Corpun file 3945

Straits Times, Singapore, 2 July 1999

Johor considering caning illegal gaming operators

Mentri Besar says the police will go after masterminds, adding that the law may be changed to plug loopholes

JOHOR BARU -- Johor may use the cane in an attempt to deter illegal gaming operators, said Mentri Besar [State Premier] Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

He said illegal gaming was on the rise and stiffer penalties such as a RM50,000 (S$22,350) fine and a five-year jail term had not deterred the operators.

He said of 154 operators arrested during the past year, 134 paid RM398,000 in fines, which showed that they could afford them.

"We are studying the effectiveness of caning as an option to stop people from entering the business," he told reporters on Wednesday.

He had earlier destroyed 1,311 circuit boards from seized video and slot machines from over 400 premises during the past year.

Datuk Abdul Ghani said the various agencies were now identifying weaknesses after several months of holding joint operations on illegal gaming premises.

He did not rule out the possibility of foul play, such as information being leaked out, when many agencies were involved in raids.

However, only through concerted efforts by the police, Customs, Immigration, local authorities and other agencies can the operators be booked on a wider range of offences, he said.

Datuk Abdul Ghani said the police were trying to nip the problem in the bud by going after the masterminds, who were able to switch their bases quickly.

He said he did not want to see only the clerks and small-time players being arrested while the masterminds got away.

He said that the syndicates shifted their base to Kluang, Kulai and Pasir Gudang following constant raids here.

The Entertainment and Entertainment Outlets Enactment, 1998, may have to be amended to plug some loopholes.

The Mentri Besar cited as an example the provision that action can be taken against errant operators of video-game and entertainment outlets but not against the owners of the premises.

"Why can't action be taken against the owners, in cases where the operators have fled?" -- The Star/Asia News Network, New Straits Times

Corpun file 3976

The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 15 July 1999

Court jails trio 14 years for robbery

SUNGAI PETANI: Three men were jailed a total of 14 years and ordered to be given eight strokes of the rotan by the Sessions Court here yesterday for jointly robbing a 71-year-old homeopathy practitioner of RM5,000 in cash and jewellery.

Mohd Aziken Abdul Karim, 29, from Butterworth, Abd Razak Othman, 23, and Mohd Taufik Abdul Rani, 25, both from Penang, pleaded guilty to the gang robbery on April 24.

Mohd Aziken and Abd Razak who had two previous convictions each were jailed five years each and ordered to be whipped thrice, while Mohd Taufik was jailed four years and ordered to be whipped twice.

They were among five men who had robbed A.M. Abdul Aziz Mohamad Sultan in his house in Sik, Kedah, when the victim returned from work.

The other members of the gang--including Muhamad Faizul Nayan, 21, who is out on police bail of RM5,000, and Ahmad Mee, 29, who is under detention--will have their cases heard on Nov 8 and 9.

Copyright � 1999. Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. (Co No. 10894-D) All rights reserved.

Corpun file 4247

New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur, 16 July 1999

Rapist gets 15 years and six strokes of the rotan

SEREMBAN, Thurs. - The Sessions Court today sentenced tea stall owner Rosli Sulaiman, 41, to 15 years' jail and ordered him to be given six strokes of the rotan for rape and attempted rape of two young girls.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to raping an eight-year-old girl and attempting to rape another girl of the same age in a forest reserve in Sungai Kelapi Inas, Johol, on June 17.

Rosli, of Kampung Chuai Ulu, Rembau, who is married but has no children, pleaded guilty. He received 15 years' jail and three strokes of the rotan on each of the two charges. The jail terms are to run concurrently.

Both charges carry a maximum of 20 years' jail, fine and whipping.

ROSLI

In passing the sentence, Judge Abdul Rahman Abdol said the court had taken into consideration the severity of the offences and hoped it would serve as a deterrent to others.

Rosli had stopped the two girls who were cycling to their homes at Kampung Dingkir, Inas, in Kuala Pilah after school at 1pm and told one of them that her parents had gone to visit her ailing grandfather in Rembau. He then invited them to join him on his motorbike for a joy ride.

Rosli took the two girls to the side of a stream in the forest reserve and gagged them after tying their hands.

When the two started crying, he untied them and forced them to take off their clothes and bathe in the stream.

He then took aside one of the girls, had oral sex with her and attempted to rape her, but released her when she cried.

