PAS does not believe Dr Azahari was a terrorist

PAS, the Islamic-based opposition party in Malaysia, has demanded proof from the Indonesian government that the late Azahari Husin, Jemaah Islamiyah’s (JI) master bomb maker, had really been behind the terrorist bombings in Indonesia.

Azahari Husin

The party’s president, Abdul Hadi Awang said PAS would support the Government's move to fight terrorism in South-East Asia, but the root causes of terrorism must be identified. In that way, government action against terrorism can then be conducted fairly.

He likened the allegations against Azahari to the lies made against Iraq having weapons of mass destructions. His reason for this comparison has been based on the lack of evidence to indicate Azahari’s involvement in the terrorist bombings. In other words, Hadi Awang reckons the accusations of Azahari being a terrorist have been all lies.

Indeed, Abdul Hadi Awang demanded a fair investigation, and not for the Indons to be cowed by the US. Apparently, from his arguments, the accusations against Azahari have been a US plot. He blamed the Americans for carrying out its global agenda of imperialism.

Hadi Awang

It’s disappointing but predictable that PAS would hesitate to applaud or just support the Indon’s success in eliminating Azahari or just remain silent. It is also predictable that PAS would be under 'political' and ideological pressures to come out publicly to defend Azahari - see Malayisakini's Azahari slaying - PAS under ideological pressure.

Ideological pressure? Why? Is PAS' ideology terrorism or Islam?

The late Azahari has many sympathizers among Malaysians Muslims. I have seen their comments on some Malaysian blogsites, some initially with sheer disbelief that Azahari had been slain, and then some with religious rationalisation on his departed soul somewhat akin to the Buddhist belief of reincarnation. Apparently they have been desperate to want Azahari somehow not to die.

Some Muslims in Malaysia also respect Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) as a brethren Islamic political party. Thus, according to their proclivity, what Azahari, a JI top echelon bloke, had done must be good and in accordance with the will of God.

armed militants of Jemaah Islamiyah

Whatever ideology PAS may profess to subscribe to, in the final analysis, it is still a political party, which needs to keep an eye on potential voters for the next Malaysian election. It reckons it can do that best by shoring up its Islamic credentials through defending Azahari, a JI terrorist operative and a Malaysian Muslim.

PAS wants it both ways, to be seen as a responsible law abiding political party supporting a universally accepted need for strong anti-terrorism measures, and at the same time giving comfort to its many pro-Azahari supporters by posing as a champion for Azahari, or at least his ‘good’ name.

I draw the distinction between insurgents (or freedom fighters) and terrorists. Indonesia is a sovereign nation administered by a democratically elected government comprising its own citizens. Where is its need for insurgents?

I am afraid that makes Azahari and his bombing campaigns fall into the second group, namely that he was a terrorist perpetrating acts of terrorism.

If PAS lacks the conviction to stand against murderous terrorists it is then not ready to assume the position of a responsible government. Indeed some Malaysians suspect PAS has been supporting the Muslim secessionists in southern Thailand, principally because those secessionists are Muslims (and also kinfolk), much to the anger of Thailand and the embarrassment of the Malaysian federal government. Unofficially, most Malaysians know that Thai Muslim secessionists have operated into Thailand from safe havens in Malaysia's northeastern state.

Unfortunately for an Islamic party like PAS, it is captive to its own ideology or professed ideology. It doesn't want to be seen to be retreating from its obligatory (blind) support for any Islamic group. Perhaps it might have believed it may experience support difficulties if it remains silent over the slaying of Azahari, seen by some PAS supporters as an Islamic hero in the same mode as Osama bin Laden.

I wonder what Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy PM of Malaysia, would say, as Anwar has mentioned that he will be campaigning for PAS in a state by-election. Does he share Hadi Awang’s views on Dr Azahari?

Massive Indon Manhunt for Noordin Top

Despite the recent slaying of Dr Azahari Husin in Malang, Indonesian security forces are bracing for a Christmas blitz of terrorist bombing attacks, planned by the late Azahari and his colleague Noordin Top, who is another of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) top operatives. The bombing campaign is expected to be focussed on Jakarta.

Indon police informed that discovered documents found in Azahari’s house have revealed advanced plans for a wave of attacks on the capital. The targets selected by JI are mainly Christian schools and churches, with the attacks scheduled to start this week and continue until Christmas Day.

Hmmm, undoubtedly the Islamic prophet Isa (pbuh) will be thrilled by such an intended pious showing of fireworks to commemorate the season of his birth.

The police are extremely worried that some of the bombs assembled by Azahari may have already been distributed. When police entered Azahari’s house after he was killed in a hail of bullets, they found more than 30 prepared bombs, many of which were configured with suicide devices.

The authorities have assigned thousands of troops in a door-to-door search, and to check cars, railway and bus stations in central Indonesia in one of Indonesia's biggest manhunts for Malaysian fugitive Noordin Top.

Wow, what a Towering Malaysian!

While Azahari might have been the master bomb maker, Noordin Top is actually JI's strategist, financial wizard and one of its main recruiters. Indon military chief, General Sutanto, said authorities believe Noordin Top is in Central Java province.

Related:
Dr Azahari's Death - Retaliation Bombings to Come

2004 Best Headlines (4)

"Miners Refuse to Work after Death"

No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's using their mere deaths as an excuse!


from an email

Iraqi Sovereignty - now you see it, now you don't!

Phil Shiner, of the Brimingham British Public Interest Lawyers, condemned the hypocrisy of Tony Blair’s government with regards to the protection of Saddam Hussein’s legal team, which has since stopped work after a 2nd lawyer on the team was shot dead, and one other injured.

In fact, Shiner was so incensed that he described the Blair government’s hypocrisy as knowing no bounds, which would be fairly strong language for the Brits.

Malaysia's former PM, Dr Mahathir, has also correctly highlighted that responsibility for the security of occupied Iraq, its citzens and government organs including defence lawyers (as officers of the court), should and must rest with the occupying powers, the USA and Britain.

But trust the Blair government to deny responsibility for the protection of the defence lawyers because it brazenly, outrageously and laughably claimed that sovereignty has been handed back to the Iraqi government.

Shiner pointed out that Blair’s officials had the bloody nerve to claim this despite the British military's regular blatant and publicly demonstrated disregard for Iraqi sovereignty, which have humiliated Iraqis to no ends.

For example, Blair’s government has reminded the Coalition Provisional Authority must continue to provide complete immunity for British armed forces and contractors even after the handover of authority to Iraqis. How can the Iraqis be considered as a sovereign authority when an alien force and non-citizens in its country are exempted from the laws of Iraq?

Shiner also reminded us of how the British military arrogantly invading a police station in Basra recently, which saw innocent Iraqi civilians being killed but with no British soldier held responsible. Where was Iraqi sovereignty then? Did Britain care two hoots about Iraqi public perception of an alien military force storming an Iraqi police station with impunity and immunity?

And to add insult to injury, the British attacked the Iraqi police station to release 2 British SAS men caught as agent provocateurs. In other words, the Brit military perpetrated a second crime to rescue criminals in teh first instant.

This is an extract of the full report by the Centre for Research on Globalization:

According to yet another BSBC [British State Broadcasting Company] report, after breaking into the police station, the Brits discovered that they [the captured British agent provocateurs] had been moved to a Mehdi Army house for 'interrogation'. Yet subsequent accounts revealed that they had in fact, been in the police station all along and, according to a CNN report, were being questioned by an Iraqi judge, not, as the British government alleged, by the ‘insurgents’.

By now, in a classic disinformation campaign, so many stories were being circulated that sorting out the truth from fiction was virtually impossible unless one is prepared to dig and dig deep.

What is clear is that the two SAS 'undercover operatives' had been caught red-handed by the British government’s alleged allies, the Iraqi police, dressed as Arabs, replete with wigs and armed to the teeth and in a car which according to one report, was packed with explosives (the car by the way, has been taken away by the British occupation forces).

The question the BSBC was not and still is not asking, is what were they up to, creeping around dressed up as Iraqis in what is meant to be a relatively peaceful Basra?

