Sunday, January 30, 2011

Egypt Protests: Flashpoints Map

Quote from BBC 30th January 2011

Main flashpoints

City Population Unrest

Cairo

8,105,000

  • Anti-government protesters take over the centre of the capital city as police withdraw following violent clashes in recent days
  • Doctor says 50 killed in 24-hour period
  • Tahrir Square is the main focal point for demonstrators, who are shouting anti-Mubarak slogans
  • Heavy military presence but troops make no attempt to break up protests, and some appear to signal their support for the protesters
  • Armed citizens' groups formed to counter widespread looting, set up checkpoints
  • Widespread flouting of curfew between hours 1600 to 0800 (1400 to 0600 GMT)

Suez

547,000

  • Twenty people reported to have died in clashes on Friday
  • Significant military presence in the port city
  • Curfew from 1600 to 0800 (1400 to 0600 GMT)

Alexandria

4,388,000

  • Protesters gather outside the al-Qaed Ibrahim mosque, where the funeral of two protesters who were killed on Saturday took place
  • Heavy military presence and tense atmosphere between troops and protesters
  • Widespread looting, vigilante groups set up
  • Curfew from 1600 to 0800 (1400 to 0600 GMT)

Luxor

488,000

  • British Foreign Office advise against travel to Luxor and other major cities and tourist attractions

Mansoura

420,000

  • Protests reported on Friday
  • Security officials said protesters ransacked the headquarters of the ruling NDP

Ismailiya

352,000

  • Protests have continued since Thursday, with reports of thousands of people fighting running battles with police

Rafah

71,000

  • Protesters attack state security headquarters
  • Three policemen reported killed in the violence

Manufiya province

3,270,000

  • Prison inmates riot

Egypt Tense After Night Of Unrest

Quote from Al-Jazeera 30th January 2011

Protesters camp out overnight at Cairo's Tahrir Square, while ordinary citizens battle looters in their neighbourhoods.

Egyptians have woken up to another tense day following a night of turmoil, when looters roamed the streets in the absence of police who had melted away after being unable to cope with unprecedented anti-government protests.

Several key buildings in the capital, Cairo, continue to smoulder on Sunday morning, and thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, remain camped out in the city's Tahrir Square.

Main roads in the capital have now been blocked by military tanks and armoured personnel carriers.


In pictures: 'Day of Anger'

Update: Egypt protests

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Debate: First Tunisia, now Egypt?

Can Egyptians revolt?

Egypt’s protests on Twitter

Pictures: Anger in Egypt

Reporting from Cairo in the early hours on Sunday, Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton said the Egyptian capital was "very, very quiet" as dawn broke.

"There is nobody on the streets. As we've seen over the last couple of days, the curfew certainly hasn't been effective, but taxis aren't going out, as there is nobody to pick up," she reported.

"The streets are very dirty, there is debris everywhere. The police have just disappeared. Any security at this stage is in the hands of the army."

The absence of police has given looters a free rein, forcing ordinary citizens to set up neighbourhood patrols.

"Vigilantes have been taking to the streets to try and prevent people from looting. We're hearing stories of widespread looting across many cities ... [the vigilantes] haven't been very effective," our correspondent added.

As lawlessness swept the country, 6,000 prisoners reportedly broke out of the Abu Aabel jail overnight on the outskirts of the capital, witnesses said.

According to Dina Magdi, an eyewitness, unidentified men on Sunday came out of the interior ministry compound in a car and dumped a body on a street. They then opened fire on people present in the area and fled. There were no immediate reports of casualties in that attack.

Sherine Tadros, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the city of Suez, said the city had witnessed a "completely chaotic night", but that the streets were quiet as day broke.

She reported that in the absence of police and military, people were "tak[ing] the law into their own hands", using "clubs, batons, sticks, machetes [and] knives" to protect their property.

Rawya Rageh, our correspondent in the port city of Alexandria, reported similar scenes, saying that people were particularly concerned about their personal safety and that of their property.

Amid the chaos, there were indications that protests seeking Mubarak's resignation would continue.

Dutton said that protesters are unlikely to stop demonstrating across the country, as they "want one thing, and one thing only: they want the leadership to go".

International pressure

Meanwhile, global powers have urged Mubarak to refrain from violence against unarmed protesters and to work to create conditions for free and fair elections.

IN VIDEO


Citizens are forming neighbourhood patrols
in several cities to protect their property

The US told Mubarak on Saturday that it was not enough simply to "reshuffle the deck" with a shake-up of his government and pressed him to make good on his promise of genuine reform.

"The Egyptian government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat," State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said in a message on Twitter after Mubarak fired his government but made clear he had no intention of stepping down.

"President Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action," Crowley said, echoing Obama's appeal on Friday for Mubarak to embrace a new political dynamic.

In a statement released in Berlin on Saturday, the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said they were "deeply worried about the events in Egypt".

"We call on President Mubarak to renounce any violence against unarmed civilians and to recognise the demonstrators' peaceful rights," the joint statement said.

"We call on President Mubarak to begin a transformation process that should be reflected in a broadly based government, as well as free and fair elections."

The European trio appealed to Mubarak to respond to his people's grievances and take steps to improve the human rights situation in the country.

"We recognise the balanced role that President Mubarak has played for many years in the Middle East. We call on him to adopt the same moderate approach to the current situation in Egypt," the statement said.

"Human rights and democratic freedom must be fully recognised, including freedom of expression and assembly, and the free use of means of communication such as telephone and internet."

Key appointments

The international messages came hours after Mubarak appointed the country's head of intelligence to the post of vice-president, in a move said to be a reaction to days of anti-government protests in cities across the country.

The army has been deployed to maintain order in the
absence of security forces [Reuters]

Omar Suleiman, Egypt's chief spy, was sworn in on Saturday, marking the first time Mubarak has appointed a vice-president during his 30-year rule. Ahmad Shafiq, a former air force commander, was appointed prime minister.

The appointments, however, failed to satisfy protesters.

Tens of thousands of people continued to rally in the capital Cairo on Saturday, demanding an end to Mubarak's presidency.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from the capital, said that soldiers deployed to central Cairo did not intervene in the protests.

Similar crowds gathered in the cities of Alexandria and Suez on Saturday, Al Jazeera's correspondents reported.

More than a 100 people have been killed in the violence since Friday.

Lately, I Follow World News. Y???

Sejak Egypt huru hara + Nena Cebol ade kat sane, ari2 aku layan news. Padehal aku paling benci bace + dgr brite sbb sume nye cite org mati, kene bunuh, buang anak, politik merepek dsb yg tak besh untuk diketahui.

But then bila jadi camni, aku bukan layan Berita Harian dan Utusan Malaysia aje. Aku layan Al-Jazeera dan BBC tu.......... Advance x???

Ahahahahahhaha!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mak & Abah, jangan risau ye. Kita doa yang baik2 untuk Nena & kawan2 dia kat sane ye... InsyaAllah sume akan selamat. Klau ade rezeki, kita bawak dia balik ye. Klau balik skang mmg risiko tinggi.......

Tourists Besiege Cairo Airport, But Flights Halt

Quote from Yahoo! News Weekend Edition 30th January 2011

AP – An Egyptian APC vehicle drives near the Pyramids, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. The Pyramids …

CAIRO – Thousands of passengers were stranded at Cairo's airport on Saturday as flights were canceled or delayed, leaving them unable to leave because of a government-imposed curfew. Several Arab nations, meanwhile, moved to evacuate their citizens.

As Egypt's unrest neared its sixth day, the cancelations of flights and the arrival of several largely empty aircraft appeared to herald an ominous erosion of key tourism revenue for the country, hitting hard at its pocketbook even as protesters centered many of their grievances on the grinding poverty they endure daily.

Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan organized an additional 10 flights to evacuate their citizens, officials at Cairo International Airport said. Among those who left were families of diplomats.

Egypt's national carrier, meanwhile, was forced to cancel 15 scheduled flights because it was unable to secure the necessary crew and service personnel, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

For roughly 3,000 travelers, Egyptians and foreigners alike, the news was another blow in a day where little had gone right.

About 2,000 had flocked to the airport earlier in the day, many without reservations, hoping to secure a seat out of the country. With airlines canceling or rescheduling flights because of a curfew that was expanded from between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m., the options were limited, and their numbers swelled as flights arrived later in the evening.

Many of those passengers remained stranded at the airport, unable to leave because of the curfew as well as fears of the widespread looting reported across the capital.

Others, who had yet to venture to the airport, appeared to be counting the days and holding out hope for any opportunity to leave.

"We're going to contact the U.S. consulate, because we want them to know we're here," said Regina Fraser, co-host of the "Grannies on Safari" show on PBS, an American public access television channel. "We're going to try and figure out how the heck we're going to get back because we're very concerned there may not be any flights."

"We do want people to know, 'Hey we're Americans, we need to get home'," she said, speaking from the southern Egyptian city of Luxor. "Who wants to be around gunfire and also tear gases? It's pretty scary."

The immediate prospects seemed slim.

British Midlands International said its flight from London Heathrow to Cairo turned around because the change in the curfew would have made it impossible to land in time for passengers to make it out of the airport.

The plane was filled with British diplomats, human rights workers, international journalists, and some Egyptians desperate to get home — including at least one trying to make it back in time for his wedding, according to an Associated Press reporter on board the flight.

Several airlines, including Germany's Lufthansa and Air Berlin, U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines and Poland's LOT canceled flights and some were weighing how long to extend those cancelations. Delta said its service was "indefinitely suspended as a result of civil unrest" in Egypt.

Others, such as Italy's Alitalia, Netherlands-based KLM and British Airways were adjusting their schedules to accommodate the curfew hours. BA also said it would send a charter plane to Egypt to move passengers wanting to leave.

The flight disruptions threatened to undercut the tourism sector, which according to some analysts accounts for as much as 11 percent of the country's gross domestic product. Tourism brought in more than $9 billion for Egypt in the first nine months of 2010 and $10.8 billion the year before.

Egypt's military closed off access to the pyramids in Giza — with tanks and armored personnel carriers sealing off the site on the Giza Plateau. The area is normally packed with tourists and is a main draw for those who come to Cairo.

So far, the protests appear to have mainly affected travel plans to Cairo, while the Red Sea resorts favored by the Europeans and Russians, who make up the majority of foreign tourists to Egypt were unaffected.

The United States, France and Germany issued warnings to their respective citizens, urging them to cancel nonessential travel to Cairo and to remain indoors and away from flashpoint areas if they were already in the country.

The Polish Foreign Ministry said it had learned that some Polish tourists had rented vehicles to travel to cities where demonstrations were taking place. "We consider this very irresponsible and urge them not to do that," ministry spokesman Marcin Bosacki said.

Europeans and Russians account for a major chunk of the tourists to Egypt, opting for Red Sea resort trips while many Americans go for more expansive trips that include the Pharaonic sites in Upper Egypt, as well as Cairo.

Two of the biggest tourism agencies in Germany, TUI and Thomas Cook, gave their customers the option of either canceling trips to Egypt or choosing a different destination, with no penalties.

Thomas Cook said that there had not been any requests for cancelations.

TUI also said nobody had asked to return early to Germany and there had been only sporadic cancelations.

Rene-Marc Chikli, president of the CETO association of French tour operators, said the group was suspending all departures this weekend for Egypt. Many travelers who are already in Egypt are being routed away from Cairo to other destinations, such as Luxor, Aswan or the Red Sea, he told France Info radio.

All Serb tours to Egypt, one of their main tourist destinations, were canceled, and some 120 Serbs will be evacuated from Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday.

"The difference is that the flight coming to Egypt on Monday will be empty," Serbian Ambassador to Egypt Dejan Vasiljevic was quoted as saying by state Tanjug news agency.

For those in Cairo, the push appeared to be on getting home as soon as possible.

Royal Jordanian spokesman Basel Kilani said the Jordanian carrier is nearly doubling the number of seats on its four daily flights out of Cairo to Amman on Sunday by switching from the 100-seat short-haul Embraer to the 170-seat Airbus A-321.

"We may have additional flights out of Cairo as of tomorrow, but there's no decision made yet," said Kilani. "The need is rising, especially by Jordanian businessmen and students leaving Egypt."

___

Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, Angela Doland in Paris, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Adam Schreck in Dubai, Arthur Max in Amsterdam, Gregory Katz in London, Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan, Alessandra Rizzo in Rome, Caryn Rousseau in Chicago and Shelley Adler in Washington contributed to this report.

Chaos Engulfs Cairo As Mubarak Points To Successor

Quote from Yahoo! News Weekend Edition 30th January 2011


AP – Egyptian anti-government protesters pray in front of an Egyptian army tankduring a protest in Tahrir …

CAIRO – With protests raging, Egypt's president named his intelligence chief as his first-ever vice president on Saturday, setting the stage for a successor as chaos engulfed the capital. Soldiers stood by — a few even joining the demonstrators — and the death toll from five days of anti-government fury rose sharply to 74.

Saturday's fast-moving developments across the north African nation marked a sharp turning point in President Hosni Mubarak's three-decade rule of Egypt.

Residents and shopkeepers in affluent neighborhoods boarded up their houses and stores against looters, who roamed the streets with knives and sticks, stealing what they could and destroying cars, windows and street signs. Gunfire rang out in some neighborhoods.

Tanks and armored personnel carriers fanned out across the city of 18 million, guarding key government buildings, and major tourist and archaeological sites. Among those singled out for special protection was the Egyptian Museum, home to some of the country's most treasured antiquities, and the Cabinet building. The military closed the pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo — Egypt's premier tourist site.

But soldiers made no moves against protesters, even after a curfew came and went and the crowds swelled in the streets, demanding an end to Mubarak's rule and no handoff to the son he had been grooming to succeed him.

"This is the revolution of people of all walks of life," read black graffiti scrolled on one army tank in Tahrir Square. "Mubarak, take your son and leave," it said.

Thousands of protesters defied the curfew for the second night, standing their ground in the main Tahrir Square in a resounding rejection of Mubarak's attempt to hang onto power with promises of reform and a new government.

Police protecting the Interior Ministry near the site opened fire at a funeral procession for a dead protester, possibly because it came too close to the force. Clashes broke out and at least two people were killed.

A 43-year-old teacher, Rafaat Mubarak, said the appointment of the president's intelligence chief and longtime confidant, Omar Suleiman, as vice president did not satisfy the protesters.

"This is all nonsense. They will not fool us anymore. We want the head of the snake," he said in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. "If he is appointed by Mubarak, then he is just one more member of the gang. We are not speaking about a branch in a tree, we are talking about the roots."

The crackdown on protesters has drawn harsh criticism from the Obama administration and even a threat Friday to reduce a $1.5 billion foreign aid program if Washington's most important Arab ally escalates the use of force.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at Cairo's airport as flights were canceled or delayed, leaving them unable to leave because of a government-imposed curfew. Several Arab nations, meanwhile, moved to evacuate their citizens.

The cancelations of flights and the arrival of several largely empty aircraft appeared to herald an ominous erosion of key tourism revenue.

The protesters united in one overarching demand — Mubarak and his family must go. The movement is a culmination of years of simmering frustration over a government they see as corrupt, heavy-handed and neglectful of poverty.

Egyptians were emboldened by the uprising in Tunisia — another North African Arab nation, and further buoyed by their success in defying the ban on gatherings.

At the end of a long day of rioting and mass demonstrations Friday, Mubarak fired his Cabinet and promised reforms. But the demonstrators returned in force again Saturday to demand a complete change of regime.

The president appeared to have been preparing his son Gamal to succeed him, possibly as soon as presidential elections planned for later this year. However, there was significant public opposition to the hereditary succession.

The appointment of Suleiman, 74, answers one of the most intriguing and enduring political questions in Egypt: Who will succeed 82-year-old Mubarak?

Another question is whether his appointment will calm Egypt's seething cities.

Mubarak appointed Suleiman shortly after the U.S. said he needed to take concrete action to achieve "real reform." Suleiman is well known and respected by American officials and has traveled to Washington many times.

Before word that Mubarak had picked his first vice president, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. wanted to see Mubarak fulfill his pledges of reform.

"The Egyptian government can't reshuffle the deck and then stand pat," Crowley said on his Twitter account. "President Mubarak's words pledging reform must be followed by action."

