Police say seniors fined RM1,000 while waiting for free food were repeat offenders

Police say two senior citizens who were fined RM1,000 while waiting for free food were repeat offenders who had ignored several warnings for flouting the movement control order.

Tampin district police chief Anuwal Abdul Wahab said this when responding to the compound issued against an 80-year-old "Mr Li" who was one of the two men. An image of the compound had gone viral on social media.

"The two men and three other senior citizens were always found gathering on a bench in front of a restaurant since the first phase of the MCO which is aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.

"Every time police officers on patrol including the Air Kuning police station chief passed by the area, they had to use a loud hailer to tell the group to go home.

"But we found that once the police left the area, the group would return to the spot and gather there chatting.

"The shop owner had since covered and locked the bench to ensure that no one will use it to hang out. But after that, the group had moved to another spot about 50m away," Anuwal told Malaysiakini.

He said police had interviewed the restaurant owner who confirmed that he had provided food to the senior citizens.

However, he said the senior citizens should collect their food during the allotted time and not loiter around.

He said the restaurant owner provided takeaways between 11am and noon for lunch and 5pm to 6pm for dinner.

"When the police found them, it was 10.30am. They should have gone there between 11am and noon to get their food and head home straight away after that," he said.In the latest incident, Anuwal said police had given the two men repeated verbal warnings before issuing the compounds.

"But they ignored the police team and continued chatting, leaving police personnel with no option but to bring them back to the police station where they were issued compounds.

"Compound action is taken with the aim of ensuring that everybody complies with the MCO, and nobody is above the law.

"Age factor is not an excuse to be exempted from the MCO. Moreover, they are the ones who have a higher risk of getting infected with Covid-19," he said, adding that police could compromise only under special circumstances.

He said the group of five citizens had previously also had their meals together at the area.

However, he said only two of the senior citizens were present when the latest offence happened.

Malaysia has been under a partial lockdown since March 18.

Under the MCO, all non-essential businesses and services must close and people may only leave their homes for approved reasons.

The first MCO took place from March 18 until March 31. The second phase lasted until April 14 but this was further extended under phase 3 to April 28. - Mkini