The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- Witness tells court he pleaded with Kelantan prince to seek acting Sultan’s permission
- Dancer Ramli Ibrahim receives prestigious artiste award from President of India
- Penang second bridge to ease congestion on first bridge by up to 30%
| Witness tells court he pleaded with Kelantan prince to seek acting Sultan’s permission Posted: 09 Oct 2012 07:27 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Kelantan's private secretary told the High Court on Tuesday that he had pleaded with Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra to seek the permission of the then Acting Sultan to drive the Bentley Brooklands car out of Istana Mahkota in Kubang Kerian on July 30 2009. Datuk Nik Shafriman Nik Hassan, 35, testified that Tengku Muhammad Fakhry ignored his plea and instead said he would contact the Acting Sultan, Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra, after he had driven the car out of the palace grounds. "The plaintiff (Tengku Muhammad Fakhry) said he'll seek permission from the Acting Sultan if I unlocked the Bentley's steering lock," he said at the hearing of the RM150mil wrongful confinement suit brought by Tengku Muhammad Fakhry against Inspector General of Police (IGP), Tan Sri Ismail Omar and three others. The plaintiff filed the suit on Dec 9 last year, naming the IGP; the Kelantan Sultan's chief personal bodyguard , Insp Norazman Ismail; Kelantan police chief at the time, Datuk Abdul Rahim Hanafi, and the Royal Malaysian Police as the first to fourth defendants respectively. In his statement of claim, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry alleged that he was wrongfully confined on July 30, 2009 in the compound of Istana Mahkota, Kubang Kerian as he was about to leave in a Bentley Brooklands car. He is seeking RM100mil in general damages, RM50mil in aggravated and exemplary damages, interest at a rate of four percent, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court. Nik Shafriman added that Tengku Muhammad Fakry only had the car key but not its steering lock key. The third defence witness said the car's steering lock key was with the official driver of the vehicle at the time, who later came to the palace and handed it over to him. During cross-examination by defence counsel A.S. Dhaliwal, who suggested that none of these incidents had actually taken place, Nik Shafriman refuted it saying there were no other witnesses there at the time apart from Tengku Muhammad Fakry and himself. Meanwhile, the Sultan of Kelantan's chief personal bodyguard at the time, Insp Norazman Ismail, told the court that at 9 pm of July 29 2009 Nik Shafriman had contacted him to relay the Acting Sultan's order prohibiting Tengku Muhammad Fakhry from taking the car. The fifth defence witness said Nik Shafriman had also informed him that Tengku Muhammad Fakry and his entourage would be arriving at Istana Mahkota the next day to take the Bentley. Cross-examined by Dhaliwal, Noorazman, 40, said he carried out the order relayed by Nik Shafriman without checking with the acting Sultan. He agreed with Dhaliwal that he considered the order to be appropriate but disagreed with the counsel's suggestion that he had erred by not checking on it. Earlier in the proceedings, first defence witness, DCP Datuk Abd Rahim Hanafi, who was Kelantan police chief at the time, testified that there were no orders prohibiting Tengku Muhammad Fakhry from entering or leaving the palace grounds. Abd Rahim, who is now Penang police chief, also admitted that on duty police personnel had to be issued with regulation fire arms under the Inspector General of Police Permanent Orders. The defence proceedings came to an end Tuesday and Judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof fixed Oct 17 for submissions. - Bernama |
| Dancer Ramli Ibrahim receives prestigious artiste award from President of India Posted: 09 Oct 2012 05:22 AM PDT NEW DELHI: Ramli Ibrahim, Malaysia's cultural icon and legendary dance choreographer of the Indian classical dance, received on Tuesday the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2011, the first for a Malaysian. The award is recognised as the highest national honour conferred on performing artists, gurus and scholars of the performing arts. It is the most coveted honour artistes aspire to get. Ramli, 59, received the award from Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at a special ceremony held at the Presidential House. Thirty-five other artistes from different fields received the award, as well. The award is in recognition of his contributions to Odissi, said to be the oldest surviving dance form of India, on the basis of archeological evidence. Originating from Orissa, an eastern Indian state, it is one of eight classical dance forms of India. "The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award is something I will revel in," said Ramli, who was obviously over the moon after receiving the honour. "Being the first Malaysian to receive the prestigious award, it is something to be treasured, said the internationally-renowned dancer who has performed overseas for more than three decades. "It has been a great struggle to be someone in the Indian classical dance and certainly, in Odissi, as with over one billion population, there are already a critical mass of very talented people in India. "Hence, one has got to be really good to be able to stand out and be recognised. "So, the recognition is something I will treasure," he told Bernama in an interview. Ramli is instrumental in transforming the dance scenario in Malaysia by boldly charting new paths and single-handedly establishing Odissi as a widely appreciated dance form. Accomplished in ballet, modern, and Indian classical dance, he is the artistic director of the Sutra Dance Theatre, having choreographed stunning works and nurtured some of the brightest dance talents from Malaysia. Was he vying for the prestigious award? "Not at all. It came as a great surprise. I never do things because I want a result like this," he said. The eminent representatives of music, dance and theatre honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2011 each receive a cash price of Rs1 lakh (RM5,894) angavastram (long cotton or silk scarf worn on the shoulder by men) and tamrapatra (engraved copper plate). The Sangeet Natak Akademi, established by the Government of India on May 31, 1952, is the National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama. It was created as the apex body in the country for the task of preservation and promotion of the performing arts tradition of India. |
| Penang second bridge to ease congestion on first bridge by up to 30% Posted: 09 Oct 2012 04:57 AM PDT GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Second Bridge, now under construction, is expected to ease traffic congestion of the first bridge by 20 to 30 percent. Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bnd (JKSB) Public Relations and Communications adviser, Datuk Mohammad Salleh Rafie said the existing congestion problem would be reduced when the second bridge is ready in September next year. He was met by reporters at a seminar with the Information, Communications and Culture Ministry's Penang Coordinating Committee on the progress of the Penang Second Bridge project. Some 100,000 vehicles use the existing bridge daily to travel between the mainland and the island, with heavy traffic congestion during the peak hours. Mohammad Salleh said the completion of the second bridge would further spur development, especially industries, in Seberang Perai Selatan on the mainland. The RM4.5bil Penang Second Bridge spanning 23.5 km with 16.9 km over the sea, will link Batu Kawan on the mainland and Batu Maung on the island. - Bernama |
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