OPINION | FAM is rotten to the core

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OPINION | FAM is rotten to the core


11 Jun 2026 • 12:30 PM MYT

FLK
Used to do a bit of work in corporate restructuring, corporate `undertaker

Malay Mail


It is astonishing to read that the former President of FA of Malaysia (FAM) admitted and said that the failure of FAM in failing to table its annual budgets at its congress since 2016 was just an "oversight" or negligence.


Oversight or negligence not for one year but for more than 10 years?


He further justified that despite not tabling its annual budget, the budgets were still reviewed internally by the finance and executive committees.


It is neither oversight or negligence.


It is a BREACH of FIDUCIARY DUTY by the entire EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.


A breach that borders on criminality.


The EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, who comprised of some high calibre and people of intellect should be questioned on whether they are aware of the breach and if yes, did they bring this up to the President of FAM?



Or all of them were aware of the breach but agreed collectively not to squeal on it?


A sports organization operating without tabling its budget fails basic fiduciary duty.


This means leaders spend public or stakeholder money without official permission.


In severe cases, this lack of transparency masks fraud, corruption, or gross mismanagement.


What a Budget means?


In simple terms, a budget is a financial map. It shows where money comes from and exactly where it goes.


A budget isn't just an extra piece of paper.



It is the most important tool to keep leaders honest.Trust: When an organization tables its budget, it gives its members a chance to vote on it. This vote is an authorization of trust.
Rule: Without a tabled budget, leaders essentially write blank checks with little to no outside control

This is a careless failure to do what a person or group is legally required to do. If an organization fails to present budgets for years, it shows that the system meant to check the leaders is completely broken.


When unapproved spending goes on for a long time, it can cross the line into illegal acts.



The path to criminality.

• Fraud: Using money for purposes other than what donors or the government intended.
• Embezzlement: Leaders taking or misusing organization funds for themselves.
• Corruption: Bypassing rules to hide financial health or to reward friends

In a media statement released on 5 June 2026, FAM said their statutes at the time did not require budgets to be tabled at Congress for the period 2020 to 2022.


Even if it is a requirement, FAM can still ignore it.


FAM itself admitted that aollowing FIFA and AFC’s recommendation that annual budgets be presented at Congress, FAM amended their statutes in 2023 and even with their statues amended, the association admitted that the budget presentation requirement was still not properly carried out for 2023, 2024, and 2025.



It is mind blowing that some state affiliates, citing his vast administrative experience and international ties, are now calling for the former President - the President that presided over the period where FAM committed a serious breach of fiduciary duty in the history of the association - to return and lead the national body.


With the players naturalisation fiasco still fresh in the public’s mind, this latest revelation on the absence of governance in the adminstration of the association really cemented the public’s belief that every thing in FAM is rotten.



More than 40 years ago, in 1985, Malaysia beat South Korea in a senior "A" international football match was on March 10, 1985, during a World Cup qualifying match at Merdeka Stadium.


Since then, South Korea moved up the world rankings while Malaysia decides to join the bottom ranks of world football.


The icing on Malaysia’s humiliation was when Laos, a country who was ranked 198 in world’s football ranking outplayed Malaysia who was ranked at 121 then, in a game in 2022, the same period where FAM said their statutes at the time did not require budgets to be tabled.



If the existing office bearers in FAM and their state affifliates do have an iota of pride or whatever is left in them, all of them should resign from their positions immediately with fresh and completely new faces brought in to reform the entire adminstration.


To the period where Malaysia ranks on par with South Korea in football.

3 MotherLand civilian ships whacked by Wanks

Three ships attacked by the US in three days: What we know

4 hours ago
Thomas Copeland and Shruti Menon

BBC Verify





Three tankers have been struck by the US military over the past three days, killing at least three people.

US forces fired a missile into the engine room of a tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday morning - the third vessel to be targeted. US Central Command (Centcom) said the ship had violated a blockade of Iranian ports and refused to comply with its directions.

Three Indian sailors were killed on Wednesday after a strike by the US.

The Indian government condemned the attack, saying the "targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end". India's foreign ministry summoned the deputy head of the US embassy in Delhi to lodge an official protest.

