Malaysia News Gazette

Malaysia remains steadfast in its position to see all evidence related to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine made public and the judicial process be conducted fairly and not affected by any political pressure in order for justice to prevail.

In a statement issued by Malaysia’s Transport Ministry (MOT) today in conjunction with the seventh anniversary of the downing of MH17, Malaysia said it is always committed to giving full support to efforts to bring those responsible for the shooting down of MH17 to justice.

“Malaysia reiterates its commitment to bring the perpetrators of this inhumane crime to justice, not only because everyone involved deserves to see justice, but it will also bring comfort and peace of mind to the next of kin of those who were lost in the tragedy,” it said.

The Boeing 777 plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 when it was shot down as it flew over a part of eastern Ukraine. All 298 people aboard died.

The statement said Malaysia believed and hoped that the COVID-19 pandemic would not be an obstacle to the efforts to uphold justice for the victims of the MH17 tragedy.

“Our thoughts and prayers are always with the victims and their loved ones. We hope families and friends of the victims will have strength and resilience while we remain committed in our pursuit to seek justice,” it said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

The influx of immigrants, refugee issues and cybersecurity have been identified by the National Security Council (MKN) as among 66 new challenges to national security.

MKN deputy director-general Datuk Rodzi Md Saad said these three issues were among the economic, social and political issues that had been identified, and would be addressed under the National Security Policy 2021-2025.

According to him, cybersecurity is seen as an issue that will dominate the scope of national security, as the country’s moves towards the fourth industrial revolution (IR4.0).

“Strong cybersecurity is very important as IR4.0 relies entirely on digital technology, and any issues involving its security will affect the government, economy and society, as we can see an increase in cases of online fraud in recent years.

“The influx of unverified information can also pose a threat to national security, because it could potentially be used to create a wrong perception of certain issues,” he said in a special virtual media briefing session held today in conjunction with the MKN’s 50th anniversary celebration.

He said that at present, people could post something on social media based on unverified information obtained through the internet, and these writings had the potential to divide the people and threaten unity, which in turn posed a threat to national security.

Commenting further, Rodzi said that the influx of immigrants and Rohingya refugees was also seen as a threat to national security, and the government has been working to address the problem.

“The influx of immigrants and refugees has caused discomfort among the locals because it is thought that they will take away the rights of Malaysians.

“It is also worrying that they are now seen to have controlled certain businesses. However, the government has started to take firm measures by carrying out ‘Ops Benteng’ and tighter border control, and the efforts have seen results,” he said.

He added that the National Security Policy is an inclusive policy that covers every level of administration and aspect of people’s lives.

“The objective of this policy is to ensure that Malaysia remains sovereign, peaceful and prosperous,” he said.

In the meantime, Rodzi said that the MKN was also drafting the National Security Index (IKK) to assess the level of national security transparently.

“The index is currently in the engagement stage with government agencies and other stakeholders, and is expected to be introduced in 2023,” he said.

He said that the IKK would be used to assess the level of national security more comprehensively, and it would cover all aspects that affect national security, such as political, economic and social.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

— Police will step up monitoring operations outside the localities placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) that have been installed with barbed wire fencing.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said the measure was taken to prevent intrusion into the localities.

“In Kuala Lumpur, for example, barbed wires have been installed in localities placed under the EMCO as they are found to be effective in controlling the residents’ movements.

“However, there is a report of incidents where residents try to sneak in and out of the EMCO areas.

“Therefore, we find that there is a need to step up monitoring outside the localities to prevent such incidents from recurring,” he told a press conference after inspecting a roadblick at the Gombak Toll Plaza here today.

He was commenting on the incident of a woman who had allegedly sneaked into the Taman Bukit Angkasa people’s housing project, Pantai Dalam here, which is now under the EMCO by crawling under the barbed wire.

Earlier today, Brickfields district police chief ACP Anuar Omar was reported to have said that they received a report on the incident after a video recording of the act went viral on social media.

The case is being investigated under Section 269 of the Penal Code for the offence of committing a negligent act likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life, which carries a six-month jail term or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

An illegal warehouse storing more than 1,000 scheduled waste tanks was raided by the authorities in an operation in Kampung Kembirian, Manggatal here yesterday.

Sabah Department of Environment (DOE) director Amirul Aripin said the 2.30 pm raid was conducted in collaboration with police and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) based on complaints from village folks about an unpleasant smell believed to be from a banned substance.

“Surveillance was done in the village for a week when the residents smelled what was believed to be diesel and processed chemicals, and it was found that the water reservoir in front of the premises showed traces of oil.

“As a result of the raid, more than 1,000 tanks containing semi-solid waste suspected to be from operations at sea have been found,” he told reporters here today.

He said the Sabah Chemistry Department had taken samples of material from the tank for analysis for further investigation, and the results would be announced as soon as possible and the parties involved would be identified.

He said investigations found that irresponsible parties were believed to have taken shortcuts by using the illegal warehouse to store materials without any documents or licence from the DOE.

“The parties involved will be subjected to action under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, and if convicted can be punished with imprisonment of not more than five years and a fine of not more than RM500,000,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency