05 January 2003 01:21
Recap 2002
MARCH * The Selangor State Government announces its decision to close the Batu Tiga race track and use the 48-ha site
for housing projects. The Selangor Development Corp, which owns the land, had suffered losses totalling RM20 million in
the previous four years. Local and foreign motorcycling enthusiasts from as far as Germany had called for the
world-class circuit to be preserved for the advancement of the sport in the country and the history the venue holds. *
For the first time in the Academy Award's 74-year history, the top acting awards are won by black performers. Halle
Berry clinches the best actress award for her performance in the racially-charged drama "Monster Ball" and
Denzel Washington for best actor for his portrayal of a corrupt policeman in "Training Day". ..TX: MAY * Datuk
Soh Chee Wen returns to Malaysia. A 1999 warrant of arrest is presented to him at the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport. The former group MD and CEO of Uniphoenix Corp Bhd and former CEO of Promet Bhd is charged with trying to
defraud Omega Securities of RM520.9 million. He was freed on bail of RM2 million after pleading not guilty. Soh faces a
minimum penalty of RM1 million and a jail term of 10 years if convicted. * Ops Warta II kicks off with more than 50 per
cent of 4.6 million summonses yet to be settled. This is despite the mad rush and long queues at police stations and
other payment counters as traffic offenders try to beat the deadline. Motorists with outstanding summonses would be
slapped with an additional maximum fine of RM600 for each summons. ..TX: JUNE * Puteri UMNO is declared as a new entity
of Umno at its 56th General Assembly . The organisation's membership list grows to 93,000. * Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad shocks the nation by announcing his resignation as party president and BN chairman but about an
hour later Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announces that Dr M has agreed to retract his
resignation. Dr M later names Abdullah as his successor. * Malaysia Airlines flies its last commercial flight out of
Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang. The "Subang Airport" was supposed to have closed down way back in
June 1998, when the KLIA commenced its operations. But Terminal 3 was maintained at the directive of Dr Mahathir. MH1984
to Kota Baru at 8.30pm was the last MAS flight to depart from the Subang Airport, while the last arrival that day was
MH1973 from Kuala Terengganu at 9.35pm. ..TX: JULY * No frills AirAsia celebrates the start of its domestic flight
operations at the KLIA by offering 2,400 seats at RM10 each. The seats were sold out in three hours. Many of those who
managed to get hold of the ticket were first-time fliers who have never been on a plane before. * Robbers have a field
day. Imagine breaking into a house and making off with a haul of half a million ringgit. On a fateful Tuesday morning,
five robbers broke into the house of the former Selangor Executive Councilor, Datuk Saidin Thamby, and made off with
about RM500,000 in cash and valuables. Three months earlier, four armed Indonesians broke into the house of Johor Works
and and Public Utilities Committee chairman Adam Hamid outside Johor Baru and robbed his family of cash and valuables
worth RM300,000. For 2002, nine break-ins were reported at homes of politicians, senior government officials and
corporate personalities, with losses amounting to more than RM5 million. * The five-month amnesty granted to illegal
foreign workers ends. Some 300,000 foreigners, mostly Indonesians are sent home leaving a vacuum in the construction
industry and other sectors. Difficulties in getting the needed work permits forced construction firms to hire illegal
foreign workers, who make up an estimated 70 per cent of their workforce. ..TX: AUGUST * Amended Immigration Act (2002)
comes into force after the end of the amnesty for illegal foreign workers, providing for heavier penalties not only on
illegal foreign workers, but also their employers and those harbouring them. ..TX: SEPTEMBER * Tens of thousands of
mourners converge on the site of the World Trade Center, New York, to mark the anniversary of September 11. At Ground
Zero, a solemn ceremony begins at 8.46am (8.46pm Malaysian time) featuring a reading of the 2,801 names of those who
died in the towers. * To protect the livelihood of the airport taxi drivers, the Vehicle Licensing Board decides that
Klang Valley taxies can only make one-way trips to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The city taxies, on the other
hand, will be allowed to impose a surcharge for such trips, which is increased from RM10 to RM12 for normal taxis, and
to RM15 for premier taxis. * Conjoined twins Ahmad and Muhammad Rosli undergo 17 hours of surgery to separate them. The
