Miss Sabah World 2009

MARIE BIBIANA BAXTER

Age : 19

Place of Birth : Kota Kinabalu

Height : 5' 9"

Weight : 47.2KG

Vital Stat : 31-25½-33

Occupation : Student

Hobbies : Swimming

Qualification : Diploma

Personal Statements : To be successful in everything I do and hope to win this competition.

Sabah assembly: Speaker rejects bid to debate long-standing Philippines' Sabah claim

A bid by an opposition backbencher, Likas assemblyman Datuk Liew Teck Chan to table a motion to debate the claim on Sabah by the Philippines was rejected here today.

State assembly Speaker Datuk Juhar Mahiruddin rejected the motion but agreed on two points that it had the interest of the people and deemed important.

In his motion Liew said recently a man who claimed to be an heir of the Sulu Sultanate and 11 others were held in Lahad Datu for burning the state flag.

He says its incited anger among the people of Sabah and on top of that there is also the issue of the large presence of illegal immigrants that has yet to be solved.

Later, Liew said he was disappointed that his motion was rejected but added he will bring it up if he gets the opportunity in the next three days because the matter should be resolved urgently especially when we have a fellow Sabahan holding the post as the Foreign Minister (atuk Anifah Aman) in the cabinet.

Ex-Sabah Minister Conrad Mojuntin goes to jail

Former state culture, youth and sports minister Datuk Conrad Mojuntin will serve a 6 month jail sentence beginning Monday, for threatening a businessman, 3 years ago.

This followed the dissatisfaction of the Court of Appeal over the defence’s submission and dismissed Conrad’s application for leave to file an appeal against the High Court’s decision on Jan 8.

Conrad, 60, was sentenced to 6 months jail and fined RM2,000 in default three months jail for criminally intimidating businessman Doughty Disimon, 30, outside the SJD Cafe and Sports at 3.30am on Oct. 23, 2005.

The incident occured in Donggongon, Penampang.

His bail of RM5,000 was also revoked.

Manoj Kurup prosecuted while Zahir Shah represented Conrad. Justices Datuk Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud, Datuk Md Raus Sharif and Datuk Abdull Hamid Embong heard the application.

Anifah Aman springs surprise, appointed foreign minister's post

Sabahan leaders made four in Najib's cabinet while five others appointed deputy ministers. Its was the biggest surprise for Datuk Anifah Aman as he was appointed as Foreign Minister while Newly-elected Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, who was the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister, is now the Rural and Regional Development Minister.

Parti Bersatu Sabah Deputy President Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili retains his Science, Technology and Innovation portfolio.

United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok moved from the Prime Minister's Department to the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry.

The deputy ministers:

Tan Sri Joseph Kurup - Natural Resources and Environment
Datuk V.K. Liew - Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri - Transport
Datuk Lajim Ukin - Housing and Local Government
Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin - Health.

12 held for burning Sabah flags

Police in Lahad Datu have arrested 12 men for burning state flags in the east coast town Saturday.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said they had received a tip-off at 8.40am that a group of men had burned six flags in front of the town’s market.

“Some of the men were also seen carrying yellow flags bearing the insignia of a red lion, believed to be the pre-independence flag of the Governor of Sabah”, he said.

He added that the flag has long fallen into disuse.

Noor Rashid said by the time police reached the scene, the men had already fled.

They left behind burnt remains of the flags.

Some of the men were then seen running towards the district police headquarters, where they were promptly arrested and investigated for illegal assembly, he said.

Noor Rashid added that those detained were aged between 14 and 41 years.

“We are still investigating the motive of the incident. “The alleged group leader has claimed to be a descendant of the Sulu Sultan,” Noor Rashid said.

Lahad Datu police immediately deployed more than 80 personnel around the town area following the incident.