Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan advised the public not to express strong views or take matters into their own hands. (Bernama pic)
SEPANG: A husband and wife have been arrested by police on suspicion of vandalism for allegedly placing an Israeli flag sticker on a fast-food outlet in Kajang yesterday.
Selangor police chief Hussein Omar Khan said the couple, in their 20s, was arrested in Kajang this morning after police received a report on the incident.
“They are being remanded for a day to facilitate the investigation,” he told reporters at KLIA Terminal 1 today, adding that police also seized their car.
Hussein also said police identified six other vandalism cases – four in Sungai Buloh and two in Petaling Jaya – at fast-food premises such as KFC, McDonald’s, and Subway from May 28 to 30.
The four outlets in Sungai Buloh were vandalised with offensive words, and the police believe they were committed by the same individuals, he said
Hussein said police would open another investigation paper, after both suspects tested positive for drugs.
He advised the public not to express strong views or take matters into their own hands, to the extent of disrupting the peace and harmony in the country. - FMT
The Court of Appeal has ruled that Liberty Insurance must honour a judgment obtained by Fayadh Abdul Gaffor and his parents over an accident 10 years ago.
PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has ruled that an insurer is not entitled to fresh notice of proceedings under the Road Transport Act 1987 (RTA) if a claimant is required to refile his suit in a motor negligence claim.
Justice Wong Kian Kheong said although there is no privity of contract, the insurer has statutory liability for a judgment by virtue of Section 96(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (RTA).
He said the insurer’s statutory liability is fortified by the long title of the RTA, which is “to make provision for the protection of third parties against risks arising out of the use of motor vehicles”.
“It is hoped that the insurer’s statutory liability (will not be) circumvented when an insurer already has knowledge of a negligence suit which may be filed by a claimant against an insured,” he said when allowing an appeal by accident victim Fayadh Abdul Gaffor and his parents.
Also on the bench hearing the appeal were Justices Kamaludin Said, who chaired the panel, and Hashim Hamzah.
In a 50-page judgment released earlier this week, Wong noted the Court of Appeal had, in a previous decision, described the RTA as a piece of social legislation.
As such, he said, the phrase “notice of the proceedings” in Section 96(2)(a) of the RTA must refer to an insurer’s knowledge of a claimant’s suit.
“In view of our interpretation of Sections 96(1) and 96(2)(a), the learned High Court judge had committed an error of law which has caused an injustice to the claimants and warrants appellate intervention,” he said.
On June 28, 2014, Fayadh, then 18, was riding a motorcycle in Paya Terubong, Penang, when he collided with a car driven by Sakri Muhamad whose vehicle was insured by Liberty Insurance Bhd.
Fayadh suffered severe injuries and permanent disabilities.
His solicitors filed a suit against Sakri in 2015 and served notice of it on Liberty, receipt of which was duly acknowledged.
The suit was withdrawn in the sessions court, but with the liberty to file afresh.
A second suit was filed by Fayadh’s lawyers in 2020, but no fresh notice was served under Section 96(2)(a) of the RTA, although an email was sent to the insurer.
Liberty sought a declaration from the High Court that it was not liable on any judgment obtained by Fayadh against Sakri.
The High Court issued the declaration, holding that Section 96(2)(a) was a mandatory requirement which required notice of the second suit to be served “within seven days” of the commencement of the action.
The decision was reversed on appeal.
Lawyer K Saravana Kumar said Fayadh’s suit will be reinstated following the Court of Appeal’s decision.
Counsel GK Ganesan Kasinathan, Geetha Kesavan Nair, TP Vaani and JN Lheela also appeared for Fayadh.
Lawyers Imavathi Subramaniam, JS Naicker and Dhanaraj K Naidu represented Liberty. - FMT
Azmi Abdul Hamid of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations says the elites have differing views from the general public. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: The head of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) has lamented the disconnect between Malaysia’s elites and the masses about supporting the boycott campaign against Israeli-linked companies.
Council president Azmi Abdul Hamid said he observed that the elites from various parts of society seem to hold different perspectives on the campaign, compared to the general public.
“The elites are disconnected from the masses, religious elites are detached from the grassroots, and the grassroots feel isolated,” he said at a forum to discuss the boycott against Israeli-linked companies.
He said the campaign needs the involvement of everyone “to instil a sense of shared struggle”.
Azmi said: “There is still a group of religious scholars who are unclear about this campaign, and some muftis have not stated their stance on the matter.
