Lessons from Turrle Beach and ABC's Embassy for DFAT as it continues its attacks on Mahathir

by Ganesh Sahathevan


The passing of former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke brings to mind a book written by his widow, Blanche d'Alpuget. The book is called Turtle Beach and in 1993 it was the cause of a diplomatic incident between Malaysia and Australia. The book was made into a movie and it showed Vietnamese asylum-seekers being massacred by ethnic Malay villagers as they come ashore.
(Reuters:25 February 1992)

The movie followed ongoing disputes between Malaysia and Australia over the TV series "Embassy", which also took aim at Mahathir.


Close to 30 years later Mahathir is again PM, and DFAT seems determined to offend and undermine Mahathir, again:

Assisted by DFAT,Australian lawyers take aim at Mahathir,while seeking new markets in Malaysia

END 

SEE ALSO

Diplomatic incident brewing: Mahathir declares Raja Petra a liar,AG NSW and his department insist that RPK is a credible source of information about Mahathir

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Readers of this blog and its related Realpolitikasia blog will recall that a Department Of Justice NSW,Australia, document considers this article to be credible:

Ganesh Sahathevan, RPK, Clare Brown, Ginny Stein and the blood money trail.
The story by one Raggie Jessy Rithaudeen states that all the above named and others at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation were paid by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad millions of dollars to fabricate stories about the 1MDB theft by former PM Najib Razak.


The Thirdforce website is co-hosted on the Malaysia-Today website, which is published by one Raja Petra Kamaruddin who is known as RPK.RPK published the above story on his own website.


Last Friday PM Mahathir told reporters in Malaysia:
“Raja Petra Kamarudin is a liar and you still believe him......”

The  Department Of Justice NSW, and its Minister, the Attorney General NSW Mark Speakman SC  have refused to retract their reliance on the Malaysia-Today/Thirdforce article, despite the obviously false claims in the article, which also claims that Mahathir's payments to the ABC are part of a conspiracy which involves Tony Blair, Donald Rumsfeld, George Soros and he.

Mahathir calling RPK a liar sets the Department,its minister the AG NSW,and the Federal Government on a diplomatic collision course with the Malaysian Government.

Not a bad effort for a state government department whose minister is MP for a constituency better known for its surf.

END         

SEE ALSO

Bizarre blog claims used to deny man right to practise law

Mahathir flags frostier Australia-Malaysia relations

Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's former prime minister. Picture: Sanjit Das.

• EXCLUSIVE

  AMANDA HODGE

  SOUTH EAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT

  
• 12:00AM MARCH 23, 2018
• NO COMMENTS

Australia’s famously prickly relationship with former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad might not be less tempestuous a second time around with the 92-year-old now seeking re-election as the opposition candidate, and flagging concerns over Canberra’s “Pacific solution” for asylum-seekers and warning “I am not a nice person”.

Only weeks from a likely election battle, Dr Mahathir conceded bilateral relations with Australia are better under current Prime Minister Najib Razak — whose scandal-plagued government is accused of trying to secure re-election through unfair boundary ­realignments and voter incentives — than they were during his 22 years as leader.

Dr Mahathir, who frequently sparred with Australian journalists and was memorably branded a “recalcitrant” by Paul Keating for boycotting the 1993 APEC summit because he favoured an ­exclusively Asian caucus, said ­Malaysia would continue to enjoy good relations with Australia if he was re-elected leader.

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But, he said: “It would depend on the situation. I don’t like the way some new immigrants are being treated, the way some boatpeople are being sent to the Pacific Islands, kept there and actually imprisoned there.

“Does it mean I should not say it? I would speak the truth. I don’t try to win support by being very nice. I am not a nice person,” he said with a smile.

On the question of Australia joining ASEAN, which arose ­before last weekend’s Sydney summit when Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he would welcome their membership, Dr Mahathir, 92, said that while “geographically” it made sense for Australia to join the 10-nation group it might not be a good cultural fit. “In terms of sentiment, culture, there is a need to understand East Asian culture on the part of Australia. Some Australian leaders are quite insensitive.”

Dr Mahathir quit Malaysia’s ruling UMNO party in 2016 after speaking out over the alleged misappropriation of more than $US4.5 billion from 1MDB, a state development fund chaired by Mr Najib that the US Department of Justice has described as the worst case of kleptocracy it has seen.

In January he announced a previously inconceivable alliance with the opposition coalition led by his one-time deputy and political nemesis Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving a second prison term on politically motivated sodomy charges and is due to be released in June. Both men have said the ­alliance was driven by an urgent need to topple Mr Najib and UMNO, the party that has formed every Malaysian government since 1957.

