Flash floods in Cameron Highlands draw federal probe, geologists deployed

 

Vehicles were moved by strong currents during flash floods triggered by heavy rain in Cameron Highlands. — Pictures via Facebook

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry will dispatch geologists to Cameron Highlands following flash floods that sent muddy torrents onto a main road, as authorities move to pinpoint the cause and prevent a repeat, the New Straits Times reported.

Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the ministry would work with multiple agencies — including the Public Works Department (JKR), the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) and local councils — in a coordinated investigation.

“We are aware of the incident, which occurred last night. This effort requires cooperation between multiple ministries and agencies.

“For our part, we will send geologists to conduct studies and provide technical assistance. A report will be issued once investigations are completed to determine what happened and how we can avoid similar incidents in the future,” he told reporters after attending the Climate Change and Sustainability Conference 2026 in Petaling Jaya today.

Heavy rain lasting more than two hours yesterday triggered the flash floods in the Habu Heights area, with runoff from surrounding hills surging onto the Ringlet main road.

Cameron Highlands police chief Azri Ramli said the downpour began at about 2pm in the hilly terrain, sending muddy water cascading downhill and across the roadway.

“The runoff from hilly areas surged onto the main road, causing flash floods. However, the situation remained under control, and the waters fully receded by around 4pm,” he said.

The incident briefly disrupted traffic along the route as water and debris flowed across the road.

No casualties were reported, though two police reports were lodged involving vehicles caught in strong currents.

“The involved vehicles were only pushed forward by the force of the water, and no injuries were reported,” he added.

Authorities have since cleared the affected stretch and confirmed it is now safe for road users. - malaymail

Father of two jailed, fined RM300 over Cheras supermarket theft involving sardines and other daily essentials

 

The accused was found to have stolen 20 household items, including all-purpose flour, from a supermarket in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, with the total value amounting to RM404.22. — File picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 — A father of two was sentenced to one month in jail and fined RM300 by the Magistrates’ Court today after pleading guilty to stealing various daily necessities, including two tins of sardines.

According to Utusan Malaysia, Magistrate Faezahnoor Hassan handed down the sentence after Mohd Rashid Mohd Noh, 44, admitted to the charge when it was read to him.

The e-hailing driver faces an additional seven days’ jail if he fails to pay the fine.

According to the charge, Mohd Rashid stole 20 items — including two tins of sardines, all-purpose flour, dishwashing liquid, bath soap and an air freshener — worth RM404.22 from an Aeon supermarket in Taman Maluri, Cheras, at 8.10pm on April 18.

The offence was charged under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of up to 10 years and a possible fine.

For repeat offences, offenders may face imprisonment as well as a fine or whipping.

During proceedings, deputy public prosecutor Nor Farhana Mohd Poad urged the court to impose a sentence that would serve as a lesson to the accused.

However, defence counsel M. Soosai Raj from the National Legal Aid Foundation sought a lighter sentence, saying his client has two schoolgoing children to support.

“My client works as a driver and supports two children who are still in school. I ask that the minimum custodial sentence be imposed,” he said. - malaymail

MCMC probing Muda video critical of Azam, party asks where's the fake news

 

Muda today questioned MCMC’s investigation against its member for allegedly uploading fake news against MACC.

Taking to X, Muda president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz said she had viewed the full video by Luqman Long and wondered which part contained the alleged fake content.

"This is the video that is being investigated. Where is the fake news here?" she posted, which accompanied a video that the political activist had uploaded on TikTok.

"I have watched it from the beginning until the end. These are all facts that have already been shared with the public," the Puteri Wangsa state assemblyperson claimed.

In the five-minute and 22-second video clip, Luqman spoke about MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki and controversies implicating the career government official, including issues about Azam's shareholdings and the alleged “corporate mafia” scandal involving MACC.

MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki

Amira also slammed MCMC, accusing the internet regulator of trying to protect Azam and instil fear in the rakyat.

Luqman, a former Muda information chief, is also Amira's husband.

Earlier today, MCMC issued a statement saying they had opened an investigation against an individual for uploading content on TikTok that allegedly contained fake news against MACC and Azam.

It said the case was being investigated under Section 233 of the MCMC Act, which carries a punishment of a fine up to RM500,000, or a jail term of up to two years, or both.

According to the agency, they have recorded the suspect's statement and seized a communication device to assist the investigation. - Mkini

Home Ministry bans Selangor govt-funded translated book on Mao Zedong

 

The Home Ministry has banned another publication on a communist leader, this time involving a book on Mao Zedong published under the Selangor state government's funding.

According to a Federal Government Gazette, the book titled “Mao Zedong: China dalam Dunia Abad ke-20” was banned under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publication Act, which gives the home minister the "absolute discretion" to prohibit any "undesirable publications".

The ban took effect from the date of the gazette on Feb 13.

The original book titled “Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World” was written by New York University history professor Rebecca E Karl.

It centred on the historical account of the former Chinese Communist Party leader's life and thoughts, according to a description by Duke University Press.

Mao Zedong

The translated version was published in 2020 by IBDE Ilham Sdn Bhd, a private company that received grants from the Selangor state government.

When contacted, its chief executive director Farhan Nor Affandi said the book was among the publications that it had translated under the state government's “Siri Pencerahan Selangor” initiative.

He said the company took note of the government's decision but stressed that the book was purely an academic and analytical work about history.

"It was in no way intended to promote or spread the communist ideology, but instead explained Mao’s role in the context of 20th-century history.

"This approach is a normal practice in the international history discipline," Farhan said.

Ideologies and historical events

The publisher added that a society's maturity depends on its ability to understand the various ideologies and historical events.

