Gadhafi forces shell oil port to dislodge rebels

AFP – Libyan anti-government protesters shouts slogans while waving their country's former national flag …

By PAUL SCHEMM, Associated Press Paul Schemm, Associated Press – 1 hr 18 mins ago

BREGA, Libya – Moammar Gadhafi loyalists shelled around a key oil port Friday trying to dislodge rebels who have dug in and are struggling to regroup after their fighters were scattered in a heavy regime offensive.

The rebels appeared to have a tenacious hold around the oil facilities at Ras Lanouf, taking refuge among the towering storage containers of crude oil and gas. Government forces stopped directing their fire at those positions, apparently to avoid blowing up the facility's infrastructure, according to fighters.

Instead, the pro-Gadhafi troops, positioned in Ras Lanouf's residential about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the oil port across a barren desert no man's land, were raining rockets and shelling along the main coastal highway, targeting rebel vehicles trying to reinforce and bring supplies to the port, said Mohammed Gherani, a rebel fighter.

The bodies of at least three opposition fighters killed in the shelling were brought to rebel-held Brega, a larger oil port to the west, bringing the toll from two days of battles at Ras Lanouf to at least nine.

The standoff in Ras Lanouf was an attempt by the rebels' ragtag force to halt a dramatic shift in the momentum of Libya's upheaval, which is shaping into a potential civil war. Last week, opposition forces that hold the entire eastern half of the country came charging along the Mediterranean coast westward, trying to push toward the capital Tripoli, Gadhafi's strongest bastion.

But the regime struck back with an overwhelming force, backed by warplanes, artillery, rockets and tanks, that over the past few days pushed the rebels back to Ras Lanouf, 380 miles, 615 kilometers, southeast of Tripoli. On Thursday, pro-Gadhafi forces barraged the port for hours, reportedly adding warships shelling from off shore to their arsenal, in an assault that stunned the once-confident rebels and sent hundreds of their volunteer fighters fleeing in an unorganized retreat.

"They came from the air, they came from the sea, and there were rockets everywhere. It was a big surprise for us," one rebel fighter, Mustafa Mehrik, a 39-year-old coffeeshop owner, said in Brega. "Everyone is worried. Today they say there will bring heavy weapons from Benghazi."

In Tripoli, Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam vowed to retake the eastern half of the country. If government forces take Ras Lanouf, they could threaten the opposition's bastions further east.

"I have two words to our brothers and sisters in the east: We're coming," he told a cheering crowd of young supporters late Thursday. The son depicted Libyans in the east as being held "hostage" by terrorists.

The rebel force at the Ras Lanouf front appeared thinner Friday, perhaps a sign they had yet to regroup from Thursday's blow. The core of the opposition port holding out at the oil facilities appeared to be the more disciplined soldiers from army units that defected and joined the uprising.

At Brega's western entrance, facing Ras Lanouf, there were few rebel fighters to be seen at the checkpoint — usually the scene of many fighters waving their automatic weapons. Few fighters or equipment were seen passing through on the way to Ras Lanouf, except an occasional pickup truck with an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the back. Doctors in Brega said six people were killed in Thursday's fighting, raising their previous count of four.

The assault on Ras Lanouf was a sign of greater confidence in the Gadhafi camp after it first seemed to reel in confusion for the much of the uprising that began Feb. 15.

In Washington, U.S. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stressed that Gadhafi's military was stronger than it has been described and said that "in the longer term ... the regime will prevail." President Barack Obama has called on Gadhafi to step down, and the White House later distanced Obama from the director's assessment.

The regime confidence may stem in part from a surer hold in the capital, where a heavy crackdown by pro-Gadhafi militiamen has stifled attempts at protests. At the same time, there has been little sign of military intervention by the West, where leaders have struggled with finding a way to respond to the crisis.

The prospect of the quick imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya to protect the civilian population from the Gadhafi regime's fighter jets appeared to be fading, with German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere insisting that the Arab League must first make clear what it wants. The Arab League meets on Libya in Cairo on Saturday.

Gadhafi opponents have attempted to hold protests every Friday for the past weeks in Tripoli, met each time by a fierce retaliation from militiamen.

