Rapid Action if Too Old!

Thanks again, Ijau for this story. The elderly can indeed be so wise!

HOW TO CALL THE POLICE WHEN YOU'RE OLD AND DON'T MOVE FAST ANYMORE.

George Phillips of Gold Coast, Australia was going up to bed when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. ( Boy, does this sound familiar! )

George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in your house?" and he said "no". Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when available. George said, "Okay," hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again.

"Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I've just shot them." Then he hung up.

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response Unit, and an ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence and caught the burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"

George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"

(True Story) I LOVE IT - Don't mess with old people!!

CRIME!!!

Crime! Break-ins, snatching, extortions, criminal breaches of trust, smuggling, rapes ... Sometimes in a man's life, he is forced to face the demons that plague his and his society's well-being. The demons are the the law-breakers such as burglars, robbers and petty thieves and they, regardless of their backgrounds, are a scourge to civil society.

The criminals are getting way out of control. Everywhere in the the world and and in this part of it, crime is rampant.

My office was broken into three times within 8 years. I had triple locks, fortified doors and extra gates. I even had an anti-burglar system installed by a reputable security firm. It didn't keep these crooks out. My estimated financial loss in terms of assets has been well over RM 2,000.

We should be doing something about the crimes that are perpetuated against us.

I did.

Just a day ago, I agreed to be in our local neighborhood defense committee after I was approached by two individuals: an Eurasian and a well-respected ex-teacher of mine who lives near my home.

It certainly wasn't the first time I was offered the responsibility but it was all small scale politics that resulted in the prevention of my participation earlier.

You see, this classy housing area once had a very active neighborhood force after an Eurasian formed it: things were happening. Extra-curricular activities were well-organized. There were parties, jogging contests and aerobic exercises. We came together and acted as one body.

Then a minority group of self-interest ( for better of a harsher word) individuals by clandestine means seized the agenda and so for over 8 years the force went dead. No legitimate elections were ever called despite numerous attempts by others and I to encourage the present leader to call for one. On each occasion, he would casually promise he would call for one "later".

So back to my story: the Eurasian was the very man who was the first leader who got the ball rolling in the early days and it was he who was soon approaching me as he was as alarmed and concerned as I was with the prevailing high crime situation. There have been numerous burglaries in the area.

I told them of the four incidents in my street alone and my personal vigilante action.

Five incidents here!

A few years ago, I saw a burglar climbing out of a empty neighbor's house in the distant in a noisy night of barking dogs. He got away.

Then in another memorable incident, my neighbor alerted me to a break in near our homes and though unarmed we chased the burglar across a huge field. Eventually, he got away, jumping into a dark huge drain and getting into a vehicle driven by an accomplice. The good news was that he dropped the jewelries at the crime scene much to the relief of the grateful owners.

Not too long after that, in another incident, I saw a crowd of neighbors one day while coming home from late work and without hesitation grabbed a long rattan rod to join them. We chased the burglar but he got away by hiding in some bushes. He left behind a bicycle in his haste to escape from us.

Following these three known incidents, the next two ones involved my next door neighbors. My left next door old lady who died recently was beaten up by a man who had broken into their house one rainy day. I was in my office that night when I heard about it. and couldn't do anything.

A distant relative of mine had her home on my right broken into next door as well. The old lady, who died not long after the encounter lost some valuables.

Amazingly, today I ran into an buddy and his colleague whom I eventually recognised as the brother of a fellow ex-scouting Jamboree participant in the old days. My buddy narrated the shocking news about the multiple tragedies in his native in-laws' lives.

According to him, they had their 4-wheel drive stolen when they were about to take their recently deceased close relative home from the hospital. Furthermore, their Permyjaya house was completely stripped of everything, including the lady's valuable generations handed down beads when they arrived back in the evening. To add moew to their pain and distress, the husband had just resigned from a high paying risky job in another division to be with the family.

It was indeed sad to also hear that apart from the psychological trauma that the family experienced (the wife was in a state of such shock that she has been speechless) I was told the cops stationed at Permyjaya got them to file their break-in report at Lutong which is a considerable distance away from Permyjaya.

After awaiting over 2 hours, the C.I.D investigators eventually spoke to them and by the time the traumatised couple reached home, it was past 2:00 a.m. in the morning the next day.

It was indeed also sad to hear that a fellow lady blogger, who goes by the moniker, Ladybird had her home burglarized as well.

I'll pray hard for you, Ladybird.