As the army presence expanded in Cairo Saturday, police largely disappeared from the streets — possibly because their presence seemed only to fuel protesters' anger. Egyptian police are hated for their brutality.

On Friday, 17 police stations throughout Cairo were torched, with protesters stealing firearms and ammunition and freeing some jailed suspects. They also burned dozens of police trucks in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. On Saturday, protesters besieged a police station in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo, looted and pulled down Egyptian flags, then burned the building to the ground.

There were no clashes reported between protesters and the military at all, and many in the crowds showered soldiers with affection.

One army captain joined the demonstrators in Tahrir Square, who hoisted him on their shoulders while chanting slogans against Mubarak. The officer ripped apart a picture of the president.

"We don't want him! We will go after him!" demonstrators shouted. They decried looting and sabotage, saying: "Those who love Egypt should not sabotage Egypt!"

Some 200 inmates escaped a jail on the outskirts of the city, starting a fire first to cover their breakout. Eight inmates were killed during the escape.

On Saturday, feelings of joy over the sustained protest mingled with frustration over the looting and Mubarak's refusal to step down.

"To hell with Mubarak; We don't serve individuals. We serve this country that we love, just like you," yelled another soldier to protesters from atop a tank scrawled with graffiti that said: "Down with Mubarak!"

Like Mubarak, Suleiman has a military background. The powerful military has provided Egypt with its four presidents since the monarchy was toppled nearly 60 years ago. He has been in charge of some of Egypt's most sensitive foreign policy issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

Suleiman, additionally, is widely seen as a central regime figure, a position that protesters were likely to view with suspicion.

Mubarak also named his new prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, the outgoing civil aviation minister and fellow former air force officer.

Both appointments perpetuate the military's overriding role in Egyptian politics.

Suleiman's frequent trips to Israel could be held against him by a population that continues to view the Jewish state as a sworn enemy more than 30 years after the two neighbors signed a peace treaty.

With the two occupying the country's most important jobs after the president from the military, Gamal, a banker-turned-politician, appears out of the running for his father's job.

A leaked U.S. diplomatic memo said Gamal and his clique of ruling party stalwarts and businessmen were gaining confidence in 2007 about controlling power in Egypt and that they believed that Mubarak would eventually dump Suleiman, who was seen as a threat by Gamal and his coterie of aides.

Gamal launched his political career within the ranks of the ruling National Democratic Party, climbed over the past 10 years to become its de facto leader, dictating economic policies and bolstering his own political standing.

Gamal's close aide and confidant, steel tycoon Ahmed Ezz, resigned from the party on Saturday, according to state television. Gamal and Ezz are suspected of orchestrating the rigging of the last parliamentary election in November, making sure the ruling party won all but a small fraction of the chamber's 518 seats.

"There is nothing short of Mubarak leaving power that will satisfy the people," Mohamed ElBaradei, the country's leading pro-reform activist told The Associated Press on Saturday. "I think what Mubarak said yesterday was an insult to the intelligence of the Egyptian people."

Buildings, statues and even armored security vehicles were covered in anti-Mubarak graffiti, including the words "Mubarak must fall," which by morning had been written over to say "Mubarak fell."

The military extended the hours of the night curfew imposed Friday in the three major cities where the worst violence has been seen — Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. State television said it would begin at 4 p.m. and last until 8 a.m., longer than the 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. ban Friday night that appeared to not have been enforced.

The Internet appeared blocked for a second day to hamper protesters who use social networking sites to organize. And after cell phone service was cut for a day Friday, two of the country's major providers were up and running Saturday.

In the capital on Friday night, hundreds of young men carted away televisions, fans and stereo equipment looted from the ruling National Democratic Party, near the Egyptian Museum.

Others around the city looted banks, smashed cars, tore down street signs and pelted armored riot police vehicles with paving stones torn from roadways.

Banks and the stock market will be closed on Sunday, the first day of the week, because of the turmoil.

_____

AP reporters Sarah El Deeb, Maggie Michael, Margaret Hyde in Cairo and Hadeel Al-Shalchi in Alexandria, Egypt, contributed to this report.

Egypt Shutdown Worst In Internet History: Experts

Quote from Yahoo! News Weekend Edition 30th Januari 2011

PARIS (AFP) – The scale of Egypt's crackdown on the Internet and mobile phones amid deadly protests against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak is unprecedented in the history of the web, experts said.

US President Barack Obama, social networking sites and rights groups around the world all condemned the moves by Egyptian authorities to stop activists using cellphones and cyber technology to organise rallies.

"It's a first in the history of the Internet," Rik Ferguson, an expert for Trend Micro, the world's third biggest computer security firm, told AFP.

Julien Coulon, co-founder of Cedexis, a French Internet performance monitoring and traffic management system, added: "In 24 hours we have lost 97 percent of Egyptian Internet traffic.

According to Renesys, a US Internet monitoring company, Egypt's four main Internet service providers cut off international access to their customers in a near simultaneous move at 2234 GMT on Thursday.

Around 23 million Egyptians have either regular or occasional access to the Internet, according to official figures, more than a quarter of the population.

"In an action unprecedented in Internet history, the Egyptian government appears to have ordered service providers to shut down all international connections to the Internet," James Cowie of Renesys said in a blog post.

Link Egypt, Vodafone/Raya, Telecom Egypt and Etisalat Misr were all off air but Cowie said one exception was the Noor Group, which still has 83 live routes to its Egyptian customers.

He said it was not clear why the Noor Group was apparently unaffected "but we observe that the Egyptian Stock Exchange (www.egyptse.com) is still alive at a Noor address."

Mobile telephone networks were also severely disrupted in the country on Friday. Phone signals were patchy and text messages inoperative.

British-based Vodafone said all mobile operators in Egypt had been "instructed" Friday to suspend services in some areas amid spiralling unrest, adding that under Egyptian law it was "obliged" to comply with the order.

Egyptian operator ECMS, linked to France's Telecom-Orange, said the authorities had ordered them to shut them off late Thursday.

"We had no warning, it was quite sudden," a spokesman for Telecom-Orange told AFP in France.

The shutdown in Egypt is the most comprehensive official electronic blackout of its kind, experts said.

Links to the web were were cut for only a few days during a wave of protests against Myanmar's ruling military junta in 2007, while demonstrations against the re-election of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009 specifically targeted Twitter and Facebook.

Egypt -- like Tunisia where mass popular unrest drove out Zine El Abidine Ben Ali earlier this month -- is on a list of 13 countries classed as "enemies of the Internet" by media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

"So far there has been no systematic filtering by Egyptian authorities -- they have completely controlled the whole Internet," said Soazig Dollet, the Middle East and North Africa specialist for RSF.

Condemnation of Egypt's Internet crackdown has been widespread.

Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Cairo to restore the Internet and social networking sites.

Facebook, the world's largest social network with nearly 600 million members, and Twitter also weighed in.

"Although the turmoil in Egypt is a matter for the Egyptian people and their government to resolve, limiting Internet access for millions of people is a matter of concern for the global community," said Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesman.

Twitter, which has more than 175 million registered users, said of efforts to block the service in Egypt: "We believe that the open exchange of info & views benefits societies & helps govts better connect w/ their people."

US digital rights groups also criticised the Egyptian government.

"This action is inconsistent with all international human rights norms, and is unprecedented in Internet history," said Leslie Harris, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology in the United States.

Omar Timbalan Presiden Pertama Mesir Selepas 30 Tahun

Petikan daripada Utusan Malaysia 30 Januari 2011 - 2.18am

KAHERAH 30 Jan. - Ketua perisikan Mesir, Omar Suleiman dilantik sebagai Timbalan Presiden semalam, iaitu jawatan pertama diwujudkan setelah 30 tahun Hosni Mubarak menjadi Presiden Mesir, lapor agensi berita negara itu.

“Omar Suleiman telah dilantik sebagai Timbalan Presiden Hosni Mubarak,” lapor agensi berita MENA.

Tidak lama kemudian televisyen negara itu menyiarkan Omar Suleiman selaku seorang jeneral tentera memberi tabik hormat kepada Mubarak setelah mengangkat sumpah jawatan itu.

