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Malaysia busted smuggling syndicate in 'biggest scandal' involving civil servants 468 195 0 1PRINTEMAIL One of the Customs officers being escorted to the court in Petaling Jaya on Sept 4, 2014. -- PHOTO: THE NEW STRAITS TIMES KUALA LUMPUR - An anti-corruption taskforce in Malaysia has uncovered what it believed could be "the biggest scandal involving civil servants". Investigators remanded 24 members of a syndicate running an intricate network at the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) that is believed to have cost the government RM4 billion (S$1.57 billion) in lost revenue, the New Straits Times reported on Friday. Among those arrested were a state customs director and 11 personnel of various ranks from the customs department, said the newspaper. Twelve others were also arrested, including company owners and lorry drivers. Investigation into the syndicate started in 2011, according to the report. The syndicate allegedly left a long money trail that allowed investigators to blow the lid on their illicit operations. "Their lavish lifestyle was among what gave them away. They couldn't have been more blatant in displaying their ill-gotten wealth," one of the investigators said. Among the things seized were 10 luxury cars, including a Porsche, several Audis and Mercedes, and RM3 million in cash. Investigators have also frozen 200 bank accounts allegedly used by the syndicate's network. "RM1.67 billion worth of cigarettes and alcohol were brought into the country under their watch since 2011... but from that amount, only a total value of RM420 million was declared,'' said Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull, deputy chief commissioner (Operations) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). "Investigations had shown that the goods were brought in from Scotland, Sweden, Indonesia, Thailand, China, India and Cambodia." The commission is looking at making more arrests soon, said the report. The Star newspaper said the smuggled items were being sold in Malaysia as well as in neighbouring countries. The New Straits Times quoted Shukri as saying this could be just the tip of the iceberg as the estimated losses calculated were based on investigations into only 10 of 70 companies that operate in PKFZ. "The Customs Department and the Inland Revenue Board are crunching the numbers to identify exactly how much the government had lost to this syndicate and how it had affected the market trend." Shukri said the syndicate had allowed into the country high quality cigarettes and liquor, kept them at the PKFZ and released the goods after their minimal tax value were declared. The syndicate used cash in their transactions with importers, and had under their payroll, a large number of people, including the port's gatekeepers, he added. The Malay Mail quoted former PKFZ chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng as saying the Royal Malaysian Customs Department should not be the only agency in control of the zone as such practices could lead to abuse. "The free zone area is fenced from the entrance and the Customs is in control of the entire area," he said. During his tenure as chairman between 2009 to 2011, all entry points were heavily guarded by the Customs while auxiliary police served as back up. "Security screening was strict that even I, as chairman, was required to register and collect a pass at the checkpoint to get into the area. I feel there is too much control by one party," the website quoted Lee as saying. He described the zone as a "gold mine'' as it functions as a warehouse and storage area for goods brought into the country via Port Klang. "Companies stock their goods there before they are sent out. This gives room for wrongdoings," he said, adding that such situations created an opportunity for illegal activities especially during off-peak hours. http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysia-busted-smuggling-syndicate-biggest-scandal-involving-civil-#xtor=CS1-10

Chance upon this documentary in Youtube. Very impressive and bold rescue mission by the IDF! Enjoy! Operation Entebbe was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by the Special Forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976.[3] A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked by Palestinian and German terrorists and flown to Entebbe, near Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Shortly after landing, all non-Israeli passengers, except one French citizen, were released.

What you think? Hope the bus driver can help. http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/this-urban-jungle/appeal-for-witnesses-car-mangled-after-hit-and-run-accident-along-pie

