04/03/2026

WEDNESDAY | MAR 4, 2026

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Varsity student charged with desecrating Quran

M’sian killed in helicopter crash MANILA: A Malaysian and a Filipino were killed yesterday when a helicopter crashed in a vacant lot about two hours southeast of Manila. Officials said the helicopter was carrying five individuals, including two Malaysians, when it went down in a grassy area of a residential district in Pililla, Rizal province, at about 7.27am (same time in Malaysia). Pililla mayor John Masinsin said the pilot had been critically injured. “They are now en route to a tertiary hospital in (Metro Manila), upon the request of their families,” he said, praising the pilot for managing to put the aircraft down in the residential area without hurting anyone. An investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is underway. – AFP He added that under Op Taring Chiller, 10 locals were arrested, while the seizures comprised 136.4 tonnes of frozen food products, a cold storage facility, a forklift, processing machines and several vehicles. – Bernama RM18.34m illicit goods seized KUCHING: The General Operations Force (GOF) Sarawak Brigade seized various frozen food products, onions and timber worth RM18.34 million through Op Taring Chiller, Op Taring Batas and Op Taring Libas conducted from Feb 1 to Feb 28. Sarawak Brigade commander SAC Lim Bak Phai said under Op Taring Batas, six foreigners and one local man were arrested for attempting to enter Malaysia without valid documents and were believed to be involved in smuggling controlled goods and frozen food products. “The seizures involved 3,200kg of red onions, 300kg of frozen food products, cash, mobile phones and several vehicles.”

KUANTAN: A university student was charged at the Sessions Court yesterday with desecrating the Quran and posting offensive content on social media last month. S. Vikneswaran, 21, pleaded not guilty to both charges before Judge Harmi Thamri Mohamad and opted for a trial, Bernama reported. According to the charge sheet, Vikneswaran allegedly committed the offence at Jalan Gambang in Taman Seri Mahkota at about 1.30pm on Feb 22. The charge was framed under Section 295 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of two years or a fine, or both. For the second charge, he allegedly used the “ryandaselva” account on social media platform Threads to knowingly post offensive communication intended to offend others, which was brought under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, with penalties under Section 233(2) of the same act. He faces up to RM500,000 in fines, two years’ imprisonment or both, and an additional RM5,000 for each day the offence continues. The prosecution was led by Pahang prosecution director Sharizat Ismail, with DPP Siti Aisyah Abdul Wahab, while the defendant was represented by lawyers Muhammad Amirull Afiqq Mohamad Lokman and Mohd Rusnizam Abdullah. o Accused pleads not guilty, opts for trial

The court set bail at RM10,000 for both charges, ordering Vikneswaran to report to the police monthly, with the case scheduled for mention on April 8. – BERNAMAPIC

also found that this did not prove the existence of any real danger of bias. On the question of the trial judge’s decision not to adjourn the recusal application, Nordin said that alone did not constitute a valid ground for recusal. “The applicant was heard on the recusal application for about one hour and 15 minutes, and we find that the trial judge’s decision not to allow any postponement of the application was appropriate in the circumstances and did not breach any principles of natural justice or the constitutional rights of the applicant. “We further find that there was no procedural impropriety in the present case.” – Bernama Nasaruddin was shot at along the slip road near the Muhajirin Mosque, about one kilometre from the Malaysia-Thailand border at Bukit Kayu Hitam. The suspects, who were riding motorcycles, fired two shots believed to have been from a semi-automatic weapon at the victim’s vehicle. – Bernama “The public is advised to refer to authentic sources and official documents before making any statements to avoid misunderstandings. “We want this peaceful and harmonious atmosphere to continue, especially as we approach the festive season,” he said after attending a breaking-of-fast event with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail at the Police Training Centre.

school years for psychological issues. The court set bail at RM10,000 for both charges, ordering Vikneswaran to report to the police monthly, with the case scheduled for mention on April 8. IGP Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail on Monday said Malaysians should act maturely and not use social media platforms to provoke tensions that could undermine national harmony.

“This is for the applicant to establish and for the trial judge to determine based on his knowledge of the facts. The affidavit in reply by the respondent (the prosecution) and the further affidavit in reply by the applicant do not assist in the determination of the main issue here. “This is not an ordinary averment of facts between two parties in a case. This is an application to recuse the trial judge, and the trial judge is in a position to refute the alleged facts based on his personal knowledge. “The non-reply to the respondent’s affidavit would only have a minimal effect on any miscarriage of justice under the circumstances.” Nordin also said the trial judge, in Sharizat proposed bail of RM50,000 for both charges, citing the seriousness of the offences and public concern. However, Muhammad Amirull Afiqq sought a lower bail, saying the final-year Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah student is financially dependent on his father, a fish farmer earning RM5,000 a month. He also said the accused had been referred to a clinic during his

Court dismisses final appeal from Rosmah to recuse judge PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Court dismissed Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor’s final appeal seeking the recusal of Judge Datuk Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who convicted her in the RM1.25 billion Sarawak solar hybrid project corruption case. A three-member panel led by Justice Datuk Nordin Hassan, Kuala Lumpur High Court before he delivered his decision on Sept 1, 2022. “Thus, the appeal is dismissed,” said Nordin. dismissing the recusal application, stated in his grounds of judgment that he did not rely on the research unit’s draft opinion or judgment, but prepared his decision based on his own research and the parties’ submissions.

Rosmah, wife of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is appealing the Court of Appeal’s ruling that upheld the High Court’s refusal to recuse Judge Mohamed Zaini, now serving as a Court of Appeal judge, from the case. Nordin added that the sole issue in the appeal was whether the facts alleged by the applicant, Rosmah, gave rise to a real danger of bias, arising from the trial judge’s purported reliance on a draft judgment or opinion prepared by a third party.

“Further, the Court of Appeal, having perused the draft opinion or draft judgment prepared by the research unit and the grounds of judgment of the trial judge, found that there were differences between the two and concluded that the trial judge had prepared the grounds of judgment himself without relying on the draft opinion or judgment prepared by the party with whom he agreed,” he said, adding that the court detained in connection with the case, including the seven suspects arrested within 24 hours of the incident. He said investigations are still ongoing, including tracing the weapons used by the two suspects on a motorcycle who tried to shoot Mohd Nasaruddin. In the 5.40am incident on Feb 25, a sport utility vehicle driven by Mohd

alongside Justices Datuk Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali and Datuk Azimah Omar, yesterday unanimously ruled that there was no appealable error warranting the court’s intervention. The court also held that Mohamed Zaini did not breach the Judges’ Code of Ethics 2009 following allegations that a leaked draft judgment had been prepared by the research unit of the

Police arrest 10 to aid in Bukit Kayu Hitam shooting investigation ALOR SETAR: Police have so far arrested 10 suspects to assist in the probe of a shooting incident targeting a vehicle carrying the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency commander SAC Mohd Nasaruddin M. Nasir at Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah last week. Thai woman, believed to be linked to “Geng Pak Su”, were arrested between Feb 25 and Feb 28 at several locations around Kubang Pasu. collaboration with the Bukit Aman D9, in three follow-up raids on Saturday. “One of the suspects tested positive for methamphetamine, and we also seized three mobile phones.” Adzli also said upon further investigation, two of the suspects had prior criminal records, adding that 10 suspects have so far been Kedah police chief Datuk Adzli Abu Shah said all the suspects, including a He added that the suspects, including three Malaysians aged between 44 and 58, were arrested by the Special Investigation Division (D9) of the Kedah Criminal Investigation Department, in