Malaysia: Woman almost blinded in chilli powder attack

Malaysia: Woman almost blinded in chilli powder attack

SUBANG JAYA, MALAYSIA : A woman had a concoction of chilli powder and vinegar thrown at her face as warning not to take up the post of deputy chairman of the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) at her daughter's school.

Jamilah Mohammed was rushed to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre where she was treated and said to be in stable condition.

The 46-year-old, however, is now living in fear as prior to this attack, she had received two threatening telephone calls, asking her to back off from the PTA.

"Last Thursday, a man called me from a pay phone and told me not to stand for the deputy chairman's post," she said.

She received another call later warning her that her daughter's life would be in danger if she continued to run for the post. Jamilah lodged a police report at the USJ8 po lice station on Thursday night.

This morning, she had stopped in front of her daughter's school around 8am when a boy in school uniform threw the concoction at her face.

"He also told me that he would kidnap my 13 year-old daughter if I don't back off," Jamilah said.

Meanwhile, her husband Shareeq Abdullah, 52, said he rushed to the school upon learning of the incident and pleaded with the headmistress to provide assistance but she refused.

Shareeq said he begged her to call the police and ambulance but she refused saying that the incident did not happen in the school compound.

According to Shareeq, the PTA in the Wawasan Tun Sambanthan secondary school had faced various problems with power struggles since 2004.

"They disbanded the PTA in 2007 and planned to resume it this year," Shareeq said.

Meanwhile, school headmistress S. Saraswathy when contacted declined to comment saying that the incident did not happen in the school compound.

Source: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20090224-124122.html