Kuala Lumpur  - A Malaysian court sentenced an Indian man to 12 years in jail for causing the death of his employer who he claimed had sexually abused him and two of his fellow countrymen, reports said Thursday.

Nagarajan Vaithilingam, 27, from Tamil Nadu, India, pleaded guilty to the charge of causing the death of his 33-year-old employer by hitting him on his head with a stick at a barber shop in the southern Johor state in May 2007.

Kuala Lumpur, Dec 30 : Malaysia's Tourism Minister fears that the proposed New Year''s Eve sex party will tarnish the country's image.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said that such parties would not attract tourists and can adversely effect the country's tourism industry

"Malaysia''s tourism lure lies in the strength of its multiracial society," The New Straits Times Online quoted her as saying.

"It is also seen as a family and shopping destination.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police have detained a Singaporean man and his wife, a Thai national, after his young stepson was found dead in his home with bruises on the body, hands, legs and head, a news report said Monday.

The victim, an 8-year old boy, was believed to have been abused before he died, said deputy district police chief Mohamad Akhir Ishak.

Neighbours called police Saturday afternoon after they heard a commotion in the boy's home in the southern Johor state, the Star daily reported.

"We discovered the body in the back room of the apartment," said Mohamad Akhir, adding that the post mortem result showed that the boy died from multiple injuries especially from those inflicted on the head.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police on Thursday shot dead four suspects, including two foreigners, believed to be involved in a spate of recent armed robberies in the northern state of Penang, news reports said.

The suspects, in their 30s and 40s, were driving toward a housing estate before dawn = when they realized they were being tailed by the police, deputy state police chief Salleh Mat Rasid said.

Salleh said the eight-member police team opened fire on the suspected robbers after one of the men took out a gun and shot at the officers.

"These suspects were believed to be involved in several burglaries in Penang," Salleh was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian police detained five suspects, including two Singaporeans, suspected of running an illegal lottery syndicate in the southern state of Johor, news reports said Thursday.

The suspects - three women and two men, aged 30 to 47 - were arrested when police conducted a raid at a home late Tuesday after a tip-off, the Star daily reported.

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police detained a female shaman accused of stealing 11,000 ringgit (3188 dollars) in cash and jewellery from her patients during treatments, news reports said Wednesday.

The 20-year-old shaman is popular for her treatments for marital problems and specific diseases, said northern Pahang state's deputy police chief Mohamad Haris Daud.

"The victims aged 30-40 years claimed that they were asked to lie down and place valuables near their heads," the Star newspaper him as saying. "On returning home, they were shocked to find the money and jewellery missing from their bags."