Isnin, 14 Oktober 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

Couple fined for staining neighbour’s car
HDB moves to curb properties speculation
More parents pay private eyes to spy on kids

Couple fined for staining neighbour’s car

Posted:

A COUPLE poured soya sauce, chilli sauce and dumped rubbish on a neighbour's car in an attempt to force him to change his parking space.

Lau Kin Kee and husband Ng Choon Meng, both 40, were caught in the act by surveillance video. Both pleaded guilty to committing mischief.

She was fined S$2,000 (RM5,017), while her husband was fined S$1,000 (RM2,509) yesterday.

They told the district court that the car's headlights would shine into their flat whenever the neighbour, a drug enforcement officer, parked his Honda Jazz in that particular parking space at night.

They admitted that it was not prolonged but it bothered them and they poured chilli sauce on the car on March 27.

At about 12.15am on March 31, the couple threw tissue paper soaked with dark soya sauce and a white plastic bag containing rubbish onto the car at the multi-storey car park in Punggol Central. Four days later, she poured soya sauce on the car.

Ng, a factory worker, pleaded for leniency saying that they were expecting their first child in December. His wife is unemployed.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Carene Poh said that offences were "very anti-social and unneighbourly". — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

HDB moves to curb properties speculation

Posted:

THE Housing Board (HDB) has moved to curb speculation in its commercial and industrial properties, in a bid to prevent the costs from being passed on to customers.

Starting tomorrow, all new tenants will need to tender for premises direct from HDB. This is a switch up from current practices, where an outgoing tenant can transfer the property to an incoming tenant, for a fee or cash premium that is negotiated between the two.

Business owners "assign" their properties to others typically because they are either not doing well and need to recoup losses, or a place has become so popular that a profit could be made from transferring.

According to HDB, the average assignment fee and rental has seen an upward trend.

"High assignment fees and tendered rents contribute to higher operating costs, which may be passed on to residents and consumers. Assignment may also encourage unhealthy speculation," it said in a statement yesterday.

To help existing tenants adjust however, HDB said it will allow these businesses to transfer their property once within a three year window which ends on Oct 15 in 2016.

Meanwhile, HDB also announced the construction of four new neighbourhood centres in Punggol, Hougang and Sembawang.

Details will be announced at a later date, HDB said. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

More parents pay private eyes to spy on kids

Posted:

A GROWING number of parents are sending private investigators to check whether their children have gone astray, sometimes even overseas.

Eight out of 10 private eye agencies said they have seen a rise in such cases.

David Ng, 37, director of private investigation firm DP Quest, said his company has seen a 20% year-on-year increase in such requests.

"Parents get worried when they see changes in their children's behaviour – for example, if they get a tattoo, or start staying out late," he said, explaining the reasons his clients usually cite.

The children are usually in their teens or polytechnic.

Private eyes usually follow their subjects for up to five days and parents' suspicions are often proven right.

Their children have been discovered to be involved in illegal activities like drugs or gambling.

Video or photographic evidence is then presented to the parents, who decide what to do next.

Such services do not come cheap. Three days of tracking, which is usually sufficient, may cost about S$3,000 (RM7,525).

Private investigators said they start tailing the children as early as when they go to school in the morning.

Joe Koh, 41, from Justice Investigations, a private investigator for 13 years, and sees one or two such cases a month, said that usually both parents are working and too busy to monitor their children.

He encountered a case where a Secondary 1 student would bring friends home in the day to sniff glue, then leave to hang out with friends till late at night. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

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The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Jailing of wheelchair-bound Beijing airport bomber sparks anger
Venezuela, Guyana to meet over seized oil ship, detained crew
Honduras sends military police to tame drug violence as vote looms

Jailing of wheelchair-bound Beijing airport bomber sparks anger

Posted:

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese man in a wheelchair who detonated a home-made bomb in Beijing's airport after trying to draw attention to a nearly decade-long legal battle was sentenced to six years in jail, his lawyer said on Tuesday, sparking widespread sympathy and anger.

