Malaysia, India may team up over wildlife smuggling
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) has pledged to work with Indian authorities following the arrest of a passenger caught smuggling two exotic monitor lizards from Kuala Lumpur to India.
MCBA Air Domain director Zuhailah Jalani said that while there has been no prior collaboration with Indian authorities, they are open to working together to curb such smuggling attempts.
"To date, we have not had any cooperation with Indian Authorities but we are willing to aid in their investigation if there is any request from them.
"Moving forward, MCBA will seek to collaborate with the authorities there through the Indian Embassy and other international organisations," she told the New Straits Times.
Zuhailah's remarks comes after Indian airport authorities busted a passenger smuggling two protected monitor lizards in his checked baggage upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur, highlighting India's lucrative illegal wildlife trade.
Acting on intelligence, officers from the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu, uncovered the reptiles during an inspection.
Meanwhile, Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said the department would maintain close communications with the Indian authorities.
"We will contact the Indian authorities through Interpol National Central Bureau Kuala Lumpur to gather further information on the case," he said.
Photos released by authorities showed the two reptiles with their mouths and limbs tightly bound before being wrapped in black cloth.
Their legs were also secured with tape, highlighting the cruel methods used in wildlife smuggling.
In a statement issued in April, the Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) raised concern over Kuala Lumpur International Airport's ongoing role as a key transit hub in the illegal wildlife trade.
In early March, two individuals boarded a flight to Chennai with a suitcase containing eight exotic animals, including Eastern Grey Gibbons, marbled polecats, a silvery lutung, and a Sumatran white-bearded palm civet, it had said in a statement. Three baby siamang gibbons were found dead.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
9 hours ago
- New Straits Times
New MCBA chief vows greater visibility and impact
PUTRAJAYA: Newly-appointed Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Shuhaily Mohd Zain has vowed that the agency will become more visible and impactful to the public, in line with the government's expectations. Shuhaily said he had met with Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Awang Alik Jeman before clocking in, where he was entrusted with several urgent administrative matters that needed to be resolved promptly. "My contract is only for two years. "If broken down by quarters, I only have eight to deliver on what has been entrusted to me. "God willing, our task is to ensure that the MCBA is physically seen in the near future and that its impact is felt by the public, as envisioned by the government, within a year, if possible," he told reporters at a press conference before attending his first meeting as head of the agency. Shuhaily arrived at his office at the Home Ministry in Putrajaya at 9.15am and was welcomed by MCBA deputy director-general (operations) Mohd Jasmi Mohd Juwahir and deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar. Shuhaily, who previously helmed the federal police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), was appointed to the MCBA's top post beginning today until June 30, 2027. The agency was previously led by senior police officer Datuk Seri Hazani Ghazali. Hazani, who served for 38 years in the police force and other security-related agencies, retired on Feb 10. Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, in a statement, expressed confidence that Shuhaily, who has 26 years of experience in the police service, would be able to lead the MCBA with distinction. He said this confidence was based on Shuhaily's competence and extensive experience in various police units, both at national and international levels. He said that the leadership is also expected to further strengthen the country's border security and uphold a culture of integrity in line with Madani values. Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the appointment of Shuhaily meant that another police officer had been entrusted with leading a key agency to safeguard national security.
The Star
20 hours ago
- The Star
A fiery fortnight
COULD one lunch in Washington cause so much dyspepsia in Delhi, or indigestion in Islamabad? On June 18, 2025, US President Donald Trump invited Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir for a private meal in the White House's Cabinet Room. He set five places: for himself, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and an aide. The field marshal sat with Lt-Gen Asim Malik, Inter-Services Intelligence head and Pakistan's national security adviser. There was no place for a representative of Pakistan's elected government. (Later, Rubio deadened Islamabad's pique by phoning Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.) Trump's working lunch, scheduled for an hour, extended to two. In July 2019, Trump received then Pakistan PM Imran Khan and spent almost four hours taking him on a tour of the White House. Trump had hoped that after the recent G7 meeting in Canada, Indian PM Narendra Modi would accompany him to Washington. Modi 'politely' declined, rejecting yet again Trump's contention that he brokered the Indo-Pakistan ceasefire in May. Returning to Washington, Trump tweeted that he had brokered peace deals between the DPR of Congo and Rwanda; Serbia and Kosovo; Egypt and Ethiopia; and the Abraham Accords (aimed at easing relations between Israel and Arab nations). But, he griped: 'I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping the War between India and Pakistan. I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize no matter what I do, including Russia/Ukraine, and Israel/Iran.' Within days of Trump's lunch, Pakistan indulged his whim. Pakistan, in 'obsequious bondage', formally recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his 'strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship'. The Iranians would prefer