17/10/2025

FRIDAY | OCT 17, 2025

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Rapid KL launches major rail upgrades after disruptions

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is seeing a sharp rise in influenza cases, with hundreds of schools and kindergartens nationwide hit by cluster outbreaks since September, the Health Ministry revealed. Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said although the situation remains under control, the rapid spread of infections through educational institutions – from preschools to universities – warrants close attention. He was replying to Suhaizan Kaiat (Pulai), who asked about the severity of the influenza situation, its impact on schools and measures to curb the spread. Dzulkefly explained that influenza, or seasonal flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses, mainly types A and B. “Most individuals recover within a week, but high-risk groups such as children, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses are vulnerable to serious complications such as pneumonia or encephalopathy,” he said. He added that the ministry monitors influenza through its Influenza-Like Illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections surveillance systems, with outbreaks managed by the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre. In 2025, consultation rates have climbed from 7.4% in Epidemiological Week 40 (Sept 28 to Oct 4) to 9.2% in Week 41 (Oct 5 to Oct 11), a moderate rise compared with 2024, when cases peaked at 9.6% in late July and early August before stabilising at about 8%. Although the current figures remain slightly below last year’s peak, Dzulkefly said the upward trend since late September indicates the need for continued vigilance. From Epidemiological Week 1 to 41, influenza cluster outbreaks have Drug ring busted, 49kg cannabis seized BALIK PULAU: Police believe they have crippled a drug trafficking syndicate following the arrest of three men, two of whom are brothers, and the seizure of 49.38kg of cannabis worth RM153,078 in two raids in Pantai Jerejak, Penang, and Sungai Petani, in Kedah last Friday. Southwest district police chief ACP Sazalee Adam said acting on intelligence and surveillance, a team from the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department carried out the first raid in Pantai Jerejak at about 9pm. “During the raid, two men aged 33 and 43 were inside a vehicle suspected to be involved in a drug deal. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 65 cannabis slabs weighing 49.38kg and worth RM153,078,” he told a press conference yesterday. He said a brief struggle ensued during the arrest of the two suspects but police managed to apprehend them swiftly. The arrest led to a second raid at a house in Sungai Petani, where the third suspect, the elder brother of one of the men and believed to be the mastermind behind the operation, was detained. – Bernama Ű BY KIRTINEE RAMESH newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o RM1b project includes new trains, signalling works and safety features to improve reliability across Klang Valley network

Rapid Rail acting CEO Nor Azmi Mohd Yusof said the improvements cover fleet modernisation, signalling upgrades, maintenance reform and commuter safety enhancements. He said the company has completed the delivery of 27 new train sets for the Kelana Jaya Line, with another 26 to be procured to replace ageing units that have reached the end of their service life. “The government has approved an allocation of RM1 billion for this project. These 26 new train sets will replace older ones that have reached their full life cycle, ensuring smoother operations and better reliability for years to come.” Rapid KL is also upgrading the signalling system across 27 stations on the Kelana Jaya Line under Phase 3 of ongoing works, scheduled to continue until November.

“The upgrades will require temporary morning service suspensions on selected weekends for testing and installation,” Nor Azmi said, adding that the goal is to strengthen system resilience and prevent recurring faults. He acknowledged several incidents in recent months, including a Sept 23 outage on the Putrajaya Line caused by a high voltage cable failure and an Oct 9 short circuit on the Kelana Jaya Line triggered by a foreign object, which halted services for two hours. “To prevent recurrence, we have adopted condition-based maintenance, monitoring system health and taking early intervention before failures occur. “We have also set up a Failure Review Panel to identify root causes and ensure corrective action is taken swiftly.”

Rapid KL is also establishing a system analytics centre for real-time performance monitoring and a centralised calibration and repair centre to reduce reliance on external servicing. On safety, Nor Azmi said temporary platform barriers will soon be installed at the Ampang and Kelana Jaya stations, to be followed by full platform screen doors. “These lines still lack platform gates, so we are addressing that gap to enhance safety, especially during peak hours,” he said. Rapid KL recorded an 11% rise in weekday ridership to 1.03 million passengers as of September, with the highest daily record at 1.17 million in August. The company aims to reach 1.35 million daily riders by December through ongoing system upgrades and reforms.

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: Rapid KL is rolling out sweeping upgrades of its rail network to boost reliability and safety, following a series of service disruptions that left commuters stranded across the Klang Valley.

Influenza cases surge, schools hit by cluster outbreaks

been reported across 535 institutions, with schools accounting for the majority. Breakdown of clusters: 0 schools at 352 (65.8%); 0 kindergartens at 96 (17.9%); 0 colleges/institutions at 35 (6.5%); 0 private homes at 33 (6.2%); 0 workplaces at 10 (1.9%); 0 care centres at six (1.1%); and 0 prisons/rehabilitation centres at three (0.6%). He said the number of school clusters surged from eight in Week 39 to 111 in Week 40, peaking at 202 in Week 41 before easing to 56 in Week 42. He added that secondary schools recorded the steepest increase, from one cluster in Week 39 to 47 in Week 40 and 65 in Week 41. “Primary schools showed a similar trend, rising from three to 26 (clusters) and then 72 clusters during the same period. Vocational colleges, private schools and childcare centres also reported smaller but notable spikes.” To prevent further transmission, the Health Ministry has issued several guidelines for parents, teachers and schools. Among the key measures are: 0 parents should keep children with fever, cough or cold at home and seek medical attention; 0 teachers should advise symptomatic students to avoid classes and obtain treatment promptly; and 0 schools must reinforce health education, encourage mask-wearing and hand hygiene, and report suspected outbreaks early to the district health office. Temporary school closures may be considered in consultation with the health office if clusters become widespread. “The cooperation of parents, teachers and health authorities is essential in preventing further spread of the influenza virus,” he said, adding that the ministry will continue to monitor the situation closely.

NATURE’S FURY ... The aftermath of a storm that severely damaged a school in Sijangkang, Kuala Langat, Selangor after it was battered by strong winds. – BERNAMAPIC RM146,000 worth of seized sex toys disposed

PETALING JAYA: The Home Ministry has destroyed 4,667 sex toys worth RM146,000, turning seized pleasure products into piles of scrap in a large-scale disposal operation across Selangor. The items were confiscated in enforcement operations conducted between July 2023 and June 2024. In a statement yesterday, the ministry said the disposal process was carried out in line with official guidelines set by its Enforcement and Control Division to ensure the items were completely destroyed

and could not be recognised or reused. The action followed a court order for the goods to be forfeited under Section 19(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. “The Enforcement and Control Division remains firm in enforcing the law to prevent materials or publications that could harm morality, public order and Malaysia’s social and cultural values.” It added that such activities are not only immoral but also threaten the moral values and norms

of society. The ministry said it will continue to act firmly against anyone involved in printing, importing, producing, publishing, selling or distributing banned materials that endanger morality, national security or public interest. The public are encouraged to report such activities via phone at 03-8000 8000 or 8889 3909, by email at aduanpk@moha.gov.my or through the official website www.moha.gov.my – by Qirana Nabilla Mohd Rashidi