10/12/2025

WEDNESDAY | DEC 10, 2025

5

Prolonged migrant detention strain on resources: Activist

Mohd Isa acquittal appeal hearing rescheduled PUTRAJAYA: The hearing of the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad on nine corruption charges has been rescheduled to Feb 5, 2026 at the Federal Court. DPP Afzainizam Abdul Aziz said the new date was set during the case management conducted online before deputy registrar Wan Fatimah Zaharah Wan Yussof on Monday. He said the hearing was initially fixed for Dec 4, but the date was vacated as Mohd Isa, 75, was admitted to a hospital. On March 6, 2024, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously set aside the conviction as well as six years imprisonment and a RM15.45 million fine imposed on Mohd Isa by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Feb 3, 2021. The prosecution filed a notice of appeal on March 7 this year seeking to set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision, and on June 26, a petition of appeal, advancing 24 grounds to support its contention that the Court of Appeal erred in law and fact when it acquitted Mohd Isa of all charges. Mohd Isa was charged in 2018 with nine counts of dishonestly receiving RM3.09 million in bribes from Ikhwan Zaidel, the then director of Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd, via his former special officer, Muhammad Zahid Md Arip. The payment was purportedly made as an inducement for approving the purchase of the Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suites in Kuching, Sarawak, by Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd for RM160 million. – Bernama Duo nabbed over subsidised diesel smuggling BUKIT KAYU HITAM: The Border Control and Protection Agency thwarted an attempt to smuggle subsidised diesel following the detention of two Thai men at the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex on Monday. Bukit Kayu Hitam agency commander SAC Mohd Nasaruddin M Nasir said the suspects, one aged 30 and the other in his 40s, were detained after fuel was found in the additional tanks of their respective vehicles during exit checks at Block C of the complex. “At 4.49pm, we detained a Thai man and seized 900 litres of diesel valued at RM2,772. The detention followed an inspection of his pickup truck, which revealed an additional tank stored with diesel. We also seized the RM40,000 vehicle.” He said during an operation at 7.45pm, they detained another Thai man on suspicion of trying to smuggle 800 litres of diesel, worth RM2,464, using the same method and driving a pickup truck as well. Mohd Nasaruddin said the total seizure, 1,700 litres of diesel and both vehicles, is valued at an estimated RM105,000. – Bernama

decade, with repeated large-scale enforcement operations resulting in detainees being housed nationwide. “The government should explore practical and viable ways to expedite repatriation while balancing humanitarian concerns with cost, safety and public interest.” As of Aug 31, 2,196 children were detained, making up 11% of the 20,143 undocumented migrants currently in custody at 18 immigration depots and two temporary facilities. The latest figure indicates a sharp rise from the last available figures from the Home Ministry, which in 2023 said there were more than 1,300 children held in immigration depots. On Saturday, theSun reported that Human Rights Commission of Malaysia children’s commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki said Malaysia’s continued detention of more than 2,000 children in immigration depots violates the child protection obligations of the country. “The child protection principle under Article 37(b) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) states that detention must be a last resort, for the shortest possible time and in the best interests of the child. The current situation falls short of this standard.” The commission also highlighted gaps in the implementation of the United Nation’s Nelson Mandela Rules, including overcrowding, limited space for daily activities, inadequate access to education and healthcare and poor hygiene. Boys aged 12 to 17 are reportedly held together with adult male detainees, a practice that violates both the Nelson Mandela Rules and Article 37(c) of the CRC. She said alternatives to detention remain inadequate, and the commission continues to urge the government to adopt community-based approaches involving agencies, NGOs and local networks. “We are ready to work with the government to implement solutions aligned with international human rights standards.”

afford their return and foreign embassies may be unable or unwilling to cover it.” He also raised concerns over overcrowding at detention centres, adding that prolonged confinement could worsen conditions, particularly for children. Lee said it was not advisable for minors to be housed along with adult detainees, as it could expose them to safety and psychological risks. “Young detainees, some as young as 12, are sometimes held together with adult men, exposing them to potential risks and dangers. While it is not advisable for children to remain in these conditions, repatriation could alleviate both financial and safety concerns.” He highlighted that keeping large numbers of detainees for prolonged periods also carries security risks, with past incidents in which detainees attempted to escape. “The issue of illegal immigrants held in detention centres has persisted for more than a

o According to Immigration Dept, govt spends over RM89m annually on detainee welfare

Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

recently that more than 2,000 children are being held in immigration depots nationwide. According to the Immigration Department, the government spends about RM89 million a year on meals for detainees, at approximately RM15 per day for each individual, excluding other costs such as electricity, medical care and operations, with spending varying as detainee numbers fluctuate. “Against this backdrop, I urge the government to consider repatriating detainees as a more sustainable solution. “While embassies are usually informed of their citizens’ detention, deportation faces practical obstacles, including (questions about) who would bear the cost, as many detainees cannot

PETALING JAYA: Alliance for a Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said keeping immigration detainees, including children, comes with a heavy price tag, adding that the government’s human rights obligations make prolonged detention a strain on public resources. He said authorities must continue providing daily care and welfare for detainees, a responsibility that becomes increasingly challenging as numbers rise and detention periods lengthen. He was referring to the annoucement by the Home Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat

Lee raised concerns over overcrowding at detention centres, adding that prolonged confinement could worsen conditions, particularly for children. – SUNPIC

Unemployed man charged with murder of senior citizen MANJUNG: An unemployed man was charged at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday over the murder of an elderly man at a house in Kampung Koh last month. 4.44am on Nov 26. The charge was brought under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries either the death penalty or imprisonment of between 30 years and 40 years. Previously, it was reported that a 78-year-old man was found dead in a pool of blood in his living room at Kampung Koh, suspected to have been murdered. 1952, which carries a maximum fine of RM5,000 or a maximum imprisonment of two years.

Meanwhile, before Sessions Court Judge Azizah Ahmad, the accused was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment and one stroke of the cane after pleading guilty to self-administering morphine. He was also placed on a two-year supervision order under the National Anti-Drugs Agency. Lin, who has three previous drug-related convictions, was charged with committing the offence at the Manjung NCID office at 4.30pm on Jan 20. – Bernama

The accused was also sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment yesterday after pleading guilty to a charge of consuming amphetamine and methamphetamine. The offence took place at the Manjung police headquarters’ Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division (NCID) on Feb 4. He was charged under Section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act

Lin Chee Ming, 49, nodded in understanding after the charge was read before Magistrate Fakhrul Razzi Abd Hamid. However, no plea was recorded as a murder charge falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court. Bail was not offered. Lin is accused of intentionally causing the death of Ling Chin Kian, 78, at Kampung Baru, Kampung Koh in Sitiawan, between 3.40am and

He would also be liable to not less than 12 strokes of the cane, if the death sentence is not imposed. DPP Nuranisah Ismah Muhammad Husaini appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was unrepresented. The court set Feb 10, 2026 for the case mention to allow for submission of documents, as well as relevant reports.