How Bikini Airline Helped to Create Vietnam's First Woman Billionaire

Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao made her first million at 21 trading fax machines and latex rubber. Almost a quarter of a century later, she’s poised to become Southeast Asia’s first self-made woman billionaire known for putting bikini-clad models on her VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Co. planes and calendars.




With the initial public offering of Vietnam’s only privately-owned airline, Thao is set to have a net worth exceeding $1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making her the country’s first woman billionaire. The majority of her wealth is derived from her stake in VietJet and her holdings in Dragon City, a 65-hectare real estate development in Ho Chi Minh City.

"I’ve never sat down and calculated my assets," Thao, 45, said in an interview. "I’m just focused on how to boost the company’s growth, how to increase the average salary for my employees, how to lead the airline to gain more market share and make it number one.”

Thao said she’s planning for VietJet to hold its IPO as early as within the next three months, where it may sell as much as a 30 percent stake. The carrier is aiming to seek a valuation of more than $1 billion, according to two people with knowledge of the plan, who asked not to be named because the information is private. Thao, who founded the airline, owns 95 percent of the company, according to two people familiar with the shareholding structure.




"She’s not like other wealthy people -- she’s quite quiet in Vietnam actually,” said Vo Phuc Nguyen, a Ho Chi Minh City-based analyst at CIMB Group Holdings Bhd. “She’s really successful with VietJet. From nothing, that airline now accounts for more than 30 percent of market share in Vietnam in just over the last few years."

The valuation it’s seeking in the IPO will make it more valuable than South Korea’s Asiana Airlines Inc. or Finnair Oyj. VietJet's revenue tripled to 10.9 trillion dong ($488 million) last year while net income rose to almost 1 trillion dong, according to the company.

Thao's budget airline flies to 47 locations in the country and across Asia, including Seoul, Bangkok and Singapore. She wants to make the company the "Emirates of Asia," modeling after the success of the Dubai-based carrier that’s the world’s biggest long-haul airline with flights to about 150 destinations.

Swamp Land

The billionaire also owns a 90 percent stake in Sovico Holdings, a closely-held company that has a 90 percent stake in Dragon City, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the information isn’t public. She bought the site more than a decade ago in what was a swampy area in Vietnam’s economic hub, and the valuation is calculated using the equity-to-debt ratio of the project’s $1 billion investment value.





Thao also has majority stakes in three resorts in Vietnam -- the Furama Resort Danang, the Evason Ana Mandara Nha Trang and the An Lam Ninh Van Bay Villas, the people said. The properties are valued using current income, and occupancy and prevailing capitalization rates from real estate consultant Cushman & Wakefield.

Thao and her holding company also own about a 20 percent stake in Ho Chi Minh City Development JS Commercial Bank or HDBank, according to the people. Thao’s the vice-chairman of the privately-held commercial bank, which has total assets of about $4.6 billion last year. The company has 225 branches and employs almost 10,000 people.

Thao’s foray into business began around 1988 as a second-year student in Moscow, where she was studying finance and economics. She began as a trade distributor with little money, receiving clothing, office equipment and consumer goods on credit from suppliers in Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, and selling them in Russia in the years before collapse of the Soviet Union.

‘Being Honest’

"I worked so hard and earned the trust of suppliers by always being honest with them," said Thao, whose mother was a teacher and father, a pharmacist. "I didn’t have much money. They gave me more and more products with longer credit terms."




After making her first million three years later, Thao moved on to trade steel, machinery, fertilizer and other commodities.

She returned to Vietnam and invested in Techcombank, also known as Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint-Stock Bank, and a second lender, Vietnam International Commercial Joint Stock Bank. She later lodged an application to run an airline in anticipation the communist government, which adopted a market economy in 1986, would open up the industry to compete against state carrier Vietnam Airlines.

‘Bikini Image’

VietJet is known for its young and attractive flight attendants who wear bikinis on inaugural flights to beach locations and featured similar models on its calendars, which Thao says are empowering images in Vietnam’s conservative culture.

"You have the right to wear anything you like, either the bikini or the traditional ao dai," she said, referring to the traditional long tunic worn over loose pants. "We don’t mind people associating the airline with the bikini image. If that makes people happy, then we are happy."




VietJet will probably surpass national carrier Vietnam Airlines as the nation’s biggest domestic carrier this year, according to CAPA Centre for Aviation. Vietnam is expected to rank among the world’s 10 fastest-growing aviation markets in the next two decades, according to the International Air Transport Association.

"You have to take the lead and take calculated risks,” she said. “As a businesswoman, I have a responsibility to contribute to the economy and to push for positive changes of the country and in the society, in light of the international integration that’s happening."



-bloomberg-

Jangan kaitkan ritual ‘Raja Bomoh’ dengan Islam – Mufti Perlis

Ayat al-Quran yang dibaca oleh Ibrahim juga tidak betul sebutannya, tahayul dan tidak diiktiraf oleh Islam.

PETALING JAYA: Masyarakat bukan Islam dinasihat tidak mengaitkan upacara ritual Datuk Mahaguru Ibrahim Mat Zin atau ‘Raja Bomoh’ bagi ‘memulihkan’ cuaca panas yang sedang melanda negara menggunakan buah tembikai dengan Islam.

Mufti Perlis, Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin berkata, di samping ayat al-Quran yang dibaca oleh Ibrahim itu sendiri tidak betul sebutannya, ia juga adalah tahayul serta tidak diiktiraf oleh Islam.

“Agama Islam tidak membenarkan penganutnya melakukan perbuatan bodoh dan sia-sia.




“Apatah lagi disertakan dengan pembaziran seperti ini. Buah untuk dimakan bukan untuk di bazirkan secara sia-sia,” katanya menerusi status di Facebook miliknya semalam.

Menerusi sebuah rakaman video, Ibrahim menggunakan lima biji tembikai diikuti empat orang pengikutnya telah bertindak memecahkan buah berkenaan.

Turut dipaparkan dalam video berdurasi 1 minit 53 saat itu adalah Ibrahim memulakan ritual berkenaan dengan membaca beberapa ayat potongan dari surah Yasin diikuti membaca doa.









-FMT NEWS-

'Najib always thinking of best approaches to help rakyat'

Najib Abdul Razak is always thinking about the best approaches to help the rakyat (people) and that is the prime minister's way of expressing the spirit of patriotism, said his wife Rosmah Mansor.

She said this when asked how Najib expressed the spirit of patriotism in an interview on talk show 'Langit Biru' by Bernama Radio and National Civics Bureau at Wisma Bernama in Kuala Lumpur today.

Rosmah said Najib was working hard to develop the country, and "he never stops thinking of what else can be done for the people so that they are more at peace and earn more income.

"How to attract more investors, (he) is always thinking about the wellbeing and comfort of the people," she said when asked by the programme's host, Wan Syahrina Abd Rahman.

The programme which was aired for the first time today was conducted by Wan Syahrina together with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said.



Rosmah is the first guest of the programme to be aired every Tuesday from 6.15 pm to 7 pm on Bernama Radio.

The prime minister's wife also cited the goods and services tax (GST) as an example, saying that it was not intended to burden the people.

"(When the prime minister) does something there is a reason... fortunately we have the GST, with oil prices falling, and (if) we did not have the GST, things will be more difficult.

"I have asked why implement the GST... people are angry. On this, he said, 'I want to be a responsible leader to my people and country. I do not want to be a populist leader'."

Rosmah also said that her husband is patient in carrying out his duties as a leader.

"People can see he's really patient. I wonder how he can be so patient. But he says 'don't cross the line' (do not exceed the limit)," she added.



- Bernama

No M'sians injured in bomb blasts in Brussels

The Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) said no Malaysians were injured in the bomb blasts that claimed 34 lives in the Belgian capital of Brussels yesterday.

The Malaysian Embassy in Brussels will continue to monitor the situation, the ministry said in a statement here.

Wisma Putra said the Malaysian government strongly condemned the bomb attacks.

"In this sad times, Malaysia stands united with the victims' families, the government and people of Belgium," the statement added.



Local media in Belgium reported that two explosions took place at Brussels Airport departure hall and one explosion at a metro subway station.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said he was shocked and appalled by the bomb attacks in Brussels that claimed at least 34 lives.

He said the attacks were a reminder of the need for countries to unite and counter the threats posed by extremism.

"The thoughts and prayers of all Malaysians are with the victims and their families," he said in his Facebook and Twitter accounts last night.



- Bernama

Rosmah akui terpaksa lupakan cita-cita selepas kahwini Najib

Beliau redha dengan ketentuan Allah dan menganggapnya sebagai suratan takdir menjadi isteri kepada pemimpin utama kerajaan.

PETALING JAYA: Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor mendedahkan banyak perkara yang beliau tidak dapat dilakukan setelah berkahwin dengan Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Memetik laporan Sinar Online, Rosmah menyatakan beliau redha dengan apa yang terjadi kepada dirinya malah beranggapan ia sudah menjadi suratan takdir.

“Apabila saya kahwin dengan Datuk Seri Najib banyak yang saya tak dapat buat dan tidak mungkin saya buat.

“Sebagai isteri pemimpin negara, saya redhalah. Bak kata orang putih ‘destiny’…ditakdirkan berkahwin dgn pemimpin negara,” katanya ketika menjadi tetamu program bual bicara ‘Langit Biru’ di Bernama Radio, hari ini.

Ujar Rosmah, beliau juga terpaksa melupakan cita-citanya setelah mengahwini Perdana Menteri keenam itu.





“Sudah pasti saya mahu menjadi orang yang berjaya dalam bidang yang diceburi ketika itu. Ibu bapa sokong saya belajar sebaik mungkin, setinggi-tinggi yang boleh dan tentunya mahu melihat anak perempuannya ini jadi yang berjaya,” katanya lagi.

Melalui program bual bicara selama 30 minit itu, isteri Perdana Menteri itu turut mengingatkan generasi kini agar tidak mensia-siakan keselesaan yang dinikmati pada hari ini.

“Cara kita zahirkan semangat patriotisme memang berlainan jika banding zaman dulu dengan sekarang. Budak-budak sekarang sedar-sedar sahaja, semuanya sudah aman dan tenteram, tapi kita tak boleh ‘take it for granted’.

“Alhamdulillah Malaysia sekarang aman, damai dan berjaya. Inilah yang sepatutnya kita kena jaga. Kita sayang dan cintai negara kita sebab bila sayang, kita akan jaga negara kita dengan baik,” katanya.

Rosmah yang ditohmah dengan dengan pelbagai tuduhan oleh musuh politik suaminya berkata, semangat cintakan negara perlu dipupuk kepada anak-anak sejak kecil supaya mereka membesar sebagai insan yang sayangkan tanah air.

-FMT NEWS-

Show love and guts, Kit Siang dares MCA leaders

DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang has challenged MCA leaders to attend the People's Congress this coming Sunday.

He said MCA ministers and deputy ministers should attend the function to demonstrate their patriotism and love for Malaysia.

“If MCA ministers and deputy ministers dare to attend the March 27 People’s Congress on the Save Malaysia People’s Declaration, the congress convenor Zaid Ibrahim should have no problem in inviting one of their representatives to speak on their behalf at the Shah Alam event.

“Do MCA ministers and deputy ministers have the courage and conviction to demonstrate that they are prepared to transcend all racial, religious, regional and even political party interests and subordinate them to the larger national interest?” he asked in a statement today.

Lim was among the signatories of the Citizen's Declaration on March 4, a group dubbed the Save Malaysia coalition.

Former de facto law minister Zaid is to host the invitation-only event at the Shah Alam Convention Centre.



Political parties and civil society groups, as well as individual signatories to the Citizens' Declaration, are slated to attend.

"(Former prime minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be delivering the key-note address and the other leaders present will debate it," Zaid told a press conference on March 17.

The event was previously reported as a gathering against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, but was later renamed 'The People's Congress 2016'.

There are currently three ministers and four deputy ministers from MCA.

The ministers are Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Wee Ka Siong, and International Trade and Industry II Ong Ka Chuan.

Its deputy ministers are in the Ministry of Finance (Chua Tee Yong), Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Lee Chee Leong), Women's Ministry (Chew Mei Fun) and Ministry of Education (Chong Sin Woon).



-MalaysiaKini-

Anwar withdraws RM100m suit against Nalla

Former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has today withdrawn his RM100 million defamation suit against Malaysian United Indian Party president S Nallakaruppan

Anwar, who is representing himself, said he agreed to withdraw after Nallakaruppan denied making a contentious statement eight years ago before the Permatang Pauh by-election, claiming that his words were twisted by the media.

The PKR de facto leader also said that he was glad that the allegation that he was traitor as per the affidavit by Senior Assistant Commissioner Musa Hassan has also been denied by Nallakaruppan.




“Based on the evidence tendered by Nallakaruppan this morning which explained that his speech was not reported correctly by the media and was twisted which, among others, included the allegation that Anwar was being a traitor of the country's finances, as per the allegation made in the affidavit by Musa on Sept 2, 1998, I am satisfied to finally withdraw this civil action.”

The settlement was recorded before Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Mohd Zaki Abdul Wahab at about 5.10pm.

Anwar appeared for himself in this hearing because last week his previous lawyers led by N Surendran and Latheefa Koya claimed that they had difficulty meeting him.

In the morning, Nallakaruppan had denied claiming Anwar was paid RM60 million sometime in 1998 from gambling firm Magnum Corporation Bhd, where he (Nallakaruppan) was a director, claiming that his words were twisted by the media.



The MUIP president also denied that he was acting as a foreign agent and Anwar was passing him state secrets.

Besides Anwar representing himself, he was assisted by two lawyers – Shahid Adli Kamaruddin and Melissa Sasidaran – while Nallakaruppan was represented by senior lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

The suit was filed by Anwar sometime in August 2008 before the Permatang Pauh by-election was held and is one of the longest lawsuits.

Surendran, when met outside the court room, said this proved that Anwar was no traitor and that the former opposition leader did not take any money from the gambling firm.




“The suit was filed as Anwar wants to seek vindication over such claims made for so long and we have heard it clearly in court today,” he said.

Nallakaruppan, when met outside the court room, was asked whether he is still on good terms with Anwar.

Anwar's former tennis partner replied: “Friends will always be friends.”

Nallakaruppan, now a senator, was once a PKR central committee member who failed to contest in the Ijok by-election. He subsequently left the country.




-MalaysiaKini-

Around 35 dead in Brussels attacks horror

Witnesses said victims lay in pools of blood at the airport, their limbs blown off.

BRUSSELS: A series of explosions ripped through Brussels airport and a metro train on Tuesday, killing around 35 people and injuring more than 200 in the latest attacks to rock Europe.

Security was tightened across the jittery continent and transport links paralysed after the bombings that Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel branded “blind, violent and cowardly”.

“This is a day of tragedy, a black day,” Michel said on national television.




Foreign Minister Didier Reynders warned that authorities fear suspects could still be at large in the city that is home to both NATO and the European Union.

The bloodshed came just four days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels of Salah Abdeslam — the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks claimed by the Islamic State group — after four months on the run.

Belgian authorities had been on alert after Abdeslam, Europe’s most wanted man, told investigators he had been planning an attack on Brussels.




Two blasts shattered the main hall of Zaventem Airport at around 8:00am (0700 GMT), with prosecutor Frederic Van Leeuw saying there was probably at least one suicide bomber.

A third hit a train at Maalbeek metro station in the heart of the city’s EU quarter, just as commuters were making their way to work in rush hour.

Pierre Meys, spokesman for the Brussels fire brigade, told AFP at least 14 people had been killed at the airport, while Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur said “around 20″ died in the underground blast. More than 200 people have been wounded, several critically.

Witnesses said victims lay in pools of blood at the airport, their limbs blown off. There were chaotic scenes as passengers fled in panic, with a thick plume of smoke rising from the main terminal building.




“A man shouted a few words in Arabic and then I heard a huge blast,” airport baggage security officer Alphonse Lyoura told AFP, his hands bloodied.

“A lot of people lost limbs. One man had lost both legs and there was a policeman with a totally mangled leg.”

An army team later blew up a suspect package at the shuttered airport, with media reporting police had found an unexploded suicide vest.

At Maalbeek station, paramedics tended to commuters with bloodied faces as the streets filled with the wailing of sirens.




Europe’s capital in lockdown

At least two Polish nationals and a Briton were confirmed among the injured in a city that is the EU’s symbolic capital.

The bombings triggered a transport shutdown, with flights halted and metro, tram and bus services all suspended.

Airports across Europe swiftly announced they were boosting security, including in London, Paris, and Frankfurt.

Across the Atlantic, New York and Washington ordered extra counter-terror officers to crowded areas and train stations.




Leaders across Europe reacted with shock and solidarity, urging closer counter-terror cooperation on a continent that has been on high alert for months.

“The whole of Europe has been hit,” said French President Francois Hollande, whose country is still reeling from jihadist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people in November.

British Prime Minister David Cameron warned of the “very real” terrorist threat faced by countries across Europe, declaring: “We will never left these terrorists win.”

Russia and Turkey — also targets of deadly attacks in the last eight months — said the blasts highlighted the need to fight terrorism of every hue and across all borders.



Brussels residents were told to stay inside. Security was also beefed up at Belgium’s nuclear plants — where non-essential staff were sent home — and at EU buildings in the French city of Strasbourg, home to the European Parliament.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon announced that Belgium’s terror threat had been raised from three to a maximum of four, and the country’s national security council was due to meet.

And after rumours of arrests and searches, authorities told media to halt all reporting on the investigation into the bombings, “so as not to harm the inquiry”.

In Cairo, the head of Sunni Islam’s leading seat of learning, Al-Azhar, said the attacks “violate the tolerant teachings of Islam”.

Messages of solidarity poured out on social media, with thousands of people sharing images of beloved Belgian cartoon character Tintin in tears.




Bloody week for Brussels

It has been a week of drama and bloodshed in Brussels. Last Tuesday saw a shootout in the city’s south that saw a Kalashnikov-wielding man killed and four police officers wounded.

Investigators believe key Paris suspect Abdeslam slipped out of the apartment as the gunbattle broke out. He was arrested three days later in Brussels’ gritty Molenbeek district — just around the corner from his family home.

Foreign Minister Reynders said at the weekend that Abdeslam — believed to have played a key logistical role in the Paris carnage — had told investigators he was planning some sort of new attack.



Shiraz Maher, a radicalisation expert at Kings College London, said it was “very likely that this attack will have been planned and prepared well in advance of last week’s arrest of Salah Abdeslam”.

“It therefore points to the existence of a broad and sophisticated terrorist network in Belgium, that extends beyond the one which attacked France last year,” Maher said.
– AFP



-FMT NEWS-

Brussels airport dead hit in legs: witness

BRUSSELS: The legs of some of those killed at Brussels airport on Tuesday were shattered, as if the blast came from a piece of luggage nearby, an airport worker who helped carry their bodies said.

Alphonse Youla, 40, who works at Zaventem airport luggage security said that before the first bomb went off, he heard a man shouting something in Arabic.

“Then the tiled ceiling of the airport collapsed. I helped carry out five dead, with their legs destroyed, as if the bomb came from a piece of luggage” he told reporters, his hands covered in blood. “It’s from the people I carried out”.

Public broadcaster VRT said 81 people had been wounded at airport, many in the legs, suggesting a bomb in a bag on the floor.

The federal prosecutor told a news conference one of the two explosions at the airport was likely to have been caused by a suicide bomber.

At least 11 people were killed, before a further blast tore through a rush-hour metro train in the capital shortly afterwards, killing at least 15 people, public transport operator STIB said.

Hundreds of passengers who had not been injured were leaving the airport by a side exit, many in tears, some covered with blankets. Many were being evacuated by bus.

Passenger Paolo Saraca Volpini said an airport announcer’s voice came over the public address system about a quarter of an hour after the blasts, his voice breaking with emotion, and said in several languages “we are experiencing an attack” and asking people in Terminals A and B to stay where they were.

One passenger, who had already cleared the security checks when the bombs went off, said that after the explosions, passengers already inside the airport panicked and started running in search of shelter.

“People were taking cover in shops and where they could. We managed to get on the plane, but it did not take off and then we were escorted out to busses to leave,” said Sylwia Czerska, who was on her way to Geneva.

Witnesses said the first explosion took place close to Belfius bank, near the lifts in the left wing of the departures hall. The second was stronger and was closer to the Starbucks cafe which is in the center of the hall.

Samir Derrouich, who works for the Autogrill restaurant at the airport, said of the explosions: “They were almost simultaneous. It was an apocalypse”.
-Reuters

-FMT NEWS-

Disappointed with RM100m graft case, PM vows tough action

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has described the RM100 million graft case in the Youth and Sports Ministry as disappointing and vowed tough action against those responsible.

"I view seriously the misappropriation case involving a senior government officer at the Youth and Sports Ministry which is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).  

"This case is disappointing as it happened for a number of years without detection," he said in a blog posting today.

Najib said those involved would be held to account.



"The government would never compromise on cases where government funds are misappropriated and stern action would be taken against those involved," he added.

The prime minister said all ministries and government agencies should always oversee their spending with the highest level of transparency and accountability.

In the Youth and Sports Ministry's case, Najib said a holistic investigation must be carried out and be immediately referred to the attorney-general for advice and legal action.

"The Auditor-General's Office would also study and make more stringent procedures on the management of government finances," he added.

Najib also instructed the case to be listed on the Auditor-General's dashboard at https://agdashboard.audit.gov.my which allows the public to monitor the government's follow up actions on the matter.



Last Saturday, MACC said it crippled a syndicate which abused up to RM100 million in public funds.

The MACC said the modus operandi is to order the ministry's finance department to pay no fewer than 14 companies operated by the syndicate members for non-existent works.

He said the ministry's senior division secretary, who received an estimated RM20 million in kickbacks, played a key role in ensuring the money was paid promptly.

Following the revelation, there have been calls for Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to take responsibility.

Yesterday, Khairy took to Twitter to respond to queries how such a huge sum of money could be embezzled without notice.

He explained that the money was misappropriated in small amounts regularly over numerous years.

He also mooted an independent panel to identify weaknesses and to improve finance procedures in his ministry.



-MALAYSIAKINI-

Giliran Mat Sabu pula dilarang masuk Sarawak

Beliau ditahan pegawai Imigresen sebaik tiba di Lapangan Terbang Sibu dan diarah pulang menaiki pesawat sama, kira-kira sejam kemudian.

PETALING JAYA : Selepas beberapa pemimpin pembangkag dihalang memasuki Sarawak, hari ini insiden sama berlaku kepada Presiden Parti Amanah Negara (AMANAH), Mohamad Sabu atau Mat Sabu.

Pegawai khas Mat Sabu, Mohd Azahar Md Dali berkata, Mat Sabu ditahan di Lapangan Terbang Sibu sebaik tiba dari KLIA, kira kira jam 10. 35 pagi.

Katanya, Mat Sabu diarah pulang semula ke KLIA menerusi pesawat yang sama, kira-kira jam 11.50 pagi.

“Kita tidak dimaklumkan sebab Mat Sabu (dilarang memasuki Sarawak). Itu yang kita juga agak hairan sebab pada kita Mat Sabu , beliau memang berjuang di bawah prinsip demokrasi dan kita ikut lunasi demokrasi…Sarawak ini sebahagian daripada Malaysia.

“Jadi bila beliau (Mat Sabu) dilarang itu kita sangat terkejut dengan arahan (tidak dibenarkan masuk ke Sarawak).

Sebagai rakyat yang patuh kita ikutlah undang-undang itu dulu,” katanya kepada FMT.




Menurutnya, dia dan Mat Sabu ke Sarawak untuk menghadiri program politik di negeri itu.

Sebelum ini, beberapa pemimpin pembangkang turut dilarang untuk memasuki Sarawak antaranya Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tian Chua, Zuraida Kamarudin, Teresa Kok dan Tony Pua.

