13/09/2025

SATURDAY | SEPT 13, 2025

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NGO hails decriminalisation of attempted suicide

Security guard recounts finding Zara unresponsive KOTA KINABALU: The security guard on duty the night Zara Qairina Mahathir was found unconscious told the Coroner’s Court yesterday that she tried to rouse the teenager by calling her name and holding her cheeks, but received no response. Linah Mansoding@Jaliha, 65, said the Form One student was breathing heavily as if she was “snoring”. “She appeared to be sleeping and snoring, she was lying flat on her back, it was pitiful,” the mother of four testified when questioned by Shahlan Jufri, counsel for Zara’s family, on the seventh day of the inquest before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan. Linah told the court that Zara, who was discovered lying in a drain, was not wearing shoes or a headscarf. The sixth witness also testified that the teenager was later moved to the front of the hostel near the warden’s house while waiting for medical assistance. “The head hostel warden Azhari Abd Sagap along with three senior students moved Zara. I was there with several female teachers. We waited for nearly an hour due to the ambulance’s delayed arrival,” she recounted. She added that when the student was being placed in the ambulance, there was heavy bleeding from her left foot, with the bone visibly exposed. Proceedings are ongoing. Zara died on July 17 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, a day after being found unconscious in a drain near her school hostel in Papar at 4am. On Aug 8, the Attorney-General’s Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for an autopsy before announcing an inquest into her death on Aug 13. – Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: A contractor was sentenced to five months in jail and fined RM10,000 by the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday after pleading guilty to transferring RM300,000 belonging to a trader into his company’s bank account four months ago. Judge Azrul Darus handed down the sentence on Muhammad Hilmi Zahidi, 38, and ordered that his jail term begin from the date of his arrest on Sept 9. The court also ruled that he serve an additional five months in jail if he fails to pay the fine. Muhammad Hilmi was charged with assisting in the transfer of RM300,000 belonging to a 43-year-old man by depositing the money into the account of his company DJ Hardware Enterprise, which he knew or had reason to believe did not belong to him. The offence took place at a cafe on Jalan Tun Sambanthan on May 6. He was charged under Section 424 of the Penal Code, which provides for a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, a fine or both. Deputy public prosecutor M. Saravanan urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence, while the unrepresented accused pleaded for a fine. – Bernama Contractor jailed, fined for unlawful money transfer

Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o Change in law could save lives, reduce stigma and encourage people in crisis to seek help: Befrienders KL

PETALING JAYA: Suicide attempts are no longer a crime in Malaysia, a move mental health advocates say could save lives, reduce stigma and encourage more people in crisis to seek help. From Sept 10, attempting suicide ceased to be an offence following the repeal of Section 309 of the Penal Code. Survivors had previously faced fines or jail terms of up to a year. The change was officially published in the Federal Gazette on Sept 9 by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said under the Penal Code (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2023 (Act A1691). Befrienders KL publicity director Joan Chen welcomed the repeal, describing it as an important milestone in Malaysia’s approach to mental health. “Now that the law has changed, we believe more people will feel safe to reach out in moments of crisis. “As for organisations such as Befrienders KL, we continue to do what we have always done, which is to offer confidential, non-judgemental support and work alongside health services to ensure that people in crisis are met with compassion rather than punishment,” she told theSun . Chen revealed the organisation received over 30,000 calls last year – averaging 80 a day – with nearly one-third linked to suicidal thoughts, many from young people. While the increase may reflect greater awareness of support services, she said it also highlighted the severe pressures facing youths, particularly the influence of harmful online content. “From our perspective at Befrienders KL, the influence of suicide-related content on social media among Malaysian youths is deeply concerning,” she said. She warned that although social media can connect users and encourage help-seeking, it also exposes vulnerable individuals to unfiltered harmful material. Algorithms that amplify despair and online groups that normalise self-harm have become serious risks. “Tech platforms have introduced some safety measures but we believe more proactive steps are needed. Current approaches often remove content after it has already spread,” she said, calling for stronger detection systems, crisis intervention linking users to local resources and algorithm changes to promote supportive content. Chen also emphasised the importance of digital literacy and school-based mental health education. “This includes training teachers and community leaders to recognise warning signs. Parents and peers would also benefit from digital literacy training to identify concerning online behaviours and respond appropriately.” She cautioned that Malaysia risked facing a “silent epidemic” of youth suicide if online influences went unchecked. “Because suicide remains heavily stigmatised, many cases are hidden and without timely intervention, the problem could grow unnoticed.”

Chen cautioned that Malaysia risked facing a ‘silent epidemic’ of youth suicide if online influences went unchecked. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

Father pleads not guilty to causing deaths of children SEREMBAN: A 46-year-old father pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court in Port Dickson yesterday to a charge of causing the death of his two children at the estuary of Sungai Linggi, Tanjung Agas on Sept 4. The accused, Abdul Rahman Mahmud, entered his plea after the charge was read before Judge Datin Surita Budin. He is accused of causing the death of the children aged six and eight at about 11.45am with the intent to inflict bodily injury likely to result in death. He was charged under Section 304(a) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum imprisonment of 30 years and a possible fine. During proceedings, deputy public prosecutor M. Pusppa did not offer bail, citing the seriousness of the offence. The unrepresented accused wept and pleaded for bail so that he could visit his children’s graves, but the court denied the request and fixed Nov 10 for mention. The accused and a 41-year-old woman had previously been remanded in connection with the deaths. On Sept 4, the siblings drowned after becoming trapped in a car that slid into Sungai Linggi, while a

woman in the vehicle was rescued by members of the public. Their father, who was outside the car at the time, survived. The children were laid to rest by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Affairs Department at the Maqbarah Salimah cemetery, Taman Intan Perdana, Port Dickson, on Sept 9. – Bernama