Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Is Abdul Razak Baginda The Political Analyst Involved In Mongolian Model Murder?

According to The Star, police have picked up a prominent political analyst attached with a politically well-connected think-tank for questioning over the gruesome murder of a Mongolian model whose body was blown to bits.

The man, who is in his 40s, was taken from his office in Ampang here by several policemen at about 10am yesterday.

The private think-tank conducts research and prints publications on politics, economics, defence and international relations.

The analyst is being detained at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman where he is assisting a special task force set up to probe the murder of 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The Straits Times Interactive of Singapore has openly mentioned the name of Abdul Razak Baginda as the culprit. He set up the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre (MSRC) in 1993, a private think tank specialising in defence and strategic issues, when Datuk Seri Najib was first appointed Malaysian Defence Minister. He is said to be in the inner circle of Datuk Seri Najib's supporters and aides and has been frequently quoted in Malaysian and international publications.

The ST further says that he is well-known not just in Malaysia but also among the region's many research organisations for his moderate views on politics and security issues. The suggestion of involvement in any extramarital affairs is a shock to many who know the man. Abdul Razak is married with children, and is known to be obsessed with his work in the MSRC.

He is also a regular on the lecture and seminar circuit and a talk show host on national television. His qualification as a stellar analyst is backed up by his qualifications. He was previously the Head of Strategic Studies and International Relations at the Armed Forces Defence College here.

He is a graduate of King's College London and is a member of the World Economic Forum's (Davos) Global Leaders for Tomorrow as well as the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

At the time of posting this, I received an SMS that a 46 year old political analyst was brought to the sessions court just now and has been remanded for five days. Things should get clearer over the next few days I suppose.

Update: Two more remanded for the murder of model.

Update 11/11/06:
1) Mongolian Govt Wants Wisma Putra To Explain Altantuya Murder.
2) Unlikely she demanded for money: Victim's tight-lipped family.

Update 11/12/06:
1)
DNA Results To Be Known Next Week, Says IGP.
2) No Formal Request Yet For Info From Mongolia Over Murder Of Its National.

Update 11/13/06: From the NST.

Altantuya murder case:
'Charge him or release him'

The Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case has yet to go to court, but already the first salvo has been fired.
The lawyer for the political analyst detained in connection with the murder of the Mongolian model yesterday slammed the police for seeking an extension on the remand order against his client. Datuk Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the police should either charge his client or release him.

Police, working to expedite investigation into the case that has gripped public attention and generated various theories and rumours, had asked for a nine-day extension to question the prominent analyst. However, magistrate Manira Mohd Nor only granted a two-day extension. The first five-day remand order expired yesterday.

The 46-year-old analyst’s counsel said: "There is no reason to detain him any longer as they have taken his statement. They have searched and investigated his office and house and taken his DNA sample. So there is nothing else they need to take from him. All other investigations are now external to him."

Shafee was speaking at the Cheras police headquarters yesterday afternoon after Manira had granted the extension. Shafee said his client faced three legal possibilities when the remand period ended.

"They can release him conditionally or unconditionally; they can charge him or they can release him on a bond pending further investigation. But I hope he will be released conditionally or unconditionally on Tuesday."

An unhappy Shafee also claimed police were denying him full access to his client. "Until today, I have only managed to have several short conversations with him, but not in a way a client and a solicitor ought to be allowed to talk, in an atmosphere of confidentiality. I met my client here today (yesterday) but I would not describe that brief moment as a ‘talk’. It was more like hugging than anything else."

Shafee said: "My client is to be admitted again to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital today (yesterday). He is coughing. He is going back to the hospital for treatment for lower respiratory tract infection. "I do not know when he will be out of the hospital."

Anticipating his release, the analyst’s parents, wife and their 19-year-old daughter were present at the Cheras police headquarters from 10am. Shafee said the analyst’s family was also saddened by the extension of his remand.