The sinister intentions of the British SAS aside and the consequential British 'rescue' to cover up their intended crimes of sh*t-stirring in southern Iraq, the attack on an Iraqi police station demonstrated a lack of respect by the British for the Iraqi authorities. There was a time when the British military would scornfully shake their heads at the arrogant behaviour of their American colleagues, but since Blair became PM, the Brits seem to have adopted many of the American military's misconduct.

Shiner succinctly stated that Tony Blair would refer to Iraqi sovereignty when it was convenient for him to disown responsibility, but forget about that when it enables Britain to do what it pleases in Iraq without facing the consequences.


Related:
(1) Mahathir's right about Perilous Defence in Iraq
(2) Mahathir Strikes Again at Iraqi Overlords
(3) Your honour, the defence rest!

Gods of Bali Smile on Michelle Leslie

The predictable is about to eventuate.

Michelle Leslie, Aussie model of underwear and lingerie, covert Muslim convert (revealed after she was arrested in Bali for drug possession), unfortunate innocent ‘victim’ of a mysterious woman by the name of Mia, who bought and gave her the ecstasy pills, is about to be released.

The prosecution has dropped its original demand for a 15-year sentence, in “consideration” of her addiction to the drugs, which she had confessed to, as well as appealed for mercy from the court.

Leslie said, "I'd like to apologise very much to the people of Indonesia for giving a problem in their country, because that was never my intention. I'd like to ask for mercy and justice from the court.''

Good girl, Michelle, that’s the right tone to take with the Indons. Contrast this ‘halus’ (refined and tactful) approach with the one by Schapelle Corby’s team whose antics insulted and irritated (if not angered) the Indon legal system, and pushing the Bali judges into a dangerous corner.

The Schapelle Corby case was rife with media agitated frenzy leading to redneck attacks on the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra (by threat of deadly chemicals sent through the post) and harassment of the Indonesian consulate in Perth. The insults and threats against the Indon authorities were embarrassing, with pathetic demands for Aussie aid given to tsunami victims to be withdrawn. It was a very shameful period for Aussies; it was driven by the ratings-conscious media; most unfortunate of all, it was highly counterproductive for Schapelle Corby.

Leslie’s defence team must have learnt from Corby’s pathetic case, and thus kept a low profile and presented a “humble demeanour” throughout the 3 months she has been incarcerated.

Again, by contrast to Corby’s lawyer admitting to Aussie press that Indon judges could be bribed, coupled with subsequent revelations in the Aussie media that Corby’s team had requested for a large sum for such purposes, Leslie team has planned her defence with gentle ‘nudges’ (read my previous postings) released at judicious intervals, but without giving offence to the integrity of the Indon legal system. They provided subtle information to the media only when and what they wanted published.

When she next appears before the judges in the Bali courts, she will probably be sentenced to 3 months jail for her possession of the 2 ecstasy pills, a light sentence in view of the consideration that she is an addict – Indonesia has sympathetic sentences for drug addicts as opposed to drug pushers.

She would have serve those 3 months already, so she will be virtually freed straightaway after the pronouncement of the sentence, when she can then fly off to Oz to rejoin her multi-millionaire boyfriend.

What do I think of all the Leslie case?

(1) for possession of the 2 ecstasy pills, the original threat of a 15-year sentence was way over the top, and probably an unfortunate reaction by the Indons in the wake of the Corby’s Aussie media circus.

(2) I believe even the 3 months sentence is way too long a punishment for 2 pills that she had for her personal use. She should be fined instead for a first offence.

(3) It always help to have a rich close friend (or family member) who can assemble a powerful team of good lawyers and PR personnel to plan one's defence.

(4) be wary of the media - while they can be helpful, they can be unhelpful as well when they perceive that whipping up a frenzy may be good for their ratings (but not necessarily good for the person whom they purport to support).

(5) those who use and carry drugs around, high time to stop messing around with the 'deadly' substance - if you aren't beautiful like Schapelle or have a strong supporter like Leslie, you could well be in the same position as those 9 other Aussies in Bali and Aussie Nguyen Van Tuong in Singapore.


Related:
(1) A Tale of Two Beautiful Women
(2) Two Beautiful Aussies in Bali - The Story Continues
(3) Gods of Bali do what Doctor won't
(4) Aussie Covert Convert in Bali - the Plot thickens!

Dr Azahari - from Mancester United to Jemaah Islamiyah

A version of this ‘testimony’ of the late Dr Azahari Husin has appeared in the Star Online too.

The bloke providing us with a glimpse of the ‘fun bloke’ that used to be Dr Azahari is Lum Chih Feng, a former student of the once-UTM lecturer and now deceased terrorist bomb maker.

Lum was an undergraduate in Azahari’s class on property valuation. As I had blogged previously on Dr Azahari as a very decent, humorous and fun-loving bloke, as remembered by his Aussie friends, Lum confirmed that image of the late lecturer. Yes, Lum too called him a fun teacher, and indeed as a passionate soccer fan as well.

Amazingly, Lum even recalled that Azahari had once casually mentioned about bomb-making during his class, saying that the process was not difficult, but Lum iterated that the late lecturer didn’t go into details other than to make that passing remark.

Needless to say, like Azahari’s Aussie friends, Lum and other Malaysian students have been utterly shocked by the revelation that the popular lecturer had gone over to the other side of society - the shock being more pronounced considering that Azahari had been considered as a very nice guy and a damn good teacher, but his subsequent terrorist notoriety made him into the most wanted bomb maker in our world.

Again, like Aussies who knew Azahari, Lum informed that the lecturer had never ever indicated such inclination or traits for Islamic extremism. In fact, according to Lum, with regards to Islamic extremism, Azahari had stood out in contrast to other Muslim lecturers by his lack of such overt symbolism like wearing the ‘Haji’ skullcaps (Islamic yarmulke) or Middle-eastern robes.

Lum has fantastic praises for Dr Azahari's prowess as a lecturer where his lessons were delivered so effectively that prompted students to advance to higher level thinking, truly the hallmark of an exceptional instructor.

Then on the social side, Lum said Azahari was a jovial bloke and indicated his love for English soccer, especially when the late lecturer studied in Britain. Azahari admitted to his devoted following of the English soccer league with Mancester United as his favourite team, jokingly confessing to the typical behaviour of a staunch soccer fan like removing his T-shirt when his team scored a goal.

How did such a man become what he had been, abandoning his family, lifestyle and amazing teaching profession to take up the cause for an extremist intolerant terrorist group. How did such a mild mannered, humorous and dedicated teacher become the cold-blooded killer he had been? How does one comprehend such a swing of the psychological pendulum for Dr Azahari Husin?

Related:
(1) From Fun Bloke to Murderous Terrorist
(2) Azahari Husin – Doctor of Sufferings

Killing of Dr Azahari - Eye-witness Accounts

An amazing report of eyewitness’ accounts on the police actions leading to the killing of Dr Azahari Husin, by Indon journalist ID Nugroho.

The 1st was by a lady named Herawati. She owned a house behind the one occupied by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorists. She was still highly excited when she gave her eye-witness account of what happened (I’ll leave Nughroho’s report as intact as possible, other than to edit it to make some sense, like changing ‘she’ to ‘Herawati’ in some cases, or trimming it here and there to avoid repetition, or rephrasing some words to put the account in better context), as follows:

30-year old Herawati said the raid would be an experience she would never forget. She found it hard to imagine that she, a simple housewife,was part of an important raid that struck a major blow to the terrorist network across Asia.

She said she shuddered when she remembered the incident, not unlike a scene out of a Hollywood movie. Her house in the Flamboyan housing complex in Batu was used by police to gain access to Azahari's hideout.

The mother of two recalled that the raid began when several anti-terror police officers arrived at her house at 1:15 p.m. She was told that there would be a major arrest, but she didn't know who was their target.

Soon more and more police personnel surrounded the house occupied by Azahari, taking up tactical positions. Some officers even stood in her attic while others were spread out around the house.

Then she heard a police officer shout at Azahari's group that they should surrender. Somebody from the surrounded house suddenly fired a shot. An exchange of gunfire then followed. Explosions were heard several times in the middle of fierce gunfire. Finally, after an hour of gunfire, a huge explosion jolted the neighborhood.

Herawati, who was hiding in the dining room during the incident, was fairly shaken up. After the explosion, she saw several policemen clap and shake hands, signaling the operation was a success.

She was then informed by the police that one of those killed was the most wanted man across Asia, Azahari. While scared at that time, Herawati said she felt proud that she was part of the important moment in the war against terror in the country.

The 2nd eye witness was by another lady, Salamun. Here goes Nugroho’s report:

Salamun's house is located directly across the street from the house used by Azahari and his group. She had no inkling that the men living across the street were terrorists.

"I only knew that the house was inhabited by three persons. Two introduced themselves as Budi and Yahya," she said. Yahya told her he was from Surabaya and studied at Muhammadiyah University in Malang (UMM), while Salamun had no idea what Budi was doing. Another person told her he came from Semarang and worked as a building contractor.

Salamun was totally unaware that one of them could have been the fugitive Malaysian bomber Azahari. She had no qualms about her new neighbors and even greeted and shook hands with Yahya and Budi on Idul Fitri, wishing them a happy Idul Fitri. Other neighbors also greeted Yahya and Budi for Idul Fitri, who responded warmly.

"When I remember that moment, my hair stands on end."

Paris Burning - blogging to riot, riot by blogging!

Well, we have heard of the ‘oil & water’ saga on Jeff Ooi’s Screenshots, and we have been awed by the Iraqi blog Baghdad Burning. But in Paris, bloggers obviously of the rioting kind, have been using their bloggings to coordinate attacks on the police.

A 14-year-old kid has just been arrested for provocations of violence on his blog He wrote "Unite, Île-de-France, and burn the cops. Go to the nearest police station and burn it."

Holy soufflé, that’s a zillion times far worse than Jeff Ooi’s ‘oil & water’ saga. Another reported by the Washington Post called for:

"All the housing projects should rise. The wait is over. Friday, Nov. 11, a meeting under the Eiffel Tower. At 2 p.m. Show up, it's important."

This is bloody giving bloggers a bad name, mes enfants.

Critic claimed the power and speed of blogs have given Paris its most intense and durable rioting since Robespierre was guillotining French nobility and his competitors.

Mon dieu, les blogs!

Azahari Husin - Doctor of Sufferings

Dr Azahari Husin PhD was a property evaluation expert. He turned away from his academic profession to ‘write’ a new doctoral thesis in suffering.

In his personal capacity he wasn’t a stranger to suffering, experiencing the trauma of his wife’s throat cancer. When he embarked on his fanatical and sinister pursuit, he realised his children would suffer from being watched by the police of his country. There won't be any privacy in their lives - undoubtedly their telephone and conversation would have been monitored to seek a link to his whereabouts. A man constantly on the move, he wasn’t allowed and indeed no longer entitled to live the live of a normal loving husband or father.

Apart from his wife’s unfortunate cancer, those sufferings were of his own choice.

Some who knew him said he was most vulnerable to influence during a stressful period that was associated with his doctoral pursuit at Reading University. But in his 'new' docoral thesis on sufferings, he took on even greater stress.

In his 'dissertation' on human sufferings, he conducted his perverted experiments, inflicting inhumane sufferings on others. The people of Bali (twice over), Indonesian staff of the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, staff and guests at the Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, and locals of various other places in Indonesia suffered from his devastating bombs. In each and every spot he terrorised, there would always be innocent passerbys who were killed and injured.

Innocent men, women and children died or were badly maimed by Azahari’s heinous creations, those deadly bombs carried by suicide volunteers. In his model of terrorism, he made no distinction between the officials or civilians, Westerners or Indonesians, Muslims or adherents of other faiths, enemies or those innocents.

He was the classic anarchist though he struck at his victims under the banner of Islam.

In the end he failed to complete his doctoral thesis on sufferings, for he left without completion of the viva voce.

Dr Azahari Husin - From Fun Bloke to Murderous Terrorist

Many Aussies remember Azahari Husin as Azari, graduate of Adelaide University, a nice and likeable sort of bloke, with an irrepressible humour. A fun bloke, and known as a ‘mad bugger’, he was full of harmless banter. They even recalled he drove an Audi sports car.

At Adelaide University, he had a good time, buying a motorcycle, crossing the Nullarbor, partying, etc. John Cooper, an Australian academic at the University of Technology in Malaysia, where Azahari taught said, "He was a guy who could always make people laugh."

But they say that likeable Azahari died long long ago.

When that 'old' Azahari 'vanished', a completely new and strange Azahari Husin evolved, becoming the world's most wanted bomb maker and mass murderer.

Azahari began his murderous role, ironically killing many innocent Aussies, including women and children, people he once liked, after involvement with a fanatic religious group in Indonesia, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Captured JI operatives who knew him said Azahari liked to watch the consequences of his bombs and suicide volunteers from a safe distance, especially the moment before their deaths and those of the victims.

Azahari seemed proud to be known as the most wanted man in South-East Asia. He had planned more killings. Friends think his religious perverted zeal started when a Muslim faith healer helped him and his wife with their desire to have children. He then was blessed with a son.

When he went to Indonesia in 1996, he was shocked by President Suharto's repression of Muslims. I have often blogged on how the Indon military under the Suharto regime placed nationalism above all else, especially religious sectarianism.

Together with Noordin Mohammed Top, he became deeply involved in JI’s religious fundamentalism and sinister operations. His involvement culminated in him being sent by the then JI operations commander Mukhlas to Afghanistan in 2000 to learn bomb making. When he returned he virtually wrote the JI instruction manual on killing by terrorist bombings.

Azahari Husin - Malaysian, fun university undergraduate, nice bloke, friendly colleague, good teacher, loving family man, religious fanatic, sinister bomb maker, murderous terrorist who loved to watch the moments before his evil creation turned a happy place full of innocent men, women and children, people he once liked, into bloody carnage.

Revised Dr Azahari's Fate - Shot, not Bombed!

New Indon police story on Azahari.

Apparently he was shot dead by police, and did not trigger the bomb in a suicide. The police changed their story stating that it was another militant, identified as Arman, who died alongside Azahari, who had pulled the cord on an explosive-lined vest

The police added that Azahari had tried to do the same, but failed and instead died when police downed him in a hail of gunfire. Indon military chief Sutanto claimed that Azahari's body is still intact, revising the earlier and more macabre version of Azahari being decapitated by the explosion.

Sutanto asserted that Azahari has been positively identified through his fingerprints. Sutanto said theat there has been a match of Azahari’s fingerprints taken in Indonesia in 1998 and when he was a teenager in Malaysia in the 1960s.

The revised story sounds a bit dodgy because if his body was intact, why then did they go down that 'decapitated' path yesterday? I suspect it's because the Indons may want to avoid making that bloke a suicide matyr.

Aussie federal police chief Keelty believed Azahari had killed in excess of 250 people in four separate bombings in the last three years, and was unlikely to cooperate if he was taken alive. Keelty admitted that the former don was a determined and quite intelligent individual.

Meanwhile in KL, Baharuddin Ismail, a Suaram activist, speaking on behalf of Azahari’s family, said Azahari’s family particularly his wife Noraini has accepted his fate, but would like his body back for proper burial. They seek Wismaputra’s help to recover the corpse. Azahari’s family has not seen him since 2001 when he fled the authorities.

Dr Azahari - a Scientist Defeated by Forensic Science

Mick Keelty, Aussie federal police commissioner claimed that the identification of one of the three suicide bombers, an East Javanese who conducted the Bali restaurant bombings in October this year, provided the vital lead in tracking down Azahari.

The dead man was identified only about 10 days ago, which then led the police to Azahari in Malang. This forensic tracing was also supplemented by other evidence such as how those killers were recruited. Sophisticated technology was also used to track the terrorist – Keelty refused to elaborate on this, but we may assume, as alluded to earlier in a previous post, that this has been cellular phone tracking devices, probably US intelligence gathering satellites.

One of the 2002 Bali bombers, Imam Samudra, was thus apprehended after the Aussies used his mobile phone signal to track him down.

Dr Azahari's Death - Retaliation Bombings to Come

Indon police found 30 bombs in the villa where Dr Azahari Husin was believed to have been killed. The bombs were all primed to explode.

