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KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday (Jun 8) that Malaysia may revoke the death sentence on Sirul Azhar Umar, who was convicted in the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006, to facilitate his extradition from Australia. "Sirul cannot return to Malaysia because Australia won't allow someone facing capital punishment to return home. "We may revoke the death sentence, but replace it with a jail term," he told reporters at a press conference, adding that they have not yet asked Australia officially to extradite Sirul. Dr Mahathir's remarks came amid reports that Australian authorities have approved a request from Malaysia to extradite Sirul. According to a report in the Guardian on Friday, the Malaysian government had approached Australia to request that Sirul, one of two police bodyguards sentenced to death for the murder of Mongolian model and translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, be allowed to return to the country. Australia reportedly … [Read more...] about PM Mahathir ‘unaware’ of reports that Australia to extradite Sirul to Malaysia

GEORGE TOWN: The father of the murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu has sought a meeting with Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Ramkarpal Singh, the lawyer representing Shaariibuu Setev, said on Friday (Jun 8) that he was arranging the Mongolian's journey to Malaysia. He is expected to arrive within a week or two. "The decision by the Australian government to extradite Sirul Azhar Umar (who was convicted of killing Altantuya) is a positive development," Ramkarpal told reporters. "The extradition is the first step for re-investigation. We know who killed her (Altantuya), she was murdered by Sirul and Azilah Hadri (a former Special Action Unit personnel) ... but we don’t know who directed the killing. This issue needs to be raised or disclosed now." Ramkarpal said he would request that a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) be set up to investigate the motive behind Altantuya's murder. He also urged new Attorney-General Tommy Thomas to seriously consider … [Read more...] about Altantuya’s father to meet Malaysia PM Mahathir: Lawyer

KUALA LUMPUR: Shaaribuu Setev, the father of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, is in Malaysia to meet the country’s new Attorney-General Tommy Thomas to discuss the possibility of reopening the investigation into her killing. His lawyer Ramkarpal Singh told Channel NewsAsia that he is also trying to arrange for Shaariibuu, who arrived in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday and will be meeting Thomas on Tuesday (Jun 19), to meet Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. “The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the possibility of reopening the investigation into the murder case of Altantuya. There is still a lot that we do not know about the case," said Ramkarpal. “We do not know who ordered her (Altantuya's) murder. Those who ordered her murder is also culpable of murder and should be brought to justice. "We hope a new investigation will reveal who was the mastermind of her murder. This is what her father wants so that he can have closure and move on with his life." Altantuya … [Read more...] about Father of murdered Mongolian model Altantuya in Malaysia to discuss reopening investigation

KUALA LUMPUR: The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, and the enormous hunt that followed, has captured global attention since the jet vanished off radar screens in 2014. Here's a timeline of key events in the search for the Boeing 777: "GOODNIGHT MALAYSIAN 370" On Mar 8, 2014, Flight 370 departs Kuala Lumpur at 12.42am, bound for Beijing with 239 people - mostly from China - on board. It vanishes from Malaysian civilian radar at 1.30 am but continues to blip on military radar for another 45 minutes before disappearing entirely. The final words from the cockpit are: "Goodnight Malaysian Three Seven Zero." WHERE IN THE WORLD IS MH370? Chaos and confusion reign in the first weeks. Initial radar data sends searchers looking for the plane in the Gulf of Thailand, the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. Available clues to locate the plane are limited. Those searching for the jet are forced to use transmissions between it and … [Read more...] about Hope and despair: Key moments in hunt for MH370

KUALA LUMPUR: Thursday (Mar 8) marks the day when Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished without a trace four years ago in the southern Indian Ocean. The disappearance of the Boeing 777 passenger jetliner, which has since been dubbed the world’s greatest aviation mystery, continues to baffle aviation experts as major search operations to locate the aircraft have drawn a nil. Flight MH370 with 239 people on board vanished from the radar screen while on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on Mar 8, 2014. Early this year, no concrete evidence was forthcoming from an operation conducted by a United States-based seabed exploration company which was given the official mandate to locate the debris of the missing aircraft as it began scouring a search area of over 16,000 sq km. Except for an announcement from the Malaysian Department of Civil Aviation that the operation will be extended until June. However, aviation specialists viewed the extension of the operation as an … [Read more...] about Four years on, flight MH370 remains unsolved mystery