I could only pray that we good citizens will do something about the crimes that are perpetuated against us. Let us all join the Rukun Tetangga (Neigborhood Watch Organization) and other social service organizations to relieve and help the poor. In this way, we will be proactive and legally win the war against these evil criminals! And Yeah, let's not be wise monkeys in this matter or stick our heads into the sand, expecting everything will work out fine....

200 Lashes after been Gang-raped

Here is a shocking exclusive ABC News report about a Saudi woman been sentenced with a harsh punishment by a Sharia Court in Saudi Arabia after she had been gang-raped. Her crime-for been found in the company of strangers and speaking out in public; her handed down punishment-200 lashes!

GANG-RAPED VICTIM TO BE GIVEN 200 LASHES

By LARA SETRAKIAN
Nov. 21, 2007

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice is defending a sentence of 200 lashes for the victim of a gang rape, punished because she was in the car of a male who wasn't a relative when the two were attacked.

In exclusive testimony obtained by ABC News, the young woman told her story of what happened and how she was treated in the months that followed.

"Everyone looks at me as if I'm wrong. I couldn't even continue my studies. I wanted to die. I tried to commit suicide twice," she said of her experience just after the attack.

The woman, known anonymously in the Saudi press as "Qatif Girl" for the eastern province town where the crime took place, was originally sentenced to 90 lashes for being in a state of "khalwa" -- retreat with a male who's not a relative.

But the General Court of Qatif increased the punishment to 200 lashes and six months in jail after she took her case to the press. Authorities deemed it an "attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media," according to Saudi Arabia's English-language newspaper Arab News.

The seven attackers were convicted of rape with sentences that ranged from two to nine years in prison, according to Arab News.

In a December 2006 interview in Khobar, Saudi Arabia the woman gave a full account of her testimony to Human Rights Watch, describing the incident as she did before the court. She was meeting a male acquaintance, a former boyfriend, when the attack took place.

Ordeal Began With a Photo
"I [was] 19 years old. I had a relationship with someone on the phone. We were both 16. I had never seen him before. I just knew his voice. He started to threaten me, and I got afraid. He threatened to tell my family about the relationship. Because of the threats and fear, I agreed to give him a photo of myself," she recounted.

"A few months [later], I asked him for the photo back but he refused. I had gotten married to another man. He said, 'I'll give you the photo on the condition that you come out with me in my car.' I told him we could meet at a souk [market[ near my neighborhood city plaza in Qatif.

"He started to drive me home. …We were 15 minutes from my house. I told him that I was afraid and that he should speed up. We were about to turn the corner to my house when they [another car] stopped right in front of our car. Two people got out of their car and stood on either side of our car. They man on my side had a knife. They tried to open our door. I told the individual with me not to open the door, but he did. He let them come in. I screamed.

"One of the men brought a knife to my throat. They told me not to speak. They pushed us to the back of the car and started driving. We drove a lot, but I didn't see anything since my head was forced down."

"They took us to an area … with lots of palm trees. No one was there. If you kill someone there, no one would know about it. They took out the man with me, and I stayed in the car. I was so afraid. They forced me out of the car. They pushed me really hard ... took me to a dark place. Then two men came in. They said, 'What are you going to do? Take off your abaya.' They forced my clothes off. The first man with the knife raped me. I was destroyed. If I tried to escape, I don't even know where I would go. I tried to force them off but I couldn't. [Another] man … came in and did the same thing to me. I didn't even feel anything after that.

"I spent two hours begging them to take me home. I told them that it was late and that my family would be asking about me. Then I saw a third man come into the room. There was a lot of violence. After the third man came in, a fourth came. He slapped me and tried to choke me.

"The fifth and sixth ones were the most abusive. After the seventh one, I couldn't feel my body anymore. I didn't know what to do. Then a very fat man came on top of me and I could no longer breathe.

"Then all seven came back and raped me again. Then they took me home. … When I got out of the car, I couldn't even walk. I rang the doorbell and my mother opened the door. She said you look tired.' I didn't eat for one week after that, just water. I didn't tell anyone. I went to the hospital the next day.

"The criminals started talking about it [the rape] in my neighborhood. They thought my husband would divorce me. They wanted to ruin my reputation. Slowly my husband started to know what had happened. Four months later, we started a case. My family heard about the case. My brother hit me and tried to kill me."

Lawyer Punished Too
Along with the young woman's sentence, the General Court of Qatif confiscated the license of her attorney, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, a lawyer known for taking on controversial cases that push back against Saudi Arabia's strictly interpreted system of sharia, or Islamic law.