Indonesian officials claimed they have visually identified his severed head His identify will only be officially confirmed after a DNA test.
Prime Minister John Howard warned that while Azahari may set JI back a little, it doesn't mean that the terrorist organization is crippled.

Relatives and friends of Aussies killed in Bali are delighted on hearing that the man responsible for the murder of their love ones has himself been killed by a similar explosion.

On Aussie TV, police warned of retaliation bombings yet to come to revenge Azahari’s death.

Azahari's Death - Aussie Input!

Indon National Police chief General Sutanto confirmed that 3 terrorist militants blew themselves up following a shoot-out with police squad. However, he stated that full confirmation of Azahari's death will only be ascertained today, through the use of DNA and enlisting the help of witnesses who know Azahari.

He mentioned that Suwandi, a man arrested in the raid, confirmed that Azahari was killed. Suwandi, a Javanese has been a recent recruit of Azahari.

According to Sutanto, the police conducted the raid on Wednesday following the arrest of a man identified by his initials as CH in Semarang. CH led the police to Azahari's hideout in Batu. The terrorists refused to surrender leading to the shootup, where a police officer was wounded.

Sutanto counted 11 explosions after the gunfight. He believed that the last blast appeared to have been the one for Azahari’s final exit from this world. Besides Azahari, one of the three men killed was the bloke who had assembled the bomb that exploded in Bali’s Raja's bar and restaurant in Kuta on 01st October.

While Indon police didn’t mention it, a group of Aussie police were also there, providing intelligence and technical support to the local authority.

In fact the Indon police were able to trace Azahari because of Aussie intelligence inputs obtained through sophisticated telephone interception. The Aussies tracked Azahari and Noordin Top across Indonesia by monitoring sporadic mobile phone signals from the terror group, Jemaah Islamiah. It seems the JI is not very smart afterall.

Apart from eavesdropping intelligence, the Aussies also provided forensic expertise to support the Indons shift through the evidence and track down where Azahari and his followers were. The hunt has now shifted to Noordin, who still remains at large.

The Aussies, US and British have helped set up the headquarters and training ground in Semarang for the Indon anti-terror police unit known as Detachment 88.

Mahathir's right about Perilous Defence in Iraq

Couple more lawyers for Saddam Hussein’s group have been targeted – one has been shot dead and the other wounded. Unknown gunmen were responsible for the shooting on Tuesday night in the Adl neighbourhood of Baghdad.

The lawyer killed, Adel Mohammed Abbas al-Zubeidi, had actually predicted his own death. He stated rather in vain that he and his colleagues weren’t affiliated with Saddam or anyone else. They were acting only in the role of professional legal counsellors with a professional duty to their clients. Alas, obviously those gunmen weren’t listening.

Dr Mahathir, former PM of Malaysia, had earlier demanded the USA and Britain be responsible for the security and safety of the legal counsellors defending Saddam and his henchmen. And he’s right because those two nations are the occupying powers in Iraq, and thus responsible for the occupied country's security. Regrettably they have let down the lawyers.

Related:
(1) Mahathir Strikes Again at Iraqi Overlords
(2) Your honour, the defence rest!

Azahari Blown to Pieces or ...?

Antara news agency reported numerous explosions at the house where Azahari was hiding. It was a joint military-police operations.

The police chief who conducted the raid on Dr Azahari’s villa in Batu told international reporters that he saw the bodies of seven terrorists. The reporter mentioned that none had been identified yet.

However local reporters insisted that Azahari was among the seven dead militants. A number of Indon TV stations laid claim that Malaysian Azahari bin Husin was killed in the shoot-out, although there was no source for their reports.

Karni Ilyas, a jounalist who went into the house with the police anti-terror unit said Azahari did blow himself up on Wednesday (sorry, not Tuesday as I had incorrectly mentioned in my previous post) after being cornered by the police at the villa. Ilyas averred that two Jakarta members of the anti-terrorist unit could recognize Azahari’s face, even though his body was in pieces.

Gorries Mere, the national detective deputy chief, supported Ilyas assertion, and said that his men in the field reported that Azahari was among the dead (or at least his face was).

However, a spokesman for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was more cautious, saying that it was not clear if Azahari had been among the seven killed. He confirmed intelligence showed that Azahari was hiding in the raided house, but whether he was killed still is uncertain.

Hmmm, maybe Azahari is like the elusive Osama bin Laden, or is the Indonesian authority hedging, though for what purpose, still remains to be seen.

Related:
BREAKING NEWS - DR AZAHARI COMMITTED SUICIDE

BREAKING NEWS - DR AZAHARI COMMITTED SUICIDE

BREAKING NEWS

Malaysian terrorist mastermind Dr Azahari Husin killed himself and two accomplices by triggering a bomb when he found himself surrounded by police. There were gunshots prior to the suicide explosion. The location of the drama was a villa in the hill resort town of Batu, near Malang in the Island of Java.

Malaysian Azahari, a PhD graduate of Reading University, was Indonesia's most wanted man. He was blamed for masterminding both Bali bombings and a host of other terroprist attacks throughout Indonesia, including those at the Australian Embassy and the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta.

If the Indon ANTV report is true, then Azahari fell on his own sword, that of suicide bombing, except this time he killed himself and his terrorist colleagues.

Towering Malaysian?

Related:
(1) Malaysian Masterminded Bali Bombing
(2) Police Most Wanted - 2 Malaysians

Sex Terrorists

A Filipino senator called them sex terrorists!

The reason?

6 US marines raped a Filipino woman while they were on shore leave in the Philippines, after military exercise with the Filipinos. They raped the unfortunate woman until she was unconscious, then dumped her by the roadside.

Filipinos are outraged by the abuse. Many protestors marched to Subic Bay where the US Navy amphibious assault ship Essex was harboured, but were denied access. The 6 are in hiding as arranged by the US Embassy.

The marines must have forgotten their role is amphibious assault on armed enemies, not 'automobile' (in a van) assault on a helpless woman. Critics ho-hum-ed the incident as the usual pattern of abuse by US forces abroad. Even in Australia, US sailors have assaulted young women.

Murray Sayle, a journalist who wrote in the Japan Policy Research Institute, recalled in September 1995, three drunk U.S. servicemen kidnapped and raped a twelve-year-old schoolgirl in Okinawa.

But wait, there’s more to that crime.

What a US senior naval officer, Admiral Richard C. Macke then said reflected the typical US military mentality abroad: “For the price they paid to rent a car they could have had a girl.”

Now, ain't that just great, the admiral being more outraged about the stupidity of his men than the trauma suffered by a 12 year old kid?

Bet you those US marines in the Philippines won’t be prosecuted.

Tony Blair - Power Crazy War Criminal?

The British ambassador to the USA at the time leading to the US illegal invasion of Iraq, Sir Christopher Meyer, condemned Tony Blair for being so seduced with his close involvement with US power that he failed miserably to caution and advise President Bush not to be a gungho cowboy in the international arena.

In fact, Sir Christopher blamed Blair for the state of anarchy that is Iraq today.

The US would NOT have gone to war alone, but once Britain under Blair agreed to stand beside it in its aggressive adventure, and expressed that very strongly as well, the Americans perceived that it was all system go.

Sir Christopher said:

"We may have been the junior partner in the enterprise, but the ace up our sleeve was that America did not want to go it alone. Had Britain so insisted, Iraq after Saddam might have avoided the violence that may yet prove fatal to the entire enterprise."

He then sneered at Blair’s lack of appetite to bargain with Bush.

"Tony Blair chose to take his stand against Saddam and alongside President Bush ........ It is the definitive riposte to Blair the Poodle, seduced though he and his team always appeared to be by the proximity and glamour of American power."

In that, Blair had failed utterly in the golden opportunity to moderate President Bush. In fact, we may even say that thanks to Blair, many tens of thousands, if not more than a hundred thousand Iraqis had perished due to his addiction to the power that was the USA.

History will one day remember Tony Blair as the man who gave Bush the motivation and encouragement to attack and kill Iraqis.

Beheading of Teenage Girls - 5 Suspects

An Indon retired soldier, two hospital security guards and two other civilians are being interrogated by Indon police in connection with the recent beheading of 5 young teenage schoolgirls in Sulawesi. The brutal incident was part of a series of violent clashes between two religious denomination.