A Beijing court found Ji Zhongxing, 34, guilty of intentionally causing an explosion, Ji's lawyer, Liu Xiaoyuan, told Reuters by telephone. State media confirmed the sentence.

Ji detonated the bomb at Beijing airport after being prevented from handing out leaflets that drew attention to his complaints. His case struck a chord with many Chinese seeking justice in an inflexible political system.

Ji, from eastern Shandong province, had been seeking redress for a claimed beating by police in southern Guangdong province dating back to 2005 that left him wheelchair-bound. He had been petitioning for justice ever since.

Detonating the bomb at Beijing's main airport ensured widespread exposure for Ji, even though he and a policeman who received slight wounds were the only people hurt.

He faced a maximum sentence of 10 years.

"We believe that this verdict is questionable," Liu said, adding that Ji did not intend to blow up the airport or commit suicide.

"During the trial, (authorities) did not seek to find out the facts," Liu said. "Although it was mentioned in the verdict statement, they never fully considered or discovered the cause of the bombing at the airport."

Liu said Ji, who was wheeled into court on a stretcher, said he would consider appealing against the decision. He has 10 days to file an appeal.

Ji's sentence comes weeks after the execution of a Chinese kebab vendor, who was convicted of killing two city officials, sparked public criticism of a justice system said to punish the poor harshly while letting the rich and powerful off more lightly.

"What we want to know more is: How will those assailants who injured him in the first place be punished?" Chen Haodong, vice dean of an art school in southern Guangdong province, wrote on his microblog.

Gong Liegang, a lawyer based in Kunming, the capital of southwestern Yunnan province, called the sentence "abnormally harsh" and described Ji as "a vulnerable person" who had no other way to protect his rights.

Chinese unable to win redress for grievances have in the past resorted to extreme measures, including bombings, but such incidents are rare because of tight state security.

Ji's protest had come just days after security workers apparently beat to death a watermelon vendor in southern Hunan province in a dispute over where he could sell his fruit. Both cases have drawn public criticism about official abuse of power.

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard, Li Hui and the Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Paul Tait)

Venezuela, Guyana to meet over seized oil ship, detained crew

Posted:

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela and Guyana will meet on Thursday to resolve the fate of a ship and crew hired by a U.S. oil exploration firm that Venezuela seized in waters disputed for more than a century by the South American neighbours.

The foreign ministers of both countries have spoken on the phone and will meet in Trinidad and Tobago "in the hope of resolving diplomatically whatever difference exists between both sides," a Venezuelan government statement said.

A senior Guyanese official, who asked not to be named, confirmed the meeting. He said there were about two dozen workers on board from eight countries: the United States, Russia, France, Indonesia, Brazil, Malaysia, Panama and Ukraine.

Venezuela's navy on Thursday seized the RV Teknik Perdana survey boat, which was being used by Texas-based Anadarko. Venezuela said the ship had violated its waters. Guyana says the boat was well within its territory and Venezuela's action has threatened its national security.

The boat has been taken to the Venezuelan island of Margarita. Its Ukrainian captain Igor Bekirov was due to appear in court shortly to face charges of violating Venezuelan waters, local judicial authorities said.

Anadarko said the crew was safe but referred additional questions to Guyana officials.

"We continue to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities, with the sole focus of achieving a safe release of the entire crew and the vessel," Anadarko said in an email.

Oil exploration has fanned the flames of the old territorial dispute, and the incident did not appear linked to the socialist Venezuelan government's antipathy toward Washington.

The United States and Venezuela have just expelled the others' top diplomats.

A U.S. embassy official said Washington was aware of reports that five Americans were on the ship, but would not give any further comment or details due to "privacy concerns."

Guyana awarded Anadarko Petroleum a deep-water, exploration license in June last year for a block named Roraima, although details of the concession have not been revealed.

Oil companies have been increasingly interested in the northeastern shoulder of South America since a discovery off nearby French Guyana in 2011 that industry experts described as a game-changer for the region's energy prospects.

Venezuela and Guyana have long argued about the status of the disputed Essequibo region, an area on the border about the size of the U.S. state of Georgia, and over rights to the ocean resources that lie offshore. Venezuela calls it a "reclamation zone," but in practice it functions as Guyanese territory.

