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Thursday, September 17, 2015

Malaysian Deputy Public Prosecutor, Kevin, an angel was abducted, killed and cemented in drum by hired men

KEVIN Morais (pix) was a pure professional, highly ethical, very hardworking and humble. He possessed no ego of any form.

In his work he was very thorough, often asking as many questions as it required to understand every permutation completely.

He took his work as a prosecutor very seriously, often missing meals, and constantly suffered from red watery eyes after reading law throughout the night. He gave his all to the cases he took on. Sometimes, when witnesses turned hostile or the case went awry for reasons beyond Kevin’s control, it affected him deeply. It hurt him to talk about those cases.

Kevin was married to his work.He took on cases others left behind as serving justice was uppermost in his mind. He endeavoured to make sense of every case so he could fight for justice. He had an excellent command of English and loved trading witty puns with the equally competent.

Every time there was a meeting, staff of all rank would line up to shake his hand not because they had to, but because they wanted to shake the hands of Tuan Kevin Morais and greet him. From the gentle bow of their bodies to the deferential nod of their head and the way they extended their hands – like an offering – you could see the tremendous respect they held for him.

Despite being extremely busy, Kevin always had time for those who sought him. He took the time to explain things slowly and made sure they understood perfectly, trying as it may be for those without legal training.

I often told him, “Kevin, these men hold a tremendous measure of respect for you. This is far more valuable than any Datuk or Tan Sri title.” In his usual deprecating manner, he would laugh it off and say, “Oh, Jess, you so flatter me.”

Kevin was a peaceful soul. He always believed in the goodness of people. It never ceased to amaze me how devastated he would be if he found out how bad or guilty they were. In his trademark hand-over-the-mouth gesture, he would keep saying, “No, no please. Not him too!” It amazes me that he was so innocent even after years of practising his profession, choosing to believe good over evil.

I hold him very dear in my heart and not a day has gone by since his disappearance that I’ve not broken down. My constant question to God is, “Why Kevin, God? Why?” My answer is that the angels in heaven wanted him where he belongs. - By JESSICA GURMEET KAUR SIDHU Malaysia



SUBANG JAYA: It was a dead end road hemmed in on one side by a swampy area near a primary school with Sungai Klang at the end of it.

This was where, after almost 13 days since going missing, Deputy Public Prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais was found.

His decomposed body was discovered cemented in an oil drum which was dumped into the swampy area.

A 52-year-old army doctor is be­­lieved to have hired several men to kidnap and kill Kevin, who was involved in the prosecution of a RM700,000 corruption case against him.

After abducting Kevin in Bangsar, it is believed that they killed him by bludgeoning him before stuffing his body in an oil drum and pouring in cement.

They then dumped the drum in the swamp near SKJC Chee Wen here. The road next to the swamp was a dead end and hardly used by motorists.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh said the doctor was one of seven people detained over the abduction and murder of Kevin.

“We detained four men, two women and a child on Tuesday and one of the suspects led us to this location. We had to send divers into the swamp and they verified that an oil drum was sitting on the river bed,” he said at the scene yesterday.

Comm Mohmad said a forklift took out the drum before personnel from the forensic unit broke it open.

“The body was found in a gunny sack covered with cement,” he said, adding that the body was taken to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a post-mortem.

Investigators did not open the gunny sack at the scene but it is believed that the body is intact.

Comm Mohmad said in Penang, police had seized a Mitsubishi Triton, a Honda Accord and RM17,100 cash while in Klang Valley, authorities confiscated a Proton Persona, RM15,000 cash and a receipt for the purchase of cement, stones and sand, believed to have been used in the case.

The Mitsubishi Triton was used to ram into Kevin’s government issued Proton Perdana on Sept 4 along Jalan Duta before he was forced into another car. One of the other suspects then drove away in the Proton Perdana.

“This incident was captured on CCTV in Jalan Duta and that led us to the arrests,” he said, adding that po­­lice would be applying for a seven-day remand against the four men.

It is learnt that three more suspects are still at large. The woman and child are believed to be family members of one of the men caught.

“We expect to make more arrests soon,” he said, adding that three of those caught were being investiga­ted for links with gangsterism.

He also denied that the case had any link to the murder of AmBank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi or the 1MDB scandal.

“I would like to convey my deepest condolences to the Morais family,” he said, adding that police believed that the army doctor and the other four men were in cahoots.

“It is possible that the doctor hired these men to abduct and murder Kevin,” he said.

Kevin went missing after leaving his residence in Menara Duta here for work in Putrajaya in a grey Proton Perdana bearing the registration plate WA6264Q.

Kevin must have been killed because of his cases, says brother: We want justice



KUALA LUMPUR: The grieving youngest brother of Deputy Public Prosecutor Anthony Kevin Morais has called for justice to be done against those who killed him.

When met outside the Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) mortuary, 49-year-old Datuk Richard Morais said his brother must have been killed because of the cases he was involved in.

“I don’t know what to say. This is not a normal death,” said a teary-eyed Richard after the body of his brother was wheeled into the hospital.

“Everybody knows that this was case-related,” he added.