operation was fully sponsored by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Abdul Aziz. They return to Malaysia in time to celebrate
Hari Raya with their grandparents. * Former television newscaster Ras Adiba Radzi returns home after a two- month stay
in Australia where she used all the RM340,000 from public donations on treatment for her spinal cord problem. Despite
pressure from various quarters, she refuses to disclose an itemised bill to the public. ..TX: OCTOBER * Police foil a
baby-for-sale racket, exposing how a fee of RM18,000 enables childless couples to have newborns complete with bona fide
documents. * Russian forces storm a Moscow theatre, killing most of the Chechen guerillas who held theatre goes captive
and had started to execute them. More than 90 of the 700 hostages died. The raid was accompanied by the release of
sleeping gas inside the theatre and many of the hostages succumbed to it as well. * Husbands who divorce their first
wives, and neglect their children after taking another wife deserve to be caned, Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik
Mat says. * Telekom Malaysia Bhd takes control of Celcom (Malaysia) Bhd, creating Malaysia's largest mobile
telephony group. * Raja Puan Muda Perak Datin Seri Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar Shah, held by police for six days in
connection with the abduction-cum-murder of her husband's second wife Hasleza Ishak, is released. A
magistrate's court grants unconditional release after police recorded her statement and completed their
investigations into the death of the 26-year-old Hasleza. * Barisan Nasional resolves the issue of teaching Science and
Mathematics in English when Chinese-based component parties agree to the implementation of the policy in national-type
Chinese primary schools from Standard One this year. * Despite being shot in the leg, security guard Mohd Zaini Azizan
prevents Botak Innasi gang members from fleeing with a second loot at a shootout in Kajang. The gang fatally shoots two
other guards, besides wounding a bystander and Mohd Zaini outside the OCBC Bank branch before fleeing with RM1.2
million. ..TX: NOVEMBER * Azalina Othman Said wins Puteri Umno's posts for chairman while Noraini Ahmad clinches
the deputy chairman post. * Karamjit Singh makes history by becoming the first Asian driver to be crowned Production Car
World Rally champion. * Times are bad. Many Singaporeans opt to cash in their State-issued shares as the city-state
teeters on the edge of a double-dip recession. The shares which mature in five years were doled out a year ago as part
of a relief package. * Datuk Dr Jamaludin Jarjis is appointed Finance Minister II. An engineer by training, JJ in turn
appoints Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin to take his place as Tenaga National Bhd chairman. * Police claim to have crushed
the Mamak Gang with the capture of Khairul Affendie Mohd Noor aka Fendy (the boldest member of the gang). But Mohd Yusof
Abu Bakar is still on the run. Yusof aka Chot aka Jeffri escaped from police custody in October 2002, three months after
being captured. The Mamak gang boasts 39 members, 35 of whom have been captured. Their spate of robberies, hijackings
and thefts over 15 years netted RM50 million in loot. * Pre-dawn landslide destroys the home of Affin Bank Bhd chairman
Tan Sri Ismail Omar in Taman Hillview killing his wife, five other family members and his two maids. The former Armed
Forces chief's house was less than 300m from the scene of the 1993 collapse of one of the Highland Towers apartment
which killed 48 people. * United Nations weapons inspectors arrive in Baghdad, after a four-year suspension hunting for
Iraqi chemical, biological or nuclear weapons programmes. ..TX: DECEMBER * The Money Lenders Act 1951 is being amended
to mete out stiff penalties to loan sharks, including jail terms, fines and caning. Four days earlier, a young couple
committed suicide by taking paraquat as they could no longer stand the harassment of loan sharks. The couple also spiked
the drink of their four-year-old son with the weedkiller. The child died. * Australian Prime Minister John Howard, eager
to play sheriff for the US, makes an "arrogant" statement on Aussie TV saying that the United Nations charter
should be altered to allow nations to pre-emptively strike at terrorists. * Ninety-two beauty queens compete in a Miss
World contest hurriedly shunted to Britain from Nigeria after a newspaper story there on the pageant sparked riots that
killed more than 200 people. Journalist Isioma Daniel flees to the US after being made the subject of a fatwa for
referring to Prophet Muhammad in a report on the Miss World pageant in Nigeria. Turkish model and dancer, 21-year-old
Azra Akin won the title.
[AIW [Asia Africa Intelligence Wire]] |
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