An immigration officer was among seven Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) suspects who were arrested in Sabah and at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) from last Wednesday to Sunday (March 8-12).
The woman officer is alleged to have arranged for militants to travel without valid documents to Sabah before heading to southern Philippines.
The other suspects include three Filipinos with permanent resident (PR) status.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the first arrest was made on a 27-year-old Filipino with PR status and an 18-year-old Filipino in Kota Kinabalu last Wednesday.
“The suspect with the PR status is believed to have secured funds for Malaysian fugitives Dr Mahmud Ahmad and Mohamad Joraimee Awang Raimee.
“The second suspect is an IS militant who has sworn allegiance to Abu Sayyaf senior leader Isnilon Hapilon,” the IGP said in a statement on Monday (March 13).
The second series of arrests involved a 53-year-old ferry ticket seller and a labourer (both Filipinos with PR status) and the 31-year-old female immigration officer in Sandakan, Sabah, on Thursday.
“The two suspects with PR status are believed to have assisted in the transit of three Indonesian IS militants to southern Philippines through Sabah.
“The Immigration officer had arranged for the entry of people without valid travel documents, including IS militants from Indonesia and Malaysia, into Sabah before heading to southern Philippines,” he said.
The sixth suspect – a 36-year-old Filipino man – was detained in Sandakan last Thursday.
The seventh suspect, a 36-year-old Malaysian man who was a former medical assistant at Jerantut hospital , was arrested at KLIA on Sunday.
The IGP said the suspect went to Turkey in October last year and was trying to enter Syria with the help of Indonesian militant Abu Fateh from Sulawesi, but was caught by Turkish authorities on Jan 16 along with other Indonesian militants, and deported.
Malaysia on Wednesday (Mar 8) unveiled its proposed alignment for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a new railway that will connect its east coast states to the Greater Klang Valley.
The proposed alignment features 23 stations running along a 600.3km route. The new line is projected to connect passengers from Wakaf Bharu in Kelantan and Gombak in Kuala Lumpur in about four hours.
As required by the Land Public Transport Act, Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) also launched a three-month public inspection exercise for the railway scheme on Wednesday.
Members of the public will be able to view the proposed alignment and other details, such as the locations of interchange stations connecting with other rail lines at SPAD’s headquarters, until Jun 5.
They will also be able to do so at 38 “high traffic locations” including the district offices in Kota Bharu, Tumpat, Bachok, Pasir Putih, Besut, Setiu, Kuala Terengganu, Hulu Terengganu, Marang, Kemaman, Dungun, Kuantan, Maran, Temerloh and Bentong, SPAD said in a news release.
Feedback can be submitted through developer Malaysia Rail Link’s toll-free number (1800-222-524), email ([email protected]) or website.
A “GAME CHANGER”: NAJIB
Launching the public inspection exercise, Prime Minister Najib Razak called the proposed railway line a “game changer” that would help close the development gap between the country’s east and west coast and grow the gross domestic product (GDP) of three east coast states in Peninsular Malaysia by another 1.5 per cent at the current rate.
The project will change the economic landscapes of Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang and turn them into trade hubs and tourism destinations, as well as stimulate small and medium enterprises and new investments, he said in his speech.
Najib said the east coast states had huge potential for development in sectors such as agriculture, commerce and tourism but needed a more efficient transport system.
“Besides being environmentally friendly, the ECRL will facilitate movements of the people during the festive season,” he said.
The Malaysian prime minister also defended the involvement of other countries such as China in the project, saying that it would not affect Malaysia’s sovereignty and “should not be politicised”.
“Teaming up with the major economic nations such as China, Saudi Arabia, India, and Japan, will be beneficial to the country and the people,” he said.
Two graphic short video clips and a picture of a man ill-handling a beautiful little baby was posted onto Facebook by Saif Bilal.
Saif explained that the man was the baby’s very own father who would abuse her like this all the time. Worst of all, the man actually recorded his own acts and sent them to the mother.
He wrote, “Syrian mum complained to Saudi police that her husband (who) lives in Makkah city always torture her baby and sometimes mix Pepsi with milk in her bottle and takes video and send (those videos to) her daily.”
“She (has) been separated from husband and the husband took the baby from her and kept (her) with him for torturing. She wants her baby to be back from her husband.”
In the first video, the ruthless father can be seen slapping, choking and roughly grabbing the poor child. According to Saif, the second video shows a bottle that the father was feeding to the child had a mix of milk and Pepsi!
Extremely upset netizens from aroud the word could not contain their anger as they commented and shared the post.
As the video went viral, Saudi police were quick on the case. Within a few hours of that post being brought up, the local police found the culprit and have returned the poor baby to her mother. Probably sensing that she was safe, the cute little child was smiling away in her mother’s arms.
According to Saudi Gazette, the baby will undergo a medical check-up to ensure that her health is fine. The Human’s Rights Commission told the press that they were keeping in contact with the authorities to ensure that the horrible father be punished.
PETALING JAYA, Jan 3 — The Cabinet’s decision to entrust three ministries to regulate the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping is the answer vape aficionados nationwide were looking forward to.
Vape Operators Association of Penang president Muhammad Hafidz Adnan, however, said there were suggestions the authorities could consider before finalizing the rules and regulations.
He proposed electronic cigarettes be sold in stores registered with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry to ensure the devices’ were not compromised.
“With this announcement, it is our hope the ministries would curb the sale of electronic cigarettes online as it would be tricky to regulate. Safety of vapers comes into play here and sales should only be allowed via licensed stores,” he said in a statement.
He said the association was looking forward to work with state executive councillor for health Dr Afif Bahardin and the local government in obtaining business licences for vape shops in Penang.
“This engagement is much needed to allow the association become a communication platform between vape shop operators and local authorities,” he said.
