Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by pokemon

‘Thank you, Malaysia’

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:36:08 +0800

‘Thank you, Malaysia’: Immigration offices see surge of foreign nationals seeking voluntary repatriation with RM300-RM500 fines ahead of Dec 31 cutoff

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Hundreds of foreign nationals have been crowding the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department to apply for voluntary return under the Migrant Repatriation Programme, which ends on December 31.

The initiative, launched on March 1, allows foreign nationals who have committed immigration offences to return to their home countries voluntarily by paying a reduced fine.

According to a report by Harian Metro, Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said over 27,000 foreign nationals had applied under the programme as of December, generating RM13.12 million in fines.

“We process more than 350 applications daily,” he said.

The Immigration Department reported that applicants must pay between RM300 and RM500 depending on their offence, such as overstaying or breaching visa conditions, before being permitted to leave the country.

Wan Mohammed added that applicants must provide valid travel documents and flight tickets, or consult their embassies for assistance.

He urged applicants to visit nearby immigration offices to avoid delays at crowded centres like Jalan Duta.

“No agents or third parties are authorised to handle applications on behalf of the Immigration Department,” he added.

Nepali worker, Yogendra, 26, said he was eager to leave after working in Malaysia for over two years.

“I have a passport, but it recently expired. So I came here early and only needed to pay a RM500 fine. This is a safe way for me to return home without fear of detention,” he said.

Another applicant, Suzi, 45, from Indonesia, expressed gratitude for the programme after working in Malaysia for four years in the manufacturing sector.

“Thank you, Malaysia, for giving me the chance to earn a living,” she told Harian Metro.

[twt]https://twitter.com/imigresenmy/status/1865959034140139661[/twt]

In Terengganu, applicants praised efficient document checks that allowed for processing within 15 to 30 minutes.

An Indonesian worker, Zainuddin, 37, said he and 30 others had worked on palm oil plantations since June 2022 without proper work permits.

“We were promised permits, but our employer kept delaying,” he claimed.

Zainuddin and his friend, Akidan, 41, travelled from Johor to Terengganu to avoid long queues in larger cities.

Media reports indicate that the programme has received strong participation from undocumented migrants seeking to return to their home countries without facing legal action.

Undocumented migrants are individuals residing or entering a country without the required legal authorisation or valid documentation, such as visas or work permits.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...ff-video/159325

Leave unity govt if you can't work with member

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:29:54 +0800

Leave unity govt if you can't work with member parties, Sabah PKR tells Kitingan

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah STAR president Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan can leave the unity government coalition if he can no longer work with member parties, says Sabah PKR.

Its state leadership council secretary, Sazalye Donol said a recent statement from Kitingan during a Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) youth launching programme calling peninsula-based political parties as colonisers and traitors, was insensitive and uncalled for.

“This affects the stability and peace of the nation, especially Sabah,” he said in a statement Monday (Dec 9).

During the event on Sunday (Dec 8), Kitingan referred to Sabah leaders in peninsula-based parties as traitors. He urged them to stop being traitors and instead become patriots to the state.

Kitingan also said this after saying on how these political parties were not satisfied with holding 75% of the Parliamentary seats and still want to go after the remaining 25% held by Sabah and Sarawak.

He said that peninsula-based political parties have expressed their intention to contest in the coming Sabah elections and to run for all 73 state seats.

“This time, we will give them a huge egg (meaning zero seats),” he was heard saying.

Sazalye said Sabah PKR understood the fight and struggle to get back state rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), but everything has to be done carefully under the spirit of ‘family’, in line with the unity government.

“To label peninsula-based parties as colonisers and its leaders as traitors is too much, and sounds provocative,” he said.

He said it is not a violation of any federal constitution for these peninsula-based parties to be in Sabah, and its leaders are not traitors as accused and labelled by Kitingan.

Sazalye said such labelling and accusations were irresponsible and could be categorised as a form of incitement or instigation.

“So we challenge Kitingan to immediately leave the GRS coalition if he can no longer work with parties in the unity government,” he stressed.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024...-tells-kitingan

Families of Teoh Beng Hock, custodial death victim

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:20:44 +0800

Families of Teoh Beng Hock, custodial death victims demand new law against torture

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Families of victims of custodial deaths urged the federal government today to enact a law against physical torture and abuse by public officials.

