PIO BAD NEWS: Indian Malaysian gets 8 years in jail for human trafficking!

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August 13, 2011 / PTI, Kuala Lumpur / DC.

An ethnic Indian in Malaysia has been sentenced to eight years in jail for human trafficking and abusing his Indonesian maid, three months after his wife was jailed for scalding the woman with a hot iron, a news report said on Saturday.

A. Vealu, a 42-year-old grass-cutting contractor, was convicted of exploiting a 26-year-old Win Farida, a maid from East Java, who was found with burn injuries after she was abandoned by Vealu and his wife Poongavanam last year.

Vealu and Poongavanam were jointly charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act which carries the maximum 20 years' jail sentence and fine. Vealu has not yet been jailed pending his appeal, the New Straits Times said on Friday. Poongavanam is currently serving an eight year jail sentence after she was found guilty of grievously hurting Faridaa with a hot iron in September last year, the daily said.

A district court in northern Penang state passed the verdict on Friday. Judge Roslan said Vealu's claims that he was forced by his wife Poongavanam to abandon the maid after hurting her was just an afterthought. He said Vealu had also never rebutted the maid's testimony of sexual abuse during the defence stage.

The maid, who was discovered by a roadside, had also accused Vealu of repeatedly raping her. Malaysia relies heavily on foreign workers in its plantation, construction and many other sectors. It also relies Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines for house maids as Malaysians are not keen to take up these jobs.

Full Story at,

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/world/asia/indian-malaysian-gets-8-years-jail-human-trafficking-544

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Over 500 held in Malaysian anti-Govt rally!

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Agencies / The Hindu / KUALA LUMPUR, July 9, 2011.

Malaysian riot police officers march on a street during a rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday - AP.

Breaching a lockdown imposed by authorities, more than 10,000 people on Saturday poured onto the streets of Malaysian capital in the biggest political rally in years to demand electoral reforms.

People came out in fair numbers for the opposition-backed rally to bring pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s long ruling coalition to usher in electoral reforms and more transparency ahead of national polls early next year.

Police fired tear gas and detained more than 514 people as they sealed off all major roads leading to the city centre in the capital, closed train stations and deployed trucks mounted with water cannons to thwart the rally.

Many were held at public area where they had gathered to march to independence stadium in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

Thousands of other marchers were also trying to make their way to the venue, shouting slogans ‘long live the people’ and ‘we want electoral reforms’

Police have declared the protest illegal, warning of chaos in the streets. Hundreds of policemen, many armed with batons and anti-riot gear and backed by water cannon, have been deployed in strategic locations around the capital.

The rally marked the culmination of a campaign launched by opposition parties who have accused Mr. Najib’s national front government of clinging to power for 54-years through electoral frauds.

The rally, called by the non-governmental organisation Bersih 2.0 (meaning clean in Malay language), was to be held at the city centre but after Prime Minister Najib suggested that the march be held inside a stadium, Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan agreed.

Police fires tear gas

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Full Story at,

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2213850.ece

Australian Asylum Seekers: Australia criticized over child asylum seeker plan!

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AP/ The Hindu.

In this file photo, people clamber on the rocky shore on Christmas Island, Australia, during a rescue attempt as a boat breaks up in the background. AP.

Australia wants to deter asylum seekers from travelling to the continent by boat by sending hundreds of new arrivals to Malaysia. The Malaysian government has reached an in—principle agreement to take 800 off Australian hands in return for Australia resettling 4,000 registered refugees from among more than 90,000 languishing in Malaysia.

Australia came under fire from the U.N. children’s aid agency and human rights advocates on Friday over its plan to send unaccompanied child asylum seekers to Malaysia under a refugee swap deal being negotiated with the Southeast Asian nation.

Australia wants to deter asylum seekers from travelling to the continent by boat by sending hundreds of new arrivals to Malaysia. The Malaysian government has reached an in—principle agreement to take 800 off Australian hands in return for Australia resettling 4,000 registered refugees from among more than 90,000 languishing in Malaysia.

This is highly inhuman especially in the light of the fact that, '

Amnesty International said children without families, especially girls, would be targeted by gangs and officials in Malaysia'.

Full Story at,

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2073716.ece