Day Adventist Church, Salvation Army, Sarawak Baptist Church and SIB Church.
Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/12/19/churches-to-hold-joint-christmas-service/#ixzz2FXm3i0nc
/
Monday, May 16, 2011
Australians oppose Malaysia boatpeople deal: poll
The Austrlian government is expected to begin sending boatpeople to Malaysia for processing as part of a new deal (AFP/File, William West)
(AFP) – 3 hours ago
SYDNEY — Nearly six in ten Australians oppose the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Malaysia, with many believing it will do little to stop the arrival of boatpeople, a poll showed Monday.
The Nielsen poll of 1,400 voters found 58 percent were against the deal, which will see Australia send 800 boatpeople to Malaysia in return for taking 4,000 of their refugees over four years, the Sydney Morning Herald said.
Asked about the proposal's impact, 58 percent said it would make no difference to boat arrivals, while 23 percent felt these would increase.
Only 16 percent thought the numbers of asylum seekers risking their lives to reach Australia via transit hubs such as Indonesia and Malaysia would fall as a result of the new policy.
"The electorate views everything the government does through a prism of suspicion -- 'Whatever you are doing, we don't like it'," Nielsen's John Stirton told the Herald.
The government is expected to begin sending boat arrivals to Malaysia for processing as soon as the deal is finalised, with Thailand and Papua New Guinea also indicating they could accept asylum seekers from Australia.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said the first batch to be sent offshore for processing will be the 32 who arrived in Australia over the weekend -- despite no deal yet being finalised with another government.
Until then, they will be detained at an immigration detention facility on the Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island, a site of recent violent unrest among frustrated asylum seekers.
(AFP) – 3 hours ago
SYDNEY — Nearly six in ten Australians oppose the government's plan to send asylum seekers to Malaysia, with many believing it will do little to stop the arrival of boatpeople, a poll showed Monday.
The Nielsen poll of 1,400 voters found 58 percent were against the deal, which will see Australia send 800 boatpeople to Malaysia in return for taking 4,000 of their refugees over four years, the Sydney Morning Herald said.
Asked about the proposal's impact, 58 percent said it would make no difference to boat arrivals, while 23 percent felt these would increase.
Only 16 percent thought the numbers of asylum seekers risking their lives to reach Australia via transit hubs such as Indonesia and Malaysia would fall as a result of the new policy.
"The electorate views everything the government does through a prism of suspicion -- 'Whatever you are doing, we don't like it'," Nielsen's John Stirton told the Herald.
The government is expected to begin sending boat arrivals to Malaysia for processing as soon as the deal is finalised, with Thailand and Papua New Guinea also indicating they could accept asylum seekers from Australia.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said the first batch to be sent offshore for processing will be the 32 who arrived in Australia over the weekend -- despite no deal yet being finalised with another government.
Until then, they will be detained at an immigration detention facility on the Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island, a site of recent violent unrest among frustrated asylum seekers.
.
.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Bombs, shootings wound 12 in Thai south: police
Suspected militants have launched a series of bombing and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south
(AFP) – 4 hours ago
YALA, Thailand — Suspected militants launched a series of bomb and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south Wednesday, wounding twelve people including three soldiers, police said.
More than 4,100 people have been killed since a separatist Islamic insurgency erupted in January 2004 in Thailand's southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia.
A bomb hidden in a motorcycle was detonated by mobile phone outside a tea shop in the main town of restive Pattani province early Wednesday, wounding five villagers.
Another bomb exploded shortly afterwards at a food market in neighbouring Yala province, injuring four people including three soldiers.
Gunmen five minutes later targeted three male fruit vendors in drive-by shooting attacks nearby, wounding all of them.
The current insurgency erupted in January 2004 but tensions had bubbled under the surface in the south since predominantly Buddhist Thailand annexed the former Malay Muslim sultanate in 1902.
The shadowy militants never publicly state their goals and target security forces, officials and civilians alike.
More »
Related articles
Two Bombs Wound 11 In Thailand's Southern Border Provinces Bernama - 1 hour ago
Two bombs wound at least 11 in South Bangkok Post - 4 hours ago
6 injured in Pattani bomb attack The Nation - 1 hour ago
More coverage (5) »
YALA, Thailand — Suspected militants launched a series of bomb and shooting attacks in Thailand's troubled Muslim-majority south Wednesday, wounding twelve people including three soldiers, police said.
More than 4,100 people have been killed since a separatist Islamic insurgency erupted in January 2004 in Thailand's southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia.
A bomb hidden in a motorcycle was detonated by mobile phone outside a tea shop in the main town of restive Pattani province early Wednesday, wounding five villagers.
Another bomb exploded shortly afterwards at a food market in neighbouring Yala province, injuring four people including three soldiers.
Gunmen five minutes later targeted three male fruit vendors in drive-by shooting attacks nearby, wounding all of them.
The current insurgency erupted in January 2004 but tensions had bubbled under the surface in the south since predominantly Buddhist Thailand annexed the former Malay Muslim sultanate in 1902.