The family members of Kamarulnizam Ismail, Syed Mohd Azlan Syed Mohamed Nur, and Teoh Beng Hock said such a law was needed as custodial deaths were becoming a perennial issue.

“In our proposed Anti-Torture Bill, if a public official is found guilty for tortures, sexual abuse, rape, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, he or she shall be imprisoned for a maximum term of 30-40 years,” they said in a joint statement.

“Furthermore, law enforcement officers who witness acts of torture by other officers are required to report it to the police, IPCC or Suhakam, failure to do so is an offence.”

While acknowledging that there were existing laws that could be applied in cases of custodial deaths, the families said these were infrequently used to charge and even more rarely to convict public officials accused of torture.

The families then announced a support group for victims of custodial abuse to advocate for reforms.

Groups supporting the families will also launch a nationwide roadshow to raise awareness and gain public support for the proposed law.

Teoh was a Malaysian political aide who died under suspicious circumstances in 2009 while being interrogated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Kamarulnizam and Syed Mohd Azlan were detainees who died in custody, with their case highlighting alleged abuse and neglect within enforcement agencies.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...-torture/159340

Singaporean tourist dies after massage at Phuket

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:02:10 +0800

Singaporean tourist dies after massage at Phuket parlour, second death linked to massage in Thailand

SINGAPORE: A man from Singapore died after a visit to a massage parlour in Phuket, Thailand on SaturdatDec 7.

According to Thai local media outlets, the 52-year-old man - identified as Lee Mun Tuck - died shortly after receiving a 45-minute oil massage at a parlour at Patong beach.

Patong police chief Pol Col Chalermchai Hernsawad said that police were called to the scene at 11.03pm, reported the Bangkok Post.

Hernsawad said the man had fallen asleep during the procedure, even snoring loudly, reported The Phuket News. He soon began showing signs of distress, and despite efforts by the massage parlour’s staff to resuscitate him, the man did not regain consciousness, it added.

Lee’s wife, who was with him at the parlour, did not allow an autopsy, and was taking his body home for religious rituals, Hernsawad said.

She also informed the police that her husband was drinking beer prior to the massage, and that she did not suspect foul play due to his sedentary lifestyle, added Hernsawad.

This was the second reported death at a Thai massage parlour this week, after a Thai female singer died after receiving a neck massage at a parlour in Udon Thani province in north-east Thailand.

The Straits Times has contacted Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN

https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanp...age-in-thailand

Syrians stroll through Assad's palaces

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 15:00:41 +0800

Syrians stroll through Assad's palaces, take furniture and ornaments

DAMASCUS: Syrians strolled through the palaces of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday following his sudden ouster, wandering from room to room, posing for photographs, and with some taking away items of furniture or ornaments.

Video obtained by Reuters showed people entering the Al-Rawda Presidential Palace, as children ran through the grand, formal rooms and men slid a large trunk across the ornate patterned floor.

Several men marched out of the building carrying chairs over their shoulders. In a storeroom, cupboards had been ransacked and objects strewn across the floor.

Video of another palace, the older-style Muhajreen Palace, verified by Reuters, showed groups of men and women walking across a white marble floor and through sets of tall wooden doors. A man carried a vase in his hand, and a large cabinet stood empty with its doors ajar.

The scenes were reminiscent of the fall of Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime in Iraq two decades ago. Then, Iraqis saw the extravagant luxury of his palaces where the bathrooms were famously fitted with gold taps.

Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Sunday, forcing Assad to flee and ending his family's decades of rule after more than 13 years of civil war in a seismic moment for the Middle East.

Another video verified by Reuters showed rebels firing celebratory shots at the entrance gate to the New Shaab Palace (Peoples' Palace), a vast complex on the western edge of Damascus that sits atop Mount Mazzeh.

"The army of Islam (the rebels) is in the presidential palace. God is great, we have seized control of it," said one of the rebels. The group then filmed their walk through the deserted grounds and the stark, monumentalist architecture of the palace.

Assad, who had not spoken in public since the sudden rebel advance a week ago, flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters, as rebels said they had entered the capital with no sign of army deployments.

Russia, one of Assad's closest allies, confirmed that Assad had left Syria but did not say where he was, including whether Moscow had given him refuge. – Reuters

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2024/...e-and-ornaments

Najib sought evidence from US court to bolster

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 14:58:56 +0800

1MDB trial: Najib sought evidence from US court to bolster defence

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak had sought evidence from a United States court to bolster his defence in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial at the risk of implicating himself, the High Court told.

