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Arabia

Bahrain opposition chief gets life in jail over Qatar spy case

2018-11-05

[PULSE.NG] Bahrain sentenced the head of the country's Shiite opposition movement to life in prison Sunday for spying for rival Gulf state Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... in a ruling rights groups have called a travesty. Sheikh Ali Salman, who headed the now-banned al-Wefaq movement, and two of his aides had been acquitted by the high criminal court in June, a verdict the public prosecution appealed. The public prosecutor said in a statement that the three had been unanimously sentenced by the appeals court for "acts of hostility" against Bahrain and "communicating with Qatari officials... to overthrow constitutional order". Bahrain, along with Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and the United Arab Emirates, severed all ties with Qatar in 2017, banning their citizens from travel to or communication with the emirate over its alleged ties to both Iran and radical Islamist groups. Sunday's verdict against the charismatic Shiite holy man can still be appealed. Ruled for more than two centuries by the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty, Bahrain has been hit by waves of unrest since 2011, when security forces crushed Shiite-led protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Opposition movements, both religious and secular, have been outlawed and hundreds of dissidents have been imprisoned -- many of them stripped of their citizenship in the process. 'UNLAWFUL VERDICT' Salman's al-Wefaq was dissolved by court order in 2016. Another opposition group, the leftist National Democratic Action Society, or al-Waad, was banned the following year over allegations of links to terrorists. Salman is currently serving a four-year sentence in a separate case -- "inciting hatred" in the kingdom. Human rights groups have said cases against activists in Bahrain -- men and women, religious and secular -- fail to meet the basic standards of fair trials. Advocacy groups like Amnesia Amnesty International slammed Sunday's ruling against the 53-year-old Salman and his aides, Hassan Sultan and Ali al-Aswad as political reprisal.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Venezuelan Opposition Banned From Next Years Elections

2017-12-15

Venezuela's President, Nicolás Maduro, says the country's main opposition parties are banned from taking part in next year's presidential election. He said only parties which took part in Sunday's mayoral polls would be able to contest the presidency. Leaders from the Justice First, Popular Will and Democratic Action parties boycotted the vote because they said the electoral system was biased. President Maduro insists the Venezuelan system is entirely trustworthy. In a speech on Sunday, he said the opposition parties had "disappeared from the political map". "A party that has not participated today and has called for the boycott of the elections can't participate anymore," he said. In October, the three main opposition parties announced they would be boycotting Sunday's vote, saying it only served what they called President Maduro's dictatorship. President Maduro says his party won more than 300 of the 335 mayoral races being contested. The election board put turn out at 47%. Venezuela has been mired in a worsening economic crisis characterised by shortages of basic goods and soaring inflation. Mr Maduro's pronouncement is designed to provoke the opposition. Especially since he justified the move saying it was a condition set out by the National Constituent Assembly - a body that the opposition refuses to recognise because they say it is undemocratic. Mr Maduro has lost popularity because of the worsening economic crisis. In the face of criticism, his strategy has been one of "divide and conquer" - find ways of weakening the opposition to make them less of a threat. And he hs succeeded - he has imprisoned some of the most popular opposition leaders like Leopoldo López. He has prevented others like Henrique Capriles from running for office. And now this threat - banning the most influential parties from taking part in future elections. The opposition is in crisis and Mr Maduro is gloating. Mr Maduro said he was following the criteria set by the National Constituent Assembly in banning opposition parties from contesting next year's election. But the assembly, which came into force in August and has the ability to rewrite the constitution, is made up exclusively of government loyalists. Opposition parties see it as a way for the president to cling to power. The presidential vote had been scheduled for December 2018, but analysts say it could now be brought forward. Venezuela, in the north of South America, is home to more than 30 million people. It has some of the world's largest oil deposits as well as huge quantities of coal and iron ore. Despite its rich natural resources many Venezuelans live in poverty. This led President Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chávez, to style himself as a champion of the poor during his 14 years in office. Now the country is starkly divided between supporters of President Maduro and those who want an end to the Socialist Party's 18 years in government. Supporters of Mr Maduro say his party has lifted many people out of poverty, but critics say it has eroded Venezuela's democratic institutions and mismanaged its economy.

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Arabia

Bahrain court dissolves secular opposition group

2017-06-02

[DAWN] A Bahraini court dissolved a secular opposition party on Wednesday, a judicial official said, as authorities in the Gulf state kept up a crackdown on dissent. The decision by the administrative court, just months after the main party representing the kingdom’s Shia majority was also banned, was swiftly condemned by human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... groups. The justice ministry had requested the dissolution of the National Democratic Action Society (Waed) in March. It accused the party of "serious violations of the principle of respect for the rule of law", "support of terrorism" and "promotion of political change by force". Bahrain has been rocked by unrest since 2011, when its Sunni rulers crushed protests demanding a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. Last week, police rubbed out five demonstrators in the home village of the spiritual leader of the kingdom’s Shia majority. The Sunni left-leaning former head of Waed, Ibrahim Sharif, was released from prison last July after serving a one-year sentence for incitement against the government. He had already served four years of a five-year sentence over the 2011 protests before being released under a royal amnesty in June 2015.

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Arabia

How Bahrain’s progressives lost their shadow

2017-03-28

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Ministry of Justice in the Kingdom of Bahrain has filed a lawsuit seeking to dissolve the National Democratic Action Society (Waad) on grounds that it committed legal violations. Waad is one of the political groups, which has based its work on the principles of democracy and the civil state. It is part of the progressive enlightenment movement that struggled since it was in exile under the name of the National Liberation Front, a leftist and communist party. After it was established, Waad declared it was one of the opposition groups. Practices are what test any political group’s speeches and loyalty to principles. Political elites are always preaching us when they criticize "authoritarian acts," practices of individuals, and stances of other political parties. Actions are also supposed to reflect the principles on which these parties were formed and the latter are thus supposed to devote themselves to serve these values often conveyed through their speeches. Daily practices should strive to harmonize rhetoric of the political groups and influence how they choose their alliances and electoral lists. Their rhetoric should also match their position vis-à-vis regarding laws and regarding women-related affairs, expatriates’ civil rights and pluralism, diversity and non-discrimination.

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Southeast Asia

How one Islamist party could sway Malaysia’s election

2017-02-19

[SCMP] Malaysia’s biggest Islamist party, long a whipping post for the country’s liberals, is finding itself newly popular with former rivals and estranged allies as it emerges as a potential kingmaker in upcoming general elections. Due to its hardline brand of Islam, the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) has traditionally had an uneasy relationship with the country’s non-Moslem communities, such as the ethnic Chinese and Indians, but the deep influence it has enjoyed with the majority Malay community since it was founded in 1951 could make it a deciding force in the national polls, widely expected this year. Rural Malay seats are likely to be the key battleground in those polls, in which two coalition parties ‐ the ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) and the Pakatan Harapan (Hope Coalition) ‐ will be the main contenders. Why Malaysia is fighting Singapore over a rock Leaders of both coalitions are working behind the scenes to curry favour with the PAS, as the Islamist party gears up for a rally this weekend in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in a show of strength to convince the public it is still an influential political player. The PAS left the Hope Coalition in 2015 and became independent after a fellow coalition member, the secular Democratic Action Party, protested against its campaign to introduce a Moslem penal code called hudud. A big shot of the Democratic Action Party ‐ which is popular with ethnic Chinese voters ‐ recently signalled a willingness to mend ties with the PAS, while former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, long known for his criticisms of the PAS’ ultra-conservatism, has also appeared to change tack.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Violence is the only thing left in Venezuela