Sementara itu, , Pengarah Komunikasi PKR, Fahmi Fadzir menerusi kenyataan media berkata, PKR kesal dengan kejadian itu dan menganggap tindakan kerajaan Sarawak sebagai tindakan terdesak.

“Mohamad Sabu merupakan salah seorang dari sejumlah pimpinan politik dan masyarakat sivil yang kini tidak boleh lagi menjejak kaki ke Bumi Kenyalang.




“Tindakan ini menjadi bukti bahawa Barisan Nasional di bawah pimpinan Tan Sri Adenan Satem cukup takut pada musuh politik seperti Pakatan Harapan sehingga kehadiran pimpinan seperti Zuraida Kamaruddin, Nurul Izzah, Tony Pua, Teresa Kok, Mazlan Aliman dianggap satu ancaman politik.

“Di dalam demokrasi yang maju dan progresif, musuh politik perlu diserang melalui idea dan perbahasan, bukan diserang dengan halangan pentadbiran seperti yang berlaku sekarang,” katanya.

Fahmi berkata, pentadbiran Adenan perlu menamatkan dasar menghalang warga Malaysia yang berlainan pandang politik dari memasuki Sarawak, demi demokrasi yang lebih matang dan Malaysia yang lebih baik.




-FMT NEWS-

London Gatwick airport steps up security after Brussels attacks

LONDON: London’s Gatwick airport stepped up security on Tuesday after a string of explosions in Brussels as British Prime Minister David Cameron prepared to hold an emergency cabinet meeting on the attacks.

“As a result of the terrible incidents in Brussels, we have increased our security presence and patrols around the airport,” the airport said in a statement.

Cameron earlier said on Twitter he was “shocked and concerned” by the events in Brussels.




“I will be chairing a COBRA meeting on the events in Brussels later this morning,” Cameron said.

COBRA meetings are held to discuss how the government responds to emergency situations and bring together ministers, police and intelligence officers.

A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, according to media reports, as Belgium raised its terror threat to the maximum level.
– AFP



-FMT NEWS-

At least 21 dead as blasts rock Brussels airport, metro

The blasts come days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels on Friday of Salah Abdeslam, the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people in November, after four months on the run.

BRUSSELS: A string of explosions rocked Brussels airport and a city metro station on Tuesday, killing at least 21 people in apparently coordinated attacks, officials said. 

Two explosions targeted the main hall of Zaventem Airport at around 8:00 am (0700 GMT), with a third hitting the Maalbeek metro station near the European Union’s main buildings, just as commuters were making their way to work in rush hour.

Pierre Meys, spokesman for the Brussels fire brigade, told AFP at least 21 people had been killed — 11 at the airport and “around ten” more at the metro station.

There were chaotic scenes at the airport as passengers fled in panic, with a thick plume of smoke rising from the main terminal building. The blasts smashed the windows of the departure hall and sent ceiling tiles shattering to the floor.

“We heard the explosion and felt the blowback,” Jean-Pierre Lebeau, a French passenger who had just arrived from Geneva, told AFP, adding that he had seen wounded people and “blood in the elevator”.



Witnesses told Belga news agency there had been shots and shouts in Arabic before the blasts hit the airport on the northwest outskirts of Brussels.

At Maalbeek station, at least 15 people with bloodied faces were being treated by emergency services on the pavement, an AFP reporter said.

The explosions triggered a transport shutdown in the city that is home to the headquarters of both the EU and NATO. Flights were halted with metro, tram and bus services all suspended. 

“These attacks mark another low by the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence,” said EU President Donald Tusk.

The bloodshed comes days after the dramatic arrest in Brussels on Friday of Salah Abdeslam — the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks claimed by the Islamic State group that killed 130 people in November — after four months on the run. 

‘Attack against democratic Europe’

Airports in a string of cities across Europe swiftly announced they were boosting security, including in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Prague.

Interior Minister Jan Jambon announced that Belgium’s terror threat had been raised from three to a maximum of four, and the country’s national security council was due to meet.

Brussels residents were told to “stay where you are”, while Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo urged people to avoid making calls to stop the city’s mobile networks getting saturated, and to communicate with online messages instead.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven branded the blasts an “attack against democratic Europe”.

British premier David Cameron tweeted that his country would do “everything we can to help,” and announced that Britain’s COBRA security committee would meet Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the blasts “show once more that terrorism knows no borders and threatens people all over the world”, according to a Kremlin statement.

“The fight against this evil requires vital international cooperation,” he added.



‘Total confusion’

The blasts come as Abdeslam, Europe’s most wanted man, remains in a high-security prison in Belgium following his arrest last week in the gritty Brussels neighbourhood of Molenbeek, just around the corner from his family home.

Belgium’s Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said at the weekend that Abdeslam — believed to have played a key logistical role in the carnage in Paris — had been planning some sort of new attack.

At the airport, Jean-Pierre Herman and his wife Tankrat Paui Tran embraced with shock on their faces.