Najib, 71, testified that it would have been "totally insane" for him to attempt the evidence if he did not believe it would exonerate him.

"If I were complicit in the defrauding of 1MDB, it would have been totally insane for me to ask for this evidence from the courts, because that would implicate me. I would be insane to have done it," he said here on Monday.

Instead of seeking for the evidence, the former prime minister said it would be "logical" for him to suppress the evidence if he did not believe it would support his defence.

"I want the evidence to be presented in court because I feel totally vindicated. Insya Allah if the evidence is tabled, I feel confident I would be exonerated," he said.

Najib was referring to the letters sent by his lawyers to judges in the United States Southern and Eastern District Court in New York on March 14, 2021.

He claimed that evidence beneficial to his case was mentioned by former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner during his testimony in Roger Ng's trial, which revealed key details about the duo's alleged roles in the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

On Oct 30, Najib was ordered by the High Court to enter his defence on four counts of using his position to obtain RM2.28bil gratification from 1MDB's funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.

He is testifying on the sixth day of the defence trial.

The hearing continues before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024...bolster-defence

Selangor govt approves 25% increase in assessment

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:24:01 +0800

Selangor govt approves 25% increase in assessment rates in 2025

DESPITE objections from ratepayers, the Selangor government has approved the 25% increase in assessment rates in all local councils next year.

Speaking to the media on Monday (Dec 9), state local government committee chairman Ng Suee Lim said the new assessment rates by 12 local councils will come into force on Jan 1, 2025.

The state government had, in June, announced plans to allow local councils to increase the assessment rates, subject to a 25% cap.

But the councils also allowed ratepayers to file their objections to the increase, to be decided on a case-by-case basis, with the final decision on the rate increase to be decided by the state government.

Ng, in announcing the approval for the increase, said the state government has postponed the implementation of new rates since 2019, taking into account several factors including the current economic situation.

“This step is taken to ensure greater compliance and enforcement effective in the field of assessment and public service in line with the Local Government Act 1976 [Act 171], based on new property values that must be prepared and completed by all local councils every five years,” said Ng.

However, he noted that many councils used several decades-old rates.

“The existing valuation list for Sabak Bernam District Council still uses the 1986 rate, followed by Kuala Langat Municipal Council (37 years), while the other nine local councils are still using the yearly rates of more than 20 years,” Ng said during a briefing on the assessment rates at Wisma Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam.

Ng said the councils received 148,000 objections from ratepayers who voiced their concerns with the increase.

“We went beyond and investigated 287,000 objections, and validated 230,000 of them,” he said.

Ng also pointed out that with the implementation of the 25% tax increase cap, property owners will receive a discount in total assessments payable of up to 75%.

“For example, if an apartment owner paid an assessment tax of RM100 per year in 2024, with the new property revaluation, the assessment tax should be RM200 per year in 2025.

“This increase is due to the difference in rental rates used in determining how the assessment tax is calculated in the Local Government Act 1976.

“However, with the cap of the 25% increase in assessment taxes set by the state government, the total assessment to be paid in 2025 will be RM125,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news...t-rates-in-2025

Short lifting face massage 💆🏽‍♀️

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 13:14:45 +0800

Short lifting face massage 💆🏽‍♀️

I told my dad that i wanna be a massage therapist and showed him this video. So, he sold our house for tuition fees & now we both are enrolled.

[YOUTUBE]oq-2iRiMLEo[/YOUTUBE]

AIR BANJIR SUDAH SURUT, AWEK SERONOK MAIN LUMPUR

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 12:42:54 +0800

AIR BANJIR SUDAH SURUT, AWEK SERONOK MAIN LUMPUR "KAMERAMAN CUCI MATA"

[YOUTUBE]3vlGTMcF5bI[/YOUTUBE]

Skandal rasuah Adun Sabah: Warisan persoal kenapa

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 12:40:04 +0800

Skandal rasuah Adun Sabah: Warisan persoal kenapa DAP membisu?

Ahli Majlis Tertinggi Warisan Calvin Chong menyoal sikap berdiam diri DAP berhubung dakwaan skandal rasuah di Sabah.

Adun Elopura itu mengingatkan sebelum video berkaitan skandal tersebut tersebar, Ahli Parlimen DAP Lim Lip Eng pernah menawarkan untuk membangkitkan isu berkenaan di parlimen.

Pada 11 November lalu, Lim menggesa individu terbabit untuk mengemukakan isu itu sebelum sidang Dewan Rakyat berakhir pada pertengahan Disember.

[YOUTUBE]ojjjIgcJMJs[/YOUTUBE]

Action taken against Perak religious dept officer

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 12:32:34 +0800

Action taken against Perak religious dept officer over SPM statement

IPOH: Disciplinary action has been taken against the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) officer who criticised Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek on social media.

The department expressed disappointment over the comments made by its officer regarding the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, reported Sinar Harian.

"The department will take strict action in accordance with Regulation 19(1), Public Servants (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993 so that it serves as a lesson to other civil servants to be ethical in operating social media sites.

"The department apologises to all parties regarding this issue and will take firm steps to ensure that the same thing does not happen again," it said in a statement on Facebook on Sunday (Dec 8).

JAIPk said that the statement was the personal views of the officer involved and did not in any way represent the department concerned.

It was earlier reported that the post made by the officer was highlighted by former Titi Serong assemblyman Hasnul Zulkarnain Abdul Munaim, who questioned the comments made by the officer involved.

Following that, a meeting was held with the officer in question to obtain an explanation regarding the post. An apology video was later uploaded by the officer.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024...r-spm-statement

MMEA officer faces six charges for accepting bribe

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 12:24:18 +0800

MMEA officer faces six charges for accepting bribes amounting to RM10,700

JOHOR BARU: A 32-year-old Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officer was slapped with six charges at Sessions Court here for accepting bribes amounting to RM10,700, two years ago.

However, the accused, Muhammad Adzmin Zolkepli, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read to him in front of Sessions Court Judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail on Monday (Dec 9).

According to the charge sheet, the accused, who holds the rank of senior maritime officer at the agency’s Kedah and Perlis headquarters, allegedly accepted valuable items in the form of cash ranging from RM1,200 to RM2,300 with no reply.

The money was received from the owner of a marine supply company. It was transferred via money transfers from the Maybank account of a middleman, a woman, which was then deposited into the accused's bank account.

The accused knew that the company's owner had dealings related to his official duties.

All the offences were allegedly committed at a bank in Segamat, Johor, between February 2022 and October 2022.

The charges were brought under Section 165 of the Penal Code (Act 574) for obtaining valuable things without consideration from a person concerned with his official function.

The Act provides a sentence of up to two years imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction.

The case was prosecuted by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) prosecution officer Abd Muntaqim Abdul Aziz, while lawyer Mohd Norazam Majid represented the accused.

During the proceeding, Abd Muntaqim requested bail of RM20,000 for the six charges, with a local surety, along with the additional terms for the accused to surrender his international passport to the court, report to the MACC office in Sandakan, Sabah, on the first week of each month, and refrain from contacting witnesses.

Mohd Norazam, in mitigation, appealed for the lowest possible bail, suggesting RM5,000 for all charges.

Mohd Norazam informed the court that the accused still serves as a senior officer in Sandakan, Sabah, with a monthly salary of RM1,700. He also supports his unemployed wife, a two-month-old child, his 65-year-old parents, and an 85-year-old grandmother.

The court then set bail at RM7,000 for the six charges and set Feb 7, 2025 for the case's next mention and submission of documents.

The accused had posted bail.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024...ting-to-rm10700

Najib : Former US AG Loretta Lynch set out to

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:23:46 +0800

In 1MDB trial, Najib claims former US AG Loretta Lynch set out to ‘literally to lynch me’

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today claimed that the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) forfeiture action in 2016 to recover more than US$1 billion of 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) assets was a conspiracy between two political parties in the US and Malaysia to change the government.

Testifying in his defence in his 1MDB trial here, Najib also highlighted US DoJ’s 2021 move to block his bid to get access to additional evidence from Goldman Sachs and its former banker Tim Leissner in US courts, which he claimed would exonerate him and help in his defence in the 1MDB trial in Malaysia’s courts.

“I am of the view that the DoJ was so protective of this exculpatory evidence because it must be so beneficial to me that it would directly rebut the wild allegations raised in their civil forfeiture actions, including the US Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture suit filed in 2016, in the case of United States of America v. Wolf of Wall Street Motion Picture.

“I also believe this forfeiture action was politically motivated and orchestrated as part of a collaboration between the United States Democratic Party and the then-opposition party in Malaysia in order to effect a regime change in Malaysia,” he told the High Court here, without naming the then opposition party.