Mubarak kini didesak berundur oleh demonstrasi ganas rakyat yang masuk hari kelima, telah menolak untuk mewujudkan jawatan Timbalan Presiden sejak ia mula berkuasa pada tahun 1981. - AFP

Lapan Mati, Polis Banduan Bertempur

Petikan Utusan Malaysia 30hb Januari 2011 - 2.13 am

KAHERAH 30 Jan. - Lapan banduan mati dan 123 lagi cedera dalam percubaan untuk mereka melarikan diri daripada penjara Abu Zaabal di timur laut Kaherah semalam,

Sumber keselamatan bagaimanapun berkata, tidak ada banduan yang dapat melarikan diri dari penjara. - Reuters

Komunikasi Pelajar Mesir Putus

Petikan daripada Berita Harian 30hb Januari 2011

 NORMALABIZZAWATI Mohd Daslan menyambut dua anaknya,  Nurfatimah Ekram (kanan), 21 dan kembarnya, Nurfarahin Ekram, yang menuntut  di Kaherah, ketika tiba di KLIA, semalam.

NORMALABIZZAWATI Mohd Daslan menyambut dua anaknya, Nurfatimah Ekram (kanan), 21 dan kembarnya, Nurfarahin Ekram, yang menuntut di Kaherah, ketika tiba di KLIA, semalam.

Talian telefon, internet disekat selepas tunjuk perasaan semakin meruncing


KUALA LUMPUR: "Walaupun setakat ini keadaan pelajar Malaysia dilaporkan selamat dan tiada sebarang insiden tidak diingini berlaku, kami tetap bimbang kerana komunikasi kini terputus dan tiada langsung sebarang hubungan melalui telefon mahupun internet mengenai keadaan semasa mereka.
“Perhubungan mula terputus sejak dua hari lalu dan ia merumitkan kami untuk mendapatkan perkembangan terkini rakan yang berada di Kaherah serta beberapa kawasan lain di Mesir berikutan keadaan semasa yang dilaporkan semakin membimbangkan,” kata Dhiyauddin Athir Nadzari, pelajar Universiti Al-Azhar, ketika dihubungi semalam.
Keadaan di Mesir bergolak sejak beberapa hari lalu berikutan ribuan penunjuk perasaan menuntut Presiden Hosni Mubarak berundur.

Dhiyauddin yang juga penuntut tahun satu pengajian pergigian universiti berkenaan kini sedang bercuti bersama kira-kira 29 lagi pelajar Malaysia di Bukit Sinai yang terletak kira-kira 430 kilometer dari Kaherah yang juga bersempadan dengan Israel.

Katanya, mereka bernasib baik kerana masih boleh berhubung dengan rakan dan ahli keluarga di tanah air kerana hubungan telekomunikasi di kawasan itu masih tidak terganggu meskipun internet masih belum boleh berfungsi sepenuhnya.

“Alhamdulillah... kami pun terkejut kerana telefon masih boleh digunakan di kawasan ini (Sinai), sedangkan ia langsung tidak boleh digunakan apabila berada di bandar utama lain.
“Apapun doa dan harapan kami supaya tiada sebarang perkara tidak diingini menimpa mereka di sana (Kaherah),” katanya.

Dhiyauddin berkata, kebanyakan pelajar pengajian perubatan dan pergigian ketika ini sedang menghabiskan cuti selama kira-kira dua minggu sebaik peperiksaan semester tamat minggu lalu dan kebanyakannya memang sudah merancang untuk bercuti di luar Kaherah.

Dia yang akan kembali ke rumah sewanya di Kaherah hari ini turut meminta seluruh rakyat Malaysia supaya mendoakan kesejahteraan pelajar dan rakyat Malaysia yang berada di Mesir dan meminta kerajaan mengambil tindakan segera bagi memastikan keselamatan terjamin termasuk memanggil pelajar pulang jika perlu.

Seorang lagi pelajar Universiti Al-Azhar, Muhammad Al-Amin Salleh berkata, alat pengesan dan pengimbas diletakkan di semua pintu masuk di lapangan terbang bagi memastikan tiada pengunjung yang melakukan tindakan di luar jangkaan ketika kerajaan menerima tekanan daripada penunjuk perasaan.

Dia yang menceritakan pengalamannya itu menerusi laman blognya allgreenislamic.blogspot.com juga mendakwa anggota polis bertindak memadamkan gambar kameranya pada 25 Januari lalu di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kaherah, dengan menggunakan alasan gambar diambilnya tidak perlu.

“Ini menampakkan Mesir sedang berjaga-jaga bagi mengelak sebarang serangan dan cubaan untuk menggulingkan kerajaan,” katanya yang ketika itu sedang menghantar dua kenalan berlepas pulang ke Malaysia.

Katanya, ramai anggota polis kelihatan berkawal di beberapa lokasi strategik di Kaherah bagi meningkatkan tahap keselamatan lebih tinggi.

Mubarak Tak Gentar Bantahan

Petikan daripada Berita Harian 30hb Januari 2011

PENUNJUK perasaan, seorang daripadanya memegang gambar Mubarak yang dipangkah melaungkan slogan ketika berarak   ke tengah Kota Kaherah, semalam.
PENUNJUK perasaan, seorang daripadanya memegang gambar Mubarak yang dipangkah melaungkan slogan ketika berarak ke tengah Kota Kaherah, semalam.
Presiden Mesir arah bubar kerajaan ketika protes masuk hari kelima

KAHERAH: Presiden Mesir Hosni Mubarak menolak tuntutan penunjuk perasaan menuntutnya menyerah kuasa sebaliknya mengarahkan kerajaan meletak jawatan.
Ketika tunjuk perasaan yang memasuki hari keempat mengorbankan sekurang-kurangnya 35 orang, Mubarak yang kelihatan sugul ketika muncul di televisyen, berkata beliau sudah memecat kerajaan dan akan melakukan pembaharuan politik dan ekonomi. “Saya sudah minta kerajaan letak jawatan dan esok (hari ini) sebuah kerajaan baru akan dibentuk,” kata Mubarak, 82, ketika bercakap melalui stesen televisyen kebangsaan.

Beliau berkata, pembaharuan akan dilaksanakan, manakala langkah baru juga akan diambil bagi memastikan sistem kehakiman dan pentadbirannya kekal sebagai institusi bebas, manakala lebih banyak kebebasan akan diberi kepada rakyat.

Bagaimanapun, bagi penunjuk perasaan yang tidak mempedulikan perintah berkurung, kenyataan dan ikrar Mubarak dianggap sudah terlambat, manakala desakan agar beliau meletak jawatan semakin memuncak.

“Kami tidak peduli jika kerajaan sudah letak jawatan. Kami mahu beliau yang letak jawatan,” kata penunjuk perasaan, Khaled, 22, di Iskandariah.
Seorang pelajar yang dikenali sebagai Abdo berkata, harga barang masih mahal, masalah juga belum diselesaikan dan pembubaran kerajaan tidak membawa apa-apa makna.

Beribu-ribu orang kembali semula ke jalan raya di Kaherah semalam untuk menunjuk perasaan mendesak Mubarak meletak jawatan.

Penduduk yang marah, membanjiri Medan Tahrir, kawasan utama tunjuk perasaan, manakala pertempuran dengan pihak berkuasa berlaku hampir di seluruh Mesir.

Polis yang sebelum ini melepaskan gas pemedih mata, peluru getah dan bom air, tidak kelihatan, manakala kereta kebal hanya ditempatkan di beberapa kawasan strategik di sekitar bandar raya itu.

“Tentera dan rakyat bersama kita,” laung seorang penunjuk perasaan di luar sebuah bangunan stesen televisyen.

Askar dilihat membuat isyarat V berhampiran pusat opera di Kaherah, dua jam selepas perintah berkurung bermula, ketika sekumpulan orang awam memanjat kenderaan mereka.

Sementara itu, penganalisis berkata tindakan kerajaan Mesir menyekat akses kepada internet dan telefon bimbit adalah yang paling besar pernah dilakukan dalam sejarah negara itu.

“Ia adalah yang pertama dan terbesar dalam sejarah internet,: kata pakar firma keselamatan ketiga terbesar, Rik Ferguson.