A further 24 Indian crew were rescued from a ship off Oman's southern coast on Monday after sending a distress call saying the vessel was on fire and sinking following a US strike.

The US military has been blockading Iran's ports after Tehran effectively closed the busy Strait of Hormuz through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies are usually transported.

Centcom says it had disabled nine vessels and redirected 135 more since since the blockade began on 13 April.


Jalveer tanker

The tanker Jalveer reported that a fire had broken out in its engine room early on Thursday morning, according to maritime risk management company Vanguard.

Centcom later said a US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles into the ship's engine room "after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions".

The crew contacted the Omani navy and another nearby vessel asking to be rescued, according to distress calls heard by BBC Verify.

A crew member also blames the US for the strike in the calls, saying it "just targets merchant ships".

Satellite imagery seen by BBC Verify shows smoke billowing from Jalveer.

The ship had 20 Indian sailors on board, all of whom were safely evacuated with the assistance of the Royal Navy of Oman, according to Indian authorities.

Centcom said the vessel, which was laden with cargo, had "violated the blockade against Iran by attempting to transport Iranian oil".

Ship tracking data shows Jalveer has sailed between the Gulf and several Indian ports over the past year, but the ship has not been sanctioned by the US for links to Iran.

Settebello tanker

Three Indian sailors were killed and 21 had to be rescued after the US fired "precision munitions" into the engine room of a tanker called Settebello on Wednesday.

India's shipping minister Sarbananda Sonowal called the incident "deeply unfortunate" and said the bodies of the three men would quickly be repatriated.

The US says Settebello violated its blockade by "attempting to transport oil from Iran" and the crew had "repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces".



US military footage shows attack on oil tanker in Gulf of Oman


The company that manages Settebello, IOS Marine FZE, said it "categorically denies" the ship ignored directions and said it has "no affiliation with Iran or Iranian oil".

"No contact whatsoever was made with the vessel," the company said as it called on the US to release evidence of its communications with the ship.

Settebello, which is owned by an Indian company called Aqua Aurora Shipping Lines, has not been sanctioned by the US but is on the sanctions list of the campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) which says it has been involved in transporting Iranian crude oil.

Ship tracking data shows Settebello has sailed from the Gulf to the Chinese port cities of Zhoushan and Lianyungang over the past six months.

Settebello's location tracker has been inactive since 31 May, data on ship-tracking website MarineTraffic shows, so it is not clear where the vessel was when it was hit.

IOS Marine FZE said the ship had been stationary for about 10 days before the strike.

Satellite imagery analysed by BBC Verify from 8 June shows the ship about 80 miles (120km) from port of Sohar in Oman.

Marivex tanker

The Indian crew of a third tanker urged authorities to "please help" after the ship was struck by the US on Monday, saying it was on fire and sinking in a distress call shared with BBC Verify.

Marivex was sanctioned by the US for links with Iran under a previous name - Arihant. The US has also sanctioned the ship's owner, Arihant Shipping Inc, and has accused the ship of transporting "hundreds of thousands of barrels of Iranian fuel oil and bitumen within the Gulf since July 2025".

Ship-tracking data shows Marivex last stopped at the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas in early April where it loaded with cargo and then sailed to two cities on India's west coast - Mangaluru and Karwar, according to MarineTraffic data.

A fire broke out on the tanker on Monday, according to Indian authorities who did not initially comment on the cause of the fire.

Centcom later confirmed that an F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln "fired a precision munition into the ship's engineering and steering spaces".



Indian crew of a sanctioned oil tanker say “send help” after being hit by a US missile


With the ship's engine disabled, the crew began to send out distress calls saying it had "a fire onboard and vessel is sinking", according to a recording given to BBC Verify by the Forward Seaman's Union of India (FSUI).

Flight tracking data shows a Royal Air Force of Oman helicopter took off from an air base on Masirah Island and verified videos supplied by the FSUI show the crew later being lifted from the ship's deck.

Centcom did not answer BBC Verify's question about whether it had contacted the Omani or Indian authorities before the strike.