Pakatan Harapan was the opposition coalition in 2016, and is now part of the ruling government.

In 2016 when the US DoJ launched its forfeiture suit, Najib was still the prime minister of Malaysia and heading the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional.

“I further believe that this collaboration was the key motive in obstructing my access to the exculpatory evidence as it would undermine their narrative and expose the untruths in their allegations against me,” he claimed.

When his defence lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah asked him to confirm if the US attorney general at the time, Loretta Lynch, had publicly disclosed related information, Najib replied in the affirmative.

“Yes, it was very well known what Loretta Lynch did, it was literally to lynch me,” he said.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...lynch-me/159316

MACC clears HRD Corp management of wrongdoing

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 11:20:19 +0800

MACC clears HRD Corp management of wrongdoing

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has cleared the management of the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp) of wrongdoing.

According to a Public Accounts Committee report on the government agency, the anti-graft agency said no offence under the MACC Act had been committed.

“We opened an investigation paper and we found no offence had been committed under the MACC Act,” the agency’s officer, Fuad Sedet, was quoted as saying.

In July, MACC said its probe into HRD Corp, following issues outlined in the 2024 auditor-general’s report, focused on corruption, abuse of power, and the misappropriation of funds.

The revelation that MACC had cleared HRD Corp of any wrongdoing came less than a month after it was reported that its CEO, Shahul Hameed Shaik Dawood, who took a voluntary leave of absence in July, had returned to work.

Shahul had taken garden leave to facilitate MACC’s probe.

Human resources minister Steven Sim said then that “everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and in this case, no HRD Corp personnel were charged in court”.

Sim also said that the report the ministry had submitted to MACC was to look into specific infractions raised in the auditor-general’s report.

It did not mean that any particular individual was guilty, he said.

HRD Corp comes under the purview of the human resources ministry.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...-of-wrongdoing/

Remaja tulis surat mohon maaf selepas bunuh bapa

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:15:31 +0800

Remaja tulis surat mohon maaf selepas bunuh bapa, nenek, tikam ibu

JAKARTA - Remaja lelaki berusia 14 tahun yang menggemparkan Indonesia baru-baru ini, kerana membunuh bapa dan neneknya serta menikam ibunya tampil memohon maaf.

Permohonan maaf itu dibuat menerusi surat yang ditulis remaja berkenaan yang dikenali sebagai MAS kepada ibunya, dari penempatan sementaranya di Lembaga Penempatan Anak Sementara (LPAS).

"Saya baru sahaja bertemu MAS dan melihat keadaannya, ketika ini dia sihat, tentang surat itu selain permohonan maaf dia juga menulis harapannya.

"Dia tulis di helain kertas menggunakan tulisan tangan sendiri," kata peguam remaja terbabit, Amriadi Pasaribu kepada wartawan pada Jumaat lalu.

Katanya lagi, selain meminta maaf kepada ibunya, surat itu juga ditujukan buat Allahyarham bapa dan neneknya.

"Ibunya kini masih mendapatkan rawatan di hospital Fatmawati. Surat permintaan maaf tersebut juga ditujukan untuk ayah dan neneknya yang mati di tangannya," ujarnya lagi.

Kejadian pembunuhan berlaku pada 30 November lalu di kediaman mereka yang terletak di Perumahan Taman Bona Indah, Blok B6, Lebak Bulus, Cilandak, Jakarta Selatan.

Remaja itu kini ditempatkan di LPAS di bawah Badan Pemasyarakatan Kementerian Sosial (Bapas Kemensos) di atas faktor bawah umur. - Agensi

https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/7011...nenek-tikam-ibu

189 nabbed in Johor crackdown on prostitution

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 10:13:08 +0800

189 nabbed in Johor crackdown on prostitution, gang operations

JOHOR BAHRU: Police have arrested 189 individuals, including 177 foreign nationals, in six raids conducted under the Op Noda Khas operation around Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri from Friday until yesterday.

Johor police chief M Kumar said the operation, involving 14 senior officers and 54 junior officers, had targeted prostitution, guest relation officer or GRO activities, and criminal gang operations at entertainment centres.

As a result, 11 local men, one woman, 16 foreign men, and 161 foreign women, aged between 18 and 63, were arrested for various offences.

