KUCHING: Over 2,000 people, including Ministers, Assistant Ministers, senior government officers and staff of the Chief Minister's Department attended the 'Ngiling Tikai Gawai 2011' organised by the department at the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building in Petra Jaya here on Sunday night.
The shadowy opposition accuses security forces of being behind the killings. But the government blames armed gangs for the deadly violence, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.
PERIKSA BARISAN: Tun Salahuddin (kiri) membuat tabik hormat ketika memeriksa barisan Polis Bantuan semalam.
Pehin Sri : Am I being investigated?
Chief Minister Taib Mahmud claims that the 'allegations by Bruno Manser Fund are false, evidently politically motivated'.
KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has asked Swiss Federation president Micheline Calmy-Rey to "confirm" if she has ordered an investigation into his alleged assets in Switzerland.
Responding to widespread web-reports that he had billions of dollars worth of bank accounts and assets in the Swiss Federation, Taib said: "Let me state categorically that I have no secret Swiss bank account, nor assets or investments of any description. None whatsoever.
"I have so stated (this) in an unequivocal term in a letter addressed last month to the president of the Swiss Federation.
Taib, who is the State Finance and Land and Resources Minister, also said that he had asked Calmy-Rey to furnish him with "a copy of the application (to inverstigate him)" so that he can exercise his right to obtain legal address.
Taib, who has been in office since 1981, added that if indeed there was an investigation, then he would give his "fullest cooperation" to the Swiss Federation to "swiftly bring the truth to light".
Last month, Calmy-Rey in response to a letter from BMF asking the Swiss government to freeze Taib's assets, said her government viewed the embezzlement of funds into Switzerland with "great interest".
"Switzerland has, during the last 15 years, restituted about 1.7 billion Swiss Francs, more than any other financial centre of comparable size," she said.
Calmy-Rey's government has frozen assets connected to troubled countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
"The allegations by BMF have since been used by local politicians to advance their own political agenda against me and the state government that I lead.
"As head of the state government and a member of the legislature, in keeping with the parliamentary practice and tradition, I am accountable to this august House.
PELANTIKAN: Taib mengangkat sumpah sebagai ADUN baru di Persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri di Kuching, semalam.
WHAT'S NEW: Masing (left) catching up with Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh after the pre-Council meeting.
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