Under the partnership, Dr Mahathir will stand as prime ministerial candidate for the opposition Pakatan Harapan and if elected, seek a royal pardon for Dr Anwar on his release so that he may take over the premiership.

“I will not be a passive seat warmer,’’ he said. “The reason why they (opposition) chose me is because of my past ­experience. I know what to do in the first 100 days of becoming prime minister. I have to democratise the country again. I have to limit the powers of the prime minister’s ­office, restore the rule of law.

“All these things I can do in a short time. The big problem comes with the money (Najib) has borrowed, money the country can never repay. The central bank says the debt is more than 800 billion ringgit ($264bn). That will be ­difficult to tackle but I know where some of the money is.”

While his promises to restore democracy have raised some eyebrows in Malaysia, including among opposition politicians jailed for civil dissent during his premiership, Dr Mahathir insisted yesterday: “I am not a dictator.

“When I was in government I did not exercise the kinds of ­powers that Najib does. He does not respect the rule of law at all or the constitution,’’ he said.

AMANDA HODGE

SOUTH EAST ASIA CORRESPONDENT

Amanda Hodge is The Australian’s South East Asia correspondent. Based in Jakarta, she has covered war, refugees, terror attacks, natural disasters and social and political upheaval from Afghanistan to Sri Lanka... Read more

Predicting Chinese submarine technology using Russian technology as a proxy-Part 3 -The drones

by Ganesh Sahathevan


Continuation of a compilation of material from open sources.First see:

Predicting Chinese submarine technology using Russian technology as a proxy in a Dempster Shafer framework-Part 1

and 

Predicting Chinese submarine technology using Russian technology as a proxy in a Dempster Shafer framework-Part 2

Part 2 reported an article by Lyle J. Goldsteinwho wrote that  China Is Studying Russia's Robot Submarines—and Is Building One of Their Own

Part3 follows on from Part 2, with this story about Russia's nuclear-capable underwater drone “Poseidon”, as reported in The Diplomat.

Russia’s Second Poseidon Underwater Drone-Carrying Submarine to Be Launched in 2020

The Russian Navy’s Project 09851 special purpose submarine is expected to be launched in the spring of 2020.

By Franz-Stefan Gady

May 15, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second Poseidon-carrying sub, the Project 09851 nuclear-powered special purpose submarine Khabarovsk, will be launched in the spring of 2020, according to Russian media reports.

It will be the Russian Navy’s second submarine capable of carrying the the nuclear-capable underwater drone “Poseidon,” alternatively referred to as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), or simply an intercontinental-range, nuclear autonomous torpedo.

According to a Russian defense industry source quoted by TASS news agency, the new submarine is expected to be handed over to the Navy in 2022 and will be able to carry up to six Poseidon UUVs, also known under Ocean Multipurpose System Status-6 or “Kanyon” by the U.S. intelligence community.

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It is still uncertain whether the Poseidon UUV will be solely deployed as a nuclear-warhead delivery platform or could be used for other purposes including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. In total, the Russian Navy is slated to receive over 30 Poseidons with the first batch ready for operational deployment in the late 2020s.

The Khabarovsk is purportedly a downsized variant of the Borei-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN). The Russian Navy currently deploys three Borei-class boomers. The Yuri Dolgoruky is in service with Russia’s Northern Fleet, while two other Borei-class SSBNs – Alexander Nevsky and Vladimir Monomakh — are deployed with the Russian Pacific Fleet.

Next to the Khabarovsk, the Poseidon will also be carried by the Project 09852 Special Mission Submarine KC-139 Belgorod, which was launched at the Sevmash Shipyard, located in Severodvinsk in northern Russia, on April 23. The submarine is based on the 949A Oscar II-class nuclear-powered guided missile submarine (SSGN) design.

As I wrote last month:

The submarine was laid down at the Sevmash Shipyard in July 1992 but its construction was suspended in 1997. Work on the unfinished 949A Oscar II-class SSGN began again in 2012 following a redesign of the sub undertaken by the Rubin Central Design Bureau in St. Petersburg as a special purpose submarine. With a reported lengths of 184 meters, the Belgorod is set to become the Russian Navy’s largest submarine by its length. (The sub has a reported displacement of around 15,000 tonnes when surfaced.)

The boat will be operated by the Main Directorate Deep Sea Research (GUGI) organization and will likely be deployed under the Arctic for covert special missions, which purportedly will include the installation of a Russian underwater sonar network.

In addition to the Khabarovsk and Belgorod, two more 949A Oscar II-class SSGNs are expected to be retrofitted to carry the Poseidon UUVs by the mid 2020s. Two of the subs are reportedly slated for service with the Northern Fleet, while the remaining two will be deployed by the Russian Pacific Fleet, according to a Russian defense industry source.

See also from Popular Mechanics

Russia Launches Belgorod, the World’s Longest Submarine

The Belgorod will carry out underwater spy missions and launch Poseidon nuclear torpedoes.

By Kyle Mizokami

Apr 24, 2019

OLEG KULESHOVGETTY IMAGES

Russia launched the world’s longest submarine today, the special mission submarine Belgorod. Designed to support a variety of military missions, including the Poseidon long-range strategic nuclear torpedo, the sub is far larger than anything operated by any other naval force, including the U.S. Navy. The six hundred foot long submarine displaces more water than a World War I battleship and can dive to a depth of 1,700 feet.

The submarine was launched today, April 23rd, at the Sevmash shipyards in Russia, with Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly watching via satellite.

Officially known as Project-09852, the submarine was originally an Oscar II-class cruise missile submarine that the Russian government ran of funds to complete. The submarine hull sat unfinished until Moscow decided to complete it as a special mission submarine. 

The hull was lengthened to approximately 184 meters (604 feet) and the ship’s displacement ballooned to 30,000 tons submerged--more than fifty percent greater than the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. The result of an unfinished hull the Belgorod is a one-off, and there will not be another one like it.

Belgorod, AKA Project 09852.

H.I. SUTTON

The nuclear-powered Belgorod is neither an attack submarine nor a ballistic missile sub. A special mission submarine, Belgorod will be a mothership to other undersea vessels. The sub can carry a payload on its back, behind the sail, or a Losharik class mini-submarine that attaches and detaches to the bottom of the hull.

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According to HI Sutton, noted authority on undersea warfare, Belgorod will be crewed by the Russian Navy but operated by GUGI, the secretive Main Directorate Deep Sea Research organization. Sutton, who has been watching Belgorod’s development from afar, tells Popular Mechanics, “Belgorod was originally laid down as an Oscar-II class cruise missile submarine, but work stopped when the Russian economy caught up with the submarine building program. Work restarted years later in her modified form. So she is already older than many of her crew.”

Poseidon long range nuclear torpedo.

H.I. SUTTON

“The modifications are likely to be extensive, and may include some latest technology, but underneath she is still an earlier generation of submarine, and likely to be less stealthy than the latest generation.”

Sutton’s observations from afar have largely been correct but he also warns some details will be wrong. “Russia has generally been more successful than the US at protecting her latest submarines from unwanted cameras,” Sutton explained. “Just this week documents allegedly leaked of a nuclear triad briefing for President Trump included a cutaway of the as-yet unbuilt Colombia class ballistic missile submarine. For Russia's latest boats we are still guessing many details.

“Defense observers can piece together a few sources and rumors with traditional analytical techniques to second guess what Belgorod is like. The cutaway (above) represents a best guess before any photos of Belgorod post-modifications emerged.”

Losharik mini-submarine.

H.I. SUTTON

One major mission Sutton believes Belgorod is meant for is the covert placement of the Harmony submarine detection network. A nuclear-powered underwater detection system, Harmony could help alert Russian forces of enemy submarines transiting through key areas. The key to their working however is their covert deployment, something Belgorod was practically built to do. Another mission is conducting covert operations with the Losharikmidget submarines. The 230 foot long, nuclear-powered Losharik is equipped with robotic arms and capable of diving to 1,000 meters (3,280 feet). The massive submarine will also be able to carry the Harpsichord-2P-PM autonomous underwater vehicle, transporting it to an operating area and then use its sonar to map the ocean floor or find man-made objects.

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

Underwater Wiretapping Helped End the Cold War

Mother Russia’s Impressive Underwater Fleet

Although built to conduct underwater espionage, by far the most sinister mission for Belgorod is as launch vehicle for the Poseidon nuclear torpedo system. Poseidon is a very large torpedo, 65 feet long and 6.5 feet in diameter, with a range of thousands of miles and a top speed of 60 knots. Poseidon is believed to carry a 2 megaton thermonuclear warhead and is designed to go around U.S. missile defenses to strike coastal targets, including ports and cities. According to HI Sutton Belgorod will carry up to six Poseidon torpedoes.

May 13: Who gave the Chinese their orders to kill Malays?

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Listen from 1:50 to 2:00 of this segment from The Star's Lessons from May 13:
In its narrative The Star has been careful to exclude Joh 13n Fernandez's observation that the Chinese rioters had specific instructions to attack Malays only.

Fernandez's statement calls into question the conventional wisdom surrounding May 13: that of MAlay mobs instigated by politicians like Dato Harun Idris (and some say even Tunku Abdul Rahman) running amok, and being countered by Chinese mobs acting in defense.

Much has been said over the years about the part played in the riots by Chinese secret societies, but the explanation seems to be at odds with the business oriented nature of the secret societies.

It is undisputed   however that there was a victory parade after the May 1969 election,which was organised by the  predominantly Chinese opposition parties, the DAP and Gerakan.
What followed, followed. The Chinese side appear to have suffered a greater number of casualties but that was to be expected once the predominantly Malay army and police forces were put into play by the Malaysian Government.

However, who gave the Chinese rioters their orders to kill?

END

KWAP''s RM 4B loan to SRC Int: Testimony under oath in court by KWAP officers suggests KWAP financial statements show asset values to be overstated; members retirement savings likely to be less than reported

by Ganesh Sahathevan



The following that has been reported in The Star adds to and summarizes much which KWAP's senior officers have told the court about a RM 4 Billion loan to SRC International Sdn Bhd:

Datuk Seri Najib Razak's alleged instructions to the Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) to approve loans to SRC International Sdn Bhd in 2011 were not recorded in the fund's investment panel meeting minutes, the High Court heard.

Azlida Mazni Arshad, who is KWAP's Legal and Secretarial Department vice-president, admitted this on Tuesday (May 14) when questioned by defence counsel, Harvinderjit Singh during the former prime minister's corruption trial involving RM42mil in SRC International funds.

She had last week said in court that Najib urged the retirement fund to rush the approval for a RM2bil loan to SRC International Sdn Bhd in 2011.

On Tuesday, the 17th day of the trial, Azlida also admitted that KWAP's fixed income department (FID) could have rejected SRC International's loan application.

She agreed with Harvinderjit's suggestions that they could reject the applications of those applying for loans. She also agreed that the department would analyse the ability of the loan applicant to generate income and pay back their loan.

KWAP approved the RM2bil loan to SRC International in 2011 before approving another loan of the same amount in 2012.

The court had heard in previous testimony that SRC International wanted a loan to get into the business of natural resources such as oil and gas, iron and steel and coal and uranium.


All of the above throws into doubt what KWAP and the ministers in charge have made public about KWAP's accounting of that loan; in essence the public have been told that the loan is government guaranteed and can therefore be booked without qualification.


However, the evidence provided by KWAP officers to the court suggest that there are a number of issues that raised concerns within KWAP about the borrower, and the guarantee that supports that loan.Additionally, the loan is in breach of KWAP's own investment policies.



All of the above suggest that the loan asset's value needs to  be discounted, but that does not appear to have been done).In fact, as the story below shows, it is doubtful if the interest payments are actually being made.



Finally, there remains significant doubt as to whether the loan principal will ever be recovered.As reported previously on this blog:
Is KWAP's RM 4 Billion seized by Singapore hostage to Malaysia-Singapore Water Agreement negotiations?

KWAP needs to book the loss and for so long as it does not, its members cannot be confident of the value of their retirement savings.


END 

realpolitikasia

Sunday, February 4, 2018

KWAP is receiving regular payments on its SRC loan.....but perhaps not in cash

by Ganesh Sahathevan




Copied and pasted below is page 218 of   KWAP's 2016 Annual Report.As readers can see there has been  a sudden and unexplained increase in receivables from brokers. One would think that a RM 700 million increase in receivables would be explained, but not here.
Interest income from receivables has also risen, by RM 70 million.Interest on THAT loan ,  the "SRC International money in Singapore loan", would be about RM 132 million per annum, assuming a rate of 3% on about RM 4.4 Billion.
In 2014, interest receivables were only about RM 121 million. 

Meanwhile , KWAP  CEO  Datuk Wan Kamaruzaman Wan Ahmad  has had this to say about the SRC loan:

Currently, they are paying the interest on their loan which comes into two tranches of RM2bil each, due in 2021 and 2022, respectively,” he said to reporters on the sidelines of the Invest Malaysia 2016 here yesterday.

According to the terms of the loan, he said that the company was required to service interest on the loan in the first five years and interest and principal in the remaining five years.

“The loan is guaranteed by the Government to safeguard the interest ofKWAP stakeholders,” he said.

END 

Najib SRC trial: In 2016 Tony Pua demanded to know why Ambank's Joanna Yu and Cheah Tek Kuang had not been charged,arrested and grilled.In 2019 his DAP is in charge,but still no action re Yu & Cheah

by Ganesh Sahathevan

From Tony Pua's Facebook:

Tony Pua

November 14, 2016 · 

How come Joanna Yu and Cheah Tek Kuang of Ambank are still free men after Najib claimed Bank Negara has taken action against them for facilitating money laundering into Najib's personal bank account?

In fact, former Group MD of Ambank, Cheah is now the Chairman of Berjaya Sports Toto and Independent Director of IOI Group. Can meh?

It's in stark contrast with Singapore who have charged and jailed Bankers facilitating the 1MDB money laundering scandal.

Bank Negara's reticence is only enhancing our reputation as a top global Kleptocracy. Tahniah!

About this website

M.MALAYSIAKINI.COM
Come clean on 'action' against 1MDB-linked bankers, Putrajaya told
Not matching Singapore's level of transparency on probe will put country
to shame, says Tony Pua.

To be read with:
AMbank's Cheah Tek Kuang should not have been  rewarded with the BToto chairmanship;should instead be formally interrogated.

AND

Shafee: We have copies of Joanna Yu's correspondence

END 

Reference

realpolitikasia

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Najib's SRC trial: AmBank manager R. Uma Devi is not the only source of evidence;other more important bits of evidence appear to have been ignored.

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Ambank manager Uma Devi (left), who testified at the trial of Najib Razak. There seems to be an unhealthy reliance on her testimony.

The Straits Times and others have reported today:

 A sum of RM1.9 billion (S$626 million) was credited into one of Malaysia's former premier Najib Razak's private bank accounts between 2011 and 2013, the High Court heard on Monday (April 29).

Part of the money was purportedly a donation from one "Prince Faisal al Turki" and the Finance Ministry of Saudi Arabia.

This was confirmed by AmBank manager R. Uma Devi during cross-examination by Najib's counsel Harvinderjit Singh.

Meanwhile, this writer had, in 2015,  analysed bank remittance documents placed in the public domain by WSJ  which suggested that the remittance into Najib's account was not a donation. This writer and others had expected, in 2015, that a change of government would allow investigation  of the details disclosed in the documents but that appears not to have been done.Had it been done, the prosecution would not have to rely solely on Ms Uma Devi's testimony about Najib's bank statements.
That would be no need to allegedly purport anything.
END

Bar Council Malaysia & College Of Law Sydney claim their LLM is equal to a MBA

by Ganesh Sahathevan





The College of Law and Bar Council Malaysia have been working together

 under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) since September 2016.

The LLM Malaysian Legal Practice is being promoted jointly by College and the Bar Council

From the Law Gazette, Singapore, an article by Peter Tritt ,Director, Asia-PacificThe College of Law:

The College’s new Master of Legal Business programme aims to provide lawyers with a post-graduate equivalent of an MBA. Its list of subjects includes topics such as: Building trusted client relationships; Innovation and entrepreneurship; Operational excellence; Finance and accounting; Aligning people; Leading self and teams; Business strategy; Creating and sharing value; Digitisation and Digitalisation; and Managing the impact of technology.

Peter Tritt is Director, Asia-Pacific for the College of Law and based in Kuala Lumpur. He is responsible for the College’s postgraduate legal education and professional training in Asia, with a focus on ASEAN. The programme portfolio includes three jurisdictional streams within the College’s Master of Laws (Applied Law) programme – ASEAN+6 Cross-Border Practice, Malaysian Legal Practice........A new stream in Singapore Legal Practice is being developed, in collaboration with The Law Society of Singapore.


The College's Malaysian LLM is assumed to be of equal standing to the Australian Master of Legal Business and it is being sold as a practical LLM; implying that this LLM is an alternative to a MBA requires much explanation for Malaysian lawyers (and others) are being persuaded to put a lot of money into this "practical" LLM rather than a MBA which is usually understood to be a rigorous course of study intended to cover various areas of business such as accounting, applied statistics, business communication, business ethics, business law, finance, managerial.

How the financial  principles underlying a law firm  are any different to those  underlying any other business is a matter that will be of interest to not only Malaysian (and Singapore) lawyers, but also academics in business, finance and economics. 

END 

See also

Bar Council Malaysia & College Of Law Australia on-line Masters students not protected: College does not have real presence in Malaysia,and Australian regulators including the Attorney General NSW will act to protect it from complaints made in Australia