Police believe there is reason to believe that they may be suspects.

That’s easy as pie to confirm – blokes who killed teenage schoolgirls don’t have balls.

Thai-Malaysian War of Words

When 131 Thai Muslims took refuge in Malaysia, Thailand asked for them to be sent back. But Malaysia responded that it has a duty to protect Muslim refugees from southern Thailand.

Obviously Syed Hamid, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister was keeping a political eye on Kelantan and playing to the Kelantanese gallery rather than the Thais.

Then when some Malaysians called for a boycott of Thai stuff, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra went ballistic – for not only were the Malaysians interfering with Thai domestic affairs but also attempting to put pressure on Thailand.

Thaksin has always been a bit of a bulldozer in his attitude towards and treatment of the southern Thai Muslims. He wasn't going to take any sh*t from Malaysia.

Then Syed Hamid added in a bit of cabai burung (Mexican chillies) to the boiling Thai cauldron by telling our northern neighbour to ‘grow up’ over the boycott issue. That sent the Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon ballistic as well, with him stating that he wasn’t speaking anymore with Malaysia, who in his mind was obviously playing politics with the issue of 131 Thai trouble-makers.

Trust sweet talking Malaysian DPM Najib Razak to ‘slow talk’ with his Thai colleaguet Chidchai Vanasathidya into some form of resumed courteous relationship. Najib stated:

"We should not allow the problem of the 131 to be blown out of proportion and it should not spill over into the other areas in terms of overall bilateral relations."

But the reality is that once the diplomatic sh*t has hit the fan, the genuine Thai-Malaysian friendship that had once existed in Tengku’s days is no longer.

The trouble has been Thailand’s suspicion of Malaysia’s covert support of the Thai insurgents. That is only partially true. The Malaysian federal government in reality doesn’t want to intrude into what is basically a Thai domestic affair. But at the same time the ruling party UMNO worries that the Islamist opposition, PAS which forms the State government of Kelantan, a haven for the Thai refugees, has been upstaging it by demonstrating overt support for a Thai issue that carries plenty of sympathies among Malaysian Muslims.

Additionally, Thaksin’s accusation of Malaysia as a supporter of Thai Muslim militant separatists has painted Malaysia as another Pakistan. Malaysia doesn’t want to be seen as a state that harbours terrorist groups.

Hence Malaysia is equally pissed off with Thailand for its bulldozing mannerism and statements, without considering Malaysia’s domestic and international positions.

Anwar Ibrahim & Silky Court Intrigues

Malaysiakini reported that Anwar Ibrahim will be campaigning for PAS in the Pengkalan Pasir by-election.

It’s a by-election so don’t get your hopes up too high. It could well be Anwar just showing UMNO how much damage he could cause by being forced to remain outside UMNO.

Once an old (Chinese) pal of mine confessed to me how much he saluted the Malays for their amazing and sophisticated political skills, which were/are subtle as silk - silk of course is also an effective garrote.

He lamented how raw the Chinese were by comparison. When I asked him why, he pointed out to a tradition of Malay court intrigues dating back to the legendary days of Hang Tuah and his best mate/nemesis Hang Jebat.

When I countered by reminding him of equally diabolical Chinese court manoeuvrings, with its legends, history, eunuchs, imperial concubines, traitors and whatnot, he smiled and crushed my arguments by stating:

“Those imperial ar$eh%les were northerners. The Chinese in Malaysia came from the south, and were of ignorant bumbling peasant stock."

I was outraged and protested vehemently, declaring that my ancestry could be traced back to the bloodthirsty pirates looting, pillaging and raping in the Formosa-Fujian-Guangchow region.

Bloody hell, calling me, a descendant of swashbuckling Chinese pirates, a descendant of country yokels! ;-)

Oh, BTW, Chinese victors in a dynastic struggle ordered dethroned royal families to kill themselves and avoid the shame of public execution, by presenting the unfortunate victims with a sash of fine white silk, for them to hang themselves.

Reality Checks for Quake-affected Pakistan

At last some commonsense from Pakistan.

President Musharraf has postponed the purchase of the US F-16 fighter planes. He wisely said that Pakistan will concentrate on the rebuilding of its Kashmiri region which has been severely struck by the recent earthquake. The reconstruction will demand at least US$5 billion.

Certainly a financial reality check.

But Musharraf is pissed off because he reckons international aid has been not as forthcoming as it had been for the victims of the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. He termed the responses as double standards.

Musharraf is wrong to put the tsunami disaster on the same catastrophic level as that for Hurricane Katrina. In the former, several countries were badly affected, with 450,000 officially listed as killed. The unlisted deaths probably ran as high as that, as there have been suspicions that India had deliberately suppressed the numbers of its dead. Some countries affected by the tsunami are fairly poor 3rd World nations (without any expensive nuclear weapons programme like Pakistan's).

However, I agree with him that the response to Katrina has been far better than that for Pakistan’s victims. Take just one example, that of the contribution by Kuwait. That Gulf Arab State gave an ‘initial’ US$2 to the tsunami victims of impoverished Indonesia and Sri Lanka, US$500 million to very rich USA for Katrina’s damage, and US$100 million to poor Pakistan.

Certainly what Pakistan had received was only one-fifth of what rich USA obtained from Kuwait, but US$100 million is one hell of a lot more than the relative pittance tossed along the way of several SE Asian countries including Muslim Aceh.

Certainly a (Muslim) friendship reality check.

Aussie Covert Muslim Convert - In Danger?

Indon police scoffed at a newspaper claim that they had covered up the presence of prominent Indons who were with Michelle Leslie the night she was arrested. They said she alone was apprehended because she was the only one found with ecstasy pills.

Referring to available video footage, the newspaper claimed that there were a number of other people in the car with Leslie. The police answered 'so what' as those people weren’t the ones with the illegal drugs.

As I mentioned in my previous posting, if those alleged ‘powerful’ personalities were with her that night, then in all probability she wouldn’t have been arrested, or even if she was, a subsequent phone call would have remedied the situation.

Now there's even a conspiracy theory that, because she's going to squeal about the minister's son being with her that night of the arrest, she may be in mortal danger in the prison.

The conspiracy theory added that had the incident occurred during Suharto's time, the case would have been 'bereskan' (settled), but today, Indonesia being the 'open' society it is, the police couldn't possibly let her go.

But this theory falls flat on its face when in the same breath, it claims the police covered up the presence of the minister's son. One can't have it both ways - either the police were corrupt or they were not.

Even if the minister's son was there, was he the one with the ecstasy pills? If he didn't, and so far there hasn't been any such accusation (other than his physical presence), how then could Leslie drag the Minister into a drug scandal?

I am rather sceptical of the allegations surrounding the minister's son which have only been brought up today, very late into her period of arrest, just as I have been sceptical about her being a covert converted Muslim. Then there was the allegation of a mysterious woman, Mia, who gave her the pills, and now the Minister's son was there in the car with her. The plot thickens like leftover bah-kut-teh soup on a cold wintry day, except it smells worse.

We need to ask - would the presence of the minister's son be relevant to the case? Did he possess any ecstasy pill? Would his appearance in court as a witness, as demanded by Leslie's lawyers, help Leslie in any way? What if the minister's son, assuming he was in the car with Leslie, say to the court that he was partying with her, without being aware of her possession of the illegal drugs?

Related:
Aussie Covert Convert in Bali - the Plot thickens!

US Black Site in Udon Thani, Thailand

Following the Washington Post recent relevation of US black sites across the globe, where extreme torture have been employed to interrogate whomever the US military or intelligence nabbed, without fear of being found out or brought to legal account in US courts, the international Red Cross, European Union and human rights groups are demanding explanation from not only the USA but also specific (former Eastern) European governments on those secret prisons.

Those Eastern European nations have, as Thailand has too, denied that their countries hosted the US ‘black sites’.

The Europeans are particularly annoyed that their ‘new’ members have been included among the accused, as such torture chambers violate human rights laws such as the European Convention on Human Rights and the International Convention Against Torture, which all EU nations are required to follow.

