Govt to protest Burmese attack

[Sidneypilg@xxxxxxx]

HEADLINES
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(1) Govt to protest Burmese attack
(2) China dissidents begin 100-day hunger strike
(3) POLITICS should be put aside in the push for an economic revival 
(4) Tape proves conspiracy says lawyer for Anwar
(5) Judge bars reporting of taped conversation
(6) Anwar's suit against PM is thrown out
(7) Elite troops in court on kidnap charges

NEWS
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(1) Govt to protest Burmese attack
THE Foreign Ministry will today lodge a strong protest with Rangoon over the
weekend attack on a Thai Navy vessel by a Burmese boat off Ranong province --
an incident in which two navy officials were killed, ministry spokesman Kobsa
Chutikul said yesterday. 

The note, diplomatically called ''note verbale'', reflected Thailand's
seriousness over the incident, Kobsak said.  In the past, he said, the
ministry had usually sent aide memoirs as a mild protest against Burmese
action. The ministry considered the use of force on the weekend as having
serious implications on bilateral relations, Kobsak said.

Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan ordered the submission of the note after the
Defence Ministry confirmed that a Burmese vessel was used in the attack. The
Thai government was earlier hesitant for lack of knowledge on the places of
origin of the attackers and the vessel.  ''Today Deputy Permanent Secretary
Saowanit Kongsiri will submit the note to Burmese Ambassador to Bangkok U Hla
Maung to demonstrate our seriousness about the assault which killed two of our
navy officials,'' Kobsak said.  ''The ministry expresses grave concern at the
use of force in the incident that seriously affects relations between our two
countries,'' the note said. 

It strongly urged the Burmese government to investigate the attack, to pay
compensation for the loss of life and the damage to the Thai navy vessel as
well as taking appropriate
measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. 
The Nation - Dec 24, 98
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(2) China dissidents begin 100-day hunger strike
December 24, 1998 

BEIJING, Dec 24 (Reuters) - A group of Chinese dissidents on Thursday began a
relay-style hunger strike, expected to last more than 100 days, to protest
against the jailing of three pro-democracy activists, a Hong Kong-based human
rights group said.  Two dissidents staged a 24-hour hunger strike at their
homes in northeastern Liaoning province on Thursday to protest against the
sentences, the Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement in
China said. 

More than 200 others in 16 provinces would join the relay-style fast, with two
picking up as an earlier two ended each day, the center said. On Monday,
dissident Xu Wenli was sentenced to 13 years in prison and Wang Youcai to 11
years for trying to set up an opposition party to challenge the ruling
Communist Party. Qin Yongmin was jailed for 12 years on Tuesday in the same
case. 

Police took Wang's lawyer, Wang Wenjiang, who was initially scheduled to go on
hunger strike on Thursday, from his Liaoning home on Wednesday, the center
said. The two Wangs are not related.  The campaign would be suspended on New
Year's Day and during the five-day Chinese Lunar New Year holidays in mid-
February, and was due to
end on April 10, the center said.  (Reuters) 
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(3) POLITICS should be put aside in the push for an economic revival.( Sing
Tao)

In such hard times, society should be united and unfair criticism not heard.
In revealing his departure as managing director of Cheung Kong Holdings, Mr Li
Ka-shing said the company had aborted a US$10 billion deal. The decision
should not be a result of a lack of confidence in the local market because Mr
Li had made major investments in past hard times. Therefore, the decision may
be associated with inner conflicts in society. He seems to have reacted
against criticism resulting from the ``Big Boss'' kidnapping case. 

Nowadays some people are opposed to government policies and confidence has
suffered. The government must share responsibility for this because of the
lack of communication.  We hope Mr Li is able to put this issue behind him and
resume his investment for the sake of Hong Kong's economy. (Hong Kong Standard
- Dec 24, 98)

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(4) Tape proves conspiracy says lawyer for Anwar

STORY: A DEFENCE lawyer in the sex and corruption trial of Anwar Ibrahim
yesterday read out excerpts of a conversation that he said was recorded in
London and proved a conspiracy to oust the Malaysian politician. 

But after a prosecution lawyer's appeal, Judge Augustine Paul ordered the
media
not to print excerpts until he decided whether the cassette tape could be
admitted
as evidence. That decision was expected today. 

Defence lawyer Gurbachan Singh peppered Ummi Hafilda Ali, a key witness in
the trial who had accused Anwar of sodomy and adultery, with questions before
the judge made the ruling about the recording. 

Mr Gurbachan said the tape was a recording of a conversation between Ms Ummi
and a male business associate named Sng Chee Hue last June. 

On it, a woman's voice discusses Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, saying he
had congratulated the author of Fifty Reasons Why Anwar Ibrahim Cannot
Become Prime Minister. That accused Anwar of numerous crimes. 

``I put it to you this was said by you to Dato Sng,'' Mr Gurbachan said to Ms
Ummi, who was on the witness stand for the third day. A pale Ms Ummi said she
did not remember the conversation. 

