Kevin Tan

A group of former estate workers are taking legal action against the Selangor state government for not keeping to its word. The case, says their lawyer, will set a precedent.

The local automotive industry has expected car prices in Malaysia will not fall when Afta comes into effect in 2005.

Era Konsumer urges the government to exercise caution with its implementation of the proposed domestic tax on cars when the Asean Free Trade Agreement (Afta) kicks in next year to avoid being misconstrued as discriminatory to imported cars.

Opposition MPs voice their outrage today in reaction to a deputy minister's allegation that there was hanky-panky in PAS' victory of an election.

While Najib says US has yet to give its detailed proposals on the regional anti-terror centre to be set up in Kuala Lumpur next year, he hints that Malaysia may have a say in its planning and operation.

MIC's open arms to the opposition must extend to IPF, says the latter's president.

Political leaders may have lauded the government's move to begin compulsory national service — including the call to include women — but one opposition leader says a more objective look is needed before youngsters are packed off to camp.

Despite allegations of foul play, Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Hueng says there is not a single shred of evidence which links the recent deaths of three detainees under police custody to the conduct of any police personnel.

There was furore and disappointment all around human rights groups following yesterday's Federal Court ruling that the authorities need not reveal their justifications for detaining a person under the controversial Internal Security Act. Top of their fears was the decline of the rule of law in Malaysia.

A newspaper quotes an unnamed source as saying the Chinese-based Barisan Nasional parties want the status quo to remain for Chinese primary schools. Education Minister Musa Mohamed is asked on the veracity of the report.

The Information Ministry says it set up a service counter in the Parliament press room in order to assist journalists in their work and nothing more. The service — which includes arranging interviews and distributing written parliamentary replies — is confined to Barisan Nasional MPs only.

Several cattle-breeders involved in a bitter dispute with a developer were arrested by the police for alleged 'trespassing' when they were defending their livestock's breeding ground. However, a social activist said the arrest was unlawful, claiming that the police had allegedly sided with the developer.

It is in China's interest to maintain good relations with Asean as these countries are unlikely threats to the middle kingdom. Besides, China and Asean also share the same social values and ideals on human rights and democracy, according to a Chinese academic.

A Sarawakian local community has been given a United Nations award for its efforts in reducing poverty and conserving biodiversity. Its independently funded projects have marked a difference among the natives and are improving their lives.

The Election Commission absolves itself of blame for the existence of phantom voters, says Umno slacked in not thoroughly checking the electoral roll prior to the Anak Bukit by-election in July.

The good news is, Penang is finally getting a monorail. But the bad news is, it's going to take another five to 10 years before Penangites can hop onto a train to commute around the island. For a project that shows much promise to resolving the island's traffic woes, the state government should be stepping on it full steam ahead, says a local NGO.

Two Australian human rights activists are in Malaysia to learn more of the Internal Security Act (ISA). Using it as an example, they hope to return and educate the Australian public on the evils of preventive detention. However, the proposed legislation is unlikely to get past the Australian Senate.

Asean countries must change their economic model if they want to seriously compete with China, says a top regional economist who recommends as the best way forward, the Asean-China free trade area in which these countries can complement one another.

Transparency International is suggesting that the Anti-Corruption Agency be made a commission in order to regain public trust and prove that it is free of executive interference.

There does not seem to be a solution to their immediate plight — to fight an eviction order — but three people detained by police yesterday at least have their freedom now.

Former workers of Ipoh City Hall want the Housing and Local Government Ministry to mediate in their efforts to secure alternative housing. The conditions under which they now live are not fit for human habitation, they claim.

updated version The police detained 25 people, including four children, during an eviction exercise in Shah Alam this morning. The residents, police say, were held for unlawful assembly, but activists claim that the cops have no legal right to evict the residents.

No one seems to have an answer to the cause of last year's fire at Universiti Malaya's Dewan Tunku Canselor (DTC). "Don't know, don't know" sounds rather unfair now after political leaders blamed it on militant students' involvement soon after the incident. The truth, sadly, may never be known at all.

DAP chief Lim Kit Siang used a 25 percent maximum deviation rule to study the Election Commission's recent re-delineation exercise and discovered a number of disparities. One disturbing feature, he says, is that it is more unfair and undemocratic than previous exercises.