Update 11/14/06:
1) Confusion over which Altantuya was murdered
2) Mongolian Ambassador Arrives To Give Letter To King
3) Emergency motion against political analyst's lawyer Shafee tabled in Parliament
4) Abdul Razak Baginda's remand extended further

Update 11/15/06:
1) Altantuya married twice, had two kids
2) Two policemen charged with Mongolian woman's murder

Update 11/16/06:
1) Altantuya murder case: Razak to be charged
2) Razak Baginda Charged With Abetment In Mongolian Woman's Murder

Update 11/17/06:
Update 1) The police took three weeks to complete their investigation into the murder of a Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu, which led to the arrest and indictment of a political analyst and two policemen from the Special Action Squad (UTK).

The case drew wide media coverage and was followed closely in the country and Mongolia because of the woman's romantic link with a Malaysian man and the manner in which she is believed to have been killed -- shot dead and the body blown up with explosives in the jungle near Subang Dam in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam in Selangor.

Altantuya, a part-time model of 28 from Ulan Bator, was reported to have come to Kuala Lumpur to look for her lover but paid with her life.

The political analyst, Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda, 46, was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court Thursday with abetment in the murder of Altantuya. He was charged under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 302 of the same code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction. Yesterday, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, were charged in the Shah Alam Magistrate's Court for murdering the woman.

Following is a chronology of the events leading up to the indictment of the three persons:

* Oct 9: Altantuya, younger sister Altantzul Shaariibuu, 27, and a cousin, Burma alias Amy, 28, arrive in Kuala Lumpur and stay at a hotel in Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur.

* Oct 10: Altantuya is said to have engaged a private investigator to trace a Malaysian man.

* Oct 21: Altantuya's sister and cousin make a police report on her disappearance on Oct 19. Police investigate and pick up a woman lance corporal from the Petaling Jaya Police Station.

* Oct 26: Chief Insp Azilah of the UTK in Bukit Aman is arrested.

* Nov 6: Corporal Sirul Azhar of the UTK in Bukit Aman is arrested.

* Nov 7: Police find bits of Altantuya's remains near the Subang Dam in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. Abdul Razak is picked up at his office in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Sirul Azhar is remanded until Nov 13 to help with the investigation into the murder.

* Nov 8: Abdul Razak is remanded for five days until Nov 12 to help with the investigation into a kidnapping.

Azilah and the woman lance corporal are remanded until Nov 13 to help with the investigation into the murder.

* Nov 9: Two private investigators, aged 35 and 46, are remanded until Nov 13 to help in the investigation into criminal intimidation.

Altantuya's father, Shaariibuu Setev, accompanied by three relatives arrive in Kuala Lumpur and stay at a hotel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, to assist police in their investigation.

Shaariibuu gives evidence at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.

* Nov 10: Shaariibuu gives his DNA sample to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital to help determine whether the remains found at Puncak Alam are that of Altantuya.

DNA samples are also taken from Abdul Razak and the three police personnel.

* Nov 11: Abdul Razak is admitted to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for treatment of a lung infection and asthma.

* Nov 12: The remand order on Abdul Razak is extended by two more days.

* Nov 13: The remand orders on the three police personnel are extended further while the two private investigators are released.

* Nov 14: The remand order on Abdul Razak is extended by two more days.

* Nov 15: Azilah and Sirul Azhar are charged in the Shah Alam Magistrate's Court for the murder of Altantuya under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries a mandatory death sentence upon conviction.

The woman lance corporal is released on police bail.

The DNA test confirms that the remains found at Puncak Alam are that of Altantuya.

* Nov 16: Abdul Razak is charged in the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate's Court with abetment in the murder of Altantuya under Section 109 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 302 of the same code, which carries the mandatory death sentence upon conviction.(Bernama)

Update 2)
The Thailand-based newly accredited Mongolian ambassador to Malaysia Yachii Bauuri today praised the Malaysian government and the police for the speedy investigation into the murder of involving part-time model Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The appreciation was conveyed by Yachii to Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar when the former paid a courtesy call on Syed Hamid at the Putra World Trade Centre where the Umno general assembly is ongoing.

Yachii had made thecourtesy call on the Foreign Minister after presenting his credentials to the Yang di-Pertuan Agung.

"The ambassador conveyed his appreciation on the speed the investigations were completed," Syed Hamid said.

The Foreign Minister told the Central Asian country ambassador that the culprits involved in the murder were charged in courts and that the due process of law would take its course.