Pengasas bersama Cedexis, sebuah syarkat pemantau dan sistem pengurusan internet Julien Coulon berkata: “Kami kehilangan 97 peratus akses internet ke Mesir dalam tempoh 24 jam.” – AFP

Keluar Kaherah

Petikan daripada Berita Harian 30hb Januari 2011

Pelajar Malaysia di Mesir dinasihat simpan makanan untuk sebulan


KUALA LUMPUR: Keadaan di Mesir dilaporkan semakin tegang selepas perintah berkurung diisytiharkan di beberapa bandar utama dan berikutan itu Wisma Putra mungkin membawa pulang lebih 11,000 pelajar Malaysia jika keadaan semakin buruk.
Sehingga ini, semua komunikasi di internet, terutama laman sosial Facebook dan Twitter yang didakwa digunakan sebagai medium meraih sokongan rakyat Mesir untuk menggulingkan kerajaan pimpinan Presiden Hosni Mubarak disekat sejak dua hari lalu.
Menurut laporan agensi berita antarabangsa, bantahan besar-besaran yang bermula sejak Selasa lalu di Kaherah, Iskandariah, Suez, Dumiyat, Tanta dan Mansoura menyebabkan lebih 1,000 penunjuk perasaan ditahan polis, mengorbankan hampir 100 nyawa dan lebih 1,000 lagi cedera.

Pelajar Malaysia dinasihatkan menyimpan bekalan makanan sekurang-kurangnya untuk sebulan khuatir jika darurat berpanjangan manakala Persatuan pelajar Malaysia membatalkan semua program sejak Khamis lalu.

Wisma Putra mengesahkan sudah menghubungi dan menasihatkan pelajar dan rakyat Malaysia yang menetap dan bekerja di Mesir, termasuk syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) dan PETRONAS mengambil langkah keselamatan dan mengelak berada di tempat berisiko tinggi tercetusnya rusuhan.

Keadaan tegang di Kaherah digambarkan kumpulan pelajar Malaysia yang tiba di Lapangan terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) kira-kira jam 6.30 petang semalam.
“Banyak sekatan jalan raya dan penduduk berkumpul untuk berdemonstrasi,” kata pelajar yang enggan namanya disiarkan.

Katanya, talian telefon bimbit dan internet juga terputus sejak Khamis menyebabkan mereka tidak dapat mengikuti perkembangan semasa selain menerusi radio.

Penerbangan dari Kaherah ke Kuala Lumpur MH 970 yang dijadualkan jam 12.15 tengah malam 29 Januari (waktu tempatan) ditunda ke jam 3 pagi kerana rusuhan itu.

Nurfatihah Ekram, 21, pelajar perubatan tahun dua Universiti Mansoura berkata, perasaannya terganggu sebaik sampai lapangan terbang apabila ada ura-ura pihak keselamatan Mesir mahu membatalkan semua penerbangan keluar.

“Nasib baik ramai pelancong membantah kerana mereka mahu keluar cepat dari Kaherah,” katanya.

Sebelum itu katanya, sebaik sampai di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kaherah, mereka terkejut keadaan terlalu sesak kerana penerbangan ditunda.

“Pihak keselamatan pula tidak membenarkan sesiapa yang tiba di lapangan terbang keluar dari terminal menyebabkan keadaan bertambah sesak,” katanya.
Katanya, persatuan pelajar Malaysia di Mesir juga membatalkan semua program sejak Khamis lalu berikutan laporan rusuhan berkenaan.

Sementara itu, Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Pengajian Tinggi, Prof Rujhan Mustafa yang dihubungi berkata, semua pelajar Malaysia selamat dan dipantau Jabatan Penuntut Malaysia (MSD) dari semasa ke semasa bagi memastikan keselamatan.

Ditanya sama ada pelajar berkenaan akan dibawa pulang jika keadaan semakin meruncing, beliau berkata, pihaknya sentiasa mendapat perkembangan semasa dari Pejabat Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Malaysia di Mesir dan keputusan berkenaan hanya ditentukan Majlis Keselamatan Negara

Kemudahan Cuti Bersalin Pegawai Perkhidmatan Awam


KERAJAAN MALAYSIA
PEKELILING PERKHIDMATAN BILANGAN 14 TAHUN 2010
KEMUDAHAN CUTI BERSALIN PEGAWAI PERKHIDMATAN AWAM

TUJUAN

1. Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini bertujuan untuk menjelaskan kelayakan dan kaedah pelaksanaan peraturan mengenai kemudahan Cuti Bersalin bagi pegawai Perkhidmatan Awam Persekutuan.

LATAR BELAKANG

2. Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 1998 telah menetapkan bahawa kemudahan Cuti Bersalin kepada pegawai Perkhidmatan Awam Persekutuan adalah selama 60 hari yang dikira mulai dari tarikh pegawai bersalin. Surat Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 5 Tahun 2009 pula membolehkan pegawai memilih tarikh Cuti Bersalin pada bila-bila masa dalam tempoh 14 hari dari tarikh dijangka bersalin. Pegawai hendaklah mengemukakan perakuan bersalin dan permohonan cuti kepada Ketua Jabatan bagi tujuan diluluskan kemudahan Cuti Bersalin.

3. Kemudahan cuti bersalin telah diperuntukkan kepada pegawai warganegara yang dilantik secara kontrak berdasarkan Perenggan 54.5 Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 2008 – Dasar dan Prosedur Pelantikan Secara Kontrak (contract of service) dan turut dipanjangkan kepada pegawai bukan warganegara melalui Surat Pekeliling Bilangan 16 Tahun 2009 – Kemudahan Cuti Bersalin Kepada Pegawai Kontrak Bukan Warganegara Yang Dilantik Secara Kontrak (contract of service).

4. Kemudahan Cuti Menjaga Anak (tanpa gaji) pula merupakan cuti yang diberi kepada pegawai wanita untuk menjaga dan menyusukan bayinya sepertimana diperuntukkan dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 15 Tahun 2007. Kadar kelayakan adalah sebanyak 1,825 hari (5 tahun) bagi sepanjang tempoh perkhidmatan. Namun Cuti Menjaga Anak boleh diberikan sebagai pilihan untuk menggantikan Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji bagi memenuhi tempoh Cuti Bersalin.

PELAKSANAAN
Tafsiran

5. Dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini, melainkan jika konteksnya menghendaki makna yang lain-
‘Cuti Bersalin’ adalah cuti yang diberikan kepada pegawai wanita untuk bersedia dan pulih daripada bersalin;
‘Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh’ adalah cuti bersalin yang dibayar emolumen penuh mengikut kadar kelayakan yang telah ditetapkan;
‘Cuti Bersalin Separuh Gaji’ adalah cuti bersalin yang dibayar separuh emolumen dan hanya diperuntukkan kepada guru selama 14 hari dalam penggal sekolah;
‘Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji’ adalah cuti bersalin yang tidak dibayar sebarang emolumen kepada pegawai yang telah menggunakan kelayakan Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh dan Cuti Bersalin Separuh Gaji;
‘Guru’ adalah merujuk kepada Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Siswazah dan Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan Lepasan Diploma wanita lantikan tetap yang menjalankan tugas perguruan tidak termasuk Pegawai Perkhidmatan Pendidikan yang bertugas di pejabat dan menjalankan tugas-tugas pentadbiran; dan
‘pegawai’ adalah merujuk kepada pegawai wanita Perkhidmatan Awam Persekutuan yang dilantik secara tetap, sementara dan kontrak (contract of service).
Kelayakan

6. Selaras dengan hasrat Kerajaan yang mengambil berat terhadap kebajikan pegawai, kelayakan dan peraturan kemudahan Cuti Bersalin ditetapkan seperti berikut:

6.1 seseorang pegawai yang bersalin layak mendapat Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh sebanyak 300 hari sepanjang tempoh perkhidmatannya;

6.2 pegawai diberi fleksibiliti untuk menentukan sendiri tempoh Cuti Bersalin di antara 60 hari sehingga 90 hari bagi setiap kelahiran; dan

6.3 Cuti Bersalin bermula pada tarikh pegawai bersalin. Walau bagaimanapun, pegawai boleh memilih untuk menggunakan Cuti Bersalin lebih awal dari tarikh bersalin iaitu pada bila-bila masa dalam tempoh 14 hari dari tarikh dijangka bersalin.

