18/7/2026

SATURDAY | JULY 18, 2026

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Checks at Network School reveal nothing amiss

PETALING JAYA: The controversy surrounding the operations of Network School at Forest City in Johor has drawn a formal response from the Immigration Department, after checks were held on 266 foreigners linked to the community, as its founder Balaji Srinivasan announced he was pausing all new investment plans in Malaysia pending government assurances. Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban reportedly said 256 of the 266 foreigners inspected were found to be using Social Visit Passes, while the remaining 10 held Professional Visit Passes (PVP) under the Nomad category. The PVP Nomad holders comprised four Americans, three Russians, two Australians and one Indian national. Zakaria said the checks also involved two Malaysian citizens, and that of the total number inspected, 179 were men and 87 were women. The inspection followed claims that Israeli nationals were participating in the Network School programme at Forest City, Iskandar Puteri. The allegations prompted Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi to order an investigation into claims that Israeli citizens – who are barred from entering Malaysia – had joined the Network School community, reportedly using second-country passports. commercial vehicle drivers who test positive for drugs was that they took the substances to boost their energy while driving, the Penang Road Transport Department (RTD) said. The department made this observation while carrying out its Integrated Drug Operation on Commercial Vehicles. Penang RTD director Zulkifly Ismail said inspections found that most drivers claimed they had taken prohibited substances to help them stay alert and energetic while driving. “This shows that there are still a number of drivers operating vehicles under the influence of drugs, and the situation cannot be taken lightly as it involves the safety of thousands of road users every day. “RTD will not compromise with any individual found driving a commercial vehicle under the influence of drugs, as such actions could cost innocent lives,” he told a press conference after observing the operation at the Sungai Dua toll plaza (southbound) on Thursday night.

Protected river frogs worth RM17,000 seized KUANTAN: The General Operations Force (GOF) arrested a man and seized 34 Blyth’s river frogs ( Limnonectes blythii ), a protected wildlife species, worth RM17,000 in a raid on a storage facility in Jalan Tras, Bentong. GOF Southeast Brigade Commander SAC Ahmad Radzi Hussain said the raid, conducted under Op Bersepadu Khazanah, was carried out at about 5pm on Wednesday by a team from the 7th Battalion Kem Bukit Galing taskforce, together with the Pahang Department of Wildlife and National Parks. “The 66-year-old local man, who claimed to be the owner of the storage facility, was detained after he failed to produce a valid licence or permit to keep the species,” he said. Ahmad Radzi added that preliminary investigations revealed the frogs were obtained from Orang Asli residents in Kampung Gebak and Kampung Gabong, to be sold to buyers believed to be operators of exotic food outlets in Pahang. “The seized frogs, together with the suspect, were taken to the Bentong district police headquarters before they were handed to the Pahang wildlife department for further investigation,” he said. Ahmad Radzi said GOF would continue to intensify intelligence gathering and monitoring efforts to curb the illegal possession, keeping and trading of protected wildlife without valid licences or permits, at the same time protecting the species from further exploitation. The case is being investigated under Section 60 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. – Bernama He traced the controversy to the day before the Johor state election, when an anonymous Instagram account made the accusation, triggering an uproar that led authorities to visit the campus on July 14. After checking hundreds of physical passports of individuals from 40 countries, including dual citizens, authorities confirmed on July 15 that all travel documents were valid. decision and move our capital elsewhere.” Balaji later announced that all new Network School investment plans in Malaysia would be paused pending assurances, following the uproar sparked by an anonymous account that accused the company of harbouring undocumented migrants – a claim he called baseless. He said several investor partners and executives he had brought to Forest City were taking the same approach.

School and the government, aimed at strengthening cooperation and restoring the global tech community’s confidence in Malaysia as an investment destination. “We will openly commit to continuing to comply with all Malaysian laws, as we do now, and to respecting Malaysia’s sovereignty, something we have never questioned,” he said, adding that in return, the government would get to know the community better and understand why it chose Malaysia as a hub bringing together engineers, Western investors and local entrepreneurs. “We are not asking for any funding. All we want is a meeting to help restore confidence that Malaysia remains a trusted investment destination,” he said. “If Malaysia no longer wants our investment or that of our partners from billion-dollar funds and trillion dollar companies, we will respect that

o Immigration Dept inspection on 266 foreigners from 40 countries find all individuals possess valid documents, with no indication of Israeli nationals present

City without receiving Malaysian government funding, creating jobs locally, supporting Malaysian startups and local businesses and helping to revive development at Forest City. “Our executives and staff in Malaysia should be given the benefit of the doubt ahead of claims made by an anonymous social media account.” He said he had requested a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to discuss a possible memorandum of understanding between Network

The Immigration Department subsequently inspected 266 foreigners from 40 countries and found that all of them held valid immigration documents based on current records. As of Thursday, the department said it had not found evidence confirming the presence of Israeli nationals at the Network School, with investigations across several enforcement agencies still ongoing. In a social media post on X, Balaji said Network School had invested more than RM100 million to develop a startup-friendly campus at Forest

‘Energy boost’ excuse cited by drivers using drugs BUTTERWORTH: One of the most common excuses given by

Penang RTD personnel carrying out checks on commercial

vehicles at the Sungai Dua toll plaza. – BERNAMAPIC

Zulkifly also reminded employers to ensure that the hired drivers are drug free. He warned that companies that fail to comply with licensing requirements could also face action under the Land Public Transport Act 2010, including the suspension of their operator’s licence. – Bernama

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screened, with 12 testing positive for drugs. Of the 12, 10 were goods vehicle drivers, while the remaining two were private vehicle drivers in their 40s.

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cannabis. “All those who tested positive during urine screening were detained by the National Anti-Drugs Agency for further action. If convicted, their driving licences may be suspended or revoked,” he said.

Zulkifly said since the operation, which started on July 1 and ended on Thursday night, 121 commercial and private vehicle drivers had been MMEA records RM2.29 billion in seizures He said six of the 12 individuals tested positive for ketum , five for methamphetamine and one

KUANTAN: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) recorded RM2.29 billion in seizures and detained 516 individuals for various offences from January to June. Its director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah said the achievement was the result of the agency’s continued commitment in safeguarding and enforcing the sovereignty of the

security, rescue operations, and maritime crime prevention. He said MMEA is also involved in Op Tiris together with other enforcement agencies. “One of the latest successes was the foiling of a cigarette smuggling attempt in Tawau, Sabah, on June 23, involving seized cigarettes and a vessel estimated to be worth a total of RM64 million. – Bernama search and

attempts to evade taxes,”he said after the Santuni Madani and Sahabat Maritim programmes at Pantai Rekreasi Balok here on Thursday. The programmes were held to engage coastal communities in raising awareness on maritime safety, while strengthening strategic cooperation between enforcement agencies and local communities. Mohd Rosli said MMEA would also continue to strengthen maritime

nation’s waters. The seizures included local boats valued at RM2.11 billion, drugs at RM86.06 million, foreign fishing vessels at RM66 million, smuggled cigarettes at RM25.16 million, prawns at RM5.2 million and diesel at RM3.33 million. “MMEA will continue to intensify operations to ensure controlled and subsidised goods are not smuggled out of the country, as well as to curb