First Climax and Falsetto Notes

For the record again, Desi is reproducing theSUN's frontpage treatment of the MONGOLIAN MURDER, ongoing news that has been hogging the media headlines for the past two weeks now. I'm using the Web Edition as it is UPDATED ~~

WEB EDITION :: Local News

Razak charged with abetment (updated)
S.Tamarai Chelvi and Llew-Ann Phang

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 16, 2006): Speculation surrounding the involvement of a prominent political analyst in the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu ended today when Abdul Razak Abdullah - better known as Abdul Razak Baginda - was charged with abetting two policemen in the crime.

Abdul Razak, 46, who is the executive director of Malaysia Strategic Research Centre (MSRC) was charged with abetting Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and PC Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, in killing Altantuya, 28.

Clad in a long-sleeved blue shirt and black pants, a fragile-looking and dishevelled Abdul Razak with stubble on his chin entered the courtroom at 12.45pm.

His wife of 20 years, former magistrate Mazlinda Mahkzan, hugged him and his 19-year-old daughter kissed him on the cheek when he was led to the dock.

Proceedings began at 12.50pm when the charge was read out by an interpreter who asked Abdul Razak if he understood it. Abdul Razak remained silent but upon being asked a second time, he nodded.

However, no plea was recorded. Magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani then transferred the case to the High Court upon the application of DPP Salehuddin Saidin, after checking with Abdul Razak's lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah who had no objection.

It it learned that in the High Court, the prosecution will apply for the case to be transferred to the High Court in Shah Alam for a joint trial with Azilah and Sirul.

On Wednesday, the two policemen were charged with the murder of Altantuya somwhere between Lot 12843 and Lot 16735, Mukim Bukit Raja in the Petaling district, between 10pm on Oct 19 and 1am on Oct 20.

When proceedings ended, a man identified as Abdul Razak's brother told him: "Be strong , you will get through this" before breaking down.

Mazlinda, hugged him again before he was led out of court, through the tunnel leading to the holding cells.

Events of the past two days bring to a climax a case which has gripped the nation and hogged media headlines for two weeks.

DESIDERATA:

Desi is doing minimum coverage on this MONGOLIAN MURDER for some good reasons. As a journalist for some decades, I wish to share with fellow Bloggers and Commenters some lessons from this headling-grabbing incident involving a MURDER of a foreigner on Malaysian soil.

Rightfully, such an event deserved frontpage news treatment, but in the process some major mistakes took place because either the press deadlines forced some papers to be RECKLESS and hence took some bets which back-lashed on them;

OR the journalists have had no idea of what constitutes SUB-JUDICE or DEFAMATION in reporting.

In blogosphere, I am afarid it's disappointing to report that the offenders (I won't even use the "alleged" to qualify them because there was no doubt in my mind "many jumped the gun" and "others made defamatory statements and speculations on who the murderer/s was/were" ...) are more in quantity and worse in quality.

Just a quick listing of major errors, in BOLD THUS, followed by correct information/correction (italicised) to date.

(1) That the victim/deceased, ALTANTUYA SHAARIIBUU, was a famous Mongolian MODEL, and one MSM even used several pictures of a model who could be the victim, but qualified with a question mark it could be another person.

The victim's mother who came to Kuala Lumpur told the press that her daughter NEVER worked as a model. She owned a travel agency and was involved in other business. It was revealed later by several press the "other" model whose pictures were used by that MSM, and recycled by others, were those of a Korean actress, and still very much alive.

(2) Altantuya had a less-than-two-year-old son, with some press even suggesting that the political analyst was married to Altantuya in Mongolia, and that this child could be fathered by the prominent political analyst.

Altantuya's mother again said there was no truth to the two (analyst and Altantuya) being married, and dismissal of the claim by the family, including by the victim's father, that the analyst had fathered a child with their daughter.

(3) Some Bloggers/Commenters even passed judgment about the IQ level of the perpetrator asking why he never took precautions to prevent impregnating the victim, Pronto suggested as a good brand even that he should have used, and also advising future trysters to Mongolia should bring lots of the rubber from 7-Twelve?

Welcome to the 5th Estate, New Kid on Da (CHOPping) Blog!

PPS: I think I added a PS to one comment I left at a fellow Blogger's lending my 3sen worth to a discussion on Sun-Judice:

Are these writers thinking this current happening is just another one-hour episode from CSI?

I won't identify them because Hollywood would just buy them out and Desi won't have a chance for that 20million!

Desi is not going to pamper my ER with a crash course on Sub-Judice or Defamation but leave with the DEFINITIONS picked up from online Dick!~~

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sub ju·di·ce Listen: [ sb jd-s, sb yd-k ]
adv.