On Friday, it appeared that no demonstrations got off the ground. In Tripoli's Tajoura district — scene of some of the heaviest past protests — police deployed in significant numbers outside the main local Murad Agha mosque to prevent marches after prayers. The main road from Tajoura to downtown was blocked by repeated checkpoints.

Gadhafi's government sent a text message to Tripoli residents, warning imams at mosques against allowing protests after Friday prayers. The message quoted Saudi cleric Sheik Saleh Fawzan, a member of the Saudi Supreme Scholars Council, as saying it was "unacceptable" for any imam "who incites people (or) causes disturbances of the society in any mosque."

European Union leaders were meeting in a summit Friday, promising measures that would increase Gadhafi's isolation. But there was a backlash among them against French President Nicolas Sarkozy after he unilaterally announced France's diplomatic recognition of Libya's opposition governing council.

Sarkozy was unrepentant. "Democracy is a right for all people," he said, urging the EU to recognize the opposition "because nothing would be worse than to see a country in a situation like Somalia, without leaders and representatives."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose relationship with Sarkozy is sometimes prickly, said the European Union needed to send a united signal, "since 'divide and rule' would only play into the hands of Gadhafi."

The council France recognized is an umbrella group of Libyan rebels based in the eastern city of Benghazi, which was taken over in a deadly uprising that has spread throughout much of the oil-rich North African country.

Play Video FOX News – Clinton Heading to Middle East

• Slideshow:Anti-government protests in Libya

___

Maggie Michael in Tripoli and Zeina Karam in Cairo contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110311/ap_on_re_af/af_libya

Indonesia volcano erupts, spews lava and gas

– Fri Mar 11, 6:53 am ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia – One of Indonesia's most active volcanos has erupted, sending lava and searing gas clouds tumbling down its slopes.

Volcanology official Agus Budianto said Friday that authorities were still trying to evacuate residents living along the slopes of Mount Karangetang.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage.

The 5,853-foot (1,784-meter) mountain is located on Siau, part of the Sulawesi island chain. It last erupted in August, killing four people.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is located on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

The eruption happened hours after a massive earthquake in Japan that triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110311/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_volcano

Yemeni security forces open fire on protesters

AP – Anti-government protestors carry the body of Abduallah Ali, center, wrapped with his national flag, who …

• Slideshow:Anti-Government Demonstrations in Yemen

By AHMED AL-HAJ, Associated Press Ahmed Al-haj, Associated Press – 1 hr 27 mins ago

SANAA, Yemen – Eyewitnesses say Yemeni security forces opened fire on demonstrators taking part in protests throughout Yemen in what appears to be the biggest turnout in a month of unrest to demand regime change.

In the southern port city of Aden, the witnesses say security forces shot at demonstrators trying rip down photographs of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Six protesters were wounded, one seriously, said one medic.

Many demonstrators say their turnout of hundreds of thousands on Friday is to tell their leader of 32 years that they reject his latest compromise offer and want him to go.

Saleh proposed creating a new constitution guaranteeing the independence of parliament and the judiciary on Thursday night.

Thousands of women also participated in demonstrations in Yemen's conservative capital, Sanaa.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110311/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_yemen

Japan to evacuate residents near nuke plant

Play Video Earthquakes Video:Tsunami waves close in on Japan Reuters

Play Video Earthquakes Video:8.9 quake hits Japan CBC.ca

Play Video Earthquakes Video:Tsunami watch for B.C. CBC.ca

By MARI YAMAGUCHI, Associated Press Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press – 1 hr 24 mins ago

TOKYO – Japan ordered thousands of residents near a northeastern nuclear power plant to evacuate on Friday following a massive earthquake that caused a problem in the plant's cooling system.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the Fukushima No. 1 power plant was not leaking radiation. The plant is in Onahama city, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Japan's nuclear safety agency said the evacuation, ordered by the local government of Fukushima, affects at least 2,800 people. It comes after the government declared a state of emergency at the plant.

The quake triggered a power outage and when a backup generator also failed, the cooling system was unable to supply water to cool the reactor. The reactor core remains hot even after a shutdown.

Edano said residents were told to stay at least two miles (three kilometers) from the plant and to stay inside buildings.

He said both the state of emergency and evacuation order are meant to be a precaution. It was the first time Japan has declared a state of emergency at a nuclear power plant.

"We launched the measure so we can be fully prepared for the worst scenario," he said. "We are using all our might to deal with the situation."

If the outage in the cooling system persists, eventually radiation could leak out into the environment, and, in the worst case, could cause a reactor meltdown, a nuclear safety agency official said on condition of anonymity, citing sensitivity of the issue.

The plant is just south of the worst-hit Miyagi prefecture, where a fire broke out at another nuclear plant. The blaze was in a turbine building at one of the Onagawa power plants; smoke could be seen coming out of the building, which is separate from the plant's reactor, Tohoku Electric Power Co. said. It has since been extinguished.

Another plant at Onagawa is experiencing a water leak.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s.

A tsunami warning was issued for a number of Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110311/ap_on_bi_ge/as_japan_quake_power_plant

Hundreds killed in tsunami after 8.9 Japan quake

AP PHOTO/NHK TV

In this video image taken from Japan's NHK TV, ships and boats are washed ashore in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefectur, Japan Friday March 11, 2011 following a masive earth quake. More photos »

AP – Tsunami waves swirl near a port in Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture (state) after Japan was struck by a strong …

By MALCOLM FOSTER, Associated Press Malcolm Foster, Associated Press – 6 mins ago

TOKYO – A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan's eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor's cooling system failed.

Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake's epicenter. Another 110 were confirmed killed, with 350 people missing. Police also said 544 people were injured.

The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter.

A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said. A witness told the broadcaster that the fire began after the tsunami knocked over several cars, causing them to leak oil and gas. The fire started hours later and rescuers have yet to arrive, according to NHK.

"The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to move back at least two miles (three kilometers) from the plant. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Trouble was reported at two other nuclear plants as well, but there was no radiation leak at either.

Click image to see photos of quake, tsunami damage

Reuters/Kyodo

Japan's coast guard said it was searching for 80 dock workers working on a ship that was swept away from a shipyard in Miyagi.

Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions because of the tsunami that crashed ashore, swallowing everything in its path as it surged several miles (kilometers) inland before retreating. The apocalyptic images of surging water and uncontrolled conflagrations broadcast by Japanese TV networks resembled scenes from a Hollywood disaster movie.

Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses or scraping under them and snapping power lines along the way. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water. Ships anchored in ports crashed against each other.

The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

Waves of muddy waters flowed over farmland near Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways.

The highways to the worst-hit coastal areas were buckled and communications, including telephone lines, were snapped. Train services in northeastern Japan and in Tokyo, which normally serve 10 million people a day, were also suspended, leaving untold numbers stranded in stations or roaming the streets. Tokyo's Narita airport was closed indefinitely.

Jesse Johnson, a native of the U.S. state of Nevada who lives in Chiba, north of Tokyo, was eating at a sushi restaurant with his wife when the quake hit.

"At first it didn't feel unusual, but then it went on and on. So I got myself and my wife under the table," he told The Associated Press. "I've lived in Japan for 10 years, and I've never felt anything like this before. The aftershocks keep coming. It's gotten to the point where I don't know whether it's me shaking or an earthquake."

NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

As night fell, the streets were jammed with cars, buses and trucks trying to get around and out of the city. Pedestrians swarmed the sidewalks to walk home, or at least find a warm place to spend the night as the temperatures dropped.

Tomoko Suzuki and her elderly mother stood on a crowded corner in central Tokyo, unable to get up to their 29th-floor condominium because the elevator wasn't working. They unsuccessfully tried to hail a taxi to go to a relative's house. They called around to dozens of hotels, but they were full.

"We are so cold," said Suzuki. "We really don't know what to do."

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture and burned out of control with 100-foot (30 meter) -high flames whipping into the sky.

"Our initial assessment indicates that there has already been enormous damage," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said. "We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment."

He said the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the quake-hit region. A utility aircraft and several helicopters were on the way.

Also in Miyagi, a fire broke out in a turbine building of a nuclear power plant, but it was later extinguished, said Tohoku Electric Power Co. the company said.

A reactor area of a nearby plant was leaking water, the company said. But it was unclear if the leak was caused by tsunami water or something else. There were no reports of radioactive leaks at any of Japan's nuclear plants.

Jefferies International Limited, a global investment banking group, said it estimated overall losses to be about $10 billion.

Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in northern Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the destruction.