The civil service. An institution in Singapore that runs along like clockwork, holding the fort and sorting out the papers in the backend, so that everyone else can live their lives as if hunky dory. But did you know that there really is a third-class honours graduate who sucked at project work and has been promoted twice within four years in the service? Here are 17 civil servants that really exist: 1. The one who claims all the credit all the time The civil servant who will say that he/she contributed to every initiative no matter how small his/her contribution – like printing out some meeting minutes. 2. The one who claims credit but really didn’t do anything You know those that do nothing for the entire project but claims credit just because they are in the email CC list? Complete that with a pompous look. 3. The Legolas That one civil servant who is an arrow-shooting extraordinaire. Once he/she sets his/her eye on you, you’re going to get arrowed work. 4. Faculty of Arts and Social Science civil servant They perpetuated the stereotype that people who go into FASS is because it’s a dumping ground. And then they went into the civil service. And continue to perpetuate that same stereotype. 5. The reluctant civil servant Maybe they didn’t get into the top consultancy firms. Or didn’t want to do sales in banks. And it was too competitive to get into some MNCs. The civil service offered a well-paid alternative. 6. The in-and-out-in-again civil servant You know those that quit the service to try something new outside in the private sector and then get enough experience to jump a grade or two when they return to the service. Actually they couldn’t fit into the private sector and got ostracised by everyone. 7. The overachiever You know those scholars or high-flyers earmarked for great things? Yeah, they come in to the service fresh out of school and given positions, such as managers and assistant directors, from the get-go. And they go into cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, bye bye minions. Then again, there are many of them who are genuinely smart and hardworking talents. Some of them are even good-looking to boot. Just to rub it in that life isn’t fair. 8. The idealist So many young men and women enter the civil service wanting to ‘help people’. So much truth contained in a GIF. 9. The idealist-turned-cynic The idealist who wants to help people will be stopped usually by two things: red tape and the unappreciative and overbearing members of the public. And the paperwork. 10. The politician wannabes Nothing pleases these people more than hanging around the politicians in the office. Never mind that their performance is not graded by the politicians but by their civil servant bosses. And their wet dream is to be parachuted into a GRC. 11. The Taiji Master The mortal enemy of the Legolas. The Taiji master fears no arrows. Their colleagues on the other hand… 12. The ball carrier If you’re in a division/ department full of ball carriers, good luck. 13. The Government Instruction Manual Partisan (G.I.M.P) or Protect-my-own-rice-bowl civil servant If it’s not written in the Government I.M. it can’t be done. If boss never asks, don’t need to do. If never do, boss don’t need to know. 14. The perpetual telecommuter because husband sick, son sick, pet sick, potato etc. How can someone work from home most of the time and only report to work twice a month is beyond me. But yes, it happens. 15. The I-hate-my-job-but-too-comfortable-to-quit If you work in the civil service, you automatically earn more than half your peers because that’s where the median pay scale is set. And you can’t really get fired, unless you kicked someone in the face. Or you get Brompton Biked. And here’s the thing: Plenty of civil servants stay on in their job because they can’t get paid the same elsewhere. 16. The Minions These are the unsung heroes, the rank-and-file civil servants that make sure everything’s working 24/7 even with the shenanigans of the other types of civil servants. If they meet a good boss, their efforts are appreciated and they get promoted. Otherwise, they become easy prey for the likes of ball carriers and taiji masters to leapfrog when promotion or performance bonus appraisals are carried out. When good minions work long enough they eventually become… 17. The Zen Master These guys are above the office politics. Red tape? No problem. They are in the system long enough to know their stuff well and can get through all the bulls**t and drama to get things done.

“What burning ‘paper money’ really meant those days.” During a funeral ceremony in ancient China, paper-made models of houses, sedan chairs, treasure chests, clothes, daily utensils, and even effigies of servants, were burnt as the cortege was leaving home for burial in the cemetery. The ORIGINAL meaning of such an act is to show everyone present that all former possessions of the deceased cannot be brought along to the next life. At one’s death, everything one had ever owned has to be left behind. The burning only emphasizes this message, as it is the most graphical, symbolic, and dramatic way of showing total loss! There is a Chinese saying that ‘no possessions can be brought along to the next existence; the only thing that follows one is his deeds, or ‘karma’ ‘ ( 万般带不去，唯有业随身 ). Furthermore, his relatives and friends only follow the deceased up to the grave, but soon turn to go home, leaving the dead alone in his tomb! Thus, the burning of cheaply-produced paper models and effigies served as an effective educational tool. Witnessing how fire consumes every ‘former possession’ of the deceased, even an illiterate peasant or young child was able to understand this sense of total relinquishment at death. Today, this practice is completely misunderstood by the majority of Chinese. Instead of the original meaning, paper-made models have been turned into “paper offerings” – with the mistaken thought that whatever one burns, his departed relatives will obtain in the netherworld! Hence people nowadays burn paper models of the latest i-Pads, smartphones, LED screens, and “paper money” in inflated sums in order to please the dead. All these will not help the departed ones at all. In fact, this misunderstanding will only harm the living by maintaining their ignorance and delusions. http://www.nalanda.org.my/what-burning-paper-money-really-meant/