“My wife just arrived,” Herman said. “I said hello, we took the elevator and in the elevator we heard the first bomb.



“When we came out of the elevator at that moment the second bomb exploded and then we saw doors flying, (the) glass ceiling come down and smoke.”

An AFP correspondent said roads to the airport had been blocked and trains halted.

Charlotte McDonald-Gibson, a British journalist living in Brussels, told AFP there had been “total confusion” at the airport, where she was having breakfast.

“Suddenly staff rushed in and said we have to leave,” she said.



“They rushed out and into the main terminal A departures building. Nobody knew what was going on.

“It was total confusion, people were just standing around wondering what was happening.”

There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of the blasts.

Europe’s main stock markets retreated as the news broke, with London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index dropping 0.6 percent compared with Monday’s close and Frankfurt’s DAX 30 shedding 1.1 percent. – AFP

-FMT NEWS-

Over 17k marriages between M’sian men and women from China unregistered

The main problem arising from the unregistered marriages is that the children could not be registered as Malaysian citizens.

KUALA LUMPUR: It is estimated that between 2011 and 2015 over 17,000 marriages between local men and women from China were not registered the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the number was almost double from the number of registered marriages between local men and Chinese women in the same period which totalled 11,623.

“From the registered marriages, a total of 9,197 children were born during that period,” Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address.




He said the main problem arising from the unregistered marriages was that the children could not be registered as Malaysian citizens.

“This creates problems. After these children were born, their mothers would have left the country and returned to their homeland, leaving the fathers or relatives here with the task of appealing for verification of the children’s status so that they can enter school,” he said.

Zahid said if there were any applications, the ministry would look at it based on a case-to-case basis and would use its discretion and humanitarian grounds in issuing birth certificates for those children.
– BERNAMA

-FMT NEWS-

Rayani Air minta maaf, penumpang mengamuk di media sosial

Syarikat penerbangan menjelaskan terpaksa membatalkan penerbangan kerana mematuhi prosedur teknikal.

PETALING JAYA: Syarikat penerbangan patuh syariah pertama negara, Rayani Air menjelaskan syarikat itu terpaksa membatalkan beberapa penerbangan kerana mematuhi prosedur teknikal.

Meminta maaf dengan kesukaran yang dihadapi penumpang, pengurusan Rayani Air menerusi akaun Facebook rasminya berkata, keselamatan penumpang menjadi keutamaan kepada syarikat itu.

“Keselamatan pelanggan adalah keutamaan kami dan kami melakukan yang terbaik untuk menyelesaikan masalaha yang dihadapi.

“Kesilapan menambahkan pengalaman dan pengalaman pula mengurangkan kesilapan. Kami akan lakukan yang terbaik. Terima kasih kerana terbang bersama Rayani Air,” kata syarikat itu.

Pembatalan beberapa penerbangan oleh syarikat itu sejak akhir-akhir ini menimbulkan kemarahan penumpang yang berkongsi pelbagai pengalaman di ruang media sosial.

Insiden itu turut mendapat perhatian Timbalan Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki yang menegur syarikat itu.

Beliau berkata, patut syariah bukan setakat memperagakan krew berpakaian menutup aurat tetapi juga perlu mematuhi masa dan menepati janji.

Sementara itu, Facebook Rayani Air dihujani runggutan orang ramai yang meluahkan tidak puas hati dengan perkhidmatan dan layanan syarikat itu.

“Kami faham tentang keselamatan pesawat. Isu sebenar ialah Rayani tidak memaklumkan awal kepada penumpang. Gantikan flight dgn pesawat syarikat lain atau sekurang-kurangnya maklumkan dari awal flight batal. Bukannya re-time dan re-time dan re-time dan akhirnya batal selepas berjam-jam (berhari-hari!). Rayani sudah tahu masalah pesawat dari awal. Kenapa masih mahu teruskan hingga berlarutan berhari-hari?,” tulis Azreena Mastor.

“Ada dua flight buat dua destinasi je dulu…kalau dah tambah flight boleh la nak buat laluan ke mana-mana pun. Ukur baju di badan sendiri.,” tulis Nhisyam MZain.

“Apology accepted… but… no more Rayani until you guys fix everything… please don’t be too ambitious… apa yang syarikat you mampu buat… buat yang mampu… jangan tamak sangat bukak banyak route tapi tak boleh bagi service yang bagus…” komen Adam Hafiz.

-FMT NEWS-

Ulangi kesalahan, Rayani Air berdepan tindakan gantung

Menteri melahirkan rasa tidak puas hati kerana pihaknya masih menerima aduan daripada penumpang.

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat penerbangan Rayani Air berdepan tindakan gantung sekiranya mereka gagal mematuhi amaran Kementerian Pengangkutan.

Menteri Pengangkutan, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai berkata demikian menjawab insiden pembatalan penerbangan tanpa pemberitahuan kepada penumpang dan penggantian pesawat.

