Save Raja Munirah

Utusan Malaysia - 31/12/2007

SAYA terpanggil untuk berkongsi kegusaran tentang nasib yang menimpa wanita Malaysia seperti Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar dan Umi Azlim Mohd. Lazim yang diperdaya rakyat asing untuk membawa dadah ke luar negara sehingga tertangkap dan meringkuk di penjara.

Difahamkan puluhan lagi kes yang serupa melibatkan warga muda kita di seluruh dunia yang secara tidak langsung menjejaskan nama baik negara.

Yang mendukacitakan sebahagian besar kes berkenaan adalah kerana terpedaya oleh janji manis rakyat asing yang baru dikenali.

Saya bertambah risau tentang senario ini memandangkan anak saya sendiri akan melanjutkan pelajaran ke Jepun awal tahun depan.

Saya tertanya-tanya sejauh manakah sistem pengimbas bagasi di KLIA berkesan mengimbas bagasi penumpang untuk mengesan sebarang benda asing yang mungkin tersorok tanpa pengetahuan tuan punya bagasi berkenaan.

Sekiranya sistem pengimbas kita dapat mengesan barangan asing dalam bagasi sebelum mereka berlepas ke luar negara, sudah tentu kes-kes ini lebih mudah disiasat dan diselesaikan.

Saya cadangkan semua bagasi penumpang ke luar negara diimbas dan diperiksa rapi supaya tidak ada kes terlepas sehingga tertangkap di luar negara.

Ini dapat mengelak anak-anak muda kita tertangkap di negara asing atas kesalahan yang mereka tidak lakukan.

Secara langsung ini dapat juga menyelamatkan nama baik negara agar tidak dianggap sebagai pusat pengedaran dadah ke negara luar.

Pertingkatkan sistem di Malaysia untuk menyelamatkan rakyat Malaysia!

– BAPA RISAU,

Petaling Jaya.

The Star - 30/12/2007

International drug syndicates are targeting young Malaysian women to be their mules overseas, but their con is becoming more and more difficult to detect.

FOR many, it was too good to resist. A job with a “multinational” in a ritzy office, cool boss, good money and travel opportunities – how lucky can a fresh graduate get?

However, as a few young Malaysians recently discovered, the dream can easily turn into a nightmare. The bright future instantly dimmed as they find themselves languishing in foreign jails or biding time until their execution under another country's law.

Chew: ‘Ensure the foreign culprits do not get off scott-free'

Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, a 24-year-old graduate of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, could not believe her luck when she saw the high-paying courier job advertised on the Net early this year. She was caught at Shantou airport in China with 2,983gms of heroin in her luggage, and has been sentenced to death.

Neither could Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar, 22, a mass communication student in a private college in Cyberjaya, who travelled to Japan to be interviewed for a well-paid job last year, as recommended by her Iranian friend.

Her “helpful” friend even bought her a travelling bag and winter clothes, which he passed to her just before she departed. This proved to be a costly gift as Raja Munirah was later caught in the Narita International Airport with drugs in her locked luggage. Charged with trafficking in 690gm of Syabu, she is now serving a seven-year-and-one-month jail term in Kosuke Detention Centre, Tokyo.

Previously, most drug traffickers played on women's emotions with promises of love to get them to do their dirty jobs. The “casanovas” usually lured these women by showering them with expensive gifts before sending them off on all-expense paid holidays to foreign destinations, where they were requested to pass a gift to a friend or relative.

These days, many drug syndicates prey on the MTV generation's need for instant gratification and materialistic aspirations, with the quick buck and high-flying lifestyle the common carrots.

“Unfortunately, many of our young are easily conned because they are simply too impatient to get rich and attain the high lifestyle they aspire to,” said lawyer Rosal Azimin Ahmad, who was hired by Raja Munirah's family to help defend her.

According to Tenaganita programme coordinator Aegile Fernandez, the problem is intensified by globalisation.

“Drug syndicates have become international with their members easily travelling in and out of Malaysia under the guise of tourists and students. Our work on trafficking has revealed that our borders are porous as it is easy for foreigners to enter the country and smuggle in drugs or weapons,” she alleged.

Muhammad Shafee: ‘Many of the young Malaysian girls caught were naive'

The modus operandi of drug syndicates has also become more insidious, added Rosal Azimin.

“It is a rich syndicate, so many can put up a rich cover like a good office while their members live and dress well. They can also afford to take time to gain not only their target's confidence but also the family and friends. Like in Raja Munirah's case, the Iranian man who conned her is close to her family, having been to their house many times.