The shadowy militants never publicly state their goals and target security forces, officials and civilians alike.
More »
Related articles
Two Bombs Wound 11 In Thailand's Southern Border Provinces Bernama - 1 hour ago
Two bombs wound at least 11 in South Bangkok Post - 4 hours ago
6 injured in Pattani bomb attack The Nation - 1 hour ago
More coverage (5) »
.
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Malaysia gov't to fight court verdict on Allah ban
Posted : Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:57:56 GMT
Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's High Court on Thursday handed down a landmark ruling by overturning a government ban on the use of the word Allah, or God in Arabic, in a weekly Catholic paper. The High Court in the capital Kuala Lumpur ruled that the word Allah was not exclusive to Islam, and that an existing ban by the Home Ministry was illegal and void.
The court ruled that the Herald newspaper was now permitted to use Allah to refer to God in its Malay-language articles.
Thursday's court decision put to rest a year-long legal battle between the Catholic church and the mainly Muslim government, which ruled that the word Allah was prohibited in any non-Islamic publications in order to avoid "confusion" among Muslims.
The government's ban on the use of the word in the Herald, the country's main Roman Catholic newsletter, prompted minority religious groups to argue that the Arabic word is a common term for God that predates Islam and has been used for centuries as a translation in Malay.
Malaysia's constitution declares it a secular state but with Islam as its official religion. About 60 per cent of Malaysia's 25 million people are Muslims.
Copyright DPA
Source: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/301602,malaysian-court-lifts-ban-on-use-of-allah-for-catholic-paper.html
.
Related
Malaysia gov't to fight court verdict on Allah ban
The Oklahoman
Published: January 2, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia's government has pledged to challenge a court ruling that Christians have the constitutional right to use the word Allah to refer to God.
The High Court's verdict has sparked small, peaceful protests by Muslim groups since being handed down Thursday, raising fears of friction between the ethnic Malay Muslim majority and the large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who mainly practice Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.
The Prime Minister's Department will file an appeal against the verdict, Jamil Khir Baharom, a Cabinet minister responsible for Islamic affairs, said in a statement late Saturday.
The statement called for Muslims to respect the court decision and for all parties to be patient and allow the dispute to be resolved through the legal process.
The High Court's decision struck down a government ban on non-Muslims translating God as Allah in their literature. Minorities welcomed it as a blow against what many consider to be institutionalized religious discrimination.
The verdict has divided Muslim commentators. Some agree with the government's insistence that Allah is an Islamic word that should be used exclusively by Muslims, and that its use by other religions would be misleading. However, other Malaysian Muslim scholars say non-Muslims should be free to use Allah.
Efforts by Christians to use Allah in Malay-language literature have been perceived by some Muslims "as a plot to convert Malay Muslims to Christianity," Anas Zubedy, a popular Muslim blogger on social and political issues, wrote after the court verdict, adding his support of the ruling.
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Saturday the government should set strict conditions for the use of the word Allah to ensure the court verdict does not trigger religious tensions, the national news agency Bernama reported.
"What I am afraid of is that the term 'Allah' might be used in such a way that could inflame the anger of Muslims, if (non-Muslims) were to use it on banners or write something that might not reflect Islam," Mahathir was quoted as saying.
Minorities often claim their constitutional right to practice religion freely has come under threat from the Malay Muslim-dominated government. The government denies any discrimination, but authorities recently confiscated 10,000 copies of Malay-language Bibles because they contained the word Allah.
Source:http://www.newsok.com/malaysia-govt-to-fight-court-verdict-on-allah-ban/article/feed/119599?custom_click=headlines_widget
.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
'Religious department to act against any blogger who insults Islam'
December 28, 2008
Today's Religion of peace and tolerance alert:
'Religious department to act against any blogger who insults Islam'
More often than not, Islam is its own greatest proof of intolerance and that it belongs more in the dark ages than the modern world.
Via NST Online:
THE NEW STRAITS TIMES ONLINE (NST): PUTRAJAYA: The Islamic Development Department (Jakim) will take stern action against bloggers who insult Islam, including non-Muslims.
Its director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said the department could act against irresponsible bloggers, regardless of their religious background.
"Right now, the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission are still trying to trace the blogger said to have insulted Prophet Muhammad.
"We will come in once the culprit is found," he said.
Wan Mohamad also said there were bound to be "extremists" among religious followers or leaders in view of the country's multi-ethnicity.
He also said Jakim would not lodge any police report against the blogger as the matter was still being investigated by the police.
Its director-general Datuk Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz said the department could act against irresponsible bloggers, regardless of their religious background.
"Right now, the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission are still trying to trace the blogger said to have insulted Prophet Muhammad.
"We will come in once the culprit is found," he said.
Wan Mohamad also said there were bound to be "extremists" among religious followers or leaders in view of the country's multi-ethnicity.
He also said Jakim would not lodge any police report against the blogger as the matter was still being investigated by the police.
RELATED on NST:
.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)