Prison riot: Group questions why only 5 charged; govt exploring land route for durian export

 

Taiping Prison

• Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture (Madpet) has condemned the decision to charge only five prison officers over the Taiping prison riot, as Suhakam found around 60 officers were involved.

  Madpet also questioned why no action has been taken against officers and medical personnel responsible for delaying medical treatment for detainee Gan Chin Ying, who died after the incident.

• The group urged authorities to charge all officers involved in the violence, as well as those accused of destroying CCTV evidence, filing false reports and giving false testimony during Suhakam’s inquiry.

Anti-cronyism

• The Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (Samenta) has proposed that agencies offering financing to micro, small and medium enterprises publish periodic reports on funding to recipients, to strengthen transparency and curb cronyism.

  Its president William Ng said that the reports could highlight high-level data such as approval rates, average processing times and loan default rates by sector.

  "Although most of the agencies have migrated to digital systems to enhance transparency and to do away with middlemen, these digital systems can still be manipulated by insiders familiar with the ins and outs of the process,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

  Ng also called for a whistleblower protection mechanism that would allow misconduct, collusion and cronyism to be reported directly to the MACC or the relevant ministry's integrity unit without fear of retaliation.

Durian industry

• ADS

  Malaysia is in discussions with Thailand and the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to establish a land and rail route for exporting durians to China, a move aimed at lowering logistics costs and expanding market access.

  According to Bernama, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu said the initiative comes as a simultaneous durian season across several states has created an oversupply.

  

  While the supply glut has allowed consumers to enjoy premium durian varieties at lower prices, it has driven down farm-gate prices, putting pressure on durian growers.

  Mohamad added that land transport would offer a more cost-effective alternative to air freight while enabling Malaysian durians to reach smaller Chinese cities with significant market potential. - Mkini