The US strikes have sparked concern in India about the safety of India seafarers who constitute one of the largest maritime workforces, with nearly 300,000 serving on vessels across the globe.

"While seafarers are not completely detached from the realities of global trade, they are often the stakeholders with the least influence over geopolitical decisions and the greatest exposure to their consequences," said Harsh V Pant of the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.

"India-US relations are passing through a difficult phase and friction will increase if the attacks intensify but there won't be a fundamental rupture in the ties," he added.

Seafarers' unions have also expressed concern over safety in volatile regions and called for better protection.

"Seafarers are workers. They are not soldiers," the FSUI said on Thursday.

"The international community cannot remain a silent spectator while seafarers are forced to navigate through conditions resembling a war zone," the union said.

There are more than 18,000 Indian seafarers in the Gulf region and 13 Indian-flagged vessels are still stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, according to India's shipping ministry.

Public contempt for MARA loan defaulter apparent: “Want to do PhD but no brains to repay loan”

Public contempt for MARA loan defaulter apparent: “Want to do PhD but no brains to repay loan”

AH LONGS (loan sharks) have a number of strong-arm tactics to recover unpaid debts. These range from verbal threats to splashing the loanee’s abode with red paint and stern written warnings on the walls to demand swift pay up.


However, no such recourse is available to Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) that provide loans to Bumiputera candidates to further their academic journeys.

One such individual is Siti Norbaya Ahmad Nor from Sungai Petani, Kedah – who along with her three guarantors – have been ordered by the courts to re-pay her study loan amounting to RM857,000 to MARA for failure to complete her post-graduate thesis at Cambridge University, UK within the stipulated period.

This act of non-compliance was shared on X by entrepreneur and opposition-slant content creator Roman Akramovic (@Syed Akramin) who pointed out that having borrowed almost RM1 mil for the purposes of furthering her studies, she is duty-bound to pay it back especially when terms of the agreement had been broken.

“This is not (Datuk Dr) Asyraf Wajdi’s (MARA chairman) money, not MARA’s money, not the government’s money. The money belongs to the rakyat” the poster angrily declared.

Roman Akramovich

@SyedAkramin

·

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Kau dah pinjam hampir RM1 juta, bayarlah semula. Itu bukan duit Asyraf Wajdi, bukan duit MARA dan bukan duit kerajaan. Itu adalah duit rakyat. Jika kau pinjam kemudian tak mahu bayar, sebenarnya kau ‘curi’ hak orang lain yang nak sambung belajar.

12:26 PM · Jun 5, 2026

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“If you borrow but have no intention of repaying, you are stealing another person’s right to further their studies.”

This post on perceived daylight robbery has generated 277.2K views at time writing with many netizens pouring scorn on the defaulting PhD student.

“Is she brainless?” That seemed to be the query about the lady who has ambitions to complete her thesis but not the grey matter to understand that loans need to be repaid.

One commenter questioned how a PhD student at a venerated institution such as Cambridge University would need a study loan, surmising that such students usually fall into two categories.

The academic high achievers who are blue-chip scholarship holders (from Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Bank Negara Malaysia) or those from the very upper crust society, ie the T10 category of the super-rich.

The insinuation is that the former should be covered by the scholarships while the latter should be able to repay the study loan.

Non-compliance of loan agreement is a definite no-no regardless of whether the Oxbridge candidate managed to complete her studies. That is her basic responsibility, argued this obviously unimpressed commenter.

It was also opined that a ceiling be placed on the maximum loan that a person can apply for. The amount owing could well have paid for many others to further their studies locally or at less prestigious (and expensive) institutions.

Perhaps it would have been a better idea for this post-graduate student to have enrolled in UiTM instead of Cambridge University. Not only would it have been cheaper, perhaps the academic process would be less rigorous, too.

The opprobrium was constant as one commenter likened this lady to those who default on their PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund Corporation) loans.

“Such individuals are preventing other Malaysians from pursuing tertiary education,” argued this non-plussed citizen.

Less-than-flattering terms such as “stupid” and “selfish” were used to describe this academic who is perceived to have taken MARA and the rakyat for a ride.

