“I feel relieved. It’s like something I have been holding inside is finally released when I smashed those bottles,” Genta Kalbu Tanjung, a 20-year-old university student, told AFP as blaring rock music pulsated in the background.

Tanjung and her two friends paid 125,000 rupiah ($8.85) each to unleash their pent-up rage at the Temper Clinic, which also lets clients bust up old televisions and printers for a slightly higher price.

Inside a bare smash room, one wall is covered with a written reminder: “Holding on to anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”

    Aliya Dewayanti Senoajie wanted to use the students’ half-hour session to channel her frustrations as a school holiday quickly comes to an end.

“The break is over — it was too short and I’m not ready to go back to school,” Senoajie said, declaring her bust-it-up session a success.

“It was really fun. My adrenaline was pumping.”

The clinic opened last summer in a posh Jakarta neighbourhood after co-owner Masagus Yusuf Albar returned from an overseas holiday where he saw similar businesses sprouting up.

The first dedicated space for such destruction therapy opened in Japan in 2008, with a view to helping stressed salarymen relieve their pent up frustrations.

It has spread in popularity and temper clinics, also known as rage rooms, can be found in most key US and European cities.

The trend has taken off in Asia in the past two years with similar ventures opening in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

But the service might not immediately make sense for a place like Indonesia — its citizens regularly rank high among the world’s least-stressed people.

That wasn’t lost on Albar, who conceded that life in places like Bali or jungle-clad Sumatra was pretty relaxed.

But not so in Jakarta, a city of 10 million plus with hours-long traffic jams that can drive the most patient mad and where school and work are becoming increasingly competitive.

A 2017 survey done by dry cleaning firm Zipjet found Jakarta was one of the world’s most stressful cities based on criteria including traffic, air and noise pollution and unemployment.

“Try to go anywhere on Friday night and it’s very annoying. My friend once got caught in the traffic and she ended up crying. That’s how bad it was,” Albar told AFP.

“Customers find this cathartic,” he said.

But smashing things up to let off steam is not necessarily risk free, warned Jakarta-based psychologist Liza Marielly Djaprie.

She suggested that regularly using such rooms could simply condition the body to need an aggressive release whenever tensions rise.

Djaprie explained: “I don’t usually encourage patients to destroy things just so it won’t become a habit. We need to learn about our anger — and anger management.”

The video that has been shared over 2,000 times shows the worker picking up the fish from the road in a back alley and throwing it repeatedly in an attempt to kill it.

The shot then pans to the restaurant’s name as well, and is allegedly located in the Kota Kemuning neighbourhood.

Malaysians are crying foul, describing the act inhumane and an unhygienic method of killing the fish while some have come to the defence of the worker saying it is a common practice.

However, many are questioning why food preparations are being carried out in the back alley instead of the kitchen, despite clear guidelines by local councils.

The video was first shared on a forum on Facebook discussing KL issues and was later shared to the Kota Kemuning community group.

Residents in the area were shocked that a popular restaurant resorted to such tactics.

A number of the restaurant’s patrons have openly decided to boycott the outlet.

One user called Peter Chung even commented that they have seen the same method used in the past and have avoided the restaurant over the last 10 years.

However, another user Katherine Wong commented that the restaurant owner should have be shown some compassion.

“We should show some compassion to the restaurant owner. They are trying to serve the KK community. Maybe they used a traditional method of killing fish. The producer of the video should have advised the owner before posting it online. It will only hurt their business, and KK community may lose another good restaurant in KK,” her comment read.

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) meanwhile said they will conduct checks at the premises as soon as possible.

MBSA’s corporate communications head Shahrin Ahmad said they will not compromise on the cleanliness of food premises.

He said the cleanliness of a food outlet not only depended on the food preparation, utensils, storage and the worker’s physical and health conditions.

“We also look at the raw ingredients used in the food and drink preparations. All these need to be taken into consideration for the wellbeing of diners,” he added.

The city council has been cracking down on dirty eateries of late and have been consistently conducting surprise checks on premises throughout Shah Alam.

Just yesterday, MBSA closed five premises in Section 25 Shah Alam for failing to meet cleanliness standards.

A total of five notices and 30 compounds were issued as well. The shops were given 14 days to clean up before a second inspection to determine if the outlets can reopen for business.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2019/02/22/worker-caught-in-fish-smashing-act-in-back-alley-of-kota-kemuning-restaurant/#FfgDXxRO7lyOdaJY.99

However, many are questioning why food preparations are being carried out in the back alley instead of the kitchen, despite clear guidelines by local councils.

The video was first shared on a forum on Facebook discussing KL issues and was later shared to the Kota Kemuning community group.

Residents in the area were shocked that a popular restaurant resorted to such tactics.

A number of the restaurant’s patrons have openly decided to boycott the outlet.

