05/04/2026

NATIONAL 5 theSun on Sunday APR 5, 2026

Malaysian Bar shocked by arrest of journalists

woman died after being trapped in a fire that destroyed a terrace house in Taman Mantin Baharu here on Friday. A Negeri Sembilan Fire and Rescue Department spokesperson said a report on the incident involving the 32-year-old woman was received at 11.33pm. “The fire involved a terrace house measuring 6m by 20m, which was completely Company manager falls victim to land sale scam JOHOR BAHRU: A company manager has lost more than RM1.3 million after allegedly falling victim to a fraudulent land sale scheme in Kulai earlier this year. District police chief ACP Tan Seng Lee said a report on the incident was lodged on Jan 8 by a 42-year-old man. Initial investigations found that the victim’s company, through its appointed lawyer, had expressed interest in purchasing a property and paid a deposit to a law firm purportedly representing the seller. “However, the victim was later informed that the deposit had been released to the seller even though the transaction had not been finalised.” He added that the victim discovered that the actual landowner had never appointed any party to sell the property, prompting him to lodge a police report after realising he had been cheated. The victim claimed that his company suffered losses of RM1,338,163.20 in a scam involving the law firm. Tan said the case concerned a proposed purchase of more than 80ha of land in the Mukim Sedenak area. He added that the law firm is believed to have been operating in the Kulai area for over 10 years. “No arrests have been made. The suspect has been identified and probes are ongoing to gather supporting documents and evidence.” The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating, which carries a sentence of between one and 10 years’ jail, along with caning and a fine upon conviction. The public is urged to exercise caution and use official channels provided by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), including the National Scam Response Centre, CCID Infoline and Semak Mule, to verify financial transactions. They can also stay informed on commercial crime methods via the official police Facebook page. – Bernama

Ű BY ANDREW SAGAYAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

‘Media must remain free from fear or favour, and report fairly at all times’

Man held over abuse of kitten SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Veterinary Services Department has detained a man suspected of abusing a kitten in an incident at a self-service laundrette in the Kajang area. The department said the man, believed to be in his 40s, was detained after a team was deployed to the scene at about 11am on Friday to conduct an inspection. It added that the action followed information and public complaints after a 59-second video was posted on social media showing a man repeatedly throwing a kitten against a wall and onto a mattress. An inspection at the premises found a kitten, believed to be the same as the one in the video at the location. “Further checks by officers found that the suspect was also present nearby. “Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect is believed to have committed the act between 3.40am and 3.50am,” it said, adding that the man was detained for further investigation and a remand application was made under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The kitten and a phone believed to belong to the suspect were seized for further examination and investigation under Subsection 29(1)(a) of the Animal Welfare Act 2015. – Bernama after ignoring warnings from two security guards. Kedah police chief Adzli Abu Shah said they did not have permission to enter the industrial park. Meanwhile, Nantha Kumar has denied claims that he requested RM100,000 from a Pakistani national, and later agreeing to bring the amount down to RM20,000. He is accused of receiving the said amount as inducement to remove and not publish stories related to a foreign worker syndicate on the Malaysiakini website. On Feb 28, he was arrested and remanded for four days to assist in a bribery probe. Last month, Malaysiakini published Nantha Kumar’s account of the events that led to his arrest. He maintains that he was working with a state Immigration director to expose a syndicate involved in exploiting foreign workers.

KUALA The Malaysian Bar has expressed shock over the arrest of Tamil news site Thinathanti journalist Kalidas Subramaniam and Malaysiakini senior journalist B. Nantha Kumar, in connection with their reporting on two migrant worker-related matters. Malaysian Bar president Anand Raj said in a statement the action was “incompatible with the rule of law for journalists and the media to be subjected to arrest for doing their job”. “The media must remain free from fear or favour, and report fairly at all times. “Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 1966 codify and provide that everyone has the right to freedom of opinion LUMPUR:

the rule of law.” On Monday, Kalidas was arrested in Kulim by officers from the district police headquarters after he is said to have entered Kulim Hi-Tech Park without permission at 3pm on March 26. Kalidas was held for over 24 hours before being released on bail. He was working on a report on allegations that about 300 undocumented foreign workers were working at a refinery construction site. Police are investigating Kalidas under Section 447 of the Penal Code for criminal trespass and he faces up to six months’ prison or a RM3,000 fine, if convicted. Kalidas was arrested with 10 NGO members, who were also charged with trespass

and expression.” “The Malaysian Bar would like to reiterate our call for Malaysia to ratify the ICCPR, which is consistent with its commitment to uphold fundamental liberties and the rule of law.” Anand, who was elected president for the 2026/2027 term on March 14, said Malaysia’s ranking at 88th place in the World Press Freedom Index remains a source of great concern. “The Malaysian Bar calls for authorities to ensure any and all probes are conducted strictly in accordance with the rule of law, without in any way hindering journalistic work and without intimidation. “A free media is indispensable to democracy and a crucial prerequisite of

PROUD PARADE ... Army chief Jen Datuk Azhan Md Othman inspecting a guard-of-honour in conjunction with the 93rd Army Celebration at Kem Perdana Sungai Besi in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Paralysed woman dies in house fire SEREMBAN: A paralysed

investigations found no criminal elements linked to the incident. He said the victim’s remains have been sent to the Rembau Hospital Forensic Unit for a post-mortem and the case has been classified as sudden death. He urged anyone with information on the incident to assist the investigation by contacting the Nilai district police headquarters at 06-790 4222 or the nearest police station. – Bernama

when the fire broke out. “Her younger brother had gone out to buy food and was only informed later that the house was on fire. “According to neighbours, they heard the woman calling for help but could not enter as the fire was raging and the house door was closed, preventing anyone from rescuing her.” Nilai district police chief Supt Johari Yahya said preliminary

destroyed. The woman was found charred in the master bedroom by health officials.” The spokesperson added that the blaze was brought under control at 11.50pm, with 14 officers and personnel involved in the operation. Nilai assemblyman J. Arul Kumar said the woman, who had suffered a stroke and was partially paralysed, lived with her younger brother and is believed to have been asleep