14/06/2026

NATIONAL 4 theSun on Sunday JUNE 14, 2026

Eye on ‘foreigner flat’ ownership, rental trail

Two arrested over orange smoke incident JOHOR BAHRU: The Johor Department of Environment (DOE) has arrested the owner and supervisor of a premises in the Pasir Gudang industrial area following an incident of orange smoke emission suspected to be scheduled waste detected on Thursday. Its director Dr Mohd Famey Yusoff said the individuals, aged 34 and 41, were arrested at about 8pm on Thursday. He added that initial investigations found that the premises failed to comply with scheduled waste management procedures and licensing conditions issued under Section 16 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974. “A thorough investigation by the Prescribed Premises for Scheduled Waste Unit at the location of the incident confirmed a serious violation of environmental laws.“ Meanwhile, he said air quality monitoring was also being carried out in nearby sensitive areas, including Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Taman Pasir Putih and SMK Pasir Gudang 3 using a portable multigas analyser. However, he said no hazardous gas parameters were detected in the surrounding area as of Friday. Mohd Famey emphasised that his party would not compromise with industrial operators who ignore aspects of scheduled waste management to the point of endangering public safety and the environment. He said the strictest legal action would be taken against any party found to be violating compliance requirements. Yesterday, Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue Department senior operations commander Deputy Fire Superintendent II Firdaus Ahmad reported that a 200-litre industrial tank containing “Spent Inorganic Acid” (SW206) at a factory in Jalan Keluli, Pasir Gudang had a leak. He said the emergency call was received at 11.59am, and no individuals were reported to be affected in the incident. – Bernama Free mammograms for over 1,300 women MALACCA: A total of 1,318 women aged 40 to 70 across the state have undergone free mammogram screenings this year under the National Population and Family Development Board Mammogram Subsidy programme. State Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Datuk Kalsom Noordin said that the breast cancer screening programme remains open to women within the age group, with a target of 1,800 women undergoing the test this year. She added that the screenings could be carried out at three private hospitals in the state: the Putra Specialist Hospital Malacca, Pantai Hospital, Ayer Keroh and the Mahkota Medical Centre. “Eligible and interested participants who wish to undergo the mammogram screening may visit the board’s Malacca Nur Sejahtera Clinic or attend the clinic’s outreach programmes to register and obtain an appointment date at the participating hospitals. “So far, we have seen a very encouraging response from women in Malacca towards undergoing mammogram screening through the initiative, compared with previous years. “This clearly shows that awareness of the importance of such screenings has increased significantly among women.” – Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Questions over an alleged “foreigner flat” in Hulu Langat have widened beyond the multi-storey building, with focus shifting to its ownership and rental trail. Kajang Municipal Council Zone 2 Residents’ Representative Council member Ahmad Fuad Abdul Rahman told theSun that the matter should not be viewed as confined to the building. Ahmad Fuad, whose zone area under the municipal council includes Kampung Baru Sungai Makau and Kampung Sungai Tekali, said the matter had been known locally for years, with complaints raised by residents before the issue gained traction on social media. “The issue is actually not just about that building. “It also involves the settlement behind it. It is quite a wide area,” he said, but could not confirm the scale of the said settlement. “Complaints were made, and the government also took action. But usually, after they (migrants) were removed from the area, they would come back. “The cycle continued until the authorities eventually took further action against them.” He added that the building was now largely empty, with only the landowner and one other family believed to remain there, based on his current understanding. He also said the Hulu Langat District and Land Office’s remark that the building had “previously been occupied” was accurate, as it was no longer occupied in the manner suggested by claims circulating online. However, he said the wider concern was whether private owners had facilitated the issue by renting out land or premises without proper approval. “In my personal view, the landowner should be punished if he Potential illegal leasing of units to migrants raises concerns, says resident council member Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Ahmad Fuad said the building was now largely empty, with only the landowner and one other family believed to remain there. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

Sungai Makau controversy within a years-long enforcement trail, saying state and enforcement agencies had acted since 2016 through notices, compounds, integrated operations, investigations and enforcement. The district and land office later clarified that illegal occupation notices were issued in 2017, 2020, 2021 and March 13 this year, while the municipal council issued notices and compound offers in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021 over construction without written approval. The office also said the structure was largely on private land, with a small portion on road reserve land, while several illegal residential structures had also been found on river reserve land. It added that further demolition action on the structure would be carried out according to existing laws. Separately, Hulu Langat MP Mohd Sany Hamzan told an online news portal (The Rakyat Post) that demolition of the structure had been approved but was awaiting funding allocation from the Selangor government, with the cost estimated at nearly RM600,000. He said the matter had been raised at several levels, including district, state and federal channels, as well as the police and National Security Council.

rented out the place to migrants. “If possible, the building should be demolished, and the landowner should be barred from building rental houses, especially rental houses for migrants.” Ahmad Fuad said he could not confirm details of the 2017 demolition operation cited by the district and land office, including whether it involved the main building or other structures in the vicinity. The municipal council, when asked by theSun to clarify whether previous action targeted the registered landowner, structure owner, rental operators or occupants, declined to provide specific details. It was also asked whether the structure and the settlement behind it were on the same lot or involved several lots, and whether planning or building approvals had been sought. However, a council spokesperson referred theSun to the state government’s earlier statement as the only information available at this stage. The officer also said any operation would be led by the district and land office, while further queries would be forwarded internally. Selangor Housing and Culture exco Datuk Borhan Aman Shah had not responded to theSun ’s request for comment at press time. On June 10, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari placed the

‘No water, electricity for unauthorised buildings’ IPOH: Buildings constructed without planning permission are illegal and will not be allowed access to water or electricity supplies, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said. reporters after visiting an unclaimed money mobile counter yesterday. Nga was commenting on reports of an unauthorised four-storey building enforcement efforts, while urging the public to report the presence of illegal immigrants or any suspicious activities to the authorities.

On the unclaimed money campaign, he said RM13 billion is currently available for claim and encouraged the public to check their status. “The process is simple. Citizens only need to bring their identity card and a bank statement.” Nga said the initiative is in line with Section 13(1) of the Unclaimed Moneys Act 1965, under which funds left untouched for more than seven years are transferred to the Unclaimed Moneys Account managed by the Accountant General’s Department. – Bernama

constructed by the Rohingya community in a remote area of Sungai Tekali, Hulu Langat, Selangor. Meanwhile, he also said the government had revoked 26,108 business licences operated by foreign nationals through 4,000 enforcement operations carried out nationwide as of May this year. “Foreign nationals are not allowed to run businesses or hold business licences. They may work as employees, but they cannot own businesses.” He added that local authorities nationwide had been directed to step up

He added that the policy was intended to prevent the emergence of illegal settlements, including those linked to foreign communities such as the Rohingya. “The issue of Rohingya refugees falls under the jurisdiction of the Immigration Department, which conducts regular inspections and enforcement operations. “However, the government’s policy is clear. Anyone entering the country, whether on humanitarian grounds or as a refugee, must obtain approval,” he told