7. Bagi pegawai yang mempunyai baki Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh kurang daripada 90 hari, pegawai dikehendaki untuk memenuhi tempoh Cuti Bersalin di antara 60 hari sehingga 90 hari dengan menggunakan turutan kemudahan seperti berikut:

7.1 Bagi pegawai kecuali guru:
a. menghabiskan kesemua baki Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh yang dilayaki; dan
b. mengambil Cuti Rehat yang berkelayakan; dan
c. mengambil Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji setelah menggunakan kemudahan di perenggan 7.1 (a) dan (b) di atas; atau
d. menggunakan Cuti Menjaga Anak (tanpa gaji) sehari selepas tamat tempoh Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh sepertimana yang dijelaskan di dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 15 Tahun 2007.

7.2 Bagi guru:
a. Semasa penggal sekolah, guru hendaklah:
i) menghabiskan kesemua baki Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh yang dilayaki;
ii) mengambil Cuti Bersalin Separuh Gaji sehingga 14 hari; dan
iii) mengambil Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji setelah menggunakan kemudahan di perenggan 7.2 (a)(i) dan (ii) di atas; atau
iv) menggunakan Cuti Menjaga Anak sehari selepas tamat tempoh Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh sepertimana yang dijelaskan di dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 15 Tahun 2007 bagi memenuhi tempoh Cuti Bersalin.
b. Semasa cuti penggal sekolah, guru hendaklah:
i) menghabiskan kesemua baki Cuti Bersalin Bergaji Penuh yang dilayaki; dan
ii) bagi tempoh yang selebihnya dianggap dalam Cuti Bergaji Penuh.

8. Bagi pegawai yang telah menggunakan kelayakan maksimum 300 hari kemudahan Cuti Bersalin, pegawai dikehendaki untuk memenuhi tempoh Cuti Bersalin di antara tempoh 60 hari sehingga 90 hari dengan menggunakan kemudahan seperti berikut:

8.1 Bagi pegawai kecuali guru:
a. mengambil Cuti Rehat mengikut kelayakan pegawai mulai dari tarikh bersalin; dan
b. mengambil Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji setelah menggunakan kemudahan di perenggan 8.1 (a) di atas; atau
c. menggunakan Cuti Menjaga Anak (tanpa gaji) mulai dari tarikh bersalin sepertimana yang dijelaskan di dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 15 Tahun 2007 bagi memenuhi tempoh Cuti Bersalin.

8.2 Bagi guru:
a. Semasa penggal sekolah, guru boleh:
i) mengambil Cuti Bersalin Separuh Gaji sehingga 14 hari; dan
ii) mengambil Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji setelah menggunakan kemudahan di perenggan 8.2 (a)(i) di atas; atau
iii) menggunakan Cuti Menjaga Anak mulai dari tarikh bersalin sepertimana yang dijelaskan di dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 15 Tahun 2007 bagi memenuhi tempoh Cuti Bersalin.
b. Semasa cuti penggal sekolah, guru yang bersalin dianggap dalam Cuti Bergaji Penuh.

9. Cuti Bersalin Separuh Gaji dan Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji yang diambil oleh pegawai yang bersalin tidak akan menjejaskan kelayakan pegawai untuk menggunakan Cuti Separuh Gaji di bawah Perintah Am 51 Bab C Tahun 1974 dan Cuti Tanpa Gaji di bawah Perintah Am 14 dan 52 Bab C Tahun 1974.

10. Bagi pegawai lantikan kontrak (contract of service), kelayakan mereka adalah sepertimana yang ditetapkan dalam perenggan 6, 7 dan 8 di atas. Walau bagaimanapun, mereka tidak layak mengambil Cuti Menjaga Anak bagi menggantikan kelayakan Cuti Bersalin. Kemudahan Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji yang diambil tidak menjejaskan kemudahan Cuti Tanpa Gaji sepertimana yang diperuntukkan dalam perenggan 54.4 Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 2008 dan peraturan lain yang berkuat kuasa. Kemudahan Cuti Bersalin Tanpa Gaji ini juga tidak menyebabkan tempoh kontrak yang berkuat kuasa terputus.

11. Cuti Sakit tidak boleh digunakan bagi maksud menggantikan tempoh Cuti Bersalin kecuali Cuti Tibi, Kusta, Barah atau tempoh pegawai dimasukkan ke wad hospital kerana sakit bukan atas sebab bersalin.

12. Bagi pegawai yang telah melahirkan anak selepas 22 minggu mengandung, sama ada bayi itu hidup atau pun meninggal dunia adalah layak untuk diberi Cuti Bersalin memandangkan tubuh badan pegawai telah mengalami perubahan fizikal yang memerlukan Cuti Bersalin bagi tujuan pemulihan.

13. Tempoh perkhidmatan dengan Pihak Berkuasa Negeri, Pihak Berkuasa Berkanun atau Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan bagi seseorang pegawai yang diberi pelepasan untuk berkhidmat dengan perkhidmatan awam Persekutuan hendaklah diambilkira bagi maksud kelayakan kemudahan di bawah Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini.

14. Tempoh perkhidmatan termasuk semasa pelantikan secara sementara atau pelantikan secara kontrak hendaklah diambilkira bagi maksud kelayakan kemudahan di bawah Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini.

15. Urusan pentadbiran kemudahan Cuti Bersalin adalah seperti berikut:

15.1 pegawai hendaklah mengemukakan dokumen sokongan daripada hospital/ klinik Kerajaan atau swasta yang mengesahkan tarikh dijangka bersalin bagi membolehkan Ketua Jabatan meluluskan permohonan Cuti Bersalin dengan menggunakan borang seperti di Lampiran A Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini;

15.2 Bagi memudahkan urusan pentadbiran, pegawai tidak boleh meminda tempoh Cuti Bersalin yang telah diluluskan oleh Ketua Jabatan;

15.3 Ketua Jabatan hendaklah memastikan bilangan hari dan tempoh Cuti Bersalin yang diluluskan direkod di dalam Rekod Perkhidmatan pegawai;

15.4 bagi pegawai yang telah menggunakan kemudahan Cuti Bersalin di bawah Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 1998, kelayakan kemudahan Cuti Bersalin yang telah digunakan sebelum ini hendaklah ditolak daripada jumlah kelayakan di bawah Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini
seperti contoh di Lampiran B; dan

15.5 Pegawai yang bermula Cuti Bersalin sebelum 15 Oktober 2010 adalah masih tertakluk kepada tempoh Cuti Bersalin selama 60 hari dan pelaksanaannya sepertimana dalam Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 1998.

PEMBATALAN

16. Dengan berkuat kuasanya Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini, maka Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 1998, Surat Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 5 Tahun 2009, perenggan 54.5 (i), (ii) dan (iii) Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 2 Tahun 2008 dan Surat Pekeliling Perkhidmatan Bilangan 16 Tahun 2009 adalah dibatalkan.

TARIKH KUAT KUASA

17. Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini berkuat kuasa mulai 15 Oktober 2010.

PEMAKAIAN

18. Tertakluk kepada penerimaannya oleh pihak berkuasa masing-masing, peruntukan Pekeliling Perkhidmatan ini pada keseluruhannya dipanjangkan kepada semua Perkhidmatan Negeri, Pihak Berkuasa Berkanun dan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan.

“BERKHIDMAT UNTUK NEGARA”
( DATO’ SRI ABU BAKAR BIN HAJI ABDULLAH )
Ketua Pengarah Perkhidmatan Awam
Malaysia
JABATAN PERKHIDMATAN AWAM
MALAYSIA
PUTRAJAYA
02 DISEMBER 2010

Semua Ketua Setiausaha Kementerian
Semua Ketua Jabatan Persekutuan
Semua Y.B. Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri
Semua Pihak Berkuasa Berkanun
Semua Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan

Hosni Mubarak Enggan Undur

Petikan daripada Utusan Malaysia 29 Januari 2011


Penunjuk perasaan antikerajaan yang mendesak Presiden Hosni Mubarak meletak jawatan bertempur dengan polis rusuhan di Kaherah, Mesir, kelmarin. - Reuters/Agensi

KAHERAH 29 Jan. - Beribu-ribu penunjuk perasaan antikerajaan kembali membanjiri jalan-jalan di tengah ibu negara Mesir ini hari ini, melaungkan slogan mengutuk Presiden Hosni Mubarak dan menyerang polis, hanya beberapa jam selepas beliau memecat Kabinet dan menjanjikan pembaharuan tetapi enggan meletakkan jawatan.