One user called Peter Chung even commented that they have seen the same method used in the past and have avoided the restaurant over the last 10 years.

However, another user Katherine Wong commented that the restaurant owner should have be shown some compassion.

“We should show some compassion to the restaurant owner. They are trying to serve the KK community. Maybe they used a traditional method of killing fish. The producer of the video should have advised the owner before posting it online. It will only hurt their business, and KK community may lose another good restaurant in KK,” her comment read.

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) meanwhile said they will conduct checks at the premises as soon as possible.

MBSA’s corporate communications head Shahrin Ahmad said they will not compromise on the cleanliness of food premises.

He said the cleanliness of a food outlet not only depended on the food preparation, utensils, storage and the worker’s physical and health conditions.

“We also look at the raw ingredients used in the food and drink preparations. All these need to be taken into consideration for the wellbeing of diners,” he added.

The city council has been cracking down on dirty eateries of late and have been consistently conducting surprise checks on premises throughout Shah Alam.

Just yesterday, MBSA closed five premises in Section 25 Shah Alam for failing to meet cleanliness standards.

A total of five notices and 30 compounds were issued as well. The shops were given 14 days to clean up before a second inspection to determine if the outlets can reopen for business.

The video was first shared on a forum on Facebook discussing KL issues and was later shared to the Kota Kemuning community group.

Residents in the area were shocked that a popular restaurant resorted to such tactics.

A number of the restaurant’s patrons have openly decided to boycott the outlet.

One user called Peter Chung even commented that they have seen the same method used in the past and have avoided the restaurant over the last 10 years.

However, another user Katherine Wong commented that the restaurant owner should have be shown some compassion.

“We should show some compassion to the restaurant owner. They are trying to serve the KK community. Maybe they used a traditional method of killing fish. The producer of the video should have advised the owner before posting it online. It will only hurt their business, and KK community may lose another good restaurant in KK,” her comment read.

The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) meanwhile said they will conduct checks at the premises as soon as possible.

MBSA’s corporate communications head Shahrin Ahmad said they will not compromise on the cleanliness of food premises.

He said the cleanliness of a food outlet not only depended on the food preparation, utensils, storage and the worker’s physical and health conditions.

“We also look at the raw ingredients used in the food and drink preparations. All these need to be taken into consideration for the wellbeing of diners,” he added.

The city council has been cracking down on dirty eateries of late and have been consistently conducting surprise checks on premises throughout Shah Alam.

Just yesterday, MBSA closed five premises in Section 25 Shah Alam for failing to meet cleanliness standards.

A total of five notices and 30 compounds were issued as well. The shops were given 14 days to clean up before a second inspection to determine if the outlets can reopen for business.

When the rusty big bell was banged signalling break time, he was among throngs of students in white and blue uniform rushing to the crowded food court serving the classic high school foods of soup with instant noodles, meatballs or blood curd served in a small bowl.

These are the quintessential tastes of high school that are still remembered by many people born in the 80s and 90s like Sovann.

“I attended Bak Touk High School until 1999. I really missed the time when I was in high school eating delicious instant noodles with meatballs. I still recall it as the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten,” Sovann says.

Unable to find an equivalent, and suffering from this yearning nostalgia, the 34-year-old restaurant entrepreneur – together with his wife, who herself felt the same urge for high school cuisine – decided to revive these meals from times-gone-by through opening their own restaurant dedicated to them.

The restaurant, appropriately named Mi Soup High School, gives the classic dishes a restaurant quality facelift, all served in surroundings that evoke memories of the classroom with its long wooden tables, ‘9A1’ lettering on the door resembling a classroom name, and right down to the inspirational quotes aimed at students adorning the walls.

‘A good child listens to their parents, good students listen to their teachers’ and ‘the boat floats away, but the port stays’, are just two examples.

The couple, who also own many branches of meat stick hotpot restaurants across the capital, opened the restaurant near the twin Koh Pich bridge on Koh Pich, a popular place for school students to hang out.

“The restaurant opened in September last year to cater to the experience of former students who used to eat instant noodles with small pieces of meat,” Mi Soup High School’s general manager Phorn Vireakbott told The Post. “We’ve also hung golden quote banners and decorations from the olden days to show the young generation what high school was like in the past.”

The restaurant serves three types of noodle soup in different sizes. Heng Chivoan

The restaurant serves three types of noodle soup in different sizes – small is 8,000 riel ($2), while medium is 12,000 riel and large is 16,000 riel. Dumpling noodle soup costs 11,000 riel for small, 15,000 riel for medium and 18,000 riel for large. While sweet pork noodles cost 12,000 riel for small, 16,000 riel for medium and 19,000 riel for large.

It also serves high school potato fries for 5,000 riel, fried elementary school meatballs for 10,000 riel, as well as many soft drinks that are students’ favourites.