to see Trump receive a different award – for duplicity. During the past fiery fortnight, while Iran and Israel lobbed missiles and drones at each other, Trump held out that he would decide Iran's fate 'within a fortnight'. He encouraged the UK, France, and Germany plus the EU to negotiate with Iran in Geneva. No sooner had they retired for the weekend than, overnight last Sunday, Trump gave the order for a sneak attack on Iran. Seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers flew over supine Syria and impotent Iraq. They dropped more than 190,000kg of explosives on Iran's nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. This mission – planned over months – was executed within hours, with multipronged precision. It involved 14 GBU-57 'bunker buster' bombs and two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a US submarine. The attack on Fordo was not entirely successful. It had to be repeated by a second sortie of B-2s. Trump exulted at his 'spectacular military success', warning of 'far greater' attacks if Iran did not 'make peace'. Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu heaped shovels of praise, congratulating the 'awesome and righteous might ... which will change history'. He continued: ''President Trump and I often say, 'Peace through strength'. First comes strength, then comes peace.' Netanyahu's strategy is to make Israel, with US backing, the preeminent power in the region and, at a personal level, to fortify his position within Israel. Trump's intervention has made his dream a reality. The tail has finally wagged the dog. It bit. Today, Iran – a Shia state headed by an 87-year-old cleric – stands alone, surrounded by a herd of Arabian sheep. Will Iran capitulate? Unlikely. For centuries since October 680 CE, Shias every year recall the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his companions at Karbala. Iran's leadership may well believe: 'If you are prepared to die, nobody can kill you.' On Tuesday, after an attack by Iran on the American Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar (artfully choreographed with US connivance to minimise damage), Trump claimed he had arranged a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. They obeyed his intervention by violating the ceasefire. An irate Trump has been driven to spouting expletives. Israel's actions have obviously emboldened India. Its Home Minister Amit Shah declared again that India will never restore the Indus Waters Treaty: 'We will take water that was flowing to Pakistan to Rajasthan by constructing a canal. Pakistan will be starved of water that it has been getting unjustifiably.' Pakistan seeks negotiations, but has warned India continued suspension or abrogation of the IWT constitutes a casus belli. Would a war result in a dependable supply of water? Or is PM Modi's plan to convert Pakistan into a modern Karbala? When threats replace diplomacy, nations like Pakistan and Iran are vulnerable victims of the vaunting ambition of others. Trump's maverick decisions, Netanyahu's gory genocide, Modi's aversion to negotiations, and the Dr Strangelove advice of US hawks to Trump that he should 'reluctantly blow Iran to smithereens' remind one of Friedrich Schiller's maxim: 'Against stupidity, even the gods fight in vain.' — Dawn/ANN FS Aijazuddin is an author.
New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Indian state pushes jail terms for 'fake news', sparks worries
BENGALURU: Draft legislation by India's tech hub state of Karnataka that would impose jail terms of up to seven years for spreading "fake news" and other misinformation has stirred concerns among free speech activists that it could lead to censorship. With nearly one billion internet users, the stakes are high in a sprawling country of many ethnic and religious communities where fake news risks stirring deadly strife and AI deepfake videos have alarmed officials during elections. India's federal government already regulates social media content with legislation empowering it to order takedowns of disputed content. But some states such as Karnataka have begun taking their own measures. Karnataka's bill, the strictest of its kind yet, stipulates that those posting "fake news" and "anti-feminist" content, or "promoting superstition", would face imprisonment along with potential fines. The 11-page Karnataka Mis-Information And Fake News (Prohibition) Bill does not define such offences in practice, but said special courts and a regulatory committee would be set up to implement it. Free speech advocates have cited what they say would be the risk of selective enforcement arising from Karnataka's measure and flagged concerns that people posting memes or making honest mistakes online could be prosecuted. "Misinformation is fairly subjective and every person who uses the internet is susceptible to falling within the dragnet of this law," said Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital advocacy group which first made the Karnataka draft legislation public. The state government of Karnataka, home to the city of Bengaluru that hosts the offices or branches of many Indian and foreign tech giants, has said the bill will be released for public consultation before implementation. Priyank Kharge, Karnataka's IT minister, said on Friday "there is a lot of misinformation on the proposed Misinformation Bill in public." He later added that the "sole objective is to address the growing digital information disorder" and the government's focus was to tackle misinformation and fake news, "and nothing beyond that." He did not immediately respond to Reuters calls seeking further comment on Monday. Karnataka's move could risk creating multiple regulations imposing conflicting obligations and regulatory challenges for companies, said Aman Taneja, partner at law and policy firm Ikigai. Some Indian media have sharply criticised the draft bill. The Deccan Herald newspaper on Monday titled an opinion piece "A remedy that's worse than the menace", saying the Karnataka government should "do away with the criminal provisions" in the legislation. India has over the years held talks with US tech giants like Google it sees as having been slow to remove fake news posts, and New Delhi in 2019 set up a "Fact Check Unit" to debunk what it sees as misinformation.