“Why use public funds to study in such a blue-chip institution? She should be jailed,” suggested some irate commenters.

MARA may not be able to use the Ah Long’s strong-arm tactics to collect debts but it does appear it has a very powerful weapon on its side – netizens’ collective opprobrium.

Those who take MARA loans, be forewarned. Your credibility, reputation and good name could very well be tarnished online if you decide to be a defaulter. – June 11, 2026

DAP legal eagle, Muda zero in on Azam shares, 'corporate mafia'

DAP legal eagle, Muda zero in on Azam shares, 'corporate mafia'


Published: Jun 11, 2026 4:34 PM
Updated: 6:35 PM


DAP women’s wing legal bureau chief Sangeet Kaur Deo and Muda secretary-general Ainie Haziqah Shafiee have turned the spotlight on findings related to former MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki’s shareholdings.

Sangeet (above), who is the daughter of former DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh and sister of current chairperson Gobind Singh Deo, noted that a special committee was set up months ago to investigate the scandal and had produced a report.

“Yet to date, it remains withheld. Why has there been silence about such serious allegations against a public institution mandated to fight graft?” she asked in a statement.

She also called for answers on the investigation into the “corporate mafia” scandal, in which MACC officials were accused of colluding with businesspeople to facilitate corporate takeovers.

“The allegations published by Bloomberg were exceptionally serious. They suggested the existence of a network operating within and around the nation’s principal anti-corruption agency.

“Yet, despite the considerable public concern generated by those allegations, there has been little visibility as to the progress or outcome of any investigations,” she added.

Former MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki


Sangeet said that although the public had been told that investigations were ongoing, there has been little explanation regarding their outcome or current status.

“How many individuals have been investigated? Have the specific allegations and information contained in the Bloomberg exposé been fully examined?” she asked.

She emphasised that replacing Azam is not a substitute for a full and transparent investigation.

“Is this investigation now being quietly swept under the carpet?” she asked.

Previously, DAP leaders, including Gobind, have repeatedly called for the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the corporate mafia allegations, which the MACC vehemently denied, claiming it was an attempt to tarnish its reputation.

Azam, whose contract was extended three times by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, stepped down on May 12 and was replaced by former High Court judge Abd Halim Aman.

‘Whether clears or condemns, release report’

In a separate statement, Muda’s secretary-general recalled the government’s earlier promise to disclose the findings of the shareholdings report once all related investigations were fully completed.

“On June 12, it will be one month since Azam retired from the MACC. However, his retirement does not erase the unanswered questions that remain to this day,” said Ainie.

Muda secretary-general Ainie Haziqah Shafiee

She said the public has every right to know what is preventing the government from releasing the findings.

“If the report clears Azam, release it. If the report finds any wrongdoing, release it. In either case, there is no reasonable justification for continuing to withhold the report from the public.

“The government can end Azam’s contract. But it cannot end the public’s questions about Azam. If there is nothing to hide, release the report. As long as the report remains concealed, the questions will continue to persist,” she added.

Hadi opens fire on Bersatu, lists series of allegations behind 'divorce'

Hadi opens fire on Bersatu, lists series of allegations behind 'divorce'

Alyaa Alhadjri
Published: Jun 11, 2026 10:25 PM
Updated: 12:34 AM



PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang has opened fire against Bersatu with a list of allegations that purportedly justified the party’s decision to divorce its Perikatan Nasional component partner.

In a statement, Hadi prefaced his allegations with verses from the Al-Quran that underscored how politics and religious propagation (dakwah) are inseparable, and touched on various forms of political collaboration and duties of an elected leader.

Hadi also described PAS’ past relations with Bersatu and others as the “loosest form” of cooperation to form a government outside of an election, referencing the “Sheraton Move”, which he claimed had followed proper procedures but was later exploited by certain individuals for personal prominence.

The Marang MP further accused Bersatu of straying from an original shared purpose focused on the unity of the ummah.

“Instead, it (Bersatu) sought to dominate the majority of Muslims together with (other) non-Muslim parties, without regard for the position of Islam as the governing force and without considering the dominance of the Malay bumiputera.