“For work, sometimes it is not even a courier job, you might be hired for another job, and when you are settled in, maybe six months down the road, you might be sent on an overseas assignment. So, you can't really blame the girls who get duped for being stupid or careless,” he said.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong also believes that many of the young mules were duped and exploited by international drug syndicates.

“Some of these girls responded to job offers by international companies set up by Middle Easterners and Africans in Kuala Lumpur that put up job advertisements.

“The bosses would bring them for meetings with the so-called VIPs and even take them to meetings overseas.

“So, bringing documents and brief cases are natural and these girls do not know that the drugs were implanted inside.

“The girls were all innocent and they could pass through the watchful eyes of drug enforcers trained to observe people at the airport. They did not know that they were carrying drugs until their bags were screened. We must help them,” Chong said.

News reports revealed that in the past 11 months, about 32 Malaysian women in the 20 to 40 age group have been arrested for their involvement.

Women, Family and Community Development Ministry parliamentary secretary Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun argued that most of the time greed landed people into trouble.

She said no one would offer so much of money for an easy job.

“Therefore, Malaysians, especially young women, must not easily fall into such a trap, and trust strangers in a short period of time.”

Information important

Jobstreet.com vice-president (Marketing), Simon Si urged young jobseekers to always be careful and cautious when it comes to jobs that seem very lucrative (abnormally high salary) for very little effort.

“Such “dream” jobs rarely exist. The most important when accepting a job offer is to be absolutely sure about the company you will be working for and absolutely clear about your role and responsibility in that position,” he said.

He added it is crucial that they take the effort to do some background checks.

“The Internet is a good source to get information on companies. If the job is posted by a recruitment agency, a check with the Human Resource Ministry can help to determine if the agency is properly licensed. If it is a company, its record would be with the Registrar of Companies,” he said, adding that looking for a job through established recruitment companies such a JobStreet.com is much safer as they will have a verification measure in place.

He explained, at Jobstreet , jobs that are posted with insufficient information on type of job and requirements will be highlighted by the system, hence it will be checked and if the information provided is not satisfactory the job does not get posted.

“If jobseekers are called for an interview, they should take the effort during the job interview to learn more about each other for the purpose of filling a position within an organisation,” said Si, adding that if it is suspicious, the job offer should be turned down.

A graphic artist in her mid-thirties who only wanted to be known as Reena relayed her experience of being offered a courier job for a foreign NGO in the Middle East in one of the social networks on the Internet.

“At first it seemed harmless enough as the job is to deliver relief supplies to disaster and war torn areas. Then I got suspicious about why the organisation had to recruit people through the Internet, and started asking questions.”

She became more suspicious when she was told that she would not be allowed to open and check the packages.

“I kept egging him and his breaking point came when I asked why they did not use courier service for the deliveries and he just snapped back that if I was not interested, there are many others who need the money willing to do the job,” she said.

She added, however, that she might have jumped at the opportunity without a thought if she had been younger and more naive.

Young girls the target

Prominent lawyer Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who defended the case of Ruzana Zubir who was arrested in Australia for smuggling 5kg of opium last year, believes that many of the Malaysian girls who were caught were naive.

“Young girls with not much experience travelling overseas are certainly not aware of the kind of complications that they can get into right from the time they a board a plane and land at foreign airports,” he said.

Muhammad Shafee said in the case of Ruzana, it was proven without doubt that she was not aware of the nature of substances she was carrying.

Ruzana who was arrested on April 1, 2005 after Australian customs officers seized a tar-like block wrapped in tape from her luggage when she arrived in Sydney. She was later freed and acquitted by an Australian court of the charge.

Chew urged the police to find the root cause. “If it is the foreigners, try to arrest them to ensure the culprits do not get off scott- free.”

“We at the ministry level will discuss on what can be done to ensure young women do not get cheated by foreigners, until they end up in prison,” she added.

One area that needed attention is the dissemination of information on the dangers, said Fernandez.

“In the past there were many campaigns and posters to raise awareness on the dangers of getting duped into drug trafficking. That has stopped,” she said.

Fernandez stressed that a problem was that the authorities are not doing enough to nab the big players – the syndicates.

“We are nabbing the addicts and the couriers but more needs to be done to catch the syndicates' big bosses,” she said.

Muhammad Shafee agreed, “Many of them were targeted by foreigners, where the initial contact is made in Malaysia, and I believe that the police should unravel the people behind the syndicate.”

