Foul!

Voice of the Valley, as published in Malay Mail today. Voice of the Valley By Pearl Lee ON March 8, the world will be reminded of MH370 — the ill-fated Beijing bound flight which went missing barely an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport.  A dozen of theories and a year later, the whereabouts of the Boeing 777 jetliner remains unknown. Despite a massive underwater search in the Indian Ocean, not a single body or debris from the plane has resurfaced.  This has made it difficult for the families to accept the fate that has befallen their loved ones.  Sarah Bajc, whose partner Phillip Wood was aboard the flight is still holding on to hope that she will meet him again. She had in reports said that she cannot move on until Wood returns, even if it is just his remains.  On her Facebook page last month, she posted: “Good evening blue eyes. A year ago today I kissed you goodbye in KL to return to finish up my work in Beijing. We were sad to be part...

Picture above from NST

As published in Malay Mail today.  The roar of the crowd lifted her spirit as it was a bittersweet night for Fatehah Mustapha, Malaysia's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. The national cyclist told Malay Mail that it was an emotional march as the team paid tribute to the 298 lives lost in the Flight MH17 tragedy. Fatehah walked with the Jalur Gemilang flying at half-mast while six other national athletes and two officials donned Malaysia Airlines (MAS) cabin crew uniform — a plan engineered by Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to honour the victims of the airlines' second aviation disaster after the disappearance of Flight MH370 on March 8. “It was sad as I was thinking of MH17 (while marching),” said 25-year-old Fatehah. “At the same time, I am honoured to have led the national contingent. Walking in front of the contingent has motivated me to do well in my event.” Fatehah was chosen as th...

As published in Malay Mail today. PETALING JAYA – It was a parade that won the admiration of many. Not only was the Jalur Gemilang flown at half-mast but six athletes and two officials donned Malaysia Airlines (MAS) cabin crew uniforms as they marched in front of a roaring crowd, winning the hearts of those in the stadium and the millions watching from their homes. As national cyclist Fatehah Mustapa, the flagbearer, led the national contingent at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games in Celtic Park yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaludin could only smile. He was, after all, the man who engineered the need for the Malaysian team to pay tribute to the 298 lives lost in the Flight MH17 tragedy. “It was the night we found out about the plane. By the time we learnt it was shot down, I knew we had to do something in Glasgow,” revealed Khairy. “I thought about black armbands, which we also used, and felt it wasn’t enough. So I though...

Haresh Says, as published in Mailsport today. JULY 17, 2014 – Melbourne International Airport IT was supposed to be another trip back to Kuala Lumpur for Melbourne-based Azizulhasni Awang. Yet, flying home last Thursday proved to be an emotional journey after the national cyclist and his teammates learnt about the Malaysian Airlines (MAS) aircraft that was shot down by pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine.  “We were at the MAS lounge when the news broke out. The whole team, including other passengers, were all standing and we were all glued in front of the television,” said Azizulhasni.  “We were shocked!”  A sombre mood quickly enveloped as the cycling team sympathised with the next-of-kin of all 298 on board Flight MH17. “We feel sad for those on the plane and to the family members. We truly hope they will be able to stay strong,” added Azizulhasni who remains Malaysia’s best bet of nailing a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow...

As published in Malay Mail (newspaper) today. Comment by Wong Sai Wan I AM angry and I am sure that I am not alone.   I want justice and, again, I am sure I am not alone.   We cannot allow MH17 to be forgotten or swept away in lieu of political and economic needs. Those responsible — no matter who directly or indirectly — for the murder of the 298 people on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam on that fateful Thursday must be brought to justice.   The special Parliament meeting on Wednesday to debate and condemn the downing of MH17 must not be about just speeches.   Malaysians expect —  no, demand —  more than just empty talk.   Our leaders must react with the anger that all of us feel.   I suggest Parliament orders the attorney-general to initiate a criminal investigation into this matter and to bring the perpetrators to justice here in Malaysia, if not at the International Court of Justic...

President Barack Obama spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday at the Kremlin’s request, a conversation in which they briefly  discussed  reports that a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane carrying nearly 300 people had been reportedly shot down near the Ukrainian border.  “ President Putin near the end of the call with Obama noted the early reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border,” a White House pool report said, reading out comments from  White House press secretary Josh Earnest aboard Air Force One.  The Kremlin also provided a readout on its website: “ The Russian leader informed the U.S. president of the report from air traffic controllers that the Malaysian plane had crashed on Ukrainian territory, which had arrived immediately before the phone call.” There were no survivors of the crash. An adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister has said  23 U.S. citizens were among those on board who were kil...

Haresh Says, as published in The Malay Mail today. ONE was a nation with a rich history that had just undergone a cultural revolution. The other was a new country, eager to progress quickly. Both had differing ideologies but came together through a simple game of table-tennis. The Malaysian table-tennis team was invited to Beijing in 1971 to participate in the Asia-Africa-Latin America tournament. It was dubbed the “Ping-Pong diplomacy”. Three years later, Malaysia established formal ties with China – the first Asean country to do so despite differing political views. Former national champion Soong Poh Wah remembers the tournament well. He was 21 when he participated in the historical meet. “All of us enjoyed our stay. It was a well-organised tournament and China was a gracious host,” recalled Soong, 64. “They (organisers) arranged gatherings and even took us around, including visiting the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. It was a memo...

In an apparent bid to ease tension among Chinese nationals over the Flight MH370 saga, efforts are under way to organise an exhibition match involving two of the greatest badminton stars — world No 1 Lee Chong Wei and China’s Lin Dan. While details of the match between the Malaysian selection and China remain sketchy, the Youth and Sports Ministry has been informed about the initiative. Lee, who is currently in New Delhi for the India Open, was supportive of the cause. “If it can help strengthen the relationship between China and Malaysia, then it’s good … (I would do) anything to help,” said Lee. It is believed the initiative is a private effort and does not involve the Badminton Association of Malaysia. Lee and Lin Dan are household names in both countries. While arch-nemesis on the court, both shuttlers are good friends on the sidelines and have played in many exhibition matches, mainly for charity, in the past. As Malaysia and China gear to cele...

Haresh Says, as published in The Malay Mail today “I DON’T know what to say, what to think. I feel so lost, so blank. I’m just so tired. Goodnight, daddy. Sigh.. * hugs *” The heartbreaking tweet was by Maira Elizabeth Nari, the daughter of Flight MH370 chief steward Andrew Nari on Monday night. It was posted some three hours after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s brief press conference confirming MH370, which went missing on March 8, “ended its journey” in the Indian Ocean. Najib said this after obtaining confirmation from Inmarsat as the British company had used the Doppler effect — the change in frequency due to the movement of a satellite in its orbit — to determine the location of the Boeing 777 that had 239 people on board. The Australia Defence Minister David Johnston stressed while the information by Inmarsat was all the authorities had at the moment, he said the episode was “a mystery” and until authorities recover and positively identify ...

My heart goes out to the family members of those on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.    Haresh Says, as published in Mailsports today. Images of team officials and players arguing on the sidelines followed by claims of assault in the tunnel at Larkin Stadium on February 1 have been grabbing the headlines recently. There was hesitance by certain quarters to name those involved during half-time of the Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) against T-Team after several players and officials claimed Johor FA president Tunku Ismail Ibrahim, who is also the Crown Prince of Johor, was in the tunnel. In a Super League match on February 7, Pahang’s Jamaican player Damion Stewart claimed he was subjected to abuse by JDT Argentinean imports Luciano Figuero and Pablo Aimar. It is now the final week of March, almost two months since both incidents took place. Yet, the FA of Malaysia (FAM) disciplinary board have yet to discuss these incidents. Why the delay? ...

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) said in a statement that flight MH370 had disappeared at 02:40 local time on Saturday (18:40 GMT on Friday) after leaving Kuala Lumpur.   Acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein, had some 10 hours after the incident, said there was no sign of wreckage, as reported here . A total of 239 passengers were on board the plane which was headed to Beijing. Experts remained "surprised" over missing plane as Boeing 777 dubbed 'safest plane ever', as reported here . The plane was bought in 2002 and had one safety incident in the past. While officials (as of 11.02pm) still claim they have yet to obtain any confirmation of the plane's location, family members of the passengers were told to prepare and bring their passport s to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Among speculations: 1) Plane hijacked by terrorists 2) Plane exploded in the air 3) Loss of control 4) Landed safely in Xian or Nanning, China 5) Plane crashed ...