2015-12-08

[ELUNIVERSAL] Since 2001, attacks on opposition demonstrations or marches perpetrated by violent groups are well known. Throughout 15 years, with different names, these pro-government groups have attacked any expression that dissents from or opposes government's ideology. They are known today as "peace collectives," oxymoron for gangs that usually act violently, threatening; they take over slum areas, squats, buildings from Mission Housing, communes, and even food distribution businesses. The list of attacks is out of sight. Hundreds of deaths have been forgotten and their perpetrators enjoy impunity. In this last electoral campaign, at least seven attacks on opposition electoral events have been recorded, and several sites of opposition parties have been set on fire or assaulted. One of the latter events happened in Petare (east Caracas). There, gangs assaulted a convoy led by opposition candidate to the National Assembly (AN), Miguel Pizarro. Photographs and videos recorded gunnies with rifles and guns openly exposed in front of the crowd that was there. Several of these men wore the usual red shirts and hoods. One of them was seen unhooded and his face was seen clearly. However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... until now, no authority has reacted against this gang, which allegedly acts on the area. Other electoral campaign events, where opposition leaders, namely: María Corina Machado, Lilian Tintori or Henrique Capriles have taken part, have been attacked and assaulted by these pro-government gangs. The murder of Democratic Action party (AD) secretary general Luis Manuel Díaz in Guárico, on November 25, cannot be dissociated from this kind of violent actions that have set foot in the country, ever since late President Hugo Chavez took office. Pro-government reactions that accuse the victim, Díaz, of being a criminal and having a wide police dossier, are bizarre. On one hand, this suggests that the victim was guilty for his own death, because he was a criminal. On the other hand, authorities cannot explain why, if he was a "convicted and confessed" delinquent, he did have full freedom. A strange fact of this case: if it was a scores settling between union mafias, why was the murder perpetrated from a moving car in a political act where there were important opposition leaders? Why not look for another time when the assassinated leader was alone and with no witnesses? President Nicolás Maduro, going beyond, stated something different by saying that the opposition is paying USD 50,000 to perpetrate these attacks and murders. However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... as usual, there are no evidences or proofs presented. In short, it is being suggested that the opposition is paying thousands of dollars to attack its own members. Authorities identified a gang member of "Los Plateados," which operates in Guárico state, as the perpetrator. Like the "Picure" gang, these criminals act unpunished in the area. From time to time, authorities announce their dismantling. What lies beneath these criminal gangs? Why do authorities fail to eliminate them? These attacks bear a common seal and signature, which is fueled by intolerance. This is the case specially in a time when the economic and political machinery of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), formerly regarded as invincible, looks today morally and ethically on a downward spiral, as well as speechless in front of its rank and file members.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Maduro gov't lashes U.S and opposition amid blame over activist's death

2015-11-28

Venezuela's government on Friday blasted the United States for linking an activist's murder to upcoming legislative elections and said it would sue an opposition leader who blamed the ruling Socialist Party. The killing of Luis Diaz, a leader of opposition Democratic Action party in central Guarico state, has rocked Venezuela days before the vote for a new National Assembly, which the Socialists risk losing for the first time in 16 years. Diaz was shot dead at a campaign rally on Wednesday. In the emotional aftermath, Henry Ramos, national head of Democratic Action, and Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and a witness to the shooting, blamed the ruling party. But President Nicolas Maduro said initial investigations pointed to a gang dispute. Officials accused the opposition of exploiting the case to discredit the Socialists before the Dec. 6 election. "Trying to link a murder between criminal gangs with Venezuela's electoral process shows desperation and bad faith," Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said of a U.S. statement linking it to other aggression against opposition candidates. Opposition leaders have for several weeks been denouncing hostility against their candidates, including several incidents of shooting in the air during marches. But the head of the government's election campaign, Jorge Rodriguez, said Diaz had been part of a gang linked to extortion, murders and kidnapping, and named an alleged rival as his presumed killer. Rodriguez said he would bring a lawsuit against Democratic Action head Ramos for defamation of the Socialist Party. The killing brought widespread international condemnation. The United Nations urged Venezuela on Friday to provide better safety for political opponents and rights defenders. Underlining a cooling of relations with Maduro, regional heavyweight Brazil also weighed in, expressing "dismay" at Diaz's death.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Venezuela opposition politician killed