Reports by LEE YUK PENG, MANJIT KAUR, ANDREW SAGAYAM and HARIATI AZIZAN

The Star - 30/12/2007

PETALING JAYA: It is a dream job at an international company dealing with the import-export of goods. The office is swanky with various branches overseas. Cool boss, good money and if you are lucky, the chance to travel – what more could a fresh graduate ask for?

More than they bargained for, apparently, as some young Malaysians have recently discovered.

One is Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, a 24-year-old graduate of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, who was enticed by a high-paying courier job advertised on the Net early this year. She was caught at Shantou airport in China with 2,983g of heroin in her luggage. She has been sentenced to death.

Another is Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar, 22, a mass communication student at a private college in Cyberjaya, who travelled to Japan to be interviewed for a well-paid job last year, as recommended by her Iranian friend.

She is languishing in a Japanese jail, serving a seven-year jail term after being caught with drugs at the Narita International Airport.

News reports reveal that in the past 11 months, about 32 Malaysian women between the ages of 20 and 40 had been arrested for their involvement as couriers.

Federal narcotics department director Comm Datuk Mohd Bakri Mohd Zinin said that while there are a few who were tricked into trafficking drugs by their foreign friends or acquaintances, many of the young women were lured by good money and free overseas trips.

He believes the number of women involved in smuggling drugs could be much higher than what's on police record. There are also many women consciously working for drug syndicates.

“Up to now, over 30 women, mostly in their 20s, have been nabbed but we won't be surprised if the number of women acting as couriers is triple that,” he said.

Foreign Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek agreed that many were inexperienced and unaware of the foreign country's laws and culture.

“Their cases show a similar pattern: many of them are first-time travellers and had just got their passports,” he said.

Lawyer Rosal Azimin Ahmad, who was hired by Raja Munirah's family to help defend her, pointed out that international drug syndicates have a new modus operandi.

“Many syndicates use the cover of international companies to lure young women with big salaries and travel opportunities. They prey on young people's ambition to make fast money without working too hard. Unfortunately, many of them are easily conned because they are simply too impatient to get rich,” he said.

He added it was getting more difficult to distinguish between a real business entity and a drug syndicate as many now go the extra mile to put up a facade of legitimacy.

“The syndicates now make a lot of money so they can afford to set up an office while their members live and dress well.

“They can also afford to take time to gain not only their target's confidence but also that of the family and friends.

“For work, they offer the young women different positions, not a courier's job. When they are settled in, maybe six months down the road, they will be sent on an overseas assignment,” he said.

Reports by LEE YUK PENG, MANJIT KAUR, ANDREW SAGAYAM and HARIATI AZIZAN

Utusan Malaysia - 28/12/2007

KUALA LUMPUR 27 Dis. – Satu permohonan dikemukakan oleh Raja Munirah Raja Iskandar Shah kepada Kementerian Sains, Teknologi dan Inovasi (MOSTI) bagi memperakui Cyber Security Malaysia adalah agensi di bawah kementerian itu.

Permohonan kepada menteri berkaitan, Datuk Seri Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis dibuat melalui peguamnya, Rosal Azimin Ahmad bertujuan membolehkan satu data khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) yang diperoleh melalui agensi itu diiktiraf sebagai barang kes dalam rayuannya di Mahkamah Agung di Jepun tidak lama lagi.

Sebelum ini, peguam telah mengemukakan SMS mengandungi komunikasi antara Raja Munirah, 22, dan Milad, seorang lelaki warga Iran dalam pembelaannya di Mahkamah Tinggi di Jepun tetapi ia ditolak.

Menurut Rosal Azimin, perakuan bertulis daripada MOSTI itu dijangka digunakan oleh peguam berkenaan dalam prosiding rayuan di Mahkamah Agung, April ini.

“Kami harap kementerian akan dapat membantu kerana dokumen perakuan itu penting bagi membuktikan kewujudan Milad dalam kes ini,” katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Menurut Rosal Azimin, kewujudan lelaki warga Iran itu penting kerana ia bukti utama yang dalam proses rayuan untuk membebaskan gadis tersebut daripada hukuman penjara tujuh tahun empat bulan di Pusat Tahanan Kosuke, Tokyo.

Dalam pada itu, beliau berkata, peguam Raja Munirah di Jepun, Shunji Miyake akan berjumpa gadis itu di Pusat Tahanan Kosuke, Tokyo dalam masa terdekat ini sebagai persiapan rayuan mengetepikan sabitan kesalahan dan hukuman penjara tersebut.

Perkenalan antara Raja Munirah dan Milad bermula kira-kira setahun lalu sebaik dia menamatkan pengajian Ijazah Komunikasi Massa di sebuah kolej swasta manakala Milad menuntut di sebuah kolej di Cyberjaya.

