Media group urges Sabah to explain activist's travel ban; rocket production soon

 

Politics

• The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has urged the Sabah government to either withdraw the travel ban against Bersih director Asraf Sharafi Azhar, or clearly justify its move.

  In condemning Sabahan authorities, CIJ director Wathshlah G Naidu said the ban amounts to intimidation against human rights defenders and an affront to freedom of movement and expression.

  “As a human rights defender, these actions taken against him can be construed as a threat to his private life and personal affairs.

  “As these actions pose a threat to Asraf, it is clear that this is an act of intimidation that can prevent him from carrying out his role as a human rights defender; this prohibition from seeing his family serves as a disincentive to carry out his role,” Wathshlah (above) said.

Defence

• Malaysia is set to begin rocket production within the next two years, and plans to expand into missile manufacturing, said Defence Minister Khaled Nordin.

  According to Bernama, he said the target can be achieved through strategic partnerships involving local and foreign companies.

  

  Defence Minister Khaled Nordin

  He said this in a statement after witnessing the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between Weststar Group, through its subsidiary Weststar Defence Industries Sdn Bhd, and Australia’s Rocket Technologies International (RTI) Pty Ltd.

  Khaled said the partnership aligns with Malaysia’s push to build domestic capabilities in rocket and missile development.

  Weststar’s investment will also allow Malaysia to plug into RTI’s global supply chain, opening doors for local players to thrive in the international defence ecosystem, he added.

Transport

• ADS

  A thin piece of wire, which is believed to have come into contact with a power supply system, has been identified as the cause of a small explosion involving an LRT train at Taman Jaya Station bound for Putra Heights last night.

  Bernama quoted Rapid KL as saying that an investigation found the wire, which had melted at the scene, was not part of the train’s components or the rail infrastructure.

  

  “All passengers safely disembarked at the next station before continuing their journey on another train.

  “Preliminary inspections by the technical team found no damage to the train or any of its components,” it said.

  Inspections also found the track to be in good condition, and operations continued as usual while investigations are ongoing. - Mkini