Virakbott said all the recipes are from the restaurant’s owners and all the ingredients are local products, not cheap imports that are not good for people’s health.

“The soup is made from pig and vegetable stock that has been cooked for at least three hours to get just the right taste from the past.”

“On the first day of our opening, we received between 150 to 200 customers. But after four months of business, we now receive between 500 to 600 people daily. It is more than our expectation.”

“We plan to open at least 10 branches in Phnom Penh and other provinces to share the sweet memory and taste from the past with people of the 90s high school generation,” he says.

The restaurant offers a 10 per cent discount for students with a school card and uniform. You can find more information on their Facebook page (@Misouphighschool).

The 71st anniversary of the Karen National Day was held this year under uncertainty and anxiety as the Karen National Union (KNU) withdrew from the on-going peace process, leaving little hope for the Karen who dream of returning home.

Deep within the mountainous terrain of the Tanintharyi special division on the strife-torn Myanmar-Thailand border, the national day for the Karen minority was celebrated on February 11 at the Amara camp – a shelter that was meant to handle the return of Karen refugees from Thailand.

Thousands of Karen from both Thailand and Myanmar gathered to participate in the parade. Businessmen from both countries could also be seen checking out the untapped resources and business opportunities, thus highlighting the economic significance of this region where KNU and the Nay Pyi Taw government have long competed for domination, once via armed clashes and now through other means.

The Karen National Day has been held annually for 70 years to commemorate the day when a hundred-thousand Karen rallied in the former capital of Yangon to call for their right to self-determination after Myanmar – then Burma – became independent from the British Empire in 1948.

After their demand was rejected, the KNU took up armed struggle for autonomy. Leaders of the struggle’s founding generation eventually passed away. After Bo Mya died in 2006, a new generation of leaders emerged and decided to join the Nay Pyi Taw-sponsored Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in 2015.

The KNU decided to walk away from the peace process last year after the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) refused to reconsider its principle of non-separation and having a single army, thus making the peace process seem like a pact for surrender. The withdrawal, however, left the KNU facing political uncertainty over its long-standing aim to achieve rights and autonomy over its land.

Thaw Thi, a member of the Myeik-Dewei administration committee, said KNU withdrew because the central government could not function freely in the peace-building process. The group might consider a return to peace talks if there was an opening that would allow them to achieve their objectives peacefully.

Lt-General Sunny, the KNU’s 4th Brigade commander, said the agency remained in informal contact with Myanmar authorities despite its withdrawal. It was for the KNU Congress, the highest decision-making body that takes place once every four years, to make the final decision over the Karens’ political future.

Local sheriff Aye Doh said two out of nine villages in Tanintharyi have already been put under Myanmar’s newly established sub-district administration and Nay Pyi Taw has tried to include the remaining four villages.

While the ceasefire-agreement process had created safeguards for normal people’s lives, the KNU withdrawal has created an atmosphere of uncertainty and they fear violence from future attacks.

The KNU’s armed wing, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), has seven brigades across the border areas with Thailand and the 4th brigade’s stance does not represent them all.

Clashes could take place at any time and the violence has long affected the border with Thailand.

Surapong Kongchanteuk, director of Karen Studies and Development Centre in Thailand, said the Tatmadaw offensive against KNU strongholds over the past two decades has forced the displacement of thousands of Karen refugees to Thailand.

Soider parade to mark the Karen Natioanl Day

More than 97,000 refugees from Myanmar have taken shelter in nine camps along the Thai border since the late 1980s. Bangkok reached a deal with Nay Pyi Taw to repatriate them a few years ago, but the enforcement was at a slow pace. This week, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the repatriation of more than 500 Myanmar refugees – the third attempt of its kind since 2016 – was taking place. However, only 164 refugees returned in the previous two attempts.

Future uncertainty due to the KNU peace-process break down posed a major stumbling block for the repatriation plan.

“Even though many houses were built, the returnees were in small numbers since the refugees feared for their safety and the lack of land and rights,” Surapong said.

“I perceive that they came to Thailand because Myanmar is not safe.

“If their safety were genuinely guaranteed, they would voluntarily return home. There would be no need to force them back or even to build any houses for them,” he said.

“Thailand needs to talk to Myanmar and have Nay Pyi Taw ensure that the returnees can have a good life in their homeland.”

Also, he said, the repatriation must be conducted on a voluntary basis. otherwise Thailand will be criticised heavily.

The uncertain political direction among their elite has left the average Karen with fewer choices. Perhaps uncertainty is the only certainty as 71 years of struggle continue and whether they like it or not, they are in this together.

    It means the club — who immediately said they would appeal the decision — will be unable to make signings until the end of January next year.

“The disciplinary committee sanctioned Chelsea with a ban on registering new players at both national and international level for the next two complete and consecutive registration periods,” FIFA said in a statement.

