Former staff of The Sun continued to picket at the daily's office this afternoon claiming the management is not forthcoming with details as to when their retrenchment compensations would be paid.

A group of the ex-employees, retrenched without notice last Friday, had met the paper's corporate affairs senior manager Lim Soon yesterday to seek a clarification on the matter.

"We can't trust the management," a spokesman of the group told malaysiakini today. "The management has gone back on promises before," they said.

He was referring to the current dispute involving the company's failure to pay two months contractual bonus for 2001 and an outstanding bonus from 1998 despite having given a written promise to employees.

He added the management had said at the meeting yesterday they "could not tell" on the mode of payment or when the payments would be made. The staff had been asked to obtain income-tax clearance first.

Tight security

The termination of 42 editorial staff by The Sun last Friday came as a shock, prompting those axed to accuse the company of acting in bad faith. They claimed that the retrenchment exercise did not follow the ''first in, last out'' principle and certain vocal union leaders were singled out to be fired.

The massive lay-off included several key figures in the paper's National Union of Journalists branch who were instrumental in protesting against the delay of the bonus payment and the suspension of several journalists.

The journalists were suspended following the daily's controversial front-page report last month on a plot to kill the country's top two leaders.

In another development, the names and photographs of the retrenched employees have been passed to guards stationed at daily's guardhouse. Security at the premises is tight and the gates are kept locked.

The security guards have been instructed to get clearance from the management before allowing former staff to enter.

A retrenched staff who went to collect her things from the editorial office on the third floor was asked to 'hurry-it-up' with her packing.

Former staff have expressed fear that the company might resort to receivership to avoid paying the staff their dues. "We won't put it beyond them," said an ex-staff who declined to be named.

Some of the retrenched staff have said they were no longer interested in going back to work with The Sun even if the current dispute was resolved.

"The company had breached professional standards,"they said. The journalists will continue picketing tomorrow.

Latest sacking

Meanwhile, the daily's deputy business editor, Bob Teoh, was given the marching orders today despite the management saying earlier that it may stop its retrenchment exercise.

Teoh, who has been vocal in condemning the initial retrenchment, had said recently that the management had advised him to tone down.

In a related development, police said they have submitted to the AG's Chambers the findings of their investigation into The Sun 's controversial Christmas Day front-page story on a plot to kill the prime minister and his deputy.

The journalists who wrote the story and the editors involved were summoned for questioning by police following the publication of the article.

Federal Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (1) Datuk Musa Hassan said the investigation papers were handed to the deputy public prosecutor recently. He said the investigation was complete and they were awaiting a decision before taking the next course of action.