“Initial urine screenings revealed that 16 local men and 12 foreign women tested positive for drugs,” Kumar added.

Authorities also seized a variety of equipment for further investigation including mobile phones, payment receipts, microphones, speakers, mixers, televisions, MP3 players, DVDs, amplifiers, remote controls, sashes, and a total of RM2,510 in cash.

In a separate raid at an entertainment centre, Kumar said police had arrested six local men, one local woman, one foreign man, and six foreign women for gambling activities. Authorities also seized RM83,100 in cash, along with gambling equipment.

“All local suspects have been remanded under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code, while the foreigners arrested for a lack of valid travel documents or working without permits have been remanded under the Immigration Act 1959/63,” he said.

The case is being investigated under various sections, including Sections 6(2) and 11(2) of the Johor Entertainment and Entertainment Places Enactment (ENJ) 4/98; Sections 55B, 6(1)©, and 15(1)© of the Immigration Act 1959/63; Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963; Section 6(1) of the Common Gaming Houses Act 1953, and Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

From January until yesterday, the Johor criminal investigation department conducted 388 raids at entertainment centres across the state, resulting in the arrest of 1,910 individuals, including 1,699 foreign nationals, for various offences.

“Information regarding criminal activities can be channelled to the Johor police hotline at 019-279 2095 or the operations room at 07-221 2999,” Kumar said.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...ang-operations/

Cops blame fraudulent fundraising online to lack

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:59:37 +0800

Cops blame fraudulent fundraising online to lack of specific laws

PETALING JAYA: Federal police have blamed the prevalence of fraudulent online fundraising activities on a lack of specific legislation to regulate such donations.

Bukit Aman commercial crime investigation department director Ramli Yoosuf said the absence of specific laws to regulate online donation drives was among the main challenges faced by police, Bernama reported.

“It makes it difficult to take action,” he was quoted as saying.

Last year, police dismantled an online fraud syndicate that claimed it was collecting donations for three charitable organisations with the arrest of 55 people.

Ramli said that between 2019 and 2023, meanwhile, police investigated 85 cases of donation fraud nationwide, involving RM667,845 in donations.

Currently, Malaysia only has the House to House and Street Collections Act 1947, which is limited to the physical collection of funds from house to house or premise to premise, he said.

Under the act, parties that wish to conduct fundraising activities are required to obtain a permit or approval from the police and the state Islamic religious department.

The law was last reviewed in 1978, before the advent of information and communication technologies.

“Currently, online fundraising activities would only be considered an offence if fundraisers collected donations in the name of a charity or organisation without the knowledge or consent of the entity concerned,” Ramli said.

An investigation would only be carried out under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which deals with cheating, if a police report was lodged by the charity or NGO.

He said that given the prevalence of online fundraising activities, a specific legislation to deal with such matters was critical, especially in view of the greater internet access available.

“The generosity and goodwill of Malaysians, who are known for their charitable nature and willingness to help, have led to the proliferation of online fundraising platforms,” he said.

He said there was also a need for clear SOPs to regulate online fundraising activities, not only to ensure transparency, but also to facilitate more comprehensive enforcement action.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...-specific-laws/

Teen alleges rape by charity home caretaker

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:50:54 +0800

Johor police: Teen alleges rape by charity home caretaker in Kulai since she was 13, leading to pregnancy, claims baby was sold

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — A 17-year-old girl has alleged that she endured two years of rape by the caretaker of a charity home, leading to her pregnancy and the birth of a child in 2022.

The victim claimed the 59-year-old caretaker sold her baby to a couple in Perak and continued the abuse after the delivery.

According to documents, including a police report cited by the New Straits Times, the victim said, “After delivering my baby, the suspect forced me to give up the newborn.”

She alleged that the abuse began in 2020 when she was 13 years old and that the caretaker, along with workers at the home, warned her against revealing the abuse or her child’s existence.

Human rights activist D. Arun said the victim confided in a visitor to the home last month, which prompted the matter to be reported to authorities.

“A police report was lodged at the Kulai police station on November 29, and the Johor Welfare Department has taken steps to facilitate investigations,” Arun said.

Arun added that he met the victim for three hours to hear her account before bringing the case to the police.

“This is a very tragic case that should never have happened,” Arun said, adding that the victim has “expressed her determination to reclaim her child.”

The victim also alleged that the suspect prevented her from attending school between 2020 and 2022, allowing the abuse to continue.

