24/06/2026

WEDNESDAY | JUNE 24, 2026

3 Majority of drug abuse cases involve productive citizens

Music festival rakes in over RM390m PETALING JAYA: A free water music festival held on Labour Day drew 415,000 visitors nationwide and generated an estimated RM392.33 million in economic returns, with every ringgit of public spending yielding RM36 in economic impact, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing told Parliament yesterday. The Rain Rave Water Music Festival 2026, staged in conjunction with the World Labour Day Celebration, was anchored at Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, with simultaneous events across six states: Terengganu, Malacca, Labuan, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Langkawi. Tiong said the RM15 million festival, jointly funded by the government (RM11 million) and private sector partners (RM4 million), served as a “signature event” under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign aimed at strengthening event based tourism, increasing visitor spending and raising Malaysia’s global profile. “If entry had been charged at RM300 per person, comparable to other major music festivals, ticket sales alone could have raised at least RM75 million.” The government opted for free admission as a Labour Day gesture of appreciation to workers while encouraging wider public participation. Responding to Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman, Tiong said the festival attracted about 150,000 domestic visitors and 100,000 international tourists from China, Japan, India, Bangladesh, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam, generating RM320.43 million in economic returns. He added that simultaneous events in the six states brought in a further 165,000 visitors and RM71.9 million. “Visitor arrivals from January to May reached 17.5 million, a 3.4% increase from 16.9 million in the same period in 2025, reflecting continued growth in the post-pandemic tourism recovery.” He also said the event produced strong spillover effects across the capital, adding that Lot 10 recorded a 40% rise in visitors and a 45% increase in sales, while Sungei Wang Plaza saw a 31.3% jump in footfall. Tiong said hotels in Bukit Bintang and Kuala Lumpur reported near-full occupancy, supported by discounts of 30% to 50% across 80 hotels nationwide. He added that media impact was equally substantial, with 41 international media representatives producing nearly 10,000 media and digital outputs valued at an estimated RM77.5 million in publicity, alongside 1.9 billion social media impressions and 25.3 million livestream views. He also said at the Bukit Bintang hub, 63 food stalls and 15 craft stalls generated RM388,690 in sales, with some vendors reporting more than doubled earnings. Tiong attributed the event’s success to strong public-private collaboration involving malls, hotels, transport

Ű BY KIRTINEE RAMESH newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o Individuals aged 15 to 39 account for nearly 75% of incidents in 2025: Home minister

spoken with incoming UN General Assembly president-elect Dr Khalilur Rahman of Bangladesh, expressing hope that the upcoming General Assembly vote would draw support from over 140 countries – a threshold he said would constitute meaningful pressure on Israel. dismantling supply chains. Saifuddin also flagged the detection of fentanyl in vape liquids seized during raids – a development that warrants monitoring, although he said Malaysia’s situation remains less acute than that seen in countries such as the United States and Canada. He added that enforcement is further complicated by a shift towards online drug distribution, with syndicates exploiting digital platforms and anonymity. He also said operators frequently present themselves as middlemen, making prosecution harder. “Our laws still need to be updated,” he said. On the question of how users are treated by the legal system, Saifuddin said Malaysia is moving towards a public health-centred model. He added that amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act have decriminalised minor possession and consumption offences under certain provisions, and individuals who voluntarily seek rehabilitation would no longer receive a criminal record. operations more effectively.” He was responding to a question from Tampin MP Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa on the number of accidents and fatalities recorded over the past five years, and efforts to establish a national safety standard for hiking trails. Syed Ibrahim said the ministry, through the Forestry Department in collaboration with the Malaysian Space Agency, was developing a Hiking Trail Management System using geospatial technology, Geographic Information System and remote sensing. “The system would enable centralised management of hiking trail data, improved mapping and monitoring of trails, and enhanced search and rescue operations through accurate spatial analysis.” He added that the ministry, through the Forestry Department and the Wildlife and National Parks Department, viewed forest recreation safety as a key priority. He also said the department, with financial support from the United Nations Development Programme, had developed the National Mountain Risk Assessment and Management Guidelines to ensure activities in Permanent Reserved Forests were systematically managed.