“Kita akan ambil semua aduan itu; kenapa mereka batalkan penerbangan tanpa memberitahu awal dan ganti dengan pesawat lain,” kata Tiong Lai kepada pemberita di ruang legar Parlimen.




Menurut Tiong Lai, Rayani pernah diberi amaran sebelum ini. Beliau melahirkan rasa tidak puas hati kerana pihaknya masih menerima aduan daripada penumpang.

“Kita akan beri mereka amaran (kedua). Jabatan Penerbangan Awam Malaysia (DCA) sila ambil perhatian,” katanya.

Bulan lalu, lebih 200 penumpang pesawat Rayani Air terkandas di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi selepas penerbangan mereka dibatalkan berikutan pesawat yang hendak digunakan mengalami masalah teknikal.

Di Parlimen hari ini, Tiong Lai meminta orang-ramai untuk mengemukakan aduan mereka kepada DCA.

“Kita boleh menggantung mereka (Rayani Air) sekiranya kita merasakan mereka tidak mengikut arahan,” katanya.




Mengulas mengenai tindakan Rayani Air mengeluarkan pas masuk penerbangan dengan menggunkan tulisan tangan yang diviral di media sosial, Liow berkata, pihaknya akan melakukan siasatan segera.

Katanya, apa yang dilakukan Rayani Air itu boleh mengundang ancaman keselamatan memandangkan ia tidak dapat dibaca oleh mesin pengimbas.

“Mengenai pas masuk tulisan tangan, kami akan menyiasatnya mengapa mereka menggunakan pas masuk bertulis tangan, tapi (zaman) sekarang kita sudah tidak pakai semua guna telefon bimbit untuk daftar masuk,” katanya.





-FMT NEWS-

Handwritten boarding passes? DCA to probe Rayani Air

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai says DCA will probe report and see reason for alleged handwritten tickets.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) will investigate Rayani Air for allegedly giving handwritten boarding passes to its customers, said Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby today, Liow said the DCA needed to find out whether the handwritten passes were distributed due to a system failure.

“We will investigate. That’s why I said we have to see the reason for the handwritten tickets.




“There might be some breakdown in the system or something we have to take into consideration. We have to see the merits of the case.”

When asked if handwritten boarding passes could be considered a security threat, Liow said it could be as handwriting was not clear.

On March 19, a picture of a handwritten boarding pass went viral after Kampung Tunku assemblyman Lau Weng San posted the image on his social media account.

The post received more than 300 likes. However, the authenticity of the image has not yet been confirmed.




Early in February, a Rayani Air aircraft, which was supposed to ferry about 200 passengers on two scheduled flights from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur, experienced a cracked windshield. The passengers were stranded at Langkawi International Airport after the airline cancelled its Kuala Lumpur-bound flight.

According to Liow, the DCA had given Rayani Air a warning to comply with all DCA’s regulations and services, adding that the ministry took all complaints seriously.

“If there are more complaints, we can refer them to the aviation commission. “We have given a first warning earlier when they talked about the flight and the window pane and that they suspected some sabotage.




“They cannot simply say that. They have to be careful … cannot simply just say somebody caused sabotage.” The Bentong MP also stressed that should Rayani Air not follow the Transport Ministry’s orders, they would suspend the airline.

Rayani Air, on its Facebook page today, said it “would like to apologise for the flight cancellations that has been happening due to technical procedures”.

“Nevertheless, passengers’ safety is of upmost importance and we are doing our very best to solve the issues that have been surfacing recently. Mistakes increase your experiences, and experiences decrease your mistakes.”



-FMT-

Tony: ‘Sharing economy’ will keep oil prices down

AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes says current trend of hopping into cabs and relying on Uber will greatly impact oil prices in the future.

PETALING JAYA: He may have a fleet of planes belonging to his successful low-cost carrier but AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes prefers to hop into a cab when zipping about in London, UK.

This preference, he said was popular with others too and could very likely impact the price of oil in the future as it had already become a trend.

In an article in The Economic Times of India, the CEO said there were three reasons why the price of oil would remain low, one of which was the “sharing economy” model.

“There are three things that make me feel oil will stay where it is. One is, new forms of energy; two is pollution as countries will have to do more to curb pollution; and the third one – that people are underestimating – is the sharing economy.”




A “sharing economy” is a socio-economic model in which individuals borrow or rent assets owned by someone else, a quick search online says. The model is most likely to be used when the price of a particular asset is high and the asset is not fully utilised all the time.

Explaining his preference for cabs over driving his own car, Fernandes told a conclave in Mumbai last month, “It’s so easy to get a cab or Uber… you don’t have to think of parking, etc.

“There will be less cars in the world as you have more Ubers and Olas, etc along with more public transport.”

Fernandes spends a fair bit of his time in London, where his two kids live and Kuala Lumpur, the headquarters of AirAsia.

-FMT NEWS-