Critics of President Nicolas Maduro, who replaced the late Hugo Chavez as Venezuela's leader after winning an election earlier this year, say he is exploiting international incidents to try and distract attention from domestic woes.

Guyana's former foreign minister, Rashleigh Jackson, urged a quick release of the ship and crew after Thursday's talks, then further negotiations to settle the maritime territorial limits.

"What is needed in these talks is a decision on a mechanism to settle the maritime boundary once and for all," he told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Neil Marks in Georgetown and Eileen O'Grady in Houston; Editing by Eyanir Chinea and Lisa Shumaker)

Honduras sends military police to tame drug violence as vote looms

Posted:

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras ordered 1,000 military police onto the streets of its most violent cities on Monday, as a presidential election dominated by debate over how to tackle the wave of drug killings approaches in just over a month.

This first deployment of a new military-style police force marks the latest tactic to curb an epidemic of drug violence that last year turned Honduras into the world's most murderous country with more than 85 homicides for every 100,000 people.

The Central American country has become a key staging point for drug shipments moving north from South America, and has been invaded by Mexican drug gangs.

In August, Congress authorized the creation the new force made up of 5,000 officers with military training. At the start of the year, the government had put 4,000 soldiers on the streets, but they have failed to end the killing.

"The operations of the military police, especially in the residential areas, will continue until we succeed," said army spokesman Colonel Jeremias Arevalo. "We're going to clean these areas from crime."

The security issue has become the focus of campaigning ahead of next month's presidential election that pits Xiomara Castro, the wife of former President Manuel Zelaya, against National Party candidate Juan Hernandez.

Castro, the Liberty and Refoundation Party candidate who established her reputation while fighting for her husband's right to rule after his 2009 military-led ouster, is slightly ahead of Hernandez according to the latest polls, but the lead is so small that statistically they are tied.

Castro and her party, a coalition of leftist politicians, unions, agrarian and indigenous groups, say they would create a community police force to tackle the violence, while Hernandez wants the military police force working alongside the army.

The winner of the election will take office in January 2014.

(Writing by Lomi Kriel and Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Simon Gardner and Jackie Frank)

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The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

HLB upgraded to ‘buy’
Malaysians among detained oil ship crew
India's Sept palm oil imports up 21% on festive demand

HLB upgraded to ‘buy’

Posted:

HONG LEONG BANK BHD

By RHB Research

Rating: Buy

Price Target: RM16.60

HONG Leong Bank's (HLB) share price performance has lagged behind its peers this year.

RHB believes this is due to a combination of factors, such as below industry loan growth in the past two financial years, tepid financial year 2013 (FY13) earnings per share growth, and the overly bullish FY13 return on equity expectations by consensus (15.5%-16% forecasted vs 15% actual).

However, following a recent meeting with its management, RHB is turning more positive on the outlook for the group; at current valuations, the market is under appreciating its prospects.

The small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) financing is a key driver for loan growth and recent data suggests that its branch strategy is starting to bear fruit.

RHB estimates HLB's SMEs loan market share has risen to 7.3% at end-second quarter 2013 from 6% at end-third quarter 2012.

Secondly, after the disappointment in FY13, consensus now projects FY14F ROE (return on equity) of 14.7%, which is below the 15%-17% guidance for FY14. RHB sees upside to consensus estimates, which should lead to a re-rating of the stock.

RHB raised its FY14 forecast - FY15 forecast net profit projections by 3%-7% to reflect a more positive outlook for the group.

The research house is also also raising its fair value to RM16.60 (13.5 times 2014 earnings per share) from RM15.20 (13 times 2013 EPS) while upgrading its call to a buy.

UZMA BHD

By PIVB Research

Rating: Neutral

Target Price: RM4.06

UZMA announced last Friday that its subsidiary Uzma Engineering Sdn Bhd had received a Letter of Award (LOA) last Thursday from Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd for the provision of a drilling project management team for Petroleum Management Unit (PMU) wells.