Utusan Malaysia - 28/12/2007

Oleh THOMAS CHONG

KUALA LUMPUR 27 Dis. – Menteri Luar, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar meminta pihak berkuasa berkaitan menyelidik tujuan sebenar rakyat asing ke negara ini bagi memastikan kehadiran mereka adalah secara sah dan bukan bertujuan menjalankan aktiviti jenayah.

Menurutnya, walaupun negara ini terbuka dan mengalu-alukan kedatangan warga asing tetapi kerajaan pada masa yang sama akan berusaha melindungi rakyat daripada aktiviti-aktiviti yang dilakukan oleh segelintir rakyat asing yang bermasalah.

‘‘Walaupun jumlah rakyat asing yang bermasalah tidak banyak, tetapi pihak berkuasa negara ini khasnya polis dan Imigresen perlu memikirkan cara untuk memastikan kepentingan rakyat kita sentiasa dilindungi,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata, langkah tersebut juga perlu diambil kerana lebih 50 rakyat Malaysia, kebanyakannya wanita muda telah ditahan di luar negara selepas diperalatkan warga asing untuk melakukan jenayah.

‘‘Daripada lebih 50 kes yang saya teliti, kebanyakan yang menjadi tauke (ketua jenayah) adalah orang asing.

‘‘Banyak daripada kes ini seperti yang berlaku di China, Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela dan banyak tempat lain juga membabitkan gadis-gadis muda yang terlibat dengan jenayah berkaitan dengan dadah,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Persatuan Pengilang Dan Industri Perkhidmatan Bumiputera Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Dalam dua kes baru-baru ini, Raja Munirah Raja Idris Shah, 22, dan Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim, 24, masing-masing dijatuhi hukuman penjara dan hukuman gantung selepas disabitkan kesalahan menyeludup dadah di Tokyo, Jepun dan Guangzhou, China.

Syed Hamid bagaimanapun, mengakui pihaknya menghadapi masalah untuk mengesan sindiket-sindiket yang memperalatkan gadis-gadis tempatan ini kerana operasi mereka bukan berpusat di negara ini.

Sehubungan itu, beliau menasihatkan orang ramai, terutamanya wanita agar tidak mudah tertarik dengan pendapatan lumayan yang ditawarkan oleh orang asing sehingga menyebabkan diri mereka terjerat ke dalam sindiket pengedaran dadah antarabangsa.

Mengenai nasib wanita-wanita yang ditahan di luar negara pula, Syed Hamid berkata, Kementerian Luar akan mengikuti perkembangan mereka dan bersedia memberikan bantuan yang sewajarnya.

Sementara itu, beliau menafikan dakwaan kononnya kerajaan menyekat penyertaan kaum bukan bumiputera untuk berkhidmat sebagai Pegawai Tadbir Dan Diplomatik (PTD) di Wisma Putra.

Menurutnya, kerajaan sebaliknya menggalakkan rakyat pelbagai kaum mengisi jawatan-jawatan kosong, termasuk PTD yang disediakan dalam kementeriannya.

‘‘Fenomena di mana bilangan penjawat awam dari kaum bumiputera yang jauh mengatasi kaum lain tidak harus dilihat dalam aspek perkauman.

‘‘Keadaan ini sebaliknya disebabkan kaum bukan bumiputera lebih berminat untuk menyertai sektor swasta daripada menjadi penjawat awam,'' katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian sebagai mengulas siaran satu surat pembaca oleh sebuah akhbar tempatan yang mendakwa kaum bumiputera diberikan peluang yang lebih luas untuk menjawat jawatan di Kementerian Luar berbanding kaum bukan bumiputera.

The Star - 28/12/2007

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has to be more aware of the people coming into the country, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said.

He said this was because foreigners were behind all cases of Malaysian women being detained overseas for drug trafficking.

“The syndicates, all headed by foreigners, are operating out of here. We must not allow our people be made use of in this manner.

“We want to encourage tourism but we have to be aware of these people,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after opening the Bumiputra Factory and Industrial Services Association's annual general meeting.

Syed Hamid said many of the women involved in the cases did not know what they were getting themselves into and were blinded by the promise of making lots of money.

“Some who did know what they were doing might have assumed that other countries do not have the death sentence for trafficking or smuggling drugs,” he said.

“I have been briefed on more than 50 cases, many involving women in their 20s.”

Syed Hamid said the countries Malaysians had been caught in included Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela and China.

