Cops ram into brothers

BALING: A high-speed chase ended with a police car crashing into the vehicle they wee pursuing, and ploughing into the two brothers on a motorcycle who were returning home after school.

The siblings, identified as Mohamad Nazri Mustaffa, 17, and his younger brother Mohamad Naziman, 16, who was riding pillion, were killed instantly.

Mohamad Nazri's twin, Mohamad Nazirul, could only watch in horror as his brothers were killed on the spot.

He was riding pillion on another motorcycle an was several metres behind his brothers.

The boys, all students of SM Kuala Pegang, had just left their school at 1pm when the incident occured at a junction in Kampung Landak.

Perak acting police chief Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah said the drama unfolded about noon when a police car with three policemen inside, responded to a call from Gerik police station.

The call was about the suspects in a Proton Waja who were behaving suspiciously in the town area.

"The policemen spotted the car 15 minutes later in Gerik town. On seeing the patrol car approaching them, the Proton Waja sped off," Hadi said.

A 60km high-speed chase then ensued along the new Gerik-Kupang highway.

He said the driver of the police car lost control of his vehicle when the driver of he Proton Waja slammed on his brakes.

The impact caused both cars to skid several metres before the police car ploughed into the bothers.

Although their car was a total wreck, he suspects managed to flee on foot to nearby village where they sped off on a stolen motorcycle. One of the suspects was captured five hours later.

Hadi described the incident as unfortunate. He said case was being investigated by Baling police.

It i learnt that Baling police had recorded statements from the three policemen who escaped unhurt.

Source: NST newspaper
Pictures: NST newspaper, Star newspaper

Orang utan gets eye op

THE world's first- ever cataract operation on an orang utan was conducted by ophthalmologist Dr Izak Venter and anaesthesiologist Dr Frik Stegmean, both from South Africa, at the Matang Wildlife Centre in Kuching.

Dr Venter, from the Medical Centre Group of Hospitals in South Africa, said the operation on the orang utan, named Aman, was to save the primate's eyesight. The three-hour operation yesterday was successful, he sad.

Aman's cataract problem was detected in March and Dr Venter had examined the primate's eyes and its health to see whether the operation was possible.

According to Dr Venter, the cataract operation using the pharcoemulsification procedure had been generally successful with patients with better eyesight.

He said animals responded differently after an operation with taking longer to regain their eyesight.

Aman, which was rescued from a market in Sarawak in 1989, had been kept at the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre before being transferred to the Matang Wildlife Centre in December 2000. - Bernama

Source: Malay Mail newspaper

Pictures: Malay Mail newspaper, NST newspaper

RM500,000 worth of cocaine found in man's stomach

KUALA LUMPUR: A Peruvian national arrived in Malaysia from Buenos Aires via Johannesburg, breezed through Customs and Immigration undetected with RM500,000 worth of cocaine in his stomach.

The trafficker, in his late 20s thought he had escaped as he got into a taxi from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Petaling Street about 7am on Tuesday.

The trafficker, however, did not realise that he was being followed by a team of officers from the city police's narcotics department.

After getting out of the taxi in Jalan Petaling, he made a call from a telephone booth and was nabbed as soon as he stepped out.

He was sent to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital where he was subjected to an X-ray examination which showed foreign objects in his intestines.

He was given laxative and several minutes later, the trafficker passed out about 50 pellets of cocaine.

A source told the New Straits Times that the pellets were made out of paper, rubber, plastic and wax which were unbreakable and waterproof.

Previously, the traffickers used condoms but they were unreliable as they were instances when the drugs seeped out. This could endanger the lives of the traffickers.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspect had swallowed about 2kg of cocaine which is double the normal amount swallowed by the drug traffickers.

It is believed that the Peruvian may have swallowed that amount in order to receive a bigger pay-off.

It is also learnt that the traffickers does not speak English and that police are looking for a Spanish-speaking interpreter to question him.

He is currently under heavy police guard at the hospital as they wait for the rest of the cocaine to be passed out.

Police are also trying to track the person who the Peruvian contacted. They believe he could also be a member of international drug trafficking syndicate.

Federal Narcotics director Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai confirmed the arrest but declined to elaborate.

It is learnt that police had contacted the Peruvian Embassy to notify them of the arrest and to get more information on the trafficker.

This is the second case this month.

A week ago, a businessman was caught in KLIA, trying to smuggle 70 heroin-filled condoms out of he country.

The locale's ploy failed when he was slopped by Customs officers who noticed him behaving suspiciously near the international departure hall.

A body search was conducted and the man, in his 40s, confessed he had swallowed 70 condoms containing heroin worth RM500,000.

He was immediately rushed to the Seremban Hospital. He is being detained for investigations.

Source: NST newspaper