A police chief inspector, police Constable were charged with the murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian beauty, while, political analyst Abdul Razak Abdullah Baginda was charged with abetting in the offence.

"They (Mongolia) are satisfied with the action taken by the local authorities," Syed Hamid said The ambassador in turn conveyed that the Mongolian government also respected the process and action taken by the Malaysian government on the matter, he added.

"We did not discuss on the case itself. It is in the court, let them handle it," Syed Hamid said.

"It is a normal protocol meeting … nothing out of the ordinary," he explained.

On the timing of the appointment of the Mongolian ambassador which coincided with the murder of Altantuya, the Foreign Minister, with a hearty laugh, said it was merely a coincidence and that the appointment was fixed months earlier.

Syed Hamid said with the full accreditation, the Mongolian diplomat would act in his capacity as a non-resident ambassador.

He added that Mongolia had decided to upgrade the relationship with Malaysia as the two-way exchange and bilateral relationship had strengthened.

Syed Hamid said at the moment there are about 350 Mongolian students studying in Malaysia, and Mongolia is seeking to enhance this with increased educational exchanges and in other areas. (TheSun)

Update 3) The two private investigators who were picked up by police to assist in the abduction and murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu have been re-arrested.

They were picked up at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters contingent complex on Wednesday. CID director Datuk Christopher Wan Sook Kee confirmed the re-arrest.

A seven-day remand order was obtained yesterday against the two from a magistrate. They are being investigated for kidnapping and criminal intimidation. They were arrested on Nov 8 as police investigated possible charges of abetting in the murder of Altantuya. However, they were released two days later.

In a related development, the woman lance corporal, who could be the main prosecution witness in the murder trial of Altantuya, was freed on Wednesday on police bail, after being remanded for 14 days. Police detained her and two other elite forces policemen while investigating the murder of the 28-year-old Mongolian business woman and translator.

Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri, 30, and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, 35, of the Special Action Squad were charged with the murder of the Mongolian on Wednesday. (NST)

Update 4) Wife maintains political analyst is innocent

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THE NEXT PHASE:(click here) Altantuya Murder Case: Abdul Razak Baginda's Trial Starts (11/23/06) - How Will It End?

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18 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

tsh... can u believe it?

12:36 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All the police involved in the case should be heavyly punished, they really made all Malaysian feel ashame...

Never mention Malaysia Boleh anymore... Malu lah...

1:21 PM GMT+8  
Blogger HJ said...

http://news.asiaone.com/a1news/20061108_story3_1.html

2:49 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

intriguing and explosive news indeed !

a megascale sex scandal ( welcome change from the magic of toyo )

when najib's scandal will appear ah ?

5:30 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The news report, saying nothing and insinuating everything, does suggest that the police were involved in this execution. If that is so, who directed them to this end? That would involve someone at the highest levels of government. This is a serious matter, if senior politicians have the power to order 'disappearances' ala Pinochet or Stalin. What has our beloved nation turned into?

7:20 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

sickening ...pathetic
firstly, we have the khairil J who feels he is the prince of all the princes and princesses of the UMNO earth.

first the grandiousity and blatant abuse by this "prince of earth" by the name of zakaria and his hallmark spect...jolting us out of our seats

then, the other self proclaimed "prince-of-earth" from johor, in power but with a mentality of a primary 6, fearing his pamapered and 'ali baba' lifestyle will be diminished with a bangsa melayu.... left us catatonic
now this blatant hiltler style execution of a young mum, trying to fend a sick child from another prince with a "baginda" title..... we are left wondering if we should get all our siblings and children away from any interaction with anybody holding power in UMNO!!!
Man can propose, but god dispose and make it quick before we are 'blown' off by tsnami from UMNO

10:03 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is a full story on Baginda etc at www.asiasentinel.com

11:35 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

star being cautious not to print his name but if you download the real video clip attached to the article you will see that it's filename is razakbaginda_061108. How's that for subtle?

12:20 AM GMT+8  
Blogger Redhuan D. Oon said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

3:25 PM GMT+8  
Blogger Redhuan D. Oon said...

