10 
news without borders
USM panel to look into students’ allegation
by Bernard Cheah
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Sains Malaysia
(USM) will set up a committee tomorrow
to look into an allegation by three of its
students that they were manhandled and
wrongfully detained by campus security
personnel on Monday.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dzulkifli
Abdul Razak said yesterday the commit-
tee will look into the alleged incident
and come up with its findings as soon
as possible.
Yap Heng Leng, 22, Ch’ng Hui Ying, 20,
and Hiew Kai Sheng, 21, had said they
were distributing fliers to invite students
to attend the handing over of a memo-
randum to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof
Omar Osman when the security person-
nel forced them into a van and detained
them for two hours.
They lodged a police report on Tues-
day.
The memorandum by student organi-
sation Pro-Mahasiswa USM contained
several demands, including one for the
Universities and University Colleges Act
1971 to be abolished.
It wanted the Campus Elections Com-
mittee to be independent and fair, and for
there to be check-and-balance in the stu-
dent elections, to be held next Thursday,
with the formation of an independent
monitoring committee from outside the
university.
It also wanted the dates for future
campus elections to be announced 15
days before the nomination forms were
issued, allow the campaign period to
last for five working days, and to ensure
the voters and candidates were not
intimidated throughout the campaigning
period.
Can’t get a copy of
Log on to www.sun2surf.com for more details
Dzulkifli said the USM undergraduates
should abide by the rules and regulations
of the university at all times.
“They can express anything intellectu-
ally but they have to be responsible and
accountable for their words and actions,”
he said.
“They can legitimately distribute ideas
but how they do it is equally important.”
He also said preparations for the cam-
pus elections were going on smoothly.
He cautioned the students to maintain
ethical behaviour and not be too emo-
tionally affected during the campaigning
period.
Earlier, Dzulkifli signed a memoran-
dum of understanding on behalf of USM
with the Right Livelihood Awards Founda-
tion (RLAF), represented by its chairman,
Jacob Von Uexkull, in his office.
The MoU will form the basis of coop-
eration between USM and RLAF to make
?30SEN for delivery to your doorstep
the university the first in the world
to host the Right Livelihood College,
which will house the Right Livelihood
Awards recipients for partnership
and research sessions.
The college will harness the
knowledge and experience of the
awardees through the promotion of
education, scientific research, public
Students want food
stall tenders open to all
by Kristene Silva Marie
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
KUALA LUMPUR: Three student as-
sociations in Universiti Malaya have
called for tenders to operate food
stalls in the hostel cafeterias to be
open to all races so that the students
can enjoy a variety of food.
The call came from Universiti
Malaya New Youth (UMANY ), Per-
satuan Bahasa Cina UM (PBCUM)
and Persatuan Mahasiswa Islam
UM (PMIUM) at a press conference
at the Kolej 12 (KK12) cafeteria,
where a food stall operator’s con-
tract had been terminated because
of a “technicality”. That stall sold
Chinese-style food.
UMANY senior Lian Chiew Yi said
the issue was not about race but
about “fairness and justice”.
“Tenders to operate food stalls
should be open to everyone, irre-
spective of race. Students should
also be given the chance to partici-
pate in the decision-making process
for campus policies,” she said.
PBCUM president Tan Xun Phei
said: “Under Code 080501 of the
Finance Ministry, non-bumiputras
Govt withdraws ban on
Herald’s Malay edition
KUALA LUMPUR: The government
has withdrawn a ban on Catholic
weekly Herald’s Malay-language
edition imposed in a row over the
use of the word “Allah”, an official
yesterday.
The decision was made after
the weekly threatened to sue the
government, the Home Ministry’s
publications control unit secretary
Che Din Yusof told AFP.
“We received their letter. We
have reviewed the decision and
we will now allow them to print the
Malay version provided that they
don’t use the word “Allah” until it is
decided in court,” he said.
“They can publish as long as they
don’t use the word ‘Allah’, just use
the word ‘God’.”
The Herald, circulated among the
country’s 850,000 Catholics, nearly
155 NS trainees down with food poisoning
LUMUT: One hundred and fifty-five
National Service (NS) trainees at the
Teluk Rubiah camp here came down
with food poisoning yesterday and
were rushed to the Seri Manjung
Hospital. They were brought to the
hospital at 7.20am after suffering
from stomach ache, diarrhoea and
vomiting following a meal of chicken
chop at the canteen of the camp.
A hospital spokesman said most
of the trainees had been sent back
to the camp after treatment but
‘Datuk Kabi’ faces eighth charge
BUTTERWORTH: C. Kamaleshwaran,
who is also known as “Datuk Kabi”,
has been slapped with an eighth
cheating charge.
Kamaleshwaran, 29, of Kuala
Ketil, Kedah, was charged yesterday
with cheating a man of a Proton Per-
theSun | FRIDAY JANUARY 9 2009
understanding and practical activities
which contribute to a global ecologi-
cal balance, lasting peace and justice
in the world and eliminates material
and spiritual poverty.
Datuk Dr Anwar Fazal, a Right
Livelihood Award recipient in 1982,
has been appointed the director of
the college.
are not allowed to operate food
stalls in the campus, thus depriving
the students from enjoying a variety
of different foods.”
PMIUM president Muhammad
Haafizuddin Abirerah expressed his
disappointment over such regula-
tions.
“We are taught about moral
values, tolerance and fairness by
our lecturers. Ironically, the campus
management does not subscribe to
such values,” he said.
According to the students, deputy
vice-chancellor (Student Affairs and
Alumni) Datuk Dr Azarae Idris had
stated in an email to all students in
the campus that the non-renewal of
tenancy was because of “technical
problems”.
The email explained that the
contract for all stalls had expired in
May last year, but during the tender
process, the stall was found to be
using a licence owned by another
company.
There are 14 indoor and outdoor
food stalls at Kolej Kediaman Raja
Dr Nazrin Shah or Kolej Kediaman
Kedua Belas’s (KK12) cafeteria. KK12
is UM’s newest block.
lost its publishing licence last year
for using the word “Allah” as a
translation for “God”. Authorities
said “Allah” should be used only by
Muslims.
Last week, the newspaper was
told it must stop publishing its Malay
edition while the issue is resolved in
the courts, as part of conditions for
it to be allowed to continue printing
its editions in English, Chinese and
Tamil.
The Herald’s editor, Father
Lawrence Andrew, welcomed yes-
terday’s decision.
“It’s good. Our right has been
reinstated, it was taken away from
us unjustly,” he told AFP.
On the condition that it will not
be allowed to use the word “Allah”,
the editor said the issue will be left
to the court to decide.
eight were warded.
The camp commandant, Com-
mander K. Kannan, when contacted,
declined to give any statement on
the incident and asked the media
to contact the NS headquarters in
Kuala Lumpur for information.
Manjung police chief ACP Mohd
Jamil Osman, when contacted, said
police had yet to receive any report
on the incident from the Seri Man-
jung Hospital or the management of
the Teluk Rubiah camp. – Bernama
dana at a premise on Jalan Bagan
Luar here in March 2004.
He claimed trial.
Magistrate Chiang Kian Hong
set bail at RM20,000 and fixed
Feb 11 for re-mention of the case.
– Bernama