After letting the girl back into the stream, he took the second victim away and raped her.

He then asked them to get dressed, tied them up and left them near the stream, before leaving.

The two girls managed to free themselves and returned home. A police report was lodged at the Johol police station at 5.15pm the same day.

Rosli was picked up by police the following day.

Corpun file 3984

The Star, Kuala Lumpur, 18 July 1999

Judge adds caning to killer's jail term

JOHOR BARU: Convicted killer Roslan Imun @ Mon, who admitted to shoving a stick into the anus of a 12-year-old boy and was jailed 20 years by the Sessions Court on Tuesday, was ordered to be given 20 strokes of the rotan.

High Court Judge Justice Datuk Abdul Malik Ishak imposed the caning when he called up the case for a review yesterday.

Justice Abdul Malik said the jail term imposed by the Sessions Court did not commensurate with the severity of the offence.

"I decided to use my discretion as a High Court Judge to revise the sentence handed down by the lower court as I felt that it was inadequate.

"The Sessions Court had only sentenced (you) to 20 years' jail although the charge also provided for a maximum of 24 strokes of the rotan," he told Roslan.

Justice Abdul Malik said Roslan deserved a harsher punishment as what he had done to the boy was "unthinkable and society must be protected from someone like him."

Roslan agreed with Justice Abdul Malik when told that the jail term imposed on him by the Sessions Court was inadequate.

"I understand that I must be punished severely for committing such a heinous act.

"I am remorseful and deeply regret my actions. I agree that the sentence passed by the Sessions Court was inadequate. Therefore, I want the court to order that I be whipped 20 times so that I can cleanse my sins," he told Abdul Malik.

Roslan was released on Feb 16 following a 20-year jail term for manslaughter for a 1985 case in Muar.

On Tuesday, he admitted to causing hurt by shoving 55cm of a stick into Mohd Shah Abdul Razak's anus at Jalan Tun Ibrahim, Bandar Tenggara, Kota Tinggi, between 5pm and 6pm on June 1.

He was charged under Section 326 of the Penal Code.

He also faced another charge under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempting to murder the boy at the same time and place but received a discharge not amounting to an acquittal.

During the course of police investigations, Roslan also admitted that he had killed another boy in Kulai in a similar way.

When he was 16, he was jailed 20 years for manslaughter in Muar on Oct 16, 1985.

He was only released on Feb 16 this year.

Of the 60cm stick Roslan used, only 5cm was protruding from the boy's anus. The other end was protruding under his chest and pressing against his lungs. He had to be operated on and was placed in intensive care for two days.

According to the facts of the case, Roslan had stopped Mohd Shah and asked him to carry a sack of durians on his bicycle before punching him. When he regained consciousness, the boy discovered the stick shoved in his anus.

Copyright � 1999. Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. (Co No. 10894-D) All rights reserved.

Corpun file 4246

New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur, 27 July 1999

Eight strokes and 14 years for forgery

KUALA LUMPUR, Mon. - A Myanmar trader was sentenced to 14 years' jail and fined RM70,000 in default two years' jail on three counts of forging travel documents using computer equipment and entering the country illegally.

Ampang Magistrate Syed Faisal Syed Hamid also ordered the man to be given eight strokes of the rotan.

Myanmar national Mohd Zafar Zalawadin Jafar Makbul Alam, admitted to forging temporary work permits and visas by processing it via a computer at his house at No 24, Jalan Bunga Mawar, Taman Maju Jaya Cheras about 1.45pm on July 4.

The offence is punishable under section 55D of the Immigration Act 1956.

He also admitted being in the country illegally at the same place and time after being deported to Myanmar via Sungai Golok, Kelantan after being detained at the Langkap Immigration Depot, Perak on Nov 25 1997.

Mohd Zafar had been detained for two years in Kamunting, Taiping under the Internal Security Act on March 23, 1996. He was deported in June last year.

Mohd Zafar, who was unrepresented, also pleaded guilty to illegally entering the country without a valid pass or permit at the same time, date and place.

Presenting the facts of the case, Immigration Department prosecuting officer Shahul Hamid Abdul Rahim said that a team of immigration and police officers raided the house and arrested four men including Mohd Zafar.

They also confiscated computer equipment and a number of work permits and visas that were suspected to be forged.

Syed Faisal ordered Mohd Zafar's sentences to run consecutively.