2015-11-27

A regional opposition leader in Venezuela has been shot dead at a campaign rally less than two weeks before parliamentary elections. The Democratic Action party says Luis Manuel Diaz was killed by a man who approached the stage after a public meeting in central Guarico state. Opposition leaders blamed militias supporting the governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). President Nicolas Maduro denied this and said an inquiry had been launched. "The interior ministry has strong indications that it was a clash between rival criminal gangs," said Mr Maduro. Lilian Tintori, the wife of jailed opposition leader, Leopoldo Lopez, addressed opposition supporters alongside Mr Diaz shortly before the shooting. The Democratic Action party leader, Henry Ramos Allup, nitially tweeted that Mr Diaz had been killed by gunmen who shot from a passing car. He later rectified and said the shots came from a gunmen who came close to the stage after the rally. Mr Maduro responded to Mr Ramos Allup's comments by telling him to produce evidence to back up his accusations. "We must not jump into conclusions," said the president. "And let us not accept any type of provocation!" he urged his supporters during a rally. The head of Venezuela's Electoral Commission, Luis Emilio Rondon, has also expressed concern over recent incidents of violence. He called for a thorough investigation "to identify the perpetrators and tackle impunity". Opposition politicians say their candidates have been attacked on numerous occasions in the past weeks. Miguel Pizarro, an opposition politician running for re-election in Caracas, said he was confronted by armed men who shot into the air in the neighbourhood of Petare on Sunday. Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles said he was attacked by a group of masked men in the town of Yare earlier this month. The government has denied any involvement in any of the attacks and accused the opposition of trying to provoke PSUV supporters.

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Caribbean-Latin America

Henrique Capriles to challenge Chavez

2012-02-14

Venezuela's opposition has chosen Henrique Capriles Radonski to stand against President Hugo Chavez in October's presidential election. Mr Capriles, the governor of Miranda state, triumphed in the first ever opposition primary election. Voting was extended for an hour after what organisers said was a higher-than-expected turn-out. President Chavez has said he is confident of winning re-election no matter who he runs against. The left-wing leader has governed Venezuela since 1999, winning repeated election victories. He had surgery for cancer last year but says he has recovered and is ready to campaign for another six-year term in office. The primary, organised by the opposition Democratic Unity (MUD) coalition, was open to all Venezuelans of voting age, regardless of their political affiliation. "Today, the future of Venezuela won and, as we said, we repeat to everyone: there is a path, there is a path for progress, for the future, to make Venezuela a greater country", Mr Capriles told supporters at a victory rally in the capital, Caracas. Mr Capriles said he hoped to unite all the opposition parties through his leadership. "I hope to be president of the yellows, the whites, the greens, the blues, the oranges, the reds. I hope to be president of those without a colour." Some people had queued for hours at polling stations. Officials extended the voting time to try to allow all those who waited the chance to vote, reports the BBC's Sarah Grainger in Caracas. Campaigning in this primary had been polite and well-mannered and the losers were quick to congratulate Mr Capriles. They are now expected to gloss over any political differences and throw their support behind him in his battle at the ballot box with Hugo Chavez, our correspondent says. Election chief Teresa Albanes said Mr Capriles, 39, had won about 62% of the 2.9 million votes cast, with 95% of votes counted. He easily beat his closest challenger, Zulia state governor Pablo Perez. Mr Perez, 42, has the support of Democratic Action and Copei - two parties that dominated Venezuelan politics before Hugo Chavez became president. Also standing in the primary were congresswoman Maria Corina Machado, 43, veteran politician Diego Arria, 73, and former Chavez ally Pablo Medina, 64. Mr Chavez has dismissed all the candidates as representatives of US "imperialism" who would dismantle his socialist reforms. He has also said he would accept the election result if he were defeated in October. Fat chance... The MUD coalition narrowly won the popular vote in last year's legislative election, gaining 67 out of 165 congressional seats on offer. But opinion polls suggest Mr Chavez is still favourite to win the presidential poll.