Although the contract value is not known, PIVB believes the project value is relatively substantial given the intense efforts being made by Petronas in the upstream oil and gas (O&G) segment.

Meanwhile, the increasing support from Petronas indicates further strengthening to its earnings growth potential going forward for a relatively young company of 13 years which has grown based on its merits and capabilities.

PIVB has a neutral call with a revised target price of RM4.06, based on 13 times multiple (previously 12 times) to its FY14 earnings per share of 31.2 sen.

We believe Uzma deserves a higher price to earnings due to its strong orderbook of approximately RM1.3bil (to last until 2017) and continuous contract wins given the positive outlook for the upstream O&G segment.

We also tweak our FY14/15 forecasts upwards by about 8% and 18% respectively to account for potential and multiple small contracts that are not disclosed.

AHMAD ZAKI RESOURCES BHD

By ALLIANCE RESEARCH

Rating: Buy

Target Price: RM1.20

AHMAD Zaki Resources Bhd (AZRB) announced that it was awarded a RM163mil contract to build the new Air Police Base in Jalan Lapangan Terbang Subang, Shah Alam.

With this recent award, AZRB's year to date (YTD) job wins stand at RM1.89bil vis-à-vis Alliance's full year assumption of RM1.8bil.

We estimate AZRB's orderbook balance to now stand at RM3.76bil, implying a very strong orderbook to construction revenue ratio of 6.3 times.

Contracts in the pipeline include the Langat 2 water treatment plan where the SalconMMC-AZRB joint venture is understood to have submitted a RM1bil bid.

Alliance expects the outcome to be known in the first quarter of 2014.

This is when the Selangor water consolidation exercise is expected to be resolved.

Year to date job wins of RM1.89bil has marginally surpassed Alliance's full year target by 4.8%.

As this research house does not expect any of AZRB's outstanding tenders to materialise for the remainder of the year, we deem our ssumption to be in line.

Alliance's earnings forecast are unchanged.

"Buy" call is maintained with an unchanged target price of RM1.20 based on the sum of parts valuation which comprises 10 times FY14 earnings (RM0.86/share) and RM20,000 per hectare for its 4,750 ha of planted plantation land (RM0.34).

The winning of SK316 EPCIC project has significantly lifted Malaysia Marine And Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad's (MMHE) earnings visibility.

While the SK316 contract alone is not sufficient to re-rate MMHE's share price, Affin has turned less negative on MMHE.

Malaysians among detained oil ship crew

Posted:

CARACAS: Venezuela and Guyana will meet on Thursday to resolve the fate of a ship and crew hired by a U.S. oil exploration firm that Venezuela seized in waters disputed for more than a century by the South American neighbours

The foreign ministers of both countries have spoken on the phone and will meet in Trinidad and Tobago"in the hope of resolving diplomatically whatever difference exists between both sides," a Venezuelan government statement said.

Venezuela's navy on Thursday seized the RV Teknik Perdana survey boat, which was being used byTexas-based Anadarko. Venezuela said the ship had violated its waters. Guyana says the boat was well within its territory and Venezuela's action has threatened its national security.

Anadarko was not immediately available to comment.

Oil exploration has fanned the flames of the old territorial dispute, and the incident did not appear linked to the socialist Venezuelan government's antipathy toward Washington.

The United States and Venezuela have just expelled the others' top diplomats.

A U.S. embassy official said Washington was aware of reports that five Americans were on the ship, but would not give any further comment or details due to "privacy concerns."

Guyana awarded Anadarko Petroleum a deep-water, exploration license in June last year for a block named Roraima, although details of the concession have not been revealed.

Guyana's former foreign minister, Rashleigh Jackson, urged a quick release of the ship and crew after Thursday's talks, then further negotiations to settle the maritime territorial limits.

"What is needed in these talks is a decision on a mechanism to settle the maritime boundary once and for all," he told Reuters.- Reuters

India's Sept palm oil imports up 21% on festive demand

Posted:

MUMBAI: India's palm oil imports surged 20.6 percent in September from a month ago, rising for the first time in four months, as a recovery in the rupee encouraged refiners to buy more for the peak festival season.

