Syed Hamid: Fuel price won't go down - Malaysiakini.tv

Street demonstrations against the fuel price hikes will lead only to further hardships for people caught up in the inconvenience that accompanies such gatherings, said Home Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar.

Petronas accounts: We want more detail - The Star

By Wong Sai Wan & David Tan

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas should publish a more detailed financial statement and then table it in Parliament so that there is greater transparency, said Rembau MP and deputy Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

“The call that I made for Petronas to disclose its financial statement goes above and beyond the annual report that is published on its website. I believe most MPs are aware of Petronas’ published financial accounts.

"However, the annual report only highlights a summary of Petronas’ financial position without going into any detail.

"While I appreciate that the standard of the annual report surpasses the requirements of the Companies Commission of Malaysia, I think it is also fair to say that Petronas is not an ordinary corporation," he said in a statement.

He was responding to a report in The Star on Tuesday quoting Petronas acting chairman, president and chief executive officer Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican as saying that the corporation’s account had been published and made public for the past 18 years.

Hassan said 5,000 copies of the report was printed and distributed to various quarters and it was also available on Petronas' website.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/17/nation/20080617174919&sec=nation]

Anwar sacking to be probed in Malaysia court - AFP

The dramatic 1998 sacking of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim will be probed after Malaysia's highest court agreed to hear a legal challenge to the dismissal, officials said Tuesday.

Anwar was ousted by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in September 1998 and subsequently charged with corruption and sodomy in a court case where he famously appeared with a black eye after being beaten by the police chief.

After spending six years in jail and finally having the sex charges quashed, he has made a spectacular return to the political stage at the helm of a resurgent opposition alliance.

Anwar's Keadilan party confirmed the Federal Court had given the green light for him to challenge the constitutionality of his sacking, which he says was carried out improperly without the king being first advised.

Rather than being aimed at having Anwar reinstated, the case is designed to probe the incident which reverberates through Malaysian politics to this day, said Keadilan's information chief Tian Chua.

"It will enable to us to understand a little bit how the events unfolded during the days of Anwar's sacking," he told AFP. "Mahathir might have to be called to justify or to explain the process."

[More at http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1481579]

Ong: Anwar's claim of MPs defecting a preposterous lie - NST

By : David Yeow

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA has rubbished the claim by Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that its MPs were about to defect, calling it "preposterous and absolutely false".

Secretary-general Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said Anwar's "stunt" was merely an attempt at psychological warfare which had no truth in it.

"It is a lie. He leaks this 'claim' to the press, so that he can go to other Barisan Nasional component parties and say 'see, MCA has crossed over, you should join us too'."

Ong said other component party heads should see past Anwar's ruse and unite against the opposition.

Anwar was reported as saying on Sunday that "several MCA MPs will join us soon", including a cabinet member.

Ong said all 15 MCA MPs had contacted him and denied ever meeting Anwar, let alone considering jumping ship.

[More at http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Frontpage/2269582/Article/index_html]

Malay woman buried as a Buddhist - The Star

KANGAR: A Malay woman who died in Kampung Guar Musang on June 12 was buried in the village according to Buddhist rites.

This followed the Perlis Religious Affairs Department’s decision that the woman, Selimah Mat, 78, was no longer a Muslim at the time of her death although her identity card stated her religion as Islam.

Perlis Syariah High Court judge Zaini Abd Rahim confirmed yesterday that the woman did not profess the Islamic faith and could be buried according to Buddhist rites.

The younger sister of the deceased, Kiah @ Rokiah Mat, 75, claimed that when Selimah was 16, she was taken to Thailand by someone and returned eight years later with a three-year-old son.

Rokiah said her sister admitted to having married a Buddhist.

“I asked her to return to Islam but she remained non-committal,” she said.

Rokiah also claimed to have seen Selimah entering the Buddhist temple in the village to engage in religious activities like other Buddhists in the village.

[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/17/nation/21572541&sec=nation]