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Arabia

Bahrain to lift ban on major opposition party

2011-06-19

[Al Jazeera] Bahrain's government is preparing to lift a ban on the country's second largest opposition party, ahead of a national dialogue to ease the Gulf island kingdom's political crisis. Radhi al-Mousawi, a front man for the National Democratic Action Society, or Waad, said on Saturday that the government would lift the ban on its headquarters in the capital, Manama, and later at its office in Muharraq. The state news agency BNA confirmed the news, citing the justice ministry as saying steps were being taken to lift the ban. Authorities shut down Waad in April amid a crackdown by security forces on pro-democracy protests. Welcoming political dialogue Mousawi said the group had sent a statement to the government welcoming the political dialogue, set by King Hamad ...King of Bahrain (since 14 February 2002), having previously been its emir (from 6 March 1999). He is a Sunni, while the rest of Bahrain is predominantly Shiite... bin Isa al-Khalifa to begin on July 1, and asked for the king to look into the case of Waad's jugged leader. Ibrahim Sharif is in prison along with several other opposition leaders, including Hassan Mushaimaa, the president of the Shia Islamist party al-Haq. Both are among 21 people facing trial on charges of plotting a coup with backing from "foreign terrorist groups". Bahrain's Sunni rulers have accused the protesters, backed mostly by Shia groups but also by the secular Waad party, of being backed by Iran. Opposition groups deny the charges. Bahraini opposition activists said that Waad had been under pressure to welcome the national dialogue in return for an end to the ban. Both Waad and Wefaq, the largest Iranian catspaw, have stopped short of saying they will join the talks. Some Wefaq members have said they are wary of taking part because of reports that dozens of groups will be invited.