"Understanding does not mean supporting (an ideology). On the contrary, it helps the society to make informed decisions," Farhan said.

Malaysiakini has reached out to the Selangor state government for comment.

Last week, book publisher Gerakbudaya was served with a notice from the ministry banning two of its publications that narrate stories about the struggle of the Malayan Communist Party (CPM).

The first book is a memoir on prominent CPM figure Shamsiah Fakeh, while the second one was titled “Komrad Asi (Rejimen 10): Dalam Denyut Nihilisme Sejarah”, which was published in 2022. - Mkini

Lawyer: Head-stepping occurs when cops think they can get away with murder

 

Any inaction by the police against its officers investigated for the murder of three suspected robbers in Durian Tunggal, Malacca, will strengthen impunity within the force, a lawyer said today.

Rajesh Nagajaran claimed that an example of such impunity or a sense of “getting away” without repercussion for an alleged breach of procedures is the latest incident involving a police officer stepping on a man’s head in Kulim, Kedah.

“When officers believe they will not be held meaningfully accountable, for example, in the Durian Tunggal case, the line between lawful force and abuse collapses.

“Stepping on an individual’s head is not policing - it is pure violence,” Rajesh (above) stressed.

Earlier today, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail ordered an immediate investigation into the Kulim incident, based on a 29-second video clip on social media that showed two police personnel and a man being pulled off his motorcycle.

One of the police personnel was seen in the video stepping on the man’s head after he fell off his motorcycle.

Kulim police subsequently confirmed the incident but clarified that it occurred during a crime prevention operation, and that the suspect, who tested positive for drugs, had allegedly resisted arrest.

Real consequences

Commenting further, Rajesh said, “Are the public safe from the police? Where are our constitutional protections against arbitrary and excessive state power?

“A swift investigation is necessary, but that alone is not sufficient; what the public wants is real consequences.”

He also insisted that even a high level of public pressure has not expedited action in the Durian Tunggal case, with no further developments after nearly five months since the fatal shootings.

“Their (police) ally is the passage of time. As time goes on and on, people will forget, other issues come up, and they will just keep quiet.

“That’s exactly what they are doing, even in a matter as high profile as Durian Tunggal, when there is an audio recording of the police shooting,” he said.

On Nov 24, the police shot and killed three men, aged between 24 and 29, after one of them allegedly used a machete to attack a police officer in an oil palm plantation in Durian Tunggal.

Malacca police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar at the time defended his team’s actions, alleging that the incident caused a corporal, in his early 30s, to suffer severe injuries to his left arm.

The victims’ families have denied the allegations, prompting the police to form a special task force to investigate the incident.

ADS

On Dec 16, the Attorney-General’s Chambers reclassified the incident as a murder case after examining police reports.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director M Kumar said on Dec 29 last year that the police officers involved have been removed from active duty amid ongoing investigations.

Durian Tunggal updates

Quizzed on updates to the Durian Tunggal probe, Rajesh said he was informed as of three weeks ago that police are still waiting for a post-mortem report of the victims before proceeding with further actions.

“This itself to our mind is absolute nonsense because the post-mortem is not a prerequisite for you to bring charges.

“So why are the police saying they need to wait and look at the post-mortem report? It’s completely irrelevant,” he stressed.

Rajesh said in normal murder cases, the person is immediately arrested, remanded, and charged, while everything else comes later.

“In the Durian Tunggal case, the murder occurred in November last year; now it is April, and they are still sitting on it? It is completely unacceptable.

“We are very disappointed that the police and the AGC still have not charged the police officers involved in this murder.

“We hope charges will be brought as soon as possible because the credibility of the police is at stake here,” he added. - Mkini

Businessperson denies motive to implicate Guan Eng in RM6.3b tunnel project

 

A businessperson told the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today that he had no motive to implicate former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng in a corruption case involving a RM6.3 billion road and undersea tunnel project.

G Gnanaraja, 44, said it would be unreasonable for him to do so, as Lim was not his enemy and had never wronged him.

“If I tended to cheat as alleged, I could have simply claimed that all four bags were handed over to Lim. But I have no intention of implicating him for such a motive,” he said.

The 37th prosecution witness said this during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin at Lim’s trial.

Gnanaraja (above, left) said he had consistently admitted to receiving RM19 million from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd’s former director, Zarul Ahmad Zulkifli and maintained that he was also truthful about handing over part of the money to Lim.

“I state what I took, and I also confess what I gave to Lim. I have no motive to implicate him in this case,” he said.

‘Visit at 3am’

Gnanaraja previously testified that he personally handed over two black bags containing RM1 million each to Lim after receiving them from Zarul at the Eastin Hotel on Aug 18, 2017.

He also stood by his claim that Lim had visited his house at 3am, although he acknowledged under questioning that such a visit was “unreasonable” for someone of Lim’s stature.

“No one has ever come to my house at 3am, even though I have friends who are ministers, only Lim,” he said.

He further denied any agreement with the prosecution to secure a lighter charge in a separate Shah Alam case in exchange for testifying.

“I did not deny receiving money from Zarul in the Shah Alam case. I only wanted to explain where the rest of the money went. That is how my involvement in this case began,” he added.

Following the testimony, proceedings continued with the prosecution’s application to amend the first charge against Lim by removing the word “receive”.

Judge Azura Alwi fixed May 6 to continue the trial and to deliver a decision on the application.

Lim, 65, faces multiple charges, including allegedly using his position to receive RM3.3 million in connection with the Penang roads and undersea tunnel project, soliciting a 10 percent cut of profits from Zarul, and facilitating the disposal of two state-owned land parcels worth RM208.8 million linked to the project.

- Bernama