However, Richard said he did not know what case could have caused the 55-year-old to end up dead.

Inconsolable: Relatives supporting a distraught Richard after he arrived at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur mortuary to identify his brother’s body.

“He was a secretive person. He was very professional about his work. He did not share with his family members. Work came first,” he said.

Richard described his brother as a “strict man” who lived for his job and the law.

Another brother, David Morais, said the post-mortem might take up to two days to determine it was Kevin and what killed him.

“It is unbelievable that this can happen to him. We are just waiting for the post-mortem to be over,” he said.

Related:

Kevin was not just a DPP, he was family too

Image for the news result
The concrete is seen after it was broken out of the drum which contained the body of former ..

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Banding together for unity, AnakAnak Malaysia

National pride: EcoWorld’s father and son team Tian Xiong (left) and Kee Sin proudly wearing the campaign’s wristbands.

It has been more than a month since the #AAnakAnakMalaysia campaign started and today marks the final day of the simple yet meaningful campaign.

What started out as a campaign to unite Malaysians and uphold the spirit of independence quickly grew and flooded social media, especially with images of the people creatively expressing their patriotism using the campaign’s signature #AnakAnakMalaysia wristband.

Together, two proud Malaysian companies – EcoWorld Develop­ment Group Bhd and Star Media Group Bhd (formerly Star Publications (M) Bhd) – banded together to remind us what it means to be Malaysian and to look beyond skin, cultural background, race and creed.

The campaign stands firm in its belief that embracing diversity is key to success and with millions of shares of pictures with the hashtag (at www.anakanakmalaysia.com), it was evident that the campaign struck a chord in the hearts of Malaysians.

Wong (left) beaming with pride as he shows his solidarity with Malaysians.

The Star sat down with EcoWorld chairman Tan Sri Liew Kee Sin, executive director Liew Tian Xiong and Star Media Group Bhd group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai to hear from them the journey of the campaign towards Malaysia Day and its impact.

Tian Xiong said the response to the #AnakAnakMalaysia campaign was beyond what was imagined.

When coming up with a Merdeka-Malaysia Day campaign, he said the group branding team had wanted to do something different.

“Over the years, we realised that fewer flags are being waved. We just wanted to do something significant and remind people that there is a lot to look forward to in this country,” he said.

Although there were about 20,000 pictures shared through the hashtag, Tian Xiong said the total number of shares accumulated to about six million across all social media platforms.

“Everyone was posting pictures –no matter where they were. There were so many creative pictures,” he said.

Tian Xiong’s favourite so far has been the one where a father uses his fingers to form the shape of a heart on his pregnant wife’s belly, signifying the coming of an “Anak Malaysia”.

The campaign drew attention in the media with Tian Xiong even getting personal feedback.

“Everyone has been saying that it’s a good campaign. We made 480,000 wristbands for this and there are still people asking for more,” he said, adding that he always made it a point to pass these to his friends whenever they met up for their weekly football games.

“I’ve never been embarrassed to be a Malaysian. This country has a lot to offer and it gives you character.

“Even when I was studying abroad, I always wanted to come back,” he said.

Growing up, Tian Xiong said being tolerant of other races came naturally, particularly when he was surrounded by people of various ethnic groups every day.

His father Kee Sin said as a parent, the key was to teach children to respect each other, not to look at skin colour, and to embrace diversity.

“Parents should let their children mix and mingle with different races and Malaysians should make friends, rekindle friendships and not stay within their own boundaries,” he said.

In EcoWorld, he said diversity was their theme, which was embraced by all employees.

Growing up in Plentong New Village, he said it never mattered what race each child in the football field was then as everyone just bonded over the sport.

He believes that the reason for such troubled times in the country is because people have taken the country’s richness in culture, race, and religions for granted.

Leaders, he said, should now think of ways to move forward.

A proud Malaysian, he said he always did his little part in placing Malaysia on the world map whenever he travelled.

“I always make it clear to everyone I meet where I come from and will continue to remind people,” he said, adding that overseas, it did not matter what one’s race was as everyone identified themselves as Malaysians.

Wong agreed with EcoWorld that the response to the campaign had been overwhelmingly successful.

“The National Day-Malaysia Day campaign struck a chord with all layers of Malaysians because the majority of us are tired of race politicians and, certainly, disconnected politicians who use race and religion to ensure their survival.

“This is not what most moderate Malaysians want for this country. Malaysians want to celebrate these two great days, not mark these important dates with fear.

“We must be able to go to the streets on Aug 31 and Sept 16 in a celebration of joy. These two dates are about Malaysians of all races, religions and cultures coming together as one people,” he said.

It was shocking, he added, that some had chosen to draw and emphasise on the differences – whether real or imaginary.

Wong said they got daily calls from Malaysians wanting to be part of the initiative and, regardless of race, he could see the genuine joy and pride each time they put on the wristbands.

“We share this joy for our little part in making history for Malaysia.

“It was truly a people’s initiative to spread the word of moderation and we hope to carry out a similar collaboration next year where, again, all Malaysians can make a simple statement of their love for our Malaysia which we truly love,” he said.