The book thrust into the open allegations of sex crimes by Anwar and deepened
a
rift between Dr Mahathir and Anwar, then his deputy. 

The excerpts suggested that the book's author, Khalid Jafri, had been paid a
large
amount of money and had promised Dr Mahathir he would ``kill'' Anwar's
political
career. 

A written transcript distributed outside the court said the conversation was
between a woman and a man. 

``The writer, I don't know who paid the writer . . . but I know one million. I
don't
know whether it is from Tun or they shared'', the transcript quotes the woman
as
saying. 

She goes on to relate an apparent conversation she had with the book's author.

```I don't want Anwar Ibrahim to be our next future leader,' he (Mr Khalid)
said.
`No way,' he said. `I (Mr Khalid) promised to myself, I promised to PM, this
is my
 responsibility to kill his career','' she quotes him as saying. 

She goes on to quote Mr Khalid as saying: ``I got it 30 minutes ago from PM's
department. From this man saying that, congratulations Encik Khalid, you have
done a great job, go ahead, waiting for the moment the eyes will see him in
court
and drag everybody in court.'' 

``Then the whole thing explodes, the whole nation will know who is Anwar
Ibrahim. That is their intention,'' the woman's voice in the tape said. 

Ms Ummi, a 31-year-old advertising executive, sounded timid as Mr Gurbachan
bombarded her with questions. 

Earlier, she admitted she had met one of Malaysia's most powerful politicians
before sending a letter of accusation to Dr Mahathir. 

Ms Ummi, who has denied she was ``madly in love'' with Anwar and made the
accusations because she was spurned by him, told the Malaysian High Court that
last August she met Dr Mahathir's most trusted political ally, Daim Zainuddin.

Anwar's defence has claimed that he was the victim of a high-level political
plot to
oust him. 

``I met Tun Daim before the letter was sent to the prime minister,'' Ms Ummi
said.
 (Hong Kong Standard - Dec 24, 98)
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(5) Judge bars reporting of taped conversation 

KUALA LUMPUR: A defence lawyer in the sex and corruption trial of Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim Wednesday read out excerpts of a conversation he said was tape
recorded in London to prove a conspiracy to oust the former Deputy Prime
Minister. 

However, Judge Datuk Augustine Paul ordered the media not to print excerpts of
the recording until he decides on Thursday whether the cassette tape could be
admitted as evidence.  "I make a ruling to the Press not to publish extracts
of this conversation until tomorrow," Augustine said after prosecution lawyers
appealed for a media blackout of the tape. 

Defence lawyer Gurbachan Singh peppered Ummi Hafilda Ali, a key prosecution
witness who had accused Anwar of sodomy and adultery, with questions before
the judge made the ruling. 

Ummi clashed repeatedly with defence lawyers and stuck to allegations she made
in 1997 that Anwar was a bisexual who sodomised his ex-driver and slept with
her sister-in-law, the wife of Anwar''s former political secretary. 

The 31-year-old advertising executive was bombarded with questions. A six-page
transcript of Ummi's alleged conversation had already been distributed to
reporters covering the trial.  Ummi initially denied extracts of the alleged
conversation put to her by Gurbachan but later said she could not remember. 

The defence counsel then dropped a bombshell by submitting the tape and
telling Justice Paul to decide "whether or not, my lord, the conversation put
to her just now took place." 
Gurbachan told the court the tape was a recording of a conversation between
Ummi and a male business associate named Sng Chee Hue in London last June.  He
did not say how the tape was obtained.

Gurbachan caused a stir when he asked the judge for permission to play the
cassette after a colleague in his team carried a stereo player into the
courtroom. The prosecution objected to admission of the tape, saying it was
irrelevant to the charges against Anwar. 
The judge said he was concerned whether admitting the tape would prejudice the
prosecution's case before the defence team called in its own witnesses. 

Prosecution chief Abdul Gani Patail said Gurbachan had read only extracts of
the tape. "By the time this comes out in the papers tomorrow, it will all be
distorted." Abdul Gani asked Augustine to bar the press from publishing
excerpts of the transcript until the judge ruled on the admissibility of the
evidence. 

"I think that's fair," Augustine said before making his ruling. Anwar is on
trial on five counts each of sodomy and corruption.  He denies the charges,
saying they are part of a plot to destroy his political career. Until his
dismissal, Anwar was Deputy PM and Dr Mahathir's anointed successor. After
dismissing him, the Premier called Anwar morally unfit for office. 

Ummi wrote to Dr Mahathir about Anwar's alleged sexual misdeeds in 1997 but
says she was forced to withdraw them by police.The prosecution argues Anwar
broke the corruption statute by ordering police to coerce Ummi into retracting
her allegations.  In Wednesday's cross-examination of Ummi, Gurbachan
suggested that Special Functions Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin had ties to the
author of a book which had accused Anwar of sexual crimes. 

The book, "Fifty Reasons Why Anwar Ibrahim Cannot Become Prime Minister",
accused Anwar of sodomy with his former driver and adultery with Ummi's