“Suddenly, Bersatu attempted to weaken PAS’ role in exploring political change and sought to make PAS appear foolish by preventing the participation of more parties, especially Malay-Muslim parties such as Berjasa, Pejuang, the Malaysian National Muslim Indian Alliance Party (Iman), Putra, as well as MIC, a non-Muslim party that is not extremist,” he claimed.

Reflecting on the 2022 general election, Hadi accused Bersatu of being “greedy” for seat allocations, and that claims were made without proper consideration of candidate quality, party machinery strength, and actual membership numbers.

“It became apparent when the campaign reached the ground that they were nowhere to be seen, resulting in PAS members carrying out voluntary work as though they were forced labour on behalf of candidates who lacked qualifications and had no machinery of their own,” said Hadi.

Bersatu infighting unacceptable

On Bersatu’s internal turmoil that culminated in the sacking of former deputy president Hamzah Zainudin, Hadi claimed that subsequent actions taken, including more dismissals, did not follow a “morally acceptable” disciplinary process.

“As a result, a large proportion of MPs who had worked actively alongside PAS and were known to PAS were removed, suspended, or expelled. Others left the party on their own.

“Taken together, their number was very large - amounting to two-thirds of the party’s members - which could weaken the strength of the PN coalition and damage its reputation,” Hadi said.

He then cited strained relations at the state level, including the turmoil in Perlis, which led to Bersatu taking over the menteri besar’s position from PAS.

“The opportunistic actions of its leaders disrupted the original struggle for the unity of the ummah.

“Therefore, PAS was obliged to take a firm stand to uphold its principled struggle,” said Hadi, who argued that his party had attempted and failed to push Bersatu, as then PN chair, to approve amendments to the coalition’s “weak” constitution.

“Ultimately, PAS was forced to bear the bitter consequences in general elections, by-elections, and state elections,” he claimed.


‘PAS not bound by PN constitution’

Hadi argued today that under the flexible framework of its cooperation, PAS was not bound by PN’s constitution and did not need to spend time dealing with the internal problems of another party that could affect matters that should have been prioritised.

Eventually, he said the PAS syura council, scholars, and political observers were tasked with conducting self-assessment, verification, and detailed studies, with a decision accepted by the PAS central committee on Monday to break ranks with Bersatu without formally dissolving PN.

He hinted that PAS also gained new allies who had been expelled from Bersatu, crediting them as a “new source of strength” for the party.

PN chairperson Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is a PAS vice-president, previously said the coalition is not accepting any new component members.

However, Hamzah, who leads the Reset movement, cited “cooperation” with PAS for the upcoming Johor and Negeri Sembilan state elections.

PAS leader hits back at Chua’s ‘warning’ to Chinese voters

PAS leader hits back at Chua’s ‘warning’ to Chinese voters


Yesterday
Faiz Zainudin


Dr Halimah Ali says claims that PAS could benefit from Chinese voter apathy are an old tactic aimed at discouraging voters from giving the Islamic party a chance to prove itself

PAS central committee member Dr Halimah Ali reminded former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek that voters today judge leaders based on their integrity.

PETALING JAYA: A PAS leader has criticised former MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek over his remarks that voter apathy among the Chinese community could indirectly pave the way for PAS to gain power.

PAS central committee member Dr Halimah Ali said that such narratives, depicting her party as something to be feared, are a tactic by political opponents to deter the Chinese community from giving PAS a chance.

“This is an old tactic used by all of PAS’s opponents who do not want the Chinese community to ‘fall in love’ with PAS,” she told FMT.


Chua had said in an interview that PAS could take power “by default” if disgruntled Chinese voters boycott elections or cast spoilt ballots.

The former federal minister said the issue was already being “debated quietly” among Chinese voters, with some Pakatan Harapan leaders insisting that PAS could take Putrajaya if voters do not back the coalition.


Chua said Chinese voters should not allow their frustration with PH to lead to abstention, warning that rejecting all parties over corruption or performance issues could unintentionally benefit PAS.