BY KATHLEEN MICHAEL The Star

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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Errant hill clearing by developers causes of floods, sinkholes, seepages damaged houses!

Misery raining down: The stretch in Paya Terubong is flooded during the downpour on Saturday Sept 12, 2015 — Photo courtesy of Gerakan secretary Oh Tong Keong.

GEORGE TOWN: The flash floods in low-lying parts on the island especially Air Itam, Paya Terubong and Bukit Jambul were caused by uncontrolled development of the hills, claimed state Gerakan secretary Oh Tong Keong.

“Paya Terubong became flooded after a downpour that lasted more than an hour and this was due to the clearing of the hills in Air Itam. The state has given developers a free hand to carry out their projects on the hills.

“The situation is so bad now that we do not even know if these developers are genuine as the state has failed to take action against anyone despite the local media reporting about our hills going bald due to development,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Pictures of a stretch in Paya Terubong being flooded have been circulating online since the downpour on Saturday with a news portal claiming that the cutting of hills and development of new condominiums were the cause of the floods.

Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Project chairman Chow Kon Yew said the flooding was the cause of work being carried out by a developer involved in a high-rise project in the area.

“The drains became blocked and this resulted in the water flowing onto the road during the downpour. Workers were sent by the developer to clear the drain and the water receded within an hour.” - The Star



Massive flood water from IJM Trehous construction project next to Bukit Jambul Hill pond is now flooded, overflown, diverted and entered visibly through inside houses at Lintang Bukit Jambul 1, instead of direct to the drain at Paya Terubong road. This is because the pond water outlet was choked and the original underground piping system is confirmed broken and formed sinkholes with water diverted to residential houses.

Pond water overflown to houses

Sinkhole in front of house



<< Pond water flown out from house to drain 

These caused damages to houses due to soil erosion, multiple slabs collapsed, multiple cracks; broken tiles: cements, pipes and water leakages, etc.

House Slabs collapsed


To prevent further damages to houses, residents proposed to Penang City Council to construct an alternate outlet for pond water smoothly flown out to alternate area, close and seal up with cement the existing outlet which was not properly constructed as it was choked/stucked all the times.

Probe on cause of mudslide



GEORGE TOWN: Illegal hill clearing behind the Green Garden Apartments in Paya Terubong could have been the cause behind the mudslide on Wednesday.

Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said there was a possibility that the hill was illegally cleared for farming.

A team has been sent to inspect the hill to determine how the mudslide occurred and to investigate the extent of the illegal clearing.

“We will have a press conference on Saturday to explain what we discovered.

“I can’t say much yet as investigations are ongoing,” he said yesterday.

Chow added that the flash floods were also due to the inability of two retention ponds in two development sites in the area to cope with the surface runoff.

Works to widen and deepen the retention ponds are ongoing.

Early Wednesday morning, a downpour caused a deluge of fast-flowing mud and debris from the hills to hit Jalan Paya Terubong while flash floods hit low-lying areas of the island.

In a press statement issued on the same day, Chow said the flash floods in Penang were due to an increased surface runoff where the water level increased suddenly, causing drains to be filled to the brim.

“The drains in George Town were not designed to handle such heavy rainfall,” he said.

A check on Penang’s tide chart also showed that the rising tide was highest at 8.19am, about an hour after the rain began in most parts.

Among the worst affected areas were Bandar Baru Perda, Kampung Nelayan, Kampung Sulup, Kampung 14 and Kampung Masjid in Teluk Kumbar, and Kampung Seronok and Kampung Binjai in Bayan Lepas.

According to a weather review from August to October available on the Malaysian Meteorological Department website, countries in South-East Asia are currently in the phase of the south-west monsoon.

Floods and mudslide hit Penang



GEORGE TOWN: An early morning downpour caused flash floods in many parts of the town here, leading to traffic snarls at low-lying areas like Jalan Khaw Sim Bee, Jalan Westland, Jalan P. Ramlee, Jalan Logan, Jalan Anson, Jalan Transfer and Jalan Hutton.

However, the worst-hit areas were away from the town centre, with a deluge of mud and sand hitting Jalan Paya Terubong heading towards Balik Pulau.

There was also a bumper-to-bumper crawl after an uprooted tree blocked a good part of the road.

Traffic police were deployed to the scene to control the traffic flow until the tree was removed.

Resident Y.S. Chai, 42, who lives in a terrace house in Jalan Paya Terubong, said the flash flood was one of the worst that had ever occurred as it washed mud and soil down to the road and into the house compounds.
Deluged: Water flowing down the hillslope in Paya Terubong, Air Itam. – ZAINUDIN AHAD / The Star.

She said the heavy rain lasted for only about 30 minutes but muddy waters rose very quickly and rushed onto the front porch of her house.

“I have never encountered a flood this bad before. It took us around three hours to clean everything up,” she said.

Further down the road, a gloomy Pon Kah Tong sprayed water from a hose to clear the mud that had accumulated in his car service workshop.

Paya Terubong is an area that has seen rapid development in recent years.

The floods subsided before noon.

BY ROYCE TAN The Star

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