sister-in-law, Shamsidar Taharin.  The book written by former journalist
Khalid Jafri, was distributed to delegates attending the Umno general
assembly.  (Malaysia Daily Express - Dec 24, 98)
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(6) Anwar's suit against PM is thrown out 

THE High Court here struck out Wednesday a suit by Anwar against Dr Mahathir
and the Government, challenging his dismissal from the Cabinet on Sept. 2.
Justice Datuk Mohamed Saari Yusoff said the letter revoking Anwar's
appointment had satisfied article 43 (5) of the Federal Constitution, and he
did not see the need for further hearing or argument on the matter. 

Anwar, 51, had sought a declaration that his removal as Deputy Prime Minister
and Finance Minister was unsconstitutional and that Dr Mahathir had
contravened article 43 (5) when dismissing him.  He wanted the court to
declare that his dismissal was null and void, inconsequential and of no
effect, and that he was still a cabinet minister. 

Striking out the suit with costs, Mohamed Saari said the issue for
determination was whether the revocation was unconstitutional.  He said
although the revocation letter was not in format, he was of the view that it
had satisfied article 43 (5). 

Anwar's lawyer Karpal Singh had argued that according to the article, the PM
only advised the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and the revocation must be done by the
King on the advice of the PM.  In her submission, senior federal counsel Datuk
Zaitun Zauyah Puteh, who represented Dr Mahathir and the Government, said
article 43 (5) should be read together with article 40 (1A) which stated that
it was mandatory for the King to follow, accept and act on the advice of the
Prime Minister. 

Mohamed Saari said normally the Yang di-Pertuan Agong himself did not inform a
Minister about the revocation of his appointment and as there was no
prescribed format he would ask his private secretary to sign the revocation
letter. "I could not see why PM himself cannot sign the letter conveying his
decision. 

"It's true that there's nothing to show that PM's letter was written at the
behest of the King. Nevertheless, I'm of the view that as the King was
informed of the decision, such omission is of no consequence," said the judge.

Mohamed Saari gave his decision after hearing further submissions from Karpal
and Zaitun on the approach that should be taken to interpret article 43 (5).
They had also submitted on the issue on Monday, soon after the judge rejected
Anwar's application to transfer the suit back to Justice Datuk James Foong's
court. 

Mohamed Saari had said he was instructed by Chief Judge of Malaya Datuk Wan
Adnan Ismail to hear the case.  Karpal said he would file an appeal against
the decision. (Malaysia Daily Express - Dec 24, 98)
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(7) Elite troops in court on kidnap charges

INDONESIA'S armed forces yesterday opened the court-martial of 11 elite
special forces troops charged with kidnapping anti-Suharto activists in an
 operation tagged ``Operation Rose''. In a 27-page opening statement,
prosecutor Harom Wijaya told the court that ringleader Major Bambang Wisyono
had set up a special unit to kidnap people he considered radicals threatening
national security. 

``The accused (Wisyono) set up a team for Operation Rose on his own initiative
after looking at the activities of radical political activists who he saw as
endangering the nation,'' he told the panel of four judges. ``(Wisyono)
instructed the other accused by telling them that this was a highly secretive
operation to prevent radical movements.'' 

More than 20 activists opposed to then president Suharto were kidnapped in
1997
and 1998. Human rights groups say at least 13 are still missing. Human rights
groups and survivors of the kidnappings say the victims were tortured. 

The accused stood silently in court, wearing their green uniforms and their
Kopassus unit's trademark red berets.  In the packed public gallery, dozens of
Kopassus troops in full uniform sat in a show of support for their comrades
next to the families of some victims still missing. 

Mr Suharto's son-in-law, Lieutenant-General Prabowo Subianto, commanded the
Kopassus forces at the time. A senior army officer said on Tuesday that Gen
Prabowo _ who in a signed letter said he had turned down Jordanian citizenship
_
might be summoned from a holiday to give evidence. 

Gen Prabowo was sacked from the armed forces in August after a military
inquiry
found troops under his command were involved in the abductions. Mr Wijaya made
no mention of torture in reading out the charges against the major, seven
captains and three sergeants, but later said he might include torture in his
written report. 

The 11 are charged with nine counts of kidnapping last February and March.  Mr
Wijaya also said that higher-ranking officers could also be charged.  Outside
the court, the father of one missing activist said he was disappointed they
did not mention the missing. 

``I hope the witnesses will tell the real story,'' Sa'id Katin said. ``I
expect openness
and truth in this trial.''  His son, Noval, 28, a businessman, is still
missing after being kidnapped in May 1997. Asked how he felt on seeing the
accused for the first time, he said: ``I felt anger, but also disbelief _ it
was too unreal.'' - Reuters (Hong Kong Standard - Dec 24, 98)
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