MANOHARA GIVEN UNTIL NOV 5 TO APPOINT LAWYER

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- The wife of a royal member of the east
coast state of Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra, and her
mother, are given until Nov 5 by the High Court here to appoint a lawyer,
failing which a judgment in default would be made in the RM105 million (US$30.6
million) defamation suit brought against them by the prince.

Lawyer Mohd Haaziq Pillay, who represented Tengku Muhammad Fakhry, told
reporters that the date was fixed by Senior Assistant Registrar Shazali Hidayat
Shariff in chambers.

"To give justice to the defendants, we request the court to give until Nov 5
for them to appoint their lawyer.

"All documents on the case have been handed to the two defendants. If they
still fail to appoint a lawyer by that date, then the court will issue a
judgment in default against them," he added.

Haaziq said Thursday's hearing in chambers was to ascertain that the former
lawyers appointed by Manohara Odelia Pinot and her mother, Daisy Fajarina, had
handed their notice of withdrawal to the defendants who were now in Indonesia.

On Oct 12, Messrs Fakrul Hisham Abdullah & Associates obtained on order from
the High Court to discharge itself from representing Manohara and Daisy.

In the suit filed on July 20, the Kelantan Prince is suing his wife and
mother-in law, claiming that they had falsely and maliciously defamed him in
allegations they made at news conferences between April and June about Manohara
being abused.

Besides the defamation suit, the prince had also filed two other suits
against Manohara and her mother - one, for his estranged wife to return to him
and the other for them to pay him nearly RM1 million (US$291,883) which he
claimed they owed him.

Until today, Manohara and Daisy have yet to reply to Tengku Muhammad
Fakhry's claims.
--BERNAMA