"We don't even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things," he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s, and one of the biggest ever recorded in the world.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles (10 kilometers), about 80 miles (125 kilometers) off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles (380 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo. Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday that caused no damage.

A tsunami warning was extended to a number of areas in the Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities ordered an evacuation of coastal communities, but no unusual waves were reported.

Thousands of people fled their homes in Indonesia after officials warned of a tsunami up to 6 feet (2 meters) high. But waves of only 4 inches (10 centimeters) were measured. No big waves came to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory, either.

The first waves hit Hawaii about 9 a.m. EST (1400 GMT) Friday. A tsunami at least 3 feet (a meter) high were recorded on Oahu and Kauai, and officials warned that the waves would continue and could become larger.

Japan's worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 6,400 people.

Japan lies on the "Ring of Fire" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 nations. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people.

Slideshow:Huge Japan quake causes tsunami, fires, landslide

Play Video Video:Japan quake triggers giant tsunami Reuters

Play Video Video:People gather on Tokyo streets after massive quake AFP

___

Associated Press writers Jay Alabaster, Mari Yamaguchi, Tomoko A. Hosaka and Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110311/ap_on_re_as/as_japan_earthquake

Berpuluh maut akibat gempa kuat, tsunami di Jepun

Jepun hari ini dilanda gempa bumi berukuran 8.9 magnitud di timur laut negara itu dan menyebabkan tsunami setinggi empat meter yang menghanyutkan kereta dan meruntuhkan bangunan di sepanjang perairan dekat pusat gempa.

Laporan menyebut jumlah kematian akibat malapetaka itu telahpun mencecah 32 orang.

Laporan televisyen menunjukkan kerosakan teruk akibat tsunami, dengan ratusan kereta, bot dan bangunan dihanyutkan air di beberapa tempat sepanjang perairan Jepun,

Sebuah kapal besar dihanyutkan tsunami ke arah tembok penahan di bandar Kesennuma, wilayah Miyagi, menurut stesen NHK.

Jumlah kerosakan sedang dinilai dan tiada maklumat lengkap mengenai kecederaan dan kematian yang diperolehi setakat ini.

Gempa bumi itu dilaporkan berlaku pada jam 2.46 petang dan diikuti siri gegaran kuat termasuk 7.4 magnitud kira-kira 30 minit selepas itu.

Susulan itu, satu amaran tsunami dikeluarkan.

Menurut Tinjauan Geologi Amerika Syarikat (USGS), gegaran itu berlaku kira-kira 130 kilometer di timur Sendai, Honshu pada kedalaman 24 kilometer.

Televisyen NHK dan saksi melaporkan, gempa bumi kuat itu turut mengakibatkan kecederaan dan menyebabkan sekurang-kurangnya satu kebakaran serta tsunami setinggi empat meter.

Berikut ringkasan perkembangan itu:

Tsunami setinggi setinggi 10 meter dilaporkan melanda pelabuhan Sendai dengan ombak yang merosakkan kawasan pertanian dan menghanyutkan rumah, kenderaan dan apa-apa sahaja di laluannya.

Keadaan itu juga dilaporkan menyebabkan kebakaran dan tanah runtuh. Pusat penapisan di Chiba berhampiran Tokyo dilaporkan turut mengalami kebakaran.

Setakat ini bekalan elektrik kepada empat juta penduduk di Tokyo dan kawasan sekitarnya diputuskan.

Kebanyakan laluan di Tohoku yang menyambung ibu negara Jepun itu dengan kawasan utara terputus.

Perkhidmatan keretapi ke utara Jepun juga dihentikan manakala lapangan terbang antarabangsa Narita ditutup. Ribuan penumpang terkandas dan dipindahkan manakala semua penerbangan dibatalkan.

Lapan pesawat tentera sedang meronda dan memantau kesan tsunami yang memusnahkan negara paling maju di Asia itu.

Perdana Menteri Jepun, Naoto Kan mengarahkan tentera melakukan apa yang terdaya bagi membantu keadaan. Beliau dijangka akan mengadakan mesyuarat jemaah menteri.

Menurut jurucakap kerajaan lebih banyak tsunami dijangkakan.

Bank pusat Jepun pula memberi jaminan akan memastikan kestabilan pasaran kewangan.

Beberapa pusat tenaga nuklear juga ditutup secara automatik.

