Batang Kali landslide death toll now 21...

Batang Kali landslide death toll now 21....

The death toll from the landslide at campsites in the area is now 21, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced this evening.

In a statement to the media at the site at 7pm today, Zahid said rescuers were now looking for the remaining 12 victims. “Let’s hope that there are victims who are safe,” he said. Based on the initial investigation, Zahid said the landslide could have been triggered by two water movements underneath the soil.

The affected campsites are Hillview, Farmview, and Riverside, which authorities named as Sector A, B, and C. Hillview and Farmview were wiped out, with 16 bodies found in the Sector.The total number of landslide victims, based on the registration record by the operator, is 94.

Education minister Fadhlina Sidek has confirmed that teachers and students from the same school were among the victims in the tragedy. However, none of them were there on an official school trip.

The occupational safety and health department will conduct further investigations to determine if work activity had caused the landslide, human resources minister V Sivakumar said.

Investigations will begin as soon as the department gets permission to enter the location. However, as a natural disaster, the case might be out of the department’s jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced financial aid for victims of the Batang Kali campsite landslide. Families of the dead will receive RM10,000 and families of survivors will receive RM1,000 each.

Anwar announced this after visiting the rescuers conducting the search and rescue operation here. “We will expedite the assistance,” he said.

Based on the campsite operator’s visitor registration record, there were 94 campers at the site during the landslide, in which 61 people survived. The death toll so far is 21, with 12 others missing. Rescue efforts are continuing at the site, near the Batang Kali-Genting Highlands road. - FM

Unity govt MoU: MPs who vote against

PM, govt deemed as having resigned...

The leaders of five political coalitions and parties in the government of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to support his administration on Friday (Dec 16). The MOU, among other things, stated that all parties in the respective coalitions should vote to support the prime minister in all matters related to confidence and supply, and matters that can affect the legitimacy of the government.

The unity government MOU sealed among PH, BN, GPS, GRS, Warisan, PBM, KDM & 2 independents stipulates that any individual MP who votes against the PM will automatically lose his/her seat. The MoU stated that should these MPs go against party lines, their seats would then be vacated, as per Article 49A(1) of the Federal Constitution.

"Every party and its parts must vote for the prime minister in matters related to the votes of confidence, supply bills and any motions which have an impact on the legitimacy of the Federal Constitution. "All parties must be responsible for managing internally to ensure that there is support in Parliament to maintain the unity government.

"They must ensure that all their MPs vote as per clause 4(a). Failure, refusal or negligence in doing so will be deemed as a breach of individual responsibility to the party, and considered a resignation and cessation of duty as an MP, with the seat vacated as per Article 49A(1) of the Federal Constitution."

According to the MoU, the MP's party must then issue a notice to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker on the vacancy in accordance with 49A(1) of the Federal Constitution to give notice to the Election Commission to call for a by-election. PH today inked an agreement between coalitions under the unity government to support Anwar's leadership.

Dalam sidang medianya yang pertama pada 24 November lalu, Anwar berkata, usul itu adalah daripada kerajaan sendiri. Tujuannya bagi menjawab keresahan mengenai keabsahan kerajaan perpaduan yang beliau ketuai.

Anwar merujuk kepada kenyataan Pengerusi Perikatan Nasional (PN), Mahiaddin Md Yasin, yang meragui keabsahan jumlah sokongan yang diterimanya. Seingat sayalah, inilah kali pertama dalam sejarah negara kita seorang Perdana Menteri meminta diadakan undi percaya (confidence vote) terhadapnya.

Hari ini, empat gabungan politik memeterai perjanjian dengan PH. Semua gabungan diwakili oleh pemimpin tertinggi masing-masing iaitu Presiden Warisan, Mohd Shafie Apdal; Pengerusi GPS, Abang Johari Abang Openg; Pengerusi BN, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dan Pengerusi GRS, Hajiji Noor. PH diwakili Anwar sendiri sebagai Pengerusinya.

Laporan media yang memetik Anwar berkata, beliau yakin memperoleh sokongan dua pertiga berdasarkan ikrar ketua-ketua parti Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), WARISAN dan beberapa buah parti lain.