“There must be a strong ‘response’ from religious scholars, professionals, grassroots leaders, and students to create national consciousness (on the campaign).”
He called for a multilevel movement to create national awareness and ensure the campaign’s long-term success.
Boycott campaigns sparked by the Israel-Palestine conflict have hit western brands in Malaysia such as Starbucks and McDonald’s.
A married couple were arrested on suspicion of pasting Israel flags at a fast-food restaurant in Kajang yesterday. Selangor police said seven cases of such restaurants being defaced were reported from May 28-30.
On March 4, Berjaya Corp Bhd founder Vincent Tan called on the public to stop boycotting Starbucks Malaysia, saying it only hurts the Malaysians running the company.
The business tycoon said that up to 85% of Starbucks Malaysia’s employees are Muslims and that there are no foreigners working in the company’s head office.
Recently, civil society organisations have urged the government to reconsider its decision to allow a company with alleged links to Israel to own shares in Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. - FMT
Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were the first to crash out at the Singapore Open today. (Bernama pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s challenge fizzled out at the quarter-final stage in the Singapore Open badminton championships today.
Mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei were the first to crash out after losing 14-21, 18-21 to fourth-seeded Seo Seung Jae-Chae Yu Jung of South Korea.
Next were the men’s doubles partnership of Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who went down fighting 16-21, 21-19, 17-21 to China’s He Ji Ting-Ren Xiang Yu.
National men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao followed suit, going down 11-21, 12-21 to world No 1 Viktor Axelsen of Denmark.
Men’s doubles aces Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik capped a miserable day for Malaysia when they went down tamely 10-21, 14-21 to Danish pair Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen. - FMT
Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari (centre) with executive councillor Anfaal Saari (seated, second from right) at the launch of the action plan in Shah Alam today. (Bernama pic)
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government has launched a three-year women’s policy and action plan in hopes of increasing women’s capabilities and their contribution to the state.
Menteri besar Amirudin Shari said the action plan, with seven main objectives, was drafted to empower women as decision-makers, while focussing on their well-being.
“We want to see the roles and functions of more skilled women and their involvement in society,” he said at the launch of the 2024-2026 action plan here today.
Among the objectives are to promote a gender-sensitive framework; improve the socio-economic status of marginalised women; accelerate their participation, representation and decision-making in public and political spheres; and foster creative talent, culture, digitalisation and innovation. - FMT
Passengers travelling on the Putrajaya MRT line will need to take shuttle buses and shuttle trains for the time being. (X pic)
PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya MRT services have been disrupted by a communications systems problem, with the rail operator providing shuttle buses between the Chan Sow Lin and Putrajaya Sentral stations.
Coaches at the Kwasa Damansara and Chan Sow Lin stations will also act as shuttle trains for the meantime, going back and forth.
“Commuters who wish to cancel their journey can obtain a one-way travel voucher at the customer service counter. This must be used within five days from today,” it said in a statement. - FMT
The Royal Malaysian Navy corvette KD Lekir firing an Exocet missile during the Rimpac 2022 naval exercise off Hawaii. (Bernama pic)
LABUAN: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for a rational approach to be taken in responding to pressure for Malaysia to withdraw from a US-led naval exercise in which the Israeli navy will also take part.
Anwar said there was a need to thoroughly consider the matter and the potential implications of skipping the Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) 2024 exercise. A total of 29 countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei, are taking part.
Anwar said the government’s actions should not compromise the interests of the people and the nation’s trade. “If we were to follow the suggested approaches, we would need to halt the operations of companies like Microsoft, Google, Apple and Facebook,” he said.
The prime minister said Malaysia’s stance in support of the Palestinian cause was firm. “No country is as vocal as Malaysia on the Israel issue. We protest every day,” he said.
However, the country must “act carefully and not be driven by anger”. He said an Israeli ship had docked at a Malaysian port when Perikatan Nasional was previously in government.
“When we (Pakatan Harapan) took over the government, we were the ones who stopped Israeli ships from anchoring here, despite facing criticism,” Anwar told reporters after visiting the Labuan ferry terminal here today.
“Malaysia will continue to voice out against the cruelty faced by the Palestinian people,” he maintained.
Yesterday, 15 groups led by the pro-Palestine group BDS Malaysia demanded an immediate withdrawal from the Rimpac 2024 exercise, from June 26 to Aug 2 in the waters around the Hawaiian islands.
The Royal Malaysian Navy corvette KD Lekir is listed among the participating vessels. The Lekir also took part in Rimpac 2022, and fired an Exocet missile. - FMT
