SIDS In Good Position To Empower Dayak Women

SIBU: Sarakup Induk Dayak Sarawak (SIDS) Sibu has been playing a crucial role in empowering Dayak women, enabling them to better participate in nation building.

Speaking at the closing of its Sibu branch’s 21st AGM here yesterday, Local Government and Community Development and Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said it helped equip women with the necessary knowledge and skills to move forward.

“I am glad that SIDS Sibu branch under the exco led by the capable leadership of Alice Jawan is trying its best to help our Dayak women in various ways to bring them to higher level of knowledge and skills in managing so many other things,” Wong, who is a Senior Minister, said in giving SIDS Sibu a pat on the back.

He stressed that it was important for the organisation to grow from strength to strength as it played an important role in the community, particularly in nation building, more so with the rapid pace of development.

Wong, who is Bawang Assan assemblyman, also impressed on those present the importance of education.

He stressed that with education, parents would be able to bring up their children in a more proper way, adding that education determines the wellbeing of each individual.

“It also decides the wellbeing of the community and for that matter, the entire nation.”

He recalled how the former prime minister when propagating Vision 2020, described education as investment into the future.

Quoting Dr Mahathir, he said: “There is no country in this world which is education poor can be rich. On the other hand, there is no country in this world that is rich in education can be poor and vice-versa.”

Hence, he said this was true not only for the nation or community but also for each individual, given the highly competitive environment.

“In this highly competitive world, when we are not knowledgeable and skilful, we stand less chance of being successful,” Wong said.

Towards this end, he noted that mothers played a key role in building a strong family institution, saying “the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world”.

Later, Wong announced a grant of RM10,000 for SIDS Sibu branch to carry out its activities.

Meanwhile, Alice recalled that the local branch was set up back in 1989.

Currently, they have 1,360 members, she said.

“Among the main objectives of SIDS is to promote education and expand knowledge. We are constantly empowering women through education,” she added.

The new committee line-up for 2013-2015 are chairman (Alice), vice-chairman (Catherine Kundau), secretary (Angelyn Uchi Maseng), assistant secretary (Teresa Suli Noel), treasurer (Monica Giri), assistant treasurer (Magdalene Sinah) and committee members: Michelle Hildalyne Anthony, Magdeline Sigi, Rosalind Sandah, Priscilla Bunsi David and Claudin Dieo.

Awards were also given out to members’ children who excelled in their recent public examinations.

Source from The Borneo Post : http://www.theborneopost.com/2013/03/17/sids-in-good-position-to-empower-dayak-women/#ixzz2Nlh1qmVN

Unhappy Sibu Police Chief Wants Politicians To Help Rather Than Distract

SIBU: Local police chief ACP Shafie Ismail is unhappy with comments made by Sibu MP Wong Ho Leng and Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing over the recent shooting here.

“To me, both Tiong and Wong are trying to be heroes. They only know how to talk and complain about the police but don’t know how to help,” he said.

ACP Shafie also challenged both to furnish concrete proof.

In the noon incident last Saturday at a popular cafe in Jalan Pahlawan, 44-year-old Law Leh Kuong was shot at close range with a shotgun before dying of her injuries in a private hospital later.

The victim was the wife of businessman Lau Ngik Yin, 42, also known as Ah Kang.

Ah Kang is said to be involved in timber and entertainment business. The victim’s younger brother Lau Leh Hing, 42, was shot dead last Jan 11 in Jalan Brooke.

ACP Shafie said police believed the two cases could be related.

At the time of the shooting, the victim was having lunch with her husband, her husband’s cousin and his wife and another male friend.

Ah Kang was injured on his back while the cousin’s wife was injured on her left hand.

Police believed the target was Ah Kang, but stray pellets from a single shot hit his wife and critically injured her on her head.

Tiong’s comments in the Chinese newspapers suggested the killing was connected to illegal gambling activities here.

“To me, Tiong’s statement was not professional because it is only based on hearsay. Hearsay can’t be used as evidence in the court,” ACP Shafie stressed.

He urged Tiong to come forward if he had concrete evidence of the killing.