India, the world's leading buyer of palm oils, imported 644,386 tonnes in September, the Solvent Extractors' Association (SEA) said in a statement on Monday.

That included imports 167,601 tonnes of refined palm oil. SEA warned of a crisis brewing in the refining industry due to the increasing trend toward buying refined oils from abroad.

Importers were helped by the rupee's rally in September, when it gained 5 percent to snap a four-month losing streak.

Palm oil accounts for about 80 percent of India's total cooking oil imports. Most of it comes from Malaysia and Indonesia. India relies on imports for about 60 percent of its annual vegetable oil demand of 17-18 million tonnes.

Total vegetable oil imports during the month jumped 14 percent from last month to 863,917 tonnes, the SEA said.

India's demand for edible oils usually increases in the December quarter due to Hindu festivals like Dussehra and Diwali, which often with family gatherings for feasts.

A Reuters survey had forecast average vegetable oil imports at 881,000 tonnes in September, including 614,000 tonnes of palm oil.

India's vegetable oil imports in October are likely to be 800,000 to 900,000 tonnes, lower than 1 million tonnes during the same period a year ago, as soybean supplies started from the new season crop, said B.V. Mehta, executive director of the SEA.

"Soybean supplies have already started due to early sowing. Oil mills are crushing new season crop and that will limit imports in October," he said.

Soybean is the country's main summer-sown oilseed crop and supplies have started in key growing areas, although recently heavy rains disrupted harvesting.

REFINED PALM OIL THREATS

India's vegetable oil imports in the first 11 months of the marketing year ending on Oct. 31 stood at 9.66 million tonnes, up 5.5 percent from the year before.

Refined palm oil (RBD) imports in April to September more than doubled to 1.45 million tonnes, as the world's biggest palm oil exporter Indonesia structured taxes to favour exports of the refined product over crude to support its domestic refiners.

Rising imports of refined palm oil are "leading to crisis in the domestic refining sector", said the SEA. It wants the government to raise duties on refined products to protect the local refining industry.

"More than half of refining capacity is idle in India," said an official with a leading refiner based in central Madhya Pradesh state. "Indian refiners can't survive if the duty structure is not altered."

In September, the difference between the landed price of refined palm oil and crude palm oil in India was $10 per tonne, compared with $36 during the same period a year ago.

The food ministry has suggested the import duty on refined palm oil should go up to at least 10 percent from 7.5 percent, but it needs support from other ministries.

The finance ministry favoured an increase earlier in the year when it was desperate to cut imports and rein in the current account deficit. India imports about $10 billion of edible oils a year -- about 2 percent of total import costs.

But the rupee's fall to a record low in August helped to stem the tide of imports and encouraged exports.- Reuters

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The Star Online: Nation

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The Star Online: Nation

Perlis MB yet to see razed home
Incumbents likely to retain posts
Community policing programme to change youths

Perlis MB yet to see razed home

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Although his house in the city caught fire, Perlis Mentri Besar Azlan Man has been too busy with work to survey the damage.

"I have been involved in party election work and I have not seen my house yet. I do not know the cost of damages yet," said Azlan yesterday.

His house at Jalan Negri Sembilan Selatan in Bukit Persekutuan was razed when a fire broke out on Saturday night.

Azlan and his wife were in Perlis at the time, but his children, relatives and a maid were in the house. They escaped unhurt.

"My wife was actually on the way back to KL when she received an emergency call about the fire.

"I was at a gathering at the time and I told my wife to be calm and make sure everyone was safe," Azlan said.

Azlan said his wife and son were living in the undamaged portion of the house, while his two daughters were staying with friends.

Azlan and his family's relocation to Perlis in November has also been brought forward because of the incident.

His wife Nor Aswana Omar, 48, said she had already begun to pack their belongings weeks before the fire and most of it managed to be saved when the fire broke out.

"Sometimes the unexpected happens. All we can do is accept it and move on," said Nor Aswana when met at their home yesterday.

"It is still okay to live here, unless it rains. We have no more roof so the water will come pouring into the back part of the house. I hope it does not rain tonight," she said, pointing out the gloomy sky.

City Fire and Rescue Department operations commander Zahari Mohamad, the fire destroyed the entire top floor and part of the roof caved in.

"The department received a distress call on the incident at 10.43pm. Five fire engines, a water tanker and 57 firemen were immediately dispatched to the scene.

"When we arrived, the fire had spread to about 60% of the top floor," he said when met at the scene on Saturday night.

He said it took his men about an hour to put out the flames and added that no one was injured in the fire.

Incumbents likely to retain posts

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: The voting trend at the just concluded Umno wings' election indicates that grassroots delegates are reluctant to vote for change in the top positions.

This suggests there is a strong possibility of a status quo being maintained for the vice-president's line-up at the party's supreme council election.

The incumbents: (From left:) Ahmad Zahid, Shafie and Hishammuddin.

Party observers believe that the incumbents – Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein – would have the upper hand on Oct 19.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Wanita Umno head Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil sailed through to retain their posts despite fierce challenges and talk of unhappiness over their leadership at the wing's election last Saturday.

Early results showed that Khairy and Shahrizat did not just win big in the electoral college system, but also the popular votes from almost all of the divisions that voted for them.

Observers had credited Khairy's and Shahrizat's victories to the power of their incumbencies.

Universiti Teknologi Mara political analyst Assoc Prof Shaharuddin Badaruddin said he expected the same trend to take place when delegates make their choice for their vice-presidents and supreme council members.

He said two categories of candidates would have an advantage this Saturday – the incumbents, especially in the race for vice-presidencies, and those who hold positions in the government such as ministers, deputy ministers and mentris besar.

The three vice-presidential posts are being challenged by Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad, Datuk Paduka Mukhriz Tun Mahathir and Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam.

The challengers: (From left) Isa, Mukhriz and Mohd Ali.

However, observers pointed out that the challengers were "no pushovers" as they too, were well known among the delegates.

Isa had served as the Negri Sembilan mentri besar for 22 years and is currently the Felda chairman while Mohd Ali's 14 years service as Malacca chief minister has also made him a familiar name.

Mukhriz's position as the Mentri Besar and Umno chief in Kedah has also given him a high profile.

"Those contesting for supreme council positions and who hold government positions also get more publicity, making them more well known compared to those without positions," said Shaharuddin.

Of the 62 who are contesting for the supreme council's 25 seats, 17 hold senior positions, either as mentris besar or chief minister, ministers or deputy ministers.

Umno veteran Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman also agreed that the incumbents for the vice-presidents' race would have an advantage, but said "a slight change was possible".

Aziz is basing his observation on the fact that the challengers are themselves strong leaders.

He expects the results of the supreme council's election to reflect the transformation efforts that party president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had put in place.

The Star Online: Metro: Central

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Myanmar police probe string of bomb blasts

Posted:

YANGON, Oct 14, 2013 (AFP) - Police in Myanmar said Monday they were investigating a series of mysterious bomb blasts that have left two people dead and several wounded in recent days.

A man and a woman were killed and another person was injured in an explosion Friday at a guesthouse in the town of Taunggu about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from the capital Naypyidaw, police said.

Two other devices exploded in Yangon on Sunday - one at a bus stop and another under a truck which wounded two teenagers, according to the authorities.

Two more makeshift devices were found in the cities of Yangon and Mandalay on Monday.

"We cannot say who is responsible for these acts," said Police Lieutenant General Min Aung of the Myanmar Police Force's intelligence and security department.

"We're still investigating. The system they used is the same in all the cases. We think an organisation or a person planted them all," he told AFP by telephone from Naypyidaw.

He said security had been stepped up in Yangon.

Bomb blasts were relatively common under the former junta, which usually blamed the explosions on armed exile groups or ethnic rebels.

But such explosions are less common under a new quasi-civilian government which took power in 2011, promising political reforms and efforts to end long-running ethnic insurgencies.

In a message posted on its official Facebook page, the Yangon police appealed to people to be vigilant for any suspicious objects at railway stations, bus stops and other public places.