Tindakan penunjuk perasaan memenuhi Dataran Tahrir, tengah Kaherah dan bertempur dengan polis buat hari kelima berturut-turut menunjukkan ucapan Mubarak di televisyen sejurus selepas tengah malam tadi gagal meredakan kemarahan rakyat yang sudah bosan dengan pemerintahan autokratik beliau serta kemiskinan, pengangguran dan rasuah di negara ini.

Mubarak, 82, tampil di kaca televisyen selepas beliau mengerahkan askar dan kereta kebal ke ibu negara ini dan beberapa bandar lain dalam usaha untuk membendung ledakan protes jalanan menentang pemerintahannya selama 30 tahun.

Beberapa kereta kebal ditempatkan di Dataran Tahrir tetapi askar tidak campur tangan dalam protes di situ hari ini.

Penunjuk perasaan membaling batu ke arah polis yang cuba masuk ke dataran itu dan mereka membalas dengan tembakan gas pemedih mata dan peluru getah.

"Apa yang kami mahu ialah Mubarak dan bukan sahaja kerajaannya meletakkan jawatan," kata seorang penunjuk perasaan, Mohammed Mahmoud.

Sumber perubatan dan keselamatan berkata, 35 orang terbunuh sejak protes meletus pada Selasa lalu, termasuk 10 anggota polis, manakala 1,500 penduduk awam dan 1,000 anggota polis cedera.

Beberapa bahagian Kaherah kelihatan seperti zon perang, dengan sampah sarap bertaburan di jalan raya dan asap serta bau gas pemedih mata memenuhi udara.


Penunjuk perasaan antikerajaan yang mendesak Presiden Hosni Mubarak meletak jawatan bertempur dengan polis rusuhan di Kaherah, Mesir, kelmarin. - Reuters/Agensi

Mubarak menyeru dialog di peringkat kebangsaan dilancarkan bagi mencegah kekacauan berterusan selepas penunjuk perasaan semalam membakar ibu pejabat parti politik beliau di tebing Sungai Nil serta banyak bangunan lain.

"Bukan dengan membakar dan menyerang harta milik persendirian dan awam kita mencapai aspirasi Mesir dan anak watannya, tetapi aspirasi itu akan dicapai menerusi dialog, kesedaran dan usaha," kata Mubarak dalam ucapan di televisyen, penampilan pertama beliau di mata umum sejak protes bermula pada Selasa lalu.

Kekacauan yang belum pernah berlaku sebelum ini mencetuskan gelombang kejutan di seluruh Asia Barat, di mana pemimpin autokratik lain mungkin dicabar dan turut menyebabkan kejatuhan pasaran kewangan global semalam. - Reuters/Agensi

Mubarak Names His Deputy And New PM

Quote from English Al-Jazeera 29th January 2011

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has appointed the country's head of intelligence to the post of vice-president, in a move said to be a reaction to days of anti-government protests in cities across the country.

Omar Soliman was sworn in on Saturday, the first time Mubarak appointed a vice-president during his 30-year rule. Ahmad Shafiq, a former chief of air staff, was also appointed prime minister.

But Al Jazeera's correspondents in Egypt have said that many of those on taking to the streets have demanded a total change of guard, as opposed to a reshuffling of figures in the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).

Tens of thousands of people in the capital Cairo gathered on Saturday, demanding an end to Hosni Mubarak's presidency.


Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports on the deaths that have resulted from anti-government protests across Egypt

The demonstrations continued in defiance of an extended curfew, where state television reported will be in place from 4pm to 8am local time.

A military presence also remains, and the army warned the crowds in Tahrir Square that if they defy the curfew, they would be in danger.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Cairo, said that soldiers deployed to central Cairo are not intervening in the protests.

"Some of the soldiers here have said that the only way for peace to come to the streets of Cairo is for Mubarak to step down," he said.

Similar crowds were gathering in the cities of Alexandria and Suez, Al Jazeera's correspondents reported.

Reports have also emerged that at least three people have been killed, as protesters attempted to storm the interior ministry in Cairo.

Fears of looting have also risen, and the army on Saturday warned local residents to "protect their property and possessions".

In the port city of Alexandria, residents called on the army to protect them against looting, as well as organising their own committees in defence. Looting has also occurred in wealthy areas of Cairo.

Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros reporting from Suez, said that looting is widespread and that people have been walking into buildings and stealing objects.

"Residents here are pleading with the military to stop watching this happen, and act to enforce some security," she said.

Cabinet resigns

The Egyptian cabinet meanwhile have formally resigned in response to the protests, and Ahmed Ezz, a businessman and senior figure in the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) also resigned from his post as chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee.

Protesters ransacked and burned one of his company's main offices in Mohandiseen, an area of Cairo.

State media reported on Saturday that some protesters held up posters with a cross marked over the face of Ezz, who is chairman of Ezz Steel.

Meanwhile, overnight protests were also held on Friday in cities across the country, in what has been viewed as unprecedented anger on the part of the Egyptian people.

In Alexandria, Al Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reported that scores of marchers were calling on Hosni Mubarak to step down.

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"They are calling for regime change, not cabinet change," Rageh said.

She said that they were blocking traffic and shouting "Illegitimate, illegitimate!"

The Reuters news agency reported that police had fired live ammunition at protesters, but there is no independent confirmation of that report.

In Suez, Al Jazeera's Jamal ElShayyal reported that 1,000-2,000 protesters had gathered, and that the military was not confronting them.

ElShayyal quoted a military officer as saying that troops would "not fire a single bullet on Egyptians".

The officer also said the only solution to the current unrest was "for Mubarak to leave".

ElShayyal said that 1,700 public workers in Suez had gone on an indefinite strike seeking Mubarak's resignation.

The latest protests reflected popular discontent with Mubarak's midnight address, where he announced that he was dismissing his government but remaining in power.

The several hundred protesters in Tahrir Square demonstrated in full view of the army, which had been deployed in the city to quell the popular unrest sweeping the Middle East's most populous Muslim country since January 25.

They repeatedly shouted that their intentions were peaceful.


Al Jazeera talks to Mohamed Elbaradei about the ongoing anti-government protests across Egypt

According to the Associated Press, the road leading from Tahrir Square to the parliament and cabinet buildings has been blocked by the military.

Al Jazeera's Jane Dutton, reporting from Cairo, said the normally bustling city looked more like a warzone early on Saturday morning.

Tanks have been patrolling the streets of the capital since early in the morning, and a statement from the Egyptian armed forces asked citizens to respect the curfew and to avoid congregating in large groups.

An extended curfew has now been ordered by the military, running from 4pm to 8am local time, in Cairo and other major cities.

State television is also reporting that all school and university exams have been postponed.

Rising death toll

Cities across Egypt witnessed unprecedented protests on Friday, with tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets after noon prayers calling for an end to Mubarak's 30-year rule.

The number of people killed in protests is reported to be in the scores, with at least 23 deaths confirmed in Alexandria, and at least 27 confirmed in Suez, with a further 22 deaths in Cairo.

Incidents of looting in Egyptian cities have risen amid the continued protests [AFP]

Al Jazeera's Rageh in Alexandria said that the bodies of 23 protesters had been received at the local morgue, some of them brutally disfigured.

She added that human rights activists had reported that a further 13 bodies were present at the general hospital.

ElShayyal, our correspondent in Suez confirmed 27 bodies were received at the morgue in Suez, while Dan Nolan, our correspondent in Cairo, confirmed that 22 bodies were present at a morgue in Cairo.

More than 1,000 were also wounded in Friday's violent protests, which occurred in Cairo and Suez, in addition to Alexandria.

Dutton, in Cairo, said the number of the people on the streets "increased after president Hosni Mubarak's speech shortly after midnight".

Regarding the situation in the capital on Saturday morning, she said "there is broken glass everywhere ... a lot of the burnt out shells of the police cars have been removed but you are aware that there were hours and hours of skirmishes on the streets of the capital city [last night]".

