08/09/2025

MONDAY | SEPT 8, 2025

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Man held for threatening pathologist in Zara Qairina inquest KOTA KINABALU: Police have arrested a 61-year-old man in Semporna for allegedly threatening forensic pathologist Dr Jessie Hiu, who is testifying in the inquest into the death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir. the Facebook account Amung Kamaruddin, which posted the threat against the pathologist,” he said in a statement yesterday. The arrest came after Hiu lodged a police report over threats received following her testimony at the Coroner’s Court. said when contacted. Hiu, the first witness in the inquest, told the Coroner’s Court on Thursday that it was for the court to decide whether the teenager had committed suicide or otherwise.

making statements that could threaten public order or provoke unrest. Zara, a Form One student, was found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel in Papar at 4am on July 16. She died the next day at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu. The Attorney-General’s Chambers later ordered her remains exhumed for an autopsy on Aug 8, before announcing a formal inquest on Aug 13. – Bernama

The case is being investigated under Section 507 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. Jauteh urged the public to use social media with restraint and responsibility, particularly in

Sabah police commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun said the suspect was detained at about 7am yesterday in the compound of the Semporna district police headquarters. “An initial inspection of a confiscated mobile phone revealed that the suspect is the owner of

District police chief ACP Kasim Muda confirmed the report, adding that police had been informed by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital director. “The case is under police investigation,” he

Push for digital access standards in Malaysia

Policeman hurt in brawl at hospital

KUALA LUMPUR: A policeman sustained facial injuries while attempting to break up a confrontation between two groups at the Sungai Buloh Hospital on Saturday. District police chief Supt Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor said police received a report at 2.10am about an altercation at the emergency ward and immediately despatched a patrol team. He added that personnel stationed at the hospital police post had arrived earlier to manage the situation before the patrol team arrived. “The team discovered that the policeman had been assaulted by a local man in his 40s. Initial reports revealed that he had attempted to intervene in a fight involving a group of men and women. However, the assailant reacted aggressively, attacking him and causing injuries to his face,” Mohd Hafiz said in a statement yesterday. He added that police efforts to arrest the suspect were hindered, resulting in a brief struggle. The suspect was eventually detained with the help of the public and taken to the Sungai Buloh district police headquarters. He has been remanded for four days until tomorrow. The case is being investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant, Section 353 for using criminal force against a public servant and Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955. – Bernama Cop shot, stabbed during arrest bid IPOH: A 26-year-old police constable was shot and stabbed while on crime prevention patrol in Simpang Pulai yesterday. The suspect remains at large and is believed to be linked to the discovery of the body of a woman in an abandoned car at the scene. Perak police chief Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said the incident occurred at about 1.15am when a patrol team from the Simpang Pulai police station detected a suspicious vehicle in Taman Desa Pakatan. As officers attempted to stop the car, the suspect fled, leading to a pursuit that ended in an oil palm plantation. “A struggle broke out between the suspect and the officer during the attempt to detain him. The suspect seized the officer’s service pistol, shot him in the abdomen and stabbed him before escaping with the firearm,” Noor Hisam said in a statement yesterday. The injured policeman has been warded at the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital and is in stable condition. – Bernama

Ű BY KIRTINEE RAMESH newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o Advocates call for adoption of global web guidelines to empower Persons with Disabilities

PETALING JAYA: Advocates are urging Malaysia to adopt proper web accessibility standards to ensure Persons with Disabilities (PwD) are not excluded from essential digital services, as more aspects of daily life move online. The call is led by Universiti Sains Malaysia computer science graduate Tat Sean Pang, who has worked in the software industry since 2001. He first encountered accessibility requirements while consulting on a US project that had to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which inspired him to draft a proposal for Malaysia to take digital inclusivity seriously. “Web accessibility is not just a technical requirement. It is about equity, dignity and independence for all citizens,” he said, adding that tasks such as renewing road tax, applying for passports and paying government bills are now largely digital. Pang highlighted that the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union have legislated accessibility compliance, while Singapore’s Government Technology Agency has made it a priority with strong ministerial backing. He suggested Malaysia begin with awareness campaigns and education, moving towards adopting international standards such as the web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG). Echoing the concern, Society of the Blind in Malaysia communication, advocacy and human rights committee chair and member of the National Council for PwD Muhamad Nadhir Abdul Nasir stressed that accessibility must be seen as a necessity, not a luxury. “Digital accessibility means persons with different impairments can easily, intuitively and meaningfully interact with a website or app. It’s not just about design that looks good to non-disabled users. For us, it’s about equity, freedom, independence, dignity and belonging,” he said. Nadhir explained that accessibility can be as simple as ensuring buttons are labelled correctly, menus can be navigated with a keyboard and images include alternative text for screen readers. But he warned that true reform must go deeper than surface-level fixes. Among the recommendations were: 0 national standards aligned with WCAG 2.1,

Sharifah Jahan Syed Jakirul Alam, who is blind, using a voice prompt feature on her smartphone during a separate interview with theSun . – ADIB RAWI YAHYA/THESUN Nur

with PwD involved as auditors rather than relying solely on automated tools; 0 updating laws, such as the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and ensuring new Bills – including the Freedom of Information Bill – carry accessibility provisions; 0 accessibility-first procurement, making compliance mandatory for government digital projects and extending it gradually to GLCs, the private sector and NGOs; 0 training and accreditation certifying PwD as accessibility experts recognised locally and internationally; 0 funding and capacity building, with grants for disability organisations to run awareness programmes and strengthen the assistive technology ecosystem; and 0 constitutional protection enshrining accessibility, universal design and reasonable adjustment as fundamental rights. “These are not just technical fixes. They are systemic changes that require political will

and proper engagement with the disabled community,” Nadhir said. He pointed out that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the risks of inaccessible systems, citing how the MySejahtera app was almost unusable for screen reader users at its launch. He also noted how platforms such as Netflix show that accessibility benefits both blind and deaf users through features such as subtitles and user-friendly navigation. Although frameworks such as Section 30 of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 and the government’s Action Plan for Persons with Disabilities 2016 to 2022 exist, Nadhir felt that implementation remains limited. “On paper, accessibility looks visible. But in practice, we don’t see real results. As with many issues in Malaysia, the gap lies in implementation, monitoring and evaluation,” he said. He stressed that technology would only empower PwD if accessibility is built into systems from the outset.

Two dead, one seriously injured in two-vehicle crash KEPALA BATAS: Two drivers were killed and a passenger seriously injured after their vehicles collided on Jalan Shah Bandar in Taman Bertam Perdana yesterday. Rescue Department John Sagun Francis identified the victims as Tan Kwang Sin, 56, and Muhamad Haziq Adnan, 22.

Muhamad Haziq, who sustained severe injuries, later died at the same hospital during treatment, while the female passenger travelling with Tan suffered serious injuries, including a broken left arm. – Bernama

The rescue team extricated both drivers from the front seats within half an hour. “Tan was pronounced dead at the scene by personnel from the Health Ministry, and his body was sent to the Kepala Batas Hospital,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

He said an emergency call was received at 6.22pm and fire engines from the Bertam Fire and Rescue station were despatched.

Assistant director of the Fire and Rescue Operations Division at the Penang Fire and