[UPDATED VERSION] Maxis SMS alert at 4:18pm.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar said his statement yesterday about asking foreigners to go back was misunderstood. He also apologized.

Oh I see, misunderstood again.

And I hope you see what I see too.

Reader Steve, who is disappointed with Noh’s "misunderstood" statement, which appears on the frontpage lead of BBC’s Asia Pacific section, has this to tell, minus the England-style vocabulary but the meaning behind it that matters.

Normally have to die many ppl baru can appear there, but Malaysia no need to die anyone also can appear.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel proud at all.

Yes, he is one very young lad, loving and might have bright future.

But, minus the emotion and symphathy, the fact is that, crime had been done.

And the consequence is being sentenced to death penalty, where the execution is scheduled to be at Singapore’s Changi Prison on Friday.

It’s apparent that, the anti-drugs laws is always there in Singapore, you break the rules, you bear it.

What? Just because you think you’re an oversea drug smuggler, you’re above the law?

Something for us to ponder.

You see, this shameful event has been blown out of proportion, whether you like it or not.

Blogger Killarkai, who currently resides in Shanghai, listen to the updates everyday over the radio. Then, enough of torture reports by Chinese media carry the almost similar blatan headlines across papers, as expected.

However, there is one that really struck me deep inside. Quote:

They drank unsafe water and ate rice with worms in it. They slept on the cement floor with a dirty blanket, the newspaper said, citing the three women. They were often woken in the early morning and forced to take cold showers, the News said.

Once a policeman said the toilet wasn’t cleaned properly, and made all arrested Chinese women bend over on the ground and bark like dogs. During the 14 days, they were not allowed to call, to chat, and even to cry. Any disobedience would incur a beating by baton, the report said.

At this critical moment, where Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has instructed the setting up of an independent inquiry, medias from both countries should exercise the practice of recognizing and respecting the practices of others and refrain from making judgements or reports that doesn’t hold water.

Yes, tolerance is the keyword now.

… we’ve listened to enough of naked story , but we never learn and yet, continue to live in the world of denial.

Anyhow, Jeff is right to say that, life will soon return to normal as Malaysia is prone to forget easily.

I shall put in more context tomorrow, void of this crap-type connection, I hope.

[UPDATED VERSION] Enough of context by Jeff, Mack and Kit of the police abuse towards the Chinese who was being forced to strip naked.

Apparently, this had went overboard and being liken to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse, which explain the severity level of this shameful event in Malaysia history.

I’ve only one BIG QUESTION to ask: Let’s say if you’re caught in China, do you think a tourist/visitor like you deserved to be treated in such a way?

Please, by all means think hard if you’re to question my patriotism towards this country.

* * *

Maxis SMS alert at 5.21pm.

PM has directed Deputy IGP to have video footage of naked woman woman doing ear squats investigated thoroughly and has vowed that there will be no cover-up.

This has somehow reminded me of this.

The fact is, the next time you’re lack of cash at Mamak restaurant, you still can’t pay using your credit card.

But now, there is this MR. Kiosk in town to provide you a cashless environment to settle your bill, by using your ATM card.

However, I’m far less than impressed on this new payment system, merely because the low usage of another e-purse application - MEPS Cash. I was one of the very few graduates in MMU who seldomly using MEPS Cash to pay for meal in campus, but the fact is that, it’s troublesome and full of hassles.

It may be too early to judge the performance and it’s not fair to compare it to the MEPS Cash as very few restaurants are willing to buy the readers and provide the service.

Afterall, this MR. Kiosk has got a deal with the Malaysia Muslim Restaurant Operators Association, so we shall observe whether this is going to create a new BUZZ among mamak goers, just like me. ;-)

Now that the Khazanah Nasional Bhd MD Azman Mokhtar has said that he will leave the issue of offering Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) to Malaysia Airlines (MAS) board of directors, which is fair enough.

Unlike Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy who preferred to jump into conclusion with a straight denial, whereas Mack Zul was right to say that it should be the authority of the MAS’s management to clarify the issue, which is the case now.

So what else, if not a humble pie on Kong Choy’s face?

In Brookline, Massachusetts, there is a public school where learning Mandarin is mandatory.

Economists predict that by the time these five year olds enter the job market, China will be the world’s second-largest economy.

"If we want to be doing business in China, we are going to need students who can function in Chinese and understand Chinese culture," said Vivian Stewart, vice president of the Asia Society.

Meanwhile, China has embarked on a project to spread the Chinese language around the world.

In cooperation with universities in various countries, they plan to open 100 "Confucius Institutes" specializing in Chinese education.

What about Malaysia, part of the plan?

You bet.

At last, Conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) Angela Merkel has been elected as the Germany’s 1st woman chancellor, in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

However, she needs to pay the price of being a chancellor, through bargaining away of her key campaing pledges such as limiting union power in regional wage negotiations and accepted a center-left Social Democrats (SPD) demand for a "rich tax" on top earners.

Bush must be overjoy with her appointment, due to her foreign policy stance which is more to pro-US, compared to her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder.

And now, the attention will be on this question: Can Merkel lasted a full four-years term?

(Image courtesy of Paul Tan)

When speculation is rife that Perodua MD Tuan Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir will head the ailing Proton, new Proton Chancellor 2.0 V6 has been announced for its availability, starting from Dec 15.

But before that, this executive class sedan which uses the Perdana V6 engine with Proton Waja design will grace the Asean Summit from Dec 12 to Dec 14. However, the price of the Chancellor remain private and confidential, at least for the time being.

Public expectation towards this car is yet to be seen and heard, but I’m expecting the launching of this car as a marketing strategy. But, let’s be fair, new lauching is a good news, and timely for the not-so-good image of Proton lately, isn’t it? ;-)

Afterall, same old proton, it’s just that, different "organ", nothing less nothing more.

Otherwise, what you think?