FORMER MP'S DAUGHTER FACES DRUG CHARGE

KUALA LUMPUR: The daughter of a former Kenyan Member of Parliament
is one of the four foreign students facing the death penalty after
they were allegedly caught in possession of 4kg of ganja recently.

Joe Donde and his family were expecting a joyous Christmas as his
daughter, Deborah, was due home this week for the holidays.

But their plans are in tatters after Deborah, a second-year college
student here, was arrested with other three students when police
raided a condominium in Cyberjaya.

According to the Kenyan English newspaper, The Standard, Deborah's
mother has since flown to Malaysia to appeal for her release.

She was quoted as saying that her daughter might have found herself
in the company of friends who could be drug users.

The newspaper also reported that Donde had taken the Kenyan Foreign
Affairs Minister Raphael Tuju to task for allegedly keeping silent
over Deborah's arrest.

"My daughter could be innocent. She could be guilty. I do not know.
But what is the minister doing to get the facts?" he was quoted as
saying in the newspaper.

On Nov 18, a team of policemen from the narcotics division of the
Sepang police headquarters arrested Deborah, another Kenyan student,
a Saudi Arabian and an Eritrean at the Cyberia Condominium in
Cyberjaya. The students were aged between 18 and 22 .

The seized ganja was found in the form of four slabs while some were
in small plastic packets.

Sepang police chief Superintendent Zahedi Ayob said that the
estimated market value of the drugs was RM7,000.

Early police investigations revealed that the ganja was most likely
meant to be sold to fellow students.

Deborah's former classmate, who refused to be named, expressed shock
over her arrest.

"She is a nice girl," the classmate said.

Zahedi, meanwhile, said police were trying to determine if the four
students were part of a syndicate.

Their remand order, which was supposed to have expired last Friday,
has been extended to tomorrow.

It was also reported in The Standard that at least two teams of
lawyers had been retained to defend Deborah, should she be charged.

The newspaper also quoted Kenyan embassy sources in Kuala Lumpur as
saying that the family of the other Kenyan student had also made
contact with embassy officials.