25/03/2026

WEDNESDAY | MAR 25, 2026

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Court orders RM820,000 damages over tree fatality

Couple remanded for indecent act at cemetery

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

GEORGE TOWN: A couple caught committing an indecent act at a cemetery were arrested on Monday and remanded for three days until March 26 to assist investigations. A 38-second video of the incident was widely circulated online, with a woman confronting the pair and accusing them of disrespecting the site, triggering public outrage. A 37-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man were arrested separately on Monday at a flat near Jalan Padang Tembak and in front of a building at Jalan Paya Terubong, Sungai Ara, respectively. District police chief Abdul Rozak Muhammad said initial investigations found the incident took place on March 22 at a Chinese cemetery in Batu Gantung, Ayer Itam. “Both individuals involved are believed to be locals,” he said, adding that both suspects admitted involvement in the case. Man held over firecracker explosion organisations must adopt artificial intelligence (AI)-driven security capabilities that could detect and respond to threats at machine speed, as attackers scale their operations using automation and AI. He also said as security architectures grow more complex, a unified platform approach that converges networking and security enables better visibility, faster response and reduced complexity across hybrid environments. “Addressing the cybersecurity skills gap remains critical.” – Bernama Pendang police chief Supt Rodzi Abu Hassan said the 21-year-old suspect was detained on Monday. “The suspect confessed that he was playing with a ‘mercun bola’ along with six relatives when the firecracker became lodged in the plastic bag containing similar firecrackers, causing it to explode. “Six people, aged 11 to 20, who were near the scene were injured in the explosion. All victims, including the suspect, suffered injuries to their faces and bodies, and received outpatient treatment at the Pendang Hospital.” – Bernama ALOR SETAR: A man has been arrested to assist in investigations into a firecracker explosion in Pendang last Friday that injured seven individuals.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court ordered the Kuala Lumpur mayor to pay RM824,180 in damages to a couple who lost their son after he was killed by a fallen tree on a road divider maintained by Kuala Lumpur City Hall. Judge Effandi Nazila Abdullah made the ruling after allowing the claim filed by Gooi Ling Sim, 61, and Phun Kok Hoi, 63, as dependants of the late Phun Mun Lap, 30, against the Kuala Lumpur mayor as the defendant. The court awarded RM26,180 for funeral expenses, RM768,000 for loss of dependency and RM30,000 in bereavement damages to the couple, Bernama reported. In his grounds of judgment dated March 9, 2026, Effandi Nazila held that the fallen tree was under City Hall’s care and that the incident would not have occurred in the absence of negligence in its monitoring and maintenance. “The tree that fell was under (City Hall’s) maintenance, and its responsibility is therefore clear and established. The defendant also admitted that the tree was excessively large and had not been properly maintained.” The court also found that City Hall failed to produce any documentary evidence showing that maintenance or monitoring works, such as cutting, trimming or pruning, had been carried out on the tree. In addition, the court said the o Incident would not have occured in absence of negligence in monitoring: Judge KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s scam related losses reached approximately RM2.7 billion in 2025, representing a 76% increase from 2024, with a noticeable spike during festive seasons such as Hari Raya, according to cybersecurity firm Fortinet Malaysia. Its country manager Kevin Wong said phishing campaigns, fake e-commerce platforms and fraudulent payment links largely drive the incidents. He added that with the growing adoption of digital payments,

and monitor trees planted within its jurisdiction.” The trial was held over two days in September 2025, during which four witnesses for both the plaintiffs and the defendant were called to testify. On March 22, 2023, the victim, who was riding a motorcycle to work along Jalan Kuching, was struck by a fallen tree from a road divider near the City Hall gateway. The victim, a crane driver, sustained severe injuries and was treated at the Selayang Hospital before being pronounced dead on March 24, 2023.

defendant did not dispute that the tree was under its maintenance, a position supported by the defendant’s own witness. The judge also held that City Hall had failed to discharge its statutory duty and duty of care in carrying out maintenance, inspection, prevention and control measures to ensure that trees along road dividers are safe and do not pose a danger to road users. “The defendant’s witness also acknowledged that City Hall has a statutory duty under the Local Government Act 1976 to maintain

The victim’s parents pleaded that the incident was caused by City Hall’s negligence, including its failure to ensure that trees planted along the road divider were safe, its failure to carry out proper maintenance and regular inspections, and its failure to take adequate preventive measures. They further claimed that City Hall failed to select suitable tree species for planting and did not provide sufficient safety distance or buffer zones between the trees and road users. City Hall has appealed against the decision to the High Court.

SOLEMN SCENE ... Mohamad Redzuan Abdullah (fifth from left) waiting with relatives after losing his wife and two children in a crash at Km59 of the Jerangau-Jabor road near Felda Jerangau, Terengganu. – BERNAMAPIC

Losses tied to scams reached RM2.7 billion in 2025

to maintaining resilience. “Consumers should only shop on verified websites with secure connections (HTTPS), they should avoid clicking on links from unsolicited messages or deals that seem too good to be true, and use secure payment methods, such as credit cards with fraud protection. “They should also enable multi-factor authentication and never share one-time passwords or banking credentials, and avoid public Wi-Fi for financial transactions.” Wong emphasised that

vulnerable.” He also said the Cyber999 Incident Response Centre recorded 2,020 incidents in the third quarter of 2025, a year-on-year increase of more than 20%, with phishing and online fraud accounting for approximately 75% of cases. Wong said the situation highlights an important reality: festive periods should not be treated as downtime for cybersecurity. He said continuous monitoring, employee awareness and strong identity controls, such as multi-factor authentication, are vital

including e-duit raya , attackers are also exploiting QR codes and payment channels to redirect transactions. “Festive periods are not just high-risk for consumers; they also expand the threat landscape for businesses and critical infrastructure. “Higher transaction volumes and increased digital activity create a larger attack surface. “At the same time, reduced staffing or operational shifts during holiday periods could slow response times, making organisations more

Elderly woman, son found dead at home

SUNGAI PETANI: An elderly woman and her son were found dead in their home at Kampung Zainol Abidin in Bedong. District police chief ACP Hanyan Ramlan said the victims were a man in his 40s and his mother in her 70s. “A report was received at 6.05pm on Monday. Initial inspection found

Simpang Jalan Suara, Kampung Tambak Jawa in Kuala Selangor on Monday. The victim, identified as Taqiuddin Jamil, 38, was reported to have been trapped in the driver’s seat after losing control of the three-tonne lorry he was driving. Selangor Fire and Rescue

“The victims are believed to have died more than 48 hours earlier and the case is currently classified as a sudden death report, pending post mortem results.” Meanwhile in Shah Alam, a lorry driver died after the vehicle he was driving skidded off the road and overturned into a drain in a crash at

no injuries caused by sharp weapons. As the house was locked from the inside, we had to break in. The bodies were found in the living room and the kitchen.” He added that further investigation is still ongoing and a post-mortem examination is to be conducted.

Department assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the department received a call about the incident at 6.32am. “Upon arriving at the scene at 6.54am, firefighters found a male victim trapped in the driver’s seat, and used rescue cutter equipment to extricate him. – Bernama