Razak was one year my senior in Jalan Kuantan School (1), KL 35 yrs ago. He was Head Prefect and i was one of the prefects under him for a while. He was well spoken, responsible and civil-minded even at that age. Naturally it is unthinkable of what he has got himself into.
But back then we didn't know him with the Baginda name. He was just Abdul Razak something. When i recognised it was him about some years ago, i wrote to him via some site i located him on. But i didnt get any reply from that site.
I pray the the story is unravelled truthfully for our benefit. Protect the innocent, punish the criminals.

daniel oon

3:27 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know him personally. He would never do such a thing. This is total rubbish! I cant wait for the day his name is cleared from his whole nightmare

12:00 AM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

news about the story on Mongolian daily newspapers. click on the link

http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=229&Itemid=36

http://www.mongolnews.mn/index.php?module=unuudur&sec=view&id=14831

3:41 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

rilek2 dulu...blom bicara lagi kes tue.. lu all pandai2 plak nak hukum si 'BAGINDA'tue.. kita x tau lagi citer yg sebenar-benarnya.. Hakim pon blom putuskan lagi samada bersalah atau tidak.. lagi pun, mayat yg polis jumpa itu blom lagi sahih samada si Altantuya Shaariibu atau org lain.. masih dlm siasatan... jgn salahkan UMNO untuk hal sebegini.. Apa kaitannya antara UMNO ngan kes ini? adakah kerana salah seorang anggota ahli UMNO yg terlibat maka parti UMNO patut dipersalahkan? Dalam setandan pisang takkan semuanya busuk??!

6:37 PM GMT+8  
Blogger hanz said...

Hi guys,

razak baginda is very kind n humble type of person. Let's hope 4 d best!

hanz
13th.flr BGA

2:41 PM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If Abdul Razak Baginda is so good, why did he need another woman ? I mean he is a Muslim, why not take her for a second wife like Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin ? Remember he is a strategist and what is a strategist if it is not about planning and implementing ? Yes, his face used to be on the t.v. I mean if he wanted to play, he should play safely. If she wants so much money, just give her the money. Why want to murder her in an execution style ? Why want to call the rotten apples in PDRM and made her out to be a suicide bomber ? What sort of advises P.M. has been receiving all this while ? Let us hope the P.M. holds true to his words and will not let any stones unturned until the truth is found. And it is high time to reshuffle everybody, especially his advicers.
Shame on you Barisan Nasional ! Shame on you Barisan Nasional ! Shame on you Barisan Nasional !

12:44 AM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Probably Razak used pretty faced / body to fulfil male menopause. He must've used wife's brains for his career. I guess he's going to get away with "insufficient evidence" or "on technicalities" ini kan Malaysia? Bolehkan?

12:18 AM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Im shocked reading the articles about Baginda.My personal opinion is Baginda has been Frame.If he want to kill her, I dont think he's that kind of guy, be so dumb to hired a malaysians policemen to kill Altantuya. If he's a bad guy ...then he will do this kind of things outside malaysia. He could done it himself and kill altantuya while he and her travelling to europe and all those places. Think???....Malaysian people? Dont judge baginda til he proven guilthy. Someone is trying to bring him down maybe because he was so good at his job.
So many times I read about baginda ,I can see this guy has been frame.I read he has a good profile, and now people make him look bad becoz of his affair to the mongolian girl.
If he's having affair with this girl , so what ? that is none of anyone's bussiness, that is his personal life ...it is wrong to judge people's personal life. why people like to fold other's ppl's cloths and yet forget to fold their own cloths?If he's guilty...at least I know I did not judge him , but if he's not guilty ...shame on u people who cruelly misjudged him.

10:23 AM GMT+8  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Now, now. Haven't anyone of you heard the word 'talam muka'? Just because what you read from so-called profile, doesn't mean he has no second personality. All human has that, for goodness sake. I won't blame the UMNO people together but I just hate it that they were on that B*****d's side.

As far as I know, Malaysian politics (or the powerful people of Malaysia) has the tendency to withdraw from their cases especially scandals. Chances for him to be free? 98%..... case close. End of story. Back to "Malaysia Boleh" <---sarcasm

11:47 PM GMT+8  

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