KUALA LUMPUR: The prime minister's wife proposed that buses should undergo checks when entering and leaving hilly areas. Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor said buses which do not meet vehicle safety standards should not be allowed to continue the journey.
"Set up check points at entry and exit points, especially those going to Genting Highlands. Buses that are not safe should be asked to make a U-turn," she said after meeting the Genting Sempah bus crash victims at Kuala Lumpur Hospital yesterday.
Rosmah said she was visiting the patients on behalf of her husband, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was recovering from chicken pox.
During her visit, she met two victims aged 13 to 20 years old. There are five victims at the hospital.
She also visited the driver. "He told me he will never drive again. But I advised him if he ever wants to drive, have a valid driving licence."
She said the bus was old and the company should have checked the condition of the bus before starting the journey.
"They should also check the driver's background. The driver should have a valid driving licence," she added.
She advised tour and chartered bus companies to make sure their buses were in good condition and were approved by Puspakom, a vehicle inspection specialist.
Rosmah said the government was doing all it could to reduce accidents by tightening road rules and regulations and people should take the initiative to change their attitude.
"I appeal to bus operators to change and ensure their passengers are in safe hands."
Rosmah also gave away hampers and money to the victims to ease their burden as they recover.
KLANG: Two unemployed men were jailed by the Sessions Court and ordered to be whipped for armed robbery of an Indonesian. Mohammad Hamka Alias, 30, was sentenced to four years' jail and one stroke of the rotan, and Effendi Arifin, 30, received five years' jail and two strokes of the rotan for robbing the Indonesian of his handphone at the Banting bus stop shed, Kuala Langat, at 6pm on Aug 8 last year.
Hamka and Effendi pleaded guilty to committing the offence while armed with a parang and knife respectively.
They were apprehended on the same day.
Both accused were unrepresented while deputy public prosecutor Siti Noorbaya Jamil prosecuted.
Judge Yong Zarida Sazali ordered the sentence to commence from their date of arrest on Aug 8 last year.
SHAH ALAM: Police are continuing a manhunt to weed out the remaining members of "Geng Minyak" following the shooting of three of its members on Saturday. District police chief Assistant Commissioner Noor Azam Jamaluddin said based on police investigations, the gang was responsible for three robberies since Nov 9 and their latest heist was on Saturday when they robbed a petrol station in Jalan Kerjaya, Glenmarie.
The three who were shot dead by police were aged between 16 and 22, and had tried to attack police with parang in Jalan Kerjaya, Glenmarie after having robbed a petrol station in Jalan U1/1 in Glenmarie about 4.15am. -- Bernama
SHAH ALAM: A self-employed man was sentenced to 16 years' jail by the High Court yesterday for causing the death of a licensed moneylender. Judicial commissioner Siti Khadijah Sheikh Hassan Badjenid sentenced Rais Ngteni, 23, after finding him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder of Soh Kim Chye, 35, at the Batu Hampar area in Banting on Oct 3, 2006.
She ordered the jail term to run from the date of his arrest on Oct 7, 2006.
Rais was initially charged with murder, but the court reduced his charge at the end of the trial. A total of 28 witnesses testified in the trial.
In mitigation, counsel Aminuddin Mohd Ramli pleaded for leniency as the incident took place on the spur of the moment and in a chaotic situation.
According to evidence, Rais was said to have worked part-time with Soh. They were at a cemetery near Batu Hampar where Rais told Soh he wanted to quit his job.
The discussion turned ugly and a scuffle ensued during which Rais took a knife from Soh's car and stabbed him.
Marah benar suami curang
SABAK BERNAM: Seorang isteri diceraikan dengan talak tiga melalui SMS selepas mengadu kepada ketua kampung mengenai tingkah laku suaminya yang membawa pulang wanita lain ke rumah untuk melakukan maksiat. Lebih malang, ketika membawa pulang teman wanita itu, isteri berkenaan bersama tiga anaknya berada di rumah dan melihat tingkah laku lelaki terbabit.
Isteri berkenaan, yang hanya mahu dikenali sebagai Siti, 29, berkata bukan sekali, malah banyak kali suaminya berkelakuan sedemikian dan jika ditegur, suaminya itu akan memukulnya dan anak-anak dan lapan laporan polis dibuat berhubung kejadian dera itu.
Berikutan tidak tahan dengan perilaku suaminya, dia membuat aduan kepada ketua kampung meminta menasihati suaminya itu.
Bagaimanapun, tindakannya itu menyebabkan suaminya berang dan tidak lama kemudian dia menerima SMS daripada suami yang menceraikannya dengan talak tiga.
“Kejadian berlaku sebulan lalu, kira-kira jam 10.30 malam, suami saya yang juga seorang anggota tentera membawa pulang seorang wanita berusia 21 tahun yang didakwa adik angkatnya.
“Saya sudah tidak sedap hati apabila melihat perilaku suami yang berpelukan dengan ‘adik angkat’ itu di depan mata dan percaya mereka ada hubungan sulit.
“Isteri mana yang sanggup melihat suami melakukan maksiat di depan mata. Ketika itu hancur luluh hati saya.
“Malah, anak saya turut melihat perbuatan ayah mereka itu,” katanya ketika ditemui di rumahnya di sini, baru-baru ini.
Kes cerai itu katanya dirujuk ke Mahkamah Rendah Sungai Besar, di sini, dan mereka disahkan bercerai pada 10 November lalu.
Menurutnya, pernah sebelum ini dia menegur tindakan suaminya yang gemar bertukar wanita dan akibatnya dia diterajang tanpa belas kasihan.
“Saya akan disepak terajang, diketuk seluruh badan dengan tukul besi setiap kali menegur perbuatan terkutuknya yang gemar membawa kekasih ke rumah kami.
“Bukan saya saja menjadi mangsa, malah dua anak kami yang masih kecil menerima nasib sama,” katanya menceritakan nasibnya yang mendakwa sering dipukul suami jika menegur perbuatan suaminya membawa pulang wanita ke rumah sejak berkahwin 11 tahun lalu.
Menurutnya, disebabkan itu, kedua-dua anaknya yang berusia lapan dan sembilan tahun kini trauma.
“Kerana tidak tahan dengan pukulan dan hinaan suami yang memukul kami anak beranak, saya membuat laporan di Balai Polis Sungai Besar dan lebih lapan laporan sudah dibuat, tetapi tiada tindakan diambil ke atas bekas suami saya itu,” katanya.
Hasil perkahwinan itu, mereka turut dikurniakan seorang lagi anak perempuan berusia dua tahun yang kini menghidap penyakit paru-paru berair.
Katanya, walaupun baru berstatus janda, tetapi dia reda kerana terselamat daripada menjadi mangsa belasahan suami.
“Walaupun suami sudah keluar dari rumah, tetapi dia meninggalkan hutang along berjumlah RM15,000 menyebabkan saya kini ketakutan jika samseng datang ke rumah mencari suami saya. Dulu, kami pernah berpindah rumah kerana tidak tahan menjadi buruan along. Kini tak tahu apa pula yang akan berlaku,” katanya.
Siti berkata, kini hidupnya cuma untuk tiga anaknya dan akan cuba membesarkan mereka menjadi insan yang berguna.
Selain itu, anak sulung Siti Aishah terpaksa berhenti sekolah kerana ingin membantunya menjaga dua adiknya.“Anak bongsu saya yang berusia dua tahun terpaksa dijaga rapi kerana menghidap penyakit paru-paru berair dan perlu ke Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) untuk menjalani rawatan setiap bulan,” katanya.
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