Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad sworn in after shock comeback victory

BBC - Mahathir Mohamad has been sworn in as prime minister of Malaysia again after a shock election victory, 15 years after he stood down.

Supporters waved flags and cheered outside the Istana Negara palace in Kuala Lumpur as took the oath inside.

The former strongman who governed for more than two decades has become, at 92, the world's oldest elected leader.

He came out of retirement and defected to the opposition to take on and beat former protege Najib Razak.

His historic win ousted the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has been in power since independence in 1957.

Malaysia outlaws 'fake news'; sets jail of up to six years

- KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Monday approved a law against “fake news” that would allow for prison of up to six years for offenders, shrugging off critics who say it was aimed at curbing dissent and free speech ahead of a general election.

Prime Minister Najib Razak’s government secured a simple majority in parliament to pass the Anti-Fake News 2018 bill, which sets out fines of up to 500,000 ringgit ($123,000) and a maximum six years in jail. The first draft of the bill had proposed jail of up to 10 years.

The government said the law would not impinge on freedom of speech and cases under it would be handled through an independent court process.

“This law aims to protect the public from the spread of fake news, while allowing freedom of speech as provided for under the constitution,” Law Minister Azalina Othman Said told parliament.

The law defines fake news as “news, information, data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false” and includes features, visuals and audio recordings.

It covers digital publications and social media and will apply to offenders who maliciously spread “fake news” inside and outside Malaysia, including foreigners, if Malaysia or a Malaysian citizen were affected.

Co-opted by U.S. President Donald Trump, the term “fake news” has quickly become part of the standard repertoire of leaders in authoritarian countries to describe media reports and organizations critical of them.

The U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, had earlier on Monday urged the government not to rush the legislation through parliament.

“I urge the government to reconsider the bill and open it up to regular and genuine public scrutiny before taking any further steps,” David Kaye said in a Twitter post. ContinueReading

Malaysian 'snake-handling celebrity' dies of cobra bite

BBC - A Malaysian man who became famous for his snake-handling skills has died after being bitten by a cobra.

Abu Zarin Hussin, a firefighter, first shot to fame after British tabloids published a story incorrectly identifying him as a Thai man who'd allegedly married his pet snake.

Mr Hussin had trained other firefighters on how to handle snakes.

But he was admitted to hospital on Monday after being bitten a cobra during a snake-catching operation.

According to local news outlet The Star, the 33-year-old who lived in the state of Pahang, often taught other firemen how to identify different snake species and ways to capture them without having to kill.

He had also participated in television programme Asia's Got Talent, where he pulled off the daring act of "kissing" a snake.

Hotdogs set for name change in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) - Food outlets in Muslim-majority Malaysia must rename hotdogs or risk being refused halal certification, a government religious authority said Tuesday.

The ruling, which also includes other food items whose name includes the word "dog", has garnered much ridicule on social media.

It follows complaints by Muslim tourists from overseas, said Sirajuddin Suhaimee, director of the halal division from the Department of Islamic Development.

"Any (halal) products that make consumers confused, we have to change," he said.

"In Islam, dogs are considered unclean and the name cannot be related to halal certification."

Numerous street vendors and halal restaurants sell hotdogs in Malaysia. Sirajuddin said checks would be made "step-by-step" when these outlets renew their two-year halal certification with the department.

US pretzel chain Auntie Anne's, which has 45 outlets in Malaysia with plans to expand further, told AFP it has no qualms about renaming its pretzel dogs -- sausages wrapped with pretzels -- following advice from religious authorities.

"It's a minor issue. We are fine with changing the name and are still working on it," said Farhatul Kamilah Mohamed Sazali, an executive at Auntie Anne's Malaysia.

Sirajuddin, who recommended pretzel dogs be called pretzel sausages, said Aunty Anne's halal certification application is currently being considered.

Among the many critics on social media, one Facebook user remarked: "Please stick to religion... don't be an English language adviser."

Another posted: "Pet shops please rename ur dogs as sausages."

Sirajuddin dismissed as "normal reaction" the online criticism. "We are doing our jobs, by the law," he said.

Under the concept of halal -- meaning "permissible" in Arabic -- pork and its by-products, alcohol and animals not slaughtered according to Islamic procedures are all "haram" or forbidden.

Malaysia has long practised a moderate form of Islam but conservative attitudes are rising.

Pressure mounts on Malaysian PM as protests spill into second day

(Reuters) - Thousands gathered for a second day of protests on Sunday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over a multi-million-dollar financial scandal, their spirits lifted by unexpected support from Malaysia's longest-serving leader.

Hundreds slept out overnight in central Kuala Lumpur after the first day of a rally that has brought into the streets a political crisis triggered by reports of a mysterious transfer worth more than $600 million into an account under Najib's name.

Najib, who denies wrongdoing, has weathered the storm and analysts say the two-day rally is unlikely to inspire broad public support for him to quit because it lacks a strong leader.

Security remained tight and anti-riot trucks stood ready. The first day passed without reports of violence and the rally resumed in a festive mood on Sunday with group exercises, a mass at the city cathedral and interfaith prayers.

City authorities rejected an application by pro-democracy organization Bersih for a protest permit, raising fears of a repeat of a 2012 rally when police used water cannon and teargas to disperse protesters.

Super Sweet: Toasting Singapore’s golden jubilee

 (thestar.com.my) SINGAPORE: Malaysia joined Singapore in toasting to the republic’s golden jubilee with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak attending the celebrations that has been tagged as SG50.

The Prime Minister was among top leaders who congratulated Singapore for the milestone it has achieved as a “little red dot”.

(The little red dot, supposedly uttered by a previous Indonesian leader as an insult to Singapore, has been embraced down south as their emblem of sorts.)

Most of the Singaporeans wore red for the “Majulah Singapura” occasion at the Padang, the venue of its first national day parade.

Lee Kuan Yew was on their mind.

“I believe he would have been moved to tears seeing today’s parade. We have come a long way,” said C.K. Cheah, 60.

Lee, Singapore’s founding father, died at the age of 91 in March. Full Story

'Nudist' photo sparks controversy in Malaysia

(BBC) - Four Western tourists accused of being part of a group who posed nude at the top of Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu remain in custody after an earlier court appearance.

Authorities said the two Canadians, a Briton and a Dutchman may be charged with causing public nuisance.

Mt Kinabalu was hit by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake last Friday which left 18 people dead, including children.

A senior minister last week said the tourists had angered the spirits of the mountain, which is considered sacred.

Read more
Arrested Mount Kinabalu 'nudist' admits 'stupidity'

Malaysia finds graves of suspected trafficking victims

(YahooNews) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian authorities said Sunday that they have discovered a series of graves in at least 17 abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Myanmar have been held.

The finding follows a similar discovery earlier this month by police in Thailand who unearthed dozens of bodies from shallow graves in abandoned camps on the Thai side of the border. The grim discoveries are shedding new light on the hidden network of jungle camps run by traffickers, who have for years held countless desperate people captive while extorting ransoms from their families.

Most of those who have fallen victim to the trafficking networks are refugees and impoverished migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, part of a wave of people who have fled their homelands to reach countries like Malaysia, where they hope to find work or live free from persecution.

As Southeast Asian governments have launched crackdowns amid intensified international pressure and media scrutiny, traffickers have abandoned camps on land and even boats at sea to avoid arrest.

Malaysian Home Minister Zahid Hamidi told reporters that police were trying to identify and verify "mass graves that were found" in the region near the Thai border.

"These graves are believed to be a part of human trafficking activities involving migrants," he said, adding that police have discovered 17 abandoned camps that they suspect were used by traffickers.

There was no immediate word on how many bodies had been recovered. Zahid said that each grave probably contained anywhere from one to four bodies, and that authorities were in the process of counting. Full Story

Malaysia: Teenager gang raped by 38 men;13 arrested

(Reuters) - Malaysian police have detained 13 men and are looking for other suspects following allegations that a 15-year-old girl was raped by 38 men in an abandoned hut, media said on Friday.

Astro Awani television and The Star daily reported that the assault took place in the northern state of Kelantan on May 20 when the girl met a girlfriend and was lured to an empty hut reported to be a local drug haunt.

The men took turns to rape her for hours. Police were also investigating whether her 17-year-old friend was also raped.

The alleged attack, one of several brutal cases this week underscoring the violence to which women are being subjected across Asia, sparked outrage among women's groups. Politicians from a Muslim party running the region said their proposal to introduce Islamic hudud law, with harsh penalties, would deter offenders.

State and federal police officers either declined comment or could not be immediately reached.

Malaysia: Muslim Groups Declare ‘Jihad’ On Cadbury

Via BlazingCatFur:

- Malaysian Muslims have called for a holy war against the confectionery giant Cadbury – after pork DNA was found in some of its products.

A group of more than 20 Malay-Muslim organisations say they want to declare jihad against the chocolate maker after two batches of chocolate products were recalled.

The company has said that it was informed that samples of its Cadbury Dairy Milk Hazelnut and Cadbury Dairy Milk Roast Almond had “tested positive for traces of porcine DNA.”

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This is why Malaysia can't have nice things. They should czech their Asian Privilege..