Serentak dengan perkembangan itu, beberapa negara seperti Cina dan Taiwan juga mengeluarkan amaran tsunami kepada penduduknya supaya berpindah.

- Reuters

from:http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/158342

Tujuh kali gugur bayi

Oleh Mohd Husni Mohd Noor
mhusni@hmetro.com.my

TERTEKAN...Balqis kini dihantui rasa berdosa

IPOH: Akibat begitu mudah termakan pujuk rayu teman lelaki, seorang janda muda membuat pengakuan mengejutkan apabila memberitahu pernah menggugurkan bayi dalam kandungannya sebanyak tujuh kali dalam tempoh empat tahun.

Wanita itu yang mahu dikenali sebagai Balqis, 32, berkata perkara tidak masuk akal dilakukannya itu bermula selepas dia bercerai dan berkenalan dengan seorang lelaki yang sudah berkahwin pada 2007.

Menurutnya, lelaki itu berjaya memikat hatinya dengan pelbagai janji manis untuk mengahwininya dalam tempoh terdekat.

“Saya meletakkan harapan tinggi kepadanya apatah lagi dengan hidup saya yang terumbang-ambing selain perlu membesarkan tiga anak hasil perkahwinan pertama sebelum ini.

“Malangnya rasa cinta keterlaluan itu menyebabkan saya terlanjur melakukan hubungan seks berulang kali sehingga mengandung sebanyak enam kali.

“Saya membuat proses pengguguran haram di klinik swasta dengan bayaran RM300 bagi sekali ‘cuci’. Pada mulanya doktor di klinik itu tidak begitu kisah dengan permintaan saya, namun dia mula bimbang apabila saya mahu membuat pengguguran kali kelima.

“Doktor terbabit menasihatkan saya tidak lagi membuat pengguguran janin kerana bimbang ia boleh merosakkan peranakan selain boleh mendapat kanser rahim,” katanya.

Menurutnya, walaupun pernah terlintas rasa berdosa namun dia tetap melakukan perkara terkutuk itu kerana termakan dengan janji kekasihnya untuk berkahwin.

“Pernah sekali saya menanggung kesakitan amat sangat selepas menggugurkan kandungan berusia tiga bulan yang ketika itu sudah mempunyai bentuk bayi. Malah pernah juga saya ‘lekat’ mengandung semula hanya selepas dua bulan menggugurkan janin.

“Sepatutnya saya menjalani tempoh pantang seperti wanita bersalin, namun semua itu saya abaikan kerana faktor kerja selain bimbang diketahui rakan sekerja,” katanya.

Menurutnya, dia hanya mengambil cuti rehat antara empat hari hingga seminggu.

“Akibat terlalu kerap menggugurkan janin, saya mengalami tekanan hidup, murung selain kerap dihantui rasa berdosa. Lebih teruk apabila saya sering bermimpi kanak-kanak menangis ketika tidur.

“Sepanjang empat tahun itu, saya disahkan mengandung enam kali sebelum menggugurkan kandungan itu menyebabkan berat badan saya susut kepada 47 kilogram,” katanya.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/Tujuhkaligugurbayi/Article

Tiga pelajar samseng

Oleh Raja Noraina Raja Rahim
rnoraina@hmetro.com.my

NOREL AZMI...ambil keterangan tiga pelajar.

HULU SELANGOR: Tiga pelajar tingkatan lima sebuah sekolah menengah di sini, bertindak samseng dengan mengugut untuk membunuh seorang guru disiplin, kelmarin.

Difahamkan, kumpulan terbabit bertindak demikian kerana tidak puas hati apabila guru terbabit enggan menerima buku teks yang mahu dipulangkan mereka.

Berikutan itu, ketiga-tiga pelajar terbabit ditahan pihak berkuasa sejurus guru lelaki berkenaan membuat laporan polis berhubung insiden berkenaan.

Kejadian itu bermula kira-kira jam 11 pagi apabila tujuh pelajar sekolah berkenaan pergi ke pejabat sekolah bertemu pengetua untuk memulangkan buku teks yang enggan digunakan mereka.

Menurut sumber, tindakan tujuh pelajar itu yang berlagak samseng dengan meluru masuk ke pejabat sekolah tanpa meminta kebenaran bagaimanapun cuba dihalang guru berkenaan.