Human rights groups are urging official investigations. Those groups had obtained records showing a CIA-chartered aircraft had used special airstrips in Poland and Romania in 2003, around the time the US was transporting al-Qaeda suspects from Afghanistan. Poland and Romania are two rather poor European nations that are heavily dependent upon US aid.

Thailand has been denying like hell that it hosts such a US Gestapo-like cell. The political and security fallout could be very severe as Thailand doesn’t have a decent record when it comes to treatment of its own Muslim citizens. It could well invite special focus by Islamist terrorist groups.

The international community (except of course for those hosting other black sites and the USA itself) has scorned Thailand’s denial. They have identified a remote Voice of America relay station near the northeastern Thai city of Udon Thani as one of the US torture sites and front for black operations, meaning nasty stuff like assassinations, bombings and sh*t stirring propaganda and misinformation.

Related:
(1) Thailand - an Isle in US Gulag Archipelago?
(2) The New Gulag Archipelago!
(3) American Nazis!
(4) Hippocrates Oath or Hypocritic Oath?
(5) Bagram Villagers: "Die America!"
(6) Why the World Hates America
(7) New Isle in American Gulag Archipelago

Aussie Covert Convert in Bali - the Plot thickens!

The plot thickens in the Michelle Leslie case where she awaits trial in Bali for possession of ecstasy pills.

There are rumours now that the beautiful Aussie model was in the company of a senior Indonesian Minister’s son. The Indon VIP has been named as the powerful Indonesian Economics Minister, Aburizal Bakrie, a wealthy businessman and one of the country's most influential politicians.

The storyline claims that the Police have hashed up the involvement of the Minister’s son, and two other men who are prominent businessmen.

Oh, BTW, don’t forget the mysterious missing ‘Mia’ who has been alleged to be the person who brought and then gave Leslie the pills, thinking they might be Ritalin, the medication for her.

Knowing Indonesia as we Malaysians do, I wonder why the Police had hauled Leslie in if the powerful Minister’s son was there with her - one gentle flick of his wrist and the policement would have been grovelling with their bellies on the grounds. Even allowing for her arrest, a subsequent phone call would have settled the matter. So, why would a minister’s son allow his companion's case to be brought to court where all would be revealed, to his father’s embarrassment.

Perhaps, as I have mentioned, Leslie’s PR team is very good.

Related:
(1) Gods of Bali do what Doctor won't
(2) A Tale of Two Beautiful Women
(3) Two Beautiful Aussies in Bali - The Story Continues

America Finally Awakes!

Finally the American people are waking up. They are accepting the rude realisation that not only has President Bush been shonky but his Administration as well.

The indictment of grubby Lewis Libby, chief of staff to VP Dick Cheney has added to Bush’s personal woes. But even worse that the Libby scandal has been this Bush crony's negligence - read this, especially you New Orleans people, and see how Bush cronyism had served you!

Once he had virtually 75% backing for his policies, even that of the illegal invasion of Iraq, but today his policy ‘disapproval’ rating has reached an embarrassing 60%. And why should we be surprised at all other than that it had taken so long.

His personal rating based on honesty, integrity and trustworthiness has plummeted disgracefully by 13% to a shameful low of only 40%. The water has finally found its own level.

Damn, I am going to say it and love saying it – Told you so!!!

Nguyen Van Tuong - the Final Nail in his Coffin

I have always doubted that Singapore would ever relent and grant clemency to death row Aussie inmate Nguyen Van Tuong , convicted of carrying 398 gms of Heroin while on his way back to Australia. But whatever flimsy hope there might have existed for Nguyen's supporters, that too has now been shockingly crushed to shreds by Aussie PM John Howard’s quite unnecssary and unhelpful statement.

There have been strong domestic political pressure on the Aussie PM to make a personal appeal to his Singapore counterpart for clemency for Nguyen. But Howard has publicly ruled out making any such personal pleas.

He stated that Australians are opposed to the death sentence, and that he believed Nguyen should not be executed because of his previous clean record and mitigating circumstances. Nonetheless, Howard averred he won’t make a personal appeal for Nguyen.

Then, horror of horrors he added, virtually fatal for Nguyen in the context of the general Australian appeals, that the execution would not hurt Australia's relationship with Singapore.

I am sure Howard didn’t intended for it, but his declaration of continuing friendly relationship with Singapore in the midst of strong Aussie appeals for clemency for Nguyen was totally unnecessarily, irrelevant, untimely, unhelpful for the young Aussie on Singapore's death row, and as good as hammering the final nail into the poor bloke’s coffin

It would have been better if Howard had remained silent.

Between Charybdis and Scylla

The Italians will be building a wonder suspension bridge that measures some 3.3 km in its central span held up by two towers that will be taller than the Eiffel Tower. It will be the longest suspension bridge in the world in the world - eat your hearts out Malaysia.

A humongous amount of 4 billion euros will be involved. The bridge will span the sea separating Sicily and mainland Italy. It's a century old dream coming true for 'land travel' to become a reality between the two parts of Italy.

The bridge will also effectively 'eliminate' the mythical monsters of Charybdis and Scylla which threatened sailors of ancient times a sthey bravely sailed through the straits.

In the Greek Classic 'The Odyssey', which depicts the travel of a post-Trojan War hero Odysseus, Charybdis was the more dangerous of the two monsters. A daughter of Poseidon and Gaia, she flooded lands for her father’s underwater kingdom. Due to some vague sins, Zeus turned her into a dreadful monster, living in a cave. Charybdis 'manifested' herself as a whirlpool near the cave that sank any unfortunate passing ships which approached her.

Scylla was basically your average twelve-foot six headed monster, with three rows of teeth in each. From her waist down she was made up of hideous monsters, such as dogs who continuously barked. Each of her heads would seize a crew member of each passing ship who had the misfortune to sail near her. In practical terms she represented dangerous rocks that unfortunate sailors sailed their ships into.

Hmmm, pretty nasty stuff, and I note all ugly Greek mythical monsters such as these two, and the Gorgons, and Harpies, etc were mostly females. Is there a message there?

BTW, do you know the modern saying of 'between a rock and a hard place'?

Whether you don't or do, it means the same thing as the older and now-seldom-heard 'between the devil and the deep blue sea.'

Basically it means a situation where one is forced to choose between two unpleasant options - like either telling your girlfriend you can't go out with her as promised because you have forgotten about that and instead promised your 'Ex' you would go to the latter's birthday party, or telling your 'Ex' (whom you still have a blazing flame for) you can't attend her do as promised because you had promised your GF much earlier you would take her out to the fashion show.

Yeah man, you would then be 'between the devil & the deep blue sea' or if you like, 'between a rock and a hard place'.

But those two sayings, with the elements of rock, hard place (cliff), devil (or monsters) and deep blue sea, have an ancient precedent. Around fifty years ago, people would instead say 'between Charybdis and Scylla' referring to the classic adventure of Odysseus as he and crew rowed their ship between two monsters, a whirlpool and crushing face of a mountain.

2004 Best Headlines (3)

"Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers"

Hang on now, that's taking things a bit far!

from an email

Rabbis explain Jewish Feng-Shui

Liat, an Israeli mum wrote in to the Moriya website (don’t bother to go there unless you can read Hebrew) and ask:

"When my daughter was born, we called her Roni but I was never comfortable with the name. Afterward I had a dream that it was not good to call her Roni. What should I do?"

The rabbi’s succinct reply: "Change it."

Israelis (Jews) are like Chinese. They believe that some names aren’t suitable feng-shui-wise.

For example, Ariel (I suppose you know him) was named after an archangel, which makes the divine entity pretty pissed off with someone having the damn nerve to use his or her moniker. Thus it’s bad luck to name one’s child Ariel.

But wait, there’s more. Ariel’s son, Omri was named after a lousy evil Israeli king. The two names Ariel and Omri have been deemed by a group of Israeli rabbis as bad feng-shui and now placed on a list of names that are off-limits to good Jewish parents, when naming their offspring. The list includes names associated with Gaza which their holinesses thought would be too controversial – so play safe, avoid those names.

