15/05/2026

FRIDAY | MAY 15, 2026 5 ‘Refugees face harsh migration realities’ KUALA LUMPUR: The recent boat sinking tragedy involving illegal migrants near Pulau Pangkor highlights the harsh and dangerous realities faced by migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, said NGO Tenaganita. Its executive director Glorene A. Das said it is important that public discourse on the incident does not focus solely on criminalising migrants. “As Tenaganita has consistently said over the years, migration itself is not the problem. “These foreigners, who are seeking employment, are pushed into irregular and unsafe migration pathways due to poverty, debt, labour demands, and exploitation by recruitment agents and smuggling syndicates. “Corruption, human trafficking networks, abusive recruitment systems and unsafe migration governance are the real issues. “Many people undertake these dangerous journeys not because they want to break the law, but because they believe they have no safer or dignified alternatives left,” she said. As of Wednesday, 30 victims have been accounted for, including survivors and deceased, while several others are still missing. The boat was carrying 37 undocumented migrants from Indonesia, who departed from Kisaran on May 9 heading towards Malaysia. Das said from Tenaganita’s experience working closely with foreigners seeking employment, undocumented migrants often pay between RM5,000 and RM25,000 to agents and smugglers, depending on the route and type of documentation involved. “These syndicates profit enormously from human desperation, fear and hope. “Many migrants enter situations of debt bondage and exploitation long before they even arrive at their destination,” she said. Das pointed out that what is urgently needed is stronger regional cooperation between governments, safe and accessible migration pathways, ethical and transparent recruitment systems, tougher action against traffickers, smugglers and corrupt individuals. “Every life lost at sea is not merely a statistic. It is a human tragedy. It is also a painful reminder that punitive and enforcement-heavy approaches alone do not stop migration, they often push people into even more dangerous routes, making exploitation, trafficking and death more likely,” she said. Das added that Malaysia has increasingly become both a destination and transit point for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers due to its strategic location, labour demands and existing migrant communities. “At the same time, there must be clarity that formal refugee resettlement processes through UNHCR and third-country programmes are entirely different from smuggling and trafficking operations. These distinctions are important to avoid further stigma and misinformation against refugee communities,” she said. “Tenaganita is deeply saddened and alarmed by the horrific incident. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and all those who remain missing at sea. “We also acknowledge the ongoing rescue efforts by the authorities, fishermen and local communities,” she added. Das said Tenaganita calls on governments in the region to move beyond fear-based and enforcement-driven responses and instead address the root causes that continue to force people into dangerous migration journeys. In the incident, believed to have occurred on Monday, victims were found floating at sea by local fishermen. On Tuesday, the bodies of three women and a man were found in the waters off Pulau Pangkor, bringing the total number of bodies recovered to seven. Ű BY ANDREW SAGAYAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Man detained over possession of wildlife parts

o Tiger and bear teeth, wild boar tusks and porcupine bezoar stones worth more than RM 5 million among items seized during raid at antique shop in Sabah

Sabah, without a valid licence or permit. “The wildlife parts are believed to have been obtained from villagers in Tawau at low prices before being sold in the local market around Kota Kinabalu,” he said in a statement. Mohd Zaki added that all the items were kept without permits from the authorities, with the total value of the seizure estimated at RM5.32 million. The suspect and seized items were taken to the Kota Kinabalu district police headquarters before being handed to the Sabah Wildlife Department for further action.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police arrested a man and seized various wildlife parts worth more than RM5.3 million during a raid at an antique shop on Jalan Gaya in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah on Wednesday. Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department Wildlife Crime Bureau/Special Intelligence Investigation commander Datuk Mohd Zaki Ashar said the 53-year-old suspect, who is also the PUTRAJAYA: Former Economy minister Rafizi Ramli returned to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters yesterday to provide an additional statement and submit fresh evidence linked to investigations into a government contract worth nearly RM1.1 billion. Arriving at about 9.50am with his legal team, Rafizi said he would provide 28 pages of documentary evidence to assist investigators probing the deal involving UK-based Arm Holdings. “I am voluntarily giving an additional statement to assist the MACC investigation so it can be aligned with other evidence that was not covered during questioning last week. “This evidence includes media reports because the collaboration with Arm Holdings was not done quietly behind closed doors like the 1MDB scandal, but was widely reported, with statements and explanations from senior national leaders, including three other senior government leaders who were involved,” he said before entering the MACC headquarters. Rafizi said he hoped the additional statement and documents would help MACC carry out a more comprehensive investigation. “With more comprehensive evidence, I am confident MACC can conclude that, based on my questioning so far, there are no elements involving money or suspicious transactions,” he said. Rafizi had previously spent four days giving statements to assist in the probe. Former MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki was previously reported as saying investigations into the RM1.1 billion investment linked to the semiconductor industry strategic partnership agreement between the Economy Ministry and Arm