“As for the case involving Umi Azlim Mohamad Lazim in China, my ministry is in contact with her family and we are trying to provide whatever assistance possible,” he said.

Berita Harian - 28/12/2007

Oleh Amirullah Andi Nur

CEMERLANG: Syed Hamid menyampaikan Anugerah Usahawan Cemerlang kepada Pengerusi Eksekutif Federal Malay Holdings, Datuk Musa Ibrahim pada Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan Ke-16 Persatuan Pengilang dan Industri Perkhidmatan Bumiputra Malaysia di sini, semalam.

Dalang sindiket dadah antarabangsa beroperasi di Malaysia umpan gadis dengan kemewahan

KUALA LUMPUR: Kira-kira 50 kes penyeludupan dadah membabitkan wanita muda Malaysia yang menjadi mangsa sindiket antarabangsa dikesan berlaku di luar negara sehingga kini termasuk di Amerika Selatan dan Australia.

Menteri Luar, Datuk Seri Hamid Albar ketika mendedahkannya berkata hasil penelitiannya mendapati semua individu yang menjadi dalang kegiatan itu adalah rakyat asing yang beroperasi di negara ini.

Sambil mengakui perkembangan itu membimbangkan dan perlu dibendung segera, beliau berharap pihak berkuasa berkaitan mengambil tindakan segera termasuk menyelidik tujuan sebenar rakyat asing terbabit memasuki negara ini.

"Kita perlu beri perhatian kepada golongan yang datang untuk melakukan jenayah atau memperdaya anak gadis kita dengan menjanjikan kekayaan dan kemewahan. Kita kena selidik semua ini kerana kebanyakan taiko (dalang) kegiatan ini adalah rakyat asing.

"Daripada kira-kira 50 kes yang saya sudah teliti, yang menjadi tauke adalah orang asing, manakala mangsa kebanyakannya berusia awal 20an," katanya selepas merasmikan Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan ke-16 Persatuan Pengilang dan Industri Perkhidmatan Bumiputera (PPIPBM) di sini semalam.

Beliau diminta mengulas beberapa kes wanita muda ditahan pihak berkuasa beberapa negara sepanjang tahun ini kerana disyaki terbabit menyeludup dadah.

Sebelum ini, Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik Bukit Aman, Datuk Mohd Bakri Zinin berkata mengikut rekod jabatan itu, 33 gadis dan wanita Malaysia ditahan di luar negara sepanjang tahun ini kerana menyeludup bahan terlarang berkenaan.

Ada wanita terbabit sudah disabitkan kesalahan dan sedang menjalani hukuman. Nasib wanita muda itu hanya diketahui selepas mereka menghubungi keluarga masing-masing dan kemudian didedahkan media.

Laporan media sebelum ini menyatakan sindiket pengedaran dadah antarabangsa yang menggunakan wanita muda negara untuk membawa dadah ke luar negara dikesan menabur wang dan kemewahan serta cinta palsu kepada mangsa.

Mengulas lanjut, Syed Hamid berkata walaupun Malaysia mengamalkan dasar terbuka, ia perlu melaksanakan kawalan ketat bagi memastikan rakyat asing ke negara ini tidak mempunyai niat jahat.

Katanya, Wisma Putra menerusi pejabat perwakilan atau kedutaan sentiasa bersedia membantu mangsa penipuan dan berharap keluarga mereka menghubungi pihak terbabit segera.

"Kita sentiasa berhubung dengan mereka (mangsa sindiket penipuan) untuk membantu sedaya upaya. Kita menerima banyak laporan kes seperti di Australia, New Zealand, Venezuela, China dan India," katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Syed Hamid berkata pihaknya sentiasa mengalu-alukan usahawan termasuk ahli PPIPBM mendapatkan bantuan Wisma Putra bagi mencari peluang di luar negara.

"Ketika ini beberapa pejabat perwakilan seperti di London, New York dan beberapa bandar utama di China menyediakan kemudahan itu secara berpusat," katanya.

Menjawab soalan, Syed Hamid berkata pelantikan lebih ramai kaum Bumiputera dalam Kementerian Luar adalah amalan lama berdasarkan struktur perkhidmatan awam ketika itu.

"Kita mengalu-alukan pemohon bukan Bumiputera supaya memohon jawatan PTD (Perkhidmatan Tadbir dan Diplomatik) kementerian," katanya.

Syed Hamid juga berkata Malaysia bersedia menyerahkan jawatan Pengerusi Pertubuhan Negara-Negara Islam (OIC) kepada Senegal pada Mac ini, selepas menerajuinya sejak empat tahun lalu.