However, Halimah said voters of all races today judge leaders based on integrity, adding that even critics acknowledge PAS leaders are generally not involved in misusing public funds while in office.

The Kapar MP urged all parties to stop stoking fear among non-Malay voters over PAS’s political prospects.

“What’s needed for a sustainable and progressive direction for the country are sincere, rakyat-centric policymakers who focus on solving people’s problems,” she said.

UKM study finds Malaysian students struggling with basic maths as reliance on calculators and ChatGPT grows

UKM study finds Malaysian students struggling with basic maths as reliance on calculators and ChatGPT grows



The study, conducted from March 2024 to February 2026, found that more than 80 per cent of students aged between nine and 12 were unable to solve mathematical questions requiring basic calculation and reasoning skills. — AFP pic

Thursday, 11 Jun 2026 7:00 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Malaysia risks raising a generation proficient in artificial intelligence (AI) technology but lacking strong critical thinking and analytical skills if numeracy and reasoning abilities are not strengthened from an early age, according to an expert.

Senior lecturer at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Associate Professor Kalaivani Chellappan said the concern stems from the growing use of AI and digital technologies in daily life, particularly in learning, research and completing tasks.

The data analytics and digital health expert said that although technology can improve efficiency and facilitate the learning process, over-reliance on it may undermine the mastery of basic skills essential for developing rational thinking and sound judgment.


The concern was reinforced by a two-year study she conducted involving 12 schools in suburban areas of the Sepang district.

The study, conducted from March 2024 to February 2026, found that more than 80 per cent of students aged between nine and 12 were unable to solve mathematical questions requiring basic calculation and reasoning skills.

Kalaivani said the study further revealed that the majority of students relied on smartphone calculators and AI applications such as ChatGPT to solve mathematics problems.


“For them, there is no need to learn calculation methods, as tools are already available to provide answers. This becomes a concern when technology is used as a substitute for learning rather than a complement,” she told Bernama.

She said follow-up findings from the study showed a trend of lower mathematics performance among pupils who were overly reliant on digital aids when they entered secondary school.

According to Kalaivani, this highlights that technology cannot fully replace the basic learning process, as strong numeracy and thinking skills must first be developed before AI can be effectively used as a support tool.

“The issue here is not that these children are not smart. Modern lifestyles are increasingly limiting opportunities for them to work with numbers in their daily lives. This is not just about academic achievement, but also reflects a decline in the ability to think, analyse and make rational judgments,” she said.

“Calculators and ChatGPT can provide answers. However, it is thinking ability that enables a person to assess whether an answer is reasonable and whether the information is reliable,” she said.

On measures to address the issue, Kalaivani said efforts to strengthen numeracy skills cannot rest solely on schools, but require the participation of parents and the community.

She said parents can encourage children to take part in daily tasks such as preparing budgets, shopping, measuring cooking ingredients, estimating travel time and reading analogue clocks, to nurture reasoning and problem-solving skills.

At the same time, she suggested that schools place greater emphasis on the application of mathematics in real-world situations rather than focusing on examination-oriented approaches.

“The solution is not to reject technology. Such a response would be unrealistic and counterproductive. Instead, Malaysia must rebuild a culture of thinking.

“Communities should create environments where children engage with numbers naturally through sports, games, planning, gardening, house cleaning, cooking, woodcraft projects and everyday problem-solving.

“Most importantly, we must stop viewing mathematics as merely a school subject. Mathematics is the language of thinking. Every receipt, timetable, recipe, football score, fuel bill, bank statement and construction measurement is a mathematics lesson,” she said. — Bernama

***

Bring back times tables, lots of maths homework, KUMON

Iran says water restored to 20,000 after ‘war crime’ US strikes hit reservoirs

Iran says water restored to 20,000 after ‘war crime’ US strikes hit reservoirs



People walk in a local market in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2026. Water supply to villages in southern Iran have been restored after US strikes hit reservoirs, state television reported on Thursday, in what Iranian officials described as a ‘war crime.’ — Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) handout pic via Reuters

Thursday, 11 Jun 2026 6:04 PM MYT


TEHRAN, June 11 — Water supply to villages in southern Iran have been restored after US strikes hit reservoirs, state television reported on Thursday, in what Iranian officials described as a “war crime.”