Under judicial deliberation; before a judge or court of law.


[Latin sub idice : sub, beneath, before + idice ablative of idex, judge.]

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Noun: defamation `defu'meyshun
A false accusation of an offence or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions
- calumny, calumniation, obloquy, traducement, hatchet job

An abusive attack on a person's character or good name- aspersion, calumny, slander, denigration
Type of: attack, depreciation, derogation, disparagement

UPDATEd Nov 18, 2006 @3.21PM:

From the NST, legalspeak~~


Don't make defamatory statements, says counsel
18 Nov 2006


KUALA LUMPUR: The counsel representing the two policemen in the murder trial of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu has urged the public and Press to refrain from making any statement regarding the case.

This came after political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda’s wife, Mazlinda Makhzan publicly said that her husband was innocent, before he was brought to the magistrate’s court here on Thursday.

Counsel Shaun Tan Kee Shaan, in a statement, urged Abdul Razak’s counsel Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah to advise Mazlinda not to make such statements, claiming that it was sub judice.

"Any party who breaches the sub judice principle in publishing facts of the case, made orally or in writing, before they are proven in court, can be charged for criminal defamation."

Mazlinda was reported to have told reporters: "Others killed the woman. Why put it on my husband?"

On Tuesday, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar were charged with Altantuya’s murder at the Shah Alam magistrate’s court, while Abdul Razak was charged with abetting, at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate’s court.

DESI's cheeky asside:

One Star reporter of at last a decade's experience was spotted writing the plural of Counsel as Counsels. The sub-editors and Desk Edtitor were paid to have forty winks on the job. Rip van Winkle, anyone?

Not even half-past-six!

But what do you know? An incoming GEIC has not been seen writing any Editorial piece for yes, one decade! (That kaypohcik Desi's been monitoring local Media sins.)

You want name/s? Buy-lah, cheapskates, Desi barrelfools of tehtarik served in a Golden Goblet, Ag also can, Pt Cun!


(Ends Update@3.37PM: See, working OT to serve my ER, do you think one goblet is justified?

BELATEDLY sighted Nov 18 @1030PM ~~ an NST EDITORIAL, added on as USEFUL EDUCATION or REMINDER and also FUTURE REFERENCE:

Editorial: To name or not to name
17 Nov 2006

INNOCENT until proven guilty is a familiar notion everywhere but the media, which can call upon counter-arguments like freedom of speech and information to turn the legal principle on its head.

All that may well be moot, now that political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda has been charged with abetting in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.

But the saturation coverage of the sensational crime, some of which was later shown to have been unsubstantiated, has made up many people’s minds about the Mongolian woman’s death.

If Malaysia had jury trials, Abdul Razak’s counsel would have grounds to doubt whether he would ever get a fair hearing.

Although there is no law preventing the media from publishing the name of a person who has been detained, ethics demand that journalists refrain from identifying the person.

During remand, a detainee is deemed to be assisting the police in their investigations and must be presumed innocent. In fact, lawyers point out that many people who are remanded are released without charge.

If a person in remand is named in connection with a crime and then freed days later, the prejudice and harm to him and his family cannot be undone.

Since many people may not be able to distinguish between an investigation, an accusation and an actual charge, it is important to protect the rights of the person in custody.

This is especially so in Malaysia, where remand can be extended for up to 14 days, unlike some Commonwealth countries where a person must either be charged within 36 hours or released.

Publishing the names and photographs of family members is an even greater intrusion of privacy and is irrelevant to the case under investigation. The media have to find the correct balance between a person’s right to privacy and the public’s right to information.

The convention of not naming a person until charged should not apply, of course, to cases of preventive detention under the Internal Security Act 1960, the Dangerous Drugs (Special Preventive Measures) Act 1985 and the Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance 1969, since these will never be brought to court. Disclosure of names in all such cases is in the public’s interests.

Another exception would be when national leaders are investigated on matters of public concern, such as corruption. Overall, however, journalism should err on the side of caution and eschew prurience.

PS: Desi thinking allowed whether he should charge Readers for his OT, but I'm not asked or tasked, so I have no locus standi to bill you, do I?

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Any parting remarks?

Confirms again that:

(1) Empty Vessles make the most noise.

(2) DEsi's adaptation: Half-empty vessels make the most dangerous noise.

See you, and Behave Yourself. Don't say Desi's suggesting any of you is/has been/ guilty of any offence , okay! We'll settle any "hard feelings" caused by today's write over a four-eyed meeting. Bring your own coffeee powder. I have my own tehtarik and batu sermban as added ingredient to maketh the bestA teh-C in Furong!

PeAce to Awe!:)