"We also urge people to cooperate to find those causing unrest and casualties with explosions," it said.

President Thein Sein's reformist government has reached tentative peace deals with the major ethnic minority rebel groups in the country, which has been racked by civil wars since independence from Britain in 1948.

But the nation has been rocked by several outbreaks of Buddhist-Muslim religious violence since June 2012 that has left about 250 people dead and more than 140,000 left homeless, mostly Muslims.

Outrage in India as temple stampede toll hits 115

Posted:

RATANGARH, India, Oct 14, 2013 (AFP) - Outrage mounted in India Monday after at least 115 devotees were crushed to death or drowned near a Hindu temple, the site of another deadly stampede only seven years ago.

As survivors of Sunday's tragedy on a bridge recounted how desperate mothers threw their children into the water below, authorities came under fire over policing levels amid claims the panic was aggravated by baton-charging.

Medics were also battling to save the lives of 10 people classified as critically ill after the stampede in the town of Ratangarh in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

"The death toll has now gone up to 115 and more than 110 injured," deputy police inspector general D. K. Arya told AFP.

"Ten of those are in a very critical state."

An AFP journalist at the site said the operation to recover the bodies had been finished and police investigators were now scouring the site.

The tragedy cast a long shadow over celebrations marking the end of one of the holiest festivals in the Hindu calendar.

Police said the panic had been sparked by rumours that the bridge was about to collapse.

Up to 400,000 devotees were already inside or around the temple when the stampede took place while there were around 20,000 people on the bridge which spans the river Sindh.

Large crowds began converging on the site from early morning, according to witnesses, on the penultimate day of the nine-day Navaratri festival which is dedicated to the worship of the Hindu goddess Durga.

The disaster comes only seven years after another stampede outside the same temple when more than 50 people were crushed to death while crossing the river, after which authorities built the bridge.

"Cops learnt no lessons from 2006 stampede," read a headline in The Hindustan Times, saying the tragedy "underlines the sheer ineptitude of the authorities responsible for the safety and security" of devotees.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, a senior figure in the Bharatiya Janata Party, was facing calls to resign over the tragedy.

"Had there been adequate police, administration and health officials at the temple site, the loss of lives could have been averted," said Kantilal Bhuria, the leader of the Congress party in the state.

Manoj Sharma, one of the survivors, described a scene of utter mayhem.

"People were jumping off the bridge to save themselves, but they could not swim against the tide. I also saw children being tossed from the bridge, only to be washed away," he told the Times of India.

"I saw a mother desperately trying to protect her baby amidst the swelling, rushing crowds. But both died before my eyes. It was most horrific incident of my life."

Man Singh, a fruitseller who had set up shop near the temple, told how people caught up in the crush in the bridge tried to save themselves with the clothes of some of the female victims.

"Some pulled sarees off the bodies, making ropes out of them, and tried to lower themselves into the river but they weren't able to save themselves and ended up drowning as the river was flowing fast," Singh told AFP.

Singh also cast doubt on the official toll, saying some survivors had already left with the bodies of their loved ones before rescue services arrived.

Another survivor told the CNN-IBN news channel that the police had charged into the crowds, wielding baton sticks known as lathis.

"There was a huge crowd and the police started lathi-charge. It caused panic and the people were killed," the unnamed witness told the network.

Uma Shankar Gupta, the state's home minister, said authorities had not yet determined why the stampede had broken out, but downplayed suggestions that security was inadequate.

"There were safety measures in place, this is an annual event," he told reporters.

"We don't yet have information on how this happened, as our focus is on the rescue effort."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the condolences for the victims.

"On this day of festivities, our hearts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Singh said in a statement.

India has a long history of deadly stampedes at religious festivals, with at least 36 people trampled to death in February as pilgrims headed home from the Kumbh Mela religious festival on the banks of the river Ganges.

Some 102 Hindu devotees were killed in a stampede in January 2011 in the state of Kerala, while 224 pilgrims died in September 2008 as thousands of worshippers rushed to reach a 15th-century hill-top temple in Jodhpur.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

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