PETALING JAYA: Nearly 75% of Malaysia’s drug abuse cases involve individuals between the ages of 15 and 39, underscoring a worsening crisis among the country’s most productive age group, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told Parliament yesterday. He said national figures show 192,857 drug abuse cases recorded

Saifuddin said despite large seizures and the dismantling of trafficking networks by police, headline enforcement numbers have not translated into meaningful progress on the ground. “The statistics do not show that the situation is improving significantly.” He emphasised that the National Anti-Drugs Agency cannot shoulder the burden alone, even as its rehabilitation programmes report an 80% recovery rate among those undergoing treatment. The agency operates across three pillars – prevention, enforcement support and rehabilitation – running community initiatives such as the Drug-Free Village Aspirations Programme, along with school outreach, public roadshows and volunteer anti-drug networks. Meanwhile, Bukit Aman’s Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department concentrates on He said a centralised digital hiking log system had strong potential to improve safety monitoring, risk management and emergency response coordination. “Such a system would allow authorities to systematically record hikers’ movements, speed up detection during emergencies, and support search and rescue

Kota-Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, Saifuddin confirmed that the 15-to 39 age bracket makes up close to 75% of the 192,000 cases recorded in 2024. Saifuddin said district-level data further reveals that the problem is geographically concentrated, with

Pendang topping the list, followed by Kuala Krai, Bachok, Besut and Mersing – areas that are rural or semi-urban. He also said the scale of the crisis is also reflected within the prison system, adding

in 2024, up from 145,526 the previous year, and 141,817 cases last year. He added that last year’s tally translates to about 560 affected

AT THE DEWAN RAKYAT

individuals per 100,000 people, and cautioned that the true scale is likely higher due to under-reporting and cases that go undetected. He said amphetamine-type stimulants, including syabu and methamphetamine, remain the dominant substances, accounting for about 70% of all cases across the recorded period. Responding to a question from

that of the roughly 87,000 inmates held across 41 correctional facilities nationwide, approximately 70% are linked to drug-related offences, whether as convicted prisoners or remand detainees. He said at facilities such as Machang Prison, nearly the entire population falls into this category. minister told Parliament yesterday. Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said Fire and Rescue Department data recorded 1,059 hiking and forest recreation accidents nationwide between 2021 and 2025, resulting in 63 fatalities and 87 injuries.

Govt mulls digital registration system for hikers

Ű BY QIRANA NABILLA MOHD RASHIDI newsdesk@thesundaily.com

PETALING JAYA: More than 1,000 hiking accidents over four years, including 63 deaths, have prompted the government to consider a national digital registration and monitoring system for forest trails, a

Syed Ibrahim said at present, hiking registration in forest reserve areas was carried out either manually or through online platforms managed by state forestry departments, in line with state jurisdiction over permit issuance. – SYED AZAHAR SYED OSMAN/THESUN

operators, tourism attractions and international brands. – By Kirtinee Ramesh Israel deliberately sabotaging US-Iran peace negotiations, says minister

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Cooperation, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, BRICS and the UN Security Council, to halt Israeli aggression in Lebanon, end atrocities in Gaza, and stop incursions into the occupied West Bank. He also revealed that he had

MoU explicitly requiring full Israeli withdrawal – were a deliberate signal that it had no intention of accepting regional stability. Mohamad said Malaysia would step up diplomatic pressure through every available multilateral channel, including the Organisation of Islamic

in 14-point memorandum of understanding, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said. Speaking during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat, yesterday, he said Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon – despite the breach of a

PETALING intentionally

JAYA:

Israel

is

derailing peace negotiations between the United States and Iran by pressing ahead with military strikes across the region