“Hairan dengan tindakan pelajar terbabit, guru disiplin itu bertanyakan tujuan mereka mahu berjumpa pengetua dan mereka memberitahu mahu memulangkan buku teks yang tidak mahu digunakan lagi.

“Guru itu menjelaskan kepentingan dan salah faham yang timbul mengenai buku berkenaan yang dianggap memberi ilmu pengetahuan kepada pelajar,” katanya.

Namun, pelajar terbabit tidak puas hati dengan penjelasan guru itu dan menganggap dia sengaja menghalang mereka bertemu pengetua dan mula bertindak biadab dengan meninggikan suara.

Sumber berkata, guru disiplin yang tergamam dengan tindakan pelajar terbabit cuba menenangkan keadaan dan menjelaskan perkara sebenar.

“Bagaimanapun, keadaan menjadi kecoh apabila tiga daripada pelajar terbabit mengugut guru itu kerana mendakwa dia menyinggung perasaan mereka,” katanya.

Bimbang keselamatan diri berikutan ugutan pelajar terbabit, guru berkenaan membuat laporan di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Hulu Selangor, di sini.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Daerah Hulu Selangor, Superintendan Norel Azmi Yahya Affendy ketika dihubungi mengesahkan penahanan ketiga-tiga pelajar itu.

Menurutnya, semua mereka ditahan dalam tempoh 24 jam bagi mengambil keterangan berhubung insiden itu dan kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 506 Kanun Keseksaan kerana mengugut dan siasatan lanjut masih dijalankan.

Sementara itu, Bernama memetik Ahli Parlimen Hulu Selangor, P Kamalanathan, sebagai berkata beliau akan mengadakan perjumpaan dengan ibu bapa dan guru sekolah berkenaan esok berhubung isu buku teks itu.

“Saya akan pastikan pelajar menerima kembali buku berkenaan kerana itu arahan kerajaan yang mengekalkan novel berkenaan sebagai teks komponen sastera (Komsas) tingkatan lima,” katanya di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

Kamalanathan berkata, berikutan kejadian itu, guru berkenaan sudah membuat laporan polis kerana mendakwa diugut abang seorang daripada pelajar itu pada Isnin lalu, manakala pelajar terbabit turut membuat laporan polis kerana perkataan yang digunakan guru itu.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/articles/Tigapelajarsamseng/Article

Dua suspek kena tahan

KUALA LUMPUR: Dua lelaki dipercayai suspek kejadian menyimbah asid di hadapan sebuah sekolah kebangsaan di Bangsar, baru-baru ini, hingga menyebabkan lapan murid tahun enam cedera dicekup, petang kelmarin.

Kedua-dua suspek yang berusia 30-an ditahan di Bangsar ketika mereka menunggang motosikal. Ketika ditahan, sebuah botol berisi cecair dipercayai klorin dijumpai dalam raga motosikal mereka.

Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah, berkata penahanan suspek hasil siasatan pihaknya sejak hari kejadian dan pemantauan secara kerap di kawasan berkenaan.

“Kedua-dua lelaki warga tempatan itu ditahan kira-kira jam 2 petang dan seorang daripada suspek mempunyai enam kesalahan jenayah lampau,” katanya.

Menurutnya, motif serangan masih dalam siasatan dan pihaknya juga menjalankan tugas statik di kawasan berkenaan bagi mengelak insiden terbabit berulang.

Katanya, kes terbabit disiasat mengikut Seksyen 352 Kanun Keseksaan yang membawa hukuman tiga tahun penjara atau denda RM1,000 atau kedua-duanya jika sabit kesalahan.

Dalam kejadian 2 Mac lalu, lapan murid tahun enam termasuk empat murid perempuan cedera pada muka dan badan apabila terkena cecair dipercayai asid yang dibaling seorang individu tidak dikenali ketika mereka menunggu van sekolah untuk pulang ke rumah.

Suspek menunggang motosikal Yamaha Lagenda melempar bungkusan plastik berisi cecair itu sebelum melarikan diri.

Difahamkan, kejadian khianat itu kes kedua berlaku di sekolah berkenaan manakala kes pertama pada dua minggu lalu mengakibatkan tiga individu cedera termasuk seorang murid.

http://www.hmetro.com.my/myMetro/articles/Duasuspekkenatahan/Article/index_html