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Arabia

Bahrain's opposition divided on Iran

2011-04-08

[Asharq al-Aswat] Senior figures within Bahrain's Democratic Alliance have revealed that the joint statement issued by the opposition coalition condemning Iranian interference in Bahrain's internal affairs, was not endorsed by a number of other Bahraini political opposition parties. The Democratic Alliance, which recently issued a statement condemning Iranian interference in Bahraini affairs, is made up of three opposition parties, namely the Waad party [National Democratic Action Society, the al-Minbar party [Progressive Democratic Tribune], and the al-Qawmi party [National Democratic Alliance Society]. The senior figures within Bahrain's Democratic Alliance coalition stressed that this statement was not endorsed by the 4 other prominent Bahraini opposition parties, who are members of the [Shiite] Wefaq National Islamic Society bloc, saying that "[this statement] may differ from the viewpoint of other [opposition] groups." Observers have stressed that this difference in opinion between the Democratic Alliance and the Wefaq bloc -- which is the largest Shiite political grouping in Bahrain -- publicly reveals, and for the first time, a change in the attitude and policy of the Bahraini political opposition with regards to the recent events in the country. Dr. Hassan al-Aali, the leader of the al-Qawmi party, which is part of the Democratic Alliance, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the statement issued by this political coalition does not reflect a division "because the three parties [that make up the Democratic Alliance] represent all sections of Bahrain's society, whether they are Sunnis or Shiites." He added that "there have been sectarian fears and misunderstanding with regards to the position of some groups towards the situation in Bahrain, and the picture has not been clear, particularly with regards to Iran's blatant interference in Bahrain's internal affairs. Therefore we had no choice but to announce our position to send a message to the nation that we do not believe in what some other [oppositional] groups believe." He stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "we [the Democratic Alliance] believe that the entry of the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] Peninsula Shield force occurred according to legal and legitimate agreements between the GCC states, and that this took place within the framework of the fraternity of the Gulf States, and our common destiny." Dr. al-Aali also pointed out that Tehran had attempted to exploit the legitimate demands [for reform] of the people of Bahrain, in order to interfere in Bahrain's internal affairs and draw attention away from the internal situation in Iran. He also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the al-Qawmi party has also considered that Tehran was also trying to use Bahrain as a Bargaining chip regarding its nuclear ambitions, and also in an attempt to extend its regional influence. Al-Aali said that "we completely reject Iranian interference in our affairs, and Tehran must stop its brutal response to the demands of its people. Iran should focus on its own internal affairs rather than involving itself in the internal affairs of GCC states." Dr. Hassan al-Aali also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "this statement was not put before the other [opposition] groups." He added that "we believed it was important to issue a statement such as this and take a position supporting national unity, issuing a calm and rational response to the people regarding their demands." Al-Aali also acknowledged the importance of opposition parties reviewing their position in light of the recent events in Bahrain, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that "I acknowledge that we, as a political movement, made mistakes, we opened the way for escalation and extremism, and the raising of slogans that are rejected politically, as well as by the public." He added that "these slogans forcibly seized the Bahraini street, and things took a direction that we, along with the Bahraini government, find unacceptable." For his part, Ibrahim Kamal al-Din, a member of the central committee of the Waad party, which is also a member of the Democratic Alliance, revealed that "this tripartite alliance was established around a year ago, and it is important for us to be part of a larger coalition. We are seeking to promote national unity, and we have made many concessions for the sake of the unity of this country." He added that "it was very important for the Waad party as part of the Democratic Alliance -- to issue this statement, particularly in light of the attacks of the homeland" adding that this has noting to do with "forming consensus or causing division." Al-Din also said that "we, as a [secular] democratic movement, find ourselves being accused by the other sectarian [political] parties. All parties accuse us of being controlled by other parties." As for the reason behind this statement, he said that "there are differences of opinion that required us to clarify our positions, particularly with regards to the Iranian statement." He stressed that "the situation required the issuance of a distinct and independent statement [from the other oppositional groups]" adding that "the Wefaq group also issued a statement via its leader Sheikh Ali Salman." The Waad party senior figure also said that "we, as a political movement, wanted to inform the Bahraini street that we are above sectarianism, and we have a huge stake in confronting this, whilst we have also paid the price for all the sectarian conspiracies that have stuck Bahrain." Ibrahim Kamal al-Din also stressed that "now is not the time for [political] score settling, for what is important now four our party is to get out of this situation that the country is facing without being biased towards one party at the expense of another, rather we will remain on good terms with all the present sides." He added "we, in the Waad party, have yet to announce our clear position in all its details regarding what has happening [in Bahrain], but we have an opinion that we will announce to the public once the country has emerged from this crisis." Al-Din also said that "the Democratic Alliance agrees with the other parties on the broad lines, whilst the opinions put forward to the Crown Prince are [also] agreed upon, although there are differences on the ceiling of demands, and differences in viewpoint [with the other opposition bloc]." In related news, Dr. Salah Ali Mohamed, Chairman of the Bahraini parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defense, and National Security Committee announced Bahrain's comprehensive rejection of Iranian interference in the country's internal affairs, stressing that Bahraini illusory sovereignty is a red-line that must not be transgressed. Commenting on the statement issued by the Iranian Shura Council's National Security and Foreign Policy committee, Mohamed stressed that legislative institutes, such as the one which issued the Iranian statement, should be the most concerned about respecting laws, and not violating them. He said that the Iranian Shura Council committee's statement represented an explicit transgression of international rules and conventions and the UN charter. He also said that this statement was contrary to Islamic principles, and a violation to the principle of good neighborly relations. Dr. Mohamed also condemned the Iranian statement regarding its comments on the GCC, and the deployment of the Peninsula Shield force to Bahrain, stressing that this was welcomed by the leadership, government, and people of Bahrain, and took place according to international conventions. The Bahraini official called on Tehran to move away from issuing statements such as this, which do not serve the desires of the GCC state to achieve regional security and stability, and good relations with the surrounding region.

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Southeast Asia

Malaysian states plan Valentines Day crackdown

2011-02-10

[Straits Times] SEVERAL Malaysian states are planning a crackdown on 'immoral acts' during Valentine's Day as part of a campaign to encourage a sin-free lifestyle, an Islamic party leader on Wednesday. Authorities in the northern states of Kedah, Penang and Kelantan as well as central Selangor state will carry out 'immorality checks' on Feb 14, said Nasrudin Hasan Tantawi, head of the Islamic party PAS's youth wing. PAS is part of the opposition alliance that won control of the four states in 2008 elections. Its conservative stance has caused friction with its two partners including the liberal Chinese-based Democratic Action Party. 'We have identified spots in these states which are used by lovers and we are deploying local religious department officials as well as party members to stop such sinful acts like casual sex which violates Islam,' Mr Nasrudin told AFP. He said authorities will take action against those caught in the dragnet, under Islamic laws that run in parallel with the civil justice system in Mohammedan-majority Malaysia. 'There have been campaigns promoting 'no panties' on Valentines Day and even free hotel room offers for unmarried couples. We must stop such practices here as these are sinful activities,' he added.

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