The Straits Times

May 9, 2009 Saturday

Updated

Straits Times Headlines

Mas Selamat was PLOTTING HITS ON S'PORE

Improvised float helped him escape to Johor

Inside

Vesak Day greetings

The changing face of JI

View Points

Happy ending after months of anxiety

Skudai hideout near JI breeding ground

JI still active in South-east Asia

Trash bags, tyres, bottles...

Village with no kampung spirit

Sense of relief among people

Threat remains as long as JI exists

It's a scoop by our reporter

Aware programme 'exceeded guidelines'

Buddhist devotees in walk of faith

$1.4m scam: Thrice-convicted cheat gets 12 years

Asean+3 to cooperate in flu fight

Big sigh of relief as quarantine is lifted

S'pore still free of new H1N1 strain

Low-key approach pays off, says Ma

Civil service pay 'to be tweaked to prevent graft'

Breaking News

Hasina's ailing husband dies

Jailed Chen dehydrated

Mine owners hide 6 deaths **

S'pore Muslims relieved

THE re-arrest of Mas Selamat Kastari in Johor, where he sought shelter while on the run, vindicates the Singapore Muslim community's stand that they have no sympathy for those who plot violence in the name of Islam, several leaders of the community said on Saturday.

After the Jemaah Islamiah regional leader escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre in February last year, there was suspicion among some that he might be harboured by sympathisers here.

2nd spat at Tanglin Club

MORE infighting has broken out at the prestigious Tanglin Club.

Four members of the social club are taking legal action against its president for a message he wrote in the club's newsletter.

They felt that parts of the message were defamatory to them, and are demanding that he issue an apology in the newsletter and pay for damages to their reputation, among other things.

Ministers not told earlier

SO TIGHTLY held was the news of Mas Selamat Kastari's arrest by Malaysia Special Branch on April 1 that even Singapore ministers, besides the Prime Minister, was not told of it.

They first knew of this only on Thursday afternoon when all the ministers were having their weekly pre-Cabinet lunch, PM Lee Hsien Loong revealed in a statement on Saturday.

Pass credit reform bill

WASHINGTON - US PRESIDENT Barack Obama on Saturday renewed his appeal to Congress to pass a credit card reform bill that would outlaw sudden interest rate increases, hidden fees and what the White House calls 'unfair penalties.'

'There is no time for delay,' Mr Obama said in his weekly radio address. 'We need a durable and successful flow of credit in our economy, but we can't tolerate profits that depend upon misleading working families.'

M'sia frees 13 detainees

KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA said on Saturday it has freed 13 people held under its tough internal security laws, including three ethnic Indian activists detained since organising anti-government protests in 2007.

'All of them have been released today,' police chief Musa Hassan told AFP.

He said five Filipinos and two Indonesians released will be sent back to their home countries.