The Johor Welfare Department has since placed the victim and her two-year-old child under its care.

Kulai police chief Assistant Commissioner Tan Seng Lee confirmed the suspect’s arrest on November 30.

“Following the report lodged on Nov 29, an investigative team went to the home in Taman Mas at 3am and arrested the suspect,” Tan said.

He added, “Preliminary checks revealed that the alleged incidents occurred over a span of two years while the victim was under his care.”

Tan said the suspect is under remand until tomorrow.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...was-sold/159291

Tens of thousands of travellers affected after

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:30:19 +0800

Tens of thousands of travellers affected after autogates went down at BSI

JOHOR BARU: Tens of thousands of people have been stuck at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) for several hours following a major technical glitch that has knocked out all the immigration autogates.

It is learnt that at least 42 autogates at the entry and exit areas of the bus halls at BSI had been down since 12.30pm yesterday, forcing people to clear immigration manually.

“Even the autogates at the KTM train station were knocked off-line,” a security official said, adding that efforts were being made to restore the system in stages.

“This has never happened before at the JB CIQ, and it comes at the worst time, especially on a Sunday with a huge number of people, including Singaporeans, coming in for the long school holidays.

“Some of them have been stuck for hours due to the long lines at the bus arrival and exit halls,” the official said, adding they were trying their best to control the huge crowd.

“We were also informed that immigration has redeployed its manpower to all the manual counters to help clear the crowd,” the official added.

Immigration has also activated contra lanes to divert travellers at the entry and exit bus halls.

However, the glitch has not affected immigration clearance for cars, motorcycles and heavy vehicles.

Other government agencies are also functioning without any issues.

The official said it was time for BSI management to have a proper backup system to address such issues, as it is bad if all the autogates fail at the same time, causing chaos at the checkpoint.

Asked if there were any elements of sabotage, the official said detailed investigations would be done soon.

“The priority is for the autogates to be up and running,” the official said.

He added that additional security personnel have also been deployed to assist and maintain order at the major land checkpoint with Singapore.

The public took to social media to express their frustration.

A traveller, known only as Miss Chan, said she was stuck in her factory bus for more than an hour due to the massive jams.

“Usually by 7pm, I am in my factory in Pasir Ris in Singapore from my home in Johor Jaya, but this time, I am still stuck in the bus and traffic is very bad,” she said.

Chan said she was unsure what time she would be able to reach her workplace.

She said she had never experienced such a major glitch despite working in Singapore for many years.

As at press time, some of the autogates have started to function.

However, the glitch has not affected immigration clearance for cars, motorcycles and heavy vehicles.

Other government agencies are also functioning without any issues.

The official said it was time for BSI management to have a proper backup system to address such issues, as it is bad if all the autogates fail at the same time, causing chaos at the checkpoint.

Asked if there were any elements of sabotage, the official said detailed investigations would be done soon.

“The priority is for the autogates to be up and running,” the official said.

He added that additional security personnel have also been deployed to assist and maintain order at the major land checkpoint with Singapore.

The public took to social media to express their frustration.

A traveller, known only as Miss Chan, said she was stuck in her factory bus for more than an hour due to the massive jams.

“Usually by 7pm, I am in my factory in Pasir Ris in Singapore from my home in Johor Jaya, but this time, I am still stuck in the bus and traffic is very bad,” she said.

Chan said she was unsure what time she would be able to reach her workplace.

She said she had never experienced such a major glitch despite working in Singapore for many years.

As at press time, some of the autogates have started to function.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024...s-of-travellers

Breaking stereotypes: Xinjiang-born Uygur

pokemon — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 09:27:45 +0800

Breaking stereotypes: Breaking stereotypes: Xinjiang-born Uygur influencer's story demonstrates China’s unity in diversity

Dilyar, a proud Uygur from Xinjiang, with his distinct features, many doubted he was Chinese. At university, he discovered a platform to connect with strangers worldwide.

As his videos went viral, Dilyar addressed stereotypes and misconceptions.

When asked about oppression, he shared his own story. “I’ve experienced support for minorities, like lower exam thresholds and extra points for college admissions,” he explained.

Through his calm demeanor and insightful stories, Dilyar became a bridge, showing the world the beauty of Xinjiang’s diversity and his pride in being part of China’s rich cultural tapestry.

[YOUTUBE]Asi2fUtOLl8[/YOUTUBE]