this morning while my daughter was boarding the mrt, this TKB shoved her way through the platform and into the train with her mighty power and caused my daughter to fall. Other commuters were quick to help my daughter up and admonished her for the non gracious act. Did she care? I really dont think so.....haiz,

M'sian in a coma in Shenzhen; two others said to have died KUALA LUMPUR - A 66-year-old Malaysian is among more than a dozen people who are in a coma after eating star fruits in Shenzhen province in China. Two patients have died at the Shenzhen General Hospital after eating the fruit. Tang Gon Seang, a retired assistant headmaster of SRJK © Kwang Hwa in Butterworth and his wife Teoh Hui Fong, 58, had gone to visit their engineer son in Shenzhen on Feb 18. On March 29, he passed out and was rushed to the Shenzhen hospital, where has been in a coma since. Mr Tang's brother-in-law Teoh Thian Lye, 55, said that at first doctors at the intensive care unit were baffled by his condition. Then, a specialist at the hospital asked Hui Fong whether her husband had eaten star fruits and she replied he had eaten some which he bought from a wet market there. 'The specialist then told her there were more than 10 people in the hospital, who also fell into a coma after eating the star fruits bought in Shenzhen. Two had even died,' said Thian Lye at MCA Public Complaints and Services Department head Datuk Michael Chong's office on Sunday. The family is seeking Mr Chong's help as they could not afford the huge hospital bill and want to bring Mr Tang back to Malaysia. The hospital bill is RM1,000 (S$431) a day after being reduced from RM5,000 a day. To bring home Mr Tang, they also require a medical report on his condition and the cause of illness to ascertain whether he could be flown back. However, the Shenzhen General Hospital has refused to give the report and only provided a note in Mandarin which stated that Mr Tang had suffered food poisoning after eating star fruits. The note added that Mr Tang suffered renal failure, high blood pressure, lung problems and breathing difficulties. 'The family is in a fix. They hope the hospital can reduce the fees,' said Mr Chong. He said they also wanted to warn other Malaysians in Shenzhen not to eat star fruits while there. Mr Chong said notices had been put up at the Shenzhen General Hospital warning people about eating the fruit. - The Star/ANN. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/...ory_229531.html

After this forum has been revamped, i got wind that there are collective groups of forummers who are waging a proxy war by means of the junk function. Mostly hit and runs under anonymous pseudonyms. For the love of God, i cannot comprehend why the state of affairs here has deteriorated to this sad extent. I feel this new fad has to be arrested in the bud. I started this thread to appeal to everyone's sensibility. I feel that the junk or praise feature should be used as an assessment of the post in question rather than the poster. Granted there are tensions existing in this virtual space, i find it extremely childish that there are people who are junking anonymously. Both sides. Just stop. stop it. Don't use this newly minted function as a proxy to convey a personal affront. Judge the post objectively. If the post has contributed constructively, praise it if you are frothing from euphoria.. If the post adopts a stance from the opposite camp, learn to disagree. Argue persuasively and tactically. At the end of the day, learn to respect everyone's prerogative to having his or her own opinion on the issue at end. Don't be a bigot or douche bag. If you have to junk, be a man and junk openly using your own nick. don't cower behind an anonymous pseudonym. It is meaningless and achieves zilch. If you feel the need to junk me because i have hit a raw nerve or somewhat that stoked your wrath, go ahead, junk me.