The ruling NDP headquarters in the capital is still ablaze, more than 12 hours after it was set alight by protesters.

The Egyptian army said it had been able to secure the neighbouring museum of antiquities from the threat of fire and looting, averting the possible loss of thousands of priceless artefacts.

Armoured personnel carriers remain stationed around the British and US embassies, as well as at the state television station.

Some mobile phone networks resumed service in the capital on Saturday, after being shut down by authorities on Friday. Internet services remain cut, and landline usage limited.

Authorities had blocked internet, mobile phone and SMS services in order to disrupt planned demonstrations.

'Mobs' and 'criminals'

Maged Reda Boutros, a member of the ruling National Democratic Party, told Al Jazeera that the political regime in Egypt was "admitting" that it was not meeting the expectations of the people, and that was why the cabinet was resigning.

"It shows a response to the demands of the people," he said.

He alleged that the protests have been taken over by "mobs" from the "lower part of the society", who are now engaged in "burning, looting and shooting".

"Now it has turned from a noble cause to a criminal cause," he said, saying that most of those involved in the protests were criminals.

He said that half of those killed are members of the security forces, who died while acting in self defence.

"People should wait and see what's going to happen. But if they continue doing protests and letting those criminals loose in a large city of 17 million people ... we cannot play with the stability of the country."

Mohamed ElBaradei, a leading opposition figure, told Al Jazeera that protests would continue until the president steps down. He also stressed that the political "system" will have to change in Egypt before the country can move forward.

He termed president Mubarak's speech "disappointing", and called on him to resign. The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also expressed "disappointment" with the US reaction to the protests, though he did stress that any change would have to come from "inside Egypt".

He said that Mubarak should put in place an interim government that would arrange free and fair elections.

ElBaradei added that he was not aware of his reported house arrest.

Friday's demonstrations involving tens of thousands of people were the biggest and bloodiest in four consecutive days of protests against Mubarak's government.

Mubarak Names Deputy As Protesters Defy Curfew

Quote from Yahoo! News Weekend Edition (30th January 2011)

CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt's street protesters pushed President Hosni Mubarak into naming a deputy on Saturday for the first time in his 30 years in power, but many went on defying a curfew, urging the army to join them in forcing Mubarak to quit.

In making intelligence chief Omar Suleiman vice-president, many saw Mubarak edging toward an eventual, military-approved handover of power.

The 82-year-old former general has long kept his 80 million people guessing over succession plans that had, until this week, seemed to focus on grooming his own son.

The elevation of Suleiman, a key player in relations with Egypt's key aid backer the United States, and the appointment of another military man, Ahmed Shafiq, as prime minister, pleased some Egyptians worried about a descent into chaos and looting.

But as top U.S. officials talked at length in the White House about events in the Arab power that is a linchpin of their strategy in the Middle East, demonstrators continued to flock after dark to the squares Cairo and other cities, ignoring a curfew and largely unmolested by troops on foot and in tanks.

"He is just like Mubarak, there is no change," one protester said of Suleiman outside the Interior Ministry, where thousands were protesting. The last vice-president was Mubarak himself, before he succeeded the assassinated Anwar Sadat in 1981.

Another demonstrator said: "It is Mubarak who has to go."

Later, police opened fire on a crowd hundreds strong at the ministry. A Reuters reporter saw one protester fall wounded.

"This is the Arab world's Berlin moment," said Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics. "The authoritarian wall has fallen, and that's regardless of whether Mubarak survives.

"The barrier of fear has been removed. It is really the beginning of the end of the status quo in the region."

The prospect of even greater upheaval across the Middle East -- regardless whether it is the crowd or their rulers who get the upper hand -- is prompting some investors to see risks for oil supplies that could in turn hamper global economic growth.

More immediately, Egypt's vital tourist industry is taking a knock. In prosperous parts of Cairo, vigilantes guarded homes, shops and hotels from looters. Thieves at the Egyptian Museum damaged two mummies from the time of the pharaohs.

STATUS QUO

Of Suleiman, Cairo University politics professor Hassan Nafaa said: "This is a step in the right direction, but I am afraid it is a late step." A senior figure in the military class that has run Egypt for six decades, Suleiman might, Nafaa said, be able to engineer a handover that would satisfy protesters.

"The street will not be convinced by Omar Suleiman at this moment," Nafaa said. "Unless Omar Suleiman addresses the people and says there will be a new system and that Mubarak has handed power over to him and that the military is in control of the situation and has a program of a democratic transition."

Jon Alterman at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies saw Suleiman as part of the status quo: "The appointment of Omar Suleiman is intended to send a message that if Hosni Mubarak leaves, the regime remains in place ... It is not intended to mollify. It is intended to show resolve."

Many saw Mubarak's concessions -- new faces and a promise of reform, as demanded on the streets and from Washington -- as an echo of those made two weeks ago by Tunisia's Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. A day later, Ben Ali fled the country, deserted by an army which preferred to back less hated figures in his cabinet.

Tunisians' Internet-fed uprising over economic hardship and political oppression has inspired growing masses of unemployed youth across the Arab world, leaving autocratic leaders worried.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent two hours on Saturday discussing Egypt at the White House. President Barack Obama spoke to Mubarak on Friday and said he urged him to make good on promises of democracy and economic reform.

Another big donor, Germany, warned Mubarak that European states would hold back cash if his forces crushed the protests.

ISLAMISTS

Mubarak, like other Arab leaders, has long portrayed himself as a bulwark against the West's Islamist enemies. But Egypt's banned opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood has been only one element in the week's events. It lays claim to moderation.

"A new era of freedom and democracy is dawning in the Middle East," Kamel El-Helbawy, an influential cleric from the Brotherhood said from exile in London. "Islamists would not be able to rule Egypt alone. We should and would cooperate.

Until this week, officials had suggested Mubarak would run again in an election planned for September, which he would be guaranteed to win. If not him, many Egyptians believed, his son, Gamal, 47, could be lined up to run. This now seems impossible.

Suleiman, 74, has long been central in key policy areas, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, an issue vital to Egypt's relationship with key aid donor the United States.

Protests continued throughout Saturday. In Cairo, soldiers repelled protesters who attacked a central government building.

Elsewhere, dozens of people approached a military cordon carrying a sign reading "Army and People Together." Soldiers pulled back and let the group through: "There is a curfew," one lieutenant said. "But the army isn't going to shoot anyone."

On the Corniche promenade alongside the River Nile in Cairo, people stayed out after the curfew deadline, standing by tanks and chatting with soldiers who took no action to disperse them.

Earlier on Saturday, several thousand people flocked to central Cairo's Tahrir Square, waving Egyptian flags and pumping their arms in the air in unison. "The people demand the president be put on trial," they chanted.

The scene contrasted with Friday, when police fired teargas and rubber bullets and protesters hurled stones in running battles. Government buildings, including the ruling party headquarters, were set alight by demonstrators.

THE ARMY'S MOMENT

While the police are generally feared as an instrument of repression, the army is seen as a national institution.

Rosemary Hollis, at London's City University, said the army had to decide whether it stood with Mubarak or the people: "It's one of those moments where as with the fall of communism in Eastern Europe they can come down to individual lieutenants and soldiers to decide whether they fire on the crowd or not."

In Alexandria, police used teargas and live ammunition against demonstrators earlier on Saturday. Protests continued in the port city after curfew, witnesses said.

According to a Reuters tally, at least 74 people have been killed during the week. Medical sources said at least 1,030 people were injured in Cairo.

So far, the protest movement seems to have no clear leader or organization. Prominent activist Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Laureate for his work with the U.N. nuclear agency, returned to Egypt from Europe to join the protests. But many Egyptians feel he has not spent enough time in the country.

Banks will be shut on Sunday as "a precaution," Central Bank Governor Hisham Ramez told Reuters. The stock market, whose benchmark index tumbled 16 percent in two days, will also be closed on Sunday. The Egyptian pound fell to six-year lows.

(Additional reporting by Dina Zayed, Marwa Awad, Shaimaa Fayed, Sherine El Madany, Yasmine Saleh, Alison Williams and Samia Nakhoul in Cairo, Alexander Dziadosz in Suez, Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Peter Apps, Angus MacSwan and William Maclean in London; Writing by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Jon Boyle)