Then they also very much advised against names that pissed them off, namely (pun not intended) those that sounded non-Jewish, like Donna, Barr, Shirly, Roni, Danielle, and I heard, George, Dick, Donald, Karl, Lewis, and Tony too ;-)

Oh, before I forget the rabbis don’t want anyone good Jewish kid possessing a name which has a suffix or prefix ‘el’, because ‘el’ means God in Hebrew. So El Toro, Elaine, Daniel, Martel, etc are taboo.

But Jewish parents, don’t rush out and start changing names yet, because the rabbis cautioned against changing names in a helter-skelter fashion for this too can traumatise a child – in other words, bad feng-shui again.

However, if you have an iffy name, no worries, cause everything has a solution. For example, Susie can be slightly altered to Shoshi (which means Rose).

BTW, the Israeli Interior Ministry has banned 3 names – God, Hitler and Bin Laden. Hmmm, putting these 3 together don’t seem right. Incidentally, what about Osama, Adolf, Arafat, Saddam and Ahmadinejad?

But I think KTemoc is OK ;-)

Thailand - an Isle in US Gulag Archipelago?

Thailand has angrily rejected the allegations that it hosts a US torture cell, as part of the American Gulag Archipelago.

At these cells, US interrogators torture ‘suspected’ terrorists without concern for legal consequences because they lie beyond the political and legal boundaries of the USA. This way, the torturers avoid having to disclose anything or answer to crimes in US courts.

The US Intelligence and Military maintain many US torture cells plus its sinister extraordinary rendition programme, which is nothing more than farming out to its tyrannical cronies such as Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Jordan, some Eastern European nations, and until recently Uzbekistan, etc, the nasty business of torturing and interrogation.

In a recent report by the Washington Post, which I came across in the Houston Chronicles, Thailand has been named as one of the Isle in the US Torture Gulag Archipelago.

The report showed that the CIA began sending suspects it captured in the initial campaign against al Qaeda and Taliban, to the intelligence services of Egypt and Jordan.

Globalisation at its most sinister!

After the invasion of Afghanistan, the CIA was overwhelmed with hundreds of captured Taleban and al Qaeda prisoners. The CIA came up with a short-term solution by confining its most important prisoners in metal shipping containers set up at a corner of the infamous Bagram Air Base.

Packaging at its most Auschwitz-efficient!

They then left the prisoners in the hands of the Northern Alliance, whom the US had once vicariously fought against (via their erstwhile ally, the Taleban). When the relationship between the US and its former ally, the Taleban, soured after the latter refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, the US switched their support from the Taleban to the other side of the Afghan fence, the Northern Alliance, an unruly bunch of warlords and brigands once backed by the USSR.

Political expediency/whoring at its most unscrupulous!

The inevitable happened with those prisoners packed like sardines being slowly and horribly killed by asphyxiation in the shipping containers.

A war crime at its most heinous, not unlike those killed at the gas chambers of Auschwitz!

Another notorious CIA prison in Afghanistan was code-named the Salt Pit. There a CIA agent chained a naked ‘suspect’ to the concrete floor and leave him there overnight without blankets. He froze to death. The CIA officer has not been charged in the death.

Truly a horror event reminiscent of the Soviet Gulag!

Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib, Bagram, Base Mercury in Iraq (Fallujah), US base in San Diego in the Indian Ocean, and the participant nations of the US 'extraordinary rendition' programme including, if true, our neighbour Thailand. – all notorious hell-holes where the Gestapo and Kempetai would be quite at home.

Related:
(1) The New Gulag Archipelago!
(2) American Nazis!
(3) Hippocrates Oath or Hypocritic Oath?
(4) Bagram Villagers: "Die America!"
(5) Why the World Hates America
(6) New Isle in American Gulag Archipelago

US Flew to Beijing on Bird Problem

Now this one is a bit unusual.

Charles Lambert, US deputy undersecretary of agriculture flew to Beijing to coordinate anti-bird flu strategy with his Chinese counterparts. He urged his hosts not to go overboard in banning poultry imports. He advised the Chinese that excessive restrictions could discourage governments from reporting outbreaks of the avian flu.

Strange isn’t it. A US official asking the Chinese to go easy on precautionary health measures.

Then the reason emerged – China imports US$500 million of US poultry products per year.

What had triggered the US worries has been China’s banning of poultry and related products from 14 countries with effect from Friday.

Will this Chinese banning discourage the US government from reporting outbreaks of the avian flu? The US had suffered a drop in agricultural exports after the outbreak of mad cow disease (BSE). One of its biggest beef market, Japan, had slammed shut its door in 2003 to US beef exports with consequential loss of billions of dollars (very much to Australia's immense delight because Oz took up the extra market).

Recently, the US has been twisting Japan's arm to re-admit US beef. Japan replied "Maybe next year?"

The US agricultural sector has been hurting. The poultry slump will be an additional economic disaster.

Hitler's Californian Angels

Prussian Blue, America's new but very unusual pop group are blonde 13-year-old twins, Lamb and Lynx Gaede, from the farming town of Bakersfield, California. They have already released an album and a music video.

Their fans are American white supremacists because the Gaede twins' songs are about white supremacy. Their biggest hit is titled Sacrifice, a tribute to Rudolf Hess. The lyrics describe Hitler's deputy as ... ahem ... a man of peace who wouldn't give up.

Sporting white T-shirts decorated with yellow smiley faces sporting Hitler moustaches, the Gaede twins said:

"We're proud of being white, we want to keep being white. We want our people to stay white ... we don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle. We just want to preserve our race."

Civil rights campaigner Ted Shaw was not amused. He said it broke his heart to see the two girls spewing out garbage, but stressed that they were only repeating the beliefs that they had been taught by their parents.
The Student Operated Press gave the twins' work two stars out of five.

I bet their song Sacrifice goes like so:

Rudolph the psycho Nazi
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows

All of the other Nazis
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any Nazi games

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Hitler came to say
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my blitzkrieg tonight?

Then how the Nazis loved him
And they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the psycho Nazi
You'll go down in history!

Related:
Singapore's Hitlerjugend - The Why's by KTemoc

British Citizenship Test

OK, if you want to take up British citizenship, from now on it will be more than just having the ability to drink warm beer or knowing that Britain’s most popular TV soap opera is Coronation Street – a series that is so bloody boring that even its TV producers must have forgotten about it, which probably explains why the usually-maximum-of-2-rooms-3-personalities yakkety yak show has been allowed to keep going on and on.

An applicant for British citizenship shall now take and pass a multi-choice test which costs approximately AUS$80 per sitting. If one fails, one can try again after coughing up the fee. Some sample questions are:

• Where are Geordie, Cockney and Scouse dialects spoken?
  (Answer: Tyneside, London's East End, Liverpool respectively)
  
• Which of these uses a jury system?: Magistrates Court, Crown Court, Youth Court, County Court.
  (Answer: Crown Court)
  
• Is this true or false?: Your employer can dismiss you for joining a trade union.
  (Answer: False)
  
• Which of these statements is correct? A television licence is required for each television in a home OR a single television licence covers all televisions in a home.
  (Answer: The second is correct)

However, when put to the same test by reporters from The Times with a most relevant ‘British’ question like "Who is the Head of the Church of England?" ... eh ... Buckingham Palace failed miserably.

OK, don’t ask how but your friendly helpful ole blogger, KTemoc, has laid his hands on some of those citizenship test questions. Some specimens are:

• How long did Tony Blair claim that Saddam Hussein’s WMD missiles would take to reach London?
  (a) 45 minutes.
  (b) 45 seconds.
  (c) 45 hours.
  (d) 45 lies.
  
  
• Is this TRUE or false? All successful applicants for the citizenship test have agreed that the London subway bombings were NOT at all related to the magnificent British democratic assistance for today’s peaceful and unified Iraq.
  
  
• Which government supported the world’s most powerful drug cartel in forcing the sales of opium to China through dire threat of drastic naval bombardments by the world’s most powerful navy, and also through two punishing wars on the sick man of Asia?
  (a) Chad.
  (b) Burkina Faso.
  (c) Botswana.
  (d) Br.t..n.

Gods of Bali do what Doctor won't

Michelle Leslie, a beautiful Aussie model with a multi-millionaire boyfriend, was arrested in Bali for possession of a couple of ecstasy pills. She faces 15 years in jail. I suspect the unduly harsh sentence for 2 ecstasy pills may be an over-the-top suck-in after the Schapelle Corby fallout.