In short, yes they do.

http://shanghaiist.com/2009/01/14/girl_cri...ts_car_from.php

Bros, Since I am a Muslim , I can't eat the Subway here.. I went to JB a few days back.. to Jusco Bukit Indah.. Subway has an outlet there.. Hence , I decided to try it.. I bought the Club Sandwich.. feeling a lil bit itchy , I opted for double meat.. foot long..and. taa daa.. It came up close to RM30?! I was stunned.. Bros.. Just curious.. Do you really think it's worth the $$.. I think McD's more worth,

[laugh] [laugh] credit to: EDMW

I've been getting summoned for parking outside my house which is a continuous white line, okay I know im wrong I breached the rules. However, the way they run things really pissed me off. Firstly out of all the residents car that parked outside of their house (there were around 20 plus or more) only 3-4 got summoned. So one of the day which is yesterday, I caught that guy issuing me a ticket to my car, so I came out and asked why he only summoned specific cars only. He said they will only issue ticket to cars that the residence around that area complain, so I was like okay if that's the case I complain to him right on the spot and demand him to summon the rest of the cars then. He told me I need to call up the LTA hotline to make a report first, which is totally nonsense. It takes time to call them, and by the time they send another traffic warden down is already another 1hr plus or sometimes they do not appear at all! So this time round I was really pissed off, I called the LTA and request them to summon all the cars around the area. they say ok they will send someone down, I said someone is already down here so why can't they do something immediately. they said they need to go through some SOP before the traffic warden can issue. Then I was like ok, and the stupid procedure takes like years to process...so I get this traffic warden to wait here till they get the info to summoned. by then Ive had enough of waiting as its already 12 midnight and I don't have all day to play with them, so I called the supervisor to come down also and demand an explanation to this. The supervisor came down and gave the same lame excuse where they summoned cars only complained by the residence. I was like WTF? ok so I did made a complain earlier on so can u summon the rest of the vehicles, so they called their office to check and stuffs after so long then they decided to tell me okay they will summon every vehicles...but after driving around looking they decided not to summon and back out of their words....seriously wtf is going on?! they like to summon they summon don't like then don't summon? so okay I called the LTA officer today, she told me that they will only summon those cars complaint and with the carplate number given to them....I was like WTF?!?! seriously that's really b-------t...if u wanna enforce the rule then enforce all out...why do some half fuk job... I will be taking down those carplate numbers later on and gonna complaint to them...see what are they gonna do about it...if still not summon issue, I think there is really some unfairness and biasness in the way LTA and Certis Cisco run things.... sorry for the long post...just ranting

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/...502-419777.html hmm... how come he cry ? didnt he say that wages remained stagnant? That's despite those years of growth? http://www.tnp.sg/content/lim-boon-heng-gets-emotional

Status symbol, family mover, needless expense or just plain out of reach - cars are different things to different folk. While COE prices and car ownership here have always been a topic of much disagreement and controversy, high prices and recent government-imposed loan curbs have really fuelled the current debate on cars. The Government is now undertaking a long-term review of the COE system and also hopes to shift mindsets away from car ownership and towards public transport. But what do you car-owners and aspiring car owners think? Do you think you can survive in Singapore without a car? Can you raise a family without a car? Is a car a luxury or a necessity? If you take public transport, how do you cope with crowded trains and buses? Do you burn a hole in your pocket taking taxis? Do you aspire to own a car or are you content without one? Tell us your stories, and your views. I

Even trottle2 is a blue collar worker cf these kind of spending

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/...dating-20130305 FACEBOOK "confession" pages, which allow users to share secrets anonymously, may have helped lovelorn students express their romantic intentions to their objects of affection, but the majority of undergraduates do not want to date, a survey has found. Some 400 undergraduates aged between 19 and 25 from the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University and SIM University were asked what was most important to them. And romance was not anywhere on top of their minds. The survey found that six in 10 respondents are not in a relationship. Of these, seven in 10 have no plans to actively pursue one. BACKGROUND STORY WHAT'S IMPORTANT? Respondents were asked to rank these options in order of priority* 1 Getting good grades 2 Earning money 3 Finding a job 4 Socialising 5 Keeping fit 6 Finding a life partner * Respondents also ranked "Others", which came in seventh. KEY FINDINGS 60% are single. Of these, seven in 10 do not plan to actively pursue a relationship 35% would start looking for a partner only after establishing their career, and 38 per cent could not decide. Only one in four would not wait to build a relationship 90% agree that a relationship provides emotional support, and 70 per cent said being in one is a good thing

