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The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 14 September 1996

Father-of-two gets jail and cane for sodomy

By Ruben Sario

KOTA KINABALU: A father of two was sentenced to 16 years' jail by the Sessions Court here yesterday after he admitted to sodomising a seven-year-old boy twice, in May and August.

Court judge Raymond Wong also ordered that Jani Marasik, 38, be given six strokes of the rotan.

Prosecuting Officer Asst Supt Bernard Leo earlier told the court that Jani had taken the boy to his house in Lok Kawi near here on May 31 at about 6pm.

The boy returned home and told his mother that he had been sodomised.

The mother then telephoned Jani who denied the matter. She warned Jani to stay away from her son.

On Aug 20, Leo said, Jani once again took the boy to his house where he sodomised him. The boy's mother lodged a police report on Aug 21 and police arrested Jani the following day.

In pressing for a deterrent sentence, Leo said cases involving sexual abuse on children were on the increase.

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The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 24 September 1996

Rapist dad gets longer jail term

By Lee Yuk Peng

KUALA LUMPUR: A driver who was jailed 12 years and given three strokes of the rotan by a Sessions Court for raping his 14-year-old daughter had his sentence increased to 15 years and 15 strokes by a High Court yesterday.

In a cross appeal, High Court judge Hashim Datuk Yusoff said the Sessions Court had not given a deterrent sentence as such offences were rampant.

He also said that after studying the evidence, there were only more reasons to increase the sentence, not reduce it.

Mr Justice Hashim told the 37-year-old father: "You have committed an offence which society condemns. As a father, you raped your daughter although she had resisted.

"You have brought her humiliation which would remain for the rest of her life."

On May 3, the driver was sentenced to 12 years and a stroke of the rotan for raping his daughter thrice.

The driver, who was arrested on July 4 last year, was found guilty of raping the daughter at their house in Taman Sri Endah in Sri Petaling here between March 4 and March 3 last year.

He was also convicted of raping the girl in a room at Hotel Wilayah in Jalan Raja Laut on April 21 last year, while his third offence was at the same hotel on the same date.

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The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 24 September 1996

Cops: Cane illegal road racers

By Zulkifli Abd Rahman and R.S.N Murali

PORT DICKSON: Police are proposing that severe measures including caning be introduced to deter illegal road racing.

"Some countries impose caning for those who throw chewing gum or rubbish. Why not we do it for illegal racing?" Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Noor told reporters at the 26th Police Administration and Civil Union conference here yesterday.

"Maybe one day the Government may use caning to stop these racers from endangering the public.

"We have acted against them before but they keep coming back. My personal view is that they should be caned," Rahim said.

Rahim added that the operations against illegal racers would continue indefinitely.

The suggestion came after Petaling Jaya traffic police motorcycle outrider Lans Kpl Ishak Mamat, 36, died after a car collided with him at the Federal Highway on Sunday.

Ishak was escorting a group of illegal motorcyclists who had been caught during an operation.

The driver was later detained for questioning.

On the conference, Rahim said that he viewed seriously the call by the Peninsular Police Union of Civil and Administrative Staff to increase various staff increments including housing loans, promotions and staff administration.

During the conference, members asked the Government to review the RM90 housing allowance which they said was not enough for staff working in major towns.

Rahim also said the union had urged the police to increase administrative staff in line with the increase of police officers in the country.

"They said that constables were often asked to do clerical duties which they claimed may hamper their services to the public."

Rahim said the suggestions were for the Public Service Department and the Treasury to deal with.

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Malaysia

The Straits Times, Singapore, 28 September 1996

Dr Ling: I support caning of illegal racers

MALIM NAWAR -- The Transport Ministry will support the proposal by the police for the caning of illegal racers.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik said motorists and motorcyclists had been told repeatedly not to indulge in illegal racing but such warnings had been ignored.

"These people are stubborn. If the police suggest caning and a jail sentence, I will support it," he told reporters at a charity concert on Thursday night.

He was responding to comments by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Noor that illegal racers be caned in an effort to curb such activities. He made the proposal following the death of a traffic policeman who was rammed by a car during an operation against illegal racing in Petaling Jaya.

At present, illegal racers can have their licences suspended for up to three months for the first offence under the newly beefed-up demerit point system. For second offenders, the suspension is up to six months.

Dr Ling said the police proposal to introduce caning for illegal racers was an expression of extreme frustration over such activities.

He urged television and cinema sponsors not to finance movies which highlighted and glorified illegal racing. -- Bernama.