Malaysian E-Vaporisers and Tobacco Alternative Association president Rizani Zakaria called on the government to speed up the issuance of business licences for vape operators as it had been a long waiting game for industry players.
“Our long-awaited request is finally answered. We hope they speed up giving licenses to operators to conduct business with an easy mind,” he said.
Rizani said all five states — Penang, Kedah, Johor, Kelantan and Terengganu — which imposed a ban on vape should consider lifting the prohibition to grant opportunities for shop operators who have been in the business for years.
“Most traders are experienced and conduct their businesses in accordance to the rules. The relevant state authorities should perhaps consider giving them a chance to operate once the new legislations were in place,” he said.
Malaysian Organisation for Vape Entity (Move) secretary Syamsul Reza Mohd Mokhtar said the decision put Malaysia on the map as one of the first few countries to regulate the vape industry.
“We will be known as the one of the pioneers and this will definitely get a cheer and applause from vapers around the world,” he said.
He said the much-anticipated decision would convince vapers to swap their tobacco cigarettes for electronic cigarettes instead, and subsequently boost the local vape industry.
On Wednesday, the Cabinet tasked the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry with regulating and enforcing safety standards for electronic cigarette devices and batteries and vaping devices under the Consumer Protection Act 1999 (Act 599).
It would also regulate and enforce the marking and labelling of electronic cigarette devices and nicotine-free liquid and vapes through the various Trade Descriptions Acts.
Under the new act, the licensing, production, distribution including import, export and sale of electronic cigarette devices, nicotine-free liquid and vapes would be monitored by the ministry.
The Health Ministry would regulate the sale of e-liquid containing nicotine under the Poisons Act 1952 and Sale of Drugs Act 1952, which only permit licensed pharmacies and registered medical practitioners to sell preparations containing nicotine for medical treatment.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, through the Department of Standards Malaysia, would develop standards for e-cigarettes batteries and devices and the packaging of nicotine-free, e-liquid and vapes under the Standards of Malaysia Act 1996.
Following the decision, the Health Ministry will draft a new law to replace the Tobacco Control 2004 Regulations, while the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry would draft a new law relating to the control of electronic cigarettes and vaping within the next two years.
The British embassy in Kuala Lumpur has questioned a claim by the Malaysian prime minister, Najib Razak, that his country’s anti-graft agency had cleared him of corruption, according to a diplomatic cable seen by the Guardian.
Malaysia’s anti-corruption commission (MACC) said in August last year that its investigation had found that nearly US$700m had been deposited into Najib’s personal bank account from unnamed “donors”.
It did not elaborate on the donor or why they transferred funds to Najib’s private accounts but said the money was not from the debt-laden state fund 1MDB, which had been the focus of the scandal.
Five days later, Najib told members of his ruling party that the MACC had cleared him of corruption allegations.
But a diplomatic telegram sent to London from the British High Commission in the Malaysian capital suggested the embassy queried that claim.
“Najib announced the MACC had exonerated him of corruption and the funds in his bank account were a donation from the Middle East and not from 1MDB,” it said.
“There has been no official MACC statement to this effect.”
Opponents of Najib, who denies taking money for personal gain, say the funds may have originated from 1MDB but were laundered internationally. Malaysia’s attorney general said in January 2016 that the money was a gift from the Saudi Arabian government.
The UK has been criticised for not speaking out more firmly against one of the world’s biggest financial scandals. Former British prime minister David Cameron was chided for meeting Najib shortly after the story broke last July.
The British cable was released under a freedom of information request made by the Guardian but was heavily redacted to include mostly factual reporting of events in Malaysia.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the redactions were made as some of the information may “prejudice relations between the United Kingdom and other states if it was disclosed.
“In this case, the release of some information within diptel [diplomatic telegram] reporting could harm our relations with Malaysia.”
Najib sought to contain the greatest threat to his power by suspending two newspapers, removing a deputy who openly criticised him, and sacking the country’s top attorney, who had been leading the official investigation.
The man he replaced him with closed the case and ended the MACC investigation in January by clearing Najib, to the anger of opposition figures.
While Cameron’s staff said he had pressed Najib over claims he had stolen government money, the regional trip was intended to boost trade ties and coordinate efforts to fight ISIS.
However, several countries are conducting publicly-declared investigations into the alleged misappropriation of billions of dollars siphoned from 1MDB, which has debts of over US$11 billion and whose advisory board Najib chaired.
Switzerland said the sum suspected to have been stolen from 1MDB amounts to around US$4bn, some of which was transferred to accounts held in Switzerland by various former Malaysian public officials.
And the US attorney general announced it “seeks to recover more than US$1bn laundered through the United States”, the largest corruption investigation in the country’s history.
Najib contends the allegations are part of a opposition-led campaign to force him from office. 1MDB has also denied transferring funds to Najib.
The US investigation details a complex network of international transactions it says were used to launder money from 1MDB into high-end real estate in New York and Los Angeles, a US$35m jet aircraft, and paintings by Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.
Funds are also alleged to have been diverted to make the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, a Hollywood production about a corrupt stockbroker played by Leonardo DiCaprio.
The MACC has since announced it will cooperate with the FBI.
“The Department of Justice will not allow the American financial system to be used as a conduit for corruption,” US attorney general Loretta Lynch said.
The US complaint document alleged Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz bought a luxury home in Belgravia, London for £23.25m using diverted funds. It said misappropriated monies were also used to buy nearly £2m in services from a UK-based interior decorator.
The UK is reported to have started its own investigation, although this has not been officially confirmed.
The Guardian opened freedom of information requests into potential 1MDB investigations in the UK with the Home Office, HMRC, the Metropolitan Police, and the Serious Fraud Office during the past year.