owner of the shop, was arrested during the raid at 9.45am. Inspections uncovered 16 tusks believed to be from wild boars, nine teeth believed to be from tigers, 10 teeth believed to be from bears, 13 porcupine bezoar stones and 394 swiftlet nests, Bernama reported. “Initial investigations found that the man admitted purchasing swiftlet nests and bezoar stones from a supplier in Lintas,

The case is being investigated under sections 41(1) and 41(2) of the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Rafizi submits new evidence linked to MACC RM1.1 billion probe

Rafizi speaking to the press at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya. – BERNAMAPIC Holdings were in the final stages.

had been submitted to investigators. “I think 10 to 15 additional pages of documents and evidence were submitted to MACC, and I would like to thank the MACC investigating officers for confirming receipt. “I hope this allows the investigation paper to be fully finalised, and the investigation can be carried out, taking into account witnesses or other people who need to be interviewed in this investigation. “Ultimately, it is up to MACC and the attorney-general to decide,” he said before leaving the MACC headquarters. – Bernama the company office at Menara Icon, Jalan Tun Razak under Section 5(1) of the Computer Crimes Act 1997, which carries a maximum fine of RM100,000 or imprisonment of up to seven years or both. Earlier, lawyer Daniel Annamalai, representing the Nora Idayu, pleaded for the sentences to run concurrently, citing his client’s clean record and a bipolar disorder. “An excessively harsh sentence may worsen the her mental health condition.” However, DPP Siti Aina Rodhiah Shikh Md Saud urged the court to impose a heavy sentence, stressing that the offences were committed consistently and systematically over a very long period. – Bernama

So far, 22 witnesses have been called, including political analyst James Chai. Two more witnesses – one in Taiwan and another in Malaysia – are expected to be summoned. MACC opened its investigation paper on Feb 16 following complaints lodged by three NGOs alleging that the agreement had been rushed and skewed, potentially exposing the government to financial risks. Rafizi left the MACC headquarters after about two hours, describing the session as smooth and confirming that more documents

Ex-pay TV staff gets four years for database tampering KUALA LUMPUR: A former employee of a pay television station was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment by the Sessions Court after pleading guilty to 731 charges of tampering with the company’s database over nearly seven years. (CRM) system through two user IDs registered under her name. Checks on the Enterprise Data Warehouse and CRM systems revealed that 731 regular customer accounts had been unlawfully converted into corporate accounts using her two user IDs between Oct 30, 2013 and Aug 20, 2020.

Judge Izralizam Sanusi imposed the sentence on Nora Idayu Jaafar, 49, for each charge and ordered all to run concurrently from Wednesday. The proceedings took about five hours as the court read out all 731 charges against Nora Idayu before she entered her guilty plea. According to the facts of the case, Nora Idayu, who had worked with Astro since 2003, was granted access to the company’s internal AMDOCS Customer Relationship Management

Nora Idayu’s actions were not authorised by the company, as corporate accounts were non-paying accounts created solely for the company’s internal use, while regular customers were required to subscribe through paid customer accounts instead of accessing services through corporate accounts without authorisation. The offences were allegedly committed at