NST Online: Topnews

Probe to see if there's incitement to wage war

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 11:33 AM PDT

A passer-by taking pictures of a mini demonstration against Bersih 2.0 rally in front of Gombak police station yesterday. The demonstration was staged by Malaysian Silat Lincah Association members who lodged a police report against the rally planned for July 9. — NST picture by Lim Poh Chin

KUALA LUMPUR: Police are looking at the possibility that there are parties involved in inciting people to wage war against the king.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said investigations, however, were still ongoing against the 31 people arrested in Penang on Saturday.

"We are trying to ascertain if there are any parties involved behind the scenes. If there are, we will open investigation papers against them. Our investigations show that there was planning and preparation made by those currently in police custody.

"Public interest is our primary concern, not the interest of the police force. We want to prevent any chaotic or untoward incidents from occurring," he said.

On Saturday, Sungai Siput member of parliament Dr S. Jayakumar Devaraj and 30 other people were detained at the Sungai Dua toll plaza in Butterworth.

Police seized 28 T-shirts with images of leaders of the banned Communist Party of Malaysia (CPM) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) flyers.

The flyers allegedly called on the people to bring change in national politics. The T-shirts were found on a bus in which the 31 were travelling.

Police also seized PSM flags, 600 Bersih 2.0 rally flyers and more than 6,000 copies of the flyers in Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil.

The case is being investigated under section 122 of the Penal Code for collecting and attempting to collect men to wage war with the intention, or being prepared to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or any of the rulers or Yang Dipertua Negeri.

Police said the red T-shirts carried the images of CPM's top leaders. The other T-shirts, found in the bus' luggage compartment, had the slogans Serangan Neo-Liberal Rakyat Terus Sengsara (Neo-liberal attack the people continue to suffer) and "Anti-Capitalism".

The group is alleged to be attempting to cause trouble at the Bersih 2.0 rally, scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 9. Police added that the PSM flyers containing provocative messages.

The flyers read: "If the people of Arab nations were successful in toppling the autocratic regimes that had ruled for decades, it is not impossible for Malaysians to demand for political changes in our country. We have been suffering enough for the past 54 years under one-party rule. It is time for change."

Meanwhile, Selangor police paid a visit to Parliament yesterday to record statements from two opposition leaders on their public speeches to support the Bersih 2.0 rally.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat MP for Gombak Azmin Ali and Pas' Jerai MP Mohd Firdaus Jaafar were seen speaking to a police officer in the MPs' lounge.

Azmin is being investigated for allegedly inciting people to participate in the Bersih rally during his speech.

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Govt plans tie-up with US vaccine university

Posted: 28 Jun 2011 11:24 AM PDT

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin being greeted by University of Maryland acting associate director Mark Varner on his arrival at the university in Washington on Monday. — Bernama picture

THE government is looking at opportunities to produce its own poultry vaccines to fight avian flu and Newcastle disease which have caused huge losses to the national livestock industry.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the government was planning a framework of cooperation with the world's only vaccine university, Maryland University, in seven core areas, among them veterinary medicine, avian sciences, vaccinology and biotechnology.

"Malaysia is in dire need of vaccines to fight the diseases. By cooperating with the university, we could benefit from it.

"We can draw up a framework to cooperate with the university, not just in those areas but also in other related bio-engineering fields such as biofuel and nano technology," he told Malaysian journalists after a visit to the university yesterday. He was earlier briefed by seven university professors.

By working together, Muhyiddin said, Malaysia could help minimise substantial losses incurred each time cattle were down with the disease.

He added that the university had collaborations with other countries, including Indonesia, in many critical areas.

"There should not be any problem if we collaborate with them because they have been successful in helping other countries to produce vaccines.

"With the framework, we could determine specific areas of cooperation and move forward for mutual benefits."

Accompanying him during the visit were Malaysian ambassador to the United States Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof and other senior government officials.

Muhyiddin said Universiti Putra Malaysia, Health and Agriculture and Agro-based Industry ministries were collaborating with Maryland University in several specific areas.

"I hope that other agencies or ministries could pursue cooperating with the university for our benefit."

The university is recognised as one of the renowned public research universities in the US. Its dental school and the schools of law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and social work are ranked among the nation's best institutions. The university generated US$567 million (RM1.7 billion) in annual research funding.

Its director, Cheng-i Wei, said the university, which is engaged in a full range of vaccinology from basic sciences to clinical evaluations, would work with Malaysia to produce vaccines.

Wei said the university, ranked in the top tier of animal and public health research centre, consistently produced new discoveries in the areas of virology, bacteriology, immunology, epidemiology and vaccinology.

Muhyiddin added that Malaysia had reached the second phase of commercialising its biotechnology products.

"We want this process to be pursued with the university for that value-added purpose. The US government and private companies spent a substantial allocation for various researches at this university. Our funds are not that substantial but if the private sector could assist, the commercialisation process could be expedited."

He also said 18 Malaysians were studying at the university in a move to promote the biotechnology industry in Malaysia.

"It is inevitable that we send our students to do their doctorates or master's here. We may have to select specific field of studies for them but biotechnology is definitely one of them."

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Kredit: www.nst.com.my

Selasa, 28 Jun 2011

NST Online: Topnews

NST Online: Topnews

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