Boleh jadi Anwar akan mendapat sokongan dua pertiga. Tetapi baik juga kita menerima berita ini dengan berhati-hati sikit kerana pernah, pada masa lampau, Anwar telah melebih sebut (overstated) keupayaannya.

Ditakdirkan Anwar memperoleh apa yang dihajatinya Isnin ini, kedudukannya sebagai Perdana Menteri akan menjadi lebih kukuh sambil mencipta sejarah sebagai Perdana Menteri yang berani meletakkan nasibnya di tangan kawan dan lawan di dalam dewan walaupun tidak diperlukan. - A.Kadir Jasin

Govt, Razak Baginda, 2 others ordered

to pay RM5mil to Altantuya’s family...

The family of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu was today awarded RM5 million in damages by the High Court here over the woman’s death in 2006.

This was after Judge Datuk Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera allowed the suit filed by Altantuya’s parents, Dr Shaariibuu Setev and Altantsetseg Sanjaa as well as their two grandsons Mungunshagai Bayarjargal and Altanshagai Munkhtulga against former policemen Azilah Hadri and Sirul Azhar Umar, as well as Abdul Razak Baginda and the Malaysian government.

“I find the plaintiffs have successfully established their case against the first (Azilah), second (Sirul) and third defendants (Abdul Razak)

“As the fourth defendant (Malaysian government), I find that, by the facts of the law, the fourth defendant, as the employer, is vicariously liable for the unlawful actions of the first and second defendants, which were carried out in the capacities of police officers,” the judge said during an online proceeding.

The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on June 4, 2007, claiming that the model’s death resulted in them suffering mental shock and psychological trauma, and sought compensation as well as exemplary and aggravated damages.

Judge Vazeer Alam, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, said the plaintiffs’ request of RM100 million was excessive and could not be justly defined on principle.

“It is hereby ordered that the defendants jointly pay the plaintiffs the sum of RM5 million in general, aggravated and exemplary damages. The damages should be charged at five per cent interest from the date the lawsuit is filed,“ he said. The judge also ordered the four defendants to pay RM25,000 in costs each.

When reading out his judgement, the judge stated that according to Altantuya’s cousin Namiraa Gerelmaa, the deceased intended to meet Abdul Razak, who was said to be in a relationship with Altantuya at the time, to collect payment for translation work she had done for him in Paris.

“After numerous failed attempts to meet Abdul Razak at his office, the deceased began showing up in front of his residence in Damansara Heights. On the night of Oct 19, 2006, Altantuya, on her own, went back to the residence after Abdul Razak gave her the greenlight to meet up.

“However, Abdul Razak then called Sirul and Azhar to ‘deal’ with the deceased, who they then took into Azhar’s car to a site in Puncak Alam here and shot her, and they also strapped her to explosives and exploded her into pieces,“ explained the judge.

The judge added that when the evidence was scrutinised, it was clear that the first and second defendants did not know the deceased.

“The link between them and the deceased was through Abdul Razak. It was Abdul Razak who enlisted the assistance of the first defendant. The first defendant (Azilah) had told the third defendant (Abdul Razak) that he could ‘habiskan perempuan itu dan beliau pernah buat sedemikian beberapa kali’.

“Abdul Razak has been advised to file a police report and deport the deceased. He did not take that action, but instead sought help from a self-professed killer to deal with the deceased. There is no reasonable motive for the first and second defendants to kill the deceased and blow her body into pieces. The only link between them was the third defendant, who wanted the harassment by the deceased to stop,“ the judge said.

A total of 26 plaintiff witnesses, including Altantuya’s father, Dr Shaariibuu, and the woman’s eldest son, Bayarkhuu, testified at the trial, which began in 2019. The government called three witnesses in the trial, while Abdul Razak chose not to testify.

Counsel Sangeet Kaur Deo, Tan Chee Kian and Simranjit Kaur Chhran acted for the plaintiffs, while lawyers P. Mithran, Avtaran Singh and Eshwinder Kaur Gill represented Abdul Razak, and Senior Federal Counsel Zetty Zurina Kamarudin and Khairuddin Anhar represented the Malaysian government. - Bernama