ACP Shafie also rebuked Wong, who is also Bukit Assek assemblyman and Sarawak DAP chairman, for saying the police here were ineffective and inefficient because they had to ask for assistance from their Kuching and Bukit Aman counterparts every time a serious crime occurred.

Wong said this could also indicate that police here were severely understaffed.

“Police need to collect solid evidence in serious cases like murder and we need to have modern equipment, which are only available in Kuching or Bukit Aman,” ACP Shafie explained.

“A murder case normally has a specific target and cases like these are not preventable,” ACP Shafie stressed, adding that politicians should not start pointing fingers at the police whenever a serious crime happened.

He said politicians should play a positive role in helping police combat and prevent crime.

“I want Wong and Tiong to contact me and tell me what they can do to educate the people not to get involved in criminal activities and how to be good citizens.”

He said so far neither of them had contacted him.

“I will not entertain them if they just complain about the police in the media,” ACP Shafie insisted.

He said by portraying Sibu as an unsafe and notorious town was damaging to the government, especially to its tourism industry.

To a question that Pelawan assemblyman David Wong suggested in his Facebook page that Sibu may need to change its top police personnel because there were so many serious crimes, ACP Shafie said: “My time will come when I have to go.”

“If I leave here, can anyone guarantee no more crimes will occur?” he asked.

ACP Shafie disclosed that police would work hard to solve the latest murder.

“We are looking at every angle. I personally also want to know who the killer is and what is the motive for the killing.”

He even said police would not hesitate to engage the help of a bomoh if one could help solve the case.

He said there was no eye-witness to the killing. CCTV footage from a nearby building only showed a red colour car suspected to be used in the shooting. The licence plate number and the killers could not be seen.

ACP Shafie disclosed that police had interviewed Ah Kang but had not taken down his statement. He said Ah Kang told police that he did not see anything when the shooting occurred.

 

*Source from The Star : http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/11/7/sarawak/12282773&sec=sarawak

Another Daylight Shooting

SIBU: A woman who was shot, apparently by stray pellets, at the back of her head while having lunch at a coffee shop at Pahlawan Road at 11.50am here succumbed to her injuries later in the afternoon yesterday.Law Leh Kuong, 44, her husband Lau Ngik Yin, 42, also known as Ah Kang, her husband’s male cousin and his spouse, along with a male friend were seated at the same table at the time of the incident.

Significantly Leh Kuong was the elder sister of Law Leh Hing the businessman who was gunned down in a daring attack at Brooke Drive at 10.15am here on Jan 11 this year.The police chief here ACP Shafie Ismail when contacted yesterday disclosed that one shot was fired at the group from a shotgun from within 20 feet and the pellets also hit Ah Kang on the back of his neck while his cousin’s wife was wounded on her left arm, both their injuries were light.

The wounded were rushed to Rejang Medical Centre where Leh Kuong was admitted into ICU but died at 3.15pm.Some stray pellets also hit the wall of the premises and a police forensic team who, by coincidence, had just returned from investigating an earlier murder at Rantau Panjang, not far from here. They immediately cordoned off the crime scene.
The coffee shop is installed with CCTV camera which might provide some clues for the police.

Meanwhile, in Kuching, Sarawak Commissioner of Police Datuk Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said a special investigation team from the state police headquarters would be deployed here to investigate the shooting.

Team to uncover motive behind killing as well as identify the perpetrators — Acryl

He added that the team would be leading the investigation to uncover the motive behind the killing as well as identify the perpetrators.“A special CID team from state police headquarters will be sent to Sibu to take charge of the investigation. The aim is to identify the motive as well as the criminals involved in the killing,” he said in a statement to the media yesterday.

Acryl also disclosed the husband of the deceased Ah Kang had interests in night entertainment outlets and timber and had also been arrested and sent to Simpang Renggam detention centre.“Initial investigation indicated four men in a red Proton Wira Aeroback showing up at the scene. Two of them alighted carrying a shotgun and fired a single shot at the group from close range,” he revealed.

Acryl said the police were identifying the motive of the assault and also tracking down the identity of the plate number of the car.

*Source from The Borneo Post: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/04/another-daylight-shooting/#ixzz2BEe8stcx