Hi all, Need help from fellow MCFers who had problems with VPost and had escalated your issues to their management. Their customer service line and email contacts are useless. Tired of repeating my case to a different operator each time I called. The person(s) who replies to my email doesn't seem to even read his own email before replying and sent me usual templates without addressing the issue. If you are interested to know the story, read on. Pardon my long ranting but I just need to know how to contact their management for help. ================================================================================ This started in end 2011. Helped a friend by providing my Vpost USA address for him to bring in 2 packages bought over a private seller over ebay. As the seller did not want to ship direct to Singapore, and would only ship to a US address, I emailed the details of the items to VPost and arranged for the delivery to my local address. The 2 packages were identical in size and weight and contained 1 half of the overall structure. Due to my friend providing the wrong tracking ID of 1 of the package, only 1 of them made it through smoothly and arrived in Singapore. The other was left in the VPost warehouse as they couldn't matched it with any orders/invoices. After providing the correct tracking ID, it was retrieved but VPost said they can't deliver to Singapore because the package contained grease and was labeled as dangerous goods. Apparently, someone opened up the package and either contaminated it with some other greasy stuff at VPost or perhaps some grease had been left in there by the packer/seller. It is strange though because the other package that arrived smoothly did not contain any grease and it is an identical half. Over the next few weeks were spent, getting VPost to explain why was there grease when the other half was ok and arrived smoothly. No one seemed to know what was happening and just logged my query and replied with standard email that they are checking with US counterpart. I was subsequently given the options to return to seller, redirect to another US address or get it picked up by another 3rd party courier. I chose the last option. Over the next few weeks were spent getting UPS to pick up the item from VPost but was again unsuccessful. VPost required some documentation to release the item which I prepared using UPS' online forms but somehow UPS couldn't pick it up. VPost kept saying no one picked it up while UPS said they can't because VPost refused to release. In the end, I chose to redirect to another US address provided by the friend. Again, weeks past before VPost responded asking me to pay an admin fee by cheque for the redirection. Another few weeks passed and my admin fee payment by cheque were not cashed-in. Wrote in, and called and explained all over again. Finally the cheque was cashed and I awaited for any confirmation that it was redirected. Few weeks passed again with me calling on alternate days and writing (lost count of number) emails. Finally they replied with the ridiculous answer: The package was returned to seller in 2011. WTF?? Didn't you just asked me to pay admin fee to redirect? I called and emailed again to clarify. One week later....: "Oh sorry, we have redirected the package as instructed in Oct 2011" WTF again??? I only request for the redirection this year so how could it be redirected last year? Called up and the customer service staff said...."it was redirected 2 weeks ago" Being suspicious I asked for an email to confirm the redirection and guess what the email said: "The package was redirected on 5 Oct 2011" Wrote and called back and they got the cheek to write back that the US counterpart had "with finality, confirmed that the package was redirected to the given US address in 2011" I wrote back and asked them how they could redirect the package last year to a US address that I only provided this year?? Asked for their supervisor's contact and no reply till today. Really f--k up cmi VPOST.

If I have data plan. Free for SMS and image?

topic =)

Its the same junction ... the same red light, again three cyclists beating the red light ... The org. vid / thread is here: http://www.mycarforum.com/index.php?showto...2679245&hl=

dear all, we know that beating red lights seems to be the hot topic of late.Here's a different form of red light beating.... from a three cyclist. pls ignore the wrong date. mice

wtf man previously you can still drive off even if the cashcard is not deducted. this joker is unhapy with that. i think i've reached the point where i give up hope on singaporeans [laugh]

Every year the number seem increasing, yet given lesser space and poor takeup rate by exhibitors, where they get the numbers from?