Water and desalination facilities, particularly in southern Iran and across its Gulf neighbours, have been among the most critical and vulnerable infrastructure targets since the outbreak of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States on February 28.


An exchange of fire that took place overnight into Wednesday morning — despite a ceasefire that went into effect on April 8 — saw US strikes hit two water reservoirs in the town of Sirik, cutting off nearly 20,000 people from access to drinking water.

“The water distribution network of the affected areas has been restored,” said Abdolhamid Hamzehpour, general manager of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, according to state television on Thursday.


He said the repair process took “less than 12 hours” and “the intermittent supply problems for subscribers in the city of Kouhestak and the villages of the Bemani district were fully resolved”.


Washington had said the strikes were carried out in response to Iran’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter over Gulf waters.

Tehran dismissed the justification as a “false pretext” and responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.


The strikes on the reservoirs prompted Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei on Wednesday to describe the attack as “a calculated war crime and flagrant violation of human rights”.

“The US must be held accountable for committing such systematic brutal attacks on civilian life-sustaining infrastructure,” he said in a post on X.

The head of Hormozgan province’s judiciary, Mojtaba Ghahremani, was also quoted by state television as saying the attack “constituted a war crime”.

On March 7, at the height of the war, Iran said US strikes hit a desalination plant on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.

The following day, Bahrain reported an Iranian strike on a water facility, in what appeared to be retaliation for the US attack on Qeshm. — AFP

THE U.S.destroyed civilian water utilities serving 20,000 Iranian people, a WAR CRIME

From the FB page of:

Nury Vittachi 

Favorites · ·

THE U.S. LAST NIGHT destroyed civilian water utilities serving 20,000 Iranian people.

“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” US Central Command said in a statement on X last night.

The punishment was “in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter,” the US Centcom said.

So, one item of military transport (crew escaped without harm) is deemed equivalent to bringing harm and misery to 20,000 people.

.

YES, IT WAS A WAR CRIME

Destroying water utilities is a war crime. Under Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, it is strictly prohibited to attack or destroy infrastructure essential to civilian life, including water installations.

And the US committed this war crime for what?

The truth is that the destruction of the helicopter was no big deal.

Who said that? Donald Trump did. "Wasn't a big deal. The pilot is fine," he told the press.

Even more galling is the fact that the Iranians downed the helicopter as part of its self-defence efforts against a US-Israeli war that has been deemed illegal by multiple countries and organizations, including many in the US.

The lack of proportionality is the key to understanding what is really happening in West Asia. Here are three examples with up-to-date statistics.

.

1) COMPARE LEBANON AND ISRAEL NUMBERS

Lebanon reported yesterday that Israeli attacks have now killed at least 3,696 people and injured 11,413 others since March 2. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced.

On the Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Lebanon, according to the military.

Just 29 soldiers on the Israel side. On the Lebanon side, even if we ONLY count women, children or medics killed by Israel, there have been 730. So far.

And before anyone is tempted to say that Lebanon’s figures are untrustworthy, let’s remember that Lebanon’s government has long been US-aligned and opposed to Hezbollah.

.

2) COMPARE IRAN AND U.S. NUMBERS

How many times have we heard about the 13 members of the US armed forces who lost their lives as part of the attack on Iran? Each was given a lengthy obituary in multiple media, including the UK Guardian.

Just 13. And what about the 2,988 men and 511 women killed by the US and Israel in Iran, as reported yesterday?

They're just statistics.

.

3) COMPARE ISRAEL AND GAZA NUMBERS

In recent days, Israel killed at least 11 more Palestinians in Gaza, including women and children, adding to a total of more than 72,000 lives lost. The majority have been women and children.

Since the beginning of the retaliation after the October 2023 attack, Israel has lost just 1,152 personnel, identified by its government as soldiers, police, and security officials.

See what I mean about proportionality? The contrast between casualties on the US-Israel side and those they are targeting is startling.

This week, the richest nation on earth lost a helicopter.

“No big deal.”