"Asking me to appear in front of a disciplinary committee at the Ministry of Justice … is a punishment for taking human rights cases against some institutions," Al-Lahem told Arab News.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice said in this week's statement that Al-Lahem's "faulty behaviors … contradict the ethics of his profession and violate the provisions of practicing law and its executive code."

New York-based Human Rights Watch researcher Christoph Wilcke, who studies the Saudi legal system, said the woman would need a pardon from King Abdullah himself or from the provincial governor to be spared the lashings and jail time. The punishment will also be reviewed by the Supreme Judiciary Council, which will scrutinize the ruling, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Haunting Altantuya Murder Voices

As the sensational murder trial continues today after its opening on the 16/11/06, I keep hearing these words that simply keep haunting me as an objective distance observer so far...

He is a good man. He is not the Prime Minister of this country. He doesn't want to be one. He is not interested in all that!
-Outburst by Mazlinda Makhzan, former magistrate & wife of Abdul Razak Baginda, the alleged mastermind of the murder conspiracy in the trial. (The Star, 17/11/06)

He just cannot understand and accept the fact that his daughter was murdered in such a gruesome murder.
-Honorary Mongolian Consul General in Malaysia, Dr. Syed Abdul Rahman Alhabshi about the murdered Altantuya's dad's Dr. Shaariibuu Seter state of mind. (The Star, 17/11/06)

They are fully satisfied with the police investigations so far and the court procedures on the case. They are still shocked with what has happened and cannot believed she was murdered in such a cruel manner.
-Syed Abdul Rahman about Altantuya's family members after they had made offerings to her at the murder site where she was blown to bits (The Star, 18/11/06)

What about the other two? Are they going to get bail?
-Johari Hadri, brother of one of the murder suspects, Chief Inspector Azilah, following the unusual bail at RM1 million allowed for Baginda. (The Star, 24/11/06)

I hope justice will be served he said adding that he would not hesitate to bring the matter to the international arena if he found the trial was not fair.
-Dr. Shaariibuu after Baginda was shockingly released on bail (The Star, 24/11/06)

This is the only tribute I can give to my beloved daughter and I promise myself to work hard in filming her life's journey. Altantuya will never return but her memory will never fade away either.
-Dr. Shaariibuu to Bernama (24/11/06)

Shaariibuu, who had already produced 16 episodes of Discovery Channel programmes about Mongolia a few years ago, expected the film to be completed in a year.

He said that he would add messages of love and compassion of family ties in the film.
He said that his heart was broken when he saw indecent pictures of models, claimed to be Altantuya's which were carried in a leading English paper here.
-Bernama 24/11/06

No one else was involved in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu other than Abdul Razak Baginda and two policemen.
-Deputy Public Prosecutor Sakhuddin Saidin, making a surprise announcement at the High Court in KL.
-New Straits Times, 15.12/06

Can you please sit down? You have turned this court into a circus. This issue must be dealt with.
-Shaun Tan Kee Shaan, over who should represent the two policemen.
(The Star, 15/12/06)

Evidence will be adduced to show that the deceased's cause of death was 'probable blast-related injuries' which means she may have died the cruel death of being blown up alive.
-Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah in his opening remarks at yesterday's start of the Mongolian translator's murder trial. (The Star, 19/6/07)
Abdul Majid Tun Abdul Hamid


It's suicide, father. It's stupid.
-Rowena Baginda, Abdul Razak Bazinda's daughter was overheard after bursting into tears when she heard what her dad said to the family before the trial resumed. (The Star. 21/6/07)

Abdul Razak forwarded the SMS to me. He told me that he would contact a senior police officer he knew regarding the threat.
-Balasubramanian, private detective claiming he was hired by Abdul Razak Baginda to stop the harassment by someone called Amy. (The Star, 21/6/07)

I asked him (Abdul Razak Baginda) what had actually transpired. He said he himself did not know.
-Balasubramanium, responding to a question about Razak's response when asked about the missing Altantuya. (The Star, 21/6/07)

No, I did not say that. I never said those words.Those are not my words.
-Namiraa Gerelmaa, Altanuya's cousin, denying making parts of the police report. (Malaysiakini, 22/6/07)

I never said she is my friend. I always said she is my friend (when making the report).
-Namiraa (Malaysiakini, 22/6/07)

Other Past Haunting Voices:
Whoever is involved will be brought to book regardless of his stature. I am going to find out how and who authorized the issuance of the explosives used in the murder.
-Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan to reporters (The Asian Sentinel, 8/11/06)

... For more than a decade, Baginda has been the executive director of Malaysian Strategic Research Institute, which is technically a private think-tank but has close connections to the Malaysian armed forces and the United Malay National Organization, the largest party in the ruling coalition.
-The Asian Sentinel, 8/11/06)

Intriguing quotation with unconfirmed source (presently) found in blogosphere:
I pray to Allah for right to be done. I don't want justice. I want right to be done.
-allegedly said by A.R's wife on the first day of the trial.

