19/05/2026

TUESDAY | MAY 19, 2026

REGISTER HERE

2

MAIN SPONSOR

VENUE SPONSOR

TH 2 PM - 5 PM 19

Cake Decorating CONTEST

JUNE 2026 (REGISTRATION STARTS AT 1:00 PM)

CILANTRO CULINARY & PASTRY ACADEMY

*Terms & Conditions Apply

King presents instruments of appointment to 15 envoys

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia presented instruments of appointment to 15 Malaysian envoys designated for missions abroad in a ceremony at Istana Negara yesterday. The envoys include Malaysia’s new Ambassador to Japan Datuk Ahmad Rozian Abd Ghani, High Commissioner to Singapore Datin Paduka Anizan Siti Adnin and High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Datuk Dr Azfar Mohamad Mustafar. Others appointed were the ambassadors to Austria, New Zealand, Laos, Oman, Ireland, Finland, Timor-Leste, Turkiye, Chile, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. In a separate ceremony, His Majesty also received credentials from seven foreign envoys to Malaysia, namely the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka Dharshana Mahendra Perera and the ambassadors of Morocco (Majid Halim), Panama (Nubiela Yanarith Ayala), Liberia (Dudley McKinley Thomas), Serbia (Ivana Golubovic

Duboka), Angola (Fernando Miguel) and Niger (Zada Seidou). Earlier, the King also presented instruments of appointment to members of the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council for the 2026-2028 term. Datuk Syed Kamarulzaman Syed Kabeer was appointed the council’s chairman, Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee its deputy chairman and Datuk Mohd Nizam Yahya the secretary. Other council appointees include zakat collection centre chairman Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin, Federal Territory Mufti Datuk Dr Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil, Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud, Senior Deputy Secretary General of the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abd Shukor Mahmood, Syariah and Harmonisation of Law Division head at the Attorney General’s Chambers Datuk Anas Ahmad Zakie, corporate figure Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar and veteran administrator Datuk Seri Dr Yusof Ismail.

The King meeting those presented with instruments of appointment at Istana Negara yesterday. – BERNAMAPIC

Curbing spread of child sexual abuse material

New initiative to manage refugees, asylum seekers TAPAH: Malaysia’s Refugee

programme’s first phase focuses on the Refugee Status Determination process involving refugees, mainly Rohingya from Myanmar, currently detained at immigration depots nationwide. He said the Home Ministry is leading 20 ministries and government agencies in collecting personal information, biometric data, facial recognition and voice recordings through a system developed by the Malaysia Institute of Microelectronic Systems to establish a comprehensive domestic database. “The refugees come from various countries but for the first phase, we are prioritising Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, who number 4,008.” He said the database could also support future job-matching initiatives involving refugees aged between 20 and 40 to fill vacancies in five key sectors, namely manufacturing, construction, agriculture, plantations and services. He added that the move would help balance employers’ labour needs under the 13th Malaysia Plan which aims to reduce the ceiling for foreign workers to 10% or a maximum of 1.7 million workers out of the country’s estimated 17 million workforce. – Bernama reform is all about. I hope this historic change will set a new precedent for our country in the years to come.” The next Parliamentary meeting is scheduled to run for 16 days beginning June 22. The Parliamentary Special Select Committee is chaired by Azalina and comprises 11 MPs from both the government and opposition blocs. – Bernama

Registration Document programme does not guarantee refugees permanent residence in the country, as the management of refugees and asylum seekers ultimately sees one of three outcomes, namely repatriation, resettlement in a third country or deportation, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He said the pilot programme which began on Jan 1 this year, is in line with the National Security Council Directive No 23 (Revised 2023) to ensure a more systematic, organised and humanitarian approach to managing refugees and asylum seekers in the country. “Registration under the programme and matching refugees with employers does not mean they can permanently settle here. The end result will still be repatriation, third-country resettlement or deportation,” he said after a working visit to the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Special Detention Centre in Bidor yesterday. Also present were Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban and Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri. Saifuddin Nasution said the Abdul as representatives from the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and the Attorney General’s Chambers. Azalina said opposition lawmakers had also been urged to support the Bill, as the proposed amendment would benefit the public as a whole. “We would like to inform the public that this is exactly what institutional Rahman as well

universal internet usage was achieved under the National Digital Network with 98.4% of men and 97.6% of women online, alongside strong 4G and 5G coverage. On another development, Teo said the Madani Submarine Cable Connection project announced in Budget 2026 is still in its early stages of implementation and is expected to take between two and three years to complete. She said MCMC has appointed a consultant to advise on the implementation of the project. Teo said the project, with an allocation of RM2 billion, is crucial in strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure while supporting the capacity of the 1Malaysia People’s Cable System which has been in use for a long time.

o MCMC finalising safety code requiring online platforms to act swiftly to block access, remove harmful content, says deputy minister

SUBANG JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is finalising a safety code to curb the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), with implementation targeted for June, said Communications Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching. She said the code would require online platforms to act swiftly to block access and remove harmful content, with CSAM designated as a high priority category under the national Online Safety Act framework. “MCMC is still developing the safety code which will be implemented in June. We hope to get better cooperation from platforms to ensure that harmful content is removed faster and we can create a safer digital world for every user.” KUALA LUMPUR: The Constitutional Amendment Bill related to the separation of the roles of the attorney general (AG) and public prosecutor (PP) is expected to be tabled during next month’s Parliamentary sitting. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the draft of the Bill had been finalised and had received the

Teo was speaking yesterday after officiating at the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day and the Girls in ICT programme hosted by MCMC, Bernama reported. Citing police statistics, she said CSAM cases rose from 31 in 2020 to 44 in 2021, then dipped to 28 cases the following year before climbing to 67 cases in 2023, 68 in 2024 and 152 last year. She said 100 cases have been recorded this year and the figure could only be the tip of the iceberg as greater connectivity and the proliferation of generative tools make such content easier to produce and disseminate. Earlier, Teo lauded Malaysia’s network progress, saying that near approval of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on the Constitutional Amendment during its sixth meeting yesterday. “We have prepared a draft constitutional amendment which I believe will receive the support of MPs from both the government and the Opposition. “I hope that when we table this amendment Bill, it will mark a historic

The 3,190km submarine cable will be developed by MCMC, involving an undersea route from Sedili in Johor to Kuching and Sibu in Sarawak, before continuing to Tuaran, Kudat, Pulau Banggi, Sandakan and Tawau in Sabah. AG-PP separation Bill to be tabled next month

change for our country, where for the first time since independence we establish a separation between the roles of the attorney general and the public prosecutor.” Among those present at the meeting were Parit Sulong MP cum Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, Kota Bharu MP Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed