08/06/2025

NATIONAL 5 ON SUNDAY JUNE 8, 2025

Three dead, two missing in Port Klang boat tragedy

Five family members killed in Jerantut crash KUANTAN: Five members of a family were killed in a collision involving a sedan and an MPV in Jalan Jerantut Feri, Jerantut, around midnight on Friday. Jerantut district police chief Supt Zukri Muhammad confirmed the victims were the driver of the sedan, Mohamad Ikmal Ishak, 26, from Ulu Kinta, Perak, and his wife Nur Arfiqah Aziz Jaafar, 23. Also killed were Nur Arfiqah’s three siblings – Mohammad Zulkifli, 21, Mohamad Azizul Hakimi, 19, and Nurul Hazwani, 17 – all from Bota, Perak. The incident occurred when the MPV, heading from Maran towards Jerantut town, collided with the sedan, which had made a sudden U-turn at an intersection. The driver and two passengers in the MPV sustained injuries. Zukri confirmed that the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. Pahang Fire and Rescue Department director Mohd Razam Taja Rahim said the five victims – three men and two women – were travelling in the sedan. Two were found trapped inside the car, while three others were thrown out due to the force of the impact. Firefighters used rescue equipment to extricate the trapped victims. – Bernama Engineer loses RM1.5m in investment scam BUKIT MERTAJAM: An engineer working in the Middle East lost more than RM1.5 million in an online investment scam. Penang police chief Datuk Hamzah Ahmad confirmed the 40-year-old victim lodged a report with the Central Seberang Perai district commercial crimes investigation division on Thursday. He said the victim had met a woman over the phone in November last year and entered into a relationship with her before she introduced him to an investment scheme called Golden Crimson, which promised lucrative returns. “The man registered through a website link and a customer service number provided by the woman. He first invested RM90,510 and received returns of RM108,611,” Hamzah said in a statement. Convinced by the returns, the victim made 103 transactions to 31 different accounts between Dec 2 and March 8, totalling RM1,532,563. – Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: Police have detained the mother and uncle of a four-year-old boy who died after reportedly falling from the 30th floor of an apartment in Bukit Jalil. Cheras police chief ACP Aidil Bolhassan confirmed that the Indonesian nationals, aged 25 and 27, have been remanded to assist investigations under Section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001. He added that the boy’s father is Malaysian. “Based on the autopsy, the child died due to multiple injuries sustained after the fall. The cause that led to the incident is still under investigation,” he said in a statement. Police had earlier received an emergency call at 11.17am on Thursday regarding a boy who had reportedly fallen from the balcony of his home and died. – Bernama Mother, uncle held over boy’s fatal fall

support from the Marine Police Force, Fire and Rescue Department and nearby passenger boats. The capsized vessel was later towed to the floating jetty of the Selangor MMEA headquarters before the search operation was suspended around 8pm. Efforts to locate the missing couple resumed yesterday, with diving operations carried out by the fire department. A video of the incident, showing the boat being towed by another vessel, has circulated widely on social media. – Bernama

year-old son of the missing couple, and Cheu Son Hin, 50, both found in the front compartment of the boat,” he said. Also killed was Fong Yong Sen, 29, a friend of the couple. The sole survivor, Chang Yan Qin Alvin, 17, was rescued safely. The missing victims have been identified as Gan Hon Tat, 32, and his wife Careen Man, 29, both from Klang Utama. Initial investigations indicate that the boat likely lost control before capsizing. Rescue operations were launched at 5.16pm following a distress report, with

SHAH ALAM: Three people, including a child, died after a boat capsized in the waters off Tanjung Harapan, Port Klang on Friday. Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the incident occurred at about 5pm and involved six locals aged between three and 50. Two other victims, a married couple, remain missing, while another individual was rescued by fishermen. “The deceased are Darren Gan, a three

‘Systemic failures persist in tackling human trafficking’

Lack of accountability and weak enforcement continue nearly decade after discovery of Wang Kelian mass graves, says Suhakam

Ű BY T. C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

GEORGE TOWN: Nearly a decade after the discovery of mass graves in Wang Kelian shocked the nation, the Human Rights Commission has warned that sys temic weaknesses continue to under mine the country’s anti-trafficking efforts. Its vice-chairman Tengku Mohamed Fauzi Tengku Abdul Hamid described Malaysia’s unresolved institutional failures as a source of human suffering and urged concrete action. “The souls buried in Wang Kelian cry not just for remembrance, but also for accountability,” he said during a keynote address at the launch of Mass Graves , a book by veteran journalist Datuk Arulldas Sinnappan documenting the 2015 tragedy. The book chronicles the discovery of 139 graves across 28 abandoned human trafficking camps near the Malaysia– Thailand border in Perlis. Each grave was believed to contain three to four bodies, many wrapped in white cloth in accordance with Muslim burial traditions. Victims were reportedly starved and tortured. Arulldas, who uncovered the graves after a tip-off, details the discovery of remains believed to belong to Rohingya and Bangladeshi nationals trafficked and held in jungle camps. A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) held in 2019 found evidence of serious negligence in border monitoring but did not implicate any Malaysian officials in trafficking operations. The report was initially classified under the Official Secrets Act, with limited sections made public in 2022 before being taken down. The RCI confirmed that Malaysian authorities located the trafficking camps in January 2015, but exhumation and public disclosure only occurred in May. During that gap, a senior police officer allegedly ordered the site destroyed, raising concerns about obstruction of justice. Still, the RCI concluded there was no proof of enforcement or civil servant involvement, a finding still questioned by rights groups. While Tengku Mohamed Fauzi did not directly dispute the RCI’s findings, he stressed that impunity and inaction

Tengku Mohamed Fauzi and Arulldas during the launch of the book. – T. C. KHOR/THESUN

He noted ongoing challenges, including language barriers in detention centres, a shortage of medical personnel in shelters and understaffing in the Labour Department. It recommended assigning medical officers to all shelters to provide health screenings and basic care. It also urged the government to boost staffing at the Labour Department to improve enforcement in rural sectors such as plantations and factories. Under Section 4(2)(d) of the Human Rights Commission Act, the commission is empowered to carry out both routine and complaint-based inspections of detention centres, shelters, plantations and factories. These visits include interviews with detainees and reviews of healthcare services, infrastructure, and inter agency coordination. Tengku Mohamed Fauzi also called for detention centres to comply with the United Nations’ Mandela Rules, which set minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. “Let us ensure that Malaysia does not become a silent witness to impunity. Let us be a nation that confronts its past with honesty and forges a future where human dignity is upheld for all.”

remain pressing issues. He highlighted the joint commission– Fortify Rights report “Sold Like Fish”, which described the 2012-2015 crimes as a “widespread and systematic attack on civilian populations” and possibly crimes against humanity under international law. “Survivors were forced to pay up to RM7,000 for their release or face torture, or death. Eyewitnesses reported complicity by officials in transporting Rohingya captives from state custody directly into the hands of traffickers,” he said. Beyond Wang Kelian, the commission has continued to receive fresh complaints. From 2020 to 2024, 22 trafficking related reports were lodged. Victims, including women, were deceived into working in entertainment venues, while children were forced into plantation labour. Although improvements have been made – such as the development of shelter standard operating procedures, educational programmes for children, and strengthened grassroots enforcement in Sabah and Sarawak – Tengku Mohamed Fauzi highlighted persistent structural problems.