Must show one is consistently tough.

However, unlike Schapelle Corby, Leslie has a great team to protect her from the media cannibals and other unscrupulous opportunistic vampires who would voraciously feed off the misery that a beautiful woman has unfortunately but stupidly placed herself into.

Her legal and PR teams have been superb. They effectively neutralise any avaricious media feeding, cut off the associated ‘circus’, ensure Leslie dorns dresses appropriate to the Indonesian environment which by a happy set of coincidences she could, not because she's a professional model of lingeries and swimsuits but because she is a covert convert of Islam.

And burly Aussie bodyguards ensured she hasn’t been ruthlessly and sickeningly mobbed by sensation-sucking ghouls and media hounds.

Wait, I have even read somewhere in an Aussie newspaper that there was a very recent release of an Indon man (from Bandung or Bogor) by the Bali court after only a very short spell in prison despite being caught with 15 ecstasy pills - good lord, that's 7.5 times more than poor Leslie had when she was apprended. And an Aussie journalist even went to the man’s home for an interview but was of course refused. This is a case of extremely useful legal precedence.

I admire the way the campaign for her case has been brilliantly executed. But then the defence became too clever for their own good.

They enlisted a psychiatrist Denny Thong, who is a member of the Bali Narcotic Board, to testify on her behalf. They had hoped to elicit from Dr Thong a medical confirmation that Leslie was addicted to Ritalin because she could then claim she became addicted after being treated for deficit hyperactivity disorder.

If the doctor testified that poor Leslie was addicted to Ritalin, they could appeal for a lighter sentence from the 15 years for ecstasy possession. Under Indonesian law, courts can grant leniency to drug addicts. The possible sentence would then drop from the draconian 15 years to only 3 months.

But that was not to be, and the news headlines screamed “Doctor scuppers Leslie's drug-addict defence”. The word scuppers in this context means ‘ruins’ or ‘destroys’.

What had occurred was that Dr Thong said Leslie used ecstasy, but was not addicted to it or Ritalin. Dr Thong had medically interviewed Leslie in Bali last month at her lawyers' request.

Dr Thong said that Leslie was not sick nor could be classified as an addict. In fact the doctor stated that Leslie herself had admitted to him she had used ecstasy, but was not addicted to it. Additionally, the doctor clarified that while one may use Ritalin, which is a lawful medication, one doesn’t get addicted to that medication.

Was this ‘scuppering’ the Leslie defence or was it professional presentation of medical facts?

However, Dr Thong opined that Leslie should not be victimised, as she had been carrying only a small number of pills. He said succinctly:

"Proportion wise, you take 20 tablets or 200 tablets or 2000 tablets - there should be some differentiation there. I am really hoping to be of help to her. My mission is to help these people who are using it, not trafficking it."

OK, not one to be staggered by this setback, the defence now suggests to police that the ecstasy might have been bought as a replacement for Leslie's Ritalin medication by a friend, a lassie by the name of 'Mia'.

Yeah right! Bought the wrong medication … eh? And by someone else too!

And would you believe how the gods favour Leslie, because suddenly the two Indon police officers who arrested the dear girl contradicted the original police report, in which Leslie had admitted to ownership of the drugs.

And truly, those deva's and devi's have emerged from the Temple of Pura Bersakih on Bali’s Gunung Agung to lend a helping hand with the defence, because those two cops also revealed that Leslie's friend, Mia, was on a list of wanted drug suspects, and was believed to have accompanied Leslie to the party but has since disappeared.

Hmmm!

The two policemen also confessed they did not check who else was in the car when Leslie was stopped.

Of course not, who would even check for other people in the car in which an apprended Leslie with the drugs was travelling with?

Then just in case anyone still hasn't yet frown on that missing ‘Mia’ as the true culprit, Bugik Sugiarto, the cop who found the ecstasy said he wasn’t aware that Mia was on the wanted list until much later.

;-)

But, could the missing mysterious ‘Mia’ be Ida Ratu Dalem Pingit otherwise known as Dewi Danu, Goddess of Lake Batur?

Related:
(1) A Tale of Two Beautiful Women
(2) Two Beautiful Aussies in Bali - The Story Continues

Aussie Parliament's Appeal for Singapore's Clemency

100 Aussie parliamentarians from both sides of the House and 300 parliamentary staff have signed a powerful petition to the Singapore government, appealing for clemency for Nguyen Van Tuong, an Aussie sentenced to the gallows for drug smuggling. This is a last minute and second such appeal as the Singapore President had already rejected an earlier petition submitted by the convict’s lawyers.

PM John Howard is also under enormous domestic political pressure to save the Australian’s life from the gallows. The opposition Labour Party has finally woken up and add to the growing concern for an Aussie condemned to such a heinous fate.

No one has disputed Nguyen's crime but Aussies feel the death sentence is abhorrent and cruel in a modern society.

The only Aussie parliamentarian who supports the Singapore death sentence for Nguyen is Wilson Tuckey, a controversial politician who is disliked by both sides of the House and most Aussies, and a constant embarrassment to his own party for his behaviour.

Tuckey's last misconduct was flouting his party’s code of conduct for ministers by using his official ministerial letterhead to write to the South Australian State police minister to have traffic charges against his son dropped.

His attempt to misuse his ministerial position to influence a state police charge against his son led a senior federal minister, Tony Abbot, to say of him:

“Tuckey had offended against ordinary standards that we expect in this place. He had embarrassed his colleagues”

Tuckey is not unlike one of those outrageous UMNO ethnic 'heroes' who makes terrible comments from time to time but gets away with the misbehaviour because the PM is reluctant to sack him, probably due to internal party politics.

However, ignoring Tuckey’s usual nonsense, one wonders whether the growing Australian pressure can change the decision of the Singapore government. I personally doubt it but I hope I am wrong so that the life of a 25 year old man can be spared on compassionate grounds for once by PM Lee’s government.

Related:
(1) Shanmugan Murugesu - Nobility on Eve of Execution
(2) A Sad Tale of 2 Aussie Drug Smugglers
(3) Why I am Against the Death Penalty!
(4) Stupid if He's Smart, Smart if He's Stupid!

PM Ahmad Badawi Wearing an Uneasy Crown

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

- William Shakespeare in King Henry the Fourth, Part II

Not flattering for Malaysian PM Ahmad Abdullah Badawi (AAB).

The Emirates news online Khaleej Times (carrying an AFP article) stated that AAB is still trying to find his leadership feet after two years at the Malaysian helm. It went on to describe the overpowering presence of the previous PM, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, who still casts large shadows over AAB.

But the cause of AAB jittery political reign is more than just Dr Mahathir’s presence and occasional utterance. AAB has been too timid and not serious and comprehensive enough in his anti-corruption actions, or even any other actions. Thus he presents an ineffectual picture of his leadership and pre-election promises. His well-known hesitation and snail-pace decision-making have been criticised for missing opportunities to clean up the humongous mess that is Malaysian bureaucracy today.

His supporters argued that some slow but significant progress have been made while the opposition believes AAB is merely tinkering around the edges of a monumental corruption problem, which is symptomatic of a man not confident of his leadership or powers and thus unwilling to commit fully to the unpleasant and Herculean tasks of cleaning up Malaysia.

Even allowing for the Mahathir factor and AAB's natural caution, I am disappointed that present PM continues to remain silent, and allows unreprimanded and unchecked, the bigoted comments some members of his UMNO party have been making.

It has been in those very racist political utterances, in which AAB has demonstrated either a reluctance to address immediately and appropriately or a pretence in not noticing, that have persuaded the Malaysian public to believe he is not in control of the political leadership, and that the ruling party UMNO is now in an ongoing power struggle.

The few actions he had taken, posed as anti-corruption measures, have been viewed in that light too, as consequences of the ruling party’s power struggle rather than an anti-corruption action per se.

AAB - so much promise in the beginning (Bao Gong and all those sycophantic titles the MCA had bestowed upon him), yet so little to show after two years.

And the hungry sharks of UMNO, present and former, having sensed blood, are circling in the wings to move in for the kill. The prize is control of resource-rich Malaysia and her assets.