Early press image of 'Altantuya'. It is now claimed it is of a Korean model who bears a striking close resemblance to her.







Present real image of Altantuya.

LEFT: Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda


Here's what Tom Harris in his website, How stuff works says about C-4 explosives;
Twenty years ago, most people didn't have any idea what C-4 was. Recently, it has become an all-too-familiar term, popping up in newspapers and on television all the time. In October 2000, terrorists used C-4 to attack the U.S.S. Cole, killing 17 sailors. In 1996, terrorists used C-4 to blow up the Khobar Towers U.S. military housing complex in Saudi Arabia. In December 2001, a man smuggled similar material, hidden in his shoes, onto a commercial airliner. C-4 has also been used in many of the Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories.

U.S. military placing the C-4 explosive on a bunker

The actual explosion itself.

To be continued soon...

International Ghost (6)

You know, I've always dreamt of being in merry ole England since I was a kid. At the age of 6 it would have been just to see some tall buildings like Big Ben (You keep hearing the BBC playing its loud chimes), the Tower of London (tales of head- chopping) and Buckingham Palace and also to watch those smartly reddish-dressed parade soldiers with their unusual 'bamboo hedge' tall hats changing guard at the palace (I had been given a slide viewer which was viewed by peering with both eyes into a binocular-like apparatus and my favorite was the London round slides series).

But now, as I get older, the thrills sought by those of my age tend to change and we progress to other more unusual exciting attractions. Well, sex is certainly one amonst many others... the supernatural would be another!

So England with all her many historical places and fascinating though often bloody history would be a hell of a place to spend my vacation in!

In the pic above, which I accidentally stumbled upon in y possession, it purportedly shows the Brown Lady Raynham hall in Norfolk. It was photographed and caught on film as well so it seems that ghosts do exist in that country.

Now if we Malaysians have a big fear of the supernatural, we may think twice before being irresponsible by doing things in the dark like fooling around in dangerous isolated forested areas, having late nights, going out with strangers, doing things in graveyards like grave-robbing (The jury's out if the Indons are responsible), taking drugs and so forth.

Hell, some may even reconsider committing heinous crimes like the unnecessary senseless murder of the Mongolian beauty, Altantuya ...

Come to think of it, if there are scary spirits out there who have been wronged , I would hope they find justice and that the guilty perpetrators of murderous crimes be haunted by them for the inhumanity of their actions and the consequential pain and suffering of shattered lives left behind.

Ah...back to England...Perhaps, England still has so many supernatural entities because of its long rich illustrious history... and Malaysia has a shorter one. Even now it maybe has successfully exorcised this land of some of these entities by official decree such as the ban on more terrifying horror books and exhibitions of the supernatural... So fellow Malaysians, let's just go to England for some ghosts!

Killed by the Triads?

This news probably appeared circa 1992-3.

It's a shocking primitive method of eliminating someone but apparently, in true Hollywood- style, the act was carried out with deadly agonising results.

It does look chillingly like the work of organized crime and the reason or reasons may not be too hard to guess as the poor murdered innocent girl had a dad who was in charge of Hong Kong Immigration. In those days before China took over the island, it was rumored that the Immigration authorities there were as corrupted as those in some Third World countries. It could have been a deadly pay-back for certain past actions by certain Hong Kong Immigration Officers who did not honor the pact with the triads which observed sworn secret vows.

The triads, according to one source, were so professional (like the Italian Mafia) that they had strict rules or codes. Oaths were sworn by the members. There were 36 oaths, the number itself having a special significance in Chinese numerology. A gang member had to utter all 36 vows such as After entering the Hung Gates, I must treat the parents and relatives of my sworn brothers as mine own kin. I shall suffer death by five thunderbolts if I do not keep this oath; I shall assist my sworn brothers to bury their parents and brothers by offering financial support or physical assistance. I shall be killed by five thunderbolts if I pretend I have no knowledge of their troubles; When Hung brothers visit my house, I shall provide them with board and lodging. I shall be killed by myriads of knives if I treat them as strangers, etc. ...