In addition, Chelsea were fined 600,000 Swiss francs ($600,000, 530,000 euros) and given a period of 90 days to regularise the situation of the minor players concerned.

    The ban does not prevent players being released by the club and it does not apply to Chelsea’s women’s and futsal teams.

Chelsea have been given three days to appeal against FIFA’s decision, which could prove highly damaging, for example preventing the club from signing a replacement for Eden Hazard if the star player leaves the club.

“Chelsea FC categorically refutes the findings of the FIFA disciplinary committee and will therefore be appealing the decision,” said a statement on the club’s website.

“Initially, Chelsea FC was charged… in relation to 92 players,” it added. “We welcome the fact that FIFA has accepted that there was no breach in relation to 63 of these players, but the club is extremely disappointed that FIFA has not accepted the club’s submissions in relation to the remaining 29 players.”

The move follows a FIFA probe into Chelsea’s signing of foreign under-18 players, including the club’s former forward Bertrand Traore, a Burkina Faso international who now plays for French Ligue 1 club Lyon.

Traore signed professional forms for Chelsea in 2013 at the age of 18 but was not registered until January the following year.

French website Mediapart, quoting documents from Football Leaks, reported that FIFA found evidence that Chelsea had supplied misleading information about Traore’s signing and that he had made more than 20 appearances for the club at different age levels despite not being registered by the Football Association (FA).

FIFA said Friday it was also fining the Football Association 510,000 Swiss francs for breaking the rules on signing minors.

The world governing body gave the FA a period of six months to update its processes concerning international transfers and the registration of minors.

The FA responded on Twitter, saying: “The FA notes the decision of the FIFA disciplinary committee published today. The FA has cooperated fully with FIFA’s investigations, although we have raised some concerns with FIFA regarding its disciplinary processes.

“The FA intends to appeal the decision. We will however continue to work with FIFA and Chelsea in a constructive manner to address the issues which are raised by this case.”

The International Olympic Committee or IOC has decided to “suspend all discussions” with India regarding hosting of global sporting events after Pakistani shooters were not issued visas for the World Cup in New Delhi after the Pulwama terror attack.

The Olympic committee also revoked the Olympic qualification status for the men’s 25m rapid fire event from the New Delhi World Cup due to denial of visas to the Pakistani shooters in the wake of last week’s Pulwama terror attack in which at least 44 paramilitary soldiers were killed.

The IOC said it will not allow India to organise any Olympic-related events in the future unless written assurances are obtained from the government.

The two Pakistani shooters’ participation in the tournament had become doubtful after the Pulwama terrorist attack had been reported.

The IOC’s decision comes hours after International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) President Vladimir Lisin announced that all the allotted 16 Olympic quotas for the 2020 Games would be scrapped. However, the top sporting body limited the withholding of quotas to only two while retaining 14.

“The IOC restricted the withdrawal of recognition as an Olympic qualification event to the 25m rapid fire pistol competition in which the two Pakistani athletes were supposed to participate. This happened in the interest of the other 500 athletes from 61 countries participating in the other events who are already in India for their competition,” the IOC said in a statement after its executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on Thursday.

“Since becoming aware of the issue and in spite of intense last-minute joint efforts by the IOC, the ISSF and the Indian National Olympic Committee (NOC), and discussions with the Indian government authorities, no solution has been found to allow the Pakistani delegation to enter India in time to compete.” the statement said.

The International Olympic Committee came down heavily on India for going against the Olympic charter.

“This situation goes against the fundamental principles of the Olympic charter, in particular the principles of non-discrimination, as well as the IOC’s and the Olympic movement’s position, reiterated on many occasions over the past few years, that equal treatment must be guaranteed for all participating athletes and sporting delegations at international sports events, without any form of discrimination or political interference from the host country,” the IOC said.

“As a result, the IOC executive board also decided to suspend all discussions with the Indian NOC and government regarding the potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India, until clear written guarantees are obtained from the Indian government to ensure the entry of all participants in such events in full compliance with the rules of the Olympic charter — and to recommend that the international federations (IFs) neither award nor hold sports events in India until the above-mentioned guarantees are obtained,” it further said.

According to reports, the Indian shooters who will be affected by this decision are Anish Bhanwala, Arpit Goel, Bhavesh Shekhawat, Adrash Singh and Gurpreet Singh.

The Pakistan shooting federation on Wednesday requested the ISSF not to offer quota places in the events their shooters were scheduled to participate in.

Pakistan had applied for visas for two shooters – GM Bashir and Khalil Ahmed – in the rapid-fire category as the event in New Delhi also served as a qualifier for the 2020 Olympic games.

There has been a growing clamour in the country with calls to boycott Pakistani players and sporting events with the neighbouring nation after over 44 CRPF personnel were killed and many injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir when a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) suicide bomber blew up an